Do you find the standard Windows mouse cursor is a bit too small? If so, you may want to select a larger cursor scheme from your Mouse Properties. Here’s how:
Hold the Windows key and press the R key (Win+R). This will bring up the Run line. In Run, type main.cpl
This will bring up Mouse Properties in XP, Vista… Continue reading
Make Your Own Toolbar
Wouldn’t it be nice to make your own toolbar to use just like the start menu? It’s really easy to do, and can be quite useful. For this tip I will show you how to make a new start menu with only the folders and shortcuts you want. This can also be used to make a menu of commonly used documents or any other… Continue reading
Q:
Help! It seems as if my taskbar has disappeared, Start button and all. How can I get it back?
A:
Well, I bet that you accidentally shrunk it. See, if you hover your mouse over the top edge of your taskbar, the cursor becomes a double-sided arrow which allows you to adjust the height of the taskbar. The cursor looks like this:
So if you’ve inadvertently… Continue reading
Q:
How do I set my computer’s clock?
A:
To set the time, just double-click the clock in your system tray (your system tray is located on your taskbar, opposite your Start button). A “clock screen” will be displayed.
You’ll see a box under an analog-looking clock where you can click on the hour, minute
Many of Worldstart’s tips will refer to the Windows Desktop at one point or another. If you don’t know what it is, that’s okay, because we’re here to help!
So here we go!
The Desktop, basically, is where all your icons live (stuff like the Recycle Bin sit on the Desktop).
It’s the “background” area you see when your computer first… Continue reading
Q:
I’ve seen people with their taskbar on the side or at the top. How did they do that?
A:
To move your taskbar:
Grab a blank area with your mouse (left click & hold) and drag it to whatever location (top, bottom, or sides) you want. Note that you need to grab the taskbar in the area where your open program buttons sit… Continue reading
Do you have icons scattered all over your desktop and want them lined up? Or maybe you have them lined up in neat little rows, but would prefer them grouped in different areas of your desktop. We will try to satisfy both with today’s tip!
To organize scattered icons in Windows XP: Right-click the Desktop and select “Arrange Icons”. You’ll be presented with a sub-menu that’s chock full of icon… Continue reading
Q:
Is there a way to hide my taskbar?
A:
Right-click any blank area on your taskbar (your taskbar is what your Start button sits on) and select “Properties” from the menu that pops up. Select “Autohide” or “Auto-hide taskbar” from the resulting screen.
Now, your taskbar will disappear when you move your mouse away from… Continue reading
Do you have awesome wallpaper that’s obscured by all those nasty little icons cluttering your desktop ? Well, here’s how to make them all disappear, at least temporarily…
Win XP Instructions:
A pretty easy process here.
Just right-click your Desktop , Arrange Icons By , then click the ” Show Desktop Icons ” item.
Why the PhD’s at Microsoft decided it was a good idea to stick the “Show… Continue reading
I always have too many programs open at the same time and I can’t remember which icon belongs to which program on my toolbar. Is there an easy way to tell which button is which?
By hovering over an item, a balloon should come up telling you what the program is.
One easy
Clean Your Desk(top)
Have too many icons on your desktop? You probably only have a few that you really use on a regular basis, so why not keep the other ones handy, but hidden?
Well, it can be done by putting a little folder on your desktop and dragging any infrequently used shortcut icons to it. Here’s how:
1. Right-click the desktop and select, New, Folder .… Continue reading
ME & XP Screen Saver Fun
So, while we’re in the Display Properties window, let’s mess around with your boring screen saver!
Just select the Screen Saver tab from the Display Properties window (you can obtain this by right-clicking on your desktop and selecting Properties ).
From there, you can select a screen saver and configure it exactly how you want it.
One of my favorites is the “My… Continue reading
Q:
I love the new monthly wallpaper, but what if I want to change it?
A:
Just right-click an area on your desktop and choose “Properties“. Select “Desktop” and you’ll find a list of images to use for wallpaper. Click the background you want from the list and it will appear in the preview screen. You can choose to Center, Tile, or Stretch the image to fit the… Continue reading
Q:
I have a shortcut on my desktop I’d like to rename. How do I do it?
A:
Just right-click the shortcut and select Rename from the resulting menu. The shortcut’s name will now be highlighted. Just type in the new name and you’re all set.
If you want to get fancier and show off, you can single-click on the icon and hit the F2 button. This will… Continue reading
Pull the Arrows Out of Your Shortcuts
Many of you keep asking me how to remove those little arrows you see on your desktop shortcuts. They sure can take away from the visual aesthetics of the icons.
OK, there are actually two easy ways to get rid of the little arrows that attach themselves to shortcuts. The easiest of the two is to select a size of 30 for your… Continue reading
Adding Shortcuts to the Taskbar
I know, this is kind of a basic tip for you long time Windows users, but we’ve been getting a lot of questions on this lately. So, if you want to add icons to your taskbar – or make the ones you already have on it bigger, read on!
OK, first we’ll talk about getting the icons there in the first place. By… Continue reading
Change Your Search Companion
If you search for a file in XP you’ll notice the little dog at the bottom. Rover is there to help you sniff out files you need. Well, what if you don’t want him sniffing around? Maybe you’re a cat person. Did you know you can change the Search Companion? Here’s how…
Go to Start/Search and click “Change Preferences”. If you don’t want any character, choose… Continue reading
I hear about programs having “skins”-what does that mean?
Before all of our animal loving readers start typing angry email to us, animals are not harmed in the making of “skins” for programs (although you can get animal patterned ones). These “skins” are graphic files used to change the appearance of the user interface to a program. They
Window States
Ever have a program that always starts in a “normal” state but you really want it maximized?
Well, here’s a little trick to help you do just that (and more) with a quick little bit of shortcut editing. Note: although this seems to work on most programs, sometimes you’ll run across a program that just won’t cooperate.
1. First, right-click the shortcut to the program and select Properties… Continue reading
“My Computer” Toolbar
Here’s a little trick you can do with the “My Computer” desktop icon to make a very cool “My Computer” toolbar.
To create this toolbar, left click and drag your “My Computer” icon to either side of your desktop then release your left mouse button. If you were close enough to the screen edge, you’ll get a “My Computer” toolbar.
I’ve found it helps if you… Continue reading
Would you like to make your window title bars (the area on a window that has the min, max, & close buttons on it) different colors? Try this:
1. Right-click your desktop and select Properties (In Vista it’s called “Personalize”)
2. Your display settings should pop up. Select the Appearance tab (Windows Color and Appearance in Vista).
3. Hit the “Advanced”
Q:
I wish there was a way to alphabetize all the programs under Start/Programs?
A:
Well, save your wishes for something good, because you can! Here’s how:
1. Click the Start button, Programs. Highlight any program group (i.e. menu item) that’s listed there.
2. Now, just right-click and select ” Sort by name ” from the resulting menu.
That’s it. Remember that you can still drag… Continue reading
You know about the Start button, right? It sits down in the lower left-hand corner of the toolbar waiting to be clicked whereupon it shall reveal its wealth of information. But what if you click it and you don’t like the way it looks?
Well, you can get some relief, and have fun, with the Start Menu properties. Just right-click Start and choose Properties.… Continue reading
By default, the control panel is in Category View, so when you open it, you see 10 categories (Appearance, sound, etc.) to choose from.
That can make it hard to find what you want. If you notice on the right side there is a link marked Switch to Classic View.
Click there and you will be… Continue reading
Q:
I was trying to play an old game on Windows XP, but it won’t work. I hear sound, but the screen is blank. Why can’t I see the graphics?
A:
I ran into this the other day with an old program that my kids love. It turns out that we had to change the screen resolution to 256 colors.
What you could do is look for the… Continue reading
Q:
I would like to rearrange the order of my programs under the Start menu in Windows XP. How can do this?
A:
I get email all the time from readers who want to change the order of the programs in their Programs menu (Start button, Programs). You’ll be glad to know it’s easy as drag and drop!
Here’s how:… Continue reading
Start Menu Folders
Here’s another tip for those of you with cluttered Start menus.Why not place additional folders in your Start Menu?
You could make categories for your programs with these folders so you don’t have to do so much hunting around. For instance, you could have a category for office-type apps, one for games, and one for internet. The possibilities are endless.
Now, before we get too far
