Win95 Tips |
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by Tom Lassiter |
Don't be an APRIL FOOL, use these tips to increase your own computing knowledge as well as that of your friends and co-workers.
Don't be a black hole, absorbing knowledge with out shining some of the enlightenment on others. User Groups (of which HAL-PC is the largest and grandest) were formed to share knowledge of PC operations among the members. So maintain that spirit - pass on such info to other PC users outside of HAL-PC. Also tell them where you found that knowledge and pass on a copy of the pamphlet Ten Top Reasons to Join HAL-PC Today. It includes a membership application and is available for distribution from the HAL-PC office. Windows 95 is the place to be in PC operating systems - and HAL-PC is the place to be for PC users in Houston. Talk it up!
While many are aware of how to search the hard drive to find specific filenames, far fewer realize you can also find files containing specific words or phrases WITHIN the file. Just click on Start, Find, and the Advanced tab, then select the type of file the information may be in (search time will be reduced with more specifics if known), insert the specific words or phrase sought into the Containing Text box and click on Find Now. Files containing the sought info will be displayed.
If you are tired of having Explorer open at the C:\ folder then set it up to open at whatever folder YOU choose:
1. Open Explorer and go to the START MENU folder (usually at C:\Windows\Start Menu).
2. Go to the Windows Explorer shortcut (with the "hooked arrow" in the corner of the icon). (Usually at C:\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Windows Explorer.) RIGHT-CLICK on it and then select PROPERTIES.
3. RIGHT-CLICK on the shortcut tab.
4. Change the TARGET to read "c:\windows\explorer.exe /n, /e, x:\newfolder (where c:\windows is your windows folder and x:\newfolder is the drive and folder where you want Explorer to start.
5. CLICK on APPLY and OK and close Explorer.
We are truly a multi-national user group so let's make sure we know how to let Win95 remap our keyboard to all the characters we may need in to type in a different language: from Basque to Danish to 8 variations of English, 5 French, 4 German, and 15 Spanish. The example below uses "Spanish, Mexican":
1. CLICK on START, then SETTINGS, then CONTROL PANEL
2. DOUBLE-CLICK on KEYBOARD icon
3. CLICK on LANGUAGE tab
4. If "Spanish" isn't listed in "Language" box with English, then it must be added as follows:
5. CLICK on ADD button, get "Add Language" window
6. CLICK on arrow at right end of Language box to provide drop down menu of languages
7. SCROLL down to desired language (i.e. - Spanish, Mexican) and CLICK on it
8. CLICK OK on Add Language Window
9. Select which keystroke combination is to be used to "Switch Language", and CLICK to add a DOT in the circle beside it, or leave it to the default already selected
10. CLICK on "Enable Indication Taskbar" to add a check mark there
11. CLICK on OK in Keyboard Properties window
12. Close the CONTROL PANEL
The Win95 Taskbar tray will now show either an "En" for English or a "Es" for Spanish depending on which has been toggled with the keystroke combination selected in Step 9 above. To switch between the two keyboard layouts, English and Spanish, all you have to do is press the selected keystroke combination. The currently selected layout will be indicated in the Win95 Taskbar tray for your information.
We all forget to carry out the trash once in awhile. If you forget in Win95 it will remember for you and empty your Recycle Bin when it exceeds a specified percentage of your hard drive (the default is 10%). You want it larger if you find you often have to go back and restore files deleted in error, or smaller if you are tight on hard drive space and don't want to eat it up storing deleted files. To resize your Recycle Bin RIGHT-CLICK on its desktop icon and select PROPERTIES. You may select the GLOBAL tab to set all drives the same; or select and set individual drives to different settings. Adjust the slider bar in the dialog box as desired (mine is at 3% with drive partitions of about 500MB) and then CLICK OK. Be careful in changing settings here - one box, if checked, bypasses the Recycle Bin altogether and deletes files immediately and totally.
Well, PC Nerds and Nerdesses, that is probably just about enough "garbage" for this month. Drop by again next month when we will continue to help you make your PC a true personal computer - so that at the end of a PC session you may truthfully say - "I did it MY way"! Till then...
NOTE: These tips and tricks are provided as an informational member service. Neither HAL-PC, the author, nor the editor of this article accepts any liability for the above tips and tricks nor their applicability to a particular computer or purpose.
Tom Lassiter is a HAL-PC member, Chairs the Steering Committee of the Build or Buy a PC SIG and emcees that weekly SIG meeting, is a HAL-PC Ambassador to the America Online (AOL) User Group Forum, and was one of the initial HALNet beta testers.
E-mail me at webmaster@hal-pc.org with any comments you have and tell me what you want to see here.
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