The "Best Windows Tip You Know" Thread

[Mieky242]

Nice one ozgeek, I didnt know that!

[truenorth3410]

When a modification is made to the registry, such as when installing new software, you are instructed to restart the computer. Well, you don't have to! Do this instead:

[1] bring up the Task Manager by pressing Ctrl-Alt-Del

[2] select explorer.exe in the Processes tab

[3] click the End Process button on the bottom right; all windows, the taskbar and desktop icons disappear! but don't panic...our friend Task Manager is still there

[4] in menu, click File, New Task (Run...)

[5] type explorer and press Enter (this reloads the explorer.exe process AND the registry!)

[Yochanan]

Good tip, but I don't like the fact that half my system tray icons don't reload after explorer.exe is closed/crashes.

[Bubble Wrap]

Just hold the windows key and tap the letter D... This minimizes to the desktop, hit it again and it brings you back to the last screen you saw.

For those with programs like rainlendar and konfabulator, who hate how the win+d makes them go away, try winkey+M. Minimizes the windows, but leaves samurize, rainlendar, konfab, (etc) on the desktop.

Yea! I contribbed!

[Herby]

For those with programs like rainlendar and konfabulator, who hate how the win+d makes them go away, try winkey+M. Minimizes the windows, but leaves samurize, rainlendar, konfab, (etc) on the desktop.

I've created a Toggle MinimizeAll/UndoMinimizeAll Script, you can download it at my website: herby.virtualplastic.net :)

[darkmark327]

Nice tricks guys :D

Got another one:

Want a very clean folder of thumbnails of your holiday photos?

Hold SHIFT (any one will do) while you open a folder with thumbnails in it such as pictures or videos. This will cause the window to open thumbnails only and not filenames. Do it again to get the filenames to show up :)

You can also go to view -> Thumbnails and hold shift when clicking the Thumbnails item to view thumbnails without filenames.

For those with programs like rainlendar and konfabulator, who hate how the win+d makes them go away, try winkey+M. Minimizes the windows, but leaves samurize, rainlendar, konfab, (etc) on the desktop.

Win + Shift + M brings them back.

Good tip, but I don't like the fact that half my system tray icons don't reload after explorer.exe is closed/crashes.

I find it more effective to log out and log back in.

[atomicski]

awesome tips!

most people probably know this

when deleting a file or folder, instead of just pushing delete, do shift+delete to delete it for sure, not just recycle bin.

[Ryan Jones]

Here are a few:

In FreeCell choose "Select Game" from the Game menu then type -1 or -2 to get hidden modes.

Using defrag passing the -b command line switch lets you defragment the boot and application prefetch information

Sorry don't have time to post more but there are loads here: http://www.tweakxp.com/

Cheers,

Ryan Jones

[andresjk]

cool thread!

my tip: press shift when u inster a cd and win will not autorun it neither the window asking what to do xD

[john2000]

whats the best win xp

[darkrats]

Here's another one:

If you have Outlook installed you can create a shortcut that creates Sticky Notes:

"%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\Office10\Outlook.exe" /c ipm.stickynote (Office XP)

"%ProgramFiles%\Microsoft Office\Office11\Outlook.exe" /c ipm.stickynote (Office 2003)

? ?

You can change the appearance of the notes in OutlookTools -> Options -> Preferences Tabb>

Nice thing to know, but when I shutdown my computer the notes disappear from the desktop. I know you can still find them in Outlook, but is there any trick to making them stick to the desktop, even through a reboot?

[Herby]

Nice thing to know, but when I shutdown my computer the notes disappear from the desktop. I know you can still find them in Outlook, but is there any trick to making them stick to the desktop, even through a reboot?

Save the Notes as Outlook Messages (.msg) -> Left click on the Note icon and select Save As...

Select Outlook Message Format (Save As Type) and save it.

Create shortcuts to these messages in your StartUp folder (%UserProfile%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup).

The positions and changes are saved automatically. :)

Edited April 13, 2006 by Herby

[jordan.]

i'm pretty sure everyone knows about this one but it's a combination that i use a lot. when you're in IE or Firefox and you want to go to a site, google for example, you can just type google in the address bar and then hit ctrl+enter and it automatically completes the whole address and takes you to the site.

To add to this one. In Firefox, you can also use shift+enter when it is a .net domain. For e.g. type neowin, then hit shift+enter and you get https://www.neowin.net. Also, ctrl+shift+enter will give you a .org domain.

Another handy Firefox tip (though im sure alot of people know this one) is to click the scroll wheel on a link to open it in a new tab. Very handy for when you want to open several boards on a forum, just scroll-click each one to get them all in their own tabs.

EDIT: Just discovered this one: if you scroll-click a tab, it closes it. Very useful for closing tabs without having to view them first like if one of your parents are standing close by and you have porn tabs open :p

Edited April 18, 2006 by killa101

[SnowRanger13]

Ctrl + Alt + Del

:p

[Ji@nBing]

You can do stuff with your computer.

[Herby]

Ctrl + Alt + Del ?:pp

Neh..., Ctrl + Shift + Esc ?:p:p

[Jordan M.]

CTRL ALT DELETE

[Phantom Puppet]

Don't know if this has been posted, but, in dialogue boxes like the one below, shift-click on 'No' to do a "no to all".

Another one is, when copying files between directories (folders), drag with the right mouse button - rather than the left - to have a menu appear giving you the option of copy, moving, or creating a shortcut to the file(s) you selected when the mouse button is released.

[Fred Pocius 406]

Don't know if these have already been posted, but, in this dialogue box:

Shift-clicking on 'No' will do a "no to all".

Thats the one I was looking for..Thx

[Lgan]

Hi all, this is my first post, here are just a few things I've picked up.

For those of you who are concerned about security and do not want others viewing the contents of

your compressed folder, rest assured there is a way that you can secure them. To increase security,

you can assign a password to a compressed folder. This way any user that wants to view the contents

must first supply the correct password.

You can assign a password to a compressed folder using the following steps:

1. Open Windows Explorer

2. Locate the compressed folder you want to assign a password to.

3. Double click the compressed folder to open it.

4. From the File menu click Add a password.

5. Type in the password twice and click OK.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

An alternative method for encrypting files is the use the Cipher.exe command line utility. It can be

used to encrypt, decrypt, and view the status of folders and files. The various switches that can be

used with the command are outlined below.

* The /E switch is used with the Cipher command to set encryption.

* The /D switch is used to disable (or remove encryption) of a folder.

* The /A switch must be used to encrypt specific files. By default, cipher works only on

folders.

To encrypt a folder using this method:

1. Click Start and click Run.

2. Type cmd and click OK.

3. From the Command Prompt window, type cipher /e directory\foldername.

4. Press Enter.

You can customize the use of the command by adding additional switches. For a complete description

of the command and available options, type cipher /? from the Command Prompt.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Windows XP allows you to add your own keywords to certain types of files. When it comes to searching

for files, you can easily locate a file using one of the keywords you have assigned to it. Windows

XP allows you to assign keywords to the following file types:

* TIFF and JPEG images

* MP3 and WMA

* WMV

* Microsoft Office files

To assign keywords to a file, locate the file on your computer. Right click the file and choose the

Properties option. Select the Summary tab from the properties dialog box. In the Keywords field,

enter in the keywords that pertain to the file and click OK.

To locate a file in Windows XP based on keywords, open the Search function. Click All files and

folders. Type in one or more of the keywords under the field entitled 'A word or phrase in the

file.' Click Search.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Is there a way to remove the recycle bin

There sure is! The picture of your vacation does not have to be hindered by a trash receptacle any

longer. Because you are using XP Pro you can follow the steps below to take out the trash.

1. Go to the Start menu and select Run

2. Type GPEDIT.MSC

3. Navigate to User Configuration / Administrative Templates / Click on Desktop

4. On the right hand panel find "Remove Recycle Bin icon on the desktop" and double-click it

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

To create a hidden share, follow these steps:

1.In Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.

2.Expand Shared Folders, right-click Shares, and then click New File Share.

3.In the Folder to share box, type the path of the folder that you want to share, or click Browse to

locate the folder.

4.Type the share name that you want to use followed by a dollar sign, and then click Next.

5.To make the share accessible to administrators only, select the Administrators have full control;

other users have no access check box, and then click Finish.

6.Click Yes to create another share, or click No to return to the Computer Management console.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

To completely remove the shortcut arrow, open the registry. From there follow this path

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT -> lnkfile (that's an L). Inside there rename the IsShortcut String value to

"AriochIsShortcut" without quotes. Reboot your machine

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And last but not least,

Want a quicker technique while still using your mouse? Here's what to do. Go to your desktop and

create a shortcut to "SHUTDOWN -s -t 01".

1. Right-click anywhere on your desktop (except on any icon).

2. Move your pointer to "New" and click "Shortcut."

(An alternative to steps 1 and 2 is pressing Shift + F10, press w then s.

3. Type "SHUTDOWN -s -t 01" (without quotes), click "Next."

(For Windows 9x and ME, use this shutdown command instead: "C:\windows\rundll.exe

user.exe,exitwindows" - also without quotes.)

4. You should see a textbox where you enter a name for the shortcut. By default, the name is

"shutdown." Choose a name and click finish; you should see the new shortcut created.

These shutdown commands can be used in the Run dialog box from the start menu as well. Just type the

command and press enter.

The list of methods of shutting down Windows goes on and on, but now's the time for the grand

finale... the one-click shutdown.

1. Open the Display Properties (Right-click on your desktop and click Properties).

2. Go to the Screen Saver tab and click Power.

3. Click the Advanced tab.

4. You'll find a section called Power Buttons; choose from the combo boxes whether you want to

shut down using the Power Button on your PC case or the Sleep Button on your keyboard (if your

keyboard has one, that is).

5. Click OK in the 2 open windows.

Hope these tips come in handy and save you thousands of milliseconds. Logan

[Herby]

@ L?gan: Nice tips for a first post,.. welcome to Neowin! :))

I've created a Enhanced Shutdown button a few months back; Left click -> Shutdown, Right click -> Menu.

? ?

More info and download here.

If you want the Shutdown Icon on your Desktop, have a look here or here:) :)

[Shasoosh]

Great post! don't let it die!

In the last hour I've tried to think of a good tip so it wouldn't look like i bumped the post 4 nothing but didn't found any thing useful...

[Koolance]

OK People, Here it is, the PIC TRICK. :D

Ever need a program to rename all your digital photo's. You know, from DSC0001, DSC0002, ect....

I had over 1500 photo's named this way. And everytime I copied photo's to my photo directory from my camara, it always ask me if I wanted to replace an existing file. Because my camara always starts at the beginning whenever I download my pictures. If you have this problem try this:

1. Goto to your photo directory

2. Goto to Edit Menu and <Select All>

3. Goto to File Menu and <Rename>

4. Enter a title for you photos. Press <Enter Key>

Example: SpringBreak06

Every picture in that directory will be renamed ----> SpringBreak06 (1), SpringBreak06 (2), SpringBreak (3), ect.....

No matter what you name it, the format will be ---> WhatYouNameIt (1), WhatYouNameIt (2), ect....

Hope you like this one.... It saves me alot of time :yes:

Edited May 17, 2006 by Koolance

[rive]

You can use Control + PageUp and PageDown to cycle through tabs easily. It works in Firefox too!

[pocketpc]

Hitting F6 when in Firefox/IE brings you directly to the address bar.

F11 in Firefox makes it full screen-ish.

:D R u want to change Windows' Icons then check this out.

U can change the icons which are use windows for folders, start menu and many more.

1. Open RegEdit

2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\Shell Icons

3. Add a string value for each Icon you wish to change.

Example: "3" ="C:\Windows\Icons\MyIcon.ico,0" This will change the closed folders in the Explorer to "MyIcon.ico". Here is a

complete list for each value.

0= Unknown file type

1= MSN file types

2= Applications Generic

3= Closed Folder

4= Open Folder

5= 5.25" Drive

6= 3.25" Drive

7= Removable Drive

8= Hard Drive

9= NetWork Drive

10= Network Drive Offline

11= CD-ROM Drive

12= RAM Drive

13= Entire Network 14= Network Hub

15= My Computer

16= Printer

17= Network Neighborhood

18= Network Workgroup

19= Start Menu's Program Folders

20= Start Menu's Documents

21= Start Menu's Setting

22= Start Menu's Find

23= Start Menu's Help

24= Start Menu's Run

25= Start Menu's Suspend

26= Start Menu's PC Undock

27= Start Menu's Shutdown 28= Shared

29= Shortcut Arrow

30= (Unknown Overlay)

31= Recycle Bin Empty

32= Recycle Bin Full

33= Dial-up Network

34= DeskTop

35= Control Panel

36= Start Menu's Programs

37= Printer Folder

38= Fonts Folder

39= Taskbar Icon

40= Audio CD

You need to reboot after making changes to get this effects. If after rebooting the desired Icons are not display then u may

need to delete the hidden file ShellIconCache.