1.  Put a “Pin Up” of the Folders You Use Most . Windows 7 allows you to “pin up” the folders you use most on your taskbar. Simply hold your mouse over the favourite folder, right click, and drag it onto the taskbar. Windows 7 automatically pins itself to the Explorer Jump List. To open the folder, right click on the Explorer icon and select the folder you want. 2.  Double-Up Your Windows. When working within an application, sometimes you just want more of a good thing. To open another window of the same application (assuming the app can run more than one instance), simply hold Shift and click the taskbar icon. You can also middle-click your third mouse button for the same result. 3.  Clear, Crisp Display—It’s In Your Control. Windows 7 makes it easy for you to adjust your display settings, making text and images easier to view in all the various locations where you work on your computer. Your laptop display may look fine at work but a little dark at home. Adjust the text and image settings easily with two snappy applets: Clear Type Text Tuning and…

Continue Reading

7 hints and tips for windows 7. 1.   Shuffling Through Program Windows. If you’re running a number of files from the same program, such as multiple documents in Microsoft Word, Windows 7 allows you to switch through these windows with ease. Simply press down on the Ctrl key while clicking the icon from the taskbar. Each click will change the window to the next in the sequence, in the order that you opened them. 2.  Managing Your Windows. Windows 7 simplifies document and program management by allowing you to “dock” a window or manipulate its size with one mouse manoeuvre or a simple keystroke. To dock your window on one half of the screen, drag it to the left or right and it will change its size to fit that half of the screen. To manipulate the vertical size of a window, drag the window to the top to maximize it, or double-click the window’s top or bottom border to maximize it vertically while keeping the same width. You can also perform all of these functions with keystrokes: +Left Arrow and +Right Arrow dock to…

Continue Reading

     In today’s connected world, Pc security is a major concern. Keep your data safe with these tips. 1.  What’s Phishing? Phishing is a confidence trick. It involves sending a fraudulent email, supposedly from an organization that might have access to your financial details. the email asks for confirmation of account details, often forwarding you to a convincing looking web site to harvest your details. 2.  Avoiding It Avoid emails with forms in the body of the message, as it’s difficult to verify where the data will be sent to. It helps to avoid HTML email completely or make use of the picture blocking feature in the latest versions of Outlook and Outlook Express. 3.  What To Look For When you receive an email, remember that the sender information may be fake, as could any URLs quoted in the email. Be particularly suspicious if there is a note of urgency in the email or a threat to close your account. Never follow links in commercial email that you suspect. 4.  Latest Scams Head to www.millersmiles.co.uk. This is a site that indexes recent phishing scams. You can look for your mail here or subscribe to the RSS feeds to…

Continue Reading

A stitch in time saves nine, so why not prevent trouble before it occurs with these tips? 1.  Microsoft Update Select Start > All Programs and Windows Update. This opens Internet Explorer pointed at the Microsoft Update site. You may be prompted to download and install the latest version of update software. Click Scan for updates. The software examines your Windows installation to find out which updates you already have. 2.  Selecting Updates In the left hand pane, you’ll see a list of updates found under different categories. All critical updates and service packs are already selected for you. To select updates under other categories, click the relevant link and select add. 3.  Review your Updates Choose Review and install updates. Here you can press remove to get rid of any unwanted items. Click Install Now and accept the Licence Agreement. Your updates will now download. Once downloaded, the updates install automatically. Restart your computer. 4. Update CD Go to the Windows Update catalogue and download the most recent updates to your hard drive. Burn these to CD. If you need to reinstall Windows, you won’t need to download the updates again. 5.  Get Advice Use Microsoft’s Support…

Continue Reading

Think you know all there is to know about navigating windows? Think again… 1.  Screensaver Slideshow Right-click the desktop, select properties> screen saver tab and pick my pictures slideshow in the drop down box. Click the settings button for the controlling options. 2.  Stop Grouping similar Windows Windows XP automatically groups similar entries on the task bar to aid readability. To turn this feature on or off, right-click the taskbar, select properties and then clear or tick Group  Similar Taskbar Buttons. 3.  Stop Auto- Arrange By default all icons that appear on the desktop are automatically arranged and aligned to an invisible grid. For more control over the placement of your shortcuts, right-click the desktop, select Arrange icons By and then clear the Auto Arrange and Align to Grid settings. 4.  Universal Folder View If you prefer to view all folders in the same way, set up one the way you like it, then select Tools> Folder Options. Switch to the View tab and click the Apply to All Folders button followed by OK to make the change universal. 5.  Quick Launch Right-click the taskbar and select Toolbars> Quick Launch to use the Quick Launch toolbar…

Continue Reading