Reporting to the MAX-Tech Tips-Reporting to the MAX SUPPORT

For Cougar Mountain Software Support's
Professional Version (V2012, V2011, V2010, V2009, V12-V6)

TECH TIP
MISC. TECH TIPS-WINDOWS ME
for the Reporting to the MAX

For Cougar Mountain Software Support's
Professional Version (V2012, V2011, V2010, V2009, V12-V6)

TECH TIP
MISC. TECH TIPS-WINDOWS ME
for the Reporting to the MAX

Get back to the desktop quickly.
Ever tried to get back to the desktop when you have several windows open? It's quite a task minimizing all of those windows one by one.

That's why Windows Me has a Show Desktop button conveniently located on the taskbar. No matter how many windows are open, you can click just this button to minimize all windows at once.

Try it out! If you change your mind and don't want to use the desktop, you can click the Show Desktop button again to restore all of your windows.

Note: If you don't see the Show Desktop button, right-click the taskbar, point to Toolbars, and make sure Quick Launch is checked.

Run programs from Address bar
Did you know that in Windows Me you can run programs from the Address bar in the browser?

The next time you are surfing the Web and want to run a program such as Microsoft Word, just type the program name (including its path) in the Address bar, and then press ENTER.

For example, you might type: C:\Program Files\MicrosoftOffice\Office\winword.exe.

Browse the Web and your files with one program.
Why use different programs to browse the Web, your hard disk, and a network? Internet Explorer provides a single place where you can browse anything!

That's right, you can switch back and forth between Web pages, files and folders on your computer, network drives, and pages on a corporate intranet-all from the same browser!

The buttons on the toolbar change to match the content that you are viewing, and you always have access to Back and Forward buttons so you can get back to where you started.

How does it work? If you're surfing the Web and you decide you want to look at a folder on your hard disk, just type the path in the Address bar.

Or, if you are looking at files in My Computer and you want to check out a Web page, type the address in the Address bar.

Close several programs at once
Ever get in a hurry and suddenly need to close multiple programs and windows all at once? Relax.

Choose the programs and documents you want to close by holding down the CTRL key while you click each item's button on the taskbar.

Right-click one of the selected buttons, and then click Close.

Set system date and time.
Wondering which clock has the correct time? Make your computer's clock agree with all the other clocks in your home or office.

On the right side of the taskbar, double-click the time.

To set the date, click the correct day, month, and year.

To set the time, enter the correct time into the box.

To set your time zone, select the correct zone from the drop-down menu.

Ways to delete a file or folder.
Folders and files starting to clutter up your hard disk? Windows Me gives you several ways to get rid of files and folders you don't want.

Within Windows Explorer, you can use any of these methods:
Right-click the file or folder, and then click Delete.
Select the file or folder, and then press the DELETE key.
Select the file or folder, click the File menu, and then click Delete.
Drag the file or folder to the Recycle Bin on the desktop.

Explore more with Explorer bars.
When you use Web view in a Windows Explorer window (including My Computer, My Documents, and Control Panel), you can add Internet Explorer capabilities. For example, you can use your favorite search engine, view your History list, or search your Favorites list.

On the View menu, point to Explorer Bars, and then click Search, Favorites, or History.

To return the window to its original state, click the View menu, point to Explorer Bars, and click Folders.

Undo actions in Windows.
Have you ever accidentally deleted, renamed, moved, or copied a file you didn't intend to? Windows Me has an Undo command in every window, and it works just like the Undo command in other Microsoft applications.

If you're viewing a window (for example, a Windows Explorer window) in Web view, just click Undo on the toolbar.

If you're not using Web view, click Undo on the Edit menu.

Turn on file name extensions
By default, Windows Me hides file name extensions for all known file types, which is fine if you're in Details view. But you many want to see extensions in other views-and some e-mail programs may even have difficulty recognizing attachments without them.

To turn on extensions: On the Tools menu in Windows Explorer, click Folder Options.

Click the View tab.

Clear the Hide file extensions for known file types check box.

Note that you can set or remove this option for individual folders by opening the folder and following the steps above.

Move or copy files to subfolders.
You can use Windows Explorer to move or copy a file by dragging the file icon to a folder. When you have All Folders displayed on the left side of the window, it's easy to drag a file to a different folder.

If the folder you want isn't visible because the folder it's in is not expanded, here's a trick that will save you time and frustration.

1. Drag the file icon to the collapsed (unexpanded) folder, and hold it there for a few seconds.
2. The folder automatically expands and you can drop the file into the folder you want.

Rearrange programs on the Start menu.
Is there a program on your Start menu that you always use? Would it be more convenient to have it at the top of the menu?

To easily rearrange the programs on your Start menu by dragging and dropping: Click the Start button, and then point to Programs.

To move a program, drag the icon to the place in the list where you want it. You can also move program group folders by dragging them in the list.

You can also see programs listed alphabetically:
Click the Start button, and then point to Programs.
Right-click the programs list, and then click Sort by Name.

Like to see lists of your files in a certain way-as large icons, for example, or with detailed information?

You can set your view options (Details, Thumbnails, List, and more) the way you want them for all your folders at once.

On the Tools menu in Windows Explorer, click Folder Options.

Click the View tab. Set the view for this folder the way you want it to be for all folders.

Click Like Current Folder, click Yes to confirm, and click OK.

Show hidden program files
Showing hidden files can come in handy-for example, say you've tried to delete everything from a floppy disk and the disk properties still indicate 100K of disk space is being used by hidden files.

To see hidden files, follow these steps in any folder window:
On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
Click the View tab.
Choose the Show hidden files and folders radio button.

Warning! Don't be tempted to delete system files that Windows needs-when in doubt, leave them as you found them!

Use single-click everywhere.
It's so easy to navigate the Web! Just click a link and the page opens. Wouldn't it be nice if you could just click an icon in Windows to open a program or document? Well, today is your lucky day.

Windows Me supports single-clicking for folders and icons.

In the Tools menu in an Explorer window, click Folder Options.

In the Click items as follows section, select Single-click to open an item (point to select).

If you want to have more control over the exact settings, click the View tab, and then choose your desired settings.

Open up a Web page from the Start menu.
With Windows Me, you can get to a Web page from anywhere-even from the Run command on the Start menu.

On the Start menu, click Run. In the Open: box, type the address of the Web page you want to open.

Clipboard viewing
Few people know that Windows has a Clipboard Viewer for reviewing images and text that have been cut from or pasted into any application.

That's because no version of Windows, including Windows Me, installs it by default.

To set Clipboard Viewer up, select Start, Select, Control Panel and choose Add/ Remove Programs.

Next, underthe Windows Setup tab select System Tools, and click Details.

Scroll to and select Clipboard Viewer, and then click OK until Windows installs the component. (To accomplish the is step, you may first have to put the Windows CD-ROM in its drive).

To view the contents of the clipboard, select Start, Programs Accessories, System Tools, and then click the Clipboard Viewer Item.

Surf your computer the same way you surf the Web.
You can surf the contents of your computer, similar to the way you surf the Web with your browser.

On your desktop, click My Computer to open a window. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.

On the General and View tabs, you can assign several types of Web-like behaviors to your folders.

Along the left side of the window, useful information about the item you click appears. For example, if you point to a disk drive, the disk size and free space are listed. If you point to a folder, a folder description appears.

If you point to a file, you can see document details and (in the case of graphics) a thumbnail image of the file.

Customize the taskbar.
Want to customize your taskbar so you can do everything from one place, including starting programs, viewing documents, and surfing the Web?

Wouldn't it be great if there were an Address bar or Links bar on the taskbar along with your program buttons? With Windows Me, you can customize the taskbar to meet your every need.

Right-click the background of the taskbar, point to Toolbars, and then click the toolbar you want to add: an Address bar, a Links bar, a toolbar containing all items on your desktop, or the Quick Launch bar.

You can also create your own toolbar from any folder. Right-click the background of the taskbar, point to Toolbars, and then click New Toolbar. Pick a folder from the list. A toolbar containing all items in that folder will be added to your taskbar. You can drag the new toolbar to any location on your desktop, and easily remove a toolbar from the taskbar by right-clicking the taskbar and then clicking the item again to remove the check mark.

Search the Web directly from the Taskbar.
Windows Me lets you search the Web right from your taskbar. That makes your access to the Internet even more handy.

To get started, you'll need to open an Address toolbar on your taskbar.

Right-click a blank area on the taskbar.

Point to Toolbars, and then click Address.

The Address toolbar appears on the taskbar.

To search the Web, begin typing a Web address (URL) in the text box.

The AutoComplete feature will suggest URLs based on sites you've visited. Or type go, find, or ? followed by a word or a phrase.

Change your user profile.
In Windows Me, when you want to change which items are personalized for your profile, you simply update your User Settings. On the Start menu, point to Settings, point to Control Panel, and then click the Users icon.

Select your name in the list of users, and then click Change Settings.

In the Personalized Items Settings dialog box, select which items you would like to personalize, and then click OK.

Remember that the more settings you save, the more disk space is used.

Adjust cursor settings
You can adjust the blink rate of your cursor and its width on the screen. These options can help make the cursor easier to see on your screen or less distracting if you want.

Follow these steps to adjust cursor settings.

Steps using the keyboard:
Display the Start menu by pressing CTRL+ESC (or the Windows logo key).

Move to Settings by pressing S. Select Control Panel by pressing C.

In Control Panel:
Select the Accessibility Options icon by using the arrow keys.

Press ENTER.

Note that if all of the Control Panel icons are not displayed, press the TAB key until view all Control Panel options is selected, and then press ENTER.

In the Accessibility Properties dialog box: Move to the Display tab by pressing CTRL + TAB.

In the Cursor Settings area:
Move to Cursor Blink Rate by pressing ALT + R, then adjust the setting from slow to fast by using the LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW keys.

Move to Cursor Width by pressing ALT + W, then adjust the setting from narrow to wide by using the LEFT ARROW or RIGHT ARROW keys.

Press ENTER twice to save your settings and close the dialog boxes.

To close Control Panel: Press ALT+F, C.

Steps using the mouse:
On the Start menu: Point to Settings.

Click Control Panel.

In Control Panel:
Click Accessibility Options.

In the Accessibility Properties dialog box: Select the Display tab.

In the Cursor Settings area: Adjust the Cursor Blink Rate by moving the slider left for slower, right for faster.

Adjust the Cursor Width by moving the slider left for narrower, right for wider.

Click OK twice to save your settings and close the dialog boxes.

To close Control Panel: On the File menu, click Close.

Adjust keyboard options.
Select the Keyboard icon in Control Panel to customize keyboard settings, such as adjusting the character repeat rate, repeat-delay speed, and the cursor blink rate.

Steps using the keyboard:
Display the Start menu by pressing CTRL+ESC (or the Windows logo key).
Move to Settings by pressing S.
Select Control Panel by pressing C.
In Control Panel: Select the Keyboard icon by using the arrow keys.
Press ENTER. Note that if all of the Control Panel icons are not displayed, press the TAB key until view all Control Panel options is selected, and then press ENTER.
In the Keyboard Properties dialog box, move to the appropriate tab by pressing CTRL+TAB (continue pressing TAB until you reach the desired tab): To adjust the character repeat rate, repeat-delay speed, and the cursor blink rate, select the Speed tab.
To specify the installed keyboard languages and layouts, select the Language tab.

Steps using the mouse:
On the Start menu: Point to Settings.
Click Control Panel.
In Control Panel: Click the Keyboard icon.
Note that if all of the Control Panel icons are not displayed, click view all Control Panel options.
In the Keyboard Properties dialog box, select the appropriate tab: To adjust the character repeat rate, repeat-delay speed, and the cursor blink rate, select the Speed tab.
To specify the installed keyboard languages and layouts, select the Language tab.

Change the DOS Window Font.
You can set the type size that appears in the DOS window from the MS-DOS Prompt Properties dialog box.

Click the Font tab and choose a set of font dimensions from the scrolling window. You set the font size for individual MS-DOS Prompt windows, so if you have two or more running, they can use different type sizes.

Change the Folder view fast.
You can change folder views— large icons, small icons, list or details--fast with Win98. To cycle through the views, click on the Views button. To select a view from a drop-down menu, click on the down arrow next to the button and choose a view.

Change the Help Fonts.
In the browser window, select View/Internet Options/General. Under Fonts, select the options you want. Then choose Accessibility the options you want under Formatting. (This changes the font only in the right pane of the Help window.)

Change the Printing Order
When you have a number of documents in your printing pipeline, you can rearrange the print queue (except for the document currently being printed).

Choose Start/Settings/Printers and double-click on the printer whose queue you want to manage

Create a printer shortcut.
You can give yourself drag-and-drop access to initiating a print job by creating a printer shortcut on your desktop.

Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

Click and drag the Printers icon to your desktop, and then click Yes.

When you want to print a file, drag it onto your new printer shortcut, and the print job will begin immediately.

Open a file with the application of your choice
Sometimes, when you click to open a file, the program that launches is not the one you wanted to open. For example, you might want to edit a picture with imaging software, but when you open the file your browser launches and displays the picture.

To set files to open with the application of your choice: While holding down the SHIFT key, right-click the file.

On the menu, click Open With, and then choose the application you want to use to open the file.

To change the application that's used by default to open a certain type of file, click Choose program, click the application you want used, and then select the Always use this program to open these files check box.

Web Affiliates