How do I repair Internet Explorer in Windows XP?

The ability to Repair Internet Explorer does not exist in the version that ships with Windows XP. This feature only becomes available after you upgrade to a newer version. This is normal and has been this way since Windows 98 and IE4.

However, you can reinstall IE in Windows XP by clicking Start, Run and entering the following command:

rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 %windir%\Inf\ie.inf

You will need to have your XP CD available.

Some people have problems with the command line above. A small VB Script that will execute the command for you can be downloaded here. Save the file to your hard drive and double click it to run IE Setup.

How to Reinstall or Repair Internet Explorer and Outlook Express in Windows XP (Q318378)
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q318378

Internet Error Codes and Meaning

ometime you are browsing the internet and trying to open any website, your e-mail and any FTP sites , but you see different error codes there. You should be familiar with these error codes. You can solve these problems if you are well-known with the meaning of error codes.

Error Codes Meaning

400 This is bad request error, First check you may be typing wrong URL name and server could not understand your request.

401 You are trying to open any unauthorized access site or page. Check your username and password if you are trying to open any webpage.

402 Payment Required Error

403 You are trying to open any forbidden page and you are blocked by that domain.

404 Here you are trying to open the webpage that was removed or re-named, also check the URL spelling.

408 This is time out error. you should send the request with in time that the server set for you.

Create your own Keyboard Shortcuts keys in MS Word

Today tip will help you to create your own keyboard shortcuts keys in MS Word. Before reading this tip, may be you are using only the default shortcuts keys which are available in MS Word application. You can select any specific key combination that you want to use to perform a particular task.

If you are not an expert user then you can take many clicks and lot of menus navigations to perform a basic task. With shortcut keys, you can speed up your working pace without lifting your hands on the keys; otherwise require a conventional mouse to select menus and buttons options. You can create your own keyboard shortcuts for every word command. For example, if you are using Word Count feature constantly then you can assign any key combination like Alt+Z to run Word Count command.

Follow the given steps to create your own shortcuts keys for your favorite command:

First click on Start button, go to Program then click on Microsoft Word to run the word page.

Now go to Tools menu and click on Customize option.

Here a small dialog box will appear with title Customize, now click on "Keyboard..." button.

Now again a small dialog box with title Customize Keyboard, the list of all the categories of commands with appear on the left side of the dialog box. You should click on the category that contains the command which you want to assign a shortcut keyboard.

Choose the command you want to assign a keyboard combination on the right side of the customize keyboard dialog box and then click the key you want to create shortcut.

Now click on Assign button to final the shortcuts key combination then close it.

In future whenever you type the keyboard combination, word will work according to that command you have assigned this shortcut.

save your favorite Web Pages on Your PC

Today tip will help you to save any webpage on your disk in proper way. Many times you find a webpage, which want to view or read when you are not connected to the internet. It's happened to you dozens of times in a month. Here I have solution to this problem, almost all web browsers allow you to save any webpage to your computer and when you can enjoy those pages whenever you want. There are many options in web browser to save your favorite web pages.

First open your favorite web page then go to File menu in web browser to save that page. In File menu choose Save as option here. You should browse to any folder where you want to save that webpage and choose the proper format to save it in.

Webpage Complete (*.htm, *. html)

This option saves the webpage in its regular HTML format. With this format, Internet Explorer saves all the graphics of that webpage only in one folder.

Web Archive, Single file (*.mht)

Using this option, the explorer saves the webpage in a single file in a zipped format which is known as Multipurpose Internet Mail Extension HTML. There are no folders creating with this technique and it save all the graphics of webpage in only one file. If you don't want to use the code of HTML, this format is better to save any file because this option saves all the files in a single file.

Webpage, HTML only (*.htm, *. html)

With this option you can save only the HTML portion of the webpage, with this option you can save webpage without any graphics. For the next time when you will try to open the page which you have saved though it might be difficult to read because graphics are normally use to hold the pieces of webpage together. If you want to reuse the HTML in a webpage you want to create then choose this option.

Text File (*.txt)

You can save a webpage as text format (text only) with using this option. If you want to save only text from a page and you do not want about the pictures then this is good option for you.

When you want to read that saved page, open your browser and go to File menu and then browse to that folder where you have saved that pages.

The Registry tips

DEFINITION: The Windows 9x/NT/2000/ME/XP Registry is a complex, unified, system wide, continually referenced during operation database, used for centrally storing, locating, editing and administering system, hardware, software and user configuration information, following a hierarchical structure.
It was introduced to replace the text/ASCII based MS -DOS configuration (.BAT, .SYS) and MS Windows initialization (.INI) files.

Structure of Registry in windows 9X is Different from that of Windows NT,2000 and XP.

Windows 95/98/ME :In these operating systems Registry is stored in these 5 files, with the Hidden, Read-only attributes for write-protection purposes, usually located in the %WinDir% folder (default is C:\Windows) .

• SYSTEM.DAT = stores persistent hardware and software settings related to the system it resides on, contained in the (HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT = Windows 95 and 98 only) and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE Hive keys.
• USER.DAT = stores user specific and software settings contained in the HKEY_CURRENT_USER Hive key. If more than one user, then multiple user profiles enable each user to have their own separate USER.DAT file, located in %WinDir%\Profiles\%UserName%. When a user logs on, Windows OS (down)loads both USER.DAT files: the one from the local machine %WinDir% (global user settings), and the most recent one from the local machine %WinDir%\Profiles\%UserName%, or from the central (host) server if user profiles reside on a network (local user settings).
• CLASSES.DAT = stores persistent data contained in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT Hive key, found only on Windows ME.
• SYSTEM.DA0 and USER.DA0 = automatically created backups of SYSTEM.DAT and USER.DAT from the last successful Windows GUI startup, and found only on Windows 95

Windows NT/2000/XP :Registration Database is contained in these 5 files located in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder (default is C:\Winnt\System32\Config for Windows NT/2000 or C:\Windows\System32\Config for Windows XP):

• DEFAULT = stores the HKEY_USERS\.Default key.
• SAM = stores the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Sam key.
• SECURITY = stores the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Security key.
• SOFTWARE = stores the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software key.
• SYSTEM = stores the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System key and the HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG Hive key,
  
  these files located in the %SystemRoot%\Profiles\%UserName% folder:
• NTUSER.DAT and USRCLASS.DAT (Windows XP only) = store the HKEY_CURRENT_USER Hive key,

Editing Registry

Always make sure that you know what you are doing when changing the registry or else just one little mistake can crash the whole system. That's why it's always good to back it up!

To view the registry (or to back it up), you need to use the Registry Editor tool. There are two versions of Registry Editor:

:To modify the Registry, you need to use a Registry Editor:

• Regedit.exe (Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP) = located in %WinBootDir% (%SystemRoot%) has the most menu items and more choices for the menu items. You can search for keys and subkeys in the registry.
• Regedt32.exe (Windows NT/2000/XP) = located in %SystemRoot%\System32,enables you to search for strings, values, keys, and subkeys. This feature is useful if you want to find specific data.

Registry Structure

For ease of use, the Registry is divided into five separate structures that represent the Registry database in its entirety. These five groups are known as Keys, and are discussed below:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER
This registry key contains the configuration information for the user that is currently logged in. The users folders, screen colors, and control panel settings are stored here. This information is known as a User Profile.

HKEY_USERS
In windowsNT 3.5x, user profiles were stored locally (by default) in the systemroot\system32\config directory. In NT4.0, they are stored in the systemroot\profiles directory. User-Specific information is kept there, as well as common, system wide user information.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
This key contains configuration information particular to the computer. This information is stored in the systemroot\system32\config directory as persistent operating system files, with the exception of the volatile hardware key.

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT
The information stored here is used to open the correct application when a file is opened by using Explorer and for Object Linking and Embedding. It is actually a window that reflects information from the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software subkey.

HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG
The information contained in this key is to configure settings such as the software and device drivers to load or the display resolution to use. This key has a software and system subkeys, which keep track of configuration information.

REG Files

.REG file, which can be in:

• plain text/ASCII format in Windows 95/98/ME and NT/2000/XP or
• binary format in Windows 2000/XP.
  
  Text .REG files can be easily viewed/created/edited by hand using any text/ASCII editor, like Notepad

Their purpose is to add, modify or delete Registry (Sub)Keys and/or Values.

Writing .Reg Files

1.) Header line: this FIRST line is mandatory. MUST contain only these exact words (case sensitive = character capitalization required!):

• REGEDIT4 = for Windows 95/98/ME and NT 4.0 or
• Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00 = for Windows 2000/XP.
  This is the only way Windows OS can recognize, validate and run a .REG file.

2.) Empty (blank) line: this second line is optional. Similar to inserting a carriage return (CR).

3.) Remarked (comment) line(s): optional. MUST begin with a semicolon (;) which may be followed by a space (optional). May be inserted anywhere in the .REG file, but NOT before the header, which MUST be present as FIRST line.

4.)(Sub)Key line: MUST be preceded and terminated by square parenthesis ([]). (Sub)Key name MUST start with the Hive Key name (left end) and MUST contain entire Subkey pathway leading to the current Subkey name (right end). Consecutive (Sub)Key names MUST be separated by SINGLE backslash marks (\).
(Sub)Key names not present in the Registry will be automatically created when the REG file is merged into the Registry. Exception: new Hive (Root) Keys can be created ONLY in Windows NT4/2000/XP, but NOT in Windows 95/98/ME.

5.) Value line: MUST contain these elements in this exact order:

• Value name: MUST be preceded and terminated by quotation marks ("").
• Equal mark (=): separates Value name from Value type.
• Value type: MUST be specified (Dword [REG_DWORD], Binary [REG_BINARY], etc) if Value type other than String [REG_SZ].
• Colon mark (:): MUST exist if Value type other than String.
• Value data: MUST be in the same format as defined by Value type: text/ASCII, Unicode/ANSI, (alpha)numeric (decimal, hexadecimal or binary) etc. MUST be preceded and terminated by quotation marks ("") ONLY IF Value type is String.
  Value Data syntax
  • String Value [REG_SZ] (API Code 1):

"ValueName"="ValueData"
Value Data is expressed here in Unicode or ANSI formats: simple text/ASCII, expanded or extended.

• Dword Value [REG_DWORD] (API Code 4):

"ValueName"=ValueType:ValueData
Value Data is expressed here in Double WORD (4 bytes = 32 bits) formats: decimal, hexadecimal or binary.

o Large Binary (hex) Value (any Binary Value API Code):

"ValueName"=ValueType(API Code):ValueData,ValueData,\
ValueData,ValueData

Large Values can span onto more than one line. Each line (except the last one) is terminated by a comma (,) followed by a SINGLE backslash mark (\). Consecutive lines are separated by carriage returns (CR).

Separators and delimiters used in REG files on path name lines to separate drive letters, directory (folder) names and file names, or used on command line parameters lines etc... MUST be typed as DOUBLE backslash marks (\\).

6.) Empty (blank) line: this LAST line is mandatory for proper operation. Similar to inserting a carriage return (CR) at the end of file.

This is how a generic text/ASCII .REG file looks like:

REGEDIT4
; Comment line:
[HKEY_KEY_NAME\SubkeyName1\SubKeyName2]
; String Value format:
"ValueName"="ValueData"
; Dword or Binary Value format:
"ValueName"=ValueType:ValueData

Example of actual .REG file:

REGEDIT4
; First Value below displays MS Windows version:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion]
; String Value format:
"Version"="Windows ME"
; Dword Value format:
"CacheWriteDelay"=dword:00000320
; Binary Value format:
"OldWinVer"=hex:00

'Webbed ' Tables
A 'Web look' can be imparted to your documents by using a Web formatting style. Select the Table and fro the Table menu, select Table AutoFormat. in the list of styles in the Formats box, three new Web styles have been added. Click on any of them for a 'Webby' look.

Watermark Your Documents
Creating your own watermark for professional looking documents is pretty simple in Work. First go to view > Header and Footer and click on the Show/Hide Text toolbar button located on the Header and Footer toolbar (insert icon image). This should temporarily hide the text. Now you can insert a graphics object using Clip Art, Word Art or even AutoShape. Place the graphics where you want it to be seen, and adjust the color of the watermark by right clicking on the object and choosing properties.

Convert Tables to Plain Old Text
Sometimes copying to and fro with a browser result in unwanted tables being created. this can be easily removed by converting into individual paragraphs and click on Table to Text option under Convert in the Table menu. the separation character can also be specified instead of normal column lines using the "Separate text with" option

Center Text Vertically
Text in Word can be centered horizontally as well as vertically. For the vertical centering, open File > Page Setup and click on the Layout tab. Select the Center option in the Alignment pill-down menu. Format you r document as usual and view its positioning using the print preview button.

Get Rid of Curly Quotes
Typing quotes in Word results in straight quotes being converted to small quoted automatically. This is done by Autocorrect function. Pressing Ctrl+Z (Shortcut for Undo) after typing single or double quoted will give you straight quotes. To permanently turn the feature off, click on Tools > Autocorrect > AutoFormat as you type and disable Straight quotes with smart quotes.

Collate Documents
Collating documents copies can be done automatically in Word. To collate documents while you print, click on the Print option from the File menu and click the "Collate" check box in the Copies heading. then fill the number of copies you want tin the box labeled "Number of copies". Simple click Print to get the collated multiple copes you want.

Bring Straying Lines Back Into Fold
A cool feature for your squeezers; get those extra lines on the last page of your document. Click on File > Print Preview. in the Print Preview window, click the Shrink to Fit button to fit the few overflowing lines onto the last page.

Create Email Signatures
Word allows you to create multiple signatures for your emails created in Word. To create to add a new signature, go to Tools > Options and click on the General tab, click the Email Option button. Type the signature it the text box below, type its name and click Add to add it to the set of signatures you can use. You can also set the default signatures for New and Forwarded/Replied Messages.

Take the Synonym Shortcut
Checking out synonyms of a word generally involves looking it up in the thesaurus in the Tools > Language menu. A faster way is to just select the word and right click it. In the menu, select synonyms and you will be presented with a list of synonyms to choose from. You can also click on Thesaurus to lookup more synonyms. often, Word will also present a few antonyms when you know what you don't mean to say.

Corel Quattro Pro

Hidden Data
Want to conceal unwanted data in your notebook? Hide the rows and columns you don't need to see to crease a more organized look without losing the data. Select the rows and columns that you want to hide and right click the selection. Click Hide on eh context menu.

Quattro Pro and Arrows
Create arrows in your spreadsheet to direct information flow. Arrows can also be used to highlight relations between data cells and other objects. To crease an arrow, click on the Classic Objects icon on the Application toolbar and in the flyout, select the Arrow button . you can now draw the arrow on the spreadsheet.

NetLink
Links to information on the Internet can be included within your notebook. To add a Web link, click on File > Open and type the URL of the site that you want to add the link to and click Open. An Internet file will open in your notebook. Locate the cell address where the information that you want appears. Select the cell where you want the link to be and type the formal as +[Net URL]Sheet:Cell where Sheet:Cell is the address where the information that you want is displayed and the URL is typed between square brackets. Finally, enter the cell address where you want the information to be shows in the Link to box and click OK.

Bordered
Highlight specific cells in your spreadsheet by enclosing them in a border. in Quattro Pro, you can add borders with variables styles, line thickness and colors. To create a border, select the cells that you want to add a border around and click on Format > Selection. Under the Border tab select the type and color of the border.

Mistaken En Dash
When you want to enter data having an en dash symbol (-) in your spreadsheet, so that it is not interpreted as a minus sign (-), click on Insert > Symbol. change the set to Typographic Symbols and scroll down to locate the en dash. Click Insert and Close.

Fast Mail
Do you want to send your Quattro Pro notebook via email in a jiffy? Save yourself a few keystrokes by sending it directly from Quattro Pro. open the notebook and click on File > Send To > Mail. This will automatically open up the email composition window alone wit the notebook name as the subject.

Color Coded
Add color to your spreadsheet tags to help identify groups of sheers in a notebook. to color the tab, right click the tab and click on Sheer Properties. Disable Use System Color under the Tad color tab. Choose the color you want from the palette and click Ok to apply.

Print your Grids
You can print your spreadsheet along with its gridlines in Quattro Pro. to print the gridlines, click on File > Page Setup > Options. Enable the Gridlines checkbox under the Print Options selection.

Corel Presentation

Sound Idea
Make your presentations come alive with music and sounds. To add sound file, click on Format > Slide > Properties > Sounds. Locate the sound files you want to insert in your slide. If you intend to plat the presentation on another computer that might not have the sound file, enable Save Within Slide Show Document. To add this sound to all other slides, click the Apply to All Slides in Slide Show checkbox.

Smart Contours
Corel Presentations can contour text around graphics objects in your slides. this can help place text in more aesthetically pleasing way. However, this can be done only on a graphics and shapes and not on clipart, images or charts. Insert a graphics or shape on the slide and select both, the textbox and the inserted object. click on Tools > contour Text. Select the appropriate contour options and click OK.

Color Chameleon
Change colors of graphics with a fade effect. To apply a color change effect, select the graphics object and click on the Foreground fill Color tool and select the color you want from the color palette. copy and paste the object into the same slide. Select the new object and fill it with another color. click on Edit > Select > All (to select both objects), right0click the selecting and click on Object Animation. Select Animate Object in Place. In the Effects list box, select Fade.

Audience Notes
Creating audience handouts in Corel Presentations is a simple matter of adding Audience Notes to your slides and printing them. Audience Note will include thumbnail images of your slides along with a new lines of space besides each for audience to take their own noted. To crease audience notes, click on File > Print and select Audience note. Choose the number of slides to printed per page and click Print.

Animating Bullets
Catch your viewer's attention to certain points in your slide show using animated bullets. Deselect the bulleted list if it is selected. Right-click the list and click on Object Animating. Click on the Animate Object Across Screen button and from the Effects box, select the animate that you want. Once you've setup all the options for your bullets to be animated, click on OK to finished.

Quick 3D
You can extrude objects quickly to give them a 3D look. You create this effect on your text and objects, select the object click on Tools > Quick 3D. Select the correct appearance form the Rotation and Perspective tabs. Enter the depth of the extrusion in the Depth box and change the color of the object using the Color Adjustment slider.

Blender
You can 'blend' two objects for a smooth transition between the two. Select the two objects and click on Tools Blend. type the number of intermediates stats you want in the Number of Objects Between Images box and click OK.

Windows NT (Windows 2000, XP Professional)

Desktop Gone Forever
If you can do without the regular NT 4.0 desktop permanently, it's possible to start with just the Task Manager even without Command Prompt. Launch the Registry Editor and locate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/ CurrentVersion/WinLogon. Double-click on value named Shell (set by default to Explorer.exe). Enter Taskmgr.exe for the NT Task Manager. For a command prompt, enter Cmd.exe. Close the Registry Editor and log off.

Using the Windows Task Manager
Windows Task Manager can aid you in finding the amount of RAM you can regain by disabling unnecessary system services. Right-click on the taskbar and select Task Manager from the context menu. You can view the CPU usage and memory usage under the Performance tab, To regain resources, you can kill unnecessary processes from the Processes tab.

Fast Menus
You can change the Start menu delay in displaying sub-menus. Run Regedit adn navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Control Panel\Desktop. Change the value for MenuShowDelay to any number between 0 (fastest) and 4000 (slowest). If the above does not exist, add a string value with this name.

Launch Faster
You can change the default boot delay of 30 seconds. Open Control Panel > System > Startup/Shutdown. Under the Show List For, change the settings to the desired boot delay value. To bypass the boot menu altogether, set the delay to 0. Note: If you dual boot between the Operating Systems using the NT boot loader, do not set the boot delay value to 0.

Messing with Partitions
Before using Disk Administrator to make changes to the partitions, you may want to make sure you save your current configuration. To do this, click Start > Programs > Administrator tools > Disk Administrator > Partition > Configuration > Save. Insert a formatted floppy disk into your drive and click OK. You can restore the partition structure later by clicking on Partition > Configuration > Restore.

Performance Monitor
The Performance Monitor will not monitor disk performance unless you turn on the disk counters first. to do this, open the Command Prompt window and type diskperf -Y. r\Restart the computer. you can monitor disk activity with the Performance, you should turn them off by typing diskperd -N at the Command Prompt when you have finished testing.

Sharing Resources Secretly
To secretly share a resource, simple append a dollar sign ($) to share name. When you do so, the resource doesn't appear in Network Neighborhood, but is readily available by either mapping the drive or typing the UNC in the Run dialog box. This provides an additional degree of privacy and security to a shared resource. Further more, and access restrictions or passwords assigned to that shared resource remain in effect.

NT Protocol Analyser
NT server 4.0 includes a software-based protocol analyzer called the Network Monitor Agent. To install it open Control Panel > Network > Services and click on Add. Select Network Monitor Agent from the list. You can now start Network Monitor from the Administrative Tools. To capture network data, click on Capture > Start. Click Capture > Stop to stop monitoring.

Alerter and Messenger
If messages don't reach their destination's) when using "net send" command, turn on the Alerter and Messenger serviced in the Services applet of the Control Panel. also, make sure that the intended recipient is not logged in to multiple machines.

Adding a Command Prompt to any Folder
Open Explorer and click View > Options > File Types. Locate Folder and click Edit. Click New to open the New Action dialog box. Type Command Prompt in the Action box, and type cmd.exe in the Application Used to Perform Action box. Now you can right-click a folder and click Command Prompt to open a Command Prompt window at the folder's path.

AutoComplete
You can automatically fill in file and folder names at the command prompt, much like a UNIX terminal. Launch the Registry editor and move down to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software\Microsoft\Command Processor. Select CompletionChar and set its value of to 9. Restart the system for the changes to take effect. Now, at the Command Prompt window, type in the first few characters of the file or folders and press Tab to complete it automatically.

Saving Recent Desktop Settings
To save the Desktop settings on normal exits only. You could lose your recent Desktop modifications if NT crashes or hangs. you can save your current Desktop settings by selecting and object on the Desktop and pressing F5 key.

Key to the CD Key
The CD Key is required to reinstall the operating system. If you have lost it, you can retrieve it form the Windows registry. Open Regedit and navigate to HKEY_LOCALMACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT \CurrentVersion. Look at ProductId. The CD Key is digits 6 thought 15.

The Bin is Full
To change the icons used for the Recycle bin, run the Registry Editor and navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\CLSID\ {645F040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}\DefaultIcon. Edit the value labeled Full and type the path to the icon file. Similarly, edit the value labeled Empty Empty to specify the icon for the empty recycle bin.

Compressing data
Windows NT lets you compress and decompress directories and files on NTFS partition. Compression reduces storage requirements for seldom-accessed files without degrading overall drive performance. You can compress and expand files and directories form My Computer or Explore - just right-click on item, select Properties and enable Compress form the list of attributes.

Drop and Run
You can open the Run dialog box (Start > Run), then drag and drop a file or application onto it form My Computer or Explorer. The compete pathname appears in the Run dialog box. Now you could add command-line options or simple click OK to launch the file.

Re-create NT installations disks
You can re-create NT installation disks if you lose or damage your original set. Format three floppy disks and load your 4.0 CD-ROM in the drive. Form the Run dialog box, browse to the i386 folder on the CD-ROM and select winnet32.exe and click Open. Alter the Run command like to d:\i386\winnt32/ox (where the first d is the CD-ROM drive letter). Click OK and follow the prompts.

List of settings and address
For a complete list of the settings and address currently assigned to your system, open the Command Prompt form the Start button's Program menu, and type ipconfig/all. this will display all TCP/IP relates settings on the system. This is similar to winipcfg in Windows 9x.

Easy addition of users
Creating a user template makes if easy to add multiple new users with the same group and access privileges. Open User Manager for Domains. Add a new user by selecting New User form the User menu. Label this user as a template for the user level, such as Template--Worker or Template--Secretary and set the correct privileges and options for Groups, Profile, and Dial-in. the next time you need to add a user, simple select the template account, and select User > Cope from the menu. All you need to do is changed the name and password.

Maintaining a Repair disk
The Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) holds a record of the settings and boot parameters for your primary partition Boot Sector. Every time you make a change to these areas, you should also re-crease the ERD; otherwise, the repair disk will not restore your system to the most recent functioning state. To crease an updated ERD, type rdisk /s in the Run dialog box.

Documentation Books on your hard drive
Wish to avoid inserting the NT CD-ROM every time you access Books Online? Simple cope the \Support\Books form the CD-ROM to your hard drive. Next, remove the disc form the drive and attempt to launch the Books Online Shortcut. When you're prompted to insert the CD-ROM or specify an alternate route, click the Browse button, and select the directory where you copied the files.

Restoring a damaged boot sector
An up-to-date Emergency Repair Disk (ERD) can aid you in recovering from a damaged boot sector. To restore a damaged boot sector, reboot the computer using the Setup disk 1, followed by disk 2 when prompted. Select R for Repair. Form the next menu, select only Inspect boot sector (to check the boot sector for damaged). Insert disk 3 and then the ERD when prompted and follow the instructions on screen.

To Improve Processing Computer Speed

Computer Repair Tips That Never Helped Me

I’ve only had experience with Windows operated computers, so this is what I’m referring to in here. Computer repair specialists were always hard to find, and many times we had to try to figure out a solution to fix a computer which stopped working, because no specialist would come home, and to take a PC to the service company was extremely troublesome, mainly because such computer repair centers were in the center of the city, where we barely had any parking spots. So, you had to carry that heavy computer for more than 1 km, to get it fixed. You can imagine that we tried to exchange information between us, to discover tips which worked, in order to fix the bloody PC without all that hassle. If I tell you that Internet wasn’t invented yet, then you can see that information was very hard to get.

If you don’t know, Windows operated computers tend to get sluggish after a time, especially if you repeatedly install and uninstall various applications. These are a few tips which everybody told me should help me make my computer faster, which I didn’t notice to help me very much.

Computer Repair Tip 1: Defragment Often

The information on the hard disk is written in chunks called sectors. One application can spread across many such sectors, and if they are not next to each other, the head which reads the information on the hard disk has to make additional movements, thus increasing the reaction time of the computer, resulting in sluggish, slow launch of the respective application.

While I believe the reasoning behind this, from experience I can tell you that defragmentation had no effect on my computer’s speed, at least not an effect that a human can notice. Milliseconds that I might have gained by performing the defrag operation every week were not worth the actual time spent on doing the defragmentation itself.

Computer Repair Tip 2: Clean Up Disk Errors

This is easy to do: on My Computer, select the drive you wish to clean up errors on, right-click on it, then select Properties. The first option from the second tab of the menu that opens is Check Disk. It won’t run, but you can schedule it to start next time when you’ll reboot your computer.

Computer Repair Tip 3: Remove Temporary Files

This is called the Disk Cleanup and you can find it in the same menu as in Computer Repair Tip no 2. It will free up some space on your hard drive, which is good, but the speed gain won’t be noticeable for human senses.

The only computer repair tip that worked perfectly each time, and offered me a fast system, at least for a couple of months was to reinstall Windows. I’m seriously considering switching to Mac at the next computer upgrade I’m going to get.

Do you have any more computer repair tips that never helped you improve your computer’s performance?

Microsoft Office Tips

Remove All Formatting in Two Easy Steps

Here's a great way to remove all of the formatting from a Word document or just a selected portion of the document:

1. Select the whole document by pressing CTRL+A or just select the portion of the document you wish to change.

2. Press CTRL+SHIFT+N.

Presto! All of your formatting is removed from the document or selection.

Navigate Word Documents by Using the Table of Contents

When writing long documents in Microsoft Word, you'll find the table of contents (TOC) is an indispensable tool—even if you don't include the TOC in your final draft! Why? The TOC creates internal links (similar to the ones you find on a Web page) that you can use to quickly navigate a document as you work. And, if you're already using styles, adding a TOC is easy.

First, be sure that you've applied either built-in (for example, Heading 1 and Heading 2) or custom styles to all headings and subheadings in your document.

Once you have done that, you can insert a TOC at the beginning or end of your document. To do so:

1. Click where you want to insert the TOC.

2. On the Insert menu, point to Reference, and click Index and Tables.

3. Click the Table of Contents tab.

4. Click Options and make sure a TOC level number appears next to every heading you want to include in your TOC.

5. Select any other TOC options you want.

Now, to go to a specific section in your document, click the corresponding page number in the TOC while holding down the CTRL key. To return to the TOC, click the Go to TOC button on the Outlining toolbar.

Editor's Note: To make the Outlining toolbar visible, open the View menu, point to Toolbars, and click Outlining.

Find Shortcuts to Useful Word Features on the Status Bar

Did you know that the status bar, that area at the bottom of Word documents where the page number appears, also provides shortcuts to a number of very useful features? Here are a few you may want to use:

§ To open the Find and Replace dialog box, double-click any location indicator on the status bar, such as the page number or section number.

§ To turn the macro recorder on or off, double-click REC.

§ To turn the Track Changes feature on or off, double-click TRK.

§ To turn extend selection mode on or off, double-click EXT.

§ To turn overtype mode on or off, double-click OVR.

§ To change the language format of selected text, double-click Language.

§ To resolve errors in grammar or spelling, double-click the Spelling and Grammar Status icon. Note: When the previous features are turned off, their labels appear dimmed.

Editor's Note: If your status bar is not visible, go to the Tools menu, click Options, click the View tab, and then select the Status bar check box under Show.

View or Modify Formatting with the Task Pane

You can use the new Reveal Formatting task pane in Word 2002 to view a detailed description of any text in your document. You can also use it to modify or clear the formatting; compare the formatting of different selections, or to find blocks of text with similar formatting. Here's how to use it:

1. Select the text you want to examine or reformat.

2. From the Format menu, select Reveal Formatting.

3. Do any of the following:

§ To change any formatting properties, click one of the underlined commands from within the task pane, and then change any options you want in the dialog box that appears.

§ To determine the formatting source, such as whether the formatting comes from a style, select the Distinguish style source check box.

§ To show formatting marks, such as paragraph marks and tabs, select the Show all formatting marks check box.

§ To format a text selection like the text that surrounds it, select the text. In the Selected text box, click the arrow, and then click Apply Formatting of Surrounding Text.

§ To view a feature-by-feature comparison of your text selection with another block of text, select the Compare to another section check box and then select another block of text.

Editor's Note: You can also open the Reveal Formatting task pane by choosing What's This? on the Help menu or selecting text within your document and pressing SHIFT+F1.

Shortcut Tips Windows 98

Creating a shortcut for MS-DOS in full screen mode.

• Double-click on your shortcut that opens an MS-DOS window.
• Press Alt + Spacebar.
• Click Properties.
• Click the Screen tab.

Under Usage, select Full Screen. Click OK to save your settings.

Saving search results for re-use.

If you have conducted a search and you are pretty sure that you will use the results of that search again, there is no need to conduct an entirely new search. Once you have complete a search (Click on desktop, press F3, see this tip for more information) you can save the results by clicking Save Search from the File menu. This will place a shortcut on your desktop for future use. (You can place this shortcut anywhere you like) In the future, if you are doing a search on the same topic, just double-click the icon on your desktop (or wherever you place it).

Creating a shortcut.

• Click on the button.

Select Programs.

Click on Windows Explorer.

• Now, locate the item that you wish to create a shortcut for.
• If you are using Windows Explorer in full-screen mode, you will need to click the Resize button in the top right corner of the screen (This is the double rectangle button in between the Minimize and Exit buttons).
• Now, right-click your mouse on that item and hold it while you drag it to the location you wish to have it (preferably to the Desktop).
• When you let go of the right mouse button, you can select to "Create Shortcut(s) Here" in the new location.
• Creating a shortcut to a disk drive.

  You may access disk drives frequently other than your C drive, such as a floppy or a second hard drive. It may be a pain when you open Windows Explorer and you have to navigate your way to the drive you want every time. However, you can create shortcuts for different disk drives if you want. To do this:

• From the desktop, double-click the My Computer icon.
• Then, right-click your mouse on the drive you want to have a shortcut for and drag it to your desktop.
• When the menu appears, click Create Shortcut Here.

Now you can quickly access any disk drive you want!

Creating a shortcut to the Device Manager.

• Right-click on your Desktop.
• Select New.
• Click Shortcut.

• In the Command line field, type:
• C:\WINDOWS\CONTROL.EXE Sysdm.cpl, System,1

• Click Next. Name your shortcut and click Finish.

Creating a hot-key combination for a shortcut.

Right-click the Shortcut.

Click Properties.

Click the Shortcut tab.

Click in the Shortcut key field. Now press the keys that you want to use as the hot-key combination. It must start with Ctrl + Alt. Once you press Ctrl + Alt, press whatever key you want to launch the program. Windows will put it in for you. Click OK.

Changing a shortcut’s icon.

Right-click on the shortcut.

Click Properties.

Click the Shortcut tab.

Click the Change Icon button. Choose your icon and click OK twice.

Making a program run minimized or maximized when started.

Right-click on the shortcut.

Click Properties.

Click the Shortcut tab.

From the Run drop-down list, make your selection and click OK to save your settings
Removing the arrow from shortcut icons.

• Click the button.

Click Run.

In the Open field, type regedit and click OK.

Creating a shortcut for your screen saver.

• Click the button.

Select Programs.

Click Windows Explorer.

• Once you are there, double click on the following folders: C:\Windows\System
• When you get there, locate the .scr file that corresponds to your screen saver.
• Right-click on it and click Create Shortcut.
• From here, simply drag the shortcut to the Desktop or your Start menu.
• Whenever you open the shortcut, your screen saver will automatically launch.

Changing the path of a shortcut.

Right-click the shortcut.

Click Properties.

Click the Shortcut tab.

• Type the new path in the "Target" text box.
• Click OK to save your settings.

Internet Tips and Guide

• Know who you’re dealing with. If the seller or charity is unfamiliar, check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau. Some Web sites have feedback forums, which can provide useful information about other people’s experiences with particular sellers. Get the physical address and phone number in case there is a problem later.

• Look for information about how complaints are handled. It can be difficult to resolve complaints, especially if the seller or charity is located in another country. Look on the Web site for information about programs the company or organization participates in that require it to meet standards for reliability and help to handle disputes.

• Be aware that no complaints is no guarantee. Fraudulent operators open and close quickly, so the fact that no one has made a complaint yet doesn’t meant that the seller or charity is legitimate. You still need to look for other danger signs of fraud.

• Don’t believe promises of easy money. If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam.

• Understand the offer. A legitimate seller will give you all the details about the products or services, the total price, the delivery time, the refund and cancellation policies, and the terms of any warranty.

• Resist pressure. Legitimate companies and charities will be happy to give you time to make a decision. It’s probably a scam if they demand that you act immediately or won’t take “No” for an answer.

• Think twice before entering contests operated by unfamiliar companies. Fraudulent marketers sometimes use contest entry forms to identify potential victims.

• Be cautious about unsolicited emails. They are often fraudulent. If you are familiar with the company or charity that sent you the email and you don’t want to receive further messages, send a reply asking to be removed from the email list. However, responding to unknown senders may simply verify that yours is a working email address and result in even more unwanted messages from strangers. The best approach may simply be to delete the email.

• Beware of imposters. Someone might send you an email pretending to be connected with a business or charity, or create a Web site that looks just like that of a well-known company or charitable organization. If you’re not sure that you’re dealing with the real thing, find another way to contact the legitimate business or charity and ask.

• Guard your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.

• Beware of “dangerous downloads.” In downloading programs to see pictures, hear music, play games, etc., you could download a virus that wipes out your computer files or connects your modem to a foreign telephone number, resulting in expensive phone charges. Only download programs from Web sites you know and trust. Read all user agreements carefully.

• Pay the safest way. Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly. There are new technologies, such as “substitute” credit card numbers and password programs, that can offer extra measures of protection from someone else using your credit card.