10 Important Google Chrom Tips & Tricks

Here are many tried and tested tips that will help you to get the most out of Chrome by taking advantage of some of its more functional tools and time-saving setups.

1. Pin Tabs in Place on the Browser Bar

If you are going to be using a site a lot in one web session, you can "pin" a tab in Chrome, which will shrink the window down to the size of the favicon, leaving more room for multi-tasking. It also prevents tabs from getting lost on the side of the screen when you have many open at once.

Next, right-click on the tab you want to pin and hit "Pin tab." To enlarge the tab, just right-click and hit "Pin tab" again to uncheck the option.

2. Add a Home Button to the Toolbar

Chrome boasts a minimalist design that many love, but there are some users who just wants to have a "home" button to click.

Adding a home button to Chrome is very easy — just click on the wrench icon at the top-right, select "Options," and under the basic tab you will see a check box for "show Home button on the toolbar." Hit it and you will never be homeless again.

3. Open Many Pages on Startup

Rather than just one trusty homepage, you can get google Chrome to open several pages as it starts up, giving you instant access to whatever sites and services you prefer to start your day with.

It's easy to setup. click on the wrench icon button on the top right of your browser window, select "Options" and under the "Basic" tab check the box where it says "on startup... open the following pages."

If you click "Add" it brings up a list of recently browsed sites to choose from, or you can manually enter a URL in the box.

The next time you fire up your browser, those pages will be automatically loaded in the order in which you entered them, saving you some time.

4. Turn Your Favorite Websites into "Desktop Apps"

There's another option open to you in Chrome if you want fast access to favorite site — turn the site into what could be loosely described as a desktop app.

Next, navigate to the site you want to desktop-ize, head over to the wrench icon on the top right of your browser window, select "Tools" option and then click on "Create application shortcuts."

This will then bring up a window that gives you the option to create shortcuts on your desktop.

If you opt for desktop you will instantly see an icon for the site appear on your desktop display.

Now, double-clicking on that icon will load up that website in a separate window with no navigation tabs, giving it the feel of a native desktop application — so it could be good for webmail services.

5. Carry Out Calculations in the Omnibox

In addition to being a URL bar and a search field, Chrome's "omnibox" is also a basic calculator. Rather than load up your computer's calculator, Google or Wolfram Alpha, you can just type your mathematical query into the omnibox and the result will show up where you'd normally see auto-suggestions.

Beyond simple sums, this also works for unit conversions like feet-to-meters, pints-to-liters, etc,.

6. Make a Favicon-Only Bookmarks Bar

There's yet another cool way to get quick access to your favorite, or most-visited sites in Chrome. Plus, it looks pretty cool.

You can get Chrome to display your bookmarked sites in the toolbar, but by deleting the site's name from the bookmark settings, the browser will just show the site's favicons, making for a colorful display along the top of your window.

To get this going, you will first need to make sure you have the bookmarks bar displayed. You can check this by clicking the wrench icon, selecting "Tools" and then ticking "Always show bookmarks bar."

Once you have done this, as you add new sites to your bookmarks, be sure to delete the text in the name box, as per the screen shot below, for a favicon-only list.

 To edit existing bookmarks so that they display favicon-only, go to "chrome://bookmarks," right-click on the bookmark, select "Edit" and then delete the text in the name box.

To add the bookmarks to your bookmark bar, simply drag and drop them from your bookmarks list.

7. Use AutoFill to Auto-Complete an Address

If you find yourself typing your address again and again, you might want to consider Chrome's AutoFill options which can remember it and save you the repeat effort.

To activate this feature, click on the wrench icon, select "Options," then click on the "Personal Stuff," then choose "AutoFill options." By selecting "Add address," you can enter your details. The next time you are presented with a form, you won't have to manually type it all in.

8. Use Chrome URLs to See History, Bookmarks & Downloads

Chrome can show you some of your browser data and settings via special Chrome URLs, which is a handy way to see the info in your browser - especially as all options are searchable.

You can view your bookmarks, downloads and history by typing "chrome://bookmarks," "chrome://downloads," or "chrome://history" in the omnibox.

9. Sync Your Chrome Settings to Your Google Account

This isn't the most exciting tip, but it's darn useful if you work or play across multiple computers. You can sync your Chrome settings to your Google account so all those preferences you've taken time to set up, and all the bookmarks you've saved along the way, will follow you wherever you go online.

Simply click the wrench icon, go to "Options" and under "Personal Stuff" you can "Set up sync" by signing in to your Google account. This will now mean all your Chrome settings will sync wherever you sign in with your Google account.

10. Play a Trick on Your Chrome-Using Buddies

If you have a buddy or a work-mate who uses Chrome, you can use the "developer tools" function to play a really clever trick on them, should they step away from their computer at any time.

When on a webpage, right-click and choose "Inspect element." This will split the screen to view the page code. In this view, you can select and over-type the text that appears on the page and replace it with wording of your own choosing, or even change measurements, colors, etc. if you have got a basic grasp of HTML.

Here are a few more familiar webpages we "edited" via the "Inspect element" function. As you can imagine, a sneaky couple of minutes at a friend's computer as they wander off for a comfort break and you could really have them going.

Unknown 05:02 No comments

10 Important Firefox Tips & Tricks

One reasons for the popularity of the Firefox browser is the wealth of downloadable add-ons, and the customization options available via the about:config hacks. However, there are many tidy tricks you can employ from within the "as is" browser that can much improve your web surfing experience.

These powerful tips and tricks for the open source browser will have you cruising the web faster and smarter in no time.

So, if you are a Firefox user, then check out these 10 features we have highlighted and, as always, please do share any other Firefox hints you have found useful in the comments.

1. First-Click Bookmarking

Firefox offers a very speady way to add a site to your bookmarks — just click on the star butten icon in the browser's "Location Bar."

Clicking once will add the page to your "Unsorted Bookmarks" folder while clicking twice will open up a window that will allow you to edit where the bookmark should be saved, its title, and any tags.


2. Tag Your Bookmarks for Quickly Access

One way of organizing your bookmarks in Firefox is to tag them with keywords. You can either do this as you save them down, or retrospectively by going to the "Bookmarks" menu, selecting "Organize bookmarks," finding the bookmark you want to tag, and adding in the keywords.

Once you have added a word, such as "news", Firefox will offer this as a tag option in future, meaning you just have to tick the box to add it as a tag to another site.

Once you have set up your tags, typing a tag into the Location Bar will bring up all the sites you have tagged with that word, offering quickly access to sites you visit often.


3. Shrink Your Icons

You can also change how Firefox's toolbar icons are displayed to give you a little more screen space. This is useful when every pixel counts (as on a netbook screen), or simply to achieve a more minimalist look.

Simply go to the "View" menu, select "Toolbars," icon hit the "Customize" option and then tick the "Use Small Icons" box.


If you want to lose the icons altogether, you can follow the same steps, but hit the drop-down menu next to "Use Small Icons" and select "Text" for a graphics-free toolbar.


4. Add Icons to the Toolbar

If you carry out the same actions often, such as printing, viewing your history, or managing downloads, there's a way to add more functionality to your toolbar just simple steps.

Go to the "View" menu, then "Toolbars," then the "Customize" option, and you can drag and drop a number of extra icons to the top of your browser for quick access.

5. Change the E-mail Setting

When you click on "Send Link" in Firefox, the browser will load up your operating system's default e-mail program (so likely Outlook in Windows or Mail on a Mac). But it's quite often the case that these are not the mail programs you want.

You can stop the annoyance of Firefox loading up a default mail program by changing your preference in settings, and it's very easy if you use Gmail or Yahoo Mail.

Go to "Tools," menu "Options," "Applications" and scroll down until you see "Mailto" on the left. Now, just hit the drop-down menu and select the e-mail program you'd like to use in the future. The next time you click on a mail link in a webpage, it will load up your preferred e-mail program.

6. Save a Search Shortcut

You can save time on sites you search regularly so that you can quickly start a search process on that site from anywhere on the web. To get this set up, right-click on the site's search box and select "Add a Keyword for this Search."

Once you assign a keyword to a site search, you can simply type "keyword + search term" in your Location Bar to search that website. So, for example, typing "Aspire Magic Soft + Social Good" will search aspire-soft.blogspot.com for that content, once the keyword is set up. This will save you the extra steps of loading the site, finding the search box and entering the term.


7. Change the Font Size

You can ensure you are never left squinting at tiny text on your monitor with an option that forces sites to display text at a minimum font size.

Although it should be noted that this may cause some sites to display erroneously, if textual clarity is more important to you than web design purity, go ahead and make the changes — your optician may thank you for it!

Go to "Tools," "Options," then "Content" and then click on the "Advanced"next to "Fonts and Colors." You can then select a minimum font size from the drop down menu. Rest easy knowing that you will never be presented with a sea of 6 pt. text again.

8. Learn Some Shortcut Keys

There is a whole load of mouse and keyboard shortcuts in Firefox, but we have highlighted the ones we find most useful:

Control + Enter — adds .com to the end of text in the Location Bar

Control + Shift + T — reopens the last tab you closed

Alt + D — highlights the text in the Location Bar

Control + Page Up/Down — Moves to previous or next tab

/ — Quick find

9. Set Multiple Homepages

It's true, you can have more than one website as a homepage. You can configure Firefox to load your webmail, favorite news site and social network of choice as it starts.

To set this up, simply load up the sites you want as your homepages, go to "Options," then "General," and then hit the "Use Current Pages" button.

Now, the next time you start Firefox, you'll be productive from the get-go.

10. Clear a Single Site From Your History

We have all done it — typed "Facbook" instead of Facebook. And now the browser loads up the wrong site every time. However, this need not be the case, as Firefox offers a clever way to delete one site from your browsing history rather than forcing you to clear all your recent activity.

To tidy up any typos in your web tracks, go to the "History" menu,and click on "Show All History," and then type the name of the site you want to get rid of in the "Search History" box. When it has loaded, then just right-click on the site and select "Forget About This Site." Now it's no longer history — it's ancient history.

Unknown 05:32 No comments

Five Ways To Make Your Window Speak To You

Natural Reader Free (Windows, Mac)

The free version of Natural Reader can’t export to MP3, but if you want a simpler interface for pasting and hearing text you’re going to like it. Paste any text into this window, then hit the clearly-visible play button:

It doesn’t get easier than that, right? If you like the program, but need more features, the Personal version starts at $69. Additional features include exporting to MP3 and additional voices – but it’s probably worth checking out Balabolka before you spend your cash. Still, the free version is attractive and functional so check it out.

eSpeak (Windows, Linux, Mac)

Do you want voices entirely different from those included with Windows? Try eSpeak. This program employs its own engine, and is worth checking out if you dislike Microsoft’s voices:

The program can open TXT files and export to WAV. It’s also got creepy lips that move, so if you like that sort of thing this is perfect I guess. It’s primarily a Linux program, but the Windows version comes with a unique GUI seen above. Read more about eSpeak, if you’re curious.

What’s The Best Option?

If you plan on mostly using this for Word documents, I’d recommend you stick with Word’s built-in solution. Once you’ve set it up it’s always there for you. But if you want a dedicated program to paste text into or open files directly, you probably want to try Balabolka first. It can handle a bunch of different files and can export to MP3.

But, of course, I could be wrong. What program do you use to make your computer talk to you? Share your best apps for the job in the comments below.

Unknown 22:45 No comments

TypeIt ReadIt

With a simple interface and the ability to export your writing to a text or WAV file, TypeIt ReadIt is a great free program. Paste any text into its window, or open a TXT file directly. If you want something read to you quickly, this is a great app to try.

The interface is simple yet functional, though it is a little odd how the buttons scale if you make the window bigger. The software uses the voices that come with Windows. Use this app if you want something simple and free.

Unknown 22:26 No comments

Balabolka

If you’re not afraid of a few extra features, check out Balabolka. It’s interface is less straight-forward than other options, but you gain control over things like speed and pitch:

Balboka is notable for being able to open DOC/DOCX, TXT, PDF, EPUB and ODT files directly – meaning you can open your favorites in moments. It can also convert files to MP3, making it easy to listen to a document on your phone or MP3 player. There’s even batch conversion, if you want audio copies of multiple documents.

Read more about Balabolka for Windows, because it’s probably the app you will want to use.

Unknown 22:11 No comments

Narrator: Built Into Windows

Windows also comes with built-in screen reading technology. It’s called Narrator, and it’s mostly intended for the blind. Start it up and Narrator will immediately begin reading every bit of text on every window that you open – which is great if you’re blind, but annoying if you just wanted Windows to read a bit of text for you.

Happily, Microsoft offers a list of keyboard shortcuts for the software. Check this out if you want to become familiar with it, but honestly, it’s probably better to try some third party software instead. It’s just easier.

Unknown 22:01 No comments

Make Microsoft Word Read To You

Here’s something you might not know: the ability to read text back to you is actually built into Microsoft Word itself. The problem: it’s not included in the ribbon interface you’re used to. No matter: here’s how to add a “Speak” button to the top of every Word window.

Above the ribbon you should see a small toolbar, by default containing only the Save, Undo and Redo buttons. This is called the Quick Access Toolbar, and you can add more buttons to it – including one for speaking highlighted text. Click the arrow to the right of the toolbar to get started:

Click the “More Commands” button to begin exploring the vast world of Microsoft Word functions. Explore the “Commands Not In The Ribbon” section and you’ll find the “Speak” option:

Click the “Add” button between the two columns, then click “Okay”. There is now a “Speak” button in your Quick Access Toolbar:

Click this button and Word will read, out loud, whatever word your cursor is next to. Highlight a block of text before hitting the button and you’ll hear every word in that selection. If most of the reading you need to do is in Word, congratulations: you probably don’t need any other program. Just hit CTRL+A to highlight your entire document, then press play.

Unknown 21:46 No comments

Windows 8 Tips

Loophole enables anyone to get a Windows 8 license for free

Copies of Windows 8 Pro are freely available from Microsoft’s website for anyone who wants
to try out the operating system. Normally, the software would expire after 180 days, a period
that is meant to allow Volume Licensing customers to automate and manage the activation
process. But a loophole in the company’s Key Management System allows anyone
tolegitimately activate their copy of Windows 8 permanently, for free.

The goof centers around the Windows Media Center upgrade that’s being for free offered
by Microsoft themselves until January 31 next year. Specifically, when entering the add-on
key, Microsoft’s Key Management System will let you fully activate your copy of Windows 8
without running a validity check for the product key of the underlying system the Media Center
 add-on is being installed on.

To get a free Media Center key all users need to do is request it from Microsoft’s website using
any email address. Once the code is in your inbox, do a search for “Add features to Windows 8”
under Settings, click on it and enter the product key. Media Center will download and install, and
after your system comes back from a reboot, you’ll be able to use the same upgrade product key
to activate Windows.

With this your copy of Windows 8 will become fully active and 'legitimate', which you can verify in
the activation window where it should read “Windows is activated” instead of “Windows is activated
until…”.

The method has been confirmed to work by several news outlets. I tried it as well but upon requesting
a Media Center key the site responded it will be emailed to me “within 24 hours” -- I can’t tell if the wait
period is standard or if Microsoft is moving to patch the flaw by implementing a check for the underlying
system.

Unknown 02:15 No comments

Customize Your Windows 7 Start Menu Button

Windows users have been customizing their desktops in a variety of ways for years. Whether by
downloading themes and backgrounds, or using third party applications to change more obscure
settings like the default logon screen, many people seem intent on personalizing every aspect of
their operating system to something that fits their individual taste. And what better to alter than an
icon that's always visible?

While we don't mind the Windows 7 Start Menu icon, and actually feel it's somewhat of a leap
forward from the rectangular buttons of old, swapping out the orb for a new icon is quick and
painless with the help of Kishan-Bagaria's Windows 7 Start Orb Changer. Begin by downloading
the utility here. Extract the main folder (W7SBC) anyplace you like and take a look at Must Read.txt
for detailed instructions -- or read on for the general overview.

Leave all of the files in the W7SBC folder and run Windows 7 Start Button Changer.exe. Click
Select & Change Start Button to browse for a new set of icons -- a few are included with the utility.
Once selected, the program will backup explorer.exe and swap the icons.

If you dislike the change, choose Restore Original Explorer Backup before repeating the steps above.
Once your original explorer.exe is in place, continue swapping icons until you find something you like.

Windows x64 users: if you receive an "unhandled exception" error, the utility's creator suggests
that you try to run it as an admin, so it's probably best to just do that from the get-go (right click
on the program > Run as administrator). For what it's worth, I've used this tool trouble free on
Windows 7 Home Premium x64 without running it as an admin.

You might find the base selection of icons limited, and unfortunately, I haven't found the perfect
repository of orbs, but there are quite a few scattered around the Web -- especially on DeviantArt.
Someone on SevenForums has also put together a useful collection of 213 orbs, so there's bound
to be something you like there too.

If you find any other cool orbs or have another favorite Windows 7 customization, feel free to share
them in the comments. 

Previous Tech Tips

• A List of PC Game Classics Available Free of Charge
• Take Ownership of Windows 7 and Vista Files with a Shortcut
• Fun Facts: How Small is 32 Nanometers?
• Top Budget to Mid-Range Graphics Cards
• Maximize SSD Performance with the SSD Tweak Utility
• Effortless Ways to Download Video Content from YouTube and Other Sites
• Use a Browser Sandbox for Cross-Browser Testing

Unknown 02:06 No comments

Windows 8 Tips And Tricks

General Tricks

Windows hidden "god mode" folder Windows offers a centralized Control Panel for all of the OS settings, which makes it easy for users to tweak everything from desktop background to setting up a VPN. To enter this mode, create a new folder with this exact name (copy and paste it): God Mode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}. The folder icon will change to a Control Panel-style icon, and you will be able to jump in and change all kinds of settings. Note: Don't try this on Windows Vista 64-bit as it's known to cause a reboot loop.

Use Problem Steps Recorder This handy tool automatically records any mouse clicks and takes screenshots for you. If you need tech assistance with your computer, go to Run by typing Windows + R, and then type "psr." Use the tool and by the time you are finished, you can send this information, neatly compiled automatically, to the person helping you with the issue. It will make the process of finding the problem much easier for them, which means you will be able to get your system up and running faster.

Find/Delete large files wasting space A handy tool called WinDirStat (Windows Directory Statistics) can be used to easily find which files and folders are taking up the most space on your drive. From there, you can delete them and open up a ton of storage space.

Reduce the number of programs running at startup If your PC is taking too long to boot, it’s probably because you have far too many programs running at startup. Reducing this is easy, it will make your PC launch noticeably faster and lighter upon first load. To change the items running at startup, go to Run using the hotkey Windows key + R, and type "msconfig." A small window will appear (see the screenshot below), select the Startup tab. From here you will be able to turn off many startup programs, which can shave several seconds (or minutes) off your boot time. (Note Windows 8 has moved this functionality to the Task Manager). Try to make sure you research what you are turning off as some processes might be needed by third party programs or drivers you have installed.

Cloud backup important files If you’re working on a critical paper for school, work, or any other major project, make sure you are backing up the file not just locally. You can use services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or any of the other popular cloud storage solution which will do the legwork for you on the background. Of course, you can also throw the files on a thumb drive or external HDD just to be safe but backing up to the cloud can be done seamlessly which is twice the advantage.

Unknown 17:52 No comments

Program-Specific Tricks

Photoshop: Drag the marquee without losing the ability to size it The marquee tool is, at its most basic level, designed for selecting a part of an image. It’s used constantly in Photoshop, and there is a handy trick many users miss. While dragging it around, you can press space, which will allow you to size it while moving it. This saves time by letting your perform two key functions at the same time.

Steam: Move games to another drive or partition By default, Steam installs all games to the same HDD or partition, but what happens if that fills up? The solution: download Steamtool Library Manager. It makes it easy to move games to another hard drive without messing with the functionality of Steam.

VLC: Fix unsynced audio and subtitles In the popular media player VLC, if your audio loses sync with the video or subtitles, there is an easy way to fix this. Simply pressing J or K will move the audio forward or backwards. Similarly, to sync the subtitles you can press H or G.

The combination of using these tips and tricks on a daily basis will most certainly make your computer life much more enjoyable, or at least more practical. And so, did you learn a thing or two that you didn't know before?

Unknown 17:36 No comments

Security Tips

Run programs on an infected PC Often times, malware will prevent a computer from running certain programs. Changing the name of the .exe file can often override this. If that doesn’t work, changing the extension to .com is another useful alternative, and the program will still be able to run in spite of the extension change.

Read installers Even major programs can install toolbars and other unwanted pieces of software during installation. Take a few seconds to read each step to make sure you are not agreeing to install something other than the program you were actually seeking. Far too often people just push next over and over, and end up with a browser covered in various search bars that just aren't needed. In the worst of scenarios, these can have nefarious intentions.

Lock your computer if you get up Sick of your "friends" going onto your computer at work or home and posting things on your Facebook/Twitter page on your behalf? It’s certainly an annoyance, but an easy one to prevent. Windows + L will lock your system right away, requiring a password (if you've set one) to log in again.

Unknown 17:31 No comments

Web Browsing Tricks

Automatically add www. and .com to a URL You can shave off a couple of seconds typing in a URL by simply click CTRL + Enter after you type the name of the site. Need .net instead of .com, press CTRL + Shift + Enter instead.

Jump to address bar There are a number of ways to jump right to the address bar from anywhere in browser. Pressing CTRL + L, F6, and ALT + D all accomplish this goal.

Bring back a closed tab We covered this already, but it's super useful. Accidentally closed a tab? Simply press CTRL + Shift + T to reopen the most recently closed tab and get back to what you were doing.

Use private browsing The uses for not having cookies and history saved are obvious for certain activities, you know, like shopping for gifts on a shared computer (of course!). Pressing CTRL + Shift + N will launch a new private in Chrome, CTRL + Shift + P will do it in Firefox and Internet Explorer.

Cycle through open tabs Pressing CTRL + TAB while in a browser will flip between each one. This can be much faster than moving the mouse and clicking on a tab. CTRL + NUM (1, 2, 3, 4, n..) will also take you to certain tab in that numeric order.

Unknown 17:27 No comments

File Management Tricks

Rename a file quickly Right-clicking and selecting rename is not very efficient. Instead, simply press F2 while a file is selected to change its name. To alter the name of another file, type TAB without deselecting the current file.

Rename files sequentially in Windows You actually don’t need to download any programs to perform a batch file rename in Windows. Instead, you can select all the files you want to change, right-click the first one in the list, select rename (or use F2), and type in the name. This will automatically change all the other files with the same root name with a suffix: (1), (2), and so on.

Select multiple files using the keyboard To select a bunch of files using your keyboard, you can press Shift + down arrow to select a single file or Shift + Page Down to select a large group of files at one time.

Unknown 17:16 No comments

Typing Tricks

Delete an entire word Instead of deleting a single letter, pressing CTRL + BKSP will delete the entire word behind the cursor. This makes deleting text quicker if you screw up a whole word.

Move Cursor to beginning of the next or previous word Moving the cursor around manually while typing is a great way to make your work take longer than it needs to. To speed of the process, move the cursor around with keyboard shortcuts. To move it to the beginning of the previous word, use CTRL + Left Arrow. To move it to the beginning of the next word, use CTRL + Right Arrow. In OS X you can accomplish the same using the Option key.

Making sub and superscript text If you need to make sub or superscript text (think exponents for superscript), press CTRL + = for subscript and CTRL + SHIFT + = for superscript.

Paste plain text of what was copied When you copy text from any source, programs will usually copy any formatting that comes with it. To paste this as plain text, press CTRL + Shift + V instead of the standard CTRL + V, and the system will paste unformatted text. 
Note that many programs follow this parameter (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) but not all, particularly Microsoft programs like Word or Outlook. For those there's a few alternatives that go beyond copying and pasting in Notepad: 1)CTRL + ALT + V will show a 'paste special' dialog box. 2) CTRL + Spacebar will remove formatting in already pasted text. 3) Download Puretext and choose a hotkey to always paste plain text with it.

Unknown 19:11 No comments

Windows 8 Keboard Shortcuts Tips

Keyboard Shortcuts

Copy only active window to clipboard Normally, the Print Screen key copies the entire display (or two displays if you got them), ALT + Print Screen only copies the currently active window to the clipboard. Whether taking a screenshot to diagnose a problem, or just because you want to show something to a friend, this will come in handy.

Fix those little mistakes Did you know you can undo almost any action? CTRL + Z is the ultimate hot key, and for sure you knew about it already, however note that undo doesn’t just apply to typing. If you accidentally delete or move a file, you can hit CTRL + Z to bring it right back to where it was. In Chrome and Firefox you can also undo closing a tab using CTRL + SHIFT + T.

Cycle through open windows Pressing ALT+TAB allows you to cycle through currently open windows. This makes switching back and forth between running processes quick and painless. If you want a more stylish method of cycling through open programs, Windows + TAB will do the job for you.

Interrupt all processes CTRL + ALT + Delete is one of the most common PC shortcuts, and one almost everyone is familiar with. The important thing to note is that it interrupts all processes, including the one that is bogging down your system, which can mean the difference between needing to restart or not.

Close the current program Typing ALT + F4 will close the program that is running. This is useful as it saves you time mousing over the "X" and clicking. People will often use this as a joke, telling you to press ALT + F4 to fix a problem. Don’t fall for it unless you want to close what you are doing.

Minimize all windows Sometimes you have a bunch of stuff running, and you want it all to go away so you can get to the desktop. Simply pressing Windows + D will minimize everything you have up, which will save you some time pressing the minimize button for each window. It should be noted that Windows + M offers similar functionality, but there is no undoing, so Windows + D is the more favorable approach.

Open the task manager directly If you want to bypass the interrupt that happens when pressing CTRL + ALT + DEL and jump right to the task manager, typing CTRL + Shift + ESC launches it directly.

Close the current window/tab Stick of moving all the way to that X button? Press CTRL + W and the current window will close. (Don’t do it now, or you will miss the rest of the tricks!)

Bring up the system information window This is so much quicker than digging this out the traditional way... Just press Windows + Pause/Break and the System Information panel will be ready to go. This might be the only use for the Pause/Break key you will ever find, so enjoy it!

Better multiple monitor control There are several useful keyboard shortcuts for controlling open windows on multiple monitors. Pressing the Windows Key + Arrow Keys will cause a window to quickly snap to each side of either monitor. Alternatively, hitting Shift + Windows Key + Arrows will cause the window to jump to the other monitor. Lastly, pressing Windows + P will allow you to quickly set up a second display or projector.

Unknown 07:39 No comments

Windows 8 Keboard Shortcuts Tips

Keyboard Shortcuts

Copy only active window to clipboard Normally, the Print Screen key copies the entire display (or two displays if you got them), ALT + Print Screen only copies the currently active window to the clipboard. Whether taking a screenshot to diagnose a problem, or just because you want to show something to a friend, this will come in handy.

Fix those little mistakes Did you know you can undo almost any action? CTRL + Z is the ultimate hot key, and for sure you knew about it already, however note that undo doesn’t just apply to typing. If you accidentally delete or move a file, you can hit CTRL + Z to bring it right back to where it was. In Chrome and Firefox you can also undo closing a tab using CTRL + SHIFT + T.

Cycle through open windows Pressing ALT+TAB allows you to cycle through currently open windows. This makes switching back and forth between running processes quick and painless. If you want a more stylish method of cycling through open programs, Windows + TAB will do the job for you.

Interrupt all processes CTRL + ALT + Delete is one of the most common PC shortcuts, and one almost everyone is familiar with. The important thing to note is that it interrupts all processes, including the one that is bogging down your system, which can mean the difference between needing to restart or not.

Close the current program Typing ALT + F4 will close the program that is running. This is useful as it saves you time mousing over the "X" and clicking. People will often use this as a joke, telling you to press ALT + F4 to fix a problem. Don’t fall for it unless you want to close what you are doing.

Minimize all windows Sometimes you have a bunch of stuff running, and you want it all to go away so you can get to the desktop. Simply pressing Windows + D will minimize everything you have up, which will save you some time pressing the minimize button for each window. It should be noted that Windows + M offers similar functionality, but there is no undoing, so Windows + D is the more favorable approach.

Open the task manager directly If you want to bypass the interrupt that happens when pressing CTRL + ALT + DEL and jump right to the task manager, typing CTRL + Shift + ESC launches it directly.

Close the current window/tab Stick of moving all the way to that X button? Press CTRL + W and the current window will close. (Don’t do it now, or you will miss the rest of the tricks!)

Bring up the system information window This is so much quicker than digging this out the traditional way... Just press Windows + Pause/Break and the System Information panel will be ready to go. This might be the only use for the Pause/Break key you will ever find, so enjoy it!

Better multiple monitor control There are several useful keyboard shortcuts for controlling open windows on multiple monitors. Pressing the Windows Key + Arrow Keys will cause a window to quickly snap to each side of either monitor. Alternatively, hitting Shift + Windows Key + Arrows will cause the window to jump to the other monitor. Lastly, pressing Windows + P will allow you to quickly set up a second display or projector.

Unknown 07:38 No comments

Windows 7 Important Tips & Tricks 2013

THIS TIPS HELP YOU ABOUT WINDOW7.

1. Celculator in Window7

This step tell you how to open Celculator Keyboard in Window 7.

Step1. click start butten on the taskbar.

Step2. click all program.Many program will appear.

Step3. click ACCESSORIES file Many program will appear.

Step4. click calculator

2. Troubleshoot problems

If some part of Windows 7 is behaving strangely, and you don't know why, then click Control Panel > Find and fix problems (or 'Troubleshooting') to access the new troubleshooting packs. These are simple wizards that will resolve common problems, check your settings, clean up your system and more.

3. Take control

Tired of the kids installing dubious software or running applications you'd rather they left alone? AppLocker is a new Windows 7 feature that ensures users can only run the programs you specify. Don't worry, that's easier to set up than it sounds: you can create a rule to allow everything signed by a particular publisher, so choose Microsoft, say, and that one rule will let you run all signed Microsoft applications. Launch GPEDIT.MSC and go to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Application Control Policies > AppLocker to get a feel for how this works.

4. Startup repair

If you've downloaded Windows 7 (and even if you haven't) it's a good idea to create a system repair disc straight away in case you run into problems booting the OS later on. Click Start > Maintenance > Create a System Repair Disc, and let Windows 7 build a bootable emergency disc. If the worst does happen then it could be the only way to get your PC running again.

5. Create and mount VHD files

Microsoft's Virtual PC creates its virtual machine hard drives in VHD files, and Windows 7 can now mount these directly so you can access them in the host system. Click Start, type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter, then click Action > Attach VHD and choose the file you'd like to mount. It will then appear as a virtual drive in Explorer and can be accessed, copied or written just like any other drive.

Click Action > Create VHD and you can now create a new virtual drive of your own (right-click it, select Initialise Disk, and after it's set up right-click the unallocated space and select New Simple Volume to set this up). Again, you'll be left with a virtual drive that behaves just like any other, where you can drag and drop files, install programs, test partitioning software or do whatever you like. But it's actually just this VHD file on your real hard drive which you can easily back up or share with others. Right-click the disk (that's the left-hand label that says "Disk 2" or whatever) and select Detach VHD to remove it.

The command line DISKPART utility has also been upgraded with tools to detach a VHD file, and an EXPAND command to increase a virtual disk's maximum size. Don't play around with this unless you know what you're doing, though - it's all too easy to trash your system.

6. Problem Steps Recorder

As the local PC guru you're probably very used to friends and family asking for help with their computer problems, yet having no idea how to clearly describe what's going on. It's frustrating, but Microsoft feels your pain, and Windows 7 will include an excellent new solution in the Problem Steps Recorder.

When any app starts misbehaving under Windows 7 then all your friends need do is click Start, type PSR and press Enter, then click Start Record. If they then work through whatever they're doing then the Problem Steps Recorder will record every click and keypress, take screen grabs, and package everything up into a single zipped MHTML file when they're finished, ready for emailing to you. It's quick, easy and effective, and will save you hours of troubleshooting time.

7. Burn images

Windows 7 finally introduces a feature that other operating systems have had for years - the ability to burn ISO images to CDs or DVDs. And it couldn't be much easier to use. Just double-click the ISO image, choose the drive with the blank disc, click Burn and watch as your disc is created.

8. Switch to a projector

Windows 7 now provides a standard way to switch your display from one monitor to another, or a projector - just press Win+P or run DisplaySwitch.exe and choose your preferred display. (This will have no effect if you've only one display connected.)

9. Easily set screen resolution

Choosing a new screen resolution used to involve locating and browsing through the Display Properties applet. Windows 7 made this far simpler, though - just right-click an empty part of the desktop, select Screen Resolution and you'll immediately see the appropriate options.

10. Control devices and printers

Device Manager is a powerful tool for managing hardware, but it's also rather technical and intimidating, which is probably why Windows 7 has introduced a more basic alternative in the Devices and Printers applet.

The first improvement is purely visual, with lengthy and cryptic device names replaced by large icons for major hardware items only (monitor, mouse, hard drive, printer and so on).

11. Automatically switch your default printer

Windows 7's location-aware printing allows the operating system to automatically switch your default printer as you move from one network to another.

To set this up, first click Start, type Devices, and click the Devices and Printers link.

Select a printer and click Manage Default Printers (this is only visible on a mobile device, like a laptop - you won't see it on a PC).

Choose the Change My Default Printer When I Change Networks option, select a network, the default printer you'd like to use, and click Add.

Repeat the process for other networks available, and pick a default printer for each one.

And now, as you connect to a new network, Windows 7 will check this list and set the default printer to the one that you've defined.

Unknown 08:58 No comments

HOW TO USE SHORTCUT KEY

Following are the some how to use Run commands .
Note: Shortcut key to launch Run dialog box is Win + R

1) fonts
fonts command is used to open All installed windows fonts.
2) mspaint
if you want to launch Ms paint in Microsoft windows then use this run command.  
3) sticpl.cpl
This command can be used to open camera and scanner setting in windows.
4) igfxzoom
igfxzoom command is used to open Zoom utility inside Microsoft Windows.
5) shutdown
This command is used to shutdown the computer.
6) Write
it can be used to launch Wordpad.
7) wmplayer
this command will open Windows media player.
8) msinfo32
This is very important run command and used for to attain the system information.
9) explorer
Explorer command is used for to open windows explorer (not internet explorer).
10) iexplore.exe
This command is used to open internet explorer in Microsoft Windows.
11) winver
It tells you about the windows version.
12) calc
this command can be used to launch calculator.
13) msconfig
This command will open Windows startup Configuration dialog box.
14) taskmgr
It will open Task Manager.
15) Control
This command is used to open Control Panel in windows.
16) regedit
This command is really handy and used for to open windows registry.
17) cmd
cmd run command is used for to open command prompt.
18) appwiz.cpl
By entering this command in run dialog box, it will open add remove program dialog box.
19) firewall.cpl
if you want to open firewall settings in windows then enter this command in run dialog box.
20) compmgmt.msc
This command is used to open Computer Management settings.
21) dxdiag
This run command is used to open direct x troubleshooter.

These are some useful run commands which are really helpful to everyone.If you want to share other important Run commands which isn’t listed in this post then post your comment in comment box

Unknown 05:21 No comments

DOWNLOAD ANGRY BIRDS FOR PC

Unknown 05:07 No comments