Windows 95 Tips #15



*1. ALT-ERNATE SHUTDOWNS         
     
B. Morford asks, "What command can I use to restart or shut down Windows
95 when the Start button is not available?" 

You may already know that pressing Alt-F4 closes the currently active
window. But what you may not know is that this command is the equivalent
of selecting Start, Shut Down IF the focus is currently on the desktop
(as opposed to an open window) or IF no windows are open. 

So, close all open windows (or place the focus on the desktop), then
press Alt-F4 to bring up the Shut Down Windows dialog box. Select an
option--Restart or Shut Down--then press Enter.


*2. WHAT DISK?         
     
Reader R. writes, "I have been trying to install Tweak UI to my Control
Panel, but am continuously prompted to insert a disk. (I also see an
error message telling me that Tweakui.cnt cannot be found.) Where do I
get this disk?" 

We can't tell you how many people have written in with this problem
(while installing other PowerToys, too--not just Tweak UI). Actually,
you don't need a disk at all. You just need to point the installation
program to the right folder. (The message appears if, after extracting
the PowerToys files from Powertoy.exe--see note below--you move these
files to a new location and then proceed with the installation.) 

When you see the message telling you a disk is now required, click OK. In
the resulting dialog box, click the Browse button and navigate to the
folder where the extracted PowerToys files are located. Click OK twice,
and the installation will proceed normally. 

(Note: To obtain the Windows 95 PowerToys, point your Web browser to 

http://www.pcworld.com/r/tw/1%2C2061%2Ctw-w950611%2C00.html 

and download Powertoy.exe to your folder of choice, such as a PowerToys
folder on the desktop. Double-click this file to extract its contents,
then one at a time, right-click each *.inf file and select Install.)


*3. WHAT DISK?         
     
Reader R. writes, "I have been trying to install Tweak UI to my Control
Panel, but am continuously prompted to insert a disk. (I also see an
error message telling me that Tweakui.cnt cannot be found.) Where do I
get this disk?" 

We can't tell you how many people have written in with this problem
(while installing other PowerToys, too--not just Tweak UI). Actually, you
don't need a disk at all. You just need to point the installation program
to the right folder. (The message appears if, after extracting the
PowerToys files from Powertoy.exe--see note below--you move these files
to a new location and then proceed with the installation.) 

When you see the message telling you a disk is now required, click OK. In
the resulting dialog box, click the Browse button and navigate to the
folder where the extracted PowerToys files are located. Click OK twice,
and the installation will proceed normally. 

(Note: To obtain the Windows 95 PowerToys, point your Web browser to 

http://www.pcworld.com/r/tw/1%2C2061%2Ctw-w950611%2C00.html 

and download Powertoy.exe to your folder of choice, such as a PowerToys
folder on the desktop. Double-click this file to extract its contents,
then one at a time, right-click each *.inf file and select Install.)


*4. CLEAR OFF YOUR CLIPBOARD         
     
D. Matteo writes, "I copy and paste constantly. My question is this: How
do you remove whatever is copied to the Clipboard to wipe the slate clean
(other than just copying something else)?" 

You can wipe out the contents of the Clipboard from inside the Clipboard
Viewer. Open the Clipboard Viewer--select Start, Programs, Accessories,
Clipboard Viewer--and you'll see the current contents of the Clipboard.
Select Edit, Delete (or press the Delete key on your keyboard), click Yes
to confirm, and that Clipboard is clean as a whistle.


*5. MEMORIES....         
     
In our last tip, we answered reader D. Matteo's question about wiping the
Clipboard clean: Open the Clipboard Viewer--select Start, Programs,
Accessories, Clipboard Viewer--select Edit, then Delete (or press the
Delete key on your keyboard), and click Yes to confirm. 

Which brings up a good point: Windows 95 stores the Clipboard's contents
in memory, meaning that if you've cut or copied something very large--for
example, a large graphic--to the Clipboard, you're eating up unnecessary
system resources. Assuming you don't plan to use the cut or copied
contents again, free up this memory by following the steps above (to
clear the Clipboard entirely) or by copying something really small, such
as a single letter, to the Clipboard. (Whenever you cut or copy an item,
it replaces the Clipboard's previous contents.)


*6. TAKE A PAINTBRUSH TO YOUR WALLPAPER         
     
Wish that desktop wallpaper you like so much came in a different shade?
Just as retail wallpaper books typically offer a few color varieties for
the same pattern, Windows allows you to recolor wallpaper using the
color scheme of your choice. Just open the corresponding *.bmp file in
Paint and go to town. (Note: Some wallpapers are easier to recolor than
others, based on their complexity.) 

Open Paint--select Start, Programs, Accessories, Paint--select File,
Open, and open the wallpaper you'd like to recolor. (Tip: By default,
wallpapers are stored in the Windows folder.) Assuming you want to leave
the original intact, select File, Save As and save the file in the
Windows folder under a different name. Select View, Zoom, Large Size to
get a closer look, and you're ready to go. 

Click a tool (probably the pencil, for individual dots of color, or the
paint can, for larger areas), pick a color, and start coloring. When
you've finished, select File, Save, and you can now choose your custom
wallpaper from among the others on the Background tab of the Display
Properties dialog box. 

Can't figure out why, in many cases, you have only a few colors to choose
from in the color palette? We'll show you how to expand this palette in
our next tip.


*7. NOW THAT'S A COLOR PALETTE!         
     
In our last tip, we showed you how to recolor your favorite Windows 95
wallpaper: Open the corresponding *.bmp file (in your Windows folder) in
Paint; save it under a new name; select View, Zoom, Large Size; and
start painting. Wish you had more colors to choose from? (In many cases,
your palette will be very limited--in some cases, black, white, and gray
only.) To expand your palette, just save the wallpaper as a 256
Color Bitmap file. 

Let's assume you're recoloring the Houndstooth wallpaper. Open
Houndstooth.bmp and select File, Save As. Under Save As Type, select 256
Color Bitmap, type a new name for the file (you might as well do all of
this in one step), and click the Save button. And there you have it--a
much bigger palette! (Tip: If you don't see an immediate change in your
palette, select File, Save As and click the Save button.)


*8. SHORTCUT RE-ORG         
     
A. Starling writes, "I have shortcuts on my desktop that I don't use as
often as I thought. I don't want to delete them--I just want the icons
off my desktop." 

The easiest way to consolidate shortcuts without actually deleting them
is to place them in a single desktop or Start menu folder. That way,
they're still around, but they only occupy the space of a
single shortcut. 

To place the shortcuts in a desktop folder, right-click the desktop and
select New, Folder. Type a name for the folder, then press Enter. Hold
down Ctrl as you select each desktop shortcut you want to move, then drag
and drop the selection right on top of the new folder. 

To place the shortcuts in a Start menu folder, right-click your Start
button and select Open. In the Start Menu window, select File, New,
Folder. Right-click the new folder, select Rename, type a name for the
folder, and press Enter. Hold down Ctrl as you select each shortcut you
want to move, drag the selection from the desktop into the new folder (in
the Start Menu window), and let go. From now on, you can access these
shortcuts by selecting Start, [new folder], [shortcut]. 

(Note: The above techniques are for shortcuts only. If you try to drag
"permanent" desktop icons, such as the Recycle Bin or Inbox, into a new
folder, Windows will only allow you to create shortcuts to them.)


*9. ICON LINE-UP         
     
J. Smith writes, "The icons on my desktop just don't look right. (They
don't appear evenly spaced and aligned as I've seen on other systems.)
How do I align them?" 

Apparently, your desktop's Auto Arrange command is turned off, meaning
that if you click and drag an icon to a new location on the desktop,
Windows will leave the icon in that exact location. If you want your
icons lined up in neat, evenly spaced rows on the left side of the
screen, turn Auto Arrange back on. Right-click the desktop, select
Arrange Icons, and in the resulting menu, select Auto Arrange. Now, no
matter where you attempt to place icons, they will automatically jump
back into formation. 

If, on the other hand, you want your icons evenly spaced and aligned
wherever YOU place them (for example, along the top and right edges of
the screen), simply ask Windows to line them up. Right-click the desktop
and select Line Up Icons.


*10. THE OL' LANGUAGE SWITCHEROO, PART 1 OF 2         
     
G. Pezzi writes, "Is it possible to add an Italian or German keyboard by
simply changing Windows' settings or do I have to purchase one?" 

Windows 95 offers many language/layout combinations to convert your
keyboard to the language of your choice. Open Control Panel, double-click
Keyboard, and click the Language tab. Click the Add button, click the
down arrow, select the desired language, then click OK. Back on the
Language tab, you'll see this language and the corresponding keyboard
layout listed below the default language. (Tip-in-a-tip: Select the
language you use most often and click the Set As Default button.) 

Click OK, and you'll see a new, dark blue symbol in the tray of your
taskbar. To change languages, click this button and select a language
from the pop-up list.
