Windows 98 Tips #16



*1. FOR KEYBOARD LOVERS ONLY         
     
L. Twichell writes, "Back in November, you gave a list of keyboard commands
 using the Windows key. Is there a listing of all keyboard commands
 for Windows 98?" 

Microsoft has compiled a fairly extensive listing of Windows 95/98 keyboard
 shortcuts in their Knowledge Base. Rather than list them all here, we'll
 just point you to the correct URL: 

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q126/4/49.asp


*2. COVER YOUR BROWSING TRACKS         
     
D. McKay writes, "I am totally amazed at the number of people who do not
 realize that information from each Web site they visit using Internet
 Explorer is downloaded to their hard drive. (And by the way, this is a
 good way to view what your children are looking into. Shhh....) They also
 have no idea how to dump the related files. I think it would be a good
 idea (a refresher) to go over this procedure again." 

When you browse the Web using Internet Explorer (or any browser, for that
 matter) information from the pages you visit is stored in a 'cache'
 (folder), typically C:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files. (Then, when you
 revisit a page, it will open more quickly.) Everyone should know about
 this folder and how to empty it--both for privacy reasons and to free up
 wasted hard disk space. 

To empty your cache, open an IE browser window and select View, Internet
 Options. (Alternatively, right-click the IE icon on your desktop and
 select Properties). On the General tab, click the Delete Files button,
 then click OK to confirm.


*3. CACHE IN ON HARD DISK SPACE         
     
In our last tip, we showed you how to empty Internet Explorer's 'cache'--a
 folder filled with information from all the Web pages you've visited
 recently: Open an IE browser window; select View, Internet Options; on the
 General tab, click the Delete Files button; then click OK to confirm. If
 you want to be sure that this folder never monopolizes too much of your
 hard drive (it grows fast, especially if you do lot of browsing), you can
 set its maximum size from within IE. 

Open the Internet Options dialog box, as described above, and under
 Temporary Internet files, click the Settings button. Move the lever under
 Amount Of Disk Space To Use to the desired percentage (for example, 1% of
 your drive, to keep the folder as small as possible), then click OK twice.
 Now even if you forget to empty it, your cache will never occupy more than
 the specified amount of space.


*4. WHEN YOUR STATUS BAR TAKES A VACATION....         
     
In our last two tips, we discussed the fact that as you view Web pages in
 Internet Explorer, information from these pages is stored locally on your
 hard drive in the C:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files folder. We also
 showed you how to delete the contents of this folder: Open an IE browser
 window; select View, Internet Options; on the General tab, click the
 Delete Files button; then click OK to confirm. 

Wondering just how big this folder is so you can decide whether you need to
 empty it or not? Regardless of how you display its contents--in a regular
 Explorer window, or from IE's Internet Options dialog box (click Settings,
 then click the View Files button)--you won't see this folder's total size
 in the resulting window's status bar (as you do with other folders).
 Go figure. 

To get the grand total, back up one level to the Windows folder, then
 right-click the Temporary Internet Files folder and select Properties.
 You'll see the number you're looking for next to Size.


*5. SEND THAT FILE ON OVER         
     
M. Hoffman writes, "I think it would be nice if you let people know that
 they can use the Send To command to send a file to an e-mail recipient via
 Outlook Express. It's a quick way of generating an e-mail with a file
 already attached." 

M. is right. The Send To command is a great way to send a file to someone.
 Right-click the file you want to send, select Send To, Mail Recipient,
 and up pops an Outlook Express new message window. Address the message as
 usual (and type a message body, if desired), then click Send to
 send it off. 

(Note: Clicking Send will initiate the send operation automatically. In
 other words, the message won't go to your Outbox.) 

(Note for advanced users: The application used to send the message is
 determined by the 'URL:MailTo Protocol' file type. In an open Explorer
 window, select View, Folder Options, click the File Types tab, and so on.)


*6. WOULD YOU SHOW THE FILES ALREADY? PART 1 OF 2         
     
By now you've certainly noticed that if you're viewing the contents of your
 hard drive as a Web page and then double-click the Windows folder (or the
 Windows\System folder), you'll see a warning message and the instructions
 To View The Contents Of This Folder, Click Show Files. Gee Microsoft,
 thanks for the safety net, but if I didn't want to view the files inside,
 I wouldn't have double-clicked the folder. 

There's an easy way to bypass this warning and view the contents of the
 Windows folder directly, the first time around: Don't view your folders as
 Web pages. In any folder, deselect View, As Web Page. Then, to apply the
 setting globally, select View, Folder Options; click the View tab; click
 Like Current Folder; click Yes to confirm; then click OK. 

Not good enough? In our next tip, we'll show you how to remove these
 warnings while still viewing your folders as Web pages....


*7. WOULD YOU SHOW THE FILES ALREADY? PART 2 OF 2         
     
In our last tip, we pointed out that if you're viewing the contents of your
 hard drive as a Web page and then double-click the Windows folder (or the
 Windows\System folder), you'll see a warning message and the instructions
 To View The Contents Of This Folder, Click Show Files. We also suggested
 that you can avoid these warnings by opting not to view your folders
 as Web pages. 

Not good enough? You can remove those warnings and still view your folders
 as Web pages. Basically, the warning messages are part of the
 customization for the Windows and Windows\System folders. Remove the
 customization and you remove the messages. 

Open the Windows folder, locate the folder.htt and desktop.ini files, and
 create copies of these files in the same folder. (Name them anything you
 want, such as folder1.htt and desktop1.ini, or just leave them as Copy Of
 Folder.htt and Copy Of Desktop.ini.) Still in the Windows folder, select
 View, Customize This Folder, and select Remove Customization. Click Next
 twice, then click Finish. Repeat these steps for the Windows\System folder
 and those warning messages won't bother you again. 

(Tip: If you ever want the messages back--fat chance, we know--rename the
 copies of the folder.htt and desktop.ini files using their
 original names.)


*8. TASKBAR HIDE AND SEEK         
     
Do you find that no matter where you place your Taskbar (on any side of the
 screen), it's in the way? If desktop real estate is at a premium, keep
 this bar out of sight entirely until you need it. 

Select Start, Settings, Taskbar & Start Menu. Right-click a blank area of
 the Taskbar and select Properties. On the Taskbar Options tab, select
 Auto-hide, then click OK. Click anywhere on your desktop, and watch as the
 Taskbar shrinks from view. If and when you need it, hold your mouse
 pointer over the side of the screen where it's hiding (you'll be able to
 see its edge), and the Taskbar rises to the occasion!


*9. NOW HEAR THIS         
     
See that little yellow speaker in the tray of your Taskbar? If you use it
 frequently--click it once for volume control--great. But if not, there's
 no point wasting valuable Taskbar space. To hide this control speaker,
 right-click the speaker icon and select Adjust Audio Properties. On the
 Audio tab of the Audio Properties dialog box, deselect Show Volume Control
 On The Taskbar, and then click OK. Buh-bye. 

Want your speaker back? Open the Control Panel, double-click Multimedia,
 select the option you just deselected (on the Audio tab), then click OK.


*10. SHOW OFF YOUR ATTRIBUTES         
     
Wish you could see file attributes right next to each file, as you could
 back in the days of Windows 3.x? You can, as long as you have the window
 in which you're viewing the files set to Details view. 

Open any Explorer window and select View, Folder Options. Click the View
 tab and in the list under Advanced settings, select Show File Attributes
 In Detail View. Click OK. 

The next time you open a folder in Details view, you'll see a brand new
 Attributes column on the far right. (You may need to widen the window to
 see it.) What's more, if you're viewing the folder as a Web page (select
 View, As Web Page), you'll see the attributes for any selected file on the
 left side of the window.
