Windows Tips

Windows Tips — 5 Comments
19
Oct 09

A quicker way to Rename folders and files in Windows

Windows XP, Vista and the upcoming version 7 continue to help us accomplish certain computer tasks more quickly.

One of my favorite features involves the renaming of files. You can still use the techniques I outlined in a previous tip, but renaming files can be even faster with the right steps. If you have the need to rename a group of files (for example a group of freshly downloaded pictures from your digital camera), you can select them and rename them in groups. Here’s how: Continue reading →

Installing Microsoft Security Essentials – Video Tip

Today, I downloaded, updated, configured and installed Microsoft’s new, free security product: Microsoft Security Essentials. It provides a significant upgrade in protection and usability over their previous offerings. In fact, the setup and administration is extremely straight forward. From the reviews and tests that I’ve read, it appears to protect PCs (Windows XP, Vista, and Windows 7) quite well and doesn’t slow the computer down by being bloated like so many other security products on the market.

I will be testing it out over the next month or so and report back my findings, but for now, I continue to recommend AVG and Avast. If you are already using either of those products, stay with them. If you are using almost anything else, you can certainly give your computer a performance boost by Continue reading →

Hardware Tips / Windows Tips — 2 Comments
9
Oct 09

How to burn a CD with Windows XP

photo credit: nickwheeleroz (on holiday)

Floppy disks have long since departed from the computer landscape. Most comptuer companies have not included floppy drives as standard equipment for at least two years. I say good riddance except for one thing…they were easy to use. Computer users felt comfortable copying and backing up information to these slow, yet convenient drives.

For quick and roomy storage today, I recommend flash memory drives (click here for a tip describing these).

However, almost all computers now come with a CD/DVD burner drive…a CD/DVD drives capable of creating (burning) CD’s. Capable is the operative word in this sentence because many computer users still feel daunted by the task of burning a CD. Windows XP aims to help simplify the process and does a reasonably good job at it. Here’s how to burn a CD with Windows XP: Continue reading →

Windows Tips — 4 Comments
8
Oct 09

Printing Error Messages*

photo credit: pokpok313

NOTE: This tip is an off-shoot of our Print Screen tip that you will also want to read and watch.

We all have computer mishaps and end up having to call for help. One of the first questions the helper (tech support) always asks is, “What was the message you received?”

Most of the time, in our frustration, we failed to write down the content of the message. Here is a tip that will bypass the writing altogether and allow you to answer that first question from your digital helper.

When an error occurs follow these steps:

1. Before Clicking on the OK or Cancel button on the error message press the Print Screen button on your keyboard (it’s located above the Delete, and Home keys on the middle of your keyboard)
2. Close the error message
3. Open your favorite Continue reading →

Riding Shotgun with Rick / Windows Tips — 4 Comments
20
Aug 09

Cleaning and removing Antivirus 2009, PAV and others from your computer,

Photo by Jim Grandy

Preventing your computer from becoming infected is infinitely easier and less stressful than cleaning up after an infection.

Search my site for tons of information on setting up your computer for security and techniques to avoid scams. However, if you are already bit by one of the most recent nasty forms of software, Antivirus 2008, Antivirus 2009, Personal Antivirus, Internet Security 2009 among others (software I call extortionware that installs itself on your computer and then poses as Continue reading →

Riding Shotgun with Rick / Tech News / Windows Tips — 1 Comment
25
Jun 09

HP to offer Free upgrade to Windows 7

Starting today through the release of Windows 7 in October, HP is offering a free upgrade to any customer who buys a new desktop or laptop through their web site. Currently, only certain systems qualify for the upgrade, so look at the product description.

If you decide to take advantage of this offer, make sure you get a new computer with at least 3GB of RAM for best performance with Vista and then Windows 7.

HP Offers Free Windows 7 Upgrades — Microsoft Windows 7 — InformationWeek.

Windows Tips — No Comments
20
May 09

Learn To Use the Taskbar Better

Learn To Use the Taskbar Better

When Microsoft released Windows 95 more almost 15 years ago, one of the most talked about features was the taskbar. All these years later, many computer users still don’t know how to take advantage of the taskbar. Read on so that you can learn more about the how to fully utilize this feature of your computer.

First, remember that with any version of Windows you can run more than one program at a time. Yes, you can have your email going, an Internet browser window, word processor and even Free Cell all running simultaneously. The taskbar admirably keeps track of all these programs or ‘tasks’ for you.

The taskbar is the long grey (or blue or black) bar located next to your Start button. Each time you open a new program or window, a new button Continue reading →

Windows Tips — No Comments
14
May 09

Keyboard shortcut to launch applications in Windows 7

I ran across this tip yesterday at Lockergnome and someone suggested that a video should be made…so here it is! The new Windows 7 taskbar, dubbed superbar, allows you to add any application you want there and then the same icon also acts as the taskbar icon as well. To quickly launch any application on the taskbar using your keyboard, hold down the Windows key plus the number of the location of the icon.

In my video example, Google Chrome was in position one, so I just held down the Windows key and the Continue reading →

Internet Tips / Macintosh / Riding Shotgun with Rick / Ubuntu Tips / Windows Tips — 5 Comments
28
Apr 09

Make reading the web easier than ever – Video Tip

photo credit: dsevilla

Although we now have 19″ and larger monitors on most new desktop computers, the text seems to shrink. Why is that? It has to do with screen resolution (how much information can be displayed). Screen resolutions on today’s monitors are up to 3X that of monitors we used just 6-8 years ago. We can see a lot more information, but often the text is too small to view for some computer users.

Never fear. Using this week’s tip, you can easily and quickly enlarge the text of any web page using only your keyboard and mouse. This tip will work with any web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari, etc) and any operating system (Windows, Ubuntu, Mac OS X).

All you need is a mouse with a scroll wheel and your keyboard. This tip can be performed without the mouse as well, but I’ll touch on that later.

First, when you are reading a web site, particularly news web sites and blog type sites like mine, look for an indication of a printer friendly page. Often designated as Printer Friendly, Print this article, or simply Print, clicking this link brings Continue reading →

Riding Shotgun with Rick / Windows Tips — 2 Comments
22
Apr 09

Microsoft Fix it Solution Center

Microsoft recently started a set of online wizards that can cure common problems like a lost recycle bin, problems with Outlook or Outlook Express and many Windows woes as well. If you have a specific problem with an error, it might be a worthwhile trip over to the site to see if there is a Fix It available for you.

I used it earlier this week to restore a lost Recycle Bin icon just to see how it works, and it did work as advertised.

Microsoft Fix it Solution Center.