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[ Go to January 1997 Table of Contents ]
WinTips
Save-As Trick If you're using real Win95 applications, you can do some neat things in the Save As dialog box (File/Save As). Right-click in the dialog's white space, and you'll get the familiar context menus for the folder you're working in. Right-click on individual files to cut, copy, delete, rename and see the properties. Minimize FAST! The fastest way to minimize all the windows on your desktop is to hit Ctrl+Esc, then Alt+M. Blazing Web Speed If you have an ISDN modem, download the Microsoft ISDN Accelerator Pack from the WinMag Web site (http://www.winmag.com/win95/software.htm). Buried Taskbar? If your taskbar is buried under a pile of open windows, there's a permanent fix and a quick but temporary one. The permanent fix is to right-click on the taskbar (find a spot where there are no tray icons or minimized app or folder buttons), select Properties and make sure there's a check mark next to the "Always on Top" item. The quick fix is to select Ctrl+Esc. Smooth Fonts Microsoft Plus is a Win95 add-on that contains, among other things, a utility that makes fonts look much better on screen. Now the utility is available free. Download it from the WinMag Web site (http://www.winmag.com/win95/software.htm). (Note that the utility works only if you're using the English-language version of Win95 and your system is set to 16-bit color.) Hide Secret Files If you want to keep files-or even folders full of files-hidden from prying eyes, just right-click on each file and select Hidden in the Attributes box at the bottom of the Properties dialog. To see the files you've hidden, double-click on My Computer, select Options from the View menu, click on the View tab and select Show All Files. Printing Help If you're having a printer problem, there's help called the Enhanced Printer Troubleshooter available on your Win95 CD. Double-click on the file EPTS.EXE in the \OTHER\MISC\EPTS folder of your CD and follow the instructions. Text Tips Launch Find and search your WINDOWS folder for all text files (*.TXT). Among those you'll find are FAQ.TXT, PROGRAMS.TXT, MOUSE.TXT, README.TXT and GENERAL.TXT, which contain tons of help and trouble-shooting tips when you have very specific problems with Win95. Jason Harrinton via the Internet Screen Test Change your screen resolution and color depth on the fly (without rebooting) with a free utility called QuickRes. Download it from the WinMag Web site (http://www.winmag.com/win95/software.htm) Fast Browser Startup Launch your browser at top speed by setting up a start page that's on your hard disk. Better yet, create a page with links to all your favorite Web hotspots. Lane Rettigvia the Internet Update: We ran a tip in the November issue that said you can type URLs in either Internet Explorer or Navigator without the "http://" part of the URL. Dozens of readers quickly pointed out that you may omit the "www" part as well. Start-Menu Reform Installing a new application creates a cascading menu off your Start menu and loads it with a bunch of junk. Eventually, the menu gets way out of hand. To simplify, open the Programs menu by right-clicking on your Start button, selecting Open from the context menu, then double-clicking on the Programs folder. In the folder window, create new folders for your streamlined categories. Move all the program shortcuts you want to keep into the new folders by right-clicking on each in turn and selecting Cut, then right-clicking on the appropriate new folder and selecting Paste. Delete the rest. Got a hot tip? Send it to melgan@cmp.com or Mike Elgan, Windows Magazine, One Jericho Plaza, Jericho, NY 11753. Copyright © 1997 CMP Media Inc.
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