Information Addicts

Do you want to make Windows XP just that little bit easier to use? Great, then I have 10 quick tips that will help you.

1. Open files with one click. Save yourself some time by single clicking on folders and files rather than double clicking on them. Less clicking means less chances of getting RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury).

If you want to change your clicks to one, click Start>My Computer. Under the Tools menu, click Folder Options. Now click the General tab in the dialog box, click Single-click to open an item (point to select), and then click OK. This makes everything in Windows exactly one click faster.

2. File or Folder properties. If you need to quickly view a file or folders properties then hold the Alt key as you click on it.

3. If you want to quickly close a program or file then hold down the Alt key and press F4.

4. Live a little and change your pointer scheme. Now and again I like to change my pointer and cursor scheme, as you can get sick of the same one, and it’s very easy to do. Click Start>Control Panel (make sure you have the classic view showing or you will not see all the icons in the CP) then click on Mouse, click the Pointers tab and browse the available themes. Select one that you like, and then click OK.

5. Adding new pointer schemes. To be honest I find the Pointers and Cursors that come with Windows are a bit boring and could do with a bit of spicing up. This is where Cursor XP from Stardock comes in, this great free little application installs more appealing pointer schemes. All you have to do is click on this link download the file and then install the program, once installed click on the mouse icon and you will see a new tab labeled ‘CursorXP’ click on this and change your pointer to something more exciting. You can even download additional pointer schemes.

6. Hide your Taskbar. Do you find the taskbar too intrusive at times? All you have to do is right click it choose properties and select Auto hide and also select Keep the taskbar on top of windows, and then click on OK. When you need your taskbar just drag the mouse to the bottom of the screen and it will appear.

7. System Restore Point. If there is some software that you would like to try out, why not create a System restore point before you install it. Then if you decide that it is not what you need, uninstall the application in the normal way and then go back to the System Restore Point that you created to make sure that it is thoroughly deleted from you PC.

8. Moving Multiple Files. Do you sometime have a lot of files that you need to move from one folder to another? Then all you have to do is hold down the Ctrl key and click each file that you want to move and then drag them across to another folder. You can also select a block of consecutive files by clicking the first file and then press and hold the Shift key, then click on the last file and you will find that all the files in between are selected.

9. By default Windows XP only allows you to open one My Documents folder, or one My Computer folder, (also My Network Places and the Recycle bin) at a time, however if you hold down the shift key as you click on the folder you can open as many of these folders as you like.

10. Add a map drive icon. If you have more than one computer running Microsoft Windows XP connected to your home network, you can share folders between them so you can open files on one computer even if they’re stored on another. To make it easier to connect to a shared folder, you can add a Map Drive button to your Windows Explorer toolbar. This button provides a fast link to the shared folder.
To add a Map Drive button
1. Click Start, and then click My Computer.
2. Right-click the toolbar, and then click Customize.

3. The Customize Toolbar dialog box will appears and in the Available toolbar buttons list, click Map Drive, and then click Add. To be able to remove mapped drives using a toolbar button, select Disconnect, and then click Add.

The Map Drive button appears on your toolbar. To map a network drive, click the Map Drive toolbar button. The toolbar button has exactly the same effect as clicking the Tools menu and then clicking Map Network Drive.

What tips do you have that makes XP easier to use?

This entry was posted on Friday, November 30th, 2007 at 12:39 pm and is filed under PC Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.