Windows 7: Using the Clear Type Tuner
If you notice that the font on your monitor isn’t exactly smooth or clear and easy to read on your laptop or LCD monitor, you can adjust the clarity of the font by using the Windows Clear Type Tuner.
Run “cttune.exe” (without quote marks) from the Start Menu search box, or go to the Control Panel Display applet, and select Adjust ClearType Text from the left.
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Adding the Run Command to the Windows Vista and Windows 7 Start Menu
Windows 7 and Windows Vista do not have the Run command listed in the Start menu. Instead, Microsoft wants you to use the search bar by typing in the name of the program you want to run. For example. to open Microsoft Word, you type the word “word” in the search box, and hit the Enter key; to open a command box, you use the command “cmd”, and so forth.
As an alternative, you could hold down the Windows logo key (if your keyboard has this), and press the R key. This will bring up the run command box.
Windows 7: Cannot Pin to Task Bar (Resolved!)
Awhile back I discovered that I could no longer pin programs to my task bar. I am always experimenting with new settings, so I assumed this issue was something I caused, but i couldn’t figure out what I did. Yesterday, I discovered that I was right. The reason I could no longer pin programs to the task bar was because I changed the way shortcuts appeared on my desktop by removing the stupid little arrow from the icon. That is something I have never had a problem doing in Windows XP, so why would this be a problem in Windows 7?
Windows 7: Defragmenting your hard drive
Before I demonstrate how to defragment a hard drive, I think it’s important to give a brief explanation about why data on a hard drive becomes fragmented and why you should defragment your hard drive from time to time.
Hard drives are structured to store data on tracks which are divided into sectors. Depending on the format and technology of the hard drive, each sector can hold from 512 bytes to 4 kilobytes of data, depending on the technology of the drive. Hard drives also have a reserved section called the header, which contains information used by the drive and controller, and a usable area where the operating system, programs, and data is stored.
Recommended Website: Outlook Daily Tips
This is a great resource for average Outlook users and support technicians to find solutions to common Outlook problems, and also find great tips and solutions to help you use Outlook to your best advantage. I often refer to this website for Outlook issues, and I consider it a great resource.
About Outlook Daily Tips
Owned by Outlook MVP Diane Poremsky, President and CEO of CDOLive LLC, Outlook Tips website was founded in July 2003 to help users learn to use Outlook, one day at a time through the Outlook Tips mailing list providing tips to subscribers mailboxes 3 days a week. Content previously published to poremsky.com is now available on Outlook Tips.
History of the Microsoft Windows Desktop
I thought it would be fun to put together a historical collection of Microsoft’s operating system desktops; to give a perspective of just how far the PC desktop environment has evolved since Microsoft entered into the market and essentially took over the world’s share of the PC market. I am starting back when Windows was in its infancy, to the early days of Microsoft DOS, and moving forward in time to the future to Microsoft’s Windows 8. Most of Microsoft’s operating systems have been a big success, and have changed the way the world uses and interfaces with desktop computers, and a few of Microsoft’s operating systems have been disappointing. But no one can deny that since 1980, that Microsoft has dominated the PC desktop environment, even with worthy competitors like Apple and Linux. Microsoft has managed to come out on top in providing the business world with powerful and reliable operating systems, and providing home computer users with operating systems that not only meet tough demands, but have also kept up with consumer trends in multimedia and personalization.
Windows To Go – A Bootable Windows 8 on a USB Stick
Windows to Go is a feature of Windows 8 that allows users to run Windows 8 from a USB 2.0 or 3.0 thumb drive. Windows to Go is essentially targeted to enterprise customers or people who work from a shared computer, or a home or computers in remote locations.
IT professionals may find Windows To Go valuable as it will allow them to boot a copy of Windows 8 extremely fast and diagnostic any existing problems on the local PC installation.
Windows 8 Design flaws
I just read through an article posted on ZDNet by Adrian Kingsley-Hughes about what he feels are design flaws in the Windows 8 operating system. While some of the points he makes are more like personal preferences, albeit good ones, he points out 4 items that I think could be serious flaws against Windows 8 in a desktop environment
Those flaws include:
Users are limited to two applications running side-by-side in Metro Apps on Windows 8. This may be OK for a tablet, but not for a desktop. Especially for power users who typically have numerous screens and apps running at the same time.
Free Training Manuals for Microsoft Office
Microsoft Office is a very powerful productivity suite, and it can be daunting to learn how to effectively use. Since Microsoft Office is the most popular productivity suites in the world, demand is high for employees with proficient Office skills in any job market.
I thought it would be a good idea to share some great resources for anyone looking to learn or advance their Office skills.
This first resource takes you to the Mouse Training Company, a technical training company in the United Kingdom. They have made all of their Microsoft Office Training Manuals and Quick Reference Guides available to the public for free.
Creating an e-mail signature in Outlook
An e-mail signature typically looks something like this:
Sincerely,
James O’Brien
OBrienPC.net
206.555.9999
That’s a very simple and basic signature that takes about 10 to 20 seconds to type into my outgoing e-mails. But if I am sending and answering e-mails all day long, it can get tedious to type my signature with every e-mail. Most e-mail clients, Outlook included, provide a method of automatically inserting a signature in your outgoing email.
Here’s how you do it:
1) Select “Tools | Options…” from the menu in Outlook
2) Go to the “Mail Format” tab
Add “Recover Deleted Files” option to Outlook Tools menu.
Typically, when you delete an item from a folder in a mailbox, that item is first transferred to the Deleted Items folder of that mailbox. You can then remove the item from the Deleted Items folder. This provides a measure of protection in case you accidentally delete an item. After the items are removed from the Deleted Items folder, you can still recover them if Microsoft Exchange Server 5.5 or Microsoft Exchange 2000 Server has been configured to retain deleted items.
Windows 8 for tablets hands-on preview (engadget.com)
I just finished reading engadget’s new article “Windows 8 for tablets hands-on preview (video). If you are considering a tablet PC, or if you are interested in learning more about the up-coming windows 8, you should read this article.
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Click here to read the whole article on Engadget.com
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