Announcements

Happy Monday!

Wow, is the weekend over already? Time sure flies when you're playin' with your computer. Enjoy the newsletter :-)

Computers 101

Q:
What are "hidden files" and how do I access them?

A:
That's one of those "if you need to ask you shouldn't be messing with it" type of questions.

However, hidden files are files that do not, by default, show up. You can set your computer to show your hidden files by clicking the Tools menu in Explorer, then Folder Options. When the Folder Options screen shows up, click the View tab and find the Hidden Files item. You'll see an option for showing all files there.

Once you do that, you should be able to see all your hidden files. Keep in mind that these files are hidden for a reason. Most of them can not be opened by the user and contain important information for your computer. Should you accidentally delete them, you may run into a world of digital hurt (stuff like programs not running, Windows not working, etc).

So, be careful with hidden files. Don't mess with them unless you know exactly what the file is for.

~ Steve

Have a question for the newsletter? Submit it at the link below:
http://www.worldstart.com/submitquestion.htm

Tip of the Day

Must... Have... Control!

(Picture note: I keep my taskbar at the top of my screen, so that's why the screen shots look like they are coming from the wrong direction.)

Do you use your control panel a lot? Are you the kind of person who is constantly "adjusting" things? Well, if you are, then you and I have a lot in common. Here's a tip that will save us both some time.

Rather than clicking Start, Settings, Control Panel and then hunting for the appropriate icon in the control panel folder, why not put a cascading control panel right on your Start menu? Then, you just click Start, Control Panel, and select the appropriate utility from a menu. Much faster and much neater.

Here's how for win 95/98/2000 (XP / ME are below):

1. Right-click the Start button and select Explore from the resulting menu.

2. By default, you'll end up in the Windows/Start menu folder. Right click on any blank area in the right pane and select New, Folder from the resulting menu.

3. A new folder will be created with it's name (new folder) highlighted. Copy and paste the line below in for the name and hit Enter:

Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}

Note that if you don't get it pasted properly and you end up with a folder named "new folder" you can re-name the folder with a right-click. That gives you another shot at pasting the above line in.

That's it. You should now have a Control Panel item available when you click your Start button. It should look like this:

If it doesn't work, make sure that you copied the line above exactly as shown. Your best bet is to do a copy and paste and not to type it.

XP/ME

If you're using Win ME or XP you have it even easier.

First, win ME:

To enable this, just click the Start button, Settings, Taskbar & Start Menu. From the resulting screen, hit the Advanced tab.

Now, look for the option called "Expand Control Panel". Check that, hit OK, and you have your cascading control panel.

Now, XP:

1. Right-click the Start button, Properties.

2. On the resulting screen, click the Customize button. On the next screen, click the Advanced tab.

3. The first item in the Start menu item box should be Control Panel. Select the little "Display as menu" item and, poof!, you have an XP version of our cascading control panel.

Hope this makes your life easier!

~ Steve

Have a tip for the newsletter? Submit it below:
http://www.worldstart.com/writers-guidelines/index.htm

Amanda's Cool Site of the Day

Edible Insects

Sounds absolutely unappetizing, but according to this site you’ve probably “inadvertently consumed over a pound of insects in your lifetime.” So why not find out which ones are actually good for you!

You’ll find recipes on this site as well as instructions on preparing and making food out of insects. You can even learn how to raise your own insects for eating on this site. Let me tell you this one will not only gross you out, but fascinate you at the same time.

http://www.eatbug.com/

Do you have a cool, non-commercial site that you want to share?
Send it to Amanda at amanda@worldstart.com