Windows 95 For Dummies #6



*1. YOU--YES, YOU--CAN MAKE WORDPAD EASIER TO USE          
          
July 2nd, 1999          
          
No, we're not saying you can change the features of WordPad (Windows 95's
built-in Word-compatible word processor) to make it easier. Heck, WE can't
even do that. But you can make WordPad easier to use by putting it on your
Start menu so that you can get to it with a few fewer clicks. 

1. Right-click the Start button and choose Explore from the shortcut menu. 
2. In the right-hand Explorer pane, double-click Programs;
	then click Accessories. 
3. Drag the WordPad icon from the Explorer pane to the Start button on
	the taskbar. 

Now WordPad is on your Start menu. Click the Start button and look,
if you don't believe us.


*2. DRAWING PAD          
          
July 7th, 1999          
          
Nobody likes a show-off, and if you're a WordPad user, you have to endure a
lot of showing off from Word 97 users. They flash around documents loaded
with extras like fancy drawings and WordArt, trying to make you feel small. 

Well, you don't have to feel one micron smaller--because you can use
Microsoft Draw 98 and WordArt in your WordPad documents: 

1. From the WordPad menu, choose Insert + Object. 
2. In the Object Type list, find and double-click Microsoft
	Draw 98 Drawing. 

In a second or so--maybe faster if you have a new, memory-packed
computer--a frame appears within your document, and the Draw 98 toolbar
appears at the bottom of the WordPad screen. Use the Draw 98 tools to draw
anything you want in the frame.


*3. INDULGE YOUR EXPLORING HABITS          
          
July 8th, 1999          
          
Last time, we showed you how to add a Windows Explorer shortcut to your
desktop, which DOES make getting to Explorer faster. (To create the
shortcut, right-click Start and choose Explore; double-click Programs
from Explorer's right pane; drag the Windows Explorer icon from the right
pane to the desktop, using the right mouse button; and then choose Create
Shortcut.) But suppose that, more often than not, you want to explore a
particular folder--such as your My Computer folder--when you open your
Explorer window. Why should you have to navigate your way through the
entire Explorer window, with ALL of your computer's folders on it, to get
to that favorite folder? 

You shouldn't--and you don't have to. You can modify the Explorer shortcut
to open wherever you want it to, as follows: 

1. Right-click the Windows Explorer shortcut. 
2. Choose Properties from the Shortcut menu. 
3. Click the Shortcut tab. 
4. The text in the Target box should end with your root directory--usually
	"C:\". Position your cursor at the end of this text and type the
	path and the folder that you want Explorer to open. For example,
	if you want Explorer to open to My Documents, type "My Documents"
	(without the quotation marks). 
5. Click OK. 

When you double-click the shortcut, Windows Explorer opens to the
desired folder.


*4. IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO MAKE A FRESH START(UP DISK)          
          
July 9th, 1999          
          
When you first installed Windows 95 (that is, if it wasn't installed for
you), you were asked whether you wanted to create a Startup disk--a disk
you can use to start your computer in the event that your computer is
unable to start Windows 95. You were probably so excited to get working
that you overlooked the obvious safety advantages of having a Startup disk
and said no. 

Hindsight, however, is 20-20, and now you wish you DID have a Startup disk.
The good news is that it's not too late to create one: 

1. Place an empty, formatted floppy in your computer's floppy drive. 
2. Click Start and choose Settings + Control Panel. 
3. In the Control Panel window, double-click Add/Remove Programs. 
4. Click the Startup tab. 
5. Click Create Disk and follow the instructions. 

Remember: The only time you CAN'T create a Startup disk is when you can't
start Windows--which, of course, is when you really need a Startup disk.


*5. SAVE THOSE CLIPPINGS!          
          
July 12th, 1999          
          
No, we're not talking about your lawn or your coupons; we're talking about
your PC. Suppose you cut or copied some text or graphics to the Windows 95
Clipboard, and now you want to KEEP it. That is, you don't want the stuff
to evaporate when you cut or copy something else, and you may even want to
save it for future use. What can you do? 

You can save it in the Windows Clipboard Viewer, that's what. Here's how: 

1. In any program, select the item you want to save and choose Edit + Copy
	(or Edit + Cut, depending on what you want to do). 
2. Click the Start button and choose Programs + Accessories +
	Clipboard Viewer. 
3. From the Clipboard Viewer menu, choose File + Save As. 
4. Type a name for the clipping and click OK. 

Your clipping is saved. Next time, we show you how to get it when you
need it.


*6. USE THOSE CLIPPINGS          
          
July 13th, 1999          
          
Last time, we told you how to save a clipping in the Windows 95 Clipboard
Viewer. Today, we show you how to insert that clipping into a document. 

1. Click the Start button and choose Programs + Accessories +
	Clipboard Viewer. 
2. Choose File + Open. 
3. Select the clipping file you want to insert in the document and
	click Open. 
4. Click Yes to confirm that you want to replace the Clipboard's contents
	with the clipping file you just opened. 
5. Switch to the application containing your document, position the cursor
	where you want to paste the clipping, and choose Edit + Paste.


*7. THE MOUSE'S LAST B  ASTION, DEMOLISHED          
          
July 14th, 1999          
          
If you've been getting this Dummies Daily newsletter--or any other--you
probably know how eagerly we search for keyboard alternatives to using the
mouse. Still, you probably thought that there were SOME things even WE
couldn't find a way to do without the mouse. Like moving and resizing
program windows, for example. 

Well, you underestimate our relentless, single-minded, and--yes--pathetic
pursuit of keyboard alternatives. Today, we emerge from our research lair
to tell you that to move the currently active program window without even
lifting a mouse: 

1. Press Alt + spacebar + M. A four-pointed arrow appears on the title bar
	of the active window. 
2. Use the arrow keys to move your window in the desired direction. 
3. When the window is where you want it, press Enter; if you don't like
	your move, press Esc instead. 

Tip-in-a-tip: This is a GREAT way to move a window when the pesky title bar
has somehow crept above your screen display and is no longer visible.


*8. MOUSELESS CORNERS          
          
July 16th, 1999          
          
Okay--last time we showed you how to resize a window by using the keyboard
instead of the mouse. No doubt some of you cackled, "Hah! The mouse lets me
resize a window in two dimensions at once, by dragging a corner of the
window. Bet the keyboard can't do THAT!" 

We'll take that bet: 

1. Press Alt + spacebar + S. A four-pointed arrow appears in the middle of
	the active window. 
2. At the same time, press the two arrow keys corresponding to the corner
	of the window you want to resize. (For example, to resize by the
	lower left corner, simultaneously press the left- and down-arrow
	keys.) A two-pointed arrow appears on the appropriate corner. 
3. Press the two arrow keys corresponding to the diagonal direction that
	you want to move the corner toward. 
4. When you're finished, press Enter to accept the change (press Esc to
	cancel it). 

That's all for this mouse stuff--at least for now. Promise.


*9. MORE MOUSELESS MANAGMENT          
          
July 15th, 1999          
          
Last time, we rocked your world by showing you how to move an application
window with your keyboard instead of your mouse. (That must be some world
you're in, if we could rock it that easily.) Today, we show you how to
resize a window by using the keyboard: 

1. Press Alt + spacebar + S. A four-pointed arrow appears in the middle of
	the active window. 
2. Press the arrow key corresponding to the side you want to drag; a
	two-pointed arrow appears on that edge of the window. 
3. Press the arrow keys to move that window edge to the left or right or
	up or down. 
4. When you're finished, press Enter to accept the change (press Esc to
	cancel it). 

It gets even better, folks--as you'll see next time.


*10. I WANT IT ALL          
          
July 19th, 1999          
          
Hey, it's the '90s (actually, it almost isn't any more), the decade in
which people decided they CAN have it all: Kids, a career, a vacation home,
several automobiles . . . . We see it out there, we want it all, and we
take it all. 

So it stands to reason that when you see a folder or Explorer window full
of files, you want THEM all too. And they can all be yours--with a single
keystroke: Ctrl + A. When you press Ctrl + A, Windows selects everything in
the current folder window. 

Here's hoping the next decade is just as fun.
