IF WE say that it was mainly because of the Windows operating system that a Computer could become a personal computer, it would not be an exaggeration. The revolution is still on. Windows is far beyond what a commoner presently knows and uses.
Internet surfing
Search engines are being used to search for something. However, if you know a Windows trick, searching for information on the Net may become easy; all you need to do is locate the address bar in Internet Explorer and write in the phrase you want to search on the Internet. It is important to remember that Internet Explorer (IE) recognizes a representation and not a single word. If it’s a single word, then Internet Explorer assumes it as a domain name and attempts to create a URL in its place. However, key in a few words, and IE will run your phrase through a search engine on Microsoft’s Web site.
If you want to search for a single word, you should put a question mark at the beginning to tell IE that this is a search keyword. The same thing applies to the Netscape Communicator, and searching the Web is as easy using Netscape as it is with IE.
Transferring files
Another common use of computers is transferring files over the Internet. FTP clients are a common application among Internet users. However, very few people realize the power of Windows.
You do not need a separate FTP client to transfer the files. The basic Windows constituent IE already has a feature of FTP. Thus, if you type an FTP address in the address box of any Explorer view, whether on the Internet or while browsing your hard disk, you can go to the site and use the window as an FTP client.
READ MORE :
- Easy Blogging Tips for Beginners in a Complicated Cyberspace
- SEO Tips To Help You Make More Money From Home
- Internet Marketing Tips From the Experts
- Online Video Marketing Tips
- Quick SEO Tips for E-Commerce Websites
Create a link in MS Word
Windows users sometimes complain of working on too many applications for a single work, for example, work related to the Web. However, this is probably due to the ignorance of the persons, as all major applications have features that are quite universal. Take, for example, MS Word. Most of us know about MS Word as the most wonderful word processor. However, quite a few of us also know it is a good tool for web-based applications. The Web-based functions of MS Word are worth trying as they give you endless features. One such part is creating a link to a Web page in a Word document.
Thus, if you create an MS Word document, you can create a link to a web page or other HTML document rather than include the address in the text. The procedure is simple: first, copy the address (URL) to which you want to link, then select the word, phrase, or sentence in your document to create the link. Now, on the Insert menu in Word, click the hyperlink and then link to the file or URL; paste the address by pressing Ctrl + V. This will create a link to a Web page in the Word document.
Normally, we all crave faster performance. However, you can use your computer for purposes other than the Internet and use it better. In most cases, you do not require a replacement or upgrade, as you can enhance the performance of your existing Windows computer.
Manage hard disk
The first thing in this regard is better management of the hard disk; it has been discussed many times in the article on tips and tricks that you can manage your hard disk better by defragging it regularly. However, more steps should be performed before you defrag your hard disk to optimize its performance.
These steps are:
Delete the IE temporary files and history regularly before defragging your hard disk. Deleting all TMP and BAK files in the hard disk is also important as these files are not generally required and unnecessarily consume the hard disk. Normally, you will find *.TMP files in the TEMP directory or WINDOWSTEMP directories. Thus, you must locate these directories and delete the files above. As a next step, defrag your hard disk without the swap file. The instructions for this can be found in defragmenting the swap file. It is a standard feature of Windows 98, which has a built-in utility called Disk Cleanup. You can run it from Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disk Cleanup or directly run CLEANMGR.EXE. This is also an important feature of Windows that takes care of all deleted and other junk files, as this feature deletes them as a part of the disk cleaning exercise.
Use Address bar
Windows makes your work so easy that it can actually relieve unnecessary load. For example, if you are a Windows 98 user, you can use a browser for purposes other than browsing the Net.
Did you know you could use the address bar to run programs on your computer? This is possible as you only need to type the program name, including its path and location; you may order c:msofficewinwordwword.exe. This will open MS Word, depending upon its location.
Send Web page via e-mail.
For sending a Web page, while viewing the page, click the File menu, click on the Send sub-menu, then click either Page by e-mail to send a copy of the page or Link by E-mail to send a shortcut. This way, you can send a Web page by e-mail. This is also a great option for keeping a site on your record, as it will also facilitate viewing it offline. Similarly, it is also easy to send a video or audio clip, which you may find on the Internet.
Thus, to send a video or audio clip, right-click the icon or link for the item you want to send and click Save Target As. Specify the location where you want to save the File. Now open your e-mail client and click Insert file or attach a file as the case may be. You can also add your Message in the message window to send a message to the recipient.
#PageBreak# Enjoy the power of the World Wide Web in less time with these tips. Do you feel anxious about whether your important emails have reached their destination? Use the feature available on most e-mail clients and request the recipient confirm that he has received the Message by a return e-mail. It is called Read Receipt in Outlook Express. To do this while composing a mail-in Outlook Express, click on Tools > Request Read Receipt in your message window. If you desire, you can have all your outgoing messages sent with the Read Receipt notification. For this, go to Tools > Options, click the Receipts tab, and tick ‘Request a read receipt for all sent messages. Remember, the read receipt confirmation depends on the e-mail client the recipient is using and whether he wants to send the confirmation.
Adding signatures to your e-mail
If you send a lot of mail daily, then a repetitive task like signing your name at the end of each mail can be tedious. Creating a signature and attaching it automatically to every mail sent is easier.
Go to Tools > Options > Signatures to do this in Outlook Express. Then go to New and add the contents of the signature in the Edit Text field. Also, select the option of sending the signature automatically with all outgoing messages. If you don’t want to send this with replies or forwards, enable the option, ‘Don’t add signatures to Replies and Forward.’ For creative signatures, use the opportunity to append a file that contains the signature you have created. If you have multiple e-mail accounts, select the account you want to send the signature to. Go to Tools > Options > Signatures and click the Advanced button near the Edit Signature tab to do this. A new box will appear saying ‘Advanced Signature Settings’ where you can select the account with which the signature should be automatically added.
Auto-respond facility
Won’t be checking mail for some time? Activate a feature called ‘vacation reply’ (if you use a Web-based service). You can type a short message and send it to all who e-mail you while you are away. Most e-mail services, such as Indiatimes, provide this feature, which can be activated through the options menu.
In Outlook Express, you can do this by going to Tools > Message Rules > Mail and clicking on the New Rule option. Select the ‘For all Messages’ option from the condition for your rule field, and in the Action, select Reply with a message. You must choose a statement you have already created and saved.
Keep a copy of the Message.
If you are on a trip and want to access your e-mail from another machine, keep a copy of your messages on the server of your e-mail service provider. Go to Tools > Accounts and select the account (if you have multiple accounts), then go to Properties > Advanced. Check ‘Leave a copy on the server.’ This has one more advantage: if you’ve formatted your machine without taking a backup of your mail, you can retrieve the mail as a stored copy.
Disable MSN Messenger from auto-starting
MSN Messenger loads automatically whenever one opens Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook XP. To turn it off, go to Tools > Options in Outlook Express and uncheck ‘Automatically log on to MSN Messenger Service.’ Then go to View > Layout and uncheck the Contacts option. Go to Tools > Options > Other in Microsoft Outlook XP and uncheck ‘Enable MSN Messenger.’ The over-eager Messenger won’t be so eager now!
Optimizing your Inbox
A three-step process to ensure that your Inbox never looks cluttered. Organizing: Outlook Express allows you to create folders to organize mail. To create a new folder in Outlook Express, go to File> Folder > New. This will display the directory tree of your Inbox. Select the location (say Inbox) where you want to create a folder and enter the Folder Name. Or, you could use the shortcut [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [E] and enter the Folder Name. You can also drag and drop folders to change their location. Folders can be useful, especially if you have multiple accounts configured on the same identity or sort out e-mail messages based on a sender, subject, etc.
Filtering: Message Rules can automatically sort your mail into the appropriate folder when downloaded. Specify the folders where you want the messages to be downloaded based on names in the from address, names in the to address, and certain words in the Subject line of the message body.
Go to Message> Create Rule from Message. Create a rule selecting the appropriate options offered, and the next time you download your mail, it will be sorted according to the rules created.
You can also sort your existing messages based on the message rules created. Go to Tools > Message Rules in Outlook Express and click on Mail. You will get a list of the message rules you have made. Click on ‘Apply now…’, select the rules to apply, and click on Apply to filter your existing folder.
Grouping: Outlook Express allows you to group e-mail messages based on the conversation carried. To enable this, go to View > Current View and click ‘Group Messages by Conversation’ (In Outlook, this option is available from View > Current View > Conversation Topic).
With this feature, all e-mail messages are sorted based on the subject line, and the news that replies to that subject are grouped. A ‘+’ sign beside a message indicates responses based on that subject.
Download Mail to your PC
If you use a Web-based e-mail service, download a copy of your mail directly to your browser. This is much quicker than using the bandwidth-hungry Web interface and allows you to access your mail without being connected to the Internet. First, add a new account by selecting Tools > Accounts > Add and selecting the Mail option. You will be prompted for personal details and account information. Select the POP3 server option on the screen that asks for your e-mail server information and enter the appropriate POP3 server address for incoming mail.
Browsing offline
Quite often, you may want to refer to a page that you have visited at some point in time. Finding the link in your browser’s history is not too difficult; you can view the site without logging on to the Internet by going to File > Work Offline. Then click on a link in your History folder to view the complete page from your hard disk.
Split files
Splitting files can greatly increase download speeds. Usually, splitting the File into three or five segments is sufficient. However, if you download a huge file from several servers, you could get better speeds by increasing the number of elements downloaded simultaneously. The number of features you want the file to be in can be set in the options box that pops up when a download begins. Select the option for the number of features in the File to be split.
