
Windows 3.1 Tips #10



*1. A-TISKET-A-TASK-LIST          
          
June 28th, 1999          
          
In the past, we've told you that you can switch to any open application by
 pressing Ctrl + Esc (to open the Task List), selecting the desired
 application, and clicking the Switch To button. Want to avoid this
 finger stretch? You can also access the Task List by double-clicking
 a blank area on your desktop.


*2. PAINT MIXING 101--PART 1 OF 3          
          
June 29th, 1999          
          
The next time you're working on a Paintbrush masterpiece and can't find the
 perfect color for the drawing task at hand, remember this: That limited
 28-color palette you see on screen is just the tip of the iceberg. You
 can change any color in the palette to your color of choice. 

To change a color in your Paintbrush palette: 

1. Select the color by clicking it once; then select Options + Edit Colors.
 (Alternatively, double-click the color.) 
2. Adjust any or all of the Red, Green, or Blue values. (Tip-in-a-tip:
 You can make these adjustments by using the scrollbars or by typing new
 numerical values from 0 to 255 in the boxes to the right of the scrollbars.) 
3. Continue making adjustments until the color on the right side of the
 Edit Colors dialog box looks just the way you want it to. 
4. Click OK to keep the change. 

Back on your palette, the new color replaces the color you started with.
 Want to change another color? Go right ahead. Just repeat the preceding
 steps. 

(Note: Your color changes stick for the current work session only UNLESS
 you save them as part of a new palette. We show you how in our next tip.)


*3. PAINT MIXING 101--PART 2 OF 3          
          
June 30th, 1999          
          
In our last tip, we showed you how to change any of the 28 colors in your
 Paintbrush palette: Double-click a color; adjust any or all of the Red,
 Green, and Blue values in the resulting dialog box; and when the color
 on the right side of the Edit Colors dialog box matches what you had in
 mind, click OK. 

Let's say you follow these steps to change four or five colors. You go
 about your painting business and then save the file and exit Paintbrush.
 A little while later, you want to make more changes to the file, so you
 open it up and--hey, where'd all the custom colors go? Unfortunately,
 Paintbrush's memory isn't very good; your color palette is right back
 to the defaults. To keep your custom colors around for future use,
 you need to save them as part of a new color palette. 

Assuming you've just created a custom color palette, you can save it
 as follows: 

1. Choose Options + Save Colors. 
2. Under File Name, type a name for the new palette, such as "color1"
 (without the quotes). 
3. Click OK. 

Any time Paintbrush is open, you can call up this saved palette: 

1. Choose Options + Get Colors. 
2. Select the color palette (*.pal file) you want to use. 
3. Click OK. 

Custom colors at your service! For our final tip in this series, we show
 you how to change a single color in a custom palette back to its default.


*4. PAINT MIXING 101--PART 3 OF 3          
          
July 1st, 1999          
          
In our first tip in this series, we showed you how to change any of the
 28 colors in your Paintbrush palette: Double-click a color; adjust any
 or all of the Red, Green, and Blue values in the resulting dialog box;
 and when the color on the right side of the Edit Colors dialog box matches
 what you had in mind, click OK. In our last tip, we showed you how to
 save these custom colors as part of a color palette: Choose Options + Save
 Colors, name the palette, and click OK. We also showed you how to open
 a saved palette: Choose Options + Get Colors, select a *.pal file,
 and click OK. 

Want to change a color in the currently open custom palette back to its
 default? Whatever you do, don't waste your time editing those Red, Green,
 and Blue values manually, as you did the first time around.
 Instead, try this: 

1. Double-click the color you want to change back to its default. 
2. In the Edit Colors dialog box, click the Reset button. 
3. Click OK. 

Remember: If you want to make this change a permanent part of the current
 palette, save your changes.


*5. ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKE JACK A DULL BOY--PART 1 OF 3          
          
July 2nd, 1999          
          
Ever play the card game Hearts? Want to play right now, this minute?
 Chances are, you don't have a deck of cards in your office (or other
 available players), but Windows has both. In today's tip, we show you
 how to get the game started: 

1. Double-click the Hearts icon. (It's in Program Manager's Games group.) 
2. Type your name in the Microsoft Hearts Network dialog box. 
3. Select I Want to Be Dealer. 
4. Click OK. 
5. Press F2. 

(Note: If the I Want to Be Dealer selection is grayed out because there
 is no network set up, just click OK to start playing.) 

Now you and your three imaginary friends get to know each other (you can
 change the names of your opponents by choosing Game + Options and typing
 them in under Computer Player Names). In our next tip, we show you how
 to play the game.


*6. ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKE JACK A DULL BOY--PART 2 OF 3          
          
July 6th, 1999          
          
In our last tip, we showed you how to get a game of Hearts started:
 Inside Program Manager's Games group, double-click Hearts, type your name,
 select I Want to Be Dealer, click OK, and then press F2. In today's tip,
 we explain scoring and some rules. 

Object of the game: To get as few points as possible. The first person to
 reach 100 points is the big loser, and the game is over. (In real life,
 you'd probably continue playing until everyone was out.) 

Scoring: At the end of a hand, each Heart you have in your hand is worth
 1 point and the Queen of Spades is worth 13 points. The object of the
 game is to get as few points as possible, so avoid these cards as much
 as possible. But there's one catch: If you have all the Hearts and the
 Queen of Spades at the end of a hand--called "Shooting the Moon"--you
 receive 0 points for that hand, and everyone else gets 26. 

Playing the Game: To start a hand, the person with the 2 of Clubs plays
 that card. Moving clockwise, each person plays a card of that suit,
 if they have it, or any other suit, if they don't (except possibly
 Hearts--see the rules below for details). The person that plays the
 highest card of the suit that was led takes the trick (the four cards
 on the table) and leads the next round. 

Rules: You're playing the game on the computer, so you don't really have
 to worry about rules; Windows doesn't let you do anything illegal.
 However, because you probably want to know why Windows doesn't let you
 do certain things, here are two important rules: 

-You can't play Hearts or the Queen of Spades on the first trick. 
-You can't lead a Heart unless Hearts have been "broken" (played in
 another round).


*7. ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKE JACK A DULL BOY--PART 3 OF 3          
          
July 7th, 1999          
          
In our first tip in this series, we showed you how to get a game of Hearts
 started: Inside Program Manager's Games group, double-click Hearts,
 type your name, select I Want to Be Dealer, click OK, and then press F2.
 In our last tip, we explained the basics of scoring and playing: 

-The object is to get as few points as possible. At the end of a hand,
 each Heart in your hand is worth 1 point and the Queen of Spades is worth
 13. But if you get all of these cards--called Shooting the Moon--you
 receive 0 points, and everyone else gets 26. The game ends when someone
 reaches 100 points. -To start, the person with the 2 of Clubs plays that
 card. Moving clockwise, each person plays a card of that suit, if they
 have it, or another suit, if they don't. 
-The person that plays the highest card of the suit that was led takes
 the trick and leads the next round. 
-You can't play Hearts or the Queen of Spades on the first trick,
 and you can't lead a Heart unless Hearts have been played in another
 round ("broken"). 

Now for a few last instructions and tips: 

- When you start the game, follow the instructions in the status bar.
 For example, if it says, "Select three cards to pass to Pauline,"
 click three cards to raise them up above the others; then click the
 Pass Left button in the middle of the table. Click OK to accept the
 cards that have been passed to you. * Remember that your goal is to
 avoid taking tricks that contain Hearts or the Queen of Spades
 (unless you're trying to Shoot the Moon). 
- A good strategy is to get rid of as many high cards as
 possible--especially Hearts and Spades. Otherwise, those high cards
 end up winning tricks that include the cards you're trying to avoid.
 (You have to play a card of the suit that was led, if you have one.)
- Another strategy is to get rid of all cards of one suit. Then, when
 that suit is played, you can dump an unwanted card, like a Heart. 

'Nuff said. Go try a few hands!


*8. SWING YOUR WINDOW, DOS-I-DOS          
          
July 8th, 1999          
          
Hey, Windows for Workgroups users, when you double-click Program Manager's
 MS-DOS Prompt icon and wind up in that mostly black MS-DOS window, do you
 feel like you've been thrown out of Windows altogether? It sure looks like
 it, but actually, Windows is still running right behind you.
 Press Alt + Enter, and that full-screen DOS view shrinks to a window.
 Feel free to minimize that window, just as you would any other;
 then go about your other Windows business. 

(Tip-in-a-tip: To switch back to full-screen DOS mode, make the DOS window active
 and then press Alt + Enter.)


*9. OUT, DARN WINDOW!          
          
July 9th, 1999          
          
In our last tip, we pointed out that Windows for Workgroups users can
 change a full-screen DOS view (accessible by selecting Program Manager's
 MS-DOS Prompt icon) to a window by pressing Alt + Enter. The tricky part,
 though, is closing that window. Double-click the control icon in its
 upper-left corner and nothing happens. Minimize the window, hoping to
 select its icon and select Close, and you find that this command is
 grayed out. 

To exit an MS-DOS Prompt window: 

1. Restore the window, if it isn't already, and then click it once to
 make it active. 
2. At the command prompt, type 

exit 

3. Press Enter. 

That window is outta there.


*10. PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE--ALL ON YOUR COMPUTER          
          
July 12th, 1999          
          
You still use yesterday's operating system, but when it comes to the
 Internet, you're ready for the latest Microsoft has to offer in
 browsing excitement. Internet Explorer 5 for Win 3.1 is now available
 for download at 

http://www.microsoft.com/msdownload/iebuild/ie5_win16/en/ie5_win16.htm 

Minimum system requirements for this version of IE 5 include the following: 

- A 486/25 processor 
- Windows 3.1 (or Windows for Workgroups or NT 3.51) 
- 12MB RAM for the browser-only installation (16MB for Java VM) 
