COMPUTER TIPS

I’m always looking for better ways of making my computer-using experience easier and more efficient. I read a lot of computer books/magazines, talk to computer-savvy people, visit various computer technicians’ forums, and just simply experiment on my computer. I’ve found some very useful information that makes computer use a lot easier, efficient, and time-saving. This first tip has nothing to do with computers but when I learned of it, I got all excited – maybe you will too.

FREE 411 SERVICE

Whenever we require the address or phone number of a business or person we usually dial 411 for assistance. The only downside to that is that it costs money, usually one dollar per call.

Well, now there’s a service called GOOG-411. This is an absolutely free service and does the exact same things that the old 411 service does but for no charge.

Just dial 1-800-GOOG-411. (GOOG = 4664)

Their web address is:    www.google.com/goog411 .

An added feature is that if you want more detailed information you can say, “Text Message” or “Map It” at the end of your call and more detailed information will be sent to your phone. Isn’t that a good tip?!?

CREATE A SHORTCUT FOR SHUTTING DOWN YOUR COMPUTER (XP)

Right click on your desktop and select New, then choose shortcut. You will then be asked for the location of the item you want a shortcut for, type: shutdown –s (be sure to put a space before the s) and then just click Next. You have the option of renaming the shortcut or of keeping the default name (shutdown). Click Finish and you are done!

You now have a shortcut on your desktop for shutting off your computer. There is a 30 second delay between the time you click on the shortcut to the time the computer shuts off. This is in case you click on the shortcut icon by accident.

If you would like to make a shortcut to stop the shutting-off process, simply do the same steps as above, but when asked for the location type shutdown -a.

BOOKMARKS

I don’t know about you, but I have many, many bookmarks on my desktop computer. When I got my laptop I clicked on bookmarks and, naturally, they weren’t there. Now I’ve found a way to have access to all the bookmarks I have on my desktop computer from any computer I use, whether it be a computer from the library or a computer from a coffee shop. Yep, I certainly did!

It’s called “Foxmarks Plug-In” and it is FREE.

Their web address is:     www.find.pcworld.com/61999 .

Just go to their site and download the application and be able to have access to your bookmarks from any computer! The way it works is that all your bookmarks are backed up on the web; that is how you can access them from any computer. This is a very secure so you do not have to worry about hacking problems.

FONT SIZE TOO SMALL?

Many people know about this and many more don’t. I certainly didn’t know until a few weeks ago. When you go to a web page and some of the type is way too small to read (it shouldn’t be if it’s an advertisement) you can make it larger and much easier to read.

Simply hold down the “ctrl” key and turn the mouse wheel towards you (if you turn it away from you, the print will become smaller). If you are using your laptop without a mouse, simply hold down the “ctrl” key and press the “+” key, the minus key will make the print smaller. It’s that simple!

SLOW COMPUTER (FOR XP SYSTEMS)

Some systems are real sluggish, instead of taking you to the site you clicked on immediately it seems to take forever to get there. There are many possible culprits that could be contributing to this problem.

What I’ve found out, though, is that a main cause of a slow computer is a service named “Indexing Service”.

What it does is it indexes contents and properties of files on local and remote computers; thus, providing faster access to those files. This is essentially unnecessary and uses up an enormous amount of memory.

To disable this service go to: Control Panel…Administrative Tools…Services. Then scroll down until you find Indexing Service, double-click it and in the Startup tab choose Disable.

Of course, you can always add more memory…….that is bound to speed up your computer.

I have many more tips on better computing but I’m time-restricted ((I’m a truck-driver) so at a later date I’ll post them. Hope what I’ve said here helps many! Happy computing!