Arranging Desktop Icons
Ever wish your desktop icons were lined up on the right side of the desktop? Try this. Right-click the desktop, select Arrange Icons and be sure Auto Arrange is turned off. Highlight all your desktop icons, then drag and drop them to the right side. Now just right-click the Desktop and choose Line Up Icons to straighten them out.

Multiple Disk properties
Here's an easy way to view the properties for multiple hard drives simultaneously. Open My Computer and select all your hard drives by holding down the Ctrl key and clicking on each drive in turn. Next, right-click on any one of the drives and choose Properties from the Context menu. Windows will create a single Properties dialog with tabs for each drive. It also works for floppies, removables, and mapped network drives.

Backspace Surfing 
If you want to go back to the previous page in Internet Explorer, you can just press the Backspace key, which has the same effect as the Back button on your browser's toolbar.

Shut Down Without a Mouse
Sooner or later it happens to everyone: Your mouse stops responding, and you're stumped at the best way to close all open programs and restart Windows without losing any data. The secret is to know these keyboard shortcuts, which bypass the mouse:
Press Alt+Tab to switch between running programs. 
Press Alt+F4 to close the current program or window. 
After closing all windows, press Ctrl+Esc to open the Start menu. 
With the Start menu open, use the Up arrow and the Enter key to choose the Shut Down option.  

Back Up Outlook Express Messages
Microsoft stores Outlook Express messages in a subfolder buried deep beneath the Windows folder, where it's nearly imposible to back up. That can mean disaster if you have a disk crash or replace your PC. Fortunately, the version of Outlook Express in IE 5.01 allows you to change the default location where messages are stored, making it easier to back them up with your other files. Follow these steps:
Open your My Documents folder and create a new folder to hold your mail messages. Give it a descriptive name like My Mail. 
From the main Outlook Express window, choose Tools, Options, and click the Maintenance tab. 
Click the Store Folder button.
In the Browse for Folder dialog box, select the folder you created in Step 1 and click OK. 
Note that the path to your My Documents folder now appears in the Store Location dialog box. Click OK to save this change, and click OK to the warning message that appears next. 
Close the Options dialog box, then close and restart Outlook Express. 
All your message files are now in a convenient location in the My Documents folder. Back them up along with your other data files today!  

More AutoSearch Secrets
What's the absolute fastest way to search for information on the Web? If you use IE5, all you have to do is type a search term (word or phrase) in the Address bar and press Enter. That shortcut uses the RealNames database to automatically find the most likely Web site that matches your search term. It also send your requests to Microsoft's MSN Search site so that you can see other matching links.
But what if you prefer a different search engine? Customize the AutoSearch capability so that Address bar searches go to your preferred engine rather than MSN. Click the Search button on the IE toolbar, click the Customize button in the left-hand pane, and then click the Autosearch settings button in the lower left corner. Use the scrolling lists to choose your favorite search engine and how you want the results displayed.

AutoSearch with Your Favorite Engine
If you use IE5, a well-hidden feature can make searching a breeze. Instead of going to the home page for your favorite search engine, you can enter your search terms right in the browser window. Here's how:
Click the Search button on the IE toolbar to open the Search pane at the left of the browser window. Now click the Customize button. In the Customize Search Settings dialog box, click the Use one search service for all searches option. Choose the search engine you prefer from the scrolling list, and click OK to save your changes. After making this change, you can click the Search button again, and a mini-version of your preferred search engine will appear in the pane at the left of the browser window.

Use Your Mouse Wheel on the Web
Do you have a Microsoft or Logitech mouse equipped with a wheel? If so, you can use it to temporarily change the size of text in your browser window, making Web pages easier to read. This tip is especially useful when working with a site that uses a very small default font.
With the browser window active, hold down the Ctrl key and spin the wheel down to make the text larger. Spin the wheel up to make text smaller. In all, you can choose five settings, corresponding to the five choices on the View, Text Size menu.

Instantly Maximize Any Window
Are you tired of trying to hit the tiny maximize/restore button in the top right corner of a window? There's an easier alternative: Double-click anywhere on the title bar. The entire title bar acts as an oversized toggle. Double-click to maximize the window; double-click again to restore the original window size.

Three Essential Shortcuts
The Windows Clipboard is a marvelous way to move data between programs, but using menus and mouse clicks is the slow way to do it. For quick cutting, copying, and pasting, learn these three essential shortcuts, which work in virtually all Windows programs, and even in dialog boxes.
Ctrl+X Cut 
Ctrl+C Copy 
Ctrl+V Paste 

Cleaning Your Mouse:

1 - Turn off your computer and disconnect the mouse or trackball.

2 - Press gently on the ring on the top of your trackball or bottom of your

     mouse and turn it until it comes loose. 

3 - Remove the ball and set the ring aside. 

4 - Wash the ball in warm, soapy water. Use a gentle detergent that doesn't

     leave a residue on drying. Bar soap is okay, but don't use perfumed or

     deodorant soap for this purpose. 

5 - Dry the ball completely with a clean, soft, lint-free cloth. 

6 - Wrap the ball loosely in the cloth to keep it from getting dusty and set it

      aside. 

7 - Use a can of compressed air or a static-safe vacuum cleaner to blow dust

      and debris out of the socket where the ball sits. 

8 - Clean the rollers using a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol (DO NOT

     USE METHAL HYDRATE!!!). Let everything dry completely! 

9 - Remove the ball from the lint free cloth and set it back into the socket. 

10- Secure the ball back into the mouse or trackball by positioning the ring 

      and turning it until it locks into place.

Note 01: Using a mousepad and replacing it regularly are good ways to

prevent the buildup of debris on the mouseball and rollers

Note 02: Consider an optical mouse--one that uses a little laser rather than a

ball. I use one and will NEVER use a ball mouse again!

Navigating the desktop WITHOUT a mouse:

-TAB moves from Icons to START to TASKBAR and back to Icons

-ARROW keys to move from one Icon to another

-ENTER to activate whichever Icon is highlighted (same as double clicking)

-SHIFT + F10 will activate the icon menu (same as right clicking)

-ALT  + ESC will cycle through all open applications

-CTRL + ESC will activate START menu

-To get the display properties WITHOUT a mouse:

  --CTRL + ESC to activate START menu

  --Hit ENTER

  --Use ARROW up/down to highlight SETTINGS

  --Use ARROW RIGHT to activate flyout menu

  --Use ARROW up/down to highlight CONTROL PANEL

  --Hit ENTER

  --TAB to the DISPLAY icon

-To navigate the dialogue box

  --CTRL + TAB move from one tab to another

  --TAB moves from one item to another

  --SPACE BAR will check/uncheck check boxes

  --ARROW keys move from one item to another in a list

  --ENTER will activate OK or CANCEL

Change Title Bar Info in Internet Explorer 5.x

(Advanced Users--Requires Registry Alteration)

If you upgraded your copy of IE by installing from a CD from AOL, MSN, etc., then you have probably noticed that the title bar now says "Internet Explorer provided by [Company Name]". To change this information, run Regedit and go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main. In this folder you'll see the key "Window Title" with the value of the text currently being displayed in your browser's title bar. Change it as you see fit. Also located in this folder are two other keys called "SmallBitmap" and "BigBitmap". These are the logos that are displayed on the browser's frame (e.g. the morphing AOL logo). The value of these keys will tell you where on your drive the bitmap files are stored. You then can modify them, create new bitmaps, or change the location to a bitmap file of your choice.

Viewing and Choosing Startup Items
If you've ever wanted to stop certain programs from starting up or to see exactly what programs are running each time you turn on your computer, a special utility from Microsoft does both. To get the full list of everything that loads at startup, click Start, then Run, and type msconfig. This is a powerful utility that allows you to customize which files load at startup.
You can also get at it by clicking START - PROGRAMS > ACCESSORIES > SYSTEM TOOLS > SYSTEM INFORMATION

Activate Screen Saver At Will
If you ever feel the need to lock down your screen when you leave the computer this easy tip will do the trick.
Start by picking a specific screen-saver and configuring it the way you like it (right click the desktop, choose Properties, and click the Screen Saver tab). For extra protection, give your screen-saver a password. Next, run the Find, Files and Folders utility from the Start Menu, and type *.SCR in the "Named" field. Click the Browse button, locate your \Windows\System folder, and click the Find Now button. Find the screen-saver filename that matches the screen-saver you picked. Right-click drag and drop it from the Find window to your desktop. As you drop it, choose "Create Shortcut(s) Here" from the pop-up menu. Rename the new shortcut icon "LockDown," or any name your prefer. From now on, whenever you want to shutdown both viewing and active access to your PC instantly, just double click the LockDown icon.

SCRAP FILES (WORDPAD AND MSWORD)
In Word 97 or WordPad, highlight a block of text. Drag it to the desktop. Windows will create this block of text as a Scrap file. Do not underestimate the use of scrap files. Imagine you have 3-5 lines
or quotes which you want to keep repeating on several pages. The Copy-Paste won't work so well with multiple selections. All you need to do is to copy out the "scraps" into the desktop
beforehand with appropriate names. Resize your word processor nicely so that part of it can show the desktop. When you need a selected block of text, just drag it into the word processor and bingo!

DEFRAGGING
"Defragging" is the process whereby Windows optimizes the hard drive by re-ordering files and removing "holes" left by deleting etc. In addition to defragging, the Windows 98 Disk Defragmenter can
place the files for your most frequently used programs at the front of the disk for faster access. It manages this trick by keeping a log file to identify which applications you use the most. If the list has
changed since the last time you defragmented, reordering the files may slow down the process.
If you want to check the setting for this feature or turn it on or off, start Disk Defragmenter by choosing Start > Programs > Accessories System Tools > Disk Defragmenter. If you start it through the
Properties dialog, the utility will immediately start defragmenting the disk. But if you go through the Start menu,
you'll see the Select Drive window first. Choose the Settings button, and you can check the option labeled "Rearrange program files so my programs start faster."

Windows 98 will let you work with programs while Disk Defragmenter is running, but it's better to close all programs, avoid your computer, and go out to lunch. Depending on your disk capacity
and performance, how much data is on it, and how fragmented it is, Disk Defragmenter can take hours.

HOW TO CREATE CUSTOM SPLASH SCREENS FOR WIN95/98/ME
In all versions of Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows Millennium Edition (Win ME), the startup and shutdown logo or splash screens must be bitmap files that are exactly 320 pixels wide x 400 pixels high, set at 256 colors (not more nor less). The resultant file will show as a 127 KB file (actually, at 129,078 bytes). No other size, density, or type of graphic will work.

The 320 pixels across are duplicated on display to give 640 x 400. But the graphic itself has to be 320 x 400. It is a good idea, therefore, when creating the graphic to start at 640 x 400, then resize, without changing shape, to 320x400. For a bitmap, MSPaint does this resizing quite handily.

The three filenames associated with these screens are: 

LOGO.SYS for startup 
LOGOW.SYS shutdown "wait" 
LOGOS.SYS shutdown final screen 

In both Win95 and Win98, the default images for LOGO.SYS is contained in IO.SYS, and no file is needed unless you want a custom one. (However, some versions of Win95 may have a default file existing also. If it is removed, the version in IO.SYS is used.) To add a custom one, just create the file according to the parameters above, name it as indicated, and place it in the \WINDOWS folder (for LOGOW.SYS or LOGOS.SYS) or the root folder in C: (for LOGO.SYS).

CASCADE CONTROL PANEL

This tip makes Control Panel open like a submenu from the Start Menu, so all your Control Panel applets can be opened and selected very quickly via a menu. Plus you don't have to close Control Panel when you're done. (This feature is built-in to WinXP).

For WINDOWS 9x/NT4/2000: 

1. Copy the entire line below (Select the line then CTRL C) 
   Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}
2. right-click the Start button and choose Open. 
3. Right-click anywhere on the background area in the Start Menu folder and choose New Folder. 
4. Highlight the New Folder label (if it isn't already), and press Ctrl-V to paste the long line you copied. Press Enter. 

Now open the Start menu to see the new cascading Control Panel submenu.

For WINDOWS XP and ME: 

1. Right-click a blank area of the taskbar 
2. Click the Start Menu tab 
3. Click the Customize button 
4. Click the Advanced tab 
5. Under the Control Panel heading, choose "Display as a menu." 
6. Press OK twice to close the dialogs.

Control Panel will now cascade from the right side of the Start Menu.

SORT THE START MENU ALPHABETICALLY --WINDOWS XP/2K/ME/98+IE5:

Does it tick you off that even the vaunted Windows XP has the annoying habit of adding newly added programs to the bottom of the Start > All Programs menu? Here's the easy fix, and it works in most versions of Windows and anywhere in All Programs (called simply Programs in W2K/ME/98+IE5) or its submenus. In some Windows versions, it also works on the main Start menu.

To see it in action, open the Start Menu, choose All Programs (or Programs), right-click anywhere on the All Programs submenu, and choose "Sort By Name." Windows instantly sorts the menu alphabetically, placing the folders on top and the programs below. You can still change the order of items on the Start menu just by dragging and dropping them too.

REMOVE QUICKTIME ICON FROM TRAY

• Right-click on the small Q-shaped QuickTime icon in the system tray

• Select QuickTime Preferences from the contextual menu that pops up on screen

• In the Preferences box, choose Browser Plug-In from the pop-up menu.

• Clear the check box next to "QuickTime system tray icon"

• Close the settings box.

Version 5.n

• Start QuickTime through "Start \ Programs"
• Choose the "Edit \ Preferences" menu option
• Select "QuickTime Preferences" from the right-hand side menu
• Uncheck the box next to QuickTime System Tray icon.

Version 6.n

• Double-click on the QuickTime icon in the Control Panel
• Choose Browser Plug-in in the drop-down at the top
• Uncheck QuickTime System Tray icon.