Tips And Tricks - Windows Vista Part 3

We’ve been trying to give Vista a little bit of support this week by bringing you some of the best tips and tricks available for the operating system - today will be no different as we take a look at some more tips and tricks making Vista so much fun…

Desktop Zoom

If you are having trouble with your eyes perhaps or you’re just fed up straining to see the little icons on your desktop then fear not - you can easily (really easily) zoom in to make them larger.

To do this simply open a Windows Explorer window, select an icon and then hold down the CTRL button and move your scroller.  The icons will get larger and you won’t have to run to Specsavers to get stronger glasses.

Health

If ever you have had a problem with a computer you will know how difficult it is to diagnose the problem yourself - with Vista the whole thing is made much easier!  Vista is kitted out with Windows Vista Reporting Tools.

You can get your hands on these tools by searching for “perf” in the Control Panel.  Then click on Performance Information and Tools and select the Advanced Tools.  Then simply click on the Generate A System Health report Option and you’ll be supplied with a list of issues with your system and what you can do to sort the problems out…

Old Skool Menus

Are you missing your old skool menus from Windows Explorer?  File, Edit View, etc. have been left out in the cold when it came to Vista - or that’s what Windows would have you believe.

All you have to do to make them reappear is press ALT and back they come.

Save A Search

Do you find that you are always on the look out for the same old file all the time?  You don’t have to go through all the fuss each and every time you want to find this file - all you have to do is click the Save Search button in the Explorer and a special folder will be created containing all the search results.

An even easier way to keep your search results close is by dragging the folder of results into the Favourite links sidebar.

Media Center

Although this isn’t exactly a secret, Media Center was never really a feature that came with Windows, you usually had to buy it as a separate operating system - Windows XP Media Center for example!

Well, now with Vista Home Premium and Ultimate it’s been provided and you can make the most of it - it’s a fantastic way to explore your photographs, music and movies and even television with the help of your friendly X-Box 360.

Vista - Time To Move On?

Are you struggling to keep loyal to Vista?  Are you disappointed with the operating system?  Are you moving to Windows 7?  Leave us a comment and let us know…

Tips And Tricks - Windows Vista Part 2

Yesterday we started looking at some of the top tips and tricks available for the Vista operating system - today we are going to further our exploration by gathering some more useful tips and tricks to help you find your way around the system.

Gadgets

Do you see that row of fancy gadgets down the side of your screen?  They do indeed serve a purpose from telling you the time to telling you the weather in Brazil…but wait, there’s more.

That’s right - all you have to do is click on the plus symbol at the top of the side bar and the click on the Get More Gadgets Online to view hundreds more gadgets that you can download and use.  They’re all free and available for your use so get roaming for what you want.  You can also drag and drop these gadgets onto the desktop for more space.

Easy Search

You don’t have to know what it is that you’re looking for to find it in Vista - as long as you have some kind of inkling what it is that you want then you can simply open your Documents window, click on Organise then Folder and Search Options.

Then select the Search Tab and select “Use natural language search”.  This means that you can talk to the search engine as if it were your mate and it’ll find what you’re looking for - for example you can type in “email sent from mum” and it’ll do its best to find what you’re looking for!

Back Up

Backing Up is made easy in Vista - to back up simply go to the Backup and Restore Center through the Start Menu and then select Back Up Files.  You can then choose what it is that you want to back up from either photos, music, etc.

Power Off Button

If you thought that a Power Off button in Vista was actually there to turn off the computer then I’m afraid you would be guilty of a bad assumption - the Power Off button actually places your computer into a state close to off but not quite there so that your computer switched on much faster.

However, if you actually want your computer to power down on selection of this button they search for “Power” in the Start menu and then select the Power Options.  Select Change Plan Settings and then Change Advanced Power Settings.

Then expand the Entry for Power Buttons and Lid and then expand the Start Menu and Power Button Entry and select Sleep to choose another option from the drop down.  You can do what you like with the button from now on!

Vista - Time To Change?

Tips and Tricks - Windows Vista Part 1

Although Windows has now moved away from Vista and instead moved towards Windows 7, most of you will still be quite happy staying put with Vista - after all, you may have only just made the move a couple of months ago…

But just because you’re working through Vista, do you really know everything you need to in order to get the most out of your computing experience?  Computers can do some seriously amazing things - read on to discover what tips and tricks you can put in to practice to get the most from Vista.

Fix-A-Photo

The Photo Gallery in Vista allows you to import and organise your photos in a similar way that iPhoto does on a Mac.  As with iPhoto you can also click on the Fix button and play around with the image.

You can crop, remove red-eye and adjust the lighting.  The best thing about the Photo Gallery is that you can mess around safe in the knowledge that every photo you decide to mess up, I mean “work on”, is automatically backed up safely so you will never have to worry about ruining precious memories.

Launch A Program

If you think that double clicking on the application that you want to launch is too much of a fuss to simply open Firefox then don’t worry - there is a much faster way!

By simply holding down the Windows key and pressing any number between 1 and 9 you will launch a corresponding program from the Quick Start menu!  How easy is that - once you figure out which number is which program you’ll be using the shortcut every time.

Easy Findings

If there is a specific folder that you constantly look for in your document folder, such as “Private Pix Stay Out” or something to that effect for example, then you can simply bring the folder to the forefront and have it readily available at any time.

To do this simply click and drag the desired folder into the Favourite Links pane on the left of the window in Windows Explorer - once this is done you won’t have to go far at all to select the folder of choice.

Laptop Mobility Center

Obviously Laptops are great pieces of kit that allow us to stay portable and mobile - with this trick you can also stay productive!  You can easily open up the Mobility Center by holding down the Windows key and then press the X button.

You are then transported to your very own Mobility Center filled with useful information about your laptop’s battery, wireless signal, external displays, blah, blah and more blah…how incredibly helpful is that??

Vista - The Way Forward?

Are you sticking by Vista while more and more make the migration to Windows 7?  Do you think the tips and tricks learned here will help you navigate through the system better?  Let us know…

Windows 7 - Time To Move On Part 2

Yesterday we took a look at the new Windows 7 system - we had a look at the elements that had been added to make this such a hot commodity, however today we’re going to check out what went in to making the operating system what it is…under the covers.

Installation - This installation process is different to other Window predecessors as it automatically sends out the Ultimate SKU of the operating system.  Many are claiming that this is a sign that Microsoft are planning on simplifying the amount of versions of Windows in the future but so far they guys over at Microsoft have kept quiet over the whole deal.

Boot - As you would image, Windows 7 manages to boot up a few seconds faster than its predecessor Windows Vista.  Could we expect anything less than a faster boot, though?  I don’t think so…

Processor Support - No one can put it better than the guys over at Windows themselves who have said “In the Windows 7 operating system, the 64-bit kernel supports more than 64 logical processors. To scale up to support this expanded number of processors, some applications and Windows kernel-mode components require modification.”

Touch - It seems that Apple are doing something right by bringing “touch” to the masses.  Now Microsoft are doing the very same by including touch and gesture capabilities with Windows 7 - these capabilities are designed to work in tandem with the latest hardware.

Cloud - Clouds are becoming more and more relevant so it makes sense for Microsoft to aim the same way.  However, instead of cluttering their computers with a load of rubbish that you have to sift through, Microsoft have decided to put it all up in a cloud that you can access at your will.

Home Groups - As we are all getting closer through technology, Windows have decided to give us a helping hand.  All computers that are in the same house can connect to the same Home Group providing them the ability to share pictures, music, videos, documents and devices.

Troubleshooting - Windows 7 has managed to supply stronger troubleshooting capabilities that have been fairly useless in previous systems like Vista.  The new troubleshooting capabilities are going to be able to sort out problems relating to anything from programs to printers and displays to devices so you won’t be stuck when something goes wrong…yeah, right!

Windows Sensor and Location Platform - Your computer will be able to know where it is using location sensors such as GPS devices and triangulation technology.  Apparently this is a good thing as the apps you use will be able to be more helpful and relevant by providing information on the right area.

Time to make the change?

Are you sold on Windows 7?  Are you still using Windows 95?  Do you think it’s worth upgrading to Windows 7?  Leave us a comment and let us know…

Windows 7 - Time To Move On?

If you are still clinging on to Vista, or even worse clutching on to XP, then maybe you don’t know exactly what is being offered by Windows with their latest system, Windows 7.

We’re going to take a look at what the guys at Microsoft are offering us and see what exactly all the fuss is about - is it time to move on finally?  Let’s see;

Elements

Taskbar - Nicknamed the Superbar, the Taskbar has been brought to us as a replacement for the Quick Launch area which has now been trashed.  The bar collects all the open applications running on the computer as well as all IE tabs.  The taskbar also provides shelter for all the most used shortcuts on the system in an attempt to provide efficiency when working.

Aero Peek - This new design is an attempt to allow you to flick through windows quickly without wasting any time.  It does this by highlighting a single window that corresponds with the mini-window that the user focuses on with the mouse.  Aero Peek is used with the new taskbar.

Start Menu - Windows has managed to overhaul their Start Menu - apparently it wasn’t up to scratch and now they have managed to upgrade the menu’s search functionality for example.  However Windows are now providing a mini Start menu, called Jumplists, that allow PC users to jump around the system to different tasks and programs.

AeroShake - This feature looks at allowing increased productivity by letting you navigate around the system using mouse and touch gestures - for example you can close a window by grabbing and shaking it - how this is easier than pressing an X I’ll never know…

DesktopSlideshow - This feature is supposed to bring attractiveness to the computer as it lets you turn your background into a moving slideshow to keep your computer looking different all the time.  This sounds nice and it’ll probably be a speed drainer!

New Fonts - That’s right, Windows 7 will also be supplying a new font - Vista brought Segoe and now Windows 7 is bringing Gabriola.

Sidebar - Although the functionality still remains you are no longer confined to a nifty little line down the side of your screen.  Now instead you are allowed to place your gadgets anywhere on the screen.  Again this will obviously end up being another performance drainer!

Windows Ribbon GUI - Windows are planning on changing their aged approach to graphical user interface and have already done so with their introduction of the Ribbon GUI which is apparent in applications like Pain and Wordpad.  Now Windows are just hoping third part apps will follow suit.

Windows 7 Impressing You?

Are the new elements of Windows 7 impressing the pants off you?  Or are you totally bored with Windows?  Leave us a comment and let us know…

Online Shopping - Know Your Rights

Today more and more people are turning to the Internet to fulfil their shopping needs - the Internet makes it easy to hunt for bargains, offers and hard to find objects.  The Internet has revolutionised the buying process.

However, not everyone is eager to spend their money on the Internet - Jeremy Clarkson wants nothing to do with online shopping!  People are worried that their financial details will be stolen and they will have their identities stolen.

What can I say…it does happen!  However, you don’t get anywhere without taking risks.  Most websites are very safe and secure with your information and the whole process can be very pleasant and efficient.

When shopping online you should make sure that you are aware of your rights - you don’t want to find yourself out of pocket because you weren’t aware of your online shopping rights.  Read on to find out what you need to know…

Cancelling An Order

According to the Distance Selling Regulations you have the right as an online customer to cancel your order from the moment you make your order up to seven days after you receive your purchase.

However, this doesn’t apply to everything - you should be fully aware that you can’t return;

•    CDs, DVDs or software if the seal on the cases has been broken.
•    Food and flowers and other perishable items.
•    Personalised goods.

It is important to know where you stand before you purchase one of these items - you should make sure you know what you’re doing before you “checkout”.

Cancelling A Service

We often buy services online without really thinking about it - a lot of people turn to the Internet to buy mobile phone contracts for example because you aren’t forced to deal with a pushy sales person online.

You have up to seven working days to cancel a service starting from the day you agree the terms and conditions of the contract.

However, these rights are waived if you agree to start the contract straight away - by doing so you are giving up your rights to cancel the contract and you are legally bound for the full length agreed.

Protection Online

The E Commerce Regulations claim that every shopping website must clearly show each stage of the purchase process and must also allow you to check your details before finishing the order.

The Regulations also specify that every shopping site must provide full details of who they are along with a geographical address and email address.  If this information isn’t available then it is advisable to steer clear as they are not complying with the legal requirements for online shopping.

Online Buyer?

Do you prefer shopping online?  Do you think that online shopping is safe or do you think that you could stand to lose everything?  Leave us a comment and let us know…

Broadband - What Affects Speed?

Broadband can be a truly great thing to have in your home - it can be an information highway we can use to take us out of our homes and put us in the midst of billions of web pages full of information.

However, broadband isn’t such a fun time when it isn’t working at it’s top speeds - there are a number of things that stop broadband operating at the speeds it should do - read on to find out what affects your broadband speed and what you can do to speed it back up again;

Exchange

You get your broadband from the provider’s exchange - exchanges are situated within a certain number of miles from your home but the further away from the telephone exchange you are the slower your broadband will be.

This distance issue is apparent for ADSL Broadband that comes to your home through the telephone line and not to the more modern cable broadband that does away with the need for phone lines all together.

You obviously can’t change your distance from the telephone exchange but you should do some research before you get stuck into a contract - find out how far away you are from the closest telephone exchange and go online to perform an ADSL checker to see what speeds you could get.  There’s no point paying for 20MBit/S broadband when you can only accept 4MBit/S.

Sharing

If you share a wireless broadband connection with a number of people in your home then you will undoubtedly feel a loss of speed - each time someone joins the network they will be getting a portion of the speed.

Contention Ratio

A way that your ISP will keep your speed as strong as possible is by using a contention ratio = this contention ratio caps the amount of people that can connect to the service meaning that you shouldn’t suffer too badly.  Do your research because some caps are lower than others meaning faster speeds due to fewer people you’re sharing with.

Tasks

Performing a number of tasks can be a sure fire way of slowing down your broadband connection speed - if you are downloading using the full brunt of your broadband speed then you will notice that web pages will load much slower for example.  This is just something you have to deal with if you want to get fast downloads…

Phone Line Quality
If you have a more modern telephone line that hasn’t taken a battering over the years then you’ll be receiving a better quality of broadband then you would through an old one.  The same goes when dealing with routers.

If you want to go to the route of the problem then make sure you use good-quality wiring and routers to keep the stream strong from the exchange.

Speedy Broadband?

Do you want to speed up your broadband?  Have you found any of our advice useful?  Leave us a comment and let us know…

Back Up For Peace Of Mind

You should always be thinking about backing up your important documents.  Today it’s easy to back up - external hard drives are cheap and easy to use and your computer of laptop probably has the potential to allow back ups with a couple of clicks on the mouse…

If you decide to take the opportunity to back up your stuff before it’s too late and your files and folders are lost forever then read on to find out some back up tips to keep in mind;

Regular Back Ups

You should think about backing up your computer content regularly - don’t just think that once is enough because it isn’t.  Once you backup your stuff you then go back on your computer and create new files, upload new photos from your camera, download new music and movies, etc…all this stuff needs to be backed up as well.

You can never be sure when a virus will effect your computer and so this is why you need to spend some time, possibly as frequently as each week, to back up your computer.  By doing so you can be one of the sensible few that can simply laugh off an infection when one does inevitably attack your system.

If you use your computer a lot then you should even think about backing up daily - after all you are doing it for your benefit…it is you that will benefit from backing up…

More Than One Copy

When backing up you shouldn’t rely on one single copy of your stuff - it may sound very paranoid but you will be pretty annoyed if you back up on a hard drive only to find out that both the computer and the external hard drive pack up in the same day - annoying?

External hard drives are so cheap today there is little harm in getting more than one external hard drive - you can back up your back up hard drive and you will sleep well at night knowing your stuff is safe!

A Time To Choose

If space is an issue then you should think about being selective about the content that you are backing up - choose the most important files and folders on your computer to back up and come to terms with the fact that everything left on the computer could possibly be lost forever if the wrong virus hit.

You should start with photographs - they don’t take up too much space and when you think of the sentimental value of a photograph then you can guarantee they have earned a place on the hard drive - then work from there with the most important content first…you’ll get there…

Back Up - A Safe Business?

Do you back up?  Do you think that backing up is a safe, sane choice?  Do you think it’s a waste of money or do you think backing up is a life saver?  Leave us a comment and let us know…

A Clean Laptop Leads To A Clean Mind

Do you find that your laptop is becoming sluggish and tired?  Do you want to know how you can work around the effects of time on your laptop?  It’s not as difficult as you might think!

Listed below is a few tips to make sure your laptop lasts longer than your Goldfish - give them a go and you should see the performance improve!  If not, maybe it’s time to rush out and get a new one…

Hard Drive Spring Clean

If you have a cluttered hard drive you might find that your computer is running slower than usual.  You should never have a full hard drive and it should never be cluttered up with useless stuff.

Go through your hard drive and get rid of all the unnecessary files, folders, documents, pictures and music that you don’t need anymore - if anything you’ll feel cleaner just getting rid of the junk.  Just make sure you don’t chuck out anything you need!

Cool Runnings

A hot laptop isn’t a happy laptop - they are great for sitting on the sofa to do your or for checking your email in bed, but you might find that your laptop gets hot fast, and this isn’t great news.

You need to make sure your laptop has good ventilation and can breathe - if it’s kept in a tight area it will get hot fast and that can cause serious damage.  There are vents for fans in the laptop that are there to keep an eye on the temperature of the system, so make sure these vents aren’t blocked!

Battery Performance

Although it’s easy to simply plug your laptop into the mains and have the battery completely charged and ready in case you need to move to the bed or the kitchen, this isn’t actually good for the battery.

You need to allow the battery to drain itself down from time to time - if it doesn’t then you will actually be damaging its performance.  By letting it drain away you are reminding your battery that its job is to perform well!

Clear Up

Along with the task of clearing away your pointless documents and files you should also get rid of any unnecessary software that is pre-installed onto your laptop.  When you buy a new laptop it’s loaded with wasted apps so go through uninstalling everything you don’t want…they are probably only trials anyway.

You should also clear as many apps as possible from starting up upon login - when apps launch at login you are slowing your system down and you are logging in slower!  Clear the deck and speed up your laptop!

Laptop Performance Letting You Down?

Is your laptop leaving you begging for more power?  Have you tried the simple things listed above to no avail?  Is there more you can do?  Leave us a comment and let us know what you think…

Gmail - The Best of The Best For Macs

Gmail is one heck of a brutal email service - it’s arguably the best free email service available to you and me right now!  That said, even the best things out there can be made even better with the right add ons…the question is, what are the best add ons for your Gmail account?

We’re lucky with Google - they don’t shy away from add ons which means that we can tweak and play until we get the exact service that we want - read on to find out what add ons are available for your pleasure and give them all a go!

Drag And Drop - Firefox

This is a Firefox add on - have you ever wanted to give way to the slow, arduous task of selecting one document of image at a time for upload?  Now you can simply drag and drop your attachments straight on to the email with this add on.  Image all the time you’ll be saving!

Email Loader - Marklyon

You can get hold of an add on, although only for Windows and Linux operating systems, that allows you to load your old emails from your old account directly to your new Gmail account - this is perfect if you’ve recently migrated from another incompetent email service.

Gmail manager - Firefox

If you love Gmail so much you have to have more than one account with the emailing giants then this is the add on for you - you can keep in touch with all your accounts easily through your Firefox browser.  You can customise until your heart is content and you can get a lot done with the add on, including checking emails, use labels and automatically switch to accounts with new mail.

Encryption - Firefox

Some people don’t like their emails unencrypted for all manner of eyes to have a peek at - if you are one of these people then get your hands on this add on from Firefox.  You can encrypt your emails to stay safe in the future.

Skins - Firefox

Firefox is one of those great browsers that allows you to do almost anything with - when it comes to Gmail through Firefox not much has changed.  You can skin Gmail in Firefox allowing you to have your own unique view of your email.

Macros - Firefox

If you love Quicksilver on your Mac then you’re going to love Gmail Macros which gives you similar usability to Quicksilver but through your Gmail account.  We Mac users love shortcuts and now we can shortcut our way through our emails!  Who would have thought it was possible…

Adding A Bit On?

What add ons do you enjoy for your Gmail account?  Do you use add ons or do you stick the bare essentials when it comes to emailing?  Leave us a comment and let us know…