PC Hints and Tips

For easy access to websites, right-click a blank area of the Taskbar and select Toolbars then Address. Type a web address into the box and click Go (or press Enter on your keyboard). Your browser will then load that website. You may need to resize the Address toolbar so you can see the box properly, and should make sure you unlock the Taskbar first.

Toolbars can be placed anywhere on your screen. To move one to your Desktop, unlock the Taskbar and position your cursor over a toolbar’s handle (the dotted lines on the left). Click it and drag the toolbar onto your Desktop.

To move the Windows taskbar to the top or right- or left-hand side of the screen, right-click a blank area of the Taskbar and clear the ‘Lock the Taskbar’ option (assuming it’s locked in the first place). Now click on the Taskbar and drag it to its new location.

You can turn any of your folders into a toolbar. Right-click a blank area of the Taskar, go to Toolbars and choose New Toolbar. Select the folder you want to use and it will appear as a toolbar on the Taskbar.

The Control Panel can be displayed as a fly-out menu. Click Start, right-click a blank area of the Start menu and select Properties. Click the Customize button followed by the Advanced tab. In the Control Panel section of the Start menu items list, select ‘Display as a menu’.

Launch the Start menu and then click on the graphic that Windows has automatically assigned to your account. When the User Accounts window opens, select the ‘Browse for more pictures’ option to find and add your own photo to the menu.

A simple Registry edit can significantly speed up your Start menu. Click Start, Run and type ‘regedit’ (without the quote marks) into the box. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ MenuShowDelay and change the value to 100. The menu should respond much more quickly now.

If you want to remove the text underneath a Desktop icon, leaving just the icon itself, select it and press F2. Hold down Alt and type 255 on your numeric keypad. if you want to do the same with a second icon, repeat the process, release Alt, hold it down again and type 255 a second time.

You can swap the friendly XP Welcome screen for the more secure Windows 2000 log-on box. Go to Start, Control Panel, User Accounts, choose ‘Change the way users log on or off’ and then uncheck the ‘Use the Welcome screen’ option.

As well as storing shortcuts for your favourite programs, the Quick Launch toolbar can also hold folders. Just drag-and-drop one onto the toolbar to make it appear there. If the Quick Launch bar isn’t visible, right-click a blank area of the Taskbar and select Toolbars, then Quick Launch.