Neat Net Tricks Issue #57
July 1, 1999

Sender: owner-neatnettricks@neatnettricks.com

IN THIS ISSUE:

01.  Customize disk defragmenter
02.  Low resources
03.  A new look for ICQ
04.  Screen saver access
05.  Drag the drives
06.  A counter you can count on
07.  Neat Net Nifty
08.  Speedier surfing
09.  The path taken
10.  More Win key
11.  A better shutdown or restart
12.  Moving without the mouse
13.  Nifty newsletter

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01.  CUSTOMIZE DISK DEFRAGMENTER.  You probably know, to run 
the Disk Defragmenter in Windows 98 is as easy as clicking 
Start|Programs|Accessories|System Tools|Disk Defragmenter.  
But before you start Defragmenter next time, click Settings 
and check the box "Rearrange program files so my programs 
start faster."  That's supposed to move your more 
frequently-used programs to a faster spot on your hard drive.

02.  LOW RESOURCES.  I guess just about at the top of the 
complaint list from Windows users is this mysterious drain of 
resources many of us experience at times.  After extended 
periods, seemingly the only solution is to shut down and 
reboot.  If you're thinking of buying more RAM to cure this, 
think again and read the discussion at 
http://www.infinisource.com/win-resources.html . It won't 
necessarily correct your low resources problem, but you'll be 
better informed.

03.  A NEW LOOK FOR ICQ.  Called Skinz for ICQ, you'll find 
them at http://www.icqplus.com/add-ons/icqplus/index.html 
and they will decorate your ICQ window if you're one of the 21 
million or so who use that utility.

04.  SCREEN SAVER ACCESS.  In Windows 98, the Quick Launch bar 
is that section of icons immediately to the right of the Start 
button on your desktop.  If you'd like to quickly launch your 
screen saver, locate the .SCR file for it, then drag and drop 
it on the Quick Launch bar so that a click on the resulting 
icon will execute the screen saver whenever you wish.  You can 
password the screen server before you do this if you have not 
already done so.  Right click on any blank area on your 
desktop, select Properties and Screen Saver, and assign a 
password there.  This could provide a quick means of hiding 
your computer "work" when the boss comes by, not that we would 
recommend playing Solitaire on company time.

05.  DRAG THE DRIVES.  If you want quick access to your 3.5 
floppy or zip drives, you can shortcut them to your desktop as 
any other application.  Just open My Computer, drag the drive 
icon off to your desktop and you'll be asked if you want to 
create a shortcut.  Answer yes, then rename the resulting icon 
if you wish by right clicking on it and selecting Rename.  Now, 
you won't have to click through My Computer or Explorer, just 
shortcut to the desired drive.

06.  A COUNTER YOU CAN COUNT ON.  One of the most comprehensive 
counters I've ever seen resides invisibly on the Neat Net 
Tricks web site at http://www.neatnettricks.com .  When you 
visit there, it makes no record of who you are by email address,
but it compiles extensive statistics to show domain (country of 
origin,) type browser used, operating system (which version of 
Windows, or Mac, or Web TV for example,) whether or not java is 
in use, resolution, colors used, etc. Why is all this 
important?  Well, it helps determine what future tips will be 
more useful than others, and graphically shows for example, why 
you'll likely never again see a tip in Neat Net Tricks for 
Windows 3.1 or a Mosaic browser.  The majority rules, after all.

Would you like such a device on your web site?  It's free for 
the asking at http://www.thecounter.com .

07.  NEAT NET NIFTY.  It is fitting that the Neat Net Nifty 
Award goes to the 50+ Friends Club site as it celebrates its 
third birthday.  That site was where Neat Net Tricks first 
appeared to the Internet world with a few tips monthly.  
Actually, the Web page at http://www.jps.net/theclub/homepage/ 
is simply a jumping-off place and the Nifty award more 
appropriately goes to the 40 or more volunteers who contribute 
to the overall effort and watch over their nests to see what 
will hatch next.  With a few mouse clicks, you'll find a page 
of home and garden "how-to's," a scrapbook of memorabilia, a 
birthday calendar, a bulletin board for folksy notes, nostalgic 
columns of "the good old days," an award-winning cookbook, site 
reviews, a schedule of cybermeets  as some of the group get 
together in real time, health tips, a pastor's page and prayer 
notes, a fonts download site, hints on interactive games, a 
singles group, a web ring, a chat room, and the list goes on.  
It's a pretty safe bet you'll find something of interest and 
agree with me that the group has many diverse talents.

Neat Net Tricks often pauses to recognize a Web site and 
recommend your visit.  Set aside some time to explore the site 
and enjoy it. Predominately non-commercial sites are identified 
as "nifty" when their all-around content, originality, interest,
variety, and graphical presentation have earned this award.  If 
you would like to nominate a Nifty site, send the URL to 
mailto:jteems@neatnettricks.com with a brief note telling why 
you think the site deserves the award.

08.  SPEEDIER SURFING.  So many times when we upgrade to a 
faster computer, we expect a faster response on the Net as we 
surf from site to site.  We're often disappointed.  Truth is, a 
slow-loading Web site is not necessarily the fault of our 
machine and we are slaves to net congestion, poorly performing 
browsers, heavy doses of graphics, Java, Shockwave, Flash, and 
ad nauseum.  Perhaps you've tried one of those web accelerators 
in an effort to more speedily negotiate the Web.  I've been 
experimenting with NetSonic Pro 2.0 at http://www.web3000.com . 
The concept behind this software, touted to be the "fastest, 
smartest, and most downloaded" of the Internet accelerators, is 
that frequently-visited sites can be stored in a separate cache 
to be shared by different browsers.  Unlike the typical browser 
cache, NetSonic combines all the elements of a web page into a 
single cache entry so that it can be better managed and 
accessed faster with less disk space. The page loads almost 
instantaneously as NetSonic, depending on how you have it 
configured, calls up the last visited page from its cache and 
then continues in the background to compare it with the current 
page and auto-refreshes/updates the site as necessary.  I was 
most impressed that NetSonic has its own newsgroup and works 
diligently to attempt to resolve, not hide, those problems 
inherent in much software development.  Support is ongoing and 
rapid, as my Emailed questions were responded to within 
minutes.  I can't begin to mention the options available, but 
you can see for yourself with the free version (NetSonic v1.02) 
or go for the gold with the NetSonic Pro 2.0 at $39.95.

09.  THE PATH TAKEN.  There's at least a couple of ways you can 
find the path to a particular file.  Right click on it and 
choose Properties and under the General tab, the Location shows 
the path.  Another way you might prefer is to choose Start|Run 
and clear the Open window with Backspace, then just drag and 
drop the file into that window and you'll see the path displayed.

10.  MORE WIN KEY.  Jon Sheffi says he discovered by accident 
another use for the Windows Logo key (on later keyboards, the 
key between the Ctrl and Alt keys.)  Jon suggests when you have 
a number of applications open at the same time, use WinKey+Tab 
to focus on the taskbar, then use the left and right arrow keys 
to select (highlight) the desired application, then activate 
that application with the Return or Space key.  Right on, Jon, 
and you can just toggle to each application with WinKey+Tab 
rather than use those arrow keys which would require the right 
hand, reserved for imbibing a favorite refreshment.  (Oh no, 
now I'll be taken to task by that 10% of readers who are 
left-handed.)

11.  A BETTER SHUTDOWN OR RESTART.  Several readers suggested a 
neater alternative to Item 08, Neat Net Tricks Issue #55, which 
described how to set up a restart icon with a text editor.  
Instead, right click on the desktop and select from the menu 
New|Shortcut.  In the command line, type (without the quotes) 
"rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows" if you want to create a 
shortcut to shut down.  If you want the shortcut to restart 
Windows, then instead, in the command line (again, without 
quotes) enter "rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows.exec" and, in 
either instance, click on Next and give the shortcut a name 
such as Restart, Shutdown, or whatever.

12.  MOVING WITHOUT THE MOUSE.  If you like to do things from 
your keyboard and give the mouse a break, you can resize or 
move any open applications without touching the mouse.  
Alt+Spacebar opens a menu.  To move the open application 
window, press M and then navigate with the arrow keys.  To 
resize the open application window, instead press S and adjust 
the size with the arrow keys.  When you've arranged the open 
application the way you want it, Enter will retain the change, 
or Esc will revert to the window's previous size or location.

13.  NIFTY NEWSLETTER.  Beginning with this issue and 
sporadically thereafter, Neat Net Tricks will recognize a 
particularly outstanding Email publication when that 
publication clearly offers real value to its audience.  
Specifically excluded from that criteria are the thinly 
disguised Ezines that seem to exist almost exclusively for the 
purpose of advertising.  Any publication considered as a 
"nifty" one must have totally "opt-in" readership, meaning that 
its readers must ask to be subscribed, not added to the list by 
virtue of having had their email address harvested from some 
other Web response.

The first such "nifty" newsletter is one published by "The 
Computer Lady."  Known in her private life as Elizabeth Boston, 
this lady has a lot of computer savvy.  She manages a small 
computer business out of her home in Maine and juggles a 
demanding schedule including a husband and four children as 
well.  She writes a computing column for a local newspaper, is 
a partner in Maine's largest Internet Service Provider, and 
works for a computer technology firm.  All that, one might 
surmise, makes her fairly well qualified to respond to a lot of 
questions about computers' innards and she does that in her 
newsletter, to which you can subscribe at her Web site at 
http://nospin.com/pc/complady.html or Email 
mailto:eboston@gwi.net .

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Copyright 1999 by Jack Teems.  All rights reserved.
