Windows Application Tricks

Applications

Quickly Open Files with the Non-Default Application

Bored for always using the same application to open your files? Now you can make one as default application and put others in the C:\Windows\SendTo folder. When you want to open a file with the non-default application, right click on the file and send it to the other application.

Handle The PCX Format

If you are a Windows 3.x veteran probably you have noticed that Paint, Windows 9x/Me bitmap editor application, can only handle BMP format. Meanwhile Paintbrush (Win 3.x bitmap editor application) can also handle PCX format. So what do you do if you still have PCX files around? Here are the tricks:

Copy the Pbrush.exe, Pbrush.dll and Pbrush.hlp files from your Windows 3.x files to your Windows 9X/ME hard drive. Copy Expand.exe from your Installation disk 2 or CD to your Windows installation folder on the hard drive. Use this command to expand Paintbrush:

expand a:pbrush.ex_ c:\windows\pbrush.exe

Powerful Text Editor

Probably you didn't realize that Microsoft Word 2000 uses a small application called Microsoft Script Editor to edit a Web page source code. This is a powerful text/code editor compared with Notepad. If you want to use all the features of this program, you can get it from C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\Common\IDE\IDE98 and look for the program: MSE.EXE. Create a shortcut on your desktop for faster opening it.


Send Notes over the Network

WinPopup is a small messaging program, lets you send notes over the network. WinPopup pops up on the recipient's screen, getting their immediate attention. If you have not installed WinPopup yet, you can install it by opening the Control Panel and choose Add/Remove Programs. Select the Windows Setup tab, double-click Accessories in the list of components, and select WinPopup. Click OK to complete the installation.

To run the program simply type 'winpopup' (without quotation marks) in the Run dialog box.

Finding and Selecting The Hidden Useful Programs

Tons of applications in your hard drive and great chances you have useful programs on your computer you didn't realize about it. To get around this situation create a folder on your desktop called Hidden Applications, and then launch the Windows Find utility (Start/Find/Files or Folders). Continue with typing *.EXE *.COM in the Named box, and then click on the Find Now button. After Find is finished with its task, choose Select All from the Edit menu and drag and drop all the files in the Find window into your new desktop folder. Now you have a folder with shortcuts to every executable program on your Windows PC. Now, one at a time, double-click on each shortcut to find out what it is. Once it's identified, you can find and delete the program if you don't want it (be careful while doing this since several small programs are parts of other bigger programs) or move the shortcut to another folder if you want to keep it.

Quick Access to All Help Files

First create a folder on your desktop, and then use Find facility to find all help files and .txt files with useful information. Use your SendTo "make a desktop shortcut", or right drag and drop onto desktop and select make shortcut. Once they are on the desktop, pop them open to get an idea of what they are and rename them accordingly. Drag them into the new folder named "Useful Help Collections" or similar.

Completely Disable Task Scheduler

Want to know how to get rid of the Task Scheduler in your System Tray (the area next to your Windows clock)? Double-click the Task Scheduler icon, and then select Advanced, Stop Using Task Scheduler. Close the Scheduled Tasks window, and this utility will no longer run at start-up.

Most Often Used Applications Toolbar

These are the steps to create your favorite applications toolbar on the top of desktop:

Create a folder on your hard drive called Applications Toolbar. Then, copy shortcuts to the applications you use most often to this folder.

Right-click on an empty spot on the taskbar. Select the Toolbars/New Toolbar command, and browse to Application Toolbar folder. When the new toolbar appears on your taskbar, place your mouse pointer over the vertical toolbar handle at the front of the toolbar. When the pointer turns into a double-headed arrow, click and drag the toolbar to the very top of the desktop and drop it. When you do, the new toolbar anchors itself to the top of the desktop.


General Editing Shortcuts

Try the following general shortcuts in almost all of your applications, including MS Word, Write (Win 3.1), WordPad, or even Notepad.

Moving
One word to the right Ctrl+
One word to the left Ctrl+
Start of line Home
End of line End
Up one screen PageUp
Down one screen PageDown
Top of Screen Ctrl + PageUp
Bottom of Screen Ctrl + PageDown
Beginning of Document Ctrl + Home
End of Document Ctrl + End

Deleting
Delete word to left Ctrl + Backspace
Delete word to right Ctrl + Delete

Clipboard
Copy selection Ctrl + C
Cut selection Ctrl + X
Paste selection Ctrl + V
Undo last of the above Ctrl + Z

Dots on Application Menus

Pay attention on your favorite application, for example WordPad. Click on File menu, and you will see several commands like New..., Open..., Save As..., etc. What do all those dots next to those menu commands mean?" A menu command followed by an ellipsis (...) means it will open a dialog box.

Stopping a Program from Loading

If you opened a program and it is taking an unusual amount of time to load, you can stop it from loading so you can do something else. To stop a program from finishing loading:
Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete to bring up the Task Manager. Select the program that you want to close.
Click End Task. This will close the program.

Numeric Keyboard Shortcuts

The numeric keypad on the right of your keyboard, which you probably never use, can be used as single-click keyboard shortcuts for launching your favorite applications. Here's how:

Create a shortcut on your desktop to the program you want to open (for example Paint.exe). Right click the shortcut then click the Shortcut tab. Click the cursor in Shortcut Key line and press once on the numeric keypad you want to associate to that program (say 4). You should then see an entry reading "Num 4". Click Apply then OK.

You have to have Num Lock on for this to work. You can set this on by default in BIOS settings. Or just click it on each time you boot. You can use all the numbers and some of the symbols, just avoid using + as this is used for other things.

Tips: Create a hot restart or shutdown shortcut on your desktop using WinBoost, and use the numeric keypad as its key. Now you can then close your computer with one click on that key. Or use this to open your internet connection.

Note: The shortcut must reside on your desktop or it won't work.

Two Documents, One Application

Double-click a text file icon, and the program associated with that file (NotePad) opens along with it. Double-click another text file, and the same NotePad opens a second window for the new file. If you don't like that sort of waste for your desktop taskbar space, follow these steps:

Drag the second text's icon to the NotePad's button on the taskbar and hold the mouse button down until the NotePad window opens. Release the mouse button. The NotePad opens the file. Use this general rule for your other applications.

Powerful WordPad

If you're a WordPad user mania, and have Microsoft Office installed on your hard disk, then get it facilities to make the most of your WordPad. From the WordPad menu, choose Insert + Object. In the Object Type list, find and double-click Microsoft Equation, Microsoft Graph, MS Organization Chart or Microsoft Draw (in Office 97). In a second or so, a frame appears within your document, and the Office toolbar appears at your WordPad screen. Edit your work, click Close after finished, and you are back into WordPad with the result.

Resize The Open or Save Dialog Boxes

Have you noticed that in Win98/Me the File - Open or Save dialog boxes on your applications (WordPad, Paint, NotePad, etc) can be resized instantaneously? Look at the lower right-hand corner of a File - Open or Save dialog box, if you see some diagonal lines, then you can easily resize it. Click on a corner and drag it to whatever size you want, which will make it much easier to view the files within the current folder. Windows 95 doesn't have this capability.

Shortcut to Favorite Folder

When trying to save a file from any program (like Excel, Word, or IE), the Save dialog box will open in a default folder (like Windows, My Documents, or Desktop). If you always save files in another favorite folder (maybe on another drive or networked computer), put a shortcut to that folder in the default folder.

To make the shortcut easier to find in the dialog box, start the file name with an exclamation mark. This folder shortcut will always be at the top of an alphabetically sorted listing. Now you can double-click on it to be transported to that favorite folder in an instant.

Hidden Counter for Your Applications

What is the most often run application on your system? Notepad, MS Word, FreeCell games or Internet Explorer? You can find out the exact number of how many times an application being launched for the last several days from the Opt.log file. Double click to open it with NotePad. This file located inside C:\Windows\Applog folder. It's a hidden folder in WinMe, so you need to turn it on through Windows Explorer setting, Tools - Folder Options - tab View.

Note: Optlog.txt actually needed by disk defragmenter whenever you want to optimize your most frequently accessed programs for speed.

Run a Program Every Hour

Have you ever want to run a program every hour, for example running the Disk Defragmenter? Unfortunately, by default Task Scheduler doesn't support this option. To get around this situation use this tip. First, open Task Scheduler (click Start, Settings, Control Panel, and double-click Scheduled Tasks). Double-click Add Scheduled Task. This will open the Scheduled Task Wizard. Click Next to continue and set up the first occurrence of your new task. Click Finish to close the dialog box and save your changes.

Now, double-click your new task to open it, click the Schedule tab, and click the Advanced button. Select the check box labeled Repeat task and then specify the time interval in minutes or hours. Next, select the Duration radio button and specify the length of time you want your program to repeat.

Preview for TIFF

Don't you know that you can preview TIFF files (*.TIF) within Explorer without using any extra graphic applications? To do so, install Windows Imaging (Use Control Panel, Add / Remove Programs, Accessories, Windows Setup, Imaging). Now see the TIFF file's property sheet. It contains the Image tab, complete with preview and file attributes, right-click one and select Properties to access it.

Faster Launch Time

If you want to get faster program launch time, here is a great tip: set the program to start in a minimized state. To do so, right-click on any shortcut and go to the Properties tab, on the Run section, select the Minimized option. Slower systems will see the biggest difference.

Rename My Documents Folder

You can't simply delete the My Documents folder without causing problems, but maybe you don't realize that you can rename it without consequences. The system will still recognize it as the default My Documents folder. All of MS Office applications and any new applications will automatically point there.