Basic Tips for Everyone

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This is just basic info for people who say they cannot connect to the internet. 99% of the time, all that is needed is to unplug the modem for about 10 seconds and plug it back in - and that usually will take care of the issue.

If using a router, unplug the modem and router. There are many reasons why a system will lose sync, power surge, etc., but try this first before taking the time to call your ISP. Modems will have certain light patterns when you are connected. Getting familiar with those will save you time and a few headaches. Make sure the modem is getting power, if the PC light is off, check the Ethernet cord, if the cable light is out, check the coax cord to see if it securely in the modem.

Eleven computer tips you can use every day
All Windows Users

1. Change computer time: Right mouse click on the clock in your system tray (lower far right) or right click in system tray and choose "adjust date and time".

2. To save a picture/image from a web page, right mouse click and choose "Save Picture As". You can rename it at this time too.

3. To see how much hard drive/hard disk space you have left, do this: Double click My Computer. right mouse click on your C drive (or any hard drive) and chose properties.

4. Most common image formats are JPG, GIF, BMP and PNG. Most common image format exported from a digital camera is a JPG.

5. If you accidently delete a file, click Control key + Z to bring it back instantly. You can also look in your recycle bin if you don't realize it until later, then just right click on the file and choose "restore" and it will go back to where it came from.

6. If you hold the shift key down when deleting a file, it bypasses the recycle bin. Control Z will still bring it back.

7. If you occasionally see a red X instead of an image on a web page, it is not a setting problem with your browser. It usually means the webmaster who made the page put in a bad link.

8. F1 key opens Windows Help quickly!

9. You can quickly maximize a window by double clicking the title bar of the window... this is the big long blue area at the top of your window. Double click again to bring it back to the size it was prior to maximizing.

10. Alphabetize the items in your start menu by clicking Start, Programs, and while hovering over any program, right mouse click and choose Sort by Name.

11. Quick View of your System: If you hold the Alt key down while double clicking My Computer, it will open System Properties Window. This is where you can find your computer's name, system restore, auto updates, hardware, and more. The first screen "general" will show you a lot of information about your system such as what version of Windows you are using, who the computer is registered to, how fast your CPU is and how much RAM you have.

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Three more Windows tips
Windows XP and Windows Vista

Taskkill
Windows XP and Windows Vista both borrow a feature from Linux. Taskkill allows you to terminate a running process (program) from the command line. Here's how you use it. Click Start/Run and type Command. The command utility window opens. Type Tasklist at the prompt. You'll see a list of running processes. Next to each process you'll see a PID number. To kill any running task, type Taskkill /PID xxx (where xxx represents the PID number of the task you want to terminate). Why would you want to use this? Because you can? Or maybe your computer is frozen and you can't access Task Manager. Or many just for fun?

Edit user accounts using the command line
Click Start/Run. Type "control userpasswords2" (without the quotes) in the command line.

Create a shortcut easy and instant access to Task Manger
You can access Task Manager by right-clicking on your taskbar and choosing Task Manager, or you can use the three-finger salute (CTRL+ALT+DELETE). Did you know that you can also create a shortcut to Task Manager and leave it on your desktop, drag it to your quick launch toolbar or put in on your start menu? You can and it's easy to do.

Right-click on your desktop and choose "New" "Shortcut" and copy and paste the following (in bold) into the "type location of the item" field:

%windir%\system32\taskmgr.exe

Once you're created your shortcut, you can drag it to your start menu, quick launch bar, or simply leave it on your desktop. The next time you need to launch Task Manager, click your new shortcut.

Quick Tip for Outlook Express and Windows Mail
Windows XP (all versions) and Windows Vista (all versions)

Did you know when you compose an email and need to add an attachment you can Drag-n-Drop them? You can, and it's easy too.

Outlook Express and Windows Mail let you easily attach a file from your desktop (or any other folder) by dragging the it right into the message area of your e-mail. It will be automatically inserted as a file attachment. Conversely you can drag file attachments from received mail to your desktop or any other folder