Anyone who's into instant messaging--and that would cover a large portion of the industrialized world--knows that having a bunch of chat clients running simultaneously can take a toll on system performance. The beauty of Trillian is it lets you talk to your Yahoo, AIM, MSN, and ICQ buddies in one interface. If you already have a username and a buddy list on one of those services, the program can quickly import that data. If you've never had an IM account, Trillian can help you set one up with very little hassle. Stop fooling with multiple windows, usernames, and passwords; Trillian embodies the spirit of one-stop shopping.
Most Popular in 2005
Ad-Aware SE Personal Edition
Scan your system for ad-supported software components and remove them.
Spyware Doctor
Remove Spyware, Adware, Trojan horses & Keyloggers with this popular and fast utility.
ICQ 5.04
Communicate instantly using the latest version of this popular chat client.
LimeWire
Search for and download files on the Gnutella network with this adware- and spyware-free P2P program.
iMesh
Find, download, and share MP3, video, and image files.
Morpheus
Search multiple P2P networks including BitTorrent to download MP3s, videos, games, and more.
Spybot - Search & Destroy
Search your hard disk and Registry for threats to your security and privacy.
WinZip
Handle ZIP files with ease with this popular utility.
All-in-One Secretmaker
Avoid spyware, intruders, spam, banner ads, and pop-ups while protecting your privacy.
Registry Mechanic
Scan and clean up your registry to improve your system's performance.
BitComet
Share and download files from BitTorrent and chat with your friends.
WinRAR
Manage RAR and ZIP archives.
DivX Play Bundle with DivX Player
Create and watch videos in the DivX video format.
RealPlayer
Get the latest free version of this media player and jukebox from RealNetworks.
Alcohol 120%
Create virtual CD/DVD-ROMs and burn backup copies of your favorite discs.
IrfanView
Try a fast and flexible image viewer and editor.
Webshots Desktop
Put a new photo on your desktop every day of the year with this customizable screensaver and wallpaper tool.
Download Accelerator Plus
Improve download speeds, resume broken downloads, and find mirror sites.
Trillian
Chat with all your friends on mIRC, AIM, ICQ, MSN, and Yahoo Messenger.
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Read Adobe PDF files on your desktop or on the Web.
When it comes to utilities, here are 10 of our frugal favorites.
SmartFTP
SmartFTP is one of our favorite FTP clients, thanks to its customizable interface and intuitive drag-and-drop transfers. Best of all, it comes loaded with enough functionality to satisfy the novice and the expert alike.
Spybot - Search & Destroy
If any piece of freeware deserves the name of a would-be James Bond flick, this is it. In addition to removing invasive programs, the added Secure Shredder function absolutely annihilates troublesome files.
HijackThis
This lightweight program offers a simple, powerful remedy for the pesky spyware and adware that manages to get past other tools. Novice users should be mindful about what they're tossing out, but this is ideal for the infection you just can't seem to shake.
Easy Uninstaller
Of course it's a gas to try out all kinds of software applications, but sooner or later, some will wear out their welcome. For a simple, one-step housecleaner, we like Easy Uninstaller, which allows the removal of multiple programs in a few easy clicks.
Microsoft Windows AntiSpyware
A great all-around spyware killer, Microsoft's free tool is quick, straightforward, and populated by those adorable little characters. Absent-minded users will like the ability to schedule regular scans, as well as the frequent updates.
BCArchive
This no-frills program makes is easy to encrypt sensitive files in a short amount of time. BCArchive is tiny and quick, and with an option for self-decrypting files, secure transfers don't depend on all parties installing the software.
ZipGenius
With its cuddly interface and ability to work with nearly any file format you throw at it, ZipGenius is one of the best compression applications anywhere. Whether you're sending off an archive of files to a friend via e-mail or unzipping downloads (something we do often, believe it or not), this program is easy to use, easy on your hard drive, and easy on the wallet.
HijackThis
This lightweight program offers a simple, powerful remedy for the pesky spyware and adware that manages to get past other tools. Novice users should be mindful about what they're tossing out, but this is ideal for the infection you just can't seem to shake.
FreeRAM XP Pro
If you want to boost PC performance without taking a hit in the pocket, this little nugget does the trick. With the snazzy tray icon, you can even keep an eye on your system's performance when things start to slow down.
SpeedFan
Granted, SpeedFan might be a little geeky for Grandma, but if your machine tends to occasionally impersonate a jet engine, this handy diagnostic gizmo will be very useful. Compact and simple, this program clinches the deal with fan and temperature monitoring.
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
This competent virus scanner has everything covered, from the creation of a backup rescue disk to daily updates for virus definitions. The application's curiously, ahem, busy interface isn't going to win any beauty contests, but for functionality and price, it's among the best.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Skype
E-mail and instant messages are certainly efficient communication tools, but some complain they lack the personal touch of traditional mediums such as the telephone. Skype combines the best of both worlds, allowing you to place free PC-to-PC voice calls around the world via VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) technology. Of course, to use the service you'll have to plunk down a few bucks for a microphone, and any call recipients will need to install Skype, too. Also, you'll need to sign up for a paid service if you intend to call a landline or cellular phones. VoIP may not have reached critical mass yet, but this is one technology that's on the way up.
Nero 7 Ultra Edition
Nero is one of the best-known names in disc-burning software, and once you take a look at this comprehensive suite of tools, you'll know why. Nero 6 Ultra Edition goes far beyond the standard CD- and-DVD-burning formula, packing in features such as the ability to watch and record TV, a cover-creation utility, audio-mixing and audio-editing tools, and a file converter. At $80, Nero Ultra is the most expensive of our 20 essential programs, but we think you'll agree it's a fine investment.
iTunes
Just because Windows Media Player came installed on your PC doesn't mean you should skip Apple's much-loved jukebox. This looker lives up to all the hype, with an exquisite design and a laundry list of features, including multiple EQ presets, visualizations, and CD ripping. iTunes also is a necessity if you plan to patronize Apple's megapopular online music store. If you've never used the program, you might want to take a look at Download.com's iTunes Advanced feature, which provides basic tips along with advice for more seasoned folks.
FastStone Image Viewer
Programs such as Photoshop offer a full-fledged workshop for editing and creating images, but they're too powerful, complicated, and expensive for casual photographers. True to its name, this intuitive program does indeed let you view your pics, but it also does much more. For starters, it can convert and rename images in batches--a handy, timesaving feature. It also provides a decent set of basic editing tools, including those for cropping, rotating, removing red-eye, and adjusting brightness, color, and contrast. FastStone Image Viewer can even display your photos as a slide show, complete with your favorite songs. There's a lot to like here, and nothing to pay.
WinZip
Like the aforementioned Adobe Acrobat Reader, WinZip may not be flashy, but it's one of those programs you won't want to go without for very long. Not only does the program prove capable of transforming large batches of files into a much smaller archive, it also boasts extras such as encryption and virus checking. Most notably, WinZip's ease of use can't be beat; even Luddites will quickly get up to speed, thanks to the inclusion of multiple wizards.
TweakNow RegCleaner
Installing and uninstalling loads of software can leave your machine's registry a mess and lead to decreased system performance. To combat this problem, many habitual downloaders turn to TweakNow RegCleaner, a simple app that takes a no-nonsense approach to Registry optimization. The program lets you know which junk and invalid keys are safe to delete, but you should still use the built-in Registry backup tool before wiping away problems. We always make sure to run this speedy little number at least once a week, and we suggest you do the same.
RoboForm
No one would argue that the Internet has made everyday tasks--such as paying bills, shopping, and banking--unbelievably convenient. The downside is that many users find themselves buried under a mountain of half-remembered logins, passwords, and credit card numbers. If this describes you, you'll certainly appreciate RoboForm, a tool that automatically fills in Web-based forms for you. Since the program encrypts your data, you won't need to fret about security. You can even use RoboForm to generate passwords hackers will never guess. You'll lose some of the application's functionality unless you register after 30 days, but even if you don't buy it RoboForm will generate passwords and store 10 logins, making it worth the download.
NoteTab Light
Windows' built-in text editor could be the poster child for the phrase bare bones. Notepad works fine for the simplest text-editing chores, but most users will appreciate the additional functionality found in NoteTab Light. Tabs let you easily access multiple text documents from one interface, and the program even provides templates and macros for writing basic lines of HTML. NoteTab Light also provides more editing tools than Notepad, and since the program is free and comes in a tiny package, there's no reason not to keep it around.
Mozilla Firefox
Internet Explorer's decline in popularity can be directly attributed to the rise of spiffy alternative browsers such as Mozilla Firefox. Long known for providing a more secure surfing experience than Microsoft, this top-rated browser has an extremely potent pop-up blocker that's become one of its calling cards. Even though IE eventually ponied up with its own ad-stopping features, it still lacks the convenience of tabbed browsing, a perk Firefox hasn't neglected. If you haven't already hopped on the alternative-browser bandwagon, this is a fine place to start.
ChoiceMail Free
Due to antispam legislation, unsolicited e-mail isn't as big of a problem as it was a few years ago. Still, spam is prevalent, and it's just as annoying as ever. If you're using Outlook Express as your primary e-mail client, make sure to get your hands on ChoiceMail Free, which blocks spam with a challenge/response methodology. Under this system, all your contacts will have to verify their identities to correspond with your e-mail address. This may initially seem like a hassle, but it's not really a big deal, and it all but guarantees that unsavory bulk e-mailers won't find their way into your in-box.
BCArchive
You may not be an international person of mystery, but chances are you have a few secrets you'd like to keep. That's where encryption utilities come into play. BCArchive provides all the essentials in an easy-to-use package. The program lets you lock down files according to a number of secure algorithms and can create self-decrypting archives so you can share sensitive data with others, even if they don't have BCArchive on their machines.
Asmw Eraser Pro
By default, Web browsers log information about what sites you've been visiting via cookies and temporary Internet files. Needless to say, such information can be potentially embarrassing if you share your PC with other users. Although you can manually wipe away these tracks by digging into your browser of choice, Asmw Eraser Pro offers a more convenient way to clean the slate. The program removes your fingerprints from a number of popular applications and deletes potentially incriminating files so they can't be recovered. You can even schedule Asmw Eraser Pro to continuously clean up after you in the background.
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Though the vast majority of average users will never need the PDF-creation tools of Adobe Acrobat Professional, just about everyone will want to have Acrobat Reader on hand. Without this freebie, your computer will not be able to decipher documents encoded in Adobe's ubiquitous Portable Document Format. Though this stalwart isn't exactly exciting, it should be a required download for every person who owns a computer. It also has the distinction of being one of the few applications we've enshrined in Download.com's Hall of Fame.
ZoneAlarm
A firewall should be one of the very first programs you put on your machine. If you don't already know, a firewall is absolutely essential in preventing hackers and other cyberthreats from accessing your PC. Unfortunately, many of them can be tough to configure, baffling even seasoned geeks. Not so for ZoneAlarm, one of the most trusted firewall utilities on the scene. The program walks you through the set-up process, offers several levels of security, and doesn't overload you with a bunch of highly technical jargon. Just set it and forget it, and you'll sleep well at night.
Webroot Spy Sweeper
The bad news is that Spy Sweeper isn't free. The good news is that it's worth every penny of the $30 registration fee. Spy Sweeper's real-time protection shield is one of its major advantages, alerting you when unwelcome guests attempt to clandestinely infiltrate your machine. The program's scanner is fast, and results are nearly flawless, thanks to Webroot's top-notch research-and-development team. Even though we recommend you keep multiple antispyware solutions close at hand, Spy Sweeper is powerful enough to act as a standalone solution.
Spybot - Search & Destroy
Like Ad-Aware, Spybot - Search & Destroy has played a prominent role in the history of the Great Spyware War. Also like Ad-Aware, it's completely free. Spybot, however, boasts a number of convenient extras, such as a full-fledged scheduler and a file shredder. It's also no slouch when it comes to sniffing out malicious software. We should note that when it comes to antispyware utilities, you can never have too many, so you may want to load up on a few more freebies, including Microsoft AntiSpyware and Spyware Doctor.
HijackThis
Anyone who's been in the ring with spyware knows some opponents just refuse to go down. If your arsenal of spyware-removal tools has failed to eighty-six a particularly devious intruder, this program could be one of your last hopes before reformatting. But unless you're a serious computer surgeon, you'll probably need to consult a Web-based forum to make sense of the program's scan results. (For more information, read our HijackThis tutorial.) Though you won't use it every day, sooner or later you'll be glad you have HijackThis.
AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition
You may think you'll have to fork over a few twenties to get competent virus protection, but that's not necessarily the case. True to its name, AVG Anti-Virus Free Edition keeps your computer safe from the Internet's latest hazards at no cost. Of course, the program lets you manually update its definitions at your leisure, but we recommend enabling the scheduling feature, which will check for updates every day at the time of your choice. Eventually, you might want to pay to upgrade to the Professional version, or you may decide to buy another antivirus suite altogether. Regardless, you should make downloading AVG Free a top priority as soon as your computer is connected to the Internet.
Advanced Virus and Spyware Protection Made Simple
What is there to say about Ad-Aware we haven't said before? We've been known to give this venerable antispyware utility a fair amount of print, and the attention is well-justified. Simply put, Ad-Aware is extremely effective at finding and removing the Web's most notorious spyware components, as well as the newest and deadliest threats. Bells and whistles are not this program's thing, but Ad-Aware keeps the focus where it belongs: on rock-solid protection.
Every time you go online to email, pay bills, download a file, or check in with your friends on Facebook or Twitter, you are exposed to potential identity thieves and Internet threats, like viruses, spyware, trojans, and keyloggers.
Ad-Aware gives you the power to combat the cyber threats of today — and tomorrow — with proactive real-time protection, rootkit removal technology, and easy-to-use "set-and-forget" functionality — so that you can use the Internet how, when, and where you want, knowing you're safe online.
Why Choose Ad-Aware?
With over 400 million downloads, Ad-Aware is the world's most trusted Internet protection, and is rated #1 in malware detection by independent testing organization, Virus Bulletin.
Learn more about how Ad-Aware measured up to the competition.
Every time you go online to email, pay bills, download a file, or check in with your friends on Facebook or Twitter, you are exposed to potential identity thieves and Internet threats, like viruses, spyware, trojans, and keyloggers.
Ad-Aware gives you the power to combat the cyber threats of today — and tomorrow — with proactive real-time protection, rootkit removal technology, and easy-to-use "set-and-forget" functionality — so that you can use the Internet how, when, and where you want, knowing you're safe online.
Why Choose Ad-Aware?
With over 400 million downloads, Ad-Aware is the world's most trusted Internet protection, and is rated #1 in malware detection by independent testing organization, Virus Bulletin.
Learn more about how Ad-Aware measured up to the competition.
Clean Your PC for Optimal Performance
Mouse
Start with your mouse. You should clean your mouse every week. Simply remove the bottom and the mouse ball will fall right out. Make sure you catch it or you may be playing cat and mouse or chase the ball. Gently rub the rods and rollers inside until all lint is removed and your mouse is clean.
CPU Fans
The fans inside your computer system are a mixed blessing: On the plus side, they move air over heat-generating components, helping to keep your system cool. But they also concentrate dust both on the fans and inside your CPU case, which can cause heat buildup.
To get the maximum benefit from the fans, you need to clean out the dust at least twice a year. Go to your local computer or office supply store and buy a mini-vacuum cleaner and a can of compressed air. With these in hand, unplug your computer and open its case. Once it's open, be sure to touch the power supply periodically to discharge chip-frying static electricity.
CPU - [Mother Board, RAM and Other Chips]
Use the compressed air to clean dust from chips, circuit boards, and fan blades. The compressed air helps to clump the dust particles together, making it easier to pick them out or vacuum them up. With a clean system, your fans will do a better job keeping things cool.
Computer Desk
If your PC is located near a window, use blinds or shades to keep direct sunlight off the system. Leave space behind and above your system and monitor for air to freely circulate. Don't stack papers, disks, or anything else on top of any computer component.
Locate your PC where it is as free as possible from dust, dirt, pollen, and pet hair. Such contaminants coat the components inside your PC, interfering with the cooling action of your PC's fans
Get the supplies you need to organize your work area and keep your computer clean. Floppy and CD-ROM cases or racks File racks with folders for each family member's printouts.
Keyboard
Before you clean your keyboard, turn your computer off. Next, write down the locations of the keys so you can put them back in the right places. Use a thin screwdriver or a butter knife to gently pry up the rectangular keycaps.
Don't try to remove the Space Bar, Shift, Enter, or any other oversize keys -- it can be difficult to put them back in place. If liquid is present, sop it up with a paper towel. Use compressed air to remove hair, dust, and other loose materials.
If you find built-up gunk, use a mild household cleaner on a cotton swap to clean it up. Gently but firmly press each keycap back in place, following the layout in your diagram.
Start with your mouse. You should clean your mouse every week. Simply remove the bottom and the mouse ball will fall right out. Make sure you catch it or you may be playing cat and mouse or chase the ball. Gently rub the rods and rollers inside until all lint is removed and your mouse is clean.
CPU Fans
The fans inside your computer system are a mixed blessing: On the plus side, they move air over heat-generating components, helping to keep your system cool. But they also concentrate dust both on the fans and inside your CPU case, which can cause heat buildup.
To get the maximum benefit from the fans, you need to clean out the dust at least twice a year. Go to your local computer or office supply store and buy a mini-vacuum cleaner and a can of compressed air. With these in hand, unplug your computer and open its case. Once it's open, be sure to touch the power supply periodically to discharge chip-frying static electricity.
CPU - [Mother Board, RAM and Other Chips]
Use the compressed air to clean dust from chips, circuit boards, and fan blades. The compressed air helps to clump the dust particles together, making it easier to pick them out or vacuum them up. With a clean system, your fans will do a better job keeping things cool.
Computer Desk
If your PC is located near a window, use blinds or shades to keep direct sunlight off the system. Leave space behind and above your system and monitor for air to freely circulate. Don't stack papers, disks, or anything else on top of any computer component.
Locate your PC where it is as free as possible from dust, dirt, pollen, and pet hair. Such contaminants coat the components inside your PC, interfering with the cooling action of your PC's fans
Get the supplies you need to organize your work area and keep your computer clean. Floppy and CD-ROM cases or racks File racks with folders for each family member's printouts.
Keyboard
Before you clean your keyboard, turn your computer off. Next, write down the locations of the keys so you can put them back in the right places. Use a thin screwdriver or a butter knife to gently pry up the rectangular keycaps.
Don't try to remove the Space Bar, Shift, Enter, or any other oversize keys -- it can be difficult to put them back in place. If liquid is present, sop it up with a paper towel. Use compressed air to remove hair, dust, and other loose materials.
If you find built-up gunk, use a mild household cleaner on a cotton swap to clean it up. Gently but firmly press each keycap back in place, following the layout in your diagram.
Perk up your Windows XP
1. Speedup the Start menu
The Start menu takes quite a while to display the list of programs installed. In order to get Windows XP to display the list faster, you will have to edit the registry settings. But before you set about doing this, remember to back up your registry before making any changes. To speed up your Start menu, go to Start > Run and type regedit. This will open the registry window. Then navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
\Control Panel\Desktop folder. Thereafter, scroll down in the right panel and double-click on the menu ‘Show Delay File’. In the Value Data box, change the default value for the menu speed from 400 to a lesser number, such as 1 or even 0. Click OK. You should now find a significant increase in the Start menu speed.
2. Modifying visual settings
If you have only 128 MB RAM, your machine might be a bit sluggish after installing Windows XP. So to achieve optimal performance without buying additional RAM, disable certain visual settings and free up some precious memory. Go to the Control Panel, click on the Advanced tab in System, and choose Settings under the Performance option. Change various graphical effects. Uncheck the animation and shadow options as they tend to consume a lot of memory. You should get a better response from your OS now without spending any money on RAM.
3. Grouping/ungrouping taskbar items
Try opening more than three windows of any program, for instance Internet Explorer, and you will see them automatically grouped together under a single button. This happens because Windows XP, by default, enables the option for grouping similar programs on the taskbar. To uncheck this option, right-click on a blank area of the Taskbar and select Properties. Under Properties, deselect ‘Group Similar Taskbar Buttons’, and then click OK.
If you want to specify the number of windows before Window XP groups the program windows, you will have to navigate to the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Taskbar Groupsize. Now right-click on Taskbar Groupsize and change the hexadecimal value to whatever you like (for example, 4 or 5 or even 10). XP will now group the programs according to the number you set.
4. Disabling Automatic Windows Update and System Restore
There are certain services such as Windows Update and System Restore, which are automatically loaded and occupy a lot of space. If you would like to disable them, right-click on My Computer and choose Properties. Click on the System Restore tab and check the box ‘Turn off System Restore’. This will increase Windows performance and save disk space.
Similarly, locate the ‘Automatic Update’ option just next to ‘System Restore’. This option will periodically ask you to update the OS. You can go ahead and disable this, but remember that you will have to update Windows manually after applying this option since there will be no reminders.
5. Creating personal screensavers
You can use your photographs for creating slide show presentations or even creating a screensaver. Right-click an empty spot on your desktop, choose Properties, and click the Screensaver tab. In the Screensaver list, click on ‘My Pictures Slideshow’, and click ‘Settings’ to make any adjustments such as how often the pictures should change, their size and whether you would like to use transition effects between pictures. Click OK to finish. The screensaver that will now be generated will display photographs from the My Pictures
folder in a random manner.
6. Increasing connection speed
Some of us may find that after installing Windows XP, the Internet connection gets slower. A possible reason for this is the QoS (Quality of Service) installed. This service reserves 20 per cent of the bandwidth for itself, even with QoS disabled. In order to remove this reserved quota, you will have to make sure you are logged on as Administrator. Go to Start > Run and type gpedit.msc. Expand the ‘local computer policy’ branch, the ‘administrative templates’ branch, and the ‘network’ branch. Highlight the ‘QoS Packet Scheduler’ in the left window and in the right window double-click the ‘limit reservable bandwidth’ setting. Then, on the Setting tab, check the ‘enabled’ item and change the ‘Bandwidth limit %’ to read 0. After doing this, you should immediately notice a boost in your Internet connection speed.
7. Bridging connections
If you’d like to connect two or more computers via LAN, then you should utilize the Network Bridge option provided in Windows XP. There is no configuration required and you do not need to purchase additional hardware such as routers or bridges. IP addressing, address allocation, and name resolution is highly simplified in a single subnet IP network. To use this feature you
will have to open Network Connections. Under LAN or High-Speed Internet, select each of the private network connections that you want to be part of the bridge. Right-click one of the highlighted private network connections and click Bridge Connections.
8. Removing MSN Messenger
How do you remove MSN Messenger in Windows XP? Not from the Add/Remove program list but by locating SYSOC.INF in the \Windows\INF folder (hidden file and folder). Open it in Notepad and locate the line: msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
Remove the word ‘hide’ from the line and save the file. After making the necessary changes, you’ll be able to see MSN Messenger in the Add/Remove Windows components list. You can then remove it for good.
9. Renaming multiple batch files
In Windows XP, you can easily rename multiple files at a single go and save a lot of time. Click Start and click My Pictures or the folder where you have saved the pictures. Switch the view from the default Filmstrip to Thumbnails by clicking the Views button on the toolbar. Select all the pictures you want to rename by highlighting the last picture you want, then press and hold down the [Shift] key until you include all the pictures that have to be renamed, ending with the first picture in the list. Right-click the first picture, and then click Rename. Rename the first picture, and then click in the white space next to one of the pictures. The pictures are renamed all at once!
10. Creating boot-up disk
In order to create a bootable floppy disk in XP, insert a floppy and go to the floppy icon in My Computer. There you will have to right-click the floppy drive icon and click on the Format option. You will see the option ‘Create MS-DOS Start up Disk’. After creating the boot up disk, you will be able to boot into Windows XP using this disk.
The Start menu takes quite a while to display the list of programs installed. In order to get Windows XP to display the list faster, you will have to edit the registry settings. But before you set about doing this, remember to back up your registry before making any changes. To speed up your Start menu, go to Start > Run and type regedit. This will open the registry window. Then navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
\Control Panel\Desktop folder. Thereafter, scroll down in the right panel and double-click on the menu ‘Show Delay File’. In the Value Data box, change the default value for the menu speed from 400 to a lesser number, such as 1 or even 0. Click OK. You should now find a significant increase in the Start menu speed.
2. Modifying visual settings
If you have only 128 MB RAM, your machine might be a bit sluggish after installing Windows XP. So to achieve optimal performance without buying additional RAM, disable certain visual settings and free up some precious memory. Go to the Control Panel, click on the Advanced tab in System, and choose Settings under the Performance option. Change various graphical effects. Uncheck the animation and shadow options as they tend to consume a lot of memory. You should get a better response from your OS now without spending any money on RAM.
3. Grouping/ungrouping taskbar items
Try opening more than three windows of any program, for instance Internet Explorer, and you will see them automatically grouped together under a single button. This happens because Windows XP, by default, enables the option for grouping similar programs on the taskbar. To uncheck this option, right-click on a blank area of the Taskbar and select Properties. Under Properties, deselect ‘Group Similar Taskbar Buttons’, and then click OK.
If you want to specify the number of windows before Window XP groups the program windows, you will have to navigate to the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Taskbar Groupsize. Now right-click on Taskbar Groupsize and change the hexadecimal value to whatever you like (for example, 4 or 5 or even 10). XP will now group the programs according to the number you set.
4. Disabling Automatic Windows Update and System Restore
There are certain services such as Windows Update and System Restore, which are automatically loaded and occupy a lot of space. If you would like to disable them, right-click on My Computer and choose Properties. Click on the System Restore tab and check the box ‘Turn off System Restore’. This will increase Windows performance and save disk space.
Similarly, locate the ‘Automatic Update’ option just next to ‘System Restore’. This option will periodically ask you to update the OS. You can go ahead and disable this, but remember that you will have to update Windows manually after applying this option since there will be no reminders.
5. Creating personal screensavers
You can use your photographs for creating slide show presentations or even creating a screensaver. Right-click an empty spot on your desktop, choose Properties, and click the Screensaver tab. In the Screensaver list, click on ‘My Pictures Slideshow’, and click ‘Settings’ to make any adjustments such as how often the pictures should change, their size and whether you would like to use transition effects between pictures. Click OK to finish. The screensaver that will now be generated will display photographs from the My Pictures
folder in a random manner.
6. Increasing connection speed
Some of us may find that after installing Windows XP, the Internet connection gets slower. A possible reason for this is the QoS (Quality of Service) installed. This service reserves 20 per cent of the bandwidth for itself, even with QoS disabled. In order to remove this reserved quota, you will have to make sure you are logged on as Administrator. Go to Start > Run and type gpedit.msc. Expand the ‘local computer policy’ branch, the ‘administrative templates’ branch, and the ‘network’ branch. Highlight the ‘QoS Packet Scheduler’ in the left window and in the right window double-click the ‘limit reservable bandwidth’ setting. Then, on the Setting tab, check the ‘enabled’ item and change the ‘Bandwidth limit %’ to read 0. After doing this, you should immediately notice a boost in your Internet connection speed.
7. Bridging connections
If you’d like to connect two or more computers via LAN, then you should utilize the Network Bridge option provided in Windows XP. There is no configuration required and you do not need to purchase additional hardware such as routers or bridges. IP addressing, address allocation, and name resolution is highly simplified in a single subnet IP network. To use this feature you
will have to open Network Connections. Under LAN or High-Speed Internet, select each of the private network connections that you want to be part of the bridge. Right-click one of the highlighted private network connections and click Bridge Connections.
8. Removing MSN Messenger
How do you remove MSN Messenger in Windows XP? Not from the Add/Remove program list but by locating SYSOC.INF in the \Windows\INF folder (hidden file and folder). Open it in Notepad and locate the line: msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
Remove the word ‘hide’ from the line and save the file. After making the necessary changes, you’ll be able to see MSN Messenger in the Add/Remove Windows components list. You can then remove it for good.
9. Renaming multiple batch files
In Windows XP, you can easily rename multiple files at a single go and save a lot of time. Click Start and click My Pictures or the folder where you have saved the pictures. Switch the view from the default Filmstrip to Thumbnails by clicking the Views button on the toolbar. Select all the pictures you want to rename by highlighting the last picture you want, then press and hold down the [Shift] key until you include all the pictures that have to be renamed, ending with the first picture in the list. Right-click the first picture, and then click Rename. Rename the first picture, and then click in the white space next to one of the pictures. The pictures are renamed all at once!
10. Creating boot-up disk
In order to create a bootable floppy disk in XP, insert a floppy and go to the floppy icon in My Computer. There you will have to right-click the floppy drive icon and click on the Format option. You will see the option ‘Create MS-DOS Start up Disk’. After creating the boot up disk, you will be able to boot into Windows XP using this disk.
Tips and Tricks to Master the Web
1. Receipt notification
If you have a really important message and need to know if it’s been received, use a feature called Read Receipt in Outlook Express. This feature is available on most e-mail clients and requests the recipient to confirm that he has received the message by a return e-mail.
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 on the Receipts tab and tick ‘Request a read receipt for all sent messages’. Remember, the read receipt confirmation is dependent on the e-mail client the recipient is using and also whether he wants to send the confirmation.
2. Adding signatures to your e-mail
If you send a lot of mail each day, then a repetitive task like signing your name at the end of each mail can be quite tedious. It’s easier to create a signature and attach it automatically to every mail that’s sent. To do this in Outlook Express, go to Tools > Options > Signatures. 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. In case 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 option to append a file that contains the signature you have created. If you happen to have multiple e-mail accounts, select the account with which you want to send the signature. To do this, go to Tools > Options > Signatures and click on the Advanced button near the Edit Signature tab. A new box will appear saying ‘Advanced Signature Settings’ where you can select the account with which the signature should be automatically added.
3. Auto-respond facility
Won’t be checking mail for some time? Activate a feature called ‘vacation reply’ (if you are using a Web-based service). Most e-mail services such as Indiatimes provide this feature which can be activated through the options menu. You can type a short message which will be sent to all who e-mail you while you are away. In Outlook Express, you can do this from Tools > Message Rules > Mail and clicking on the New Rule option. Select the ‘For all Messages’ options from the condition for your rule field and in the Action select Reply with a message. You will have to select a message that you have already created and saved.
4. 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 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.
5. Disable MSN Messenger from auto-starting
Whenever one opens Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook XP, MSN Messenger loads automatically. To disable it, go to Tools > Options in Outlook Express and uncheck ‘Automatically log on to MSN Messenger Service’. Then go to View > Layout and uncheck the option of Contacts. In Microsoft Outlook XP, go to Tools > Options > Other and uncheck ‘Enable MSN Messenger’. The over-eager Messenger won’t be so eager now!
6. Optimising your Inbox
A three-step process to ensure that your Inbox never looks cluttered.
1. Organising: Outlook Express allows you to create folders within which mail can be organised. To create a new folder in Outlook Express, go to File > Folder > New. This will display the directory tree of your Inbox. Just 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 quite useful, especially if you have multiple accounts configured on the same identity or to sort out e-mail messages on the basis of sender, subject, etc.
2. Filtering: Message Rules can automatically sort your mail into the appropriate folder as soon as it is downloaded. Specify the folders where you want the messages to be downloaded based on names in the From address, names in the To address, certain words in the Subject line or in 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. In Outlook Express, go to Tools > Message Rules and click on Mail. You will get a list of the message rules you have created. Click on ‘Apply Now...’, select the rules to apply, and click on Apply to filter your existing folder.
3. Grouping: Outlook Express allows you to group e-mail messages on the basis of 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 on the basis of the subject line and the messages that are a reply to that particular subject are grouped together. A ‘+’ sign next to a message indicates responses based on that subject.
7. Download Mail to your PC
If you use a Web-based e-mail service, such as those run by Yahoo! and MSN, download a copy of your mail directly to your browser. This is much quicker than using the bandwidth-hungry Web interface and also allows you to access your mail without having to be connected to the Internet. To do this first add a new account by going to Tools > Accounts > Add and select the Mail option. You will be prompted for personal details and account information.
Select the POP3 server option in the screen that asks you for your e-mail server information and enter the appropriate POP3 server address for incoming mail.
8. Browsing offline
Quite often you may want to refer to a page that you have visited at some point in time. While finding the link in your browser’s History is not too difficult, you can view the site without actually logging on to the Internet by going to File > Work Offline. Then just click on a link in your History folder to view the complete page from your hard disk.
9. PC-to-PC calls
Buddy Phone, Yahoo! and MSN Messenger allow users to make phone calls from one computer to another, provided both computers are online. If you would like to use this facility in MSN Messenger, select your friend’s name from the list and go to Actions > Start a voice conversation. This can also be done by right-clicking on the person’s name and selecting the option of ‘Start a Voice Conversation’. After the opposite person has accepted your request, you can start talking into the microphone.
10. Split files
Splitting files can increase download speeds tremendously in FlashGet. Usually, splitting the file in three or five segments is sufficient. However, if you are downloading a particularly large file which is available from several servers, you could get better speeds by increasing the number of segments being downloaded simultaneously.
The number of segments that you want the file in can be set in the option box that pops up when a download begins. Just set the option for the number of segments that you want the file to be split into.
If you have a really important message and need to know if it’s been received, use a feature called Read Receipt in Outlook Express. This feature is available on most e-mail clients and requests the recipient to confirm that he has received the message by a return e-mail.
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 on the Receipts tab and tick ‘Request a read receipt for all sent messages’. Remember, the read receipt confirmation is dependent on the e-mail client the recipient is using and also whether he wants to send the confirmation.
2. Adding signatures to your e-mail
If you send a lot of mail each day, then a repetitive task like signing your name at the end of each mail can be quite tedious. It’s easier to create a signature and attach it automatically to every mail that’s sent. To do this in Outlook Express, go to Tools > Options > Signatures. 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. In case 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 option to append a file that contains the signature you have created. If you happen to have multiple e-mail accounts, select the account with which you want to send the signature. To do this, go to Tools > Options > Signatures and click on the Advanced button near the Edit Signature tab. A new box will appear saying ‘Advanced Signature Settings’ where you can select the account with which the signature should be automatically added.
3. Auto-respond facility
Won’t be checking mail for some time? Activate a feature called ‘vacation reply’ (if you are using a Web-based service). Most e-mail services such as Indiatimes provide this feature which can be activated through the options menu. You can type a short message which will be sent to all who e-mail you while you are away. In Outlook Express, you can do this from Tools > Message Rules > Mail and clicking on the New Rule option. Select the ‘For all Messages’ options from the condition for your rule field and in the Action select Reply with a message. You will have to select a message that you have already created and saved.
4. 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 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.
5. Disable MSN Messenger from auto-starting
Whenever one opens Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook XP, MSN Messenger loads automatically. To disable it, go to Tools > Options in Outlook Express and uncheck ‘Automatically log on to MSN Messenger Service’. Then go to View > Layout and uncheck the option of Contacts. In Microsoft Outlook XP, go to Tools > Options > Other and uncheck ‘Enable MSN Messenger’. The over-eager Messenger won’t be so eager now!
6. Optimising your Inbox
A three-step process to ensure that your Inbox never looks cluttered.
1. Organising: Outlook Express allows you to create folders within which mail can be organised. To create a new folder in Outlook Express, go to File > Folder > New. This will display the directory tree of your Inbox. Just 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 quite useful, especially if you have multiple accounts configured on the same identity or to sort out e-mail messages on the basis of sender, subject, etc.
2. Filtering: Message Rules can automatically sort your mail into the appropriate folder as soon as it is downloaded. Specify the folders where you want the messages to be downloaded based on names in the From address, names in the To address, certain words in the Subject line or in 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. In Outlook Express, go to Tools > Message Rules and click on Mail. You will get a list of the message rules you have created. Click on ‘Apply Now...’, select the rules to apply, and click on Apply to filter your existing folder.
3. Grouping: Outlook Express allows you to group e-mail messages on the basis of 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 on the basis of the subject line and the messages that are a reply to that particular subject are grouped together. A ‘+’ sign next to a message indicates responses based on that subject.
7. Download Mail to your PC
If you use a Web-based e-mail service, such as those run by Yahoo! and MSN, download a copy of your mail directly to your browser. This is much quicker than using the bandwidth-hungry Web interface and also allows you to access your mail without having to be connected to the Internet. To do this first add a new account by going to Tools > Accounts > Add and select the Mail option. You will be prompted for personal details and account information.
Select the POP3 server option in the screen that asks you for your e-mail server information and enter the appropriate POP3 server address for incoming mail.
8. Browsing offline
Quite often you may want to refer to a page that you have visited at some point in time. While finding the link in your browser’s History is not too difficult, you can view the site without actually logging on to the Internet by going to File > Work Offline. Then just click on a link in your History folder to view the complete page from your hard disk.
9. PC-to-PC calls
Buddy Phone, Yahoo! and MSN Messenger allow users to make phone calls from one computer to another, provided both computers are online. If you would like to use this facility in MSN Messenger, select your friend’s name from the list and go to Actions > Start a voice conversation. This can also be done by right-clicking on the person’s name and selecting the option of ‘Start a Voice Conversation’. After the opposite person has accepted your request, you can start talking into the microphone.
10. Split files
Splitting files can increase download speeds tremendously in FlashGet. Usually, splitting the file in three or five segments is sufficient. However, if you are downloading a particularly large file which is available from several servers, you could get better speeds by increasing the number of segments being downloaded simultaneously.
The number of segments that you want the file in can be set in the option box that pops up when a download begins. Just set the option for the number of segments that you want the file to be split into.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Clean Your PC for Optimal Performance
Mouse
Start with your mouse. You should clean your mouse every week. Simply remove the bottom and the mouse ball will fall right out. Make sure you catch it or you may be playing cat and mouse or chase the ball. Gently rub the rods and rollers inside until all lint is removed and your mouse is clean.
CPU Fans
The fans inside your computer system are a mixed blessing: On the plus side, they move air over heat-generating components, helping to keep your system cool. But they also concentrate dust both on the fans and inside your CPU case, which can cause heat buildup.
To get the maximum benefit from the fans, you need to clean out the dust at least twice a year. Go to your local computer or office supply store and buy a mini-vacuum cleaner and a can of compressed air. With these in hand, unplug your computer and open its case. Once it's open, be sure to touch the power supply periodically to discharge chip-frying static electricity.
CPU - [Mother Board, RAM and Other Chips]
Use the compressed air to clean dust from chips, circuit boards, and fan blades. The compressed air helps to clump the dust particles together, making it easier to pick them out or vacuum them up. With a clean system, your fans will do a better job keeping things cool.
Computer Desk
If your PC is located near a window, use blinds or shades to keep direct sunlight off the system. Leave space behind and above your system and monitor for air to freely circulate. Don't stack papers, disks, or anything else on top of any computer component.
Locate your PC where it is as free as possible from dust, dirt, pollen, and pet hair. Such contaminants coat the components inside your PC, interfering with the cooling action of your PC's fans
Get the supplies you need to organize your work area and keep your computer clean. Floppy and CD-ROM cases or racks File racks with folders for each family member's printouts.
Keyboard
Before you clean your keyboard, turn your computer off. Next, write down the locations of the keys so you can put them back in the right places. Use a thin screwdriver or a butter knife to gently pry up the rectangular keycaps.
Don't try to remove the Space Bar, Shift, Enter, or any other oversize keys -- it can be difficult to put them back in place. If liquid is present, sop it up with a paper towel. Use compressed air to remove hair, dust, and other loose materials.
If you find built-up gunk, use a mild household cleaner on a cotton swap to clean it up. Gently but firmly press each keycap back in place, following the layout in your diagram.
Start with your mouse. You should clean your mouse every week. Simply remove the bottom and the mouse ball will fall right out. Make sure you catch it or you may be playing cat and mouse or chase the ball. Gently rub the rods and rollers inside until all lint is removed and your mouse is clean.
CPU Fans
The fans inside your computer system are a mixed blessing: On the plus side, they move air over heat-generating components, helping to keep your system cool. But they also concentrate dust both on the fans and inside your CPU case, which can cause heat buildup.
To get the maximum benefit from the fans, you need to clean out the dust at least twice a year. Go to your local computer or office supply store and buy a mini-vacuum cleaner and a can of compressed air. With these in hand, unplug your computer and open its case. Once it's open, be sure to touch the power supply periodically to discharge chip-frying static electricity.
CPU - [Mother Board, RAM and Other Chips]
Use the compressed air to clean dust from chips, circuit boards, and fan blades. The compressed air helps to clump the dust particles together, making it easier to pick them out or vacuum them up. With a clean system, your fans will do a better job keeping things cool.
Computer Desk
If your PC is located near a window, use blinds or shades to keep direct sunlight off the system. Leave space behind and above your system and monitor for air to freely circulate. Don't stack papers, disks, or anything else on top of any computer component.
Locate your PC where it is as free as possible from dust, dirt, pollen, and pet hair. Such contaminants coat the components inside your PC, interfering with the cooling action of your PC's fans
Get the supplies you need to organize your work area and keep your computer clean. Floppy and CD-ROM cases or racks File racks with folders for each family member's printouts.
Keyboard
Before you clean your keyboard, turn your computer off. Next, write down the locations of the keys so you can put them back in the right places. Use a thin screwdriver or a butter knife to gently pry up the rectangular keycaps.
Don't try to remove the Space Bar, Shift, Enter, or any other oversize keys -- it can be difficult to put them back in place. If liquid is present, sop it up with a paper towel. Use compressed air to remove hair, dust, and other loose materials.
If you find built-up gunk, use a mild household cleaner on a cotton swap to clean it up. Gently but firmly press each keycap back in place, following the layout in your diagram.
Perk up your Windows XP
1. Speedup the Start menu
The Start menu takes quite a while to display the list of programs installed. In order to get Windows XP to display the list faster, you will have to edit the registry settings. But before you set about doing this, remember to back up your registry before making any changes. To speed up your Start menu, go to Start > Run and type regedit. This will open the registry window. Then navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
\Control Panel\Desktop folder. Thereafter, scroll down in the right panel and double-click on the menu ‘Show Delay File’. In the Value Data box, change the default value for the menu speed from 400 to a lesser number, such as 1 or even 0. Click OK. You should now find a significant increase in the Start menu speed.
2. Modifying visual settings
If you have only 128 MB RAM, your machine might be a bit sluggish after installing Windows XP. So to achieve optimal performance without buying additional RAM, disable certain visual settings and free up some precious memory. Go to the Control Panel, click on the Advanced tab in System, and choose Settings under the Performance option. Change various graphical effects. Uncheck the animation and shadow options as they tend to consume a lot of memory. You should get a better response from your OS now without spending any money on RAM.
3. Grouping/ungrouping taskbar items
Try opening more than three windows of any program, for instance Internet Explorer, and you will see them automatically grouped together under a single button. This happens because Windows XP, by default, enables the option for grouping similar programs on the taskbar. To uncheck this option, right-click on a blank area of the Taskbar and select Properties. Under Properties, deselect ‘Group Similar Taskbar Buttons’, and then click OK.
If you want to specify the number of windows before Window XP groups the program windows, you will have to navigate to the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Taskbar Groupsize. Now right-click on Taskbar Groupsize and change the hexadecimal value to whatever you like (for example, 4 or 5 or even 10). XP will now group the programs according to the number you set.
4. Disabling Automatic Windows Update and System Restore
There are certain services such as Windows Update and System Restore, which are automatically loaded and occupy a lot of space. If you would like to disable them, right-click on My Computer and choose Properties. Click on the System Restore tab and check the box ‘Turn off System Restore’. This will increase Windows performance and save disk space.
Similarly, locate the ‘Automatic Update’ option just next to ‘System Restore’. This option will periodically ask you to update the OS. You can go ahead and disable this, but remember that you will have to update Windows manually after applying this option since there will be no reminders.
5. Creating personal screensavers
You can use your photographs for creating slide show presentations or even creating a screensaver. Right-click an empty spot on your desktop, choose Properties, and click the Screensaver tab. In the Screensaver list, click on ‘My Pictures Slideshow’, and click ‘Settings’ to make any adjustments such as how often the pictures should change, their size and whether you would like to use transition effects between pictures. Click OK to finish. The screensaver that will now be generated will display photographs from the My Pictures
folder in a random manner.
6. Increasing connection speed
Some of us may find that after installing Windows XP, the Internet connection gets slower. A possible reason for this is the QoS (Quality of Service) installed. This service reserves 20 per cent of the bandwidth for itself, even with QoS disabled. In order to remove this reserved quota, you will have to make sure you are logged on as Administrator. Go to Start > Run and type gpedit.msc. Expand the ‘local computer policy’ branch, the ‘administrative templates’ branch, and the ‘network’ branch. Highlight the ‘QoS Packet Scheduler’ in the left window and in the right window double-click the ‘limit reservable bandwidth’ setting. Then, on the Setting tab, check the ‘enabled’ item and change the ‘Bandwidth limit %’ to read 0. After doing this, you should immediately notice a boost in your Internet connection speed.
7. Bridging connections
If you’d like to connect two or more computers via LAN, then you should utilize the Network Bridge option provided in Windows XP. There is no configuration required and you do not need to purchase additional hardware such as routers or bridges. IP addressing, address allocation, and name resolution is highly simplified in a single subnet IP network. To use this feature you
will have to open Network Connections. Under LAN or High-Speed Internet, select each of the private network connections that you want to be part of the bridge. Right-click one of the highlighted private network connections and click Bridge Connections.
8. Removing MSN Messenger
How do you remove MSN Messenger in Windows XP? Not from the Add/Remove program list but by locating SYSOC.INF in the \Windows\INF folder (hidden file and folder). Open it in Notepad and locate the line: msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
Remove the word ‘hide’ from the line and save the file. After making the necessary changes, you’ll be able to see MSN Messenger in the Add/Remove Windows components list. You can then remove it for good.
9. Renaming multiple batch files
In Windows XP, you can easily rename multiple files at a single go and save a lot of time. Click Start and click My Pictures or the folder where you have saved the pictures. Switch the view from the default Filmstrip to Thumbnails by clicking the Views button on the toolbar. Select all the pictures you want to rename by highlighting the last picture you want, then press and hold down the [Shift] key until you include all the pictures that have to be renamed, ending with the first picture in the list. Right-click the first picture, and then click Rename. Rename the first picture, and then click in the white space next to one of the pictures. The pictures are renamed all at once!
10. Creating boot-up disk
In order to create a bootable floppy disk in XP, insert a floppy and go to the floppy icon in My Computer. There you will have to right-click the floppy drive icon and click on the Format option. You will see the option ‘Create MS-DOS Start up Disk’. After creating the boot up disk, you will be able to boot into Windows XP using this disk.
The Start menu takes quite a while to display the list of programs installed. In order to get Windows XP to display the list faster, you will have to edit the registry settings. But before you set about doing this, remember to back up your registry before making any changes. To speed up your Start menu, go to Start > Run and type regedit. This will open the registry window. Then navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
\Control Panel\Desktop folder. Thereafter, scroll down in the right panel and double-click on the menu ‘Show Delay File’. In the Value Data box, change the default value for the menu speed from 400 to a lesser number, such as 1 or even 0. Click OK. You should now find a significant increase in the Start menu speed.
2. Modifying visual settings
If you have only 128 MB RAM, your machine might be a bit sluggish after installing Windows XP. So to achieve optimal performance without buying additional RAM, disable certain visual settings and free up some precious memory. Go to the Control Panel, click on the Advanced tab in System, and choose Settings under the Performance option. Change various graphical effects. Uncheck the animation and shadow options as they tend to consume a lot of memory. You should get a better response from your OS now without spending any money on RAM.
3. Grouping/ungrouping taskbar items
Try opening more than three windows of any program, for instance Internet Explorer, and you will see them automatically grouped together under a single button. This happens because Windows XP, by default, enables the option for grouping similar programs on the taskbar. To uncheck this option, right-click on a blank area of the Taskbar and select Properties. Under Properties, deselect ‘Group Similar Taskbar Buttons’, and then click OK.
If you want to specify the number of windows before Window XP groups the program windows, you will have to navigate to the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows \CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Taskbar Groupsize. Now right-click on Taskbar Groupsize and change the hexadecimal value to whatever you like (for example, 4 or 5 or even 10). XP will now group the programs according to the number you set.
4. Disabling Automatic Windows Update and System Restore
There are certain services such as Windows Update and System Restore, which are automatically loaded and occupy a lot of space. If you would like to disable them, right-click on My Computer and choose Properties. Click on the System Restore tab and check the box ‘Turn off System Restore’. This will increase Windows performance and save disk space.
Similarly, locate the ‘Automatic Update’ option just next to ‘System Restore’. This option will periodically ask you to update the OS. You can go ahead and disable this, but remember that you will have to update Windows manually after applying this option since there will be no reminders.
5. Creating personal screensavers
You can use your photographs for creating slide show presentations or even creating a screensaver. Right-click an empty spot on your desktop, choose Properties, and click the Screensaver tab. In the Screensaver list, click on ‘My Pictures Slideshow’, and click ‘Settings’ to make any adjustments such as how often the pictures should change, their size and whether you would like to use transition effects between pictures. Click OK to finish. The screensaver that will now be generated will display photographs from the My Pictures
folder in a random manner.
6. Increasing connection speed
Some of us may find that after installing Windows XP, the Internet connection gets slower. A possible reason for this is the QoS (Quality of Service) installed. This service reserves 20 per cent of the bandwidth for itself, even with QoS disabled. In order to remove this reserved quota, you will have to make sure you are logged on as Administrator. Go to Start > Run and type gpedit.msc. Expand the ‘local computer policy’ branch, the ‘administrative templates’ branch, and the ‘network’ branch. Highlight the ‘QoS Packet Scheduler’ in the left window and in the right window double-click the ‘limit reservable bandwidth’ setting. Then, on the Setting tab, check the ‘enabled’ item and change the ‘Bandwidth limit %’ to read 0. After doing this, you should immediately notice a boost in your Internet connection speed.
7. Bridging connections
If you’d like to connect two or more computers via LAN, then you should utilize the Network Bridge option provided in Windows XP. There is no configuration required and you do not need to purchase additional hardware such as routers or bridges. IP addressing, address allocation, and name resolution is highly simplified in a single subnet IP network. To use this feature you
will have to open Network Connections. Under LAN or High-Speed Internet, select each of the private network connections that you want to be part of the bridge. Right-click one of the highlighted private network connections and click Bridge Connections.
8. Removing MSN Messenger
How do you remove MSN Messenger in Windows XP? Not from the Add/Remove program list but by locating SYSOC.INF in the \Windows\INF folder (hidden file and folder). Open it in Notepad and locate the line: msmsgs=msgrocm.dll,OcEntry,msmsgs.inf,hide,7
Remove the word ‘hide’ from the line and save the file. After making the necessary changes, you’ll be able to see MSN Messenger in the Add/Remove Windows components list. You can then remove it for good.
9. Renaming multiple batch files
In Windows XP, you can easily rename multiple files at a single go and save a lot of time. Click Start and click My Pictures or the folder where you have saved the pictures. Switch the view from the default Filmstrip to Thumbnails by clicking the Views button on the toolbar. Select all the pictures you want to rename by highlighting the last picture you want, then press and hold down the [Shift] key until you include all the pictures that have to be renamed, ending with the first picture in the list. Right-click the first picture, and then click Rename. Rename the first picture, and then click in the white space next to one of the pictures. The pictures are renamed all at once!
10. Creating boot-up disk
In order to create a bootable floppy disk in XP, insert a floppy and go to the floppy icon in My Computer. There you will have to right-click the floppy drive icon and click on the Format option. You will see the option ‘Create MS-DOS Start up Disk’. After creating the boot up disk, you will be able to boot into Windows XP using this disk.
Tips and Tricks to Master the Web
1. Receipt notification
If you have a really important message and need to know if it’s been received, use a feature called Read Receipt in Outlook Express. This feature is available on most e-mail clients and requests the recipient to confirm that he has received the message by a return e-mail.
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 on the Receipts tab and tick ‘Request a read receipt for all sent messages’. Remember, the read receipt confirmation is dependent on the e-mail client the recipient is using and also whether he wants to send the confirmation.
2. Adding signatures to your e-mail
If you send a lot of mail each day, then a repetitive task like signing your name at the end of each mail can be quite tedious. It’s easier to create a signature and attach it automatically to every mail that’s sent. To do this in Outlook Express, go to Tools > Options > Signatures. 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. In case 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 option to append a file that contains the signature you have created. If you happen to have multiple e-mail accounts, select the account with which you want to send the signature. To do this, go to Tools > Options > Signatures and click on the Advanced button near the Edit Signature tab. A new box will appear saying ‘Advanced Signature Settings’ where you can select the account with which the signature should be automatically added.
3. Auto-respond facility
Won’t be checking mail for some time? Activate a feature called ‘vacation reply’ (if you are using a Web-based service). Most e-mail services such as Indiatimes provide this feature which can be activated through the options menu. You can type a short message which will be sent to all who e-mail you while you are away. In Outlook Express, you can do this from Tools > Message Rules > Mail and clicking on the New Rule option. Select the ‘For all Messages’ options from the condition for your rule field and in the Action select Reply with a message. You will have to select a message that you have already created and saved.
4. 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 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.
5. Disable MSN Messenger from auto-starting
Whenever one opens Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook XP, MSN Messenger loads automatically. To disable it, go to Tools > Options in Outlook Express and uncheck ‘Automatically log on to MSN Messenger Service’. Then go to View > Layout and uncheck the option of Contacts. In Microsoft Outlook XP, go to Tools > Options > Other and uncheck ‘Enable MSN Messenger’. The over-eager Messenger won’t be so eager now!
6. Optimising your Inbox
A three-step process to ensure that your Inbox never looks cluttered.
1. Organising: Outlook Express allows you to create folders within which mail can be organised. To create a new folder in Outlook Express, go to File > Folder > New. This will display the directory tree of your Inbox. Just 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 quite useful, especially if you have multiple accounts configured on the same identity or to sort out e-mail messages on the basis of sender, subject, etc.
2. Filtering: Message Rules can automatically sort your mail into the appropriate folder as soon as it is downloaded. Specify the folders where you want the messages to be downloaded based on names in the From address, names in the To address, certain words in the Subject line or in 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. In Outlook Express, go to Tools > Message Rules and click on Mail. You will get a list of the message rules you have created. Click on ‘Apply Now...’, select the rules to apply, and click on Apply to filter your existing folder.
3. Grouping: Outlook Express allows you to group e-mail messages on the basis of 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 on the basis of the subject line and the messages that are a reply to that particular subject are grouped together. A ‘+’ sign next to a message indicates responses based on that subject.
7. Download Mail to your PC
If you use a Web-based e-mail service, such as those run by Yahoo! and MSN, download a copy of your mail directly to your browser. This is much quicker than using the bandwidth-hungry Web interface and also allows you to access your mail without having to be connected to the Internet. To do this first add a new account by going to Tools > Accounts > Add and select the Mail option. You will be prompted for personal details and account information.
Select the POP3 server option in the screen that asks you for your e-mail server information and enter the appropriate POP3 server address for incoming mail.
8. Browsing offline
Quite often you may want to refer to a page that you have visited at some point in time. While finding the link in your browser’s History is not too difficult, you can view the site without actually logging on to the Internet by going to File > Work Offline. Then just click on a link in your History folder to view the complete page from your hard disk.
9. PC-to-PC calls
Buddy Phone, Yahoo! and MSN Messenger allow users to make phone calls from one computer to another, provided both computers are online. If you would like to use this facility in MSN Messenger, select your friend’s name from the list and go to Actions > Start a voice conversation. This can also be done by right-clicking on the person’s name and selecting the option of ‘Start a Voice Conversation’. After the opposite person has accepted your request, you can start talking into the microphone.
10. Split files
Splitting files can increase download speeds tremendously in FlashGet. Usually, splitting the file in three or five segments is sufficient. However, if you are downloading a particularly large file which is available from several servers, you could get better speeds by increasing the number of segments being downloaded simultaneously.
The number of segments that you want the file in can be set in the option box that pops up when a download begins. Just set the option for the number of segments that you want the file to be split into.
If you have a really important message and need to know if it’s been received, use a feature called Read Receipt in Outlook Express. This feature is available on most e-mail clients and requests the recipient to confirm that he has received the message by a return e-mail.
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 on the Receipts tab and tick ‘Request a read receipt for all sent messages’. Remember, the read receipt confirmation is dependent on the e-mail client the recipient is using and also whether he wants to send the confirmation.
2. Adding signatures to your e-mail
If you send a lot of mail each day, then a repetitive task like signing your name at the end of each mail can be quite tedious. It’s easier to create a signature and attach it automatically to every mail that’s sent. To do this in Outlook Express, go to Tools > Options > Signatures. 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. In case 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 option to append a file that contains the signature you have created. If you happen to have multiple e-mail accounts, select the account with which you want to send the signature. To do this, go to Tools > Options > Signatures and click on the Advanced button near the Edit Signature tab. A new box will appear saying ‘Advanced Signature Settings’ where you can select the account with which the signature should be automatically added.
3. Auto-respond facility
Won’t be checking mail for some time? Activate a feature called ‘vacation reply’ (if you are using a Web-based service). Most e-mail services such as Indiatimes provide this feature which can be activated through the options menu. You can type a short message which will be sent to all who e-mail you while you are away. In Outlook Express, you can do this from Tools > Message Rules > Mail and clicking on the New Rule option. Select the ‘For all Messages’ options from the condition for your rule field and in the Action select Reply with a message. You will have to select a message that you have already created and saved.
4. 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 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.
5. Disable MSN Messenger from auto-starting
Whenever one opens Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook XP, MSN Messenger loads automatically. To disable it, go to Tools > Options in Outlook Express and uncheck ‘Automatically log on to MSN Messenger Service’. Then go to View > Layout and uncheck the option of Contacts. In Microsoft Outlook XP, go to Tools > Options > Other and uncheck ‘Enable MSN Messenger’. The over-eager Messenger won’t be so eager now!
6. Optimising your Inbox
A three-step process to ensure that your Inbox never looks cluttered.
1. Organising: Outlook Express allows you to create folders within which mail can be organised. To create a new folder in Outlook Express, go to File > Folder > New. This will display the directory tree of your Inbox. Just 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 quite useful, especially if you have multiple accounts configured on the same identity or to sort out e-mail messages on the basis of sender, subject, etc.
2. Filtering: Message Rules can automatically sort your mail into the appropriate folder as soon as it is downloaded. Specify the folders where you want the messages to be downloaded based on names in the From address, names in the To address, certain words in the Subject line or in 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. In Outlook Express, go to Tools > Message Rules and click on Mail. You will get a list of the message rules you have created. Click on ‘Apply Now...’, select the rules to apply, and click on Apply to filter your existing folder.
3. Grouping: Outlook Express allows you to group e-mail messages on the basis of 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 on the basis of the subject line and the messages that are a reply to that particular subject are grouped together. A ‘+’ sign next to a message indicates responses based on that subject.
7. Download Mail to your PC
If you use a Web-based e-mail service, such as those run by Yahoo! and MSN, download a copy of your mail directly to your browser. This is much quicker than using the bandwidth-hungry Web interface and also allows you to access your mail without having to be connected to the Internet. To do this first add a new account by going to Tools > Accounts > Add and select the Mail option. You will be prompted for personal details and account information.
Select the POP3 server option in the screen that asks you for your e-mail server information and enter the appropriate POP3 server address for incoming mail.
8. Browsing offline
Quite often you may want to refer to a page that you have visited at some point in time. While finding the link in your browser’s History is not too difficult, you can view the site without actually logging on to the Internet by going to File > Work Offline. Then just click on a link in your History folder to view the complete page from your hard disk.
9. PC-to-PC calls
Buddy Phone, Yahoo! and MSN Messenger allow users to make phone calls from one computer to another, provided both computers are online. If you would like to use this facility in MSN Messenger, select your friend’s name from the list and go to Actions > Start a voice conversation. This can also be done by right-clicking on the person’s name and selecting the option of ‘Start a Voice Conversation’. After the opposite person has accepted your request, you can start talking into the microphone.
10. Split files
Splitting files can increase download speeds tremendously in FlashGet. Usually, splitting the file in three or five segments is sufficient. However, if you are downloading a particularly large file which is available from several servers, you could get better speeds by increasing the number of segments being downloaded simultaneously.
The number of segments that you want the file in can be set in the option box that pops up when a download begins. Just set the option for the number of segments that you want the file to be split into.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Opera
Two Times
If the Window taskbar is not set on Auto hide, two clocks will be visible one on top of another while Opera is open. you can turn Opera's time display off by clicking on View > Stats Bar > Show Time.
Auto Fill
Opera allows you to fill up standard information such as your name, address, phone number, email address, etc. without having to type it every time. Open File > Preferences > Personal Information and fill out all the details. To enter the information into a text box on a Web page, right click the text box and from choose the text that you want to input.
Eye Tonic
Reading though poorly designed web pages can be a strain. Opera can switch between the Web page's color scheme and your custom settings. you can change your personal color scheme by clicking on File > Preferences > Documents. To switch appearance, click on the Toggle document setting button next to the address bar.
Homing in
You can put up your favorite site as the home page for your browser. click on Navigation > Set home page and enter the URL in Global Home Page field. is the page you want as homepage is already open, you can click on the Use active button to automatically insert its URL.
Friendly view
Opera has a built in zoom feature to help view Web pages more easily. The zoom percentage can be changed from the lower right corner of the mail window - click on the dropdown that displays 100% and change it to any number between 20 and 1000. You can set a default zoom percentage from File > Preferences > Window > Default scaling.
Script Error
If you get error on Web pages of it they are displayed weirdly, it could be a scripting error. Since Opera uses Netscape features by default, it doesn't run JScrpt, but runs JavaScript instead. you can force Opera to behave as Internet Explorer to web sites. Open File > Preferences > Connections and choose Identify as MSIE 5.0 in Browser identification drop down menu
Cache
Increase Opera's disk cache to store more pages that you can access offline. Opera by default sets only 2MB of disk pace for cache. To change this, open File > Preferences > History and Cache. Change the settings under Disk Cache.
Resume Downloads
Opera can be used to resume broken downloads. Open Window > Special Window > Transfer to open the list. To resume a download, right-click on the file and click on Resume Transfer to resume the download or Transfer Again to download the file all over again.
Configure Mail Links for Outlook
If nothing happens when you click a mailto: link on a Web page, the correct email client is probably not configured. Open File > preferences > E-mail and choose the correct mail client.
If the Window taskbar is not set on Auto hide, two clocks will be visible one on top of another while Opera is open. you can turn Opera's time display off by clicking on View > Stats Bar > Show Time.
Auto Fill
Opera allows you to fill up standard information such as your name, address, phone number, email address, etc. without having to type it every time. Open File > Preferences > Personal Information and fill out all the details. To enter the information into a text box on a Web page, right click the text box and from choose the text that you want to input.
Eye Tonic
Reading though poorly designed web pages can be a strain. Opera can switch between the Web page's color scheme and your custom settings. you can change your personal color scheme by clicking on File > Preferences > Documents. To switch appearance, click on the Toggle document setting button next to the address bar.
Homing in
You can put up your favorite site as the home page for your browser. click on Navigation > Set home page and enter the URL in Global Home Page field. is the page you want as homepage is already open, you can click on the Use active button to automatically insert its URL.
Friendly view
Opera has a built in zoom feature to help view Web pages more easily. The zoom percentage can be changed from the lower right corner of the mail window - click on the dropdown that displays 100% and change it to any number between 20 and 1000. You can set a default zoom percentage from File > Preferences > Window > Default scaling.
Script Error
If you get error on Web pages of it they are displayed weirdly, it could be a scripting error. Since Opera uses Netscape features by default, it doesn't run JScrpt, but runs JavaScript instead. you can force Opera to behave as Internet Explorer to web sites. Open File > Preferences > Connections and choose Identify as MSIE 5.0 in Browser identification drop down menu
Cache
Increase Opera's disk cache to store more pages that you can access offline. Opera by default sets only 2MB of disk pace for cache. To change this, open File > Preferences > History and Cache. Change the settings under Disk Cache.
Resume Downloads
Opera can be used to resume broken downloads. Open Window > Special Window > Transfer to open the list. To resume a download, right-click on the file and click on Resume Transfer to resume the download or Transfer Again to download the file all over again.
Configure Mail Links for Outlook
If nothing happens when you click a mailto: link on a Web page, the correct email client is probably not configured. Open File > preferences > E-mail and choose the correct mail client.
Netscape Navigator
Framed Printing
Printing a Web site with frames will print all frames as they appear on screen. To print a specific frame, click on the frame - select a little of the text within the frame to ensure that it is selected - and click on file > Print Frame.
Clear Cache
Navigator temporarily stores all files that are downloaded form the Internet. This speeds up browsing since you can access the resources on a visited site locally instead of downloading it again. However, after a while, the cache tends to fill up disk space that can slow down the system. open Edit > Preference > Advance > Cache. Click on Clear Memory Cache and Clear Disk Cache to purge the temporarily stored files.
Off with Graphics
If connection speed are very bad, you can turn off graphics to speed up browsing. Click on Edit > Preferences > Advanced. Disable Automatically Load Images and click OK. Your pages will now load faster. If you want to load any image after the page is loaded, right click the image placeholder and click on Show Image from the context menu.
Updated Bookmarks
You can check if a page in your bookmarks list has changed since you last visited it. Open Communicator > Bookmarks > Edit Bookmarks to open the Bookmakers browser. click on View > Update bookmarks and choose to update either all bookmarks to only selected bookmarks from the What's New? dialog box. Click on Start checking to update.
Update Yourself!
Keep communicator to to date by downloading all the latest updated. Click Help > Software Updates and Netscape will automatically take you to the updates site. Apart from updated to the browser itself, you can download plug-ins for Netscape that add more functionality to the package.
Free the Access bar
The access bar on eh bottom right of the stats bar can be used to start various Netscape components. This can be moved out of the stats bar as a floating panel for better accessibility. click on View > Show > Floating Component Bar. To send it back to the stats bar, simply click on the close button on the floating bar.
Super Search
Search the web powerfully with Navigator's smart search features. If you want to search for a particular word, simply type 'search' and the word or phrase in the Address bar. For example, if you want to search for all sits related to tips, type 'search tips' and Navigator will search multiple search engines for the word 'tips.
Back to the Future
When returning to pages using the Back button, you no longer need to wait for the pages to load if you want to go back more than one link. Hold the mouse button download and a list of the last few visited sites will pop up.
Font Zoom
You can change the default font size to make your browsing more comfortable. Under the View menu, click either Increase Font or Decrease Font to adjust the font size.
Printing a Web site with frames will print all frames as they appear on screen. To print a specific frame, click on the frame - select a little of the text within the frame to ensure that it is selected - and click on file > Print Frame.
Clear Cache
Navigator temporarily stores all files that are downloaded form the Internet. This speeds up browsing since you can access the resources on a visited site locally instead of downloading it again. However, after a while, the cache tends to fill up disk space that can slow down the system. open Edit > Preference > Advance > Cache. Click on Clear Memory Cache and Clear Disk Cache to purge the temporarily stored files.
Off with Graphics
If connection speed are very bad, you can turn off graphics to speed up browsing. Click on Edit > Preferences > Advanced. Disable Automatically Load Images and click OK. Your pages will now load faster. If you want to load any image after the page is loaded, right click the image placeholder and click on Show Image from the context menu.
Updated Bookmarks
You can check if a page in your bookmarks list has changed since you last visited it. Open Communicator > Bookmarks > Edit Bookmarks to open the Bookmakers browser. click on View > Update bookmarks and choose to update either all bookmarks to only selected bookmarks from the What's New? dialog box. Click on Start checking to update.
Update Yourself!
Keep communicator to to date by downloading all the latest updated. Click Help > Software Updates and Netscape will automatically take you to the updates site. Apart from updated to the browser itself, you can download plug-ins for Netscape that add more functionality to the package.
Free the Access bar
The access bar on eh bottom right of the stats bar can be used to start various Netscape components. This can be moved out of the stats bar as a floating panel for better accessibility. click on View > Show > Floating Component Bar. To send it back to the stats bar, simply click on the close button on the floating bar.
Super Search
Search the web powerfully with Navigator's smart search features. If you want to search for a particular word, simply type 'search' and the word or phrase in the Address bar. For example, if you want to search for all sits related to tips, type 'search tips' and Navigator will search multiple search engines for the word 'tips.
Back to the Future
When returning to pages using the Back button, you no longer need to wait for the pages to load if you want to go back more than one link. Hold the mouse button download and a list of the last few visited sites will pop up.
Font Zoom
You can change the default font size to make your browsing more comfortable. Under the View menu, click either Increase Font or Decrease Font to adjust the font size.
Outlook Express
Saving Background Sounds
It is possible to save background sounds embedded into email onto your hard disk. Open Tools > Options > Send. Change both Mail sending formats to plain text. Open the message you want to grab the sound from and click on Forward. The sound files will appear attached to the forwarded message. Save the files from here and close the message. you can now reset any HTML settings that you changed.
Import messages and address easily
Outlook Express lets you import messages and addresses from other popular mail clients. Click File > Import and choose the appropriate item to import. Follow the instructions on the Outlook Express Import Wizard.
Beauty in pictures
Instead of sending pictures as attachments, insert the photo directly into the message. this way, the image will not have to be opened separately. Make sure that the recipient can receive HTML messages. To embedded an image into a mail message, while composing a message, click on Insert > Picture and choose the image you wish to insert. The image will be received as part of the message instead of an attachment (depending on the recipient's mail client).
Message Rules
You can instruct Outlook Express on what to do with messages you receive from Tools > Message Rules. For example, if you keep receiving spam from a particular address, you can block all messages from that address. Open Tools > Message Rules > Mail. in the Message Rules dialog box, click on New. Select where from line contains people and click on the contains people link below. Type in the annoying address. For the Actions, select Delete it from server. this way, any mail from that address will never be downloaded. Provide a name for the rule and click OK.
Identities
Outlook Express implements Identities - personal profiles with in Outlook Express that you login into, so that you can keep your e-mail private. Click on File > Identities > Add New Identity to add a new identity. Follow the instructions on screen. From File > Identities > Manage Identities, you can set the default identity to start with and also provide password for each identity.
HTML Source Editing
Message in HTML format are similar to Web pages with Outlook Express 5, you can edit the HTML source for message and even use HTML feature that are not listed within Outlook Express. When composing a message, click on View > Source Edit. Click on the Source tab and edit the source.
Hotmail
You can now add a Hotmail account to Outlook Express and view it as any POP account. To sign up for a new account, open Tools > New Account Signup > Hotmail. Follow the instructions on screen. if you already have an account with Hotmail, click on Tools > Accounts > Add > Mail. Provide the Display name and click Next.
Drag-n-Drop file attachments
With Outlook Express, you can quickly attach a file from your desktop or any folder to any outgoing message. Simple drag the file into the message area of your e-mail. outlook Express automatically inserts it as a file attachment. Similarly, you can drag file attachments from received email to save them to the desktop or a folder.
It is possible to save background sounds embedded into email onto your hard disk. Open Tools > Options > Send. Change both Mail sending formats to plain text. Open the message you want to grab the sound from and click on Forward. The sound files will appear attached to the forwarded message. Save the files from here and close the message. you can now reset any HTML settings that you changed.
Import messages and address easily
Outlook Express lets you import messages and addresses from other popular mail clients. Click File > Import and choose the appropriate item to import. Follow the instructions on the Outlook Express Import Wizard.
Beauty in pictures
Instead of sending pictures as attachments, insert the photo directly into the message. this way, the image will not have to be opened separately. Make sure that the recipient can receive HTML messages. To embedded an image into a mail message, while composing a message, click on Insert > Picture and choose the image you wish to insert. The image will be received as part of the message instead of an attachment (depending on the recipient's mail client).
Message Rules
You can instruct Outlook Express on what to do with messages you receive from Tools > Message Rules. For example, if you keep receiving spam from a particular address, you can block all messages from that address. Open Tools > Message Rules > Mail. in the Message Rules dialog box, click on New. Select where from line contains people and click on the contains people link below. Type in the annoying address. For the Actions, select Delete it from server. this way, any mail from that address will never be downloaded. Provide a name for the rule and click OK.
Identities
Outlook Express implements Identities - personal profiles with in Outlook Express that you login into, so that you can keep your e-mail private. Click on File > Identities > Add New Identity to add a new identity. Follow the instructions on screen. From File > Identities > Manage Identities, you can set the default identity to start with and also provide password for each identity.
HTML Source Editing
Message in HTML format are similar to Web pages with Outlook Express 5, you can edit the HTML source for message and even use HTML feature that are not listed within Outlook Express. When composing a message, click on View > Source Edit. Click on the Source tab and edit the source.
Hotmail
You can now add a Hotmail account to Outlook Express and view it as any POP account. To sign up for a new account, open Tools > New Account Signup > Hotmail. Follow the instructions on screen. if you already have an account with Hotmail, click on Tools > Accounts > Add > Mail. Provide the Display name and click Next.
Drag-n-Drop file attachments
With Outlook Express, you can quickly attach a file from your desktop or any folder to any outgoing message. Simple drag the file into the message area of your e-mail. outlook Express automatically inserts it as a file attachment. Similarly, you can drag file attachments from received email to save them to the desktop or a folder.
Eudora
Force Eudora to Ask For Your Password
If you want, Eudora to 'forget' that is knows your password, you can force it to ask for your password the next time. To have Eudora forget your password, click on Special > Forget Password(s).
Quickly add addresses to the Address Book
When you receive a message you wish to add the sender's address to the address book, open message click on Special > Make Address Book Entry. The address will be added to the Address Book and you can edit the rest of the information.
Make no mistake!
To have Eudora check every message you send for spelling errors, click on Tools > Options > Spell Checking. Under Outgoing Messages, check the Warn me when sending/queuing message with misspellings checkbox.
See similar messages
Press the Alt key as you click a mailbox. Eudora automatically selects all messages with same information in that column and groups them together.
Speak!
Eudora includes the PureVoice plug-in, which records and compresses audio files for attachment to email messages. To create a voice message attachment, click on Message > Attach > PureVoice and start recording. Finish recording, click the Stop button and then the Attach button. Address the email and send it normally.
Turn Off Warnings when sending Attachments
Do you often send large file attachments with Eudora and are growing tired of seeing the dialog box appearing asking if you 'really' want to send the attached file? Remove this warning from Tools > Options > Extra Warnings. Uncheck Queue a message bigger than.
Access Mail From Two PCs
If you need to receive your mail on more than one computer, open Tools > Options > Incoming Mail and enable Leave mail on server. If you enable Delete from server after, the mail will be available for the specified number of days after it has been checked once. You can also automatically delete it from the server only after you have deleted it by enabling Delete from server when emptied from Trash.
Get headers only
You can slash your connecting time by downloading headers only before the message contents. Press Shift key while clicking the Check Mail button (or use Ctrl+Shift+M). On the Mail Transfer Options dialog box that opens up, enable Fetch all message headers to in mailbox. Select the accounts you want to check and click OK. Eudora will download headers only.
Configure Internet Explorer for Eudora
Internet Explorer uses Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook (if installed) by default to open mailto links. To use Eudora every time you click on mailto link with in Internet Explorer, open Control Panel > Internet Options > Programs and select Eudora in the Mail field.
If you want, Eudora to 'forget' that is knows your password, you can force it to ask for your password the next time. To have Eudora forget your password, click on Special > Forget Password(s).
Quickly add addresses to the Address Book
When you receive a message you wish to add the sender's address to the address book, open message click on Special > Make Address Book Entry. The address will be added to the Address Book and you can edit the rest of the information.
Make no mistake!
To have Eudora check every message you send for spelling errors, click on Tools > Options > Spell Checking. Under Outgoing Messages, check the Warn me when sending/queuing message with misspellings checkbox.
See similar messages
Press the Alt key as you click a mailbox. Eudora automatically selects all messages with same information in that column and groups them together.
Speak!
Eudora includes the PureVoice plug-in, which records and compresses audio files for attachment to email messages. To create a voice message attachment, click on Message > Attach > PureVoice and start recording. Finish recording, click the Stop button and then the Attach button. Address the email and send it normally.
Turn Off Warnings when sending Attachments
Do you often send large file attachments with Eudora and are growing tired of seeing the dialog box appearing asking if you 'really' want to send the attached file? Remove this warning from Tools > Options > Extra Warnings. Uncheck Queue a message bigger than.
Access Mail From Two PCs
If you need to receive your mail on more than one computer, open Tools > Options > Incoming Mail and enable Leave mail on server. If you enable Delete from server after, the mail will be available for the specified number of days after it has been checked once. You can also automatically delete it from the server only after you have deleted it by enabling Delete from server when emptied from Trash.
Get headers only
You can slash your connecting time by downloading headers only before the message contents. Press Shift key while clicking the Check Mail button (or use Ctrl+Shift+M). On the Mail Transfer Options dialog box that opens up, enable Fetch all message headers to in mailbox. Select the accounts you want to check and click OK. Eudora will download headers only.
Configure Internet Explorer for Eudora
Internet Explorer uses Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook (if installed) by default to open mailto links. To use Eudora every time you click on mailto link with in Internet Explorer, open Control Panel > Internet Options > Programs and select Eudora in the Mail field.
Netscape Messenger
Well Threaded
Save time in searching for threads by creating bookmarks for them. While reading the message, click on Communicator > Bookmark > Add Bookmark. The next time you want to check the same message, simply click on the bookmark.
Auto Delete
Getting your newsgroup full with overflowing threads? You can instruct Messenger to automatically delete old posts. Open Edit > Preferences > Mail & Newsgroups > Disk Space. Enable Remove message bodies only older than and ever the number of days after which you want the message to be deleted.
Control your News
Save download time by limiting the number of newsgroup posts that Messenger downloads. Open Edit > Preferences > Newsgroup Servers. Enable Ask me before downloading more than and enter the number of messaged you want Messenger to download. If the number of posts exceeds this number, Messenger will prompt you to download them. You can then download or leave them for a later time when the connectivity may be better.
Save disk Space
Reduce the disk space used by mailboxes without deleting messages. When message are deleted, the space allocated to them is not reset. You can manually do this by compressing the folders. Right click the folder and click on Compress Folder. you can also get Messenger to automatically compress folders. open Edit > Preferences > Disk Space. Enable Automatically compact folders when it will save over and enter the amount of disk space Messenger should look to save.
Autograph Please
Personalize your email by adding your signature to outgoing messages. Type your signature in any text editor like Notepad and save the file. Within Messenger, open Edit > Preferences > Mail & Newsgroups > Identify. Locate the signature file by clicking on choose next to the Signature File field.
Imported Mail
You can import email to contacts from other popular email clients into Messenger. Click on File > Import and select the program you would like to import messages from. The Wizard will guide you through the rest of the process.
Background Email
Messenger can be configured to check for mail in the background without either Navigator or Messenger running. Open Start > Programs > Netscape Mail Notification. The applet will be launched into the system tray and check for email at regular intervals of time. You can configure it by right-clicking the icon in the system tray and clicking on Options.
Auto BCC Messages
Messenger provides the option to automatically pass on a Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) to and address every time you send a message. Open Edit > Preferences > Mail & Newsgroups > Copies and Folders and enable the appropriate BCC options.
Attachments
Attachment are by default viewed within the message itself, thereby not allowing them to be saved anywhere else, at least directly. It could be more convenient to convert them into links. Click on the View menu and disable View Attachment Inline.
Save time in searching for threads by creating bookmarks for them. While reading the message, click on Communicator > Bookmark > Add Bookmark. The next time you want to check the same message, simply click on the bookmark.
Auto Delete
Getting your newsgroup full with overflowing threads? You can instruct Messenger to automatically delete old posts. Open Edit > Preferences > Mail & Newsgroups > Disk Space. Enable Remove message bodies only older than and ever the number of days after which you want the message to be deleted.
Control your News
Save download time by limiting the number of newsgroup posts that Messenger downloads. Open Edit > Preferences > Newsgroup Servers. Enable Ask me before downloading more than and enter the number of messaged you want Messenger to download. If the number of posts exceeds this number, Messenger will prompt you to download them. You can then download or leave them for a later time when the connectivity may be better.
Save disk Space
Reduce the disk space used by mailboxes without deleting messages. When message are deleted, the space allocated to them is not reset. You can manually do this by compressing the folders. Right click the folder and click on Compress Folder. you can also get Messenger to automatically compress folders. open Edit > Preferences > Disk Space. Enable Automatically compact folders when it will save over and enter the amount of disk space Messenger should look to save.
Autograph Please
Personalize your email by adding your signature to outgoing messages. Type your signature in any text editor like Notepad and save the file. Within Messenger, open Edit > Preferences > Mail & Newsgroups > Identify. Locate the signature file by clicking on choose next to the Signature File field.
Imported Mail
You can import email to contacts from other popular email clients into Messenger. Click on File > Import and select the program you would like to import messages from. The Wizard will guide you through the rest of the process.
Background Email
Messenger can be configured to check for mail in the background without either Navigator or Messenger running. Open Start > Programs > Netscape Mail Notification. The applet will be launched into the system tray and check for email at regular intervals of time. You can configure it by right-clicking the icon in the system tray and clicking on Options.
Auto BCC Messages
Messenger provides the option to automatically pass on a Blind Carbon Copy (BCC) to and address every time you send a message. Open Edit > Preferences > Mail & Newsgroups > Copies and Folders and enable the appropriate BCC options.
Attachments
Attachment are by default viewed within the message itself, thereby not allowing them to be saved anywhere else, at least directly. It could be more convenient to convert them into links. Click on the View menu and disable View Attachment Inline.
Netscape Composer
Missing Links
Adding links to your web page in Composer is as simple as clicking on the Link button and entering the URL. However, you can incorporate a few basic practices to ensure that your links are always right. Firstly, avoided retyping URLs. Is the URL is available, simple copy and paste it into the text box for the location. Also, if the page you want to link to us in the Navigator window, simple click and drag the icon besides the URL: in the Location bar to the place you wan the link in Composer. to check where the URL points correctly as you want, place your cursor above the link and right click it. in the pop up menu that appears, select Browse To.. a new browser window will open up with the page that the links points to. if it doesn't, the URL is incorrect.
Java Virtual Machine
Some Web sites use Java applets to add interactivity. However, you may notice a significant time delay when a Java applet is loading. By default, Netscape does not load the Java Virtual Machine (VM) when launching Navigator. Instead, it waits until JAve-Enabled page is loaded. This result in the wait message "Starting Java..." and a delay of about 30 seconds. you can avoided this delay by automatically loading the Java VM as you launch the Navigator. Doing so will prevent it from restarting the Java VM each time you browse pages that contain Java applets. With the default installation of Netscape, the command used for this is "C:\Program\Netscape.exe"-start_java You can enter this command in the Run dialog box or edit the current Netscape shortcut.
Spell Check
To check spellings on your Web pages, you don't need to open any word processor. Click on Tools > Check Spelling and Composer will do the needful.
Horizontal Lines
To insert horizontal breaks in your Web pages, click on eh location where you want to insert it and click on Insert > Horizontal Line. Right-click the link and click on Horizontal Link Properties to edit this appearance.
Resizing on the Fly
To scale an image in an area smaller or larger than its original size, add the image to your Web page. Click on the border and drag it to resize the image to your liking. Composer will automatically add the correct height and width tags in the HTML source. Alternatively, right-click the image and click on Image Properties. From here, you can manually enter the exact height and with you want the image to cover.
Using Templates
Use templates for new Web pages to save time with formatting and layouts. Click on File > New > Page from Template. Select the template you whish to use. You can select either a local or remote file, to choose a template from the Netscape Template File site.
Nobody Beats the Wizard
Compose includes a Page Wizard to help you create Web pages quickly. To use it, click on File > New > Page From Wizard. A new Navigator window opens with the Page Wizard on the Netscape site that takes you thought page creation step by step.
Follow those Who Have Gone Before You
If you like a particular Web site, it is very simple to copy the formatting and structure from a page on that site. click on File > Open and provide the URL to open the page within Composer. Edit the page to suit your needs and save it to your local disk.
Meta Tags
Meta tags are used to add keywords related to your Web page, so that they can be indexed and categorized by search engines. this ensure that your page comes up in searches matching the keywords. To add the keywords, click on Format > Page Colors and Properties > General. You can enter as many keywords as you like in the Keywords box, each separated by commas.
Adding links to your web page in Composer is as simple as clicking on the Link button and entering the URL. However, you can incorporate a few basic practices to ensure that your links are always right. Firstly, avoided retyping URLs. Is the URL is available, simple copy and paste it into the text box for the location. Also, if the page you want to link to us in the Navigator window, simple click and drag the icon besides the URL: in the Location bar to the place you wan the link in Composer. to check where the URL points correctly as you want, place your cursor above the link and right click it. in the pop up menu that appears, select Browse To.. a new browser window will open up with the page that the links points to. if it doesn't, the URL is incorrect.
Java Virtual Machine
Some Web sites use Java applets to add interactivity. However, you may notice a significant time delay when a Java applet is loading. By default, Netscape does not load the Java Virtual Machine (VM) when launching Navigator. Instead, it waits until JAve-Enabled page is loaded. This result in the wait message "Starting Java..." and a delay of about 30 seconds. you can avoided this delay by automatically loading the Java VM as you launch the Navigator. Doing so will prevent it from restarting the Java VM each time you browse pages that contain Java applets. With the default installation of Netscape, the command used for this is "C:\Program\Netscape.exe"-start_java You can enter this command in the Run dialog box or edit the current Netscape shortcut.
Spell Check
To check spellings on your Web pages, you don't need to open any word processor. Click on Tools > Check Spelling and Composer will do the needful.
Horizontal Lines
To insert horizontal breaks in your Web pages, click on eh location where you want to insert it and click on Insert > Horizontal Line. Right-click the link and click on Horizontal Link Properties to edit this appearance.
Resizing on the Fly
To scale an image in an area smaller or larger than its original size, add the image to your Web page. Click on the border and drag it to resize the image to your liking. Composer will automatically add the correct height and width tags in the HTML source. Alternatively, right-click the image and click on Image Properties. From here, you can manually enter the exact height and with you want the image to cover.
Using Templates
Use templates for new Web pages to save time with formatting and layouts. Click on File > New > Page from Template. Select the template you whish to use. You can select either a local or remote file, to choose a template from the Netscape Template File site.
Nobody Beats the Wizard
Compose includes a Page Wizard to help you create Web pages quickly. To use it, click on File > New > Page From Wizard. A new Navigator window opens with the Page Wizard on the Netscape site that takes you thought page creation step by step.
Follow those Who Have Gone Before You
If you like a particular Web site, it is very simple to copy the formatting and structure from a page on that site. click on File > Open and provide the URL to open the page within Composer. Edit the page to suit your needs and save it to your local disk.
Meta Tags
Meta tags are used to add keywords related to your Web page, so that they can be indexed and categorized by search engines. this ensure that your page comes up in searches matching the keywords. To add the keywords, click on Format > Page Colors and Properties > General. You can enter as many keywords as you like in the Keywords box, each separated by commas.
Macromedia Dreamweaver
Recycle
The History folder stores a list of past actions. Using these, you can crease macros to perform a sequence of tasks. This can be useful to carry out the same actions across multiple pages. on the History palette, select the steps that you carried out. Click on the floppy icon on the bottom right coroner of the palette. Enter a name for the command and click OK. This name will appear on the Commons menu for reusing in the future. if you want to reapply the action only once, click on the Replay button the the bottom left of the History window.
Layers to tables
Positioning of elements on a page is easier using layers than table. however, it is better to use tables to allow older browsers to view these pages. however, you don't need to stat working with tables. you can create your page using layers and convert them to tables later. Create your page and click on Modify > Layout Mode > convert Layers to Table. Select the appropriate layout options and click OK. You ca also click on File > Convert > 3.0 Browser Compatible to achieve the same.
Neat Code
Maintaining formatting rules for your code can be useful for locating and updating later. To set formatting preferences, open Edit > Preferences > HTML Format. setup your formatting preferences such as indents, case attributes, etc. and click on OK. To correct existing code, click on Commands > Apply Source Formatting.
Check broken links
Dreamweaver can automatically check for broken links on your site. Open File > Check Links. Dreamweaver will scan though all the web pages within the open site and display a list of any broken links that it fines in a dialog box. Double click the links within this dialog box to jump directly to the broken link.
Paged Palettes
Too many toolboxes can not only cutter your screen, they also take up valuable screen area. to arrange these neatly, click on Window > Arrange Floating Palettes. You can also group palettes together to save precious screen space by dragging and dropping them onto one another. This will arrange all the palettes neatly with in on tabbed box.
Raw Code
In spite of Dreamweaver's powerful HTML editing features, sometimes you just have to enter HTML code directly. Dreamweaver is bundled with a built-in raw HTML Editor. The HTML Source Inspector, as it is called, if loaded in the background when ever a document is opened, Apart from just viewing the source,. you can also view the code changed as changed are made to the document and vice versa. click on Window > HTML Source to bring up the editor.
Roll-Over
Improve the look of your pages with image rollover effects. To insert a rollover image, click Insert > Rollover Image and specify the images that appear in normal and mouse-over views. Dreamweaver will insert both images as well as the script to cycle the images depending on the mouse movements.
Undo History
Use Dreamweaver's History window to undo all changes as well as keep track of changed made. Click on Window > History to view the History window is it is not open. By default, only the last fifty changes are stored. You can increase Edit > Preferences. Under the General tab, enter the number of Maximum Number of History of steps means more memory used. saving your files regular can avoid building a hude undo list.
Default Image Editor
If your images are nested deep within your site, finding and editing them can be quiet frustrating. Instead, open the image from within Dreamweaver. Click on Edit > Preferences > External Editors. Select the file extension you need to edit and add the editor for it by clicking on the + button. the next time you edit and image, it is opened with in this editor and it updated within Dreamweaver once changed are made.
The History folder stores a list of past actions. Using these, you can crease macros to perform a sequence of tasks. This can be useful to carry out the same actions across multiple pages. on the History palette, select the steps that you carried out. Click on the floppy icon on the bottom right coroner of the palette. Enter a name for the command and click OK. This name will appear on the Commons menu for reusing in the future. if you want to reapply the action only once, click on the Replay button the the bottom left of the History window.
Layers to tables
Positioning of elements on a page is easier using layers than table. however, it is better to use tables to allow older browsers to view these pages. however, you don't need to stat working with tables. you can create your page using layers and convert them to tables later. Create your page and click on Modify > Layout Mode > convert Layers to Table. Select the appropriate layout options and click OK. You ca also click on File > Convert > 3.0 Browser Compatible to achieve the same.
Neat Code
Maintaining formatting rules for your code can be useful for locating and updating later. To set formatting preferences, open Edit > Preferences > HTML Format. setup your formatting preferences such as indents, case attributes, etc. and click on OK. To correct existing code, click on Commands > Apply Source Formatting.
Check broken links
Dreamweaver can automatically check for broken links on your site. Open File > Check Links. Dreamweaver will scan though all the web pages within the open site and display a list of any broken links that it fines in a dialog box. Double click the links within this dialog box to jump directly to the broken link.
Paged Palettes
Too many toolboxes can not only cutter your screen, they also take up valuable screen area. to arrange these neatly, click on Window > Arrange Floating Palettes. You can also group palettes together to save precious screen space by dragging and dropping them onto one another. This will arrange all the palettes neatly with in on tabbed box.
Raw Code
In spite of Dreamweaver's powerful HTML editing features, sometimes you just have to enter HTML code directly. Dreamweaver is bundled with a built-in raw HTML Editor. The HTML Source Inspector, as it is called, if loaded in the background when ever a document is opened, Apart from just viewing the source,. you can also view the code changed as changed are made to the document and vice versa. click on Window > HTML Source to bring up the editor.
Roll-Over
Improve the look of your pages with image rollover effects. To insert a rollover image, click Insert > Rollover Image and specify the images that appear in normal and mouse-over views. Dreamweaver will insert both images as well as the script to cycle the images depending on the mouse movements.
Undo History
Use Dreamweaver's History window to undo all changes as well as keep track of changed made. Click on Window > History to view the History window is it is not open. By default, only the last fifty changes are stored. You can increase Edit > Preferences. Under the General tab, enter the number of Maximum Number of History of steps means more memory used. saving your files regular can avoid building a hude undo list.
Default Image Editor
If your images are nested deep within your site, finding and editing them can be quiet frustrating. Instead, open the image from within Dreamweaver. Click on Edit > Preferences > External Editors. Select the file extension you need to edit and add the editor for it by clicking on the + button. the next time you edit and image, it is opened with in this editor and it updated within Dreamweaver once changed are made.
Internet Explorer
Create your web Shortcuts
To create a new shortcut to a Webpage, open Notepad and type [InternetShortcut] on the first line, then URL = followed by the address of the page on the second line. Save the file with a .URL extension. If you save it in \Windows\Favorites folder, it will be added to the Favorites list in your browser.
Pick Your Wallpaper
Right click on any image in your browser and select Set as Wallpaper to make it your desktop wallpaper. Internet Explorer will copy the image to the Windows folder and set it as the wallpaper.
Find Sites With AutoComplete
Whenever you begin typing a URL in the address box, it tried to find a recently visited page that matches what you are typing. If IE finds a match, it automatically fills in the rest of the address for you. This is not only convenient, it can also be useful if you remember only a part of on Internet address. You can turn the feature on or off from Tools > Internet Options > Advanced. Scroll down to use inline AutoComplete for Web address. Toggle this on or off.
Temporary files
Clearing the browser cache can retrieve disk space and can also avoid problems on certain Web pages. To clear the files, open Tools > Internet Options. Under the General tab, click on Delete Files to clear the cache.
Offline Web Pages
You can set a page as "offline" so you can read it even when you're not connected. On the Favorites menu, click Add to Favorites. Enable Make available offline. To specify a schedule for updating the page and how much content to download, click Customize. Follow the instructions on screen.
Script errors
You can turn off useless script error messages from popping up. Click on Tools > Internet Options > Advanced. Click the checkbox labeled Disable script debugging. Uncheck the checkbox labeled Display a notification for every script error.
Searching with Style!
With Internet Explorer, you can search with more than one search engine. click search on the toolbar and click Customize. Customize your search form the window that opens.
Never lose an Interesting site like SoftwareTipsandTricks!
If you remember visiting a site a week or two ago that you forgot to add to your favorites list, you can still fine it. the History folder maintains a list of all the sites that you visited for a set number of says. To set the number of days. click Tools > Internet Options. Under the General tab, set the Days to Keep Pages in History. You can enter any number between 0 and 999.
Save or print links
You can save or print the information from linked Web pages without displaying the page on screen. Right-click the link and click Save Target As to save the linked page to your hard disk or Print Target to print the linked page.
To create a new shortcut to a Webpage, open Notepad and type [InternetShortcut] on the first line, then URL = followed by the address of the page on the second line. Save the file with a .URL extension. If you save it in \Windows\Favorites folder, it will be added to the Favorites list in your browser.
Pick Your Wallpaper
Right click on any image in your browser and select Set as Wallpaper to make it your desktop wallpaper. Internet Explorer will copy the image to the Windows folder and set it as the wallpaper.
Find Sites With AutoComplete
Whenever you begin typing a URL in the address box, it tried to find a recently visited page that matches what you are typing. If IE finds a match, it automatically fills in the rest of the address for you. This is not only convenient, it can also be useful if you remember only a part of on Internet address. You can turn the feature on or off from Tools > Internet Options > Advanced. Scroll down to use inline AutoComplete for Web address. Toggle this on or off.
Temporary files
Clearing the browser cache can retrieve disk space and can also avoid problems on certain Web pages. To clear the files, open Tools > Internet Options. Under the General tab, click on Delete Files to clear the cache.
Offline Web Pages
You can set a page as "offline" so you can read it even when you're not connected. On the Favorites menu, click Add to Favorites. Enable Make available offline. To specify a schedule for updating the page and how much content to download, click Customize. Follow the instructions on screen.
Script errors
You can turn off useless script error messages from popping up. Click on Tools > Internet Options > Advanced. Click the checkbox labeled Disable script debugging. Uncheck the checkbox labeled Display a notification for every script error.
Searching with Style!
With Internet Explorer, you can search with more than one search engine. click search on the toolbar and click Customize. Customize your search form the window that opens.
Never lose an Interesting site like SoftwareTipsandTricks!
If you remember visiting a site a week or two ago that you forgot to add to your favorites list, you can still fine it. the History folder maintains a list of all the sites that you visited for a set number of says. To set the number of days. click Tools > Internet Options. Under the General tab, set the Days to Keep Pages in History. You can enter any number between 0 and 999.
Save or print links
You can save or print the information from linked Web pages without displaying the page on screen. Right-click the link and click Save Target As to save the linked page to your hard disk or Print Target to print the linked page.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
QuarkXPress
Step and repeat
You can quickly duplicate items with even horizontal and vertical spacing. Select the object and click Item > Step and Repeat. Enter the number of duplicates you wish to create the their Horizontal and Vertical Offsets. Click OK to duplicate. You can even group multiple items and repeat these as one object.
Measurement math
To add or subtract from the dimensions of an item, you do not have to manually calculate the new setting. Add or subtract a value in the appropriate Measurements box and QuarkXPress will automatically calculate and make the changes.
Duplicating some more
Duplicating items across pages in the the same position can be simplified by creating a blank box as a 'guide'. With Snap to Guides turned on, draw a box on the upper left corner of the page. Select the items you want to copy along with this box and copy or cut them. Paste them on the new page or document. With the objects still selected, relocate the corner guide box against the ruler guides to position the items in exactly the same place as before. You can delete the blank boxes once you are finished.
Grouping and storing
You can save a lot of time if you group certain items and store them on a library. For example, if you have a custom grid or ruled line which you need to repeat, group the collection of items as one object and send them to a library for future use. To add an item to a library, simple drag it from the document to the library panel. When required, drag it from the library panel to the document.
Guides
Dragging a guide onto a page causes the guideline to appear only within the page boundaries. Drag the guide down or across outside the page boundary to display it across the length of the ruler.
Save As for memory
Before printing a large file, click on File > Save As and overwrite the current file. This will condense the size of the file. The information to all the changes made in the replaced file will not be included in the newly saved file, allowing printing time to be cut down quite significantly.
Rotatign pictures
If you rotate pictures in QuarkXPress, they can take much longer than normal to process. Rotate them using an image editing program and import these intro the document to cut down the processing time.
Wildcard searches
Use Ctrl+Shift+? as a wild-card in the Find/Change dialog box (Edit > Find/Change). This enters\? In the dialog box which is identified as a wildcard. you can use this for looking up multiple forms of a word.
Memory use
Sometimes QuarkXPress may respond very slowly, for example, when trying to move or resize large images. You can improve response time by configuring the application to display these images at lower resolution. to change the display resolution, open Edit > Preferences > Application. Under the Display tab, change the value of the Display DPI Value and Click OK.
You can quickly duplicate items with even horizontal and vertical spacing. Select the object and click Item > Step and Repeat. Enter the number of duplicates you wish to create the their Horizontal and Vertical Offsets. Click OK to duplicate. You can even group multiple items and repeat these as one object.
Measurement math
To add or subtract from the dimensions of an item, you do not have to manually calculate the new setting. Add or subtract a value in the appropriate Measurements box and QuarkXPress will automatically calculate and make the changes.
Duplicating some more
Duplicating items across pages in the the same position can be simplified by creating a blank box as a 'guide'. With Snap to Guides turned on, draw a box on the upper left corner of the page. Select the items you want to copy along with this box and copy or cut them. Paste them on the new page or document. With the objects still selected, relocate the corner guide box against the ruler guides to position the items in exactly the same place as before. You can delete the blank boxes once you are finished.
Grouping and storing
You can save a lot of time if you group certain items and store them on a library. For example, if you have a custom grid or ruled line which you need to repeat, group the collection of items as one object and send them to a library for future use. To add an item to a library, simple drag it from the document to the library panel. When required, drag it from the library panel to the document.
Guides
Dragging a guide onto a page causes the guideline to appear only within the page boundaries. Drag the guide down or across outside the page boundary to display it across the length of the ruler.
Save As for memory
Before printing a large file, click on File > Save As and overwrite the current file. This will condense the size of the file. The information to all the changes made in the replaced file will not be included in the newly saved file, allowing printing time to be cut down quite significantly.
Rotatign pictures
If you rotate pictures in QuarkXPress, they can take much longer than normal to process. Rotate them using an image editing program and import these intro the document to cut down the processing time.
Wildcard searches
Use Ctrl+Shift+? as a wild-card in the Find/Change dialog box (Edit > Find/Change). This enters\? In the dialog box which is identified as a wildcard. you can use this for looking up multiple forms of a word.
Memory use
Sometimes QuarkXPress may respond very slowly, for example, when trying to move or resize large images. You can improve response time by configuring the application to display these images at lower resolution. to change the display resolution, open Edit > Preferences > Application. Under the Display tab, change the value of the Display DPI Value and Click OK.
Microsoft Publisher
Group Your Objects
Grouping objects in your publication together can help in positioning and laying out a set of objects that you want to be together. To group objects, first select them all by clicking them while holding the Shift key pressed. click the Group Objects button that appears at the foot of the selection. If desired, the objects can be taken apart again by selecting it and clicking the Ungroup Objects button.
Quickly Copy Formatting Within a Page
With the right mouse button help down, drag the object or text that has the formatting you want to copy onto the object or text you want to change. Release the right mouse button, and then click Apple Formatting Here.
Make Alignment a Snap
Align objects in Publisher without hassling over your muse. Click on Arrange > Rules guides and choose either Add Horizontal Ruler Guide or Add Vertical Ruler Guide. To move the guide, hold the Shift key and drag the guide to the position you want. click on Tools > Snap to Guides. Now and object that you move near the guide will snap to the grid and be automatically aligned.
Maintain an Object's Center
To maintain the center of an object in the same place in you publication while you resize the object, click the object, then hold down the Ctrl key while you resize the object. Release the mouse button before you release the Ctrl key.
Check for missing Text
Missing text often occurs when you resize a test frame after inserting text, or when you add a graphics that pushes test into an adjacent text frame. Adding a continued notice to a text frame can also cause missing text. Publisher indicated that text is missing by showing the Text in Overflow symbol at the bottom of a text frame when the frame is selected. Click on Tools > Design Checker to launch the Design Checker to check your publication for missing text. it analyzes your publication and stops at every text frame that contains overflowing text and suggests possible solutions.
Nudge your Objects
To move Objects in Publisher just a little without getting to be a pro at the mouse, use the Nude command. Select the object and click on the Arrange > Nudge objects. Enter the direction and length by which you want to move the object. The distance can be up to two inches and can also be specified in centimeters, points or picas. if you want to move the object in pixels, select the object and press the arrow keys while pressing the Alt key to move the object in given direction one pixel at a time.
Convert Text Headings to Graphics
If you are creating web pages using Publisher, the titles and mastheads creates with fancy fonts will not show on users who don't have the font installed. Instead, converting them to graphics will ensure that the text will be seen. to convert the text to graphics in Publisher, type the text you want in the font of your choice. Crease Picture Frame that completely covers the text you've typed. Click the Send to Back button to put the text in front of the frame. Finally, group the text frame and picture frame together to force a convert on the text to graphics.
Grab Images From Page Borders
If you simply can't get the required image from the Publisher's built in Clip Art Gallery, try searching for it in your page borders. The image you desire may be a part of the border images, you can browse for borders from Format > Border > BorderArt. To add it as an image, crease a small rectangle using the Drawling tool and then go though the list of borders. Giving a large point size to the border will make the image you want fit the whole rectangle instead of the whole border.
Use the Publisher Design Galleys
The publisher Design Galleries contain hundreds of professionally designed objects that you can add to your publication, including pull quotes, logos, coupons, borders, mastheads, calendars and more. You can use the Design Gallery to store objects that you crease or import. once the items are added to the Design Gallery, you can reuse them in other publications. To open the Design Gallery, click on the Design Gallery button on the Object toolbar. Select the object to place in your publication from here. To add an object to the Design Gallery, select the object and click on Insert > Add Selection to Design Gallery
Grouping objects in your publication together can help in positioning and laying out a set of objects that you want to be together. To group objects, first select them all by clicking them while holding the Shift key pressed. click the Group Objects button that appears at the foot of the selection. If desired, the objects can be taken apart again by selecting it and clicking the Ungroup Objects button.
Quickly Copy Formatting Within a Page
With the right mouse button help down, drag the object or text that has the formatting you want to copy onto the object or text you want to change. Release the right mouse button, and then click Apple Formatting Here.
Make Alignment a Snap
Align objects in Publisher without hassling over your muse. Click on Arrange > Rules guides and choose either Add Horizontal Ruler Guide or Add Vertical Ruler Guide. To move the guide, hold the Shift key and drag the guide to the position you want. click on Tools > Snap to Guides. Now and object that you move near the guide will snap to the grid and be automatically aligned.
Maintain an Object's Center
To maintain the center of an object in the same place in you publication while you resize the object, click the object, then hold down the Ctrl key while you resize the object. Release the mouse button before you release the Ctrl key.
Check for missing Text
Missing text often occurs when you resize a test frame after inserting text, or when you add a graphics that pushes test into an adjacent text frame. Adding a continued notice to a text frame can also cause missing text. Publisher indicated that text is missing by showing the Text in Overflow symbol at the bottom of a text frame when the frame is selected. Click on Tools > Design Checker to launch the Design Checker to check your publication for missing text. it analyzes your publication and stops at every text frame that contains overflowing text and suggests possible solutions.
Nudge your Objects
To move Objects in Publisher just a little without getting to be a pro at the mouse, use the Nude command. Select the object and click on the Arrange > Nudge objects. Enter the direction and length by which you want to move the object. The distance can be up to two inches and can also be specified in centimeters, points or picas. if you want to move the object in pixels, select the object and press the arrow keys while pressing the Alt key to move the object in given direction one pixel at a time.
Convert Text Headings to Graphics
If you are creating web pages using Publisher, the titles and mastheads creates with fancy fonts will not show on users who don't have the font installed. Instead, converting them to graphics will ensure that the text will be seen. to convert the text to graphics in Publisher, type the text you want in the font of your choice. Crease Picture Frame that completely covers the text you've typed. Click the Send to Back button to put the text in front of the frame. Finally, group the text frame and picture frame together to force a convert on the text to graphics.
Grab Images From Page Borders
If you simply can't get the required image from the Publisher's built in Clip Art Gallery, try searching for it in your page borders. The image you desire may be a part of the border images, you can browse for borders from Format > Border > BorderArt. To add it as an image, crease a small rectangle using the Drawling tool and then go though the list of borders. Giving a large point size to the border will make the image you want fit the whole rectangle instead of the whole border.
Use the Publisher Design Galleys
The publisher Design Galleries contain hundreds of professionally designed objects that you can add to your publication, including pull quotes, logos, coupons, borders, mastheads, calendars and more. You can use the Design Gallery to store objects that you crease or import. once the items are added to the Design Gallery, you can reuse them in other publications. To open the Design Gallery, click on the Design Gallery button on the Object toolbar. Select the object to place in your publication from here. To add an object to the Design Gallery, select the object and click on Insert > Add Selection to Design Gallery
Macromedia Freehand
Quick Defaults
You can set an object's default settings, such as stroke, fill, or type settings by simply modifying one object of that type. First, you have to enable this from File > Preferences > Object. Check the box labeled chancing object changes defaults. Henceforth, any property modified for objects becomes the default for that object. you can enable this option at the beginning of a session, set defaults for all objects you intend to use and then disable it.
Rounded Polygon Corners
To provide rounded corners to polygons, select the shape and click on Modify > After Path > Insert Path. Enter the amount of corner radius you want in the Insert field. Keep the Steps value at 1 and the Join option to Squared. On clicking OK, the polygon will shrink in size. Keeping the shape selected, again click on Modify > After Path > Inset Path. Use the negative value of the Inset value used above. Change the Join option to Rounded. On clicking OK, the polygon will have rounded coroners.
Pasting Behind Objects
You can paste an object behind another object, even if it is in a Group, without ungrouping it. Move the object in the position you want to paste it and cut it. Now select an object within the group, hold down the Alt key while clicking it. Click on Edit > Paste Behind to paste the contents from the clipboard behind the selected objects.
Bitmaps to vectors
The trace tool is extremely powerful for creating editable vector art from bitmap images. When you double-click on the tool, you will get a dialog box where you can choose the Color mode, the resolution, the amount of detail, etc. That the final traced image should have. Once you set these values to suit your needs, you can trace the bitmap by clicking and dragging over the part of the bitmap you want.
Creating a Line Grid
Draw a horizontal line to about the width of your grid. Clone the line and drag it down to about the height of the grid. Select both the lines and click on Modify > Combine > Blend. you can adjust the spacing of the lines by changing the number of Steps on the Object Inspector palette. Close this blend and click on Modify > Transform > Rotate. Rotate the close by 90. Align the corners to match those of the horizontal lines and the grid is ready.
Finding a Rotation Angle
If you want to find out by what angle an object has been rotated, turn on Snap To Point from the View menu. Select the Line tool and draw a line from the upper left point of the object to the upper right point. The angle is shown on the stats bar. For ellipses draw the line from one edge across the center to the other edge. For precise drawing, you can change the Snap distance from File > Preferences > General.
Save RAM!
The Undo information takes up RAM and slows down overall performance. You can configure the numbers of Undos FreeHand should store. Open File > Preferences > General and enter the number in the Undo's field. The lower the number , the lesser RAM will be used, but you will be able to track back only that many steps.
Quick Refresh
The preview mode displays images at full resolution, as well as each step of a blend object. The Fast Preview mode displays images at a faster speed, but at reduced resolution and lesser number of blend steps. this is useful for working in Preview mode with complex images, which would otherwise easily slow down your work process with every edit. To change the preview mode, click on View > Preview for the standard (slower) mode and View > Fast Mode for faster refresh.
Cluttered Toolbars
If your toolbars are getting too cluttered, you can organize them better, Click on File > Customize > Toolbars. To remove an icon from the toolbar, drag it outside the toolbar. To add an icon, drag it from the Toolbars dialog box onto the toolbar.
You can set an object's default settings, such as stroke, fill, or type settings by simply modifying one object of that type. First, you have to enable this from File > Preferences > Object. Check the box labeled chancing object changes defaults. Henceforth, any property modified for objects becomes the default for that object. you can enable this option at the beginning of a session, set defaults for all objects you intend to use and then disable it.
Rounded Polygon Corners
To provide rounded corners to polygons, select the shape and click on Modify > After Path > Insert Path. Enter the amount of corner radius you want in the Insert field. Keep the Steps value at 1 and the Join option to Squared. On clicking OK, the polygon will shrink in size. Keeping the shape selected, again click on Modify > After Path > Inset Path. Use the negative value of the Inset value used above. Change the Join option to Rounded. On clicking OK, the polygon will have rounded coroners.
Pasting Behind Objects
You can paste an object behind another object, even if it is in a Group, without ungrouping it. Move the object in the position you want to paste it and cut it. Now select an object within the group, hold down the Alt key while clicking it. Click on Edit > Paste Behind to paste the contents from the clipboard behind the selected objects.
Bitmaps to vectors
The trace tool is extremely powerful for creating editable vector art from bitmap images. When you double-click on the tool, you will get a dialog box where you can choose the Color mode, the resolution, the amount of detail, etc. That the final traced image should have. Once you set these values to suit your needs, you can trace the bitmap by clicking and dragging over the part of the bitmap you want.
Creating a Line Grid
Draw a horizontal line to about the width of your grid. Clone the line and drag it down to about the height of the grid. Select both the lines and click on Modify > Combine > Blend. you can adjust the spacing of the lines by changing the number of Steps on the Object Inspector palette. Close this blend and click on Modify > Transform > Rotate. Rotate the close by 90. Align the corners to match those of the horizontal lines and the grid is ready.
Finding a Rotation Angle
If you want to find out by what angle an object has been rotated, turn on Snap To Point from the View menu. Select the Line tool and draw a line from the upper left point of the object to the upper right point. The angle is shown on the stats bar. For ellipses draw the line from one edge across the center to the other edge. For precise drawing, you can change the Snap distance from File > Preferences > General.
Save RAM!
The Undo information takes up RAM and slows down overall performance. You can configure the numbers of Undos FreeHand should store. Open File > Preferences > General and enter the number in the Undo's field. The lower the number , the lesser RAM will be used, but you will be able to track back only that many steps.
Quick Refresh
The preview mode displays images at full resolution, as well as each step of a blend object. The Fast Preview mode displays images at a faster speed, but at reduced resolution and lesser number of blend steps. this is useful for working in Preview mode with complex images, which would otherwise easily slow down your work process with every edit. To change the preview mode, click on View > Preview for the standard (slower) mode and View > Fast Mode for faster refresh.
Cluttered Toolbars
If your toolbars are getting too cluttered, you can organize them better, Click on File > Customize > Toolbars. To remove an icon from the toolbar, drag it outside the toolbar. To add an icon, drag it from the Toolbars dialog box onto the toolbar.
Macromedia Fireworks
Using Photoshop Plug-ins
You can use Photoshop plug-ins in Fireworks. One File > Preferences > Folders and click on Browse nest to Photoshop Plug-Ins to specify their location. you can use these plug-ins from the Effects palette.
Thumbnails
Create a thumbnail of your image using the Export Preview. Click on File > Export Preview > File. You can either choose the size of the file as a percentage of the current file, or enter a specify height and width for exported file.
Optimizing JPEGs
The Optimize palette provides various options for optimizing JPEG images. These can be accessed under the menu on the Optimize palette. First change the Export file format to JPEG. Optimize to Size changes an image's attributes to constraint it to a certain file size. Progressive JPEG creates an image that displays at a low resolution while the rest of it is downloading. Sharpen Edges preserves sharp edges, like the edges of text.
Super Fast
You can speed up Fireworks by location the scratch disk on the fastest drive available. The scratch disk is a temporary space to the hard disk where temporary information, such as the Undo information is stored. As you edit the image, this is continuously written to and read from. To change the location of the scratch disk, open File > Preferences > Folder and change the Primary Scratch Disk to the fastest drive on the System
Batch Processing
Fireworks can perform several actions upon an entire batch of files, thus saving a lot of time, Click on File > Batch Process to open the Batch Process dialog box, Select the scope of the files it should work upon from the Files to Process drop down. you can find and replace items like text, fonts, colors, etc. On these files. You can also export them all to a different format, scaling them to a different size if desired. Fireworks provides and option to backup the flies, too. Apart from these preset options, you can also run a Fireworks script upon multiple files.
Fading text
Creating animated GIF's with fading text is a piece of cake with Fireworks. Using the Text tool, type the text that appears initially and set its color and any other attributes. With the text object selected, click on Insert > convert to Symbol. The symbol is saved on the Library palette and the object on the canvas has a small shortcut arrow on the lower left corner, Close the object (Edit ? Clone) and set its opacity to 0% from the Object palette. click on Modify > Arrange > Sent to Back to send the transparent instance behind the opaque one. Click on Modify ? Symbol > Tween Instances. Set the number of steps from the animation and check Distributed to Frames. These frames appear on the Frames palette. Export the files as an Animated GIF with the desired settings.
Font Styles
Fireworks allows emboldening and italicising text even if these are unavailable to the system When a stoke to Transform tool is applied to the text, the applies style may be lost, since the operation is perforated on the outlines online. Hence, it is better to use fonts for which the desired style is available
Roller Coaster Text
Fireworks lets you form text along any line. Draw the like with a Pencil, Pen or Brush tool. The text that you apple to this path will also take the direction it is drawn in, apart from its shape. Type the text with the Text tool and format as desired. Using the Pointer tool, select both, the text block and the path. Click on Text > Attach to Path.
Cleaner Text
Small text does not always look neat on GIF images, You can achieve a certain amount of sharpness, though. Type the text using the Text and set the font size and other attributes. Check the Fill palette to ensure that Anti-aliasing is on. Clone the text object and set the Edge to Hard on Fill palette. The combination of both these objects should result in better rendering for small sized text. The Opacity of the objects can be manipulated to achieve a good balance of the two.
You can use Photoshop plug-ins in Fireworks. One File > Preferences > Folders and click on Browse nest to Photoshop Plug-Ins to specify their location. you can use these plug-ins from the Effects palette.
Thumbnails
Create a thumbnail of your image using the Export Preview. Click on File > Export Preview > File. You can either choose the size of the file as a percentage of the current file, or enter a specify height and width for exported file.
Optimizing JPEGs
The Optimize palette provides various options for optimizing JPEG images. These can be accessed under the menu on the Optimize palette. First change the Export file format to JPEG. Optimize to Size changes an image's attributes to constraint it to a certain file size. Progressive JPEG creates an image that displays at a low resolution while the rest of it is downloading. Sharpen Edges preserves sharp edges, like the edges of text.
Super Fast
You can speed up Fireworks by location the scratch disk on the fastest drive available. The scratch disk is a temporary space to the hard disk where temporary information, such as the Undo information is stored. As you edit the image, this is continuously written to and read from. To change the location of the scratch disk, open File > Preferences > Folder and change the Primary Scratch Disk to the fastest drive on the System
Batch Processing
Fireworks can perform several actions upon an entire batch of files, thus saving a lot of time, Click on File > Batch Process to open the Batch Process dialog box, Select the scope of the files it should work upon from the Files to Process drop down. you can find and replace items like text, fonts, colors, etc. On these files. You can also export them all to a different format, scaling them to a different size if desired. Fireworks provides and option to backup the flies, too. Apart from these preset options, you can also run a Fireworks script upon multiple files.
Fading text
Creating animated GIF's with fading text is a piece of cake with Fireworks. Using the Text tool, type the text that appears initially and set its color and any other attributes. With the text object selected, click on Insert > convert to Symbol. The symbol is saved on the Library palette and the object on the canvas has a small shortcut arrow on the lower left corner, Close the object (Edit ? Clone) and set its opacity to 0% from the Object palette. click on Modify > Arrange > Sent to Back to send the transparent instance behind the opaque one. Click on Modify ? Symbol > Tween Instances. Set the number of steps from the animation and check Distributed to Frames. These frames appear on the Frames palette. Export the files as an Animated GIF with the desired settings.
Font Styles
Fireworks allows emboldening and italicising text even if these are unavailable to the system When a stoke to Transform tool is applied to the text, the applies style may be lost, since the operation is perforated on the outlines online. Hence, it is better to use fonts for which the desired style is available
Roller Coaster Text
Fireworks lets you form text along any line. Draw the like with a Pencil, Pen or Brush tool. The text that you apple to this path will also take the direction it is drawn in, apart from its shape. Type the text with the Text tool and format as desired. Using the Pointer tool, select both, the text block and the path. Click on Text > Attach to Path.
Cleaner Text
Small text does not always look neat on GIF images, You can achieve a certain amount of sharpness, though. Type the text using the Text and set the font size and other attributes. Check the Fill palette to ensure that Anti-aliasing is on. Clone the text object and set the Edge to Hard on Fill palette. The combination of both these objects should result in better rendering for small sized text. The Opacity of the objects can be manipulated to achieve a good balance of the two.
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