- Windows 7 has been out for ages now — its successor is but a few months away. With a big portion of the world’s population running this operating system, its nooks and crannies are well explored. Well, almost!
Here are more than forty not so obvious features and shortcuts to make your life that much more easier! In the interest of keeping this fairly lightweight, I haven’t included your run of the mill registry hacks and such. Look for a nerdier roundup very soon! Now off we go!
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1. Launch Taskbar Apps in a Cinch
You probably have all your favorite apps pinned to your taskbar. Launching each requires you moving your mouse all the way down and clicking. Boring!
An easier is to press the Windows key and the position of the app in the taskbar. For example, in the example below, I have Explorer in the first position. Pressing Win+1 will open it up right away. Oddly, using the numpad for this doesn’t seem to be working.
I wish I could multitask better2. Search Within Documents
By default, Windows doesn’t search the contents of files that aren’t indexed. If you’re in a hurry and need everything searched, prefix your search keywords with content: and Windows will look for every instance of the word.
3. Change the ‘Shut Down’ Button Behavior
For people like me who hibernate on a whim, the shut down button in the start menu is an absolute hindrance. Two clicks to get what I want? Unacceptable. Fortunately, you can easily customize this behavior.
Go to your Control Panel, click Appearance and Personalization -> Taskbar -> Start Menu. Select the Start Menu tab and choose the Hibernate option and you’re good to go.I still prefer XP's approach. Win followed by U and enter.
4. Enable Internet Searches from the Start Menu
A slightly impractical but still very useful tip. From the start menu, run gpedit.msc. In the window that opens up, go to User Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Start Menu and Taskbar. In the right page, you should find an entry called Add Search Internet link to Start Menu. Go ahead and enable it to see Windows display a Search the Internet link with every search.
As I mentioned, not very practical but at least saves you from opening a browser5. Copy into the Command line
Let’s start off with a nerdy one. Often when you’re following a tutorial online, you’ll be asked to run a few commands in your command line. You coyly press Ctrl+V but uh oh. What’s this? Nothing happened.
To copy something into the command line, press Alt+Space which invokes the windows menu. Now go to the edit option and choose paste. Voila! To make it even shorter Alt+Space followed by E and P gets it done in four keystrokes.
6. Use the Volume Mixer to Granular Audio Control
Did you know Windows ships with the ability to control volume on a per app level? You’d usually control the volume by clicking on the speaker icon in your system tray. For the volume mixer, right click on the icon and choose the mixer. You’ll notice a window with options for your main playback device as well as each application that’s capable of outputting sound. In the example below, I have Firefox, and Winamp running.
As an added bonus, if there’s a ungodly sound blaring from you speakers and you don’t know where it’s coming from, the mixer is the place to check!Great song, if you're wondering.
7. Create a Picture Slideshow on your Desktop
Tired of using the same wallpaper but tired of having to constantly change your wallpapers? Windows 7 has a solution.
The much easiest way is to select multiple images in an explorer shell anywhere, right clicking and choosing Set as Background. Windows will automatically cycle through the chosen images.
If you’re itching for a little more control, right click anywhere on the desktop, choose Personalize -> Destkop Background and choose multiple images. You can now choose the interval between changes as well as the order in which they are shown.You're free to select as many as you want
8. Invoke the Run Utility in a Single Keystroke
As a power user, I’m constantly looking for getting things done quickly. The run utility is a big help in this aspect. Launching it is still a chore. The easier way? Win+R. Keep in mind that the utility is launched with user level permissions only.
Hola there, indeed!9. Adding Additional Clocks
I work as part of a distributed team and I frequently have to look up times in different cities. To make this work in Windows 7, click the clock icon in your tray. Choose Additional Clocks in the windows that pops up and add the additional cities you want. Unfortunately, the additional times don’t exactly get displayed in your tray — you need to hover over the clock.
Yes, I'm writing this article this late.10. Instant Window Docking
Do you have multiple windows open at a time and in need of some immediate organization? Press the Windows key and the left or right arrow key to dock that window to that portion of the screen.
Once docked, you can revert to your earlier position and size by pressing the Windows key and the opposing arrow key.
11. Create Custom Keyboard Shortcuts
Did you know you can launch your favorite applications through custom shortcuts? Let me show you how, it’s easy.
Just right click the application or its shortcut and click on Properties. Select the Shortcut tab where you’ll find a field for Shortcut Key. Just use a keystroke combo that doesn’t clash with existing shortcuts!Great game and gets a thumbsup from me!
12. Maximize and Minimize Windows in a Heartbeat
Tired or too busy to click the maximize button? Windows provides you with a super quick shortcut: Win+Up key. What about minimizing, you ask? Win+Down key . Pretty nifty when you’re juggling lots of windows.
13. Clean Up Your Text Rendering
One thing I adore on OS X is the clean, crisp typography that it renders. While earlier versions of Windows struggled with this aspect, 7 is pretty spot on.
If you’re unhappy with the current way it renders text, you can always tune it up. Go to Control Panel -> Appearance and Personalization and choose Adjust ClearType text under the Fonts category. The utility that pops up should walk you through setting up text rendering the way you want.
Pay attention to this tool -- it relies on user input for proper calibration14. Turn Your PC Into a Wifi Hot Spot
Windows 7 ships with the ability to turn any run of the mill wifi adapter into a working, basic wifi router.
Setting it up is a matter of running two commands as well as clicking a few checkboxes. But for the sake of brevity, I’m not including the full guide today — you can find it here.
15. Tweak the Autorun Behavior
By default, Windows 7 pops up an autoplay window when you plugin new media. While a lot of people find it quite useful, it merely gets in the way for me.
Thankfully, you can tweak this behavior in a granular manner. Want your audio CDs to autoplay in Winamp but want your movie DVDs to open with VLC instead? Or want autoplay disabled on just your USB devices? Easy. Go to Control Panel -> Hardware and Sound. There you can find a separate section just for autoplay. The first link lets you tweak everything to your heart’s contents.
It's best to disable autoplay for software16. Open Folders in New Processes for Added Stability
Folders are opened under the same process by default which, while more efficient, can cause issues when you’re dealing with an unstable file system. You can work around this issue by opening each folder in its own process. You can do so by pressing Shift when right clicking a folder and choosing Open in new process.
The approach is pretty similar to how browsers sandbox plugins and tabs.17. Use the Inbuilt Black Box
Windows 7 ships with a utility that records the steps you’ve taken on the computer automatically including mouse clicks. You can use these recordings to speed up issues when you’re dealing with tech support.
Use the previously mentioned Win+R combo to bring up the run dialog and type in psr. Just click on the bright red button to get started with recording your steps.
This tool is a boon when you need tech support.18. Remove the Recycle Bin from the Desktop
I tend to run a super tight ship on my desktop. No icons whatsoever. When I first started using Windows 7, the recycle bin was a thorn in my side. Vista let me right click and delete the entry but Windows 7 denied me that.
As I figured out earlier, the functionality is still present — just behind a couple of clicks. Right click on the desktop, choose Personalize and then Change Desktop Icons on the left side pane.
Uncheck the relevant entry and off the bin goes!
It should be apparent which options is relevant here19. Insta-Lock Your Workstation
Do you have someone at the door in the middle of a financial transaction or something else sensitive? It’d be wise to lock your computer before leaving but it takes multiple pesky mouse movements and clicks to get it done.
There is a simple combo in 7 to instantly lock your desktop: Win+L. Really helps when you’re in a hurry and has saved me lots of times.
20. Minize All Open Windows
If you’re running a Rainmeter or otherwise widget heavy desktop like me and need to look at your desktop instantly to look something up, the traditional way is a bit of a chore.
Look no further than a quick Win+M which will instantly minimize all open windows. Win+D does roughly the same thing except it seems to render the widgets invisible as well.
21. Restore the Quick Launch Bar
I was one of those people who used the quick launch bar fervently in Vista. Even though, this feature is not enabled by default in 7, there is a quick workaround.
Right click your taskbar, choose Toolbars -> New toolbar. In the dialog that pops up, paste in %AppData%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch. You can now tweak the bar’s position, enable/disable titles and the size of the icons.
Start here22. Show the AM/PM Symbol in the System Tray
Depending on which locale you selected during installation, the time in the system tray may not display the AM/PM marker. Changing it takes only a few steps.
Go to Control Panel -> Clock, Language and Region and choose Change the date, time or number format. In the window that pops up, look for the Short time setting and change it to hh:mm tt
I still can't get over the way the yanks format their dates23. Set the Taskbar to Show Text Along with Icons
The default taskbar is setup so that apps only display their icons. Which works for me but you may feel otherwise — specially if you’re feeling nostalgic about Vista.
To display each icon’s text as well, right click the taskbar and choose Properties. In the popup, change the Taskbar buttons setting to Never combine.aka Vista mode
24. Disable Aero Peek
When you hover over the icon at the end of your taskbar, Windows displays renders just the borders for each window letting you take a look at your desktop — otherwise called Aero peek. This might be a performance killer if you run an older generation machine.
To turn this off, right click your taskbar, choose Properties and uncheck Use Aero Peek.. This method seems to have a variable success rate so let me know how it’s working out for you.For those reading these captions -- again, some excellent music
25. Zoom in Effortlessly
For users who need to zoom into their screen quickly, here is an alternative that’s mouse free: Win plus + button. The Windows magnifier tool will kick in at 200% magnification. You can zoom in further or zoom out once done.
Yes, the tool really is this small. Works great though.26. Shift Click for a New Instance of an App
Here’s a cool trick: if you have an app running that has an icon in your taskbar, shift or middle click on its icon and Windows will launch a fresh instance of the application.
As an added bonus, Ctrl + Shift + click will open an instance with admin privileges.
27. Automatically Reduce the Volume When a Call Arrives
I think a vast majority of our readers use our PCs to make voice calls. Windows 7 has lots of built-in functionality around this feature. Let’s take a look at one of the most practical.
When you’re using a PC to make calls and you have a sound producing app on the side, Windows 7 will automatically reduce the system volume. I prefer completing muting everything and that’s how I’ve set mine up. Here’s how.
Press Win+R and type in mmsys.cpl. This will take you directly to the Sound section of the Control Panel. Click on the Communications tab and choose Mute all other sounds. As expected, this will automatically mute everything but the call.
28. Move Your Page File
This is one of those fabled performance tricks told over the years: moving your system’s paging filr from the C partition to a separate hard drive gives you a nice little performance boost. I’ll let you google up about the whys but here is how to do it.
Open Control Panel -> System -> Advanced System Settings. Choose the Advanced tab and click on the settings button of the Performance category. In the popup, click on the Advanced tab and finally the change button. Uncheck the solitary checkbox and create a new page file in a different hard drive after selecting the No paging file option for the C partition. Phew!
29. Activate God Mode
Though the name is quite misleading, the fabled God mode is a neat trick. Invoking it is pretty easy. Create a new folder titled GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} and the folder’s icon will change to resemble a control panel and will contain a plethora of control options.
And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you.30. Shake to Minimize
This is another of those nifty little window management tricks. When you’re working on a cluttered desktop, grab the titlebar of a window and give it a vigorous shake and every other window will minimize meekly providing you all the focus you need.
As a bonus, Win+Home does the same thing.
31. Drag and Drop to Path Glory
When working in the command line, there are plenty of times where you need to provide the path to a specific file or folder. Compiling code, for example. Instead of typing it out, just drag the file into the command prompt and its path will automatically be inserted.
32. Enable Hidden Wallpapers
Considering wallpapers are, well, free this isn’t as impressive as I’d like but hey, hidden is hidden and unlocking equals dopamine. Right? Right?
Go to C:\Windows\Globalization\MCT and you’ll find it stuffed with folders named MCT-xx where xx is a named region. Each of these folders contains region specific themes and wallpapers. Go nuts. Or not. It’s your call, really.
Yay! Dopamine!33. AutoArrange Your Desktop
You can ask Windows 7 to arrange your desktop by right clicking on the desktop and choosing View -> Auto arange. Once enabled though, you don’t have to go through all those clicks to re-arrange your desktop. Pressing and holding F5 does the trick!
34. Easier App Switching
Alt+tabbing is nice but there is an easier way to switch to your apps. Press the Windows key plus the position of the app in the taskbar. For example, if an app is placed first in your taskbar, press Win+1 and the app will get focus. If it’s not running, it will be launched, as mentioned earlier above.
35. Open a Command Prompt at a Specific Folder
Again, a tip that works out for devs. Press the the Shift key when right clicking on a folder and you’ll see additional options. One amongst them is Open command window here. Really helps if you don’t feel to comfortable with the command line.
That's the Ruby root folder, if you're interested.36. Calibrate Your Screen
Windows 7 ships with calibration tools in built. While you google around for the long way, here is a quick tip. Press Win+R, and enter dccw.exe in the popup. The Windows Display Color Calibration tool will pop up to sort out your issues.
The calibration tool's welcome screen37. Monitor Your Performance with Resource Monitor
Windows 7 is usually incredibly quick for me but if yours is acting out, here is a quick little tool buried in Win 7 to help you diagnose the issue.
Click on the start menu and type in resmon to launch the Resource Monitor. The tool provides you with an indepth look at what is eating your CPU cycles, memory and network.
Only video games and transcoding seem to make any kind of dent in modern CPus38. Enable Checkboxes to Select Multiple Files
I think everyone knows to press the Ctrl key to make multiple selections. Here is a keyboardless way to make it happen.
Go to any folder, click on the the Organize button on the top and select Folder and search options. Go to the view tab and enable the Use check boxes to select items option. Once done, a small checkbox will appear next to each item letting you select multiple items with just a mouse.
Yes, I know the file names are incredibly chaotic39. Navigate Your Taskbar With Your Keyboard
You can easily move through your taskbar directly through just your keyboard. Press Win+T to cycle through the taskbar icons. Once the initial combo has been pressed, you can also use the arrow keys to navigate your apps.
40. Launch Task Manager in the Proper Context
I bet you always press Ctrl+Alt+Del to bring up the venerable task manager. Have you noticed there is a slowdown before it launches?
While you can deal with the technicalities of why it happens here, here is a quick little shortcut that step around the entire process: Ctrl+Shift+Esc. -
Display Your Quick Launch ToolbarTip: Is your Quick Launch toolbar missing from the taskbar?
To display your familiar Quick Launch toolbar:
Right-click an empty area on the taskbar, click Toolbars, and then click Quick Launch.
Easy as that your Quick Launch bar appears. To add items to your Quick Launch toolbar, click the icon for the program you want to add, and drag it to the Quick Launch portion of the taskbar.
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How to remove recycle bin from your desktop Tip:
Open Regedit by going to START – RUN and type Regedit and hit enter. Then you should navigate to following entry in registry HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
Desktop\NameSpace\{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} and delete it. This action should remove recycle bin from your desktop.
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How to stop new programs installed balloon from coming up tip:
Right click on START button and select properties. Click on Customize and go to Advanced tab and deselect check box saying “Highlight newly installed programs”. This would help you stop this annoying feature from popping up every now and then.
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Unlock Toolbars to Customize Them Tip:
The new Windows XP now features locking toolbars, and you can adjust them. You may customize a lot of the Windows XP features such as the Taskbar, Start Menu, and even toolbar icons in Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. Remember your right-click:
* Right-click on a toolbar, and then click Lock the Toolbars to remove the check mark.
* Right-click on the toolbar again, and then click Customize.
You may add or remove toolbar buttons, change text options and icon options. When you’ve got the toolbar customized, click Close. Now right-click on the toolbar and then click Lock the Toolbars to lock them in place. com
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Want to remove shared documents folder from My Computer window tip:
Some don’t like my shared documents folder option. If you are one of that, here is a trick to remove it.Open registry editor by going to START-RUN and entering regedit.
Once in registry, navigate to key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ My Computer \ NameSpace \ DelegateFolders You must see a sub-key named {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}. If you delete this key, you have effectively removed the my shared documents folder.
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How to improve on shutdown time ? Close apps automatically & quickly at shutdown tip:
Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\CONTROL PANEL\DESKTOP and look for AutoEndTasks. On my computer default value is 0. Change it to 1. Thats all. Further more you can reduce the time it takes for Windows to issue kill directive to all active/hung applications.
In doing this only constraint that you should make sure exists is that HungAppTimeout is greater than WaitToKillAppTimeout. Change the values of WaitToKillAppTimeout to say 3500 (since default value for HungAppTimeout 5000 and for WaitToKillAppTimeout is 20000)
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Are you missing icons Tip:
Are you missing icons? You may be wondering where all the icons from your desktop are in Windows XP? Well if you’re like me, you like to have at least My Computer, My Network Places, and My Documents on the your desktop.
You need to:
* Right-click on the desktop, and then click Properties.
* Click the Desktop tab and then click on Customize Desktop.
* Put a check mark in the box next to My Document, My Computer, My Network Places, or Internet Explorer, to add those familiar icons to your desktop. Easy yes!
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How to login as administrator if you don’t see it available tip:
Unless and until you have run into issues and fixing XP (underwhich case you have to go to Safe Mode to login as Administrator), you can get to administrator screen by simply pressing CTRL+ALT+DELETE twice at the main screen.
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Speedup boot up sequence by defragmenting all key boot files tip:
Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction. In right hand panel look for Enable. Right click on it and set it ‘Y’ for enable. This is the way I have it set on my computer. This will help speedup boot time.
Use a Shortcut to Local Area Network Connection Information:
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Use a Shortcut to Local Area Network Connection Information Tip:
Here’s something new in Windows XP, instead of using the command line program and typing ipconfig to get local area network information, you can try using the following shortcut:
* Click on Start, point to Connect to, and then click Show All Connections.
* Right–click the connection you want information about, and then click Status.
* In the connection Properties dialog box, click the Support tab.
* For more information, click on the Advanced tab.
To automatically enable the status monitor each time the connection is active, in the connection Properties dialog box, select the Show icon in taskbar notification area when connected check box.
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Do you know you can have Virtual Desktops (like in Linux) with PowerToys ?
If you have powertoys installed on Windows XP Its available for free at Microsoft download webpage. It is very easy to enable Microsoft Virtual Desktop Feature. Simply right click on the Start Panel Bar also called TaskBar, Click on Tool Bar and select Desktop manager.
You would see a set of 5 icons placed on the right portion of the TAskBar. Click on number 1 to 4 to go to any of the desktops. Now you have have four different Active Desktops.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You may see a little degradation in performance.
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Customize Internet. Explorer Title bar tip:
This tip won’t make your computer any faster but may help personalize your computer experience. Open Registry by going to START-RUN and typing REGEDIT. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet. Explorer\Main. In right hand panel look for string “Window Title” and change its value to whatever custom text you want to see.
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Adding Content to Right click
Once done, you will be able to right click any file or folder and use the Browse for Folder dialog to choose the location you want to move or copy your file or folder to, without having to go to the destination path.
First we will add the copy and move options to the right click menu of all FILES.
CLICK Start>Run, type REGEDIT and click OK to open up the registry editor and make your way to this key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT->*->shellex->ContextMenuHandlers
Right click the ContextMenuHandlers key and choose New>Key.
Name the new key “Copy To” (without the quotes).
Repeat the above and create another new key named Move To.
You should now have two new subkeys under the ContextMenuHandlers key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT->*->shellex->ContextMenuHandlers\Copy To
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT->*->shellex->ContextMenuHandlers\Move To
Select the Copy To key and in the right hand pane, double click “Default”
Enter this clsid value as the value data:
{C2FBB630-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}
Next , select the Move To key and in the right hand pane set the default value to:
{C2FBB631-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}
This now takes care of the Copy and Move options for the right click context menu of all your files.
Now all that is left is to add the same options to the right click menu of all your folders.
The procedure will be the same as for files but at a different key:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shellex\ContextMenuHan dlers
Right click ContextMenuHandlers and create a new key named Copy To.
Right click it again and create another new key named Move To.
left click on the right hand pane, add the same default values as you did for Files:
For Copy To:
{C2FBB630-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}
For the Move To:
{C2FBB631-2971-11d1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}
Exit the registry and you are done.
Now when you right click on a file or folder, you should see two new options: Copy to Folder and Move to Folder0Add a comment
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Windows Lost Password tips.
Lost User Passwords. (Windows XP)
If you have lost or forgetten a user account password in Win XP, simply log in as the computer administrator, and go to control panel, user accounts. Here you will be able to reset the password for any of the systems user accounts.
Lost Administrator Password. (Windows XP)
Slightly more work needed if you lose or forget the Windows XP administrator password.
First reboot Windows XP in safe mode by re-starting the computer and pressing F8 repeated as the computer starts up. Then (in safe mode) click Start and then click Run. In the open box type "control userpasswords2" without the quotes - I have just used quotes to differentiate what you have to type.
You will now have access to all the user accounts, including the administrators account and will be able to reset the lost password.
Just click the administrators user account, and then click Reset Password.
You will need to add a new password in the New password and the Confirm new password boxes, and confirm by clicking OK.
All done, you have recovered the lost adminitrators password!
Lost Passwords. (Windows)
Revelation is a small freeware software that reveals the passwords in Windows that you see hidden behind the little stars. If you have lost or forgotten a dial-up password or any other password in Windows, this freeware may help you retrieve it!
Revelation - Revelation is one of those programmes that you don't need until you need it - and then you really need it. What it does is reveal your passwords that are hidden behind the little row of stars in Windows. A must have freeware utility. Reveal lost passwords0Add a comment
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Notepad Secrets Create a log
- Open Notepad
- On the very first line, type in ".LOG" (without quotes) then press Enter for a new line
- Now you can type in some text if you want, then save the file.
- Next time when you open the file, notice its contents. Notepad automatically adds a time/date log everytime you open the file.
- Open Notepad
- On the very first line, type in "dont eat the donut" (without quotes) then save and close the file. Note: the file should have only one line of the text above.
- Now, open the same file. You'll notice the text becomes unreadable squares. (try this with different text with the same format and length).
Paint Secrets Create a trail image
- Open Paint, then open an image.
- Right-click on the image and select "Select All"
- Now hold the "Shift" key and move the image around. The image will be drawn with trail.
- Open Paint, then open a small image.
- Select the zoom "Magnifier" tool.
- Windows Paint lists out the zoom options from 1x to 8x, but there is a 10x...
- After selecting the Magnifier tool, point the mouse right at the border line right under "8x" and left-click. There you go.. the hidden 10x.
Other Secrets Where is the relaxing music that you've heard during Windows XP Installation?
- The file is in:
C:\Windows\system32\oobe\images\title.wma
Game Secrets Solitaire: Instant Win
- Press Alt + Shift + 2 to instantly win
Solitaire: Draw only 1 card (instead of 3)
- Hold down Ctrl + Alt + Shift then click on unopen cards to draw.
FreeCell: Instant Win
- Hold down Ctrl + Shift + F10 while playing, then click Abort.
- Now move one card.
FreeCell: Hidden Game Modes
- Go to "Game" menu choose "Select Game"
- Here you can choose from game mode 1 to 1,000,000. But -1 and -2 will also work (hidden modes)
Hearts: Show All Card
- Warning! this requires a modification on your registry. Be sure you
follow the steps carefully. Damage your registry might damage your
Windows.
- Open the "Registry Editor" by: "Start" >> "Run" then type "regedit" and press Enter
- Expand to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Hearts
- Right-click on the right panel and create a new String value with the name "ZB"
- Double-click to open this key "ZB" to edit its value. Then enter "42" and close the Registry Editor.
- Start Hearts and Press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + F12 to show all the cards
Minesweeper: Stop The Timer
- When you start to play a new game, the timer is ticking...
- Press Windows Key + D to show desktop.
- Now come back to the game by selecting it from the taskbar. The timer is stopped.
Pinball
- Unlimited Balls: Type bmax at a new game to get unlimited balls (no notification).
- Extra Balls: Type 1max at a new game to get extra balls.
- Gravity Well: Type gmax at a new game to activate Gravity Well.
- Promotion: Type rmax at a new game or while playing to get instant promotion and raising rank.
- Extra points with partial shots: Partially shot the ball just to pass the yellow light bars. There are 6 bars. With the first bar, you'll get 15,000 points, 2nd: 30,000,...
- Extra points with partial shots: Partially shot the ball just to pass the yellow light bars. There are 6 bars. With the first bar, you'll get 15,000 points, 2nd: 30,000,...
- Test Mode: Type hidden test with a new ball or new game. Now you can use your mouse to drag and move the ball where you want
0Add a comment
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Exchange™ folder sync for mobile devices. Sync contacts, calendars, contacts, tasks, posts
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Windows live messenger All Your Contacts in One Place. w/ the Free Messenger App for PC!
www.instnt-msgnr.com
Microsoft Office 365® Your Favorite Office Programs Are. Now Available Anytime, Anywhere.
microsoft.com/free-trial-office365
B.Tech - Computer Science Ranked Top 20 Engg College With Exposure Of Live Projects in MNCs.
www.Lpu.in/Lovely_Professional_UnivWindows
Live Messenger, formally known has MSN Messenger (provided by
Microsoft), has to be one of my favourite messaging clients. I am on it
almost 24/7 and there are a few nifty features that make the experience a
whole lot better.
This will be a two part post with the first part covering cool Windows Live tips and tricks that you can do without installing any add-ons, and the second part explains how you can make your Windows Live Messenger experience much more fun.
1. Remove Those Annoying Ads
You may noticed at the very bottom of the Windows Live Messenger main window, they show ads to you. However, if they slightly annoy you from time to time, here is a trick on how to block them.
On your Windows computer, open up Internet Explorer. Click on Tools, then select Internet Options. Click on the Security tab, click on Restricted sites, then click on the Sites button.
Then simply add the URL http://rad.msn.com. This serves as the Microsoft ad server and once you restrict this site, Windows Live Messenger will go from this:
to this:
2. See Which Contacts Haven’t Added You To Their Contact List
One of the most searched for keywords on my website is “how do I find out who blocked or deleted me on MSN”. It is really simple to find the answer and you don’t have to install any software on your computer or spy on your friends.
In Windows Live Messenger just go to Tools ““> Options, go to the Privacy section, and under Contact List, click on View. The list that is presented to you are all your contacts that have got you on their contact list. If a contact of yours is not on that list, they have either not added you or have deleted you because they don’t want to talk to you anymore ““ yes I know the feeling.
If going through that list will take a while, you can also download aMSN (which is a excellent portable MSN program for your USB drive). When you view your contacts, the contacts that do not have you on their list will have a red cross next to them.
Another good thing is that you can send unlimited nudges to your friends.
3. Remote Assistance
MakeUseOf has covered many remote assistant applications such as Crossloop, Instant HouseCall, LogMeIn, uVNC, and Foldershare, but did you know Windows Live Messenger is another one? Just simply start a chat, select activities and click request remote assistance.
Accept all the prompts, then the other person will be able to view your screen, and they can control your computer if you wish for them too.
If it doesn’t work, make sure “Allow Remote Assistance“ is enabled by right clicking on My Computer, select properties, Remote, and tick the box.
4. Changing Your Display Name
Want to impress your friends and have a cool name and spell your name like Ĝмдїι.©Ç¾Ðœ? Well, if you open up Microsoft Word for example, find some symbols that look like characters, or even change the font, you can then paste that text into your display name field on MSN. If you want, you can also draw images like these ones.
5. View Contacts By Email Address
You may notice that in the new version of Windows Live Messenger, there is no option to view contacts by email address. I for one, view all my contacts by email address as I know contacts cannot change it (unlike display names which some contacts change all the time). By viewing contacts by email address, I know I am talking to who I want to talk to.
If you are in the same situation as me, here is a workaround to view your contacts by email address. However, it may be a bit time consuming.
What you have to do is give all your contacts nicknames when they are online. Just right-click on the contact, select edit contact, and copy and paste their email address into the Nickname box.
Unfortunately it may take some time to do this for all your contacts, but this is the only and easiest way I have found to view contacts by email. If you know of another better way, please let me know.
Remember to keep an eye out for my next post. You will be having fun with audio, and keeping up with what your friends have been doing. In the meantime, if you have any cool Windows Live tips and tricks of your own, let us know in the comments0Add a comment
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. Click on the download button below to download the Restart-Time.zip file.
2. Click on Save, and save the Restart-Time.zip file to the desktop.3. Open the Restart-Time.zip file and extract the Restart-Time.vbs file to the desktop.(click on image to see larger image view)4. Right click on the Restart-Time.vbs file, and click on Properties.
5. Under the General tab, click on the Unblock button to unblock the Restart-Time.vbs file.
NOTE: If you do not have a Unblock button, then it is already unblocked. Continue to step 6.6. Click on the Restart-Time.vbs file to run it.7. Click on OK to restart the computer.WARNING: Close and save all windows first. This will immediately restart your computer.8. When the computer finishes restarting, you will see your Windows 7 restart time. Click on OK when done.9. You can now delete the downloaded .zip and .vbs files on the desktop if you like, or save them somewhere to use again later0Add a comment
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Taskbar tips/tricks
The taskbar, which is the image below, is the item that displays all open windows as well as allows you to open other programs. Usually this bar is located at the bottom of your screen, but can be moved to the top, left, and right as well.
Organizing the Start Shortcuts
Windows 98 has added the capability of customizing your taskbar using the right mouse button. You can now cut, copy, and paste items in your taskbar. For example, if you wanted to move a shortcut in a folder to another folder, you can click on the shortcut with your right mouse button and choose the cut option (Note: when clicking on cut, the icon will not disappear until you paste into another location). Once you have chosen the option to cut, find a folder that you wish to move the shortcut to and choose paste and your shortcut should now be in the folder that you have pasted it to. You can also do this with other shortcuts that are elsewhere on the computer, such as your desktop, as well as moving them from your taskbar to your desktop.Categorizing the Start Shortcuts
You can arrange your shortcuts in the Taskbar by clicking with your right mouse button and continuing to hold the button, and when moving your mouse up or down you should get a small bar indicating where the icon is going to be moved to; when you have found an appropriate spot, you can let go of your mouse in turn moving the icon to its location.Customizing Quick Launch tool bar
The quick launch, which you can see in the above picture, which is all the shortcuts by the Start button, can be added and removed. First, however, you must have the quick launch toolbar enabled; if you do not see any icons like the icons in the above picture, click on an unoccupied section of the toolbar with your right mouse button and choose the option Toolbars. Ensure that there is a check next to Quick Launch, if there is not, click on quick launch, which should place it on your tool bar. Once the Quick launch is enabled, to remove an icon, click the icon with your right mouse button and choose the option to delete. To create new shortcut, first create a shortcut on your desktop, or if you have the shortcut in another folder, drag it to the quick launch section; unfortunately, there is not an option to paste.Creating new Toolbars
To add additional toolbars to the taskbar, right-click on an unused section of the toolbar and select toolbars; from this window selection you can add:Address: Adds the Internet Explorer address bar to your taskbar
Links: Adds Internet Explorer links to your task bar.
Desktop: Creates links to items on your desktop on your tool bar.
New Tool Bar: You can create your own customized toolbar by selecting this option and pointing it to a folder with all your shortcuts.0Add a comment
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Jazz up your Desktop with Pictures and Color...
Want to learn to personalize your computer (XP, Vista, Windows 7) from Mrs. Wizard in person?
There is just no reason to have a computer screen that looks like all the others. It should reflect your personality, and can go a long way towards affecting your general mood when you are actually working with your computer. When your moods change, you should be able to change the way your computer looks back at you... and you will!
With Windows, you have complete control of the way your computer screen looks. You can choose from several color schemes or you can create your own, for that truly unique look. You can also replace that generic or proprietary background graphic (usually reflecting that awesome computer company that assembled your machine) with something a little more exciting.
If the Windows clouds are still dominating your desktop, you are missing a golden opportunity to personalize your computer screen. With the right viewer application, like IrfanView, which you can pick up for FREE in the Tiny Treasures area of this website, you can use any graphic you can view as wallpaper. Just open any picture with IrfanView and click the word Options, then Set as Wallpaper.
Make your own wallpaper...
You can become a wallpaper expert by creating your own special graphics and doodles with a Paint program. Paint Shop Pro is one of my personal favorites with a very reasonable cost. You can download a free trial version to test drive at the Corel website. It is easy to use and will open just about any type of image. You won't be scratching your head any more when friends send you odd image files.
If you don’t have a favorite doodler,
Windows has a basic Paint program built right in. You can find it by clicking Start, Programs, and Accessories. Click where it says Paint and prepare for some fun with colors!
Click each one of the tools, then move your mouse to the work area and experiment by dragging and holding the left and right mouse buttons. You will be surprised at what you can end up with. When Paint is opened, you will see a white area to work with. Click the Fill tool (looks like a bucket turned over), and choose a color with your left mouse button. Click once in the white area and watch it change. Click a different color with the left and right mouse buttons. In the color picker, the left top square indicates the foreground color (left mouse button) and the bottom square is the background color (right mouse button. You might want to try a dark color for the background, and lighter colors for doodling with the various brushes.
Once you have finished your masterpiece, save it where you know you will be able to find it (like in the Pictures or My Pictures) folder. Save your picture as a .jpg file so it won't take too many system resources when you use it for a background. Give it a name and make sure you know where it is. Then close the Paint program.
In Windows XP, right click any empty area of your Desktop and choose Properties. Click the Background tab and look for your image by clicking the Browse button. When you find your file, click it once to select it, then click the Open button. In the Display section, click the little down arrow and choose if you want your image to be centered or tiled (repeated all over the screen). Try different settings. This area is just for fun!To use your creation as wallpaper...
Want to see how to do it in VISTA?0Add a comment
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!
How To Create A Falling Matrix Code Effect in Notepad
First, you want to open up notepad and type up these lines of code:So, you want to create a falling matrix in notepad to impress your friends, right? Or maybe you want to record it and turn it into a sweet video intro, or a screensaver! The falling matrix code effect in notepad is extremely easy to do, and the resulting show is fantastic! So, here’s how to make the falling matrix code in notepad.
@echo off
color 02
:start
echo %random% %random% %random% %random% %random% %random% %random% %random% %random% %random%
goto start
Now, save this as a .bat file and run it! It’s as easy as that!
Studio that is not like other.... Which have tips N Trick N Downloads Links
Friday, 21 September 2012
Windows 7 Tips And Tricks
Solitaire: Instant Win
FreeCell: Instant Win
Hearts: Show All Card
Minesweeper: Stop The Timer
Pinball
Windows
Live Messenger, formally known has MSN Messenger (provided by
Microsoft), has to be one of my favourite messaging clients. I am on it
almost 24/7 and there are a few nifty features that make the experience a
whole lot better.
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