General tips

Performing The Basic Clean-Up to internet files

The following information applies to Internet Explorer 5.0 through Internet Explorer 6.0x and Netscape Communicator 4.7x through 6.2x. Whenever you access the internet, a running record of visited sites are stored in various directories on your computer. Internet browsers store this information so that when you re-visit a site again, the pages will load faster. For instance, a typical internet page will contain a few graphics images that cause you to wait until the page ful ly loads. While the page is loading, your internet browser is copying information concerning those images to temporary directories on your hard drive. Now if you were to re-visit a sight the next day, you will notice that the pages do not take as long to load. This is definitely a useful feature, but these temporary files can cause problems if they accumulate over a long period of time. Therefore, this technical brief will show you how to perform a basic clean up of these temporary areas of your drive.
Internet Explorer 5.0 and Internet Explorer 5.5
Internet Explorer primarily stores its temporary information within the C:\Windows\History folder and the C:\Windows\Temporary Internet Files folder. The History folder keeps a running, day by day, record of the sites you visit and is initially programmed by Microsoft to do so for a twenty day period. The Temporary Internet Files folder speaks for itself and was discussed earlier. Both the temporary folder and the History folder settings can be addressed within the Internet Explorer program itself. The procedure is as follows:-

For Windows 98 With Internet Explorer 5.0

Open up the Internet Explorer browser in the manner that you usually do.
You can double click on the Internet Explorer icon that Microsoft adds to your Desktop.
Then click on the word Tools, which is contained in your top tool bar area.
This will pull down a menu for you to now click on Internet Options.
In the center of the screen, click on the button entitled Delete Files.
Windows will ask if you want Delete all files in the Temporary Internet Files folder.
You can place a check mark next to Delete all offline content to remove locally stored content.
When you are satisfied with your selection, click on the OK button to delete these Temp files.
This action will free up a decent amount of the Temporary Internet files on your system.
Now move down to the History section at the bottom area of the screen.
Then click on the Clear History button to clear out your recently visited page links.
When Windows asks if you want to Delete all items in your history Folder, click on OK.
Notice that there is an adjustment next to Days to keep pages in history:.
Adjust this setting to your personal preference. 5 - 7 days is usually sufficient for History links.
Then click on the Ok button to save your changes and exit the Internet Options Window.

For Millennium With Internet Explorer 5.5

Open up the Internet Explorer browser in the manner that you usually do.
You can double click on the Internet Explorer icon that Microsoft adds to your Desktop.
Then click on the word Tools, which is contained in your top tool bar area.
This will pull down a menu for you to now click on Internet Options.
In the center of the screen, click on the button entitled Delete Files.
Windows will ask if you want Delete all files in the Temporary Internet Files folder.
You can place a check mark next to Delete all offline content to remove locally stored content.
When you are satisfied with your selection, click on the OK button to delete these Temp files.
This action will free up a decent amount of the Temporary Internet files on your system.
Now move down to the History section at the bottom area of the screen.
Then click on the Clear History button to clear out your recently visited page links.
When Windows asks if you want to Delete your history of visited Web sites, click on Yes.
Notice that there is an adjustment next to Days to keep pages in history:.
Adjust this setting to your personal preference. 5 - 7 days is usually sufficient for History links.
Then click on the Ok button to save your changes and exit the Internet Options Window.

For Windows XP With Internet Explorer 6.0

Internet Explorer 6.0 now includes the new Delete Cookies button within its Internet Options window and its Delete Files button does a better job of really wiping out the Temporary Internet Files.

Open up the Internet Explorer browser in the manner that you usually do.
You can double click on the Internet Explorer icon that Microsoft adds to your Desktop.
Then you click on the word Tools, which is contained in your top tool bar area.

This will pull down a menu for you to now click on Internet Options.
In the center of the screen, click on the button entitled Delete Files.
Windows will ask if you want Delete all files in the Temporary Internet Files folder.
You can place a check mark next to Delete all offline content to remove locally stored content.
When you are satisfied with your selection, click on the OK button to delete these Temp files.
This action will free up a decent amount of the Temporary Internet files on your system.

Now click on the newly added button entitled Delete Cookies.
Windows will ask if you want Delete all cookies in the Temporary Internet Files folder.
Click on the OK button to have Windows delete all of these Cookie files for you.
Now click on the Clear History button to clear out your recently visited page links.
When Windows asks if you want to Delete your history of visited Web sites, click on Yes.
Notice that there is an adjustment next to Days to keep pages in history:.
Adjust this setting to your personal preference. 5 - 7 days is usually sufficient for History links.

Then click on the Ok button to save your changes and exit the Internet Options Window.

Netscape Communicator 6.2 and 7.0

Netscape Communicator also uses temporary folders for keeping track of temporary files and history links. These directories are kept separate from the ones mentioned above for Internet Explorer. The procedure for cleaning up Netscape Communicator is as follows.
Open up Netscape Communicator in the manner that you usually do.
You can also click on the Start Button, then click on Programs.
Then click on the Netscape 6.2 folder and then click on the Netscape 6.2 icon.
After Netscape loads, click on the word Edit contained in your top tool bar area.
This will pull down a menu for you to now click on Preferences.

For Netscape 6 double click on the word Navigator in the Category section to expand it.

For Netscape 7, this Category section will already be expanded by default.

Then click on the word History in the Category section to display its properties settings.
Now click on the Clear History button to clear your recently visited page links.

Within that section, it also states: Remember visited pages for the last X days.
Adjust this setting to your personal preference. 5 - 7 days is usually sufficient for History links.

Now go back to Category section on the left and double click on the word Advanced.
This will expand that section and enable you to click on the word Cache.
Over to the right, you will see two buttons: Clear Memory Cache and Clear Disk Cache.
Click on both buttons to delete all your Temporary Internet files stored by Netscape.
Then click on the OK button to save your changes and exit the Preferences properties window.

REMOVING Programmes From THE ADD/REMOVE Programmes List

Windows 9x-compatible programs should have an Uninstall executable that removes the program from the Windows installation. Uninstall should also remove the program from the list of programs registered as installed in the Control Panel's Add/Remove Programs list. Sometimes, however, these programs aren't removed properly. In that case, you may wish to remove them from the list manually.

This is achieved by opening the Registry Editor, Regedt.exe, and navigating to the following key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall
Now look for the key below this one to find the one that relates to the application to be deleted, highlight it, and press [Delete] to remove it. If you need more information to determine which key to remove, look for the DisplayName value in the keys to match up the value to the entry in the Add/Remove Programs list.
Note: Always Backup your Registry before making any changes.


CHANGE The Default Windows Install path

For long-term support of your Windows 9x installations, you can save yourself a great deal of time by simply copying the Windows installation files from the CD to your computer's hard drive. These files (mainly .cab files) will take up some disk space--but having them available on your hard drive can save you a lot of time and pain later.
You may also want to change the path where Windows looks for the files you've copied. If you don't, Windows will ask you for the path each time you use the files to add new components to the installation.

To change the path, start Regedt.exe from the Run dialog box and navigate down to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Setup
In the right-hand pane you'll find the SourcePath value. Double-click this entry and enter the path to the files you copied. Verify your changes as OK and exit the Registry Editor.
Note: Always Backup your Registry before making any changes.

Putting Control Panel in the Quick Launch Tool bar

Right-click the desktop and choose New|Folder. Name the folder:-
ControlPanel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
exactly as you see it above. The best way to do this is to copy the name from this document and then paste it into the new folder name.
At this point, the new Control Panel will appear on your desktop. All you have to do now is use the right mouse button to drag the folder to the Quick Launch bar. When the menu opens, choose Move Here.
Change default Search Engine in Explorer
To change the default Web search engine that IE 4 opens when you select Find|On the Internet from the Start menu, run Regedit and go to :-
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
Double-click on SearchPage and enter the URL of the new search engine in the Value Data box.

Retrieve Serial Number

Usually, your Microsoft applications Product key come printed on the jewel box. In case you have accidentally threw it away, you won't be able to install the application again for losing the CD key.

Open up the registry editor and scroll to :
- MS Windows 95/98:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ProductID
- MS Windows NT:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\ProductID
- MS Internet Explorer 4:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ProductID
- MS Plus!:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft
Plus!\Plus!\Registration\ProductID
- MS Plus! for Kids:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft Kids\Kids Plus!\Registration\ProductID
After finding the key you want, write it down on the other surface of the CD-ROM with permanent ink to prevent yourself from forgetting it again.
Customize Outlook Express Tile Bar
If you are really mad about changing the title caption on OE's title bar, open up the registry editor and scroll to:-
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express
Create a new string value on the right-pane named WindowTitle . Change the value to the new name for the title caption. Restart to take effect.
Customize Internet Explorer Tile Bar
Want to change IE's title caption as well? Open up the registry editor and scroll to :-
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
Create a new string value on the right-pane named Window Title ( note that there is a space between "Window" and "Title" unlike OE which doesn't have a space in between ). Change the value to the new name for the title caption. Restart to take effect.
FIND Files or Folders
Open Explorer and just press the [F3] key, and the Find dialog box pops up. Even better, Find will take your current folder in Explorer and make it the default starting point for its searches. And because My Computer and the desktop are all part of Explorer, you can press [F3] in My Computer, and all the drives in My Computer become the starting point for searches. You can also search a cluttered desktop by pressing [F3].


FIND All System Files

In recent tips we suggested editing a single configuration file, System.ini, to solve a simple problem. In addition to System.ini, there are a few other text files that (along with the registry) largely govern the way in which Win9x systems run. If you ever need quick access to these files, you can open all of them simultaneously simply by typing the following command in the Run dialog:

All the files listed below will open in text editor windows within one convenient utility:
* Config.sys
* Autoexec.bat
* System.ini
* Win.ini
* Protocol.ini

Windows Quick Startup

As Windows starts, wait for the Windows logo screen to appear. Now press and hold [Shift] until Windows has stopped loading. The programs in the StartUp folder will be omitted from the startup procedure, and Windows will consequently load quicker this particular time.
This also works when you insert a CD and you have Autorun enabled.

Sort Drives by Free Space

If you have got more than 1 drive in your system, then do the following to find quickly which has got the most free space on it.
Open My Computer, right-click on a blank space within the My Computer window, and click Arrange Icons. Now select the By Free Space option. It's that simple.


Windows tries to Dial-Up on Startup

The EnableAutoDial key in the registry is a common culprit for this behavior, and this is the setting to check to eliminate the problem. This key can appear more than once in the registry, so open the Regedit.exe program and press [F3] to start a find. Enter EnableAutoDial as the search string.

When the search stops at an instance of the EnableAutoDial key, check whether the value is set to something other than 00 00 00 00 (if a different value appears, that's what's likely triggering Auto Dial). Double-click on the value and enter 0000 (which will actually appear as 00 00 00 00 in the value field). Click OK and press [F3] again to carry on searching the rest of the registry. When all the EnableAutoDial values have been set to 00 00 00 00, reboot the PC and verify that the PC doesn't try to dial up!

Note: Always Backup your Registry before making any changes.


Quickly Copy Floppies

Open My Computer, right-click the floppy drive icon, and select Copy Disk.
You'll be prompted for the source disk (the disk you want to copy), which Windows will then read. You'll then be prompted to insert the destination disk, which should be a blank, formatted disk. The contents of the source disk will then be read back out to the new disk.
To be safe, you could ensure that you have write-protected the source disk by opening its protection tab so that you can't accidentally overwrite the original.

INSTALL THE SAME PRINTER TWICE FOR COMMON SETTING CHANGES

If you commonly print to a single physical printer but frequently have to change the properties of the printer to certain settings (e.g., Landscape) for some jobs and then back again for others, why not try this tip and save yourself some time?

1. Simply install the same printer again, using the Add Printer wizard and the same driver.
2. Name this printer with a name to indicate what print job it will be used for (e.g., Epson EPL5700 Landscape).
3. Using the Properties pages, set the alternative properties and OK the changes.

Now, instead of changing the properties each time you need the alternative settings, you just select the alternative printer.

TRYING TO CLOSE THE CLOSE PROGRAM DIALOG BOX FAILS

USB devices are becoming more and more commonplace on Windows desktop computers. If you use a USB mouse with Windows 98, however, there is a fair chance that you may have trouble with the Close Program dialog box. Specifically, if you try to click the Close button in the top right corner of the Close Program dialog box, your computer will hang.

The WDM driver being unable to deliver the mouse command to the appropriate window causes the problem. This glitch occurs exclusively with USB mice, but both a workaround and a fix are available.To work around the problem, press [Esc] to close the dialog box instead of clicking on the button.

If you want to obtain a fix for the problem, contact Microsoft Product Support Services (MS PSS).http://support.microsoft.com/directory/overview.asp

DIR Long Filenames in DOS

When you use the DIR command in Windows on a folder with long file names, you have to type shortened folder name like :-
dir c:\progra~1 for the folder program files - not any more....... instead type this exactly as it is written down:-
dir "program files"
To go a bit further type this :-
dir /b "program files"
Hope this little tip helps.

TURN OFF THOSE ANIMATED MENUS

If you are forced to run Windows 98 on some elderly and underpowered PCs, you may find that one of the biggest annoyances for the user is the speed at which the user interface, especially the Start menu, reacts to mouse actions. You could try this tip to help speed up this user experience.
1. From the Control Panel, start the Display applet.
2. Click on the Effects tab.3. Uncheck the Animate Windows, Menus, and Lists option, and click on OK.
Now, rather than scrolling through menus from the Start menu, the menus will snap into place instantly.

Restart Windows without restarting the whole PC

Sometimes you may want to restart Windows without restarting the whole PC.
Here's one way to do it--right from an icon on your desktop.
Follow these steps:
1. Create a .bat file on your computer with the following line:
@EXIT
2. Create a shortcut on your desktop that references this batch file.
3. Right-click the shortcut and select Properties.
4. Click the Program tab and select the Close On Exit check box.
5. Click Advanced, select MS-DOS Mode, and clear the Warn Before Entering MS-DOS Mode check box.

When you use the shortcut, Windows will restart on its own, without accessing the Start menu or restarting the computer.

Create ICON file from a BMP file

Raise your hand if you know how to use bitmaps (.bmp files) to create your own custom icons to use on Windows 98-without using any third-party tools! Those of you who didn't extend your hand, read on.

First, select the .bmp file that you want to use as an icon. (For the best results, try to select a .bmp file with a small number of colors.)Now, rename the .bmp file to become an .ico file.

Here's how:

* Open Windows Explorer.
* From the View menu, select Options.
* Deselect the 'Hide MS-DOS Extensions For File Types That Are Registered' check box and then click OK.
* Navigate to the .bmp file.
* Right-click the .bmp file, select Rename, and rename the file to a file with an .ico extension.
To use the new icon, right-click any shortcut on the desktop and select Properties. Select Change Icon from the Shortcut tab and navigate to the renamed file. Select the file and approve your changes.
Windows will recognize that this is a bitmap, resize the image as an icon, and reduce the number of colors to 16. Your new icon will now be displayed in place of the old icon.


Secret Windows Cool icons

Have you wondered why Windows icons looks so dry and boring? You can uncover the windows' secret stash of icons.
Right-click any shortcut and select Properties. Select the Shortcut tab and click on the Advance Settings button. You are now required to type in the full path of where your icon library is situated. The default file is C:\windows\system\shell32.dll.

Try some of these:-

C:\Windows\System\explorer.exe
C:\Program Files\Plus!\Microsoft Internet\IEXPLORE.EXE
C:\Windows\System\cool.dll

Here is a special::-

C:\Windows\System\pifmgr.dll
Copying Bookmarks From Netscape To Microsoft Internet Explorer 5+

If you've been using Netscape and now want to use Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or greater, you probably would like to copy your bookmarks to the IE 5 Favorites folder.

You can't just copy them to the folder and expect them to work, though.

What you need to do is get Microsoft Internet Explorer to import those bookmark files for you.

To do this, run IE and choose File|Import and Export. Now just follow the wizard and you'll have access to all those bookmarks in IE 5.
Changing Your Home Page In Netscape 6
We were asked how to change the default home page in Netscape 6.0. Here's what to do.

Run Netscape and choose Edit|Preferences. When the Preferences dialog box opens, look under "Category" and select Navigator. In the Right pane, you'll see Home Page and an entry box labelled "Location." Type in the complete address of your new home page (http etc., etc.) and click OK

Outlook Express Email Store Root

All your mail, news, folders, etc. are stored in a single folder called the Store Root. Its usual location is C:\Windows\Application Data\Outlook Express\{GUID} where {GUID} is a Global Unique IDentifier that is used to specify an Identity.
Now, here's the good part -- you can change the Store Root folder. What we like to do is put a Mail folder on our Drive D so that the folder remains intact even if the system crashes. To change your folder, first create the new folder. Now run Outlook Express and choose Tools|Options. When the Options dialog box opens, click the Maintenance tab. Click Store Folder and then click Change. Select your new mail folder and click OK. Back in the Options dialog box, click OK.

All your mail will now appear in the new folder.
Blocking Email Messages
Do you consistently get email messages from some commercial site that you really don't want? Have you asked them to take you off the list with no response so far?
If you're using Outlook Express 5.x or 6, you can block these messages and never have to see them again. Just click on the offending message and choose Message|Block Sender.
You'll get a dialog box asking if you want to remove all the current messages from this sender.
Click Yes. You'll get another dialog box informing you that the deed has been done.
Click OK and you're done.

Registry Tips

Remove Arrow from Shortcuts
By default, Windows 9x adds an arrow to the corner of shortcut icons. The arrow is used to distinguish shortcuts from the items they point towards.
Under some circumstances, you may wish to remove the shortcut arrow from your Windows 9x installation.

To do this, first back up the registry and then start the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) by clicking Start | Run and typing:
regedit
and clicking OK.
Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile, right-click the IsShortcut value, and select Delete.
Navigate to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\piffile, delete the IsShortcut value, and then close the Registry Editor.

NOTE: registry editing can be risky, be sure you have made a backup before making any changes


Problems Restoring Registry Files

When you start your Windows 98 computer, you may receive a message reporting: "You have
restored a good registry. Windows found an error in your system files and restored a recent backup of the files to fix the problem."
This message can be displayed if you have tried to restore a registry backup file, or the Registry Checker tool is not resetting the "damage" flag in the current registry files.
To try to fix the problem, you can run the Registry Checker tool as follows.
Restart Windows. While Windows is restarting, hold down the [Ctrl] key to display the Microsoft Windows 98 Start Up menu. Select the Command Prompt only option.
When the command prompt appears type
scanreg /fix
and press [Enter]. When scanreg has completed, press [Enter] and then type
scanreg /opt
and press [Enter]. The /opt switch removes unused space from the registry files to optimize them.
When this has completed, restart your computer.
If you still receive the above error message, you will have to try to restore a different registry backup using the /restore switch with scanreg.

NOTE: always make sure you have made a backup before making any changes
Misc Tips

BURY YOUR DEAD LINKS

Shortcuts can be a great time-saver. From your desktop or taskbar, you have easy access to those files hidden far down in the network, which can spare you from all that repetitive navigation. But shortcuts can also be great at cluttering up your desktop when the files they point to have long been moved or deleted. Unfortunately, Windows 9x can't update shortcuts to track location changes.
To combat the problem of dead links, the Windows 98 Resource Kit offers you the Link Check Wizard, which looks through your system for shortcuts and verifies if they have an active file associated with them. Checklinks.exe then reports any "dead" links and gives you the option to remove them.


Eliminate Floppy Drive Check

To eliminate the floppy drive check, right-click on My Computer and select Properties from the context menu. Click on the Performance tab and then the File System button. Click on the Floppy Disk tab and clear the Search For New Floppy Disk Drives Every Time Your Computer Starts check box.
Close the applet boxes by approving your changes.
Reboot the computer, and Windows will no longer spend valuable time checking to see if a new floppy drive has been installed.

Setting Default Printer

Using the Default Printer (Defptr.exe) utility from the Windows 98 Resource Kit.
Once the utility is started (it's a single executable file so just double-click it), all you need to do to change your computer's default printer is select another printer from the given list.
The default printer utility then sits back in the System Tray next to the clock at the bottom right of the screen.
If you want your users to have access to the default printer utility from start-up, copy the program to each computer, put a shortcut to it in the start-up folder, and modify the shortcut's properties so that the Run field is set to Minimized.
Mouse Gestures In Opera
The Opera browser supports what is called "mouse gestures" for many operations. For example, if you hold down your right mouse button and drag the mouse down, Opera will open a new window.
Here are some Opera's mouse gestures:
Hold down the right or (secondary) mouse button and move the mouse down to open a new window
up and down to reload a page
up and then right to restore or maximize the window
down and then left to minimize the window


Desktop Tips

Search From Quick launch bar

If you want to have Quick Launch bar access to Windows 98's useful Start | Find | Files Or
Folders option, try this simple procedure:

1. Click Start | Find | Files Or Folders.
2. Click File | Save Search and a desktop icon named All Files will be created.
3. Drag-and-drop this icon to the Quick Launch bar.
To perform a search, just click the icon in the Quick Launch bar


PowerToys For Windows XP

Are you using Windows XP yet? If so, you'd probably like to use the newest set of PowerToys from Microsoft. PowerToys of course includes Tweak UI, a utility that you never want to do without once you've used it.

This new version of PowerToys also includes an Alt - Tab replacement that displays previews of the pages from which you want to select. This is a really helpful feature when you have more than one session of an application such as Microsoft Internet Explorer open.
Just go to Microsoft to get your free PowerToys!
Address Book Folders

You can choose the way you want to view the Address Book. Just open the Address Book and choose View|Folders and Groups. This switches the Address Book to a double-pane view similar to Windows Explorer. The various folders and groups will appear in the left pane and your contacts in the right pane.

To switch back choose View|Folders and Groups again. This command acts as a toggle and will switch you back to the original view.

Backup Address Book (1)

If you lose your Address Book, you could have a lot of trouble recovering it. You might never recover some of the addresses.
To backup your Address Book, you first have to find it. To do this, run the Address Book (you may have to run Outlook Express and click Addresses). Now, in Address Book, choose Help|About Address Book. The About dialog box will display the location and name of the Address Book.
Once you know the Address Book's location, run Windows Explorer and drag a copy of the Address Book file (*.WAB) to another location. You could also insert a blank formatted floppy disk into Drive A and copy the Address Book to the floppy.


Backup Address Book (2)

A much better way than the one described above is:-
Start Address Book, Click File / Export / Other Address Book
Then select Text File (Comma separated values) and click Export
Click the Browse button to select where you want to save the output file to, and it's name, Then click Ok and then NEXT
On this page, tick the fields you want to export, then click FINISH
To Import the file into your new Address Book
Start Address Book, Click File / Import / Other Address Book
Then select Text File (Comma separated values) and click Import
Browse to find the *.CSV file you created earlier and follow the on screen prompts


Wheel Mouse & Internet Explorer 1

Here's an Microsoft Internet Explorer feature that I have just heard about.
Hold down the Shift key while you move the wheel on your wheel mouse, Internet Explorer will move backward and forward through visited pages. Just like clicking the Back and Forward buttons, or holding down the Alt key while you click the left or right keypad arrows


Wheel Mouse & Internet Explorer 2

Changing The Font Size In Microsoft Internet Explorer
If you use a wheel mouse, you can use the wheel to quickly change the font size in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6. All you have to do is hold down the Ctrl key and move the wheel to increase and decrease the font size. This is much quicker and cooler than using the menu to change font size.


Multiple Accounts

If you have multiple mail accounts set up in Outlook Express, you may not be able to tell easily which messages go with which accounts. However, Outlook Express offers an Account column (it doesn't appear by default) that will show you which account each message belongs with. To activate the Account column, choose View - Columns. When the Columns dialog box opens, select the check box labeled "Account" and then click OK to close the dialog box. The Account column should now appear in your Outlook Express window


Underlining Links in IE5 onwards

Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 and greater underlines each link on a page by default. If you'd rather not have the links underlined, you can easily turn off this feature. Choose Tools - Internet Options. When the Internet Options dialog box opens, click the Advanced tab. In the "Underline Links" area, select Hover or Never. Click OK and the underlines no longer appear.

Netscape and Opera

Show Netscape Cached Files

To look at your Netscape Navigator cache file, click in the Address bar and type "about:cache" and press Enter. This opens an HTML page that displays all the current cache file statistics. If you enter "about:cache" into the Mozilla Address bar, you'll get information concerning your memory and disk cache files. You can click "List Cache Entries" to view separate entries in both the memory and disk cache files.


Adding Bookmarks In Netscape

An easy way to add a bookmark in Netscape is to drag the URL from the Web page to the blue Bookmark Quickfile button. To do this, use the mouse to grab the icon just to the left of the address bar to the Bookmarks button. Hold the mouse button down until the Bookmarks menu opens. Drag the URL to the folder you want it to reside in, and then release the mouse button.


Opera Splash Screen

If you like, you can use your own custom splash screen in Opera. Create the splash screen you want to use (works up to size to 256 X 256 pixels) and place it in the Opera folder. Now double-click opera6.ini and locate the [User Prefs] section. You should see the current splash screen line at this point. Change it to your new splash screen. Example:
Splash image=C:\Program Files\Opera\Images\lili.jpg (where you have saved your file)
Choose File - Save to save opera6.ini. Now, you can close Notepad and run Opera to see your new splash screen


About Netscape 6.2

Want to know a bit more about what's going on in Netscape 6.2? For example, what plug-ins are currently active? To find out about plug-ins, click in the Address Bar, and type
aboutlugins
then press Enter. You'll get a complete page telling you more than you likely want to know about Netscape's current plug-ins. To view an interesting page, type
about:mozilla
into the Address Bar and press Enter.


Multiple Windows in Opera 6

It's very easy to open new windows in Opera 6. All you have to do is press Ctrl + N. The only problem is that you end up with many open Opera windows. If this happens to you, you can tab through the Opera windows by simply pressing Ctrl + Tab. Note that Ctrl + Tab has other functions in other programs, so you should use this only when you're in an active Opera window.


Disable Image Bar in IE

In Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, any time you move your mouse over an image, a little toolbar pops up asking if you want to save, open, mail, or print the image. This is okay (we suppose), but it gets annoying after a while.
To eliminate the image toolbar, run IE 6 and choose Tools|Internet Options. When the dialog box opens, click the Advanced tab. Now, scroll down to the Multimedia section and deselect the "Enable Image toolbar" radio button


Clearing The Netscape Cache

Even if you aren't especially concerned about security, it's still a good idea to clear your Netscape 6 cache now and then. To do this, run Netscape and choose Edit|Preferences. When the Preferences dialog box opens, double-click the Advanced category to open it. Now click Cache. In the Cache pane (on the right side of the dialog box), click Clear Disk Cache. Click OK to close the dialog box.

Put The MIE History Folder On Your Desktop

If you frequently use Microsoft Internet Explorer, you might want to consider placing it on your Windows desktop. To do this, right-click on an empty spot on the desktop and choose New/Folder. Copy the name shown here and then paste it into the new folder name.
History.{FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}
It's very important that the name of the folder be entered exactly as shown here. This is why I suggest a copy and paste to name the folder. This works in Windows 98. It does not work properly in Windows XP, and I have not tested it in other Windows versions


Scrolling In Microsoft Internet Explorer

Although there are a number of ways to scroll through a Web page in Microsoft Internet Explorer (Page Down, Page Up, use the mouse, etc.), one of the easiest is to simply press the Spacebar. Pressing the Spacebar scrolls down a page. If you need to scroll up a page, press Shift + Spacebar


Translating Text in Opera 6

Opera 6 is a great browser for translations--we've already mentioned that you can translate from one currency to another, so now we're going to look at translating text into another language. Since it seems to us that we often run across what appears to be interesting information in German, Spanish, Italian, and French, we could use a quick translation. It doesn't have to be a perfect translation--just good enough to get the gist of the article. When you use Opera 6, all you have to do to translate text is highlight the text and right-click it. Choose Translate and then select the necessary language pair.