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Do you sometimes work in more than one language? Perhaps you work in an office that produces documents in English & Spanish or Greek. Wouldn't it be great to be able to switch the keyboard language among those you use? You can - no matter what keyboard you use. Here's how.
Step 1: Open the Keyboard Properties dialog box. To do this, click on Start, hover over Settings, click on Control Panel, then click on the keyboard icon. This will open Keyboard Properties.
Step 2: Select the Language tab and click the Add button. The Add Language dialog box will appear.
Step 3: The language drop-down list will show the available languages. Select one you wish to add. Click OK and return to the Keyboard dialog box.
Step 4: If you have two or more languages, one will be set as the default for your applications. If you wish to change the default language, just highlight the language and click on the Set as Default button.
Step5: You can use the "Switch languages" options to select a shortcut key combination for switching from one language to another.
Step 6 (optional): If you check the "Enable indicator on taskbar" box, you can switch languages from the taskbar.
Step 7: Click OK and follow the onscreen prompts when Windows asks you to insert your Windows CD-ROM or disks.
How would you like to add TV to your computer. You can make the TV window as small or large as you like and move it to an out-of-the-way spot. You will be able to watch a ball game, listen to the news or keep up with your favorite program while you work. And there is no video or audio lag. You can start it like any other program by clicking on a Desktop (or taskbar) icon. I have TV on my computer and my wife has it on hers.
Adding TV involves installing a TV card on the motherboard of your computer, but that is easy. Don't be afraid to remove the cover and see what's inside. Once you've lifted the hood, a lot of the mystery is dispelled.
You will need an empty PCI slot. Adapter cards (video, sound, modem, etc.) are fitted into slots. Most cards have one or more connectors on the end that appears at the back of your computer. That's what the cables are connected to. If you do not know a PCI slot from other slots, get a computer-knowledgeable friend to check this for you. You will also need speakers connected to your sound card (probably already have this).
A TV card is not expensive. Generally, you can connect to an antenna with a coax adapter (if you do not have cable). A coax connector is on the back of the card for attaching your cable TV. All of the channels you get on your regular television will be available on your computer, and probably sharper. Yes, prices are at the end of this article.
A USB version (a little box) is also available. All you do is connect the Coax cable to it and plug it into the USB slot, if you have one, on the back of your computer and you are ready to go. The TV programs will be on your monitor. Most computers made in the last few years have two USB slots. You don't even have to open the computer or know anything about installing adapter cards. It works the same way as the internal cards. The following relates to internally installed TV cards.
My TV card requires no inside connections, just plug it in the slot and anchor it with the screw that holds the blank space cover at the back of the computer (it will be obvious when you look inside). There are only two connections to be made (on mine) and both are outside (on the back) the computer. One is a short audio cable with a male connector on each end (available at Radio Shack, if it doesn't come with the card). One end plugs into the "audio out" port of the TV card and the other end plugs into the "audio in" port of the sound card. The only other connection is your coax cable. You attach it at the back of the computer just like you would attach it to your television set.
Now all you have to do is run the installation program on the Installation disk that comes with the card. Everything is simple & self-explanatory. Once installed, you let the program scan for channels, and it will automatically set up those to which you have subscribed from your cable company (or dish service, or coming in by your antenna).
The TV card I use is a WinTV tuner card by Hauppauge. I have had it for about two years & have had no trouble with it. It works great. The cost? I don't know what it will cost at your local computer store, but in the MicroWarehouse catalog (vol. 86RP, page 106), the basic 125 channel, mono sound, card that includes Wavetop to receive data broadcast and supports WebTV for Windows 98 and also connects to VCRs or camcorders for video capture and video conferencing, costs 49.95. A card for mono sound & remote control is 79.95. With dbx stereo & FM stereo radio, it is 99.95. If you expect to be receiving digital TV, & have the money to spare, you may want the WinTV-D version. It features dual operation with both analog & digital connectors to enable both standard and digital TV signals while scanning through the channels. It is 299.95. But what about the USB version, you ask. OK, it has the same features as the first one I mentioned and sells for 79.95. In case you are interested, the MicroWarehouse phone number is 1-800-378-9076 (24 hours, 7 days per wk.). The website URL is http://www.warehouse.com. You can just click on the URL here and go to the site. They will be happy to put you on their catalog list. I don't get a kickback. In fact they don't know me from Adam, but I have ordered from them a number of times and received good service.
Did you ever wish you could print a German or other language name or word with the accented letters, such as Æ, Ë, Ø or ñ into the document you were preparing? Well, you can. Here are the steps.
First, with your document open, click on Start, hover over Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and click on Character Map. This will open the Character Map. You will notice that each font set has a number of characters in addition to those shown on your keyboard. Likely the font you are using will have the character for which you are looking.
Second, from the font box on the upper left side, select the font you wish to use. Click on the character you want. Hold down your mouse button to magnify the character for a better view. Either double click on the character or click on the Select button or press Enter to place the character in the "Characters to copy" box. You may select as many characters as you wish.
Third, to copy the character, or characters, to the Windows Clipboard, click on the Copy button.
Fourth, paste the character (s) from the Clipboard to your document. Here's how. Place the cursor at the point where you wish to make the insertion. Click on Edit on the menu bar. On the Edit menu, click on Paste (or right click where you want to insert, then from the context menu that appears, click on Paste). That's all there is to it.
Most fonts have copyright & registration symbols, check boxes and other commonly used characters. Some have smiley faces and other emoticons. The Wingding and Webding fonts come with Windows. Wingding has the smiley, straight and frown faces. This notation was inspired by an e-mail from Janinne.
Two words of caution: 1) If you use NotePad, you will need to change the font on NotePad to the same font as you use on the Character Map or letters will be pasted instead of the symbols. Then you can change the NotePad font back to the one you are using. 2) If you are using WordPad or Word, your symbol will be properly pasted, but the current font from that point on your application will have changed. To get around this, type at least one letter past the insertion point. Then, after you insert the symbol, just move your cursor ahead and the font will change back to the one you were using.
Windows 98 allows you to initiate a search directly from your Internet Explorer (IE) browser. You can click the "Search" icon on the IE Toolbar. A search column will appear on the left end of your screen. To get rid of it, just click on the "Search" icon again. But Windows shows you no way to change the default search engine Microsoft gave you. There is a way. It involves editing your Registry.
If you are fearful of editing the Registry, don't do it. Always back up the Registry before editing it, because wrongly editing it can cause your computer to be inoperable. With a backup, you can restore it like it was. The two files to back up are "C:\Windows\System.dat" & "C:\Windows\User.dat." If your computer is set up for various users, each with his or her own profile, there will be a Windows sub-folder for each user under C:\Windows\Profiles\(name of user). The same Registry file names, with their profiles, will be in their folders. Just save these two files with another extension, such as .bk- or other extension of your choice.
If, after the edit, you have problems booting to Windows, try booting to Windows Safe Mode and change the System & User .dat extensions to something else and rename the backup extension to .dat -- Or, if you didn't backup, there will be other System & User .dat or .da0 files. As a last resort there is a "System.1st" file in your root directory. This is the Registry as it originally appeared on your computer when it was new. Copying it to the Windows folder and renaming it to System.dat will at least get you up and running.
If you cannot boot to Windows Safe mode, just use your Rescue Disk (you did make one didn't you?) and boot to the DOS prompt. Go to the Windows folder by typing "CD Windows" (without the quotes)[ENTER].- That means press the Enter key. Then type "ren User.dat User.old" [ENTER](or some other extension you like -- notice the spaces). This will rename the file. If you type "del User.dat"[ENTER], it will delete the file. I don't like to delete key files until the problem is solved. Now type "ren User.bk- User.dat" [ENTER](if .bk- is the backup extension you had chosen). Do the same for the System.dat file. You now have restored the Registry to its previous condition. Reboot.
Now, here's how to edit the Registry to change your search engine.
1. Launch the Registry Editor. To do so, click on start, then click on Run. Type "Regedit" (without the quotes) in the pop-up "Run" dialog box & press Enter.
2. Navigate to this key: "HKEY_CURRENT_USERS\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main."
3. In the right column, find "Search Page." It will have a string value in quotes. Click on "Search Page" to highlight it. Then, under the "Edit" menu, click on "modify." Now enter the URL of your favorite search engine.
4. Click OK to close the dialog box and exit Regedit. You may have to reboot for the change to take place, but many of the Registry changes take place immediately.
A Better Way:
Go to the website, http://www.copernic.com. Download Copernic 2000. It is a free search tool that simultaneously searches with several search engines. You can see the progress of each engine as it searches. The engines are regularly updated in the background.
If you like Copernic 2000, you can upgrade to Copernic 200 Plus for 39.95 and avoid advertising banners or to Copernic 2000 Pro for 79.95 and greatly expand search capabilities. You can also assign it to be IE's default search tool & the program will edit IE for you, so that when you click on the program it will edit the Registry for you (in the background). Then when you click on the "Search" icon, the default search program will be Copernic (or you can click on its icon in the Tasktray). After the engines complete their search, click on the "Browse" icon on the Toolbar at the top. Your list will be in view with a brief description of each site. The search results will also be much more useful than using a search engine alone. On this QuestGems website I have over 4,000 links to other sites. I would never have accomplished it with any of the search engines alone. Copernic 2000 Pro (searching with 14 engines at a time) would eliminate most duplicates, throw away most of the non-pertinent finds and generally provide me with about 50-100 sites, most with accurate results. It tremendously sped up the process.
Well, that ought to be enough computer stuff this time. I hope there is something here that will help.
Are you tired of those Windows Logo splash screens that you see every time you boot up & shutdown your computer. How would you like to replace them with something more personal or your company logo? You can replace one, two or all of them. Here's how.
These are bitmap files even though they have the .sys extension. The regular bitmap extension is .bmp. There are three of these files. The startup file is named io.sys. It is found in your root directory (C:\). The "Windows is shutting down your computer" screen is LOGOW.SYS and the "It is now safe to turn off your computer" screen is LOGOS.SYS. These two shutdown message screens are in the Windows directory, or folder as the term seems to be now (C:\Windows).
The first step is to make your own screens. This may be a picture, a company logo or just something interesting to you. If you have a notebook computer, you may wish to just put a message of ownership, in case it is stolen or misplaced. You can put a message on a graphic by using a graphics program. The Windows Paint program can be used. You already have it. It can be accessed by clicking on Start hovering over Programs, hovering over Accessories (on the Programs menu), then clicking on Paint. In Windows Paint, the File menu> Save As . . . option will allow you to save a graphic in 256 colors. You may use a picture with more colors and 640 X 400 pixels to get it to look good but do not save it in over 256 colors (8 bit) and reduce the size to be 320 X 400 pixels (an odd ratio). Otherwise it will not work. some have reported that using over 256 colors on shutdown screens caused their computer to reboot rather than shut down. With others, it just doesn't work, period.
A picture can be imported into your computer using a scanner or digital camera. Or an image can be downloaded from the Internet. Many sites with graphics for downloading give permission for free personal or not-for-profit use. As these screens appear only briefly, you want to use something that catches the eye and can be understood quickly. If you use a graphic, make the resolution low enough and the content sparse enough that it can be loaded quickly. Save the image in the bitmap format (.bmp extension).
Step two. Find the file or files mentioned in the second paragraph. Do not delete them as you may wish later to return to them. Rename the file you plan to replace by changing the extension (ex.: from .sys to .sy1).
Step three. Move the new bitmap file you plan to use to the folder containing the Windows file you are replacing and rename it to the original file name of the Windows file. Also change the .bmp to .sys so Windows will recognize it.
Step four. Reboot. Your new splash screen should appear in place of the old one.
A note of warning: Do not mess with io.sys (in your root directory). Originally, I had a typo & called it lo.sys. Randy, in Canada, renamed his io.sys to lo.sys and Windows would not boot. He had to rename it in DOS to get it back to io.sys. Thanks, Randy, for calling my attention to this.
When you open Windows Explorer the conventional way (right click on Start and click on Explore), it opens with the view starting at the Windows folder (expanded) and you have to navigate to the folder with which you wish to work. There are at least two alternatives. One is to simply hold down the Windows Logo key while you press the "E" key once. This will open Explorer compressed and starting with the root directory. But what if you want it to open at "My Documents" or some other folder with which you often work? I'll show you how. This tip works in Windows 98 & 98SE, but I don't know about 95. It may also work for ME, NT & 2000.
First. Find Windows Explorer on the Programs menu (Click on Start, hover on Programs and drill down to Windows Explorer).
Second. Right click on Windows Explorer and click on "Copy" in the context menu that appears.
Third. Right click on a blank area of your desktop and click on "Paste Shortcut" in the context menu.
Fourth. Right click on the shortcut icon and click on "Properties" in the context menu.
Fifth. Click on the right end of the "Target" window to put it in the edit mode.
Sixth. If the "Target" window reads, "C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE /n,/e,C:\," change the "C:\" at the end to the drive & folder desired (ex.: C:\My Documents). If the Target window reads "C:WINDOWS\EXPLORER.SCF," change the SCF to EXE and add the "/n,/e,C:\My Documents" (or the folder you choose -- without the quotes). You can add other Explorer shortcuts on the Desktop, each opening with a different focus (for projects on which you may be working). Now, rename each shortcut to reflect where Explorer will open (Ex.: My Docs Explorer). If, on your Desktop, the shortcuts have a ".lnk" extension, you must leave that extension or it will not work. If your shortcuts have an ".exe" extension, you should be able to remove the .exe. This applies only to shortcuts.
Does your computer take forever to boot? Is it slow to load programs and web pages? Perhaps your solution can be found below.
A slow boot can be caused by any or a combination of the following: Too many or maliciously implanted startup items, lack of adequate memory, IDE drive jumper configuration, order in which the drives load, anti-virus program scanning the hard drive before loading the GUI (Graphical User Interface), and other possibilities.
One of the most common causes of a slow boot is unnecessary startup items. I recently assisted a couple, Clayton and Elizabeth, friends of mine who had this problem with their computer. The main culprit was startup programs. Clayton said he could turn on the computer, go take a shower, and return for it to finish booting. It now boots properly.
Windows 98 and Windows XP provide the same basic procedure for removing unwanted startup programs. Even legitimate-looking startup items may not be what they appear to be. Some files may even be planted by a virus, a Trojan or spyware. Some are memory hogs.
How do you know which startup items to keep and which to remove from the startup list? Follow the steps below.
1. Open the System Configuration Utility. To do this, click on Start and then click on Run (from the Start menu). In the "Open" field, type "msconfig" without the quotes, and press OK.
2. Click on Sysinfo. Alternatively, you can click on Computer Troubleshooting to find the computer troubleshooting section in the Resource Center of this website, and in that section click on Sysinfo.org.
3. Re-size Sisinfo's "Startup Applications List" window and place it beside the System Configuration Window.
4. Click on the Startup tab of the System Configuration Utility. Go down the list of startup programs. Look for any files, with checkboxes checked, that you are not certain should load at startup.
5. For each questionable startup item, go to the list of startup items on the Sysinfo web page. Enter the startup item's name in the search box at the top of the page and click on Go. You will see a list of all occurrences of that file item with the various commands it may call up. Match it to your startup list item. Read the item's function and whether or not it is needed. Sysinfo.org provides a key, as follows, to help you:
Y = Normally leave to run at startup.
N = Not required -- typically infrequently used tasks that can be started manually if necessary.
U = User's choice -- depends whether a user deems it necessary.
X = Definitely not required -- typically viruses, spyware, adware and resource hogs.
? = Unknown
Normally you will want to leave antivirus files alone. But there is no need to leave an item in startup that opens multimedia programs, since these will open automatically when a file that is associated with them needs to load.
After editing the startup file list on the computer I mentioned earlier, the boot-up was normal.
Another thing I did on the computer mentioned above was to change the order in which the drives loaded. The removable drives were loading first and the hard drive last. Unless you have a very old computer, You should have your boot drive load first. That will be your hard drive. With some of the old computers, you can access Setup only with a boot floppy, so for those, the floppy drive should load first. If you have more than one hard drive, the boot drive will be the one that contains your system files, normally Drive C. In the Setup Utility, it will likely be the hard disk with the lowest number. The Setup utility may show the hard disk as "Primary IDE Disk" or "Hard Disk" or something similar.
To change the loading order of your drives, you will need to enter the Setup Utility. This is often referred to as the BIOS or CMOS, though CMOS refers to the semi-conductor in which the BIOS, or CMOS memory, is located. Here's how to enter the Setup Utility. Turn on the computer. In the boot process, you will briefly see a message at the top or bottom of the screen telling you what keys to press for entering Setup. This will vary depending the maker of the BIOS. When Windows starts to load, it is too late to enter Setup. You will have to re-boot and try again.
Each BIOS maker has its own configuration options and instructions. Even versions of the same brand may differ. However, on each page of the settings, instructions will be given for moving from one item to another and for selecting, deselecting or changing the order of items.
Be sure not to change items that you know nothing about or you may render the computer unbootable. However, if this happens, you can generally get back into Setup and select the default settings.
An IDE cable to your hard drive (wide flat cable inside the computer housing) may not be connected securely, or one or more adapter cards (such as sound or graphics) may not be seated securely. If the above solutions do not solve your problem, check those connections. A corrupt or wrong driver can prolong startup, because the computer spends a lot of time looking for a driver it does not find.
Most current hard drives in recent computers are configured automatically, for normal usage. If your hard drive needs special settings, consult the manual for the drive or contact the manufacturer. If you have removable drives or multiple hard drives that are attached to the IDE cable, the configuration will involve a Master/Slave relationship. But that's another subject. If the computer has worked well with the current configuration, it is probably configured properly. If not, this can slow you down considerably.
Memory is the only other cause/solution I will cover here. Determine the amount of memory your computer has. There are several ways to check this.
First Way: If you have a "My Computer" icon on your desktop (not a shortcut), right-click on it and select "Properties." Under the General tab you will find that information.
Second way: Click on Start. Choose "All Programs" (Windows 98 -- choose "Programs"), then "Accessories." In the pop-out menu pause your mouse over "System Tools," and then in the next menu choose "System Information." In the System Information, System Summary selection, look in the right panel and scroll down to "Total Physical Memory." It will be given in Megabytes.
Third Way: I might as well show you one more way. Go to the Control Panel. In Windows XP you select Control Panel from the Start menu. In Windows 98 select "Settings" from the Start menu and then select "Control Panel." In Control Panel, double-click on the System icon. In XP, if you do not see the System icon, look in the left panel and click on Classic View. When you double-click on the System icon, you will see the same System Properties window that appeared when you right-clicked on My Computer and selected Properties.
Well, I've pretty well cleaned that corn cob. Hope it helped.
You will always have to do horizontal scrolling on some web pages. Sometimes an object on a page will require a given amount of space. Most pages are arranged in tables, and even tables nested inside the cells of other tables. You can't see them but they are there. An object in a cell may expand the size of the cell beyond its normal width. When the other cells occupy their normal width, this may push the overall width of a page beyond what you are able to see in your browser. An example of this is the Calculator page on this website. Each calculator is a given size and, with two columns, will push the width of the page beyond its normal size.
You may, however, be scrolling some pages horizontally simply because the resolution of your computer monitor is set too low. The lower the resolution, the larger everything appears. A good all-around resolution is 1024 by 768 pixels. Images and text will look sharp. If you work with high resolution graphics professionally, you may want a higher resolution. But a higher resolution requires more memory. The above mentioned setting is a good all-around choice for most computers.
But what if I raise the resolution and the text is too small? That is no problem because you can increase the size of the text you see on the web pages without increasing the size of the objects. Increasing or decreasing the size of viewed text does not change the size of the printed text.
I'll show you how to do both of these. They are simple to adjust. Do the following:
Setting the Resolution (The range built into your graphics card will determine your resolution limits):
1. Right-click on the desktop, in any open area.
2. Select "Properties" from the right-click menu.
3. In the Properties window, choose the Settings tab. There you will see how to select the screen resolution. You may also see a color quality option. If your screen resolution is lower than 1024 by 768 pixels, you may want to raise it to that number. Be careful about raising it much higher. Your graphics card may not be designed for it (It will just move the resolution back to its previous setting). In addition, very high settings consume a lot of memory.
4. Click OK. You may be asked to reboot. If not, the screen may temporarily go black as the change takes place.
Adjustimg Viewable Text Size (This will adjust the viewing size of text but not the printed size):
1. In Internet Explorer (the web browser with which you are viewing this web page) click on View, on the Menu bar.
2. On the View menu, rest the mouse pointer on "Text Size." There you will be given the following options: Largest, Larger, Medium, Smaller and Smallest.
3Make your choice and the text size will immediately change.
Do you want to change or delete the information at the top and bottom of a web page when you print it? Personally, for most purposes I like the information provided with the default setting. It includes the page title in the upper left hand corner, the page number and total number of pages to be printed in the upper right corner, the URL at the lower left and the date in a short format (ex.: 4/15/2005) at the lower right corner. Items at the top that automatically appear on each page are in the header; items at the bottom are in the footer.
You may, however, prefer something other than the default in the header or footer, or sometimes no header or footer at all. You can make the changes by using Page Setup on the File menu of Internet Explorer. Here's how:
1 On the File menu of Internet Explorer, select Page Setup.
2 In the Headers and Footers boxes, make your changes. Here is the code to print the following various bits of information (These are copied directly from Internet Explorer's Help Menu. In the Help menu, select the Index tab and enter "Headers" as the keyword):
Window title: Code is &w
Page address (URL): Code is &u
Date in short format (as specified by Regional and Language Options in Control Panel): Code is &d
Date in long format (as specified by Regional and Language Options in Control Panel): Code is &D
Time in the format specified by Regional and Language Options in Control Panel: &t
Time in 24-hour format: Code is &T
Current page number: Code is &p
Total number of pages: Code is &P
Right-aligned text (following &b): Code is &b
Centered text (between &b&b): Code is &b&b
A single ampersand (&): Code is &&
You can even add your own text -- perhaps a subject relating to a group of downloads.
While you are at it, you may wish to change the margins of the printed page. On the same Page Setup window you will find the options to orient your paper landscape (wide horizontally) or portrait (long vertically). You don't have to feed the paper into your printer differently; the computer will send the message to the printer to print vertically for landscape and horizontally for portrait.
The Margins boxes allow you to set the margin for top, bottom and each side. To set margins in millimeters instead of inches, or visa versa, "you must change the Regional and Language Options in Control Panel" according to information accessed by the Help menu.
What They Are
A file with a .prn extension is a print file. You can save a document to this format for later printing. To do so, you save the document as a "Print to File." type. The drivers of your default printer actually format the file, so the printer must have been setup (not necessarily connected) on the computer on which you create and save the file. It is designed to print from the same or similar printer. If the printer used to print the document is a different brand or substantially different model, there is no guarantee that the file will be printed and formatted as expected.
You may wish to save a document as a .prn (print to file) for several reasons. For instance, you are working on your notebook computer when it is not attached to your printer. You may wish to save a document to a diskette as a .prn file for later printing from your desktop.
If your application, such as Microsoft Word, does not have the option to save as a .prn file (in the "Save as type" blank), just select "Print" on the File menu and check the "Print to File" checkbox (or whatever provision your printer setup offers) and click OK. Now when you choose "Save As" on the File menu, the designated type will be .prn. Remember to uncheck the box when you no longer want it. Microsoft Excel has .prn as one of the Save As choices.
How Do I Use Them?
A .prn file cannot be opened for viewing. You would just get gibberish. They are designed only for printing. But there is a way to view the file and save the viewable form in another format if you have a scanner.
But how do you print a .prn? Not many people seem to know. Here are three ways.
• First Method -- Use the DOS Copy Command
Open the Command Prompt (START/Run. Type "Command" in the blank). At the prompt type exactly, without the quotes: "Copy A:\Filename.prn /b prn /b" (where filename is the name of your file. Note the space after filename.prn and before & after prn). This tells the printer to print the binary file and let the text flow naturally, ignoring line feeds. No matter how short or long the lines are, the text will wrap naturally for your page setup.
Alternatively, you can use the following command without the switches: "copy filename.prn lpt1" (assuming your printer is attached to the 1st parallel port -- the only printer port on most computers, except for the USB).
Of course with DOS there are the long file names and spaces to work around. If you name the file, and plan to use the DOS method to print it, try to give it a name with 8 or fewer letters and no spaces.
• Second Method -- Associate the .PRN File With Your Default Printer
1. Click on START and select "Printers and Faxes." If this selection is not on your Start menu, select "Control Panel" and on the Control Panel double-click on the Printers & Faxes icon. If that icon is not present, click on "Classic View" in the left panel. Windows 98 users may need to click on Settings at the Start menu and then Control Panel to arrive at this point.
2. In the Printers and Faxes window, click on "Add a Printer." In the Add Printer Wizard that appears, click Next.
The following steps are for Windows XP. They may vary if you have another version.
3. Select "Local Printer attached to this computer," unless you are using a network printer, uncheck the automatic detect box and click Next.
4. In the dropdown list, select the port to which your printer is attached. And click Next.
5. Select the manufacturer and model of your default printer and click Next.
6. Select "Keep existing driver" and click Next.
7.Select a name for this .prn printer. Under "Do you want to use this printer as the default printer?" choose "No." Click Next.
8. Skip printing a test page and click Next. Then Click Finish.
Now you need to associate the .prn extension with the printer you just added.
9. Open Note Pad (or other text editor) and enter the following two lines exactly as shown to create a batch file.
ECHO OFF
@COPY %1 LPT1
Save the file as printPRN.bat in the root directory (C:\printPRN.bat). To save this as a .bat file, after you choose "Save As" on the file menu, you will need to click the down arrow at the end of the "Save as type" space at the bottom of the Save As window and select "All Files" and then save the file.
10. Open Windows Explorer (Right-click on START and click on "Explore") and on the Tools menu, click on "Folder Options."
11. In the Folder Options dialog box, select the File Types tab. In the Extensions column, scroll down to .prn and click on it.
12. Click on the Change button. In the Open With window, the file list will not have your new file listed, so click on the Browse button and navigate to C:/printPRN.bat, click on it and click the Open button. Click OK. Then click OK in the Folder Options window.
Now, when you double-click on a .prn file, it will print -- if your printer is connected and turned on.
• Third Method -- Let Software do it for you
Now for the easy way. Think what you would have missed if I gave this first!
I ran across a freeware program by Peter Lerup that works great. Just download it, unzip it in a temporary folder and click the setup icon. You don't have to do anything else. It sets itself up. The setup offers to put a shortcut in Startup and on the desktop. I did not put it in startup as that would unnecessarily use resources. But the shortcut on the desktop makes it convenient to open.
The name of the program is PrintFile and can be downloaded at http://www.lerup.com/printfile/.
Just open the program, press the Print File button, navigate to the .prn file you wish to print and click the Open button. That's it! You can make various settings if you wish, For my .prn files it works great just as it is installed.
This program will also print PostScript and Encapsulated PostScript Files (EPS) on Macintosh and UNIX systems.
Making a .prn File Viewable
To view the contents of a .prn document on your computer screen just print it out using one of the methods above and, using your scanner, scan it into your computer. In Microsoft Word or other document application, format it the way you want it and save the file as you would any other file of its type.
Well, that's about it for this time. Take Care.
-- Don
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