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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, May 8, 2005
To all the Moms, Happy Mother's Day!
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Recycle Bin Tips and Tricks
Tips & Tricks: Quick Font Size Change
Keyboard Shortcut: Fast Moves with the Arrow Keys
Keyboard Shortcut: Selecting Text with the Arrow Keys
Featured Computer Term: Configuration
This Week's Topic: Hide the Taskbar
Question: Move, Copy or Create a Shortcut
Websites of Interest: Mother's Day; U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission; Classic Movies
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Special Feature: Recycle Bin Tips and Tricks
No Confirmations
When you delete a file, Windows asks you to confirm that you would like to move this file to the Recycle Bin. If you would like to skip this extra step, you can set up No Confirmations.
To do so, right-click the Recycle Bin. From the resulting menu, click Properties. Click the checkbox to deselect Display delete confirmation dialog box. Click the OK button.
Note: be careful when you delete something; you will not get a confirmation window from now on.
Recycle Size
By default, the Recycle Bin uses 10% of your hard drive. You can free up some hard drive space by reducing the amount the Recycle Bin uses.
To do so, right-click the Recycle Bin. From the resulting menu, click Properties. Drag the Maximum Amount slider to the left to 5%. Click the OK button.
Immediate Delete
If you are sure that you want to delete a file, hold down the Shift key while you delete. The file will be deleted—skipping the Recycle Bin entirely.
To learn more about the Recycle Bin, visit our website:
http://stsico.com/html/recycle_bin.html
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Tips & Tricks: Quick Font Size Change
If you would like to quickly increase or decrease the text size without permanently changing it, try this trick:
Hold down the CTRL key and roll the mouse’s scroll wheel away from you. This will zoom in on the text and make it appear larger. To make it smaller, Hold down the CTRL key and roll the mouse scroll wheel towards you.
This tip should work in most programs including Internet Explorer and many email programs.
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Keyboard Shortcut: Fast Moves with the Arrow Keys
This will work in your word processing program and some email programs.
Hold down the CTRL key and press the left or right arrow key. Instead of moving the insertion point one space at a time, you'll move it to the previous (left arrow) or next (right arrow) word.
Hold down the CTRL key and press the up or down arrow. Instead of moving up or down one line, the insertion point will move to the previous or next paragraph.
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Keyboard Shortcut: Selecting Text with the Arrow Keys
Hold down the Shift key and press any of the arrow keys. You will select the text that you are arrowing over.
To quickly select text, combine this tip with the Fast Moves with the Arrow Keys tip above.
Hold down Shift + CTRL at the same time; as you press the arrow keys you will be selecting whole words (left or right arrow) or whole paragraphs (up or down arrow).
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Featured Computer Term: Configuration
Question: I hear and read the term Configuration very frequently. What does this mean?
Answer:
The configuration is the arrangement of the parts or pieces of the computer.
It can refer to the computer hardware: the amount of memory, a floppy drive, a hard disk, a modem, a CD-ROM drive. It can be the combination of programs: the operating system, any utility programs that are installed, and the applications that were added. It can also refer to how the software is setup: any special options or preferences that were chosen.
Is there a computer term or phrase that you'd like to see an explanation of?
Email it to info@computerkindergarten.com and we'll put the term and its
definition in an upcoming newsletter.
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Today's Topic: Hide the Taskbar
Want a little more room on your desktop? You can hide the taskbar and make it appear only when you need it. Here’s how:
Right-click on a blank area on your taskbar. Left click on Properties in the resulting menu. That will open the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window. Select Autohide by clicking the small box to the left of it; a checkmark will appear in the box. Click the OK button.
The taskbar will only display when you point your mouse at the bottom of the screen.
If you want the taskbar to always display, follow the above steps and click to remove the checkmark from Autohide.
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Question: Move, Copy or Create a Shortcut
When I drag and drop files, how do I know if they are being moved, copied, or if Windows is creating a shortcut?
Answer:
As you move the file, watch your mouse arrow. If the arrow has a + sign next to it, the file is being copied. If you see another arrow next to the mouse arrow, Windows is creating a shortcut. And, if you see only the mouse arrow, the file is being moved.
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Websites of Interest:
Mother’s Day
Take a look at our website for some Mother’s Day graphics and links to interesting, fun and informative sites:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/mom.html
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Visit this website for recent product recalls, safety information, to report an unsafe product and more.
http://www.cpsc.gov/
Classic Movies
If you like old classic movies, you're going to love this site. Old films, actors and actresses like John Barrymore, Jimmy Stewart, Bette Davis, Judy Garland, Grace Kelly and much more.
http://www.reelclassics.com/ |
