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Another Safe Mode Boot Command

I mention entering Safe Mode many times on the show to help people solve problems or perform system utilities. Safe Mode is used when there may be a problem with your monitor or other device drivers required to start Windows normally. Safe Mode uses default settings and a minimum amount of device drivers to run Windows.

The screen, in safe mode, displays only 16 colors (ugly) and all the icons seem out of place and abnormally large. In safe mode, Windows prevents access to CD-ROM’s, modems, sound cards and other hardware ‘extras’. 

I usually recommend users press F8 after the machine starts to boot up. However, I recently discovered another method of getting into Safe Mode. All you need to do is hold down the CTRL key at the first sign of any text on the screen during boot until the Microsoft Windows 98 Startup Menu appears.

This method may be easier than the F8 method because of the timing involved using the F8 key…start pushing the key too late and Windows will boot into normal mode.

Again, safe mode is primarily for troubleshooting purposes or performing some key system utilities that don’t run for you in regular mode. Here are some past tips where we mention Safe Mode:

Stop the Windows password screen

Follow either of these techniques to get rid of the Windows logon password (it doesn’t provide any type of security any way).

I’m going to give a couple of ways to go about it, because it can be quirky and not work the same way on every machine (imagine that).

Technique 1:

1. Click on Start–>Settings –> Control Panel
2. Double-click on the Passwords icon.
3. Click the Change Passwords tab and click the Change Windows Password button.
4. Make sure all three fields are completely blank and click the OK button to save changes.

Technique 2:

1. Click on Start –> Find –> Files and Folders

Make Windows XP Thumbnails Larger

Windows XP brought many new and useful features to computer users. Digital photographers benefited greatly with the roll out of Windows XP nearly three years ago. One of my favorite features is the ‘thumbnail’ view in my photo folders.

Thumbnails allow you to see mini pictures instead of just file names. Windows Me had this feature albeit not as elegantly implemented as in XP. To view your photos in thumbnail view, do the following:

  1. Open a folder containing your photos

  2. Click View from the menus

Instant Shut Down in Windows XP

One of the most popular tips from my book was the ‘instant shut down’ shortcut that can be used in place of clicking on Start –> Shut Down, etc.

Unfortunately, the tip does not apply to Windows XP. If you are a Windows XP and would like to create an icon that will shut down your computer, read on.

If you are a Windows 95/98/Me user, you can find the tip by searching my web site below for “instant shut down”. Or if you own my book, the tip is on page 63.

To create your Windows XP shut down icon, follow these steps exactly:

1. RIGHT click on your Desktop
2. Click on New
3. Click on Shortcut

Instant Shut Down

This tip requires strict attention to detail, so please print it out and follow it verbatim. If you don’t feel comfortable with the process do not attempt it.

1. RIGHT Click on a blank portion of your desktop
2. Click on New
3. Click on Shortcut
4. Type: C:\windows\rundll.exe user.exe,exitwindows
5. Click Next
6. Type: Shut Down My Computer
7. Click Finish

That’s it. Now to use it, simply double-click on it and your machine will shut down.

Utilize ALL of Your Screen Real Estate

DISCLOSURE: If you don’t feel comfortable making adjustments to your system, please don’t proceed with this tip.

Take a look at your monitor right now… Do you see a black border surrounding the screen? If so, you can quickly and permanently regain that extra viewing area by following this week’s tip.

Because there are many different types of monitors and manufacturers, I can’t be specific to your machine, but follow the guidelines laid out here to make your adjustments.

At the bottom of your monitor, you will notice either a series of buttons or maybe a dial.

If you can find your monitor manual, then it will explain what the buttons mean and how to use them to make adjustments. If not, look for the following visual hints on the buttons or possibly on the screen itself after you press the buttons:

Recycling Your Old Computer

If you received or bought yourself a new computer during the holidays (or any time), many options are available for the use of your old computer. In addition to passing on a still useful machine, remember that in many cities throwing out old computers or monitors is illegal.

First and foremost BEFORE giving away your computer, make sure you purge it of any of your personal information. If your computer came with restore CD’s, use them to restore the computer back to its original state. If you don’t have restore CD’s , you will have to uninstall programs manually and delete your email, financial data, etc on your own.

Pull the Plug!!

One problem with technology is that sometimes we let it overshadow our problem solving skills. In particular, errors on our computer such as “lock ups”, illegal operations, erratic behavior, slow downs, and other computer anomalies can be corrected by simply restarting our computers.

The most common way to restart our computer involves clicking on Start–>Shut Down–> Restart. However, sometimes the mouse does not work so try this keyboard sequence: Push the Start key (between Ctrl & Alt), then U, then R, then Enter.

If this doesn’t work, try pushing Ctrl+Alt+Delete up to five times to try and restart.

Open Sesame — for your CD-ROM tray!

If your computer is in a precarious or tight position, opening the CD tray can be cumbersome. Use this tip to have your computer open the CD tray for you.

First, you need to create a shortcut on your desktop. Here’s how it is done:

1. Double-click on My Computer
2. Drag your CD-ROM icon to your desktop
3. Click on the Yes button from the resulting message box

Now, any time you need to open your CD-ROM tray, just RIGHT click on the shortcut you just created, and click on Eject from the menu.

For closing your CD tray (with some drives), just repeat the same process as opening. OR, if you just nudge (gently) the tray inward, the machine will pull the tray closed automatically.

Flash Memory Drives

A flash memory drive (a.k.a. thumb drive or USB drive) consists of a chip of memory (flash) mounted in a plastic case with a USB interface on one end (see the illustration for some examples). With Windows Me, 2000, XP and Macintosh computers, flash memory drives automatically get recognized as another storage drive on your computer. No installation CD’s, no formatting, just fast, safe removable storage.

In addition to their instant recognition and portability, flash drives offer the BEST way to backup day-to-day information like financial data, address books, genealogy, word processing documents, and spreadsheet documents.

Two other great advantages of flash drives are their speed and durability. You can copy 200 megabytes worth of data (literally thousands of word processing documents), in less than a minute! And because there are NO moving parts, the memory is quite stable and long lasting.

To use a flash memory drive, follow these steps:

1. Insert the drive into a USB port on your computer.
2. Wait approximately a minute (first time only) for the computer to recognize and install the device (Windows 98 need to install a driver)
3. Double-Click your My Computer icon to verify that another drive shows up (usually the first letter after your CD-ROM
4. In Windows XP, you can now RIGHT click on any folder or file and then Click Send To —> Removable Drive. This will instantly make a copy of the document or folder on your flash drive.
5. In Windows Me or 2000, you can copy and paste a folder or file to the flash drive or open the flash drive in a new window and drag your files to it
6. If you use a financial program, simply use the program’s built-in backup function and have it back up to your flash drive
7. To delete information from a flash memory drive, open up its icon in My Computer, then click on the file or folder you want to delete, and push DELETE on your keyboard