Tips on Windows Taskbar, Shortcuts & Quick Launch

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 Tax Refund Scam
How to Avoid Spam
  Using System Restore
   Temporary Internet Files
     Non-stop Music on your PC

 Delete Normal.dot
  CAPS to lower case
   Remove Duplicate Files
     Red X Instead of a Picture

 Finding Lost Files
  Labels & Envelopes
   Make Your Own Icons
     Spreadsheet In PowerPoint

 Word Graphics to JPG
  Watermark a Document
    Add Music to Your Email
     Gmail, Outlook Express

  Rotate a Picture
   CYMK vs RGB Colors
     Adding Text to a Photo
      Crop and Resize Photos

  Blind Carbon Copies
   Move DBX Files to a New PC
     Copy Email Address Book
      Pics Blocked by OE

    MSWord Help
  1. Creating Labels & Envelopes with Word, Excel, & MSWorks
  2. Replacing NORMAL.DOC when MSWord Becomes Unstable
  3. Password Protecting Word & Excel Documents


    4. Pictures & Text Boxes
  4. Picture in a Text Box
  5. Placing Both Text & a Pic in a Text Box


    6. Other Document Types
  6. MSWord, Wordpad, Notepad, Google's Writely/Docs
  7. Converting Data between MSWord & PDF Files
  8. Show a Spreadsheet in PowerPoint (using Paint)
  9. Less Complicated Word Processing Programs


    10. Working with Columns
  10. Dividing a Page into Columns
  11. Lining Up Numbers in a Column


    12. Bullets & Page Numbering
  12. Using AutoCorrect for Bullets & Numbering
  13. Add Page Numbering to a Word Processing Document


    14. Telling a Story with Your PC
  14. Writing a Personal Memoir
  15. Creating a Newsletter
  16. MSWord Paragraph Formatting
  17. Convert CAPS to lower case (& vice versa)
  18. Sending a Family/Holiday Newsletter
  19. Automatic Backup of MSWord Documents
  20. Free Trials of MSWord 2007 & of WordPerfect Office X3


  21. Various Computer Audio Formats, such as WMA, WAV, MIDI, etc.
  22. Finding Free Downloadable Music Online
  23. Recover Songs from your Temporary Internet Files
  24. Converting Music Formats (WAV to MID, etc.)
  25. Converting Vinyl LPs & Audio Tapes to Digital Music Formats
  26. More on Converting Musical Collections to Digital Music Formats
  27. Playing Songs Continuously in Windows Media Player 11
Tips on Windows Taskbar, Shortcuts & Quick Launch

      Larry Patten wrote that his Taskbar had moved to the top of his screen and asked how to return it to the bottom. Well, position-shifting Taskbars have been a Windows problem since version 95. However, there’s an easy fix. Place your mouse pointer in the approximate center of the Taskbar and jerk it to the bottom of your screen.

     Bob Leffler called with a different Taskbar problem; it had disappeared altogether. Well, using System Restore to set Bob’s computer back to before the problem occurred was an easy fix, but using this procedure normally begins by clicking Start. However, without a Taskbar there is no Start button. Also easy. I told Bob to press his "Windows Flag" key, whereupon the Start Menu appeared and allowed him to click on All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>System Restore.

     Other frequent Taskbar/Desktop questions include, "My icons suddenly got smaller (or larger); how do I get them back to normal?" Right-click your Desktop and choose Properties. Under Display Properties Settings move the "Screen Resolution" slide indicator to the left for larger icons, or to the right to make them smaller.

     Also under Display Properties you can click Desktop to change your screen’s Background picture. Select from among several offered by Windows or choose your own by clicking Browse, which will take you to your "My Pictures" folder.

     Under Display Properties you also change Screen Savers, choosing from among several Windows offerings. If you’ve downloaded one from the Internet (with a file name extension of .SCR) you can add it to the list by placing it in the "C:\Windows\System32" folder.

     You can also fine tune your Desktop’s looks by making choices under Themes or Appearance. Personally, I prefer a solid black Desktop and "Blank" (with a 10-minute delay) under screen saving options.

     Another handy Desktop/Taskbar feature is called the "Quick Launch" toolbar. If you launch any of your favorite programs by using Desktop shortcuts, the icons can be placed in Quick Launch for faster and easier launching.

     If you don't see Quick Launch on your Taskbar (which is indicated by a right-pointing double-chevron symbol) create it by right-clicking the Taskbar and choosing Toolbars>Quick Launch. Then drag your most-accessed Desktop icons into it, after which they can be activated by a single click.

     Dragging an icon into Quick Launch creates a "shortcut copy" and leaves the original in place on the Desktop. If the Desktop icon itself is a shortcut (showing a small bent arrow) it can be safely deleted after the Quick Launch version is created.

     Normally, three Quick Launch icons will show on your Taskbar, with the others being accessible by clicking the double-chevron.


      Regarding my recently mentioning that Microsoft has refused to reimburse me for their two failed attempts to download Vista to one of my computers — they have forced me to collect the money from my credit card company.

     What’s even more ironic is that they are refusing to refund money that was supposed to purchase a program I don’t even particularly like — Windows Vista.

     Macintosh, anyone?

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