Derrick's Computer Blog

Blog's 10 FAQs

2008-10-16T03:46:00.001-07:00

Introduction

This blog is mainly for computer knowledge blogging purposes as well as some tutorials on computer applications which I know of.

What to expect

Small tutorials

Computer facts

Latest computer trends

Anything about computers

Computer Problem Solving (My favourite!)

Why this URL?

Simply because I cannot think of any nice URL for this blog.

I don't understand a crap you're saying.

Why don't you attempt to learn something from here instead of flaming me.

Where can I leave my comments, questions and suggestions?

Tagboard of course! Or comment on the article itself.

Where do I start?

Anywhere!

Why do you love computers?

Cause nothing in the world does anything without them.

Basically its a hobby, dummy.

Are the answers here your typing?

Absolutely. None of them is copied. If there is, it will be creditted.

Are you the brainiest computer-freak in the world?

Nope I am not. Computer technicians are the ones. I have no qualifications.

Then what the hell is this blog for?

Like I said, a hobby!

I hate you.

Bye then.

Windows: Keyboard Shortcuts

2008-10-16T03:23:00.001-07:00

Some shortcut functions on the keyboard.

Windows system key combinations

• F1: Help

• CTRL+ESC: Open Start menu

• ALT+TAB: Switch between open programs

• ALT+F4: Quit program

• SHIFT+DELETE: Delete item permanently

Windows program key combinations

• CTRL+C: Copy

• CTRL+X: Cut

• CTRL+V: Paste

• CTRL+Z: Undo

• CTRL+B: Bold

• CTRL+U: Underline

• CTRL+I: Italic

Mouse click/keyboard modifier combinations for shell objects

• SHIFT+right click: Displays a shortcut menu containing alternative commands

• SHIFT+double click: Runs the alternate default command (the second item on the menu)

• ALT+double click: Displays properties

• SHIFT+DELETE: Deletes an item immediately without placing it in the Recycle Bin

General keyboard-only commands

• F1: Starts Windows Help

• F10: Activates menu bar options

• SHIFT+F10 Opens a shortcut menu for the selected item (this is the same as right-clicking an object

• CTRL+ESC: Opens the Start menu (use the ARROW keys to select an item)

• CTRL+ESC or ESC: Selects the Start button (press TAB to select the taskbar, or press SHIFT+F10 for a context menu)

• ALT+DOWN ARROW: Opens a drop-down list box

• ALT+TAB: Switch to another running program (hold down the ALT key and then press the TAB key to view the task-switching window)

• SHIFT: Press and hold down the SHIFT key while you insert a CD-ROM to bypass the automatic-run feature

• ALT+SPACE: Displays the main window's System menu (from the System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the window)

• ALT+- (ALT+hyphen): Displays the Multiple Document Interface (MDI) child window's System menu (from the MDI child window's System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the child window)

• CTRL+TAB: Switch to the next child window of a Multiple Document Interface (MDI) program

• ALT+underlined letter in menu: Opens the menu

• ALT+F4: Closes the current window

• CTRL+F4: Closes the current Multiple Document Interface (MDI) window

• ALT+F6: Switch between multiple windows in the same program (for example, when the Notepad Find dialog box is displayed, ALT+F6 switches between the Find dialog box and the main Notepad window)

Shell objects and general folder/Windows Explorer shortcuts

For a selected object:

• F2: Rename object

• F3: Find all files

• CTRL+X: Cut

• CTRL+C: Copy

• CTRL+V: Paste

• SHIFT+DELETE: Delete selection immediately, without moving the item to the Recycle Bin

• ALT+ENTER: Open the properties for the selected object

To copy a file

Press and hold down the CTRL key while you drag the file to another folder.

To create a shortcut

Press and hold down CTRL+SHIFT while you drag a file to the desktop or a folder.

General folder/shortcut control

• F4: Selects the Go To A Different Folder box and moves down the entries in the box (if the toolbar is active in Windows Explorer)

• F5: Refreshes the current window.

• F6: Moves among panes in Windows Explorer

• CTRL+G: Opens the Go To Folder tool (in Windows 95 Windows Explorer only)

• CTRL+Z: Undo the last command

• CTRL+A: Select all the items in the current window

• BACKSPACE: Switch to the parent folder

• SHIFT+click+Close button: For folders, close the current folder plus all parent folders

Windows Explorer tree control

• Numeric Keypad *: Expands everything under the current selection

• Numeric Keypad +: Expands the current selection

• Numeric Keypad -: Collapses the current selection.

• RIGHT ARROW: Expands the current selection if it is not expanded, otherwise goes to the first child

• LEFT ARROW: Collapses the current selection if it is expanded, otherwise goes to the parent

Properties control

• CTRL+TAB/CTRL+SHIFT+TAB: Move through the property tabs

Accessibility shortcuts

• Press SHIFT five times: Toggles StickyKeys on and off

• Press down and hold the right SHIFT key for eight seconds: Toggles FilterKeys on and off

• Press down and hold the NUM LOCK key for five seconds: Toggles ToggleKeys on and off

• Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK: Toggles MouseKeys on and off

• Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN: Toggles high contrast on and off

Microsoft Natural Keyboard keys

• Windows Logo: Start menu

• Windows Logo+R: Run dialog box

• Windows Logo+M: Minimize all

• SHIFT+Windows Logo+M: Undo minimize all

• Windows Logo+F1: Help

• Windows Logo+E: Windows Explorer

• Windows Logo+F: Find files or folders

• Windows Logo+D: Minimizes all open windows and displays the desktop

• CTRL+Windows Logo+F: Find computer

• CTRL+Windows Logo+TAB: Moves focus from Start, to the Quick Launch toolbar, to the system tray (use RIGHT ARROW or LEFT ARROW to move focus to items on the Quick Launch toolbar and the system tray)

• Windows Logo+TAB: Cycle through taskbar buttons

• Windows Logo+Break: System Properties dialog box

• Application key: Displays a shortcut menu for the selected item

Microsoft Natural Keyboard with IntelliType software installed

• Windows Logo+L: Log off Windows

• Windows Logo+P: Starts Print Manager

• Windows Logo+C: Opens Control Panel

• Windows Logo+V: Starts Clipboard

• Windows Logo+K: Opens Keyboard Properties dialog box

• Windows Logo+I: Opens Mouse Properties dialog box

• Windows Logo+A: Starts Accessibility Options (if installed)

• Windows Logo+SPACEBAR: Displays the list of Microsoft IntelliType shortcut keys

• Windows Logo+S: Toggles CAPS LOCK on and off

Dialog box keyboard commands

• TAB: Move to the next control in the dialog box

• SHIFT+TAB: Move to the previous control in the dialog box

• SPACEBAR: If the current control is a button, this clicks the button. If the current control is a check box, this toggles the check box. If the current control is an option, this selects the option.

• ENTER: Equivalent to clicking the selected button (the button with the outline)

• ESC: Equivalent to clicking the Cancel button

• ALT+underlined letter in dialog box item: Move to the corresponding item

Taken from Microsoft.

Windows: Determining System Information

2008-10-16T03:19:00.000-07:00

Basically, there are two simple ways.

Firstly, Right Click My computer, select properties.

The first page is a very brief outline of your computer's specifications.

Secondly, Go to Start > Run > Cmd > 'dxdiag' > Enter

This will launch the Direct X Diagnostic Tool.

The first page has your system information and you can check your other system settings like sound and video.

Fact: Operating Systems

2008-10-16T03:17:00.000-07:00

An operating system, or OS, is a software program that enables the computer hardware to communicate and operate with the computer software. Without a computer operating system, a computer would be useless.

List of OS

Linux / Variants

MacOS

MS-DOS

IBM OS/2 Warp

Unix / Variants

Windows CE

Windows 3.x

Windows 95

Windows 98

Windows 98 SE

Windows ME

Windows NT

Windows 2000

Windows XP

Windows Vista

Windows: Installing Fonts

2008-10-16T03:15:00.000-07:00

Look for a font from the Internet.

A good source is

Http://www.dafont.com/

Next, install the font on your harddrive.

Then follow these steps -

Click Start, Settings, Control Panel.

Open the Fonts icon by double clicking the icon.

Within the Fonts window you will be able to view each of the currently installed fonts as well as install new fonts. To install a font, click the File menu and select Install New Font.

Locate the directory of the fonts you wish to install.

Highlight the fonts you wish to install and click ok.

Windows: Automatic Computer Restart

2008-10-16T03:07:00.000-07:00

Computer may restart by itself when the following occur.

Software conflict

Hardware conflict

Heat issues

Virus

OS (Operating System) Issue

Software Conflict

Uninstall the software that causes the restarting problem.

Try rebooting your computer in safe mode, then do the following.

From the desktop right-click on My Computer.

Click the Properties option.

In the System Properties window click the Advanced tab.

In Advanced click the Settings button under Startup and Recovery.

In the Startup and Recovery window uncheck the Automatically restart check box.

Click Ok.

Hardware Conflict

Failing hardware may cause the computer to restart.

Use device manager to check for any problems with hardware.

To do this, right click My computer > Properties > Hardware tab > Device manager

Check whether any new drivers has been installed recently and rollback the changes.

Viruses

Viruses may cause the computer to auto restart after a certain time after booting.

Use a good antivirus system and run a scan in safe mode.

Heat issues

Overheating can cause the computer to shut down / restart to prevent it from reaching a high temperature. Check that the power supply sends power to the fans and make sure your computer is well vendilated.

OS Issues

The OS might have issues which causes the computer to restart by itself.

To solve this, either Repair your OS if all else fails or reformat it.

Windows: Rolling Back Changes, Safe Mode

2008-10-16T03:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you may find yourself receiving an error after you recently installed a program or an update to a hardware.

You may want to consider reversing this action using System Restore.

Firstly, restart your computer in safe mode to prevent non windows drivers from loading.

To do this, before the Windows logo screen during bootup, (just after the manufacturer logo screen), click the F8 key.

It will bring you to the Windows Advanced Options Menu.

Use the arrow keys and select safe mode.

Windows Advanced Options Menu
Please select an option:

Safe Mode
Safe Mode with Networking
Safe Mode with Command Prompt

Enable Boot Logging
Enable VGA mode
Last Known Good Configuration (your most recent settings that worked)
Directory Services Restore Mode (Windows domain controllers only)
Debugging Mode

Start Windows Normally
Reboot
Return to OS Choices Menu

Use the up and down arrow keys to move the highlight to your choice.

When you're on safe mode, go to

Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore

Select 'Restore my computer to an earlier date/time' and follow the instructions on screen.

Choose the day before you installed the program and restore your computer to that selected date.

The next time the computer restarts, the problem should be solved.

Windows: Uncompressing Files

2008-10-16T02:54:00.000-07:00

File types like .zip and .rar are compressed file format.

They are compressed files using a utility like Winzip or Winrar.

To decompress them, simply get a utility like Winzip, Winrar, 7-Zip which also decompresses the file after compressing them.

http://www.rarsoft.com/

http://www.winzip.com/

Once installing them, you can decompress the file using these steps.

Locate the file.

Right click the file > Select "Extract here"

or to decompress multiple files

Locate the files (must be in same directory)

Highlight all the files to be decompressed

Right click any of the files

Select "Extract here"

Input password if needed.

Internet: Testing Internet Speed

2008-10-16T02:52:00.000-07:00

There are plenty of web programs available to determine your Internet speed.

Here are some.

Windows: Speeding Windows Up

2008-10-16T02:38:00.000-07:00

Speeding Windows Up

Windows can be clotted up due to data accumulated over time. Applications can store data over the hard drive and fragment the hard drive. When windows relaunches the application another time, it locates this fragments and sorts them, then launches the application.

Fragmenting can result in slower application startup, since it takes time to locate these data fragments. One way to solve this is using a defragmenter.

Windows has a defragmenter found in Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter

However, I do not recommend this method as it takes an extremely long time for windows to defragment the harddisk.

One software I recommend is Auslogics Disk Defrag available for free on the web

http://www.auslogics.com/en/software/disk-defrag/download

It does defragmentation very quickly and takes less than 30 minutes for a full defrag.

There's also a summary to summarise the increase in computer's speed.

Another way to speed up windows is to regularly clear Junk files, Temp. Internet files and other unneeded files.

Using the application CCleaner, or Crap Cleaner, available at

http://www.ccleaner.com/

It helps optimize your system, clear private data and cleans the harddisk for free.

Below is CCleaner's introduction.

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)

Another way to speed up the system is to uninstall heavy unneeded programs which use plenty of disk space when you do not use. This clots the system and it takes a longer time for the system to find the needed files for application. Use add and remove programs utility to safely remove the program, then go to Start > My Computer > C:\ > Program Files and delete the folder containing the program. Never delete the folder without uninstalling the program.

Try using antiviruses which do not use up a lot of system resources.

ESET Nod32 antivirus is what I am using, it has a smart technology to passively scan viruses without using much system resources. Try to avoid Norton as it usually slows down the computer.

If possible, remove the desktop wallpaper for faster loading.

Registry defragmenting may help too. Try finding a registry defragmenter online and occasionally defrag your registry.

Lastly, using msconfig Start > Run > 'msconfig' (without quotes)

Uncheck programs not needed during startup like Photoshop etc. This does wonders to your start up time.

Windows: Unresponsive application

2008-10-16T02:31:00.000-07:00

Unresponsive application

Why doesn't an application respond?

It may be due to several reasons. It is most likely to be due to a lack of resources dedicated to a specific application. This can be resolved by adding more RAM (Random Access Memory) to your computer, changing the process priority or closing unneeded programs.

It may also be due to a hardware conflict in the harddrive.

Solution

Firstly, identify the application via noting the application window name (ie. Internet Explorer)

or the process name (ie. iexplore.exe).

Launch task manager by doing Ctrl+Alt+Del

Either,

Click on the window name under Applications tab and click end task

Or,

Select processes tab, locate the process name and click end process.

Doing so will result in loss of unsaved data.

Computer Blog 10 FAQ

2008-10-16T02:23:00.000-07:00