Computer Tips , Tricks & Shortcut Keys

Part1: Computer Tips , Tricks & Shortcut Keys

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1.  Arrange your icons by: type, name, size, auto arrange, and arrange by grid.  All of these options can be found in any folder and on the desktop by right-clicking and choosing “arrange icons by”…

2.  Add symbols in Word by using the Character Map.  To access the Character Map, either choose InsertàSymbol in Microsoft Word or, in Windows, simply go to the Start button and click Run.  Type charmap into the blank.  Then, copy and paste the symbol you want into almost any program. 

3.  Use your Links Bar in Internet Explorer (or any Windows folder) to quickly bring up favorite Web sites or files on your computer with a single-click button.  To enable the Links Bar, right-click on the toolbar in Internet Explorer or any folder and check-mark the word “Links.”  Then, uncheck “Lock the Toolbars” (in Windows XP).  Drag the word Links down below your Address Bar, and proceed to drag any Web site onto this bar.  The same goes for any file that you want to access.  Drag them onto this bar to create a “one-click link” button on the toolbar.  Look for the little black vertical line before dropping things onto the Links Bar.  

4.  Minimize all windows with one keyboard shortcut.  Press the Windows Logo button and the D key (Windows+D) to send all of your open windows to the taskbar, leaving only the desktop.  This is the same as clicking the “Show Desktop” icon on the taskbar/QuickLaunch bar. 

5.  In Internet Explorer, there is a keyboard shortcut for Back and Forward.  This way you don’t have to keep clicking the toolbar button every time you want to return to a Web page.  Use your Backspace key to go back, and your Enter key to go forward. 

6.  There are keyboard shortcuts for undo and redo.  In Word, PowerPoint and Excel,  as well as many non-Microsoft programs, use Ctrl + Z to undo, and Ctrl + Y to redo.

7.  The quickest way to adjust your screen display size, screen saver, icon sizes and your desktop wallpaper is by right-clicking on the desktop and choosing Properties.  Now, all of the display properties are there at your fingertips. 

8.  Three tremendously important keyboard shortcuts found in Windows:

        F1=Help   F2=Rename   F3=Find Files or Folders

9.  Another great “Find” shortcut is Ctrl + F.  Using this keyboard shortcut in Internet Explorer, Word or Excel allows you to search the current page or document for a specific word or phrase.  After it highlights the correct word you’re looking for, press the Enter key to “Find Next.” 

10.  When you want to delete something in Windows, are you tired of it asking you if you are sure you want to delete it?  Right-click on the Recycle Bin and un-check “Display delete confirmation dialog box.”  But, only do this if you’re sure (haha).

11.  To quickly close your open windows, use this keyboard shortcut: Alt + F4.  Any open window that is selected will immediately close.  When you run out of windows to close, it will ask if you want to shut down your computer.  Press the Enter key to shut down.

12.  Another seldom-used keyboard shortcut is the “Task Manager” which allows you to toggle between open files or between two different programs within seconds.  To see how it works, press the Alt + Tab keys at the same time and then let go.  It jumps back and forth between programs you have open.  Very convenient.  

13.  The keyboard shortcut for Print is Ctrl + P.  This brings up the Print dialog box.  In most programs, you can bypass the Print dialog box by pressing the Print button at the top on the toolbar. 

14.  Two Office XP annoyances can be fixed quickly.  First, to turn the Task Pane off (the split-screen window at the right in every Office XP application), you can un-check the little box in the bottom right corner that says “Show at startup.”  You can also toggle the Task Pane on and off by going to ViewàTask Pane.  However, the Task Pane option is hidden by default in the annoying half-menu, which started with Office 2000.  If you always want to show full menus, go to ToolsàCustomize and check the box that says “Always show full menus.”

15.  Another Office XP annoyance has to do with toolbars.  By default, only the buttons you use most on your toolbar are displayed.  What if you want more toolbar buttons?  Go to ToolsàCustomize and click the Options tab.  Check the box that says “Show Standard & Formatting toolbars on two rows.”  This gives you more room for buttons.  To add more toolbars, right-click on any toolbar and check the name of the additional toolbars you want added.

16.  What if you could expand any Web page’s size and quickly get rid of all toolbars in Internet Explorer with the click of one key.  Well, there is a full-screen mode in Internet Explorer.  Go to a good Web site that you want to see more of, and press the F11 key on the top of your keyboard.  Press it again to bring back your toolbars. 

17.  Desktop Shortcuts are a good idea if you use certain programs & files repeatedly.  For example, if you use Microsoft Word a lot, you can create a shortcut to it by going to StartàProgramsàMicrosoft Word.  Before you open the program, right-click on the Microsoft Word icon and choose Send ToàDesktop (create shortcut).  This creates a shortcut to Microsoft Word on the desktop.  If it says “shortcut to Microsoft Word,” you can get rid of the words “shortcut to” by right-clicking on the icon and deleting those words from its title. 

18.  When you connect a Laptop computer to an LCD Projector, it’s pretty easy to get a picture on a movie screen, but your laptop monitor is often left blank.  However, a quick keyboard shortcut will allow you to view both the screen display on the laptop as well as the movie screen.  On most laptops, the shortcut is Fn + F5.  Look for the little monitor icon on one of the function keys at the top of your laptop keyboard.  This tells you which key to use in combination with the Fn key. 

  

19.  Here are some great Microsoft Word tips that will make your life easier. 

A. To insert filler text (to demonstrate Word formatting), when you type =rand(4,5) and press Enter, you get:

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

B.  To save all of your open documents at once, hold down the Shift key and open the File menu. The File menu will give you two new options: Save All and Close All.

20.  More Microsoft Word tips: Add line separators to your documents.  Here are the best of the best.  If you want to separate portions of a document with fancy horizontal lines, use one of these methods:

1. To create a thin continuous line, type three hyphens and press Enter (---).
2. To create a thicker, bolder line, use underscores (___).
3. To create a dotted line, use asterisks (***).
4. To create a double line, use equal signs (===).
5. To create a wavy line, use tildes (~~~).