November 1998 IN THIS ISSUE:
Access a Specific Newsgroup Browse In a New Window Quicker Shortcuts With Windows 98 DOS Error Codes Mouseless Launching Finding Files...Again! Save Some Memory Help Quickies Speedy Printing Smart Shortcuts FEATURE STORY: The Windows Registry: What is it and what you should know. ...also... Business Smarts Electronic Sleuth I Saw That Smirk! LEGO My Mouse! Kill Some Time More Conspiracy Theories There's Cash In Them Crafts! Anatomy 101 A Place for Parents and Teachers Standing Room Only The sites referred to in this newsletter are only a few of the thousands that exist on any specific topic. We suggest these few, simply to GET YOU STARTED. Future issues of this newsletter may revisit related noteworthy sites. 1. Access a Specific Newsgroup To quickly read a newsgroup without having to download a whole news file, try this speedy tip. Press Ctrl+O on your keyboard (works for IE4 and Netscape4). Now simply type news:"newsgroup name" (e.g. news:alt.astronomy), then hit Enter. Your newsreader will now download all the headers for that newsgroup only. Back to Table of Contents 2. Browse In a New Window If you use Internet Explorer try holding down the Shift key as you point and click a link. This will open the page in a new window. Do this if you you're waiting for another page to load and want to continue surfing. Back to Table of Contents 3. Quicker Shortcuts With Windows 98 With Windows 98 adding shortcuts to your desktop is a snap. Simply right-click on an icon (from anywhere) and from the menu that appears, select Send To, then Desktop as a Shortcut. That's it! Back to Table of Contents 4. DOS Error Codes If you're having problems running DOS programs, try this tip to display error codes. Start your DOS session with the /Z parameter. You can do this by clicking Start then Run. Type command /Z in the window and hit Enter. Back to Table of Contents 5. Mouseless Launching Practice using keyboard shortcuts to open programs faster. Try this one. Hit Ctrl+Esc or the Windows key to open your Start menu. Now type the letter for the directory you are looking for, then another letter for the subfolder/directory within the first. For example, Ctrl+Esc, then "P" for programs, "A" for accessories will get you to the Accessories folder. To continue, press the right arrow on your keyboard and press another letter representing the folder or application you want to open. When you get where you want, hit Enter. Back to Table of Contents 6. Finding Files...Again! To display a list of your last file searches simply press F3 then F4. These keystrokes will open the Find|File dialogue box and display your last searches. Back to Table of Contents 7. Save Some Memory If you don't use your CD player too often, make these simple changes to save some memory. Your system might be allocating some memory for the CD cache which you likely don't need. Right click on My Computer, select Properties, Performance, File System then CD-ROM. If the amount of memory assigned to the CD cache is too high, adjust it to get back some valuable resources. Back to Table of Contents 8. Help Quickies To quickly access the most common functions in Windows Help, just right-click your mouse button anywhere within a topic. This will activate a shortcut menu that includes Annotate, Copy, Print Topic, Keep Help on Top, Font and Use System Colors. Bet you didn't even know you had these options! Back to Table of Contents 9. Speedy Printing Did you know you can print most files without opening their applications? Try this: Open Explorer and go to your Printers folder. Copy your printer icon(s) to the Windows/SendTo folder. Now the next time you want to quickly print a file, select it from within Explorer or My Computer, right-click, select Send To from the menu and then click on your printer icon. That's it! Back to Table of Contents 10. Smart Shortcuts If you frequently need access to specific information in lengthy documents, it can be time consuming opening the application, the file and then scrolling to find the information you're looking for. Why not create a shortcut to exactly what you need! Find the information you need, highlight it, then simply drag and drop any part of the document (a sentence, paragraph, formula, etc.) to the Desktop using the right mouse button. Let go and choose Create Document Shortcut Here. When you click on the new shortcut, you'll launch the document and go right to the selected area! Pretty neat huh? Back to Table of Contents FEATURE: The Windows Registry You've seen, read and heard the warnings: "Back up your Registry before you...". But why? What is it? What will happen if I don't? What you should really be concerned about, is what won't happen if you don't! You won't be able to start your computer. Some programs won't run. You won't be able to check mail, surf the Net, or meet that deadline. Imagine the worst that could happen, and it could happen. What follows is a brief primer on the Registry, what it is, does and why you should know what you're doing before you meddle with it. The Windows Registry is essentially a database for storing your desktop preferences, installed software, device configuration settings and software settings. When you install new software or make changes to your system, these changes are stored in the Registry. It allows all these components to communicate with each other and execute various functions that relate to the applications you run. The Windows Registry serves many of the same functions that the initialization (.INI) files do in Windows 3.1. It also replaces DOS's and Windows 3.x's autoexec.bat, config.sys, win.ini and system.ini files for 32-bit applications. Confused? If you are, that's why you should be careful! Read on. The Registry is organized in a very unique and specific hierarchy or tree. Each level or branch is called a KEY. Each Key contains SubKeys and each of these can contain additional SubKeys. Six major Keys make up the Registry. Their functions are described below:
Once you feel more comfortable and want to try making some changes, BACK UP THE REGISTRY FIRST! You'll find detailed instructions on how to do this too. Even the most experienced users often fowl things up. Your Windows operating system is a sophisticated marvel. But as you might already know, it's not perfect. Consider that it contains millions of lines of code, and you'll appreciate why. Do you really want to mess with it even more? Back to Table of Contents ...also... Business Smarts Starting or growing a business? Can't afford expensive consultants to help you make those critical decisions? Try Inc. Online! This is the electronic version of the popular Inc. Magazine, but with a twist. The site fills in as full-service electronic consultant to those who need help the most; growing businesses. It features the online version of current and past print issues, a vast repository of business resources, information, and original articles that are only available online. So before you make that make or break decision, get some insights from Inc. Online. Chances are, someone's been there before too! Back to Table of Contents Electronic Sleuth Buying a property? Looking for someone? Thinking about hiring new staff? Want to track the assets or a competitor? Search no more! What you need is InformationForBusiness! Information services are used by individuals and business of all shapes and sizes. InformationForBusiness is an investigation and information service used by attorneys, collection agencies, investigators, and a host of other business professionals. Private citizens can use it too. The range and scope of services offered includes information retrieval, skip tracing and missing persons, property records searches, asset searches, and employment screening. If you don't need this type of service now, chances are you might later on. Especially if you're growing a business. Bookmark this site for future reference. Back to Table of Contents I Saw That Smirk! Whether or not you have a sense of humor, you'd be missing out big-time if you didn't check out the Center for the Easily Amused. Search for the outright silly, stupid and nonsensical on and about movies, television, music, magazines, sports and more. If you have no sense of humor and don't know where to begin, click the Random Silliness link. Want to check out websites that perform stupid tricks, click on Sites That Do Stuff. If you want more, you'll find a detailed listing, including links, to some of the Internet's most amusing sites. Back to Table of Contents LEGO My Mouse! You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who hasn't played with LEGO. If you have children, you probably still do! Now, your children (and you!) can express their creativity online at the LEGO Official World Wide Web Site. The site offers some truly unique and amazing features. You can build animals, buildings and just about anything else with virtual LEGOS. Try your luck and win a Lego submarine. If you want to bring back memories or create new ones (with or without your children), this is great way to have a little fun. Back to Table of Contents Kill Some Time Computers and the Internet are terrific educational, productivity and business tools. But all work and no play....well you know. If you need a quick diversion and want to see what else your system can do, head over to Games You Can Play on the WWW. This site contains links to a large collection of online games, that will be a welcomed escape from daily stresses and routines. Hardcore gamers will love this resource. Search for and play games like Play By Email (Curious? Check it out!), Bingo, Connect Four (the Java version), Battleship, Backgammon and many more. So stop taking yourself and your computer too seriously and have a little fun! Back to Table of Contents More Conspiracy Theories Undoubtedly, John F. Kennedy was one of the greatest leaders ever to live. His unfortunate and untimely death has left a trail of mystery and intrigue for generations to come. And there are certainly an abundance of conspiracy theories that have survived him. If you're a conspiracy buff or if you just want to read about some of these seedy and dark theories, then check out JFK (download, 3 files) and news://alt.conspiracy.jfk. If you want to learn more, just query your favorite search engine using the words JFK and conspiracy. Back to Table of Contents There's Cash In Them Crafts! Want to turn your hobby into money? Or do you just want to shop the Net for that unique, one-of-a-kind, handcrafted birthday gift? Whatever your motivation, you'll want to visit www.arts-crafts.com. The site presents exhibitions and information on the history, artists, and products of the Arts and Crafts Movement. You can search by product type or by vendor. Read a little about this growing industry that pumps billions into the world economy. New crafters can join and list their wares too? Back to Table of Contents Anatomy 101 Not For the Squeamish! Students of human anatomy and those of you with strong constitutions, will enjoy the following sites. Maintained by the School of Pathology at the University of New South Wales, the Museum of Human Disease presents clickable images of diseased human organs and body parts. It also provides detailed information about the diseases involved and how they're treated. If your stomach can't handle it, then head over and visit with a virtual skeleton. This site presents a virtual human skeleton, including a narrated description, a build-a-skeleton activity, and detailed images of skeletal parts. This site uses Shockwave technology that enhances the experience (if it's not installed on your system, you can download it from the site). Back to Table of Contents A Place for Parents and Teachers Whether you're an educator or parent be sure to visit www.earlychildhood.com. If you're looking for activity ideas or for the latest information on early childhood education, this site delivers. Get advice from experts, share ideas, ask questions and more. This site provides articles and resources on child development and education, arts and crafts project ideas, and an electronic bulletin board discussing early childhood issues. This is a terrific example of a commercial site that adds value by providing free, informative and usable content for their visitors. This resource is a great candidate for a bookmark! Back to Table of Contents Standing Room Only Hardcore sports fans will definitely appreciate Stadiums and Arenas. This truly comprehensive site provides seating charts and statistical information for sports venues in the United States and Canada. Search the site and stadiums by Pro Teams, Colleges & Universities, Canadian Stadiums and Other Stadiums. Missed the news? Check out live scores here too! The site even lists Halls of Fame for football, baseball, basketball and hockey. You'll even find links to race tracks and other world stadiums. So before you buy tickets to the next game, get the facts and photos and find out where you'll be sitting! Back to Table of Contents 'Til next month... |
