In addition to turning off the monitor, Windows XP offers two modes with which your computer can conserve energy without having to shut down completely. These are also easier and quicker than shutting down your computer every time you leave it for awhile. However, if you are only going to be away from the computer a short time, you can just turn off the monitor (like turning out the light when you leave the room). Both standby and hibernation are especially useful for portable computers in order to conserve battery power.
Standby: On standby, the computer switches to a low-power state. Devices, such as the monitor and hard disks, turn off. To activate your computer again, just press a key. It comes to life quickly. Only the monitor may be a little slow coming to life. Your computer's desktop will be just the way you left it. Standby saves your desktop state to memory, but you can lose unsaved data if there is a power failure while on Standby.
A good time to use standby is when you are going to be away from your computer for periods during the day. To be on the safe side, save information in any open programs first.
My computer is scheduled to run Norton's Antivirus scan every Friday at midnight. I just put the computer on Standby. Nortons wakes it up for the scan and I take it off of Standby when I start using it the next morning. The virus scan will not wake up my computer from Hibernate.
To put a computer on Standby, click on the Start button -- Microsoft's theory is you stop by starting. Next click on the Standby button. If your computer has a drop down list instead of the three buttons, just click on the down arrow and select "Standby".
Hibernation: If you need to power down your computer but you want to be sure to keep the place where you were working, put it in hibernation to conserve energy. When your computer goes into hibernation, Windows saves everything in memory onto your hard drive. It then turns off your monitor, hard disk and your computer (almost). When you restart your computer (by pressing the power button), everything is restored exactly as you left it. Since your computer is rebooting, it will take longer to come out of hibernation than standby but is faster than a cold boot.
A good time to put your computer in hibernation is overnight or for the weekend, although you should do a complete shutdown from time to time, to clear the computer of any file fragments that may be hanging around in memory.
Some computers do not support standby and hibernate. If that is the case with your computer, these features will not be available.
If your computer, with Windows XP, was not set up for Hibernation when you received it, you can set it up. You must be logged on as Administrator or Power User. However if you are the sole user of a non-networked computer, you may be automatically logged on as such. The set up is easy to do. Here's how:
- Right-click on a blank area of your desktop and click "Properties". The Display Properties window will appear.
- Select the Screen Saver tab and click on the Power Button. The Power Options Properties window will appear. On the Hibernate tab be sure the "Enable Hibernation" checkbox is checked. Click OK.
Now, when you click on the Start button and choose "Turn Off Computer," you can select Standby, Turn Off, Restart or Hibernate. You don't see "Hibernate"? Well, I guess I had better tell you. Hold down the Shift key and the Standby button will change to a Hibernate button. Some computers have a drop-down list instead of separate buttons.
Outlook Express is included with Internet Explorer and the Windows operating system. It is primarily designed for the home user. OE is a simple mail sending and receiving program without the added features targeted to the needs of businesses. In addition to e-mail, OE also allows you to subscribe to and interact with newsgroups.
Outlook Express will automatically import your settings, messages and Address Book entries from any of several other mail programs. With it you can set up multiple e-mail accounts, including web mail, and create inbox rules. Of course you can make additional folders for organizing your e-mail.
With OE you can send and receive HTML content, including sound and moving images, and you can choose from a variety of stationery designs.
Outlook is a stand alone application in the Microsoft Office suite that integrates e-mail with calendaring, contact management and tasks. The Inbox rules allow you to filter received messages and you can organize your messages by creating new folders. Information is more easily shared with other office programs than with OE.
Using Outlook with Exchange Server allows you to easily share information within a workgroup and schedule group activities. As does OE, Outlook provides for easy migration from other e-mail programs. Outlook supports the main e-mail, voice mail, news, and directory standards, including HTML mail. Outlook also will synchronize with leading PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants).
Have you purchased a new computer and dread re-doing all those settings again? You don't have to. With Windows XP's Files and Settings Transfer Wizard you can transfer your files and their settings from your old computer directly to the new one. Your data files and your settings will be properly transferred. If you have changed the location for files to be saved from application programs, those settings will also be preserved.
You can choose how you wish to transfer the files -- by diskettes, directly by serial cable connection or a drive on your home network. Each diskette holds about 1.44MB of data. Microsoft suggests that it will take 10-12 3.5" diskettes. This is also your slowest method. The serial cable is your best bet, unless you are on a network. This must be a null modem (PC to PC) serial cable. Also, you cannot use a parallel cable for transferring the files and settings. Home network is faster.
If you are keeping the old computer, why not set up a home network? You will need network interface cards and cables. Windows XP has a Network Setup Wizard to take you through the process. Whichever method you choose, you can determine which files you wish to migrate by adding or removing files in the Wizard.
The Settings are grouped into four categories:
⊕ Appearance (wallpaper, colors, sounds, location of the taskbar & perhaps a few other items).
⊕ Action (key repeat rate and some click or double-click settings).
⊕ Internet (connection settings, operation of your browser, home page URL, favorites or bookmarks, cookies, security settings, and related items).
⊕ Mail (mail server connection settings, signature file, views, mail rules, local mail folders, and contacts). Only Outlook and Outlook Express are supported in these settings.
Migrating the settings for specific applications such as Microsoft Office (Access, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word) and many others, is supported. Only the applications' settings are migrated. You will still need to re-install applications on your new computer.
By default, the wizard transfers many common file types and folders. You can add or remove folders, file types, or specific files.
⊕ On the New Computer:
1. Start the New Computer and open the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard (Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Files and Settings Transfer Wizard). When the welcome page appears, click Next.
2. Select "New Computer" and click Next.
3. Insert a blank, formatted 3.5" diskette into the new computer's floppy drive. The wizard will create the disk and prompt you to go to your old computer.
Here are the steps for migrating your files to the new computer. For this example, I will assume you are transferring by way of a null modem serial cable.
⊕ On the Old Computer:
1. Insert the wizard disk (just created in the new computer) in the floppy drive.
2. Open the Files and Settings Transfer Wizard (Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Files and Settings Transfer Wizard). The Welcome page will appear. Click Next.
3. The "Select a Transfer Method" page will appear. Select the method by which you wish to transfer the files and settings ("Direct cable," "Floppy drive or other removable media" or "Other." Here I will assume you chose "Direct Cable." Click Next.
4. The "Set up your serial connection" page will appear. Now do the following:
a. Connect the computers, using the null modem (PC to PC) serial transfer cable (not a straight serial cable).
b. On the old computer, advance to the "Set up your serial connection" page.
c. Choose "Autodetect" on the wizard of both computers.
On the old computer
After a successful connection is indicated, click Next. Your files and settings will automatically be transmitted to your new computer. Restart the computer for the transferred files and settings to take effect.
Hopefully, when you upgrade to a new computer, the above information will make the transition easier.
In windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer) you can view your files in a number of ways. First, let me be sure you know how to open Explorer. Right-click on Start and then click on "Explore." Explorer displays the folders and files on your computer.
Folders are in the left pane and the selected folder's sub-folders and files are in the right pane. If the left pane displays a blue column with various options, instead of folders, go to the View menu, hover over "Explorer Bar" and select "Folders."
Now that we are on the same page, look up on the Toolbar. There you will see a small box with eight colored squares in it. Click on it, or on the small down arrow beside it. You will see several options from which to choose. The current view will have a bullet in front of it.
If image files are displayed in Explorer's right pane, you may want to click on "Thumbnail" to see a thumbnail image view of each file in the folder. This can be helpful when you are looking for a particular image but are not sure of its file name.
Sometimes there will be a "Filmstrip" view. It provides thumbnail images, but the selected file (image) will be displayed at the top of the window. The images can be scrolled through this top position by using the little forward/backward buttons. I find little use for this since I can scroll through the thumbnails much faster.
The "Tile" view shows all of the files as icons, or tiles, with text beside each one giving the name of the file and the image size in pixels or a document file's size in kilobytes.
"Icon" view displays icons that are smaller than the tiles and only gives the file name for each item.
"List" is a faster way to work with files that you do not need to view, nor to see any file information except the name. The icons are much smaller, so you can see many more files at a time.
The "Details" view is like the List view, except there are columns showing details about the file in each row. The details shown are such as "Size," "Type" and "Date Modified." There are many more possibilities. You can choose which details are displayed by going to the View menu and selecting "Choose Details."
In Microsoft Word, various file views are available but they are displayed differently than those in Windows Explorer (See item above). In Word, when you Choose "Open" on the File Menu, or click on the Open folder on the Toolbar, the Open window will display. The currently selected folder will be listed in the "Look in" box at the top of the window and that folder's sub-folders and files will be listed below. If you double-click on a displayed folder it will be shown at the top ("Look in" box) and its files listed below. Click on the Back arrow to return to the previous folder. Click on the little down arrow at the right end of the "Look in" box to navigate to other folders on the computer.
Now, back to the file views. Click on the Open folder located on the Toolbar (or "Open" on the File menu). The Open window will appear. At the top, toward the right end of the Toolbar, you will see a Views button like the one we talked about in the item above. Click on the little down arrow beside it and a drop-down list of seven or eight views will appear. If you click on the button itself, you will rotate from one view to the next. You can look at these to see their differences.
I leave Word set for the "Preview" view, unless I specifically need other information. In the Preview view you can see the file contents and determine if it is the one you wish to open. This is helpful if you are not sure which file contains certain information, or have forgotten the name of the file you wish to open.
In Windows XP you have access to a calculator that is capable of a wide range of computations. In Standard view it will do simple calculations. Switch to Scientific view for advanced scientific and statistical calculations.
Here's how to open Calculator:
1. Click on Start.
2. Hover the mouse pointer on All Programs.
3. Hover on Accessories.
4. Click on Calculator.
The Help menu in Calculator will tell you how to use it.
To add a Calculator shortcut icon on your Desktop for quick access to it, follow steps 1-3 above. Now, place the mouse pointer on "Calculator" in the All Programs list, hold down the right mouse button and drag the Calculator shortcut icon to the Desktop. Then select Copy.
If by mistake you held down the left button to drag the icon, it moved to the desktop instead of allowing you to copy it there. Here is how to place a shortcut back on the All Programs list:
1. Right-click on the shortcut you just placed on the Desktop and select "Copy."
2. In Windows Explorer (right-click on Start and click on Explore) navigate to C:/Documents and Settings/All Users/Start Menu/Programs.
3. Right-click on the Programs folder and click on "Paste" in the context menu (often referred to as the shortcut menu).
Now Calculator will again appear in the All Programs list.
In Windows XP you can pin a program shortcut onto the Start menu for easy access. For this example let's pin the Character Map, for inserting symbols, on the Start menu. This is the Windows Character Map which is similar to, but different from, the Symbols chart available in Microsoft Word from the Insert menu. Either one can be used for inserting special characters and symbols into your documents. All of your installed fonts are available on the chart and some have symbols that others do not have. Here's how to put Character Map on the Start menu:
1. Go to Start > All Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Character Map.
2. Right click on Character Map and click on "Pin to Start Menu" in the context menu that appears.
Now, when you click on Start, the program you pinned will be available in the top portion of the Start menu and will need only a single click to open. You can do this for other programs and items, such as the calculator mentioned in the previous tip.
Shortcuts to programs used recently and frequently will automatically appear in the lower section of the Start menu.
To remove a program shortcut from the Start menu, do the following:
1. Click on Start and put the mouse pointer on the program you wish to remove from the Start menu.
2. Right click on the program and click on "Unpin from the Start menu" in the context (shortcut) menu that appears.
3. Click anywhere on a clear area of the Desktop to close the Start menu.
The Quick Launch bar is located at the left end of the Taskbar (bottom of the Desktop). On it you can place shortcuts to programs you wish to access at any time and open with only one click. Windows has already installed at least one shortcut on it -- "Show Desktop."
If the Quick Launch bar is not visible on the Taskbar of your computer, you can do the following to change that:
1. Right-click on Start and click on Properties.
2. In the Properties box, click on the Taskbar tab.
3. Be sure there are check marks in the "Show Quick Launch" and "Keep the taskbar on top of other windows" checkboxes. You check or uncheck a box by clicking on it.
4. Click on OK.
To place a shortcut on the Quick Launch bar use one of the following methods:
Method One, From the Desktop:
Go to a shortcut on your Desktop, hold down the left button and drag it to the Quick Launch bar. When a black vertical line (I) appears, move it to the location you want and release the mouse button. The shortcut will be placed where the line appeared. If there are more shortcuts on the Quick Launch bar than space for them, you will see a double chevron (>>) at the right end of Quick Launch. Click on it and the other shortcuts will show.
Method Two, From the All Programs list:
1. Go to Start > All Programs > the program you wish to add to the Quick Launch bar.
2. Either
a. Hold down the right mouse button and drag the shortcut to the Desktop and click on "Copy here." Or
b. Right-click on the program's icon and click on "Copy" in the shortcut menu. Or
c. Right-click on the program's icon, click on "Create shortcut." The shortcut will appear at the end of the All Programs list. Go to it and drag (left button) it to the Desktop.
3. Drag the shortcut to the Quick Launch bar as described in Method One.
Method Three, From Windows Explorer:
1. Right-click on Start and click on "Explore" from the pop-up menu.
2. Navigate to the folder that contains the program you wish to add to the Quick Launch bar. Click on it to reveal its files in the right panel.
3. Right-click on the file that opens the program and click on "Create Shortcut". A shortcut will appear at the end of the list of files.
4. Hold down the left mouse button and drag the new shortcut to the Desktop.
5. Drag the shortcut to the Quick Launch bar as described in Method One above.
You may wish to rename the shortcut to remove the words "Shortcut to." You know it is a shortcut because of the little curved arrow at the shortcut's lower right corner. If you wish to rename it while it is on the Desktop, right-click on the shortcut (icon or text) and select "Rename." Now you can click on the text, and edit it.
When you drag a shortcut from the Desktop to the Quick Launch bar, a copy of the shortcut will remain on the Desktop. If you wish to delete it, just right-click on it and select "Delete." Deleting a shortcut does not delete the program.
When you drag a shortcut from the Quick Launch bar to the Desktop, a copy does not remain on the Quick Launch bar.
When you browse the Internet, key information about you is made available. This includes your IP address (your Internet identity) and domain name. Malicious websites can use this information to bombard you with all kinds of spam, and perhaps share it with others. Does your company have product formula or other information that are to be kept secret? If your company is its own Internet service provider, and even if it is not, and you access the Internet from the company network. Unscrupulous hackers could use the information to assist in hacking your company's network for that information. Hopefully the company has enough safeguards that a hacker cannot find an open port.
The people at Anonymize.Net state that "by sending a simple inquiry to Internet Registries everyone curious can find out:
• geographic location of your, or your company's, Internet Services Provider (ISP)
• your domain registration details including name and address of the owner
• the name and address of the computer through which you send and retrieve your mail.
"This information is sufficient to find out your address, phone number and other personal details." Anonymize.Net provides a link so you can see what the Internet community knows about you. To find out, just click here.
There is a solution. Software and services are available that allow you to browse the Internet anonymously. One source, mentioned earlier, is Anonymize.Net. Here is a quote from their web site:
"We can anonymize all your Internet activities. These would include: browsing, FTP, e-mail, chat, etc. We will change your IP address.
"No one will be able to gather any information about you from your IP address. The only data available will be our IP address located in the Bahamas and our domain (contact details only if an inquiry is sent to Internet Registries).
"We can make all your Internet traffic snoop-proof. No one ... would be able to intercept and decode your activities..."
Check out their site or do a search with keywords "anonymous surf." A variety of methods are employed to accomplish the anonymity. Some use software and others provide a service to which members subscribe. Also encryption is used by a number of the programs/services. Some providers indicate that they do not log clients' activities. Software can be found that support Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP/ MacOS X, Linux and Solaris.
I cannot speak from personal experience because I have not used such a program. However, I have read about these programs and may use one of them in the future.
Below is a list of some of the providers of software or services for surfing the Internet anonymously. A number of them also cover e-mail and other areas. A few of these have kid-safe filters, either built-in or separate. If such filters are not included, I suggest you install them separately to screen out unwanted sites. See my article on filters. Some of those listed below specifically state that they do not collect any personal information and that their software/service does not contain any adware or software. Read their privacy policies and make your own judgment. The list is a mixture of free, free trial, shareware and purchase software and services. Questgems makes no guarantees.
• Adorons Anonymous Surfing
• Anonymize.Net
• Anonymization.Net
• Anonymizer.com.
• Electronic Privacy Information Center. (Online guide to practical privacy tools. Divided by types of security.)
• G-Lock Software
• Ghost Surf. Standard & Platinum edition.
• Guardstar. Several services
• IDzap & IDseal
• iPrive.com
• Megaproxy
• MisterPrivacy.comb
• NetAdjust
• PC Mesh
• Proxify. (Not software. Enter URLs on their website and surf from there. Access is free but subscribers receive additional services.)
• Surfola
• The Cloak.
Often today children and teenagers are accessing web sites that even adults should not visit. They have varying degrees of pornography, filthy language and opportunities to meet dangerous people. Children and teens should not have an Internet-connected computer in their bedrooms or away from the flow of traffic. Curiosity can lead to the first step toward getting hooked on a lifestyle that may affect them for the rest of their lives.
Filters are available that can go a long way in preventing sites with unwanted or dangerous content from being accessed. There is no 100% fail-proof system. Even with filters, children should not be left unsupervised on the Internet.
Below, I will list some sources for family Internet filtering software and then some children's browsers. Some listings will take you to the site of filter/browser reviews or a list with links to various filter & browser producers instead of a particular one. Usually from those lists you can click on links to examine those of interest.
Filters may be adjusted for each person's use, or turned off. Windows XP allows for a different desktop for each member of the family. At bootup, when the user's password is entered, that user's desktop appears. These user accounts are set up by going to the Control Panel and clicking on the User Accounts icon. One person should be designated as Administrator so he/she can make changes that other users cannot.
Here are some links to Internet filters & Protection software and services.
• Amplified Christian Filter. ($4.95 U.S. monthly fee.)
• Bsafe
• ComSifter. (Stand alone hardware for use in the office or dormitories. Too expensive for most homes.)
• ContentProtect for the Home
• Control Kids
• CSWEB. (Allows parents to remotely monitor and change filter settings on their home computer.)
• CyberPatrol
• CYBERSitter
• Filterguide.com (Parental Control Software Review.)
• GetNetWise. (Aids to keeping children safe online.)
• IamBigBrother. (Will record all incoming & outgoing Instant Messages. Gets web based e-mail and both sides of chat, keystrokes and screenshots. No live phone support, but they say it's easy to use.)
• Internet Filter Review. (Filters are reviewed.)
• Integrity Online Internet Filter
• Kid's Watch. (Time & content control.)
• Net Nanny
• Netmop. ($4.50 per month. One fee protects 3 computers.)
• ProtectKids.com (Not a filter program but it is a site that presents several items of interest to parents in an interesting way.)
• S4F Filterpak and We-Blocker.
• The Soft For You web site has three programs of interest. 1. iProtectYou Web Filter is filtering & parental control software. 2. CyberSieve also enables you to monitor your child's use of the Internet no matter where you are - in the next room, at work, or even on vacation. 3. Chronager allows you to restrict the times when your child's computer can be used and to set the times that your child may surf the Internet, play games, use particular programs, and watch movies.
• WebWatcher. (Monitor children's key strokes real-time from anywhere. Block any webpage based on content or web address, and more.)
• Wise Choice Porn Blocker
Have you sometimes wanted to insert a picture of your computer's desktop screen or the active window into a document? It is easy to do. Look at the top row on the right end of your PC's keyboard. You will see a key named "Print Screen." If you press the key, it appears that nothing happens. But more happens than meets the eye. Here is how it works. When you press the Print Screen key, an image is placed on the Windows clipboard in the same way as when you right-click on selected text or an image and select "Copy." A copied image can be pasted into a document by right-clicking on a document and selecting "Paste."
Now, to capture the entire desktop (the screen that opens when your computer has fully booted) along with any windows that are open, just press the Print Screen key. This places the image on the Windows Clipboard. To paste it into an MS Word document, place your cursor (position the mouse arrow and left click) where you want the image to appear. You can paste the picture in that location in any of at least three ways: (1) Click on the edit menu on the menu bar and select "Paste" (or for the Bitmap format, select "Paste Special" and click OK); (2) Right-click and select "Paste." (3) Hold down the Ctrl key and press the letter "V" key.
To capture only the active window, perhaps of an open application
program, hold down the Alt key and press the Print Screen key. Paste it in the same way as described above.
Can't move the pasted image to re-locate it? When you paste an image into Microsoft Word, it will likely be placed in an absolute position. You can change that. Just left-click on the image to select it, then right-click on it (or just double-click it) and choose "Format Picture." The Format Picture dialog box will appear. Select the Layout tab. By choosing any of the options but the first one, you will be able to select the "Other" radio button under
"Horizontal Alignment." Other options are available by pressing the "Advanced" button. Click "OK." Now to move the picture where you want it just click on the image to select it. You will see the handles appear along the sides and corners. To reduce or enlarge the size of the image, do this: Place the mouse arrow on one of the corner handles and when you see the double arrow hold down the left mouse button, and drag toward or away from the diagonally opposite handle. You can drag by a side handle to change only the width or height. To move the image do this: With the picture selected (the handles showing), move your mouse onto the graphic and, when you see the four-headed arrow, drag the picture to any location you wish while holding down the left mouse button.
If you wish to edit the image, rather than pasting it directly into the document, you may prefer pasting it into an open graphics program. There you can do the editing as you wish. Then you can copy and paste the edited edition into the document or save it as a file. If saved as a file, you can insert it into the document by doing the following: (1) Left-click the mouse in the location you wish to place the image. (2) Click on "Insert" in the menu bar and pause your mouse pointer on "Picture," then click on "From File." (3) Navigate to the location of the image file and either double-click on it or click once on it and then click on the Insert button. You can then format the picture and make it movable by following the directions given above.
Do you have a lot of icons cluttering your computer's desktop? Would you like to reduce the clutter but still have them available? You can do it. Here's how. Just right-click anywhere on the desktop (an open area), rest your mouse pointer on "New," and then select "Folder." A folder icon will appear on the desktop with the name "New Folder" highlighted. Just type in the name you wish, such as "other Icons." Now either drag the seldom used icons to the folder or right click on them and paste them on the folder by right-clicking and selecting "Paste." Now, if you double-click on the folder, you will see that those icons are there. Double-click on one of the icons and the file will open.
You can also use this method to sort your icons. One folder could be for graphic programs; another for word processing, spreadsheet and database applications; another for utility programs, etc.
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