... Windows Tips 'n Tricks 17 ...
As he teaches, so he learns.

Ever been forced to boot up in Safe Mode? Yeah, it happens to the best of us. But that might not be a bad thing, especially if you're experiencing seemingly-random crashes all the time. When the system becomes unstable, the kernel seems to lose track of system handles and figures it needs to recreate them. Consequently, it causes more than one device driver to load and ends up installing a duplicate device. If you go into Device Manager, you will see the list [sans] red or yellow exclamation circles marking the anticipated offending culprit(s).

Boot up in Safe Mode and then look at the Device Manager; Right-click on My Computer, pull up Properties, then flip to the Device Manager tab. Look high and low for phantom and duped devices, then delete them. "Once all duplications have been removed, restart the system in real mode. Only the devices found will be reinstalled." Again, if you've never done this before, be sure to enlist the help of a knowledgeable friend first.

When your computer stops responding to your actions and you're stuck, (i.e., clicking a button yields no response, your mouse pointer won't move, or a program stubbornly refuses to close) suppress the impulse to reach for the reset button on your PC. The ongoing health of your Windows installation depends in part on clean shutdowns (where you choose Start, ShutDown, Shutdown and wait for the "It's now safe to turn off your computer" message) at the end of each Windows session. Too many incomplete shutdowns and abrupt reboots can damage system files and adversely impact the performance of Windows.

Try this instead: press Ctrl+Alt+Del. The Close Program dialog box opens (also called "task menu"), listing all of the programs running on your PC at the moment. Look for the program with "(not responding)" at the end of its listing. Select it and click End Task. If it can, Windows will close this wayward program, freeing you up to save the work in your other programs and do a proper shutdown or reboot.

If that doesn't work, it's a cold shutdown, that's it.

In other words, if the default for saving the document is "My Documents" and you'd rather it be on the desktop where you do most of your work, you can change that default. After all, if a program knows where you want to store your data, putting your files there will be that much easier

Most applications offer the commands necessary to change their default directories. For example, in Microsoft Word, you just select Tools, Options, click the File Locations tab, and so on. However, applications such as Notepad and Wordpad require you to make the change on the shortcut level.

First, locate the shortcut you use to open a program. (Tip: If the shortcut is on the Start menu, right-click Start, select Open, then locate the shortcut in the Start Menu window.) Right-click the shortcut, select Properties, and in the resulting dialog box, click the Shortcut tab. On the Start In line, type the path of the folder you'd like the program to use as the default, then click OK. From now on, assuming you use that shortcut to open the application, selecting File, Open inside the program will point you to the specified folder.

Note: In a given work session, navigating your way to another folder within the program's Open dialog box changes the working directory to that folder.)

It is often best to write your e-mail before you go on-line. Start your e-mail program or your browser. If it tries to automatically dial in, just hit cancel or choose "Work Off-line." Write your e-mail, then go on-line and send the message.

All Windows programs use the same Save command, no matter what company wrote them. Press and release the Alt, F, and S keys in any Windows program, and the computer saves your work. If you prefer using the mouse to save files, click File from the toolbar that appears at the top of the program. Choose Save from the drop-down menu. Remember that when you save a file, make changes to it and save it again. The original version is over-written. Only the version with your most current changes will be available.

When you save a file, the program prompts you to save the file in a folder on your hard drive. You specify the location of the folder using a notation called a file path. The file path describes the location of a file or folder by listing the name of the drive on which the file is stored, followed by the name of the folder (or, in the case of a single file, the filename). If the folder or file is stored inside another folder, that folder name is preceded by a backslash (\). So, for example, instead of describing the location of a file by saying:

"The file named index.htm that's stored inside the My Music folder inside the My Documents folder on the C drive," you can just say:

"C:\My Documents\My Music\filename".

When you create a brand new document and click on the "Save" button on your Standard Toolbar, you will be presented with the "Save As" dialog box because Word wants to know three things:

1. Where do you want to save it?
2. What do you want to name it?
3. What file type do you want it to be?

However, once you have saved it once, clicking on that same button no longer gives you these choices. Why? Because Word assumes you do not want to make those three choices again. Word assumes you simply want to update the original copy by overwriting it with this new version of the same file. If, in fact, you DO want to either put a new copy in a new location, or create a new copy with a new name, or change the file type, you must go to the File menu and choose "Save As".

Remember that Windows will not allow you to have two files with the exact same name in the same folder, so when you save a file to a location where that file already exists, Windows will replace the existing file with your new one. So, if you do not want to overwrite the existing file, but instead want to create another copy with a different name or in a different location or as a different file type, you must go to the File menu and choose "Save As".

When you choose File>Save As, you can use the dropdown box at the top of the Save As dialog box, which says "Save In", to select the location where you want to put your new copy. You can also change the name of your new copy in the "File name" box and save it either in a new location or in the same location as the original (because this new copy now has a different name), and you can also change the file type by selecting a new one from the dropdown box at the bottom that says "Save as type".

Let's look at some of these choices:

1. The first one is obvious. It simply says "Word Document", which is the format you would choose if you want this file to be opened by Word or some other compatible word processor.

2. The next choice is "Web Page" (or in older editions of Word and other programs, it may say "html"). This will save your file in a format that is viewable through a web browser (such as Internet Explorer or Netscape) and can be added to any existing website or become a website all on its own.

3. The next choice is "Document Template" which allows you to save this file as a template which can be used in place of a plain blank document when you want to create a new document with these particular settings. Notice that when you choose this type, Word will automatically change the "Save in" location to its Template folder so it will be accessible to you when you choose File>New to open a new document. If you change this location to something else, you will not see this template in your choices when choosing File>New so I recommend you let Word put it where it wants to put it.

4. Other choices you have in this dropdown list include various plain text options, formats that are compatible with older versions of Word, Corel WordPerfect types, formats for a Mac computer, and a format that is compatible with Microsoft Works. The type you choose will determine what program will open the file, so make your choices based on this.

The main thing to remember is that "Save" will simply overwrite your existing file with this new copy, whereas "Save As" will give you the options discussed above.

Keep your system running in tip-top shape by running ScanDisk and Disk Defragmenter on at least a monthly--preferably weekly--basis (I do it daily; depends upon how you use the computer). ScanDisk (checks hard drive for errors) is a Windows utility that searches for and fixes errors on your hard drive. Disk Defragmenter is another utility that organizes your files for optimal accessibility and consolidates the free space on your hard drive.

Run ScanDisk first to repair any errors, then the Defragmenter (or "defrag" as it's commonly referred to). You can access both through the Start menu, but I like to open My Computer, right-click the C-drive icon, click Properties, Tools tab, and there you have it.

Btw, the Advanced button in Scandisk contains lots of goodies that most people ignore. I leave it to you to accept the default settings or make whatever subtle changes you need.

This is for Win98 when that "not shut down properly" message appears. What happens here is that the system goes into Scandisk and runs through a scan of the folders, corrects whatever scrambling of data had occurred, then boots properly. If bad sectors are being reported, do the following:

Boot to Safe mode (usually this requires hitting the F8 key right after the first screenful of boot information is displayed. Choose "Safe Mode". After it boots, go to Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scandisk.

From the opening window of Scandisk, choose "Thorough" and "Fix errors". If that scan succeeds, you can assume the "bad sectors" were soft errors that are now masked from sight and that will fix the problem. If the bad sectors persist, you probably need a new hard drive ASAP (as soon as possible).

ScanDisk is a built-in utility that Windows uses to find and fix problems with your computer's hardware. It can help spot errors on your hard drive, disk drives, and memory components. If you have a system crash or your computer is turned off before the "shut down" function is invoked, you may get a message from ScanDisk expressing concern the next time you start up.

If your computer is interrupted by a crash or encounters a hardware problem while it is working with your files, file-allocation problems can crop up. Although it is not apparent to the user, one file can actually be spread out around the hard drive in different block, called clusters. The computer keeps track of where all the parts of files are with what is called a file-allocation table, or F.A.T. Problems can arise if the file allocation tables are not updated or clusters on your disk are lost. A problem called cross-linked files can also occur if the computer thinks (thinks??? just an expression) that two files are stored in the same place on the hard drive. ScanDisk can fix these types of problems.

ScanDisk looks for a number of different things when it is examining your system. There are two kinds of tests that it can perform. The "thorough" option will search for cross-linked and lost parts of files and check the physical surface of our hard drive for bad sectors. Think of a thorough scandisk as building a super meticulous broom; nothing is overlooked. The "standard" option will just look for cross-linked and lost files.

If you don't want to know exactly what is wrong with your system, you can check the appropriate box at the bottom of the ScanDisk screen to have the program automatically fix any errors it finds. There is also an "advanced" button to click if you would like to have the program display more information, like a log of errors that it finds.

Even if your computer does not crash a lot, running ScanDisk periodically is a good habit to get into for preventive maintenance. It is also highly suggested that you run the standard option before doing a "defragmenting" of your hard drive, another tool that comes with your computer (see "Defragmenting - What's The Story). One way to get to ScanDisk is to go to the Start menu, Programs, Accessories, System Tools. Another way is to right-click your hard drive (C:\), Properties, Tools, Defragmant Now. As they say, there are many trains to get to Chicago.

A) Entire Screen

You don't need a fancy graphics program in order to get a screenshot of what's on a computer screen. Using any windows-based program, just hit the Print Screen key on your Keyboard and then paste the clipboard into any Windows-based program like WordPad, Word or MS Paint.

B) One Window

If you want to capture just one window, highlight it on the desktop and hit Print Screen while holding down the Alt key. This captures only that one window--instead of the entire desktop--to the clipboard. Again, paste the window into a Windows-based program such as WordPad, Word, or MS Paint.

Sometimes a flicker on your screen can be associated with the refresh rate set for your monitor. To adjust your monitor for an optimal refresh rate, go to the Control Panel and double-click on the Display icon (or right-click an empty space on your desktop and click Properties) From the display window, click on the Settings tab. Click on the button labeled Advanced Properties. Then click on the Adapter tab to see the refresh rate. Set the refresh rate to Optimal and that should reduce the frequency of your screen's flickering.

Create a shortcut to your screen saver on your desktop, and with a quick double-click, your screen saver will be activated.

1. You'll need to know the name of your screen saver.
2. Go to Find and type in *.scr (that's an asterisk, a dot, and scr). That will bring up all your screensavers.
3. Right-click on one and choose Copy from the context menu. Minimize the Find window so you can see your desktop.
4. Right-click in a blank area of the desktop and choose Paste Shortcut from the context menu. Your new shortcut will appear.
5. The next time you want to immediately activate your screen saver, just double-click on the new shortcut.

What I prefer to do is slightly different. I use a hot key as follows:

1. Find your chosen screen saver in the System folder.
2. Drag it to your Start menu button and drop it there.
3. Right-click your Start button, open Explore, and from there move that screen saver to your Accessory folder (where you place it is your preference).
4. Right-click that screen saver and go to Properties.
5. In the Shortcut key box enter a comma (I choose the comma because even in the dark it is easy to "feel out" with your right pointer finger, sliding it along the space bar and up to the comma key).
6. Click OK.
7. Now to activate that screen saver all you do is press Ctrl+Alt+Comma … voilà.

1. Place the file into the Windows' System folder.
2. Right-click on the Windows desktop and choose Properties.
3. Choose Screen Saver and find the name of the screen saver in the listing by clicking on the down arrow.
4. Select your new screen saver and choose your settings (if any).
5. Finally, click Apply to activate it.

One way to gain some space is to set your Windows taskbar to hide when you're not using it. Right-click on a blank area of the taskbar and choose Properties. Check both Always On Top and Auto Hide, then click OK to apply the change. To display the taskbar, move your mouse pointer anywhere over the area where it normally appears. The taskbar will pop up for use and will conveniently retreat out of the way once again after you select a function or move your mouse pointer away from it.

Another way which I use is to the desktop icons smaller and closer together. Right-click on desktop, Properties (Display Properties), Appearance tab, Item list, Icon (3 choices), then adjust size of each.

While you're away from your PC anybody can sniff around your system and see what you're up to or the websites you've visited. To prevent this cyber violation from happening, launch Control Panel and open the Power Options applet. Click the Advanced tab, then click the checkbox next to "Prompt for password when computer goes off standby and hibernate." Set the Power Scheme option to Home/Office Desk. The next time your PC goes asleep, you'll need to enter your password to return to work and any intruders will be stymied, for now.