Easily Access My Computer

Do you want to access your drives easily? Simply drag the My Computer icon to the taskbar. Right-click the My Computer taskbar and deselect Show Text to turn off the text display. Now you can hold down Ctrl and click, for example, the drive C: icon. From here you get a menu that displays each folder in drive C:."

Active Desktop Warning

Several people use the Desktop as temporary folder of everything, eye catching pictures that they found from the Internet for example. Unfortunately, if you put the picture by dragging and dropping it directly from Internet Explorer to your Desktop, the annoying "Do you want to add an Active Desktop item to your desktop" message will appear on your screen. Here is the tip to get around this situation:

Drop the image into a folder (or folder shortcut). Or, drag & drop the non-hyperlinked Web graphic into your Outlook or Outlook Express Inbox to automatically attach it to a new mail message, then drag & drop the image's icon onto your Desktop. You may then close the unused message.

Floating Recent File List

Here is the tip to save the time to access your recent document list. Usually you must click the Start button - Documents and access the list from there. Now you can create a special toolbar created to access the list, it will be floating on the top of other opened applications so you can easily access it. To create the toolbar, right-click on your Taskbar, select Toolbars, then choose New Toolbar. Browse to your Windows\Recent folder and click OK. On the taskbar, select the word “Recent” with your left mouse button and drag it to an empty spot on your Desktop. Right-click on its title bar and select Always on top. You can adjust the toolbar size, for example only 2-3 rows so it won't take too many space on you screen.

** The Windows\Recent folder is hidden by default. To display it, open Explorer and click on the Tools – Folder Options menu, move to the View tab, and make sure you have activated “Show hidden files and folders” item.

Bonus:

Right drag any object in your current active application, some text in Microsoft Word document for example, point the mouse over an empty area in your taskbar or system tray, wait a second until you get the clear Desktop, and release the mouse. This is faster than using the Show Desktop icon to get back to your desktop.

Dragging Shortcuts to Hidden Desktop

You want to create a shortcut to a file or a folder from inside the Windows Explorer, but since the desktop is hidden or covered by other applications, then you might think that you cannot use the drag and drop method.

It's not true. Just right drag a folder icon from your Explorer to your Taskbar. Be sure that you hover it over an area on your Taskbar that is not occupied by a button, or over system tray if you like. Wait for a second, and all the applications windows on your Desktop will be closed. Continue drag the icon over the clear Desktop and drop it there. Click Create Shortcut(s) Here.

You can also use this method to move or copy a file or folder to the Desktop. If you decide not to drop the item on the Desktop, just click the other mouse button while dragging. This cancels the command.

Where is My Show Desktop Icon?

If you've accidentally deleted Show Desktop icon from the Quick Launch toolbar and want it back, just follow these simple steps:

Open Windows Explorer and expand the C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch folder. Now in the left pane browse to C:\Windows\System folder and open it. Look through the items in the right pane and locate a file named Show Desktop. Right click and drag the Show Desktop file from the right pane into the expanded Quick Launch folder in the left pane, and release the mouse button. Select Create Shortcut(s) Here from the popup menu. Now the Show Desktop icon will be back in your Quick Launch toolbar.

The Fastest Way to Files and Folders

Windows Explorer is not the only way to locate your files or folders. You can modify a toolbar into a cascading menu that lets you browse quickly through any local or network drive until you find the file you're looking for, without ever opening an Explorer window. Just follow these steps:

Right click on any empty space of the Taskbar and choose Toolbars, New Toolbar from the menu. In the new Toolbar dialog box, select My Computer and click on OK. The My Computer toolbar will appear, with separate icons for every object like local drives, Control Panel, and so on. Put your mouse to the toolbar's sizing handle (the vertical line at the left of the My Computer toolbar). When the mouse pointer turns to a two-headed arrow, click and drag to the right until all you see is only the My Computer label and a double arrow.

Now click on the double arrow. Each entry on the pop-up menu reveals a cascading menu with additional files, folders, and other objects. Browse until you find the file you're looking for, and then click to open it.

If you only want to browse inside a drive or a folder, using the same trick you can create a new toolbar for that object, D:\ or C:\My Documents for example. You can also create it for Network Neighborhood folder. As long as only the toolbar name is visible, Windows will treat it as a cascading menu.

Note: Be careful since the cascading menu contains the actual files and folders, not their shortcuts. If you delete them, then they are gone!

Changing Folder Icons

You want to put several favorite folders on the Desktop or Quick Launch bar, but all the icons are the same. Yes, you can move the mouse over a folder and get its name, but there's a simple solution. Instead of right clicking on the Desktop and selecting New/Folder, create the new folder somewhere else (C:\My Documents, for example). Right click on the folder, drag and drop it to your Desktop, and choose Create Shortcut(s) Here from the Context menu that appears. Right click the shortcut, choose Properties, and select the Shortcut tab. Click Change Icon and then click Browse to locate your new icon. Click OK and OK again.

You can repeat the steps for other folders, and then keep their shortcuts (with different icons) on your Desktop or drag it to the Quick Launch bar.

Find on the Quick Launch Toolbar

You can easily put Find (Win9x) or Search (WinMe) utility on your Quick Launch toolbar. To do so, in Start Menu click Tools/Search, Find, Files or Folder. Make any changes to the Find/Search dialog box necessary to make this your general Find. Click File, Save Search. This saves the Find settings as a shortcut on the Desktop. Change the name of the Find shortcut on the Desktop if you like. Otherwise, just drag and drop it onto the Quick Launch toolbar. Delete the shortcut from the Desktop.

Solution for The Limited Space

Have you frustrated with the very limited space on the Quick Launch toolbar? Don't be, use a Desktop toolbar instead. To create one, right-click on the Taskbar and choose Toolbars, Desktop, and then right-click on the Desktop toolbar and choose Show Title. Drag the Show Desktop shortcut icon and others from the Quick Launch toolbar to the Desktop toolbar. Using the vertical selection handle, reduce the Desktop toolbar to show only the title. Whenever you want to launch a program, click on the double arrow on the right side of the Desktop toolbar to display a list of all the shortcuts on your desktop.

Quick Launch Window

If you want to make changes to items in the Quick Launch toolbar, all you have to do is right-click a blank spot in Quick Launch and choose Open. This opens the Quick Launch window. You can make your changes and then choose File, Close to close the window.

Minimize in The Middle of Drag and Drop

Want to access the Desktop in the middle of drag and drop? Sure you can do that by cancelling the task and then click the View Desktop icon in the Quick Launch toolbar. But you can do that without leaving the task. Just point the cursor over a System Tray and held it there for a few seconds without dropping it (don't release it). All of your windows will be minimized.

Removing Items in the New List

As you probably know, if you right click on the Desktop or a window and select New, Windows gives you a menu of file types for which you can create a new item. If there is an item on the menu that refers to a software application you don't have on your PC anymore, you can remove it from the list. In My Computer or Windows Explorer choose View on the Menu Bar and then Options. Click the File Types tab. Scroll through the list of registered file types and select the item you want to remove from the New list. Click Remove and then click Yes to confirm.

Desktop with Animation

You can place animated gif files on your Desktop and let them play. If you don't have animated gif files you can create it by yourself; there are many of freeware and shareware utilities allow you to create it or search for it on the internet. To play animated gif files on your Desktop, follow these steps:

Right-click your Desktop, and choose Active Desktop, Customize My Desktop. In the Web tab, mark View My Active Desktop As a Web Page. Click the New button, and then click No. In the New Active Desktop Item dialog box, click the Browse button and navigate to your animated gif file. Click the Open button. Click OK and click OK again. Move your mouse pointer over the animated gif, and when the gray title bar appears, drag it to move the gif window to the desired area on the Desktop.

Where is The Secret Icon?

All Windows 9X/Me icons come from SHELL32.DLL file that can be found in Windows\Systems folder. The Windows folder also contains the PROGMAN.EXE and MORICONS.DLL file, which are full of Windows 3.x icons.

There are some other files contain icons in C:\Windows\System folder:
Cool.dll, Pifmgr.dll, Inetcpl.cpl, Mmsys.cpl, Mshtml.dll, Sysdm.cpl, Main.cpl, Sticpl.cpl, Desk.cpl, Joy.cpl, Power.cpl, Awfxex32.exe, Pifmgr.dll, Syncui.dll, and Systray.exe.

Also you wil find some icons in C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\Iexplore.exe and C:\Windows\Explorer.exe files.

You can use any of those files to create an icon for a new shortcut or for replacing an old unattractive icon.

Using Screen Saver to Leave a Message

If you left your computer in the power on condition for a long time and at the same time need to send a message to a friend, you can activate screen saver that has a moving message. Just follow these steps: right-click on Windows 9X/Me desktop and then click Properties. Click on the Screen Saver tab, choose Scrolling Marquee, and then click on the Settings buttons. Type your message in the Text box, for example "I'll be back in 5 minutes!" Click on the Format Text box, and then choose large font size and use a contrast color.

Top & Bottom Taskbar

Most people leave the taskbar at the bottom of the screen; others like it at the top. IE lets you put it on both the top and the bottom. Simply drag and drop the individual toolbars you want to the top, and leave minimized applications at the bottom. Right-click on the items you have at the top, select Properties and check Always on Top so maximized windows don't cover it. You can also check the Auto Hide option.

The Alternative Taskbar

You can use Microsoft Office's Shortcut Bar as an alternative taskbar. Install it from your Microsoft Office CD through Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel. To use Office Shortcut Bar, first click the Start-Settings-Taskbar-Auto Hide menu to hide the original taskbar. Next, drag the Office Shortcut Bar to the bottom section of Windows desktop, exactly at the “old” taskbar position. Right-click on the Shortcut Bar, and finally select the Programs option. From now on you can activate Windows applications by clicking their icons in the Office Shortcut Bar.

Smaller Desktop Icons

If you have too many shortcuts in your desktop, you may want to make them smaller. To do so, right-click an empty space in your desktop, and then select Properties. Go to the Appearance tab, in the Item column select Icon. Change its size to 16 (its default setting is 32), and finally click OK. If the shortcuts name looks too long then you can make it shorter.

RLE Files as Wallpaper

Not just BMP, DIB, GIF, JPEG or HTML files, you can also use RLE files as Windows Desktop's Wallpaper. To do so, follow these steps:

Right-click on Windows Desktop, choose Properties, and then click the Background tab. Click on the Browse button, type "*.RLE" (without quotation mark) in the File name box, and then press Enter. Explore your hard disk to find the appropriate RLE files, and finally click OK.

Quick Theme Switching

Microsoft Plus! Themes make your desktop more fun. Now, making a change from your favorite theme to something subtler can be quick and easy. Just run Windows Explorer and look in your \Themes folder (usually C:\Program Files\Plus!\Themes\) and look for the files with the .THEME extension.

You can create a shortcut to any of them right on the desktop, or you can launch it right away by double-clicking the theme you want. The Desktop Themes window will be opened where you can apply that theme instantly, or pick a new one.

Placing Your Own Toolbar on The Taskbar

You can add a customized toolbar of your own to the Taskbar. This feature useful if you have a document folder, and you don't want to always have to go through the Windows Explorer to open that folder to see its contents. You can easily create a customized toolbar to always display that folder's contents on the Taskbar. Just right-click on any blank area of the Taskbar, choose Toolbars, select the New Toolbar, and then select a folder from the list.

Opening a Menu on a Cluttered Taskbar

You can open a menu on a cluttered taskbar by moving the mouse pointer to the edge of Taskbar, and then click the right mouse button.

Nameless Shortcuts

You can create a nameless shortcut in the Windows desktop and then use it to activate a special/secret application. To do so, right-click on one of shortcuts you have made and then select Rename. Type Alt+0160 as the new name. Notice that you must use the numeric keypad to type 0160 (in the right side of your keyboard). If you want to create more than one shortcut, type a space after the Alt+0160 character. For the next short name you must type two empty spaces after the Alt+0160 character, etc.

You can totally hide the shortcut by changing its icon with a blank icon. Use Paint application to make a 32 x 32 pixels area, and then save it as blank.ico file. Use this icon for your shortcut and then associate a hotkey to access it.

My Computer Hidden Secret

Select the My Computer icon with your left mouse button, and then drag & drop it onto any side of your screen. You'll see a listing of your computer's components. With this active, press the CTRL key and with the left mouse button, click once on your 'C' or root drive. A cascading display of all your files and folders will appear! Simply click on any one of those icons and the file/folder should open. This can also be done with the other items in your new toolbar. Right-click on the handlebar and toggle Show Text and Show Title to tweak its appearance.

Now try this one. Drag My Computer to the far right of the screen. Click the little bar at the top of the new toolbar and drag it to the center of the screen. Drag C: drive to the desktop. Choose yes to make a shortcut. Drag the new shortcut back to the bottom of the new 'My Computer' toolbar. Move the mouse to the bottom and make the window larger.

More Creative Pattern

You can create your own pattern, which you can use as Windows 9X/Me desktop background. To do so, perform these steps:

First, right-click on Windows 9X/Me desktop, click Properties, click on the Background tab and then pick a pattern name you want to use as the basic pattern, for example Bricks. Click on the Edit Patterns button.

In the Pattern Editor dialog box, change that basic pattern by clicking a small part from the pattern. Every click will turn the black color to white color or the white color to black color. When you are satisfied with the result, change the pattern name by using the Name box and then click on the Done button.

Making Your Shortcuts More Efficient

After working for a long time, perhaps you didn't realize there were so many shortcuts in your Windows environment. For example, you can find a shortcut to Word on the Desktop, Start menu, Programs folder, or Microsoft Office folder. There is a method that you can use to reduce the shortcut amount. First open the Windows Explorer and then select the Tools menu Find, Files or Folder option. Type *.LNK in the Named box and then click on the Find Now button. After waiting for a moment, a shortcut list will appear on the screen. Click on the Name field to sort the list by names. If an application has more than one shortcut, you can pick one and delete the rest of them.

Flying Your Windows

Double-click on the Display icon at Control Panel, click on the Screen Saver tab, and then choose Flying Windows screen saver. Click on the Settings button, drag the Warp Speed slider to the Fast section, and then type 75 in the Density box. Click on the OK button twice times. On a Pentium 233 MHz PC and 4MB-video memory minimum system, the animation from the Flying Windows screen saver will make your head really "fly".

Floating Quick Launch Bar

By default, the Quick Launch toolbar sits at the right side of the Start button. But if you've added so many shortcuts to this toolbar that you can't possibly see them all at once, perhaps you'd prefer to transform this toolbar into a floating palette. Once it's free from the Taskbar, you can size this palette to fit the number of shortcuts inside and set its Always on Top option so that it's never out of sight. The result is instant access to all your shortcuts from anywhere.

To turn your Quick Launch toolbar into a floating palette, click the bar on its left edge, drag it out to a blank area on the desktop, and let go. Now you can resize this new palette just as you would any window. Hold your mouse pointer over its edge, and when the pointer changes to a double-pointed arrow, click and drag in any direction. Finally, to be sure that your palette is never out of sight, right-mouse-click its title bar and select Always on Top.

Fast Way to Generate Multiple Toolbars

Want to add multiple toolbars into your current taskbar? Just follow the following steps:

1. Open Windows Explorer, and navigate to C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\.
2. Create a new folder for every type of toolbar you want, and give it the appropriate name. For example, Graphics (to keep graphical applications), Documents (to keep text editor applications), Spreadsheets, Databases, etc.
3. Navigate to C:\Windows\SendTo. Create a shortcut in C:\Windows\SendTo for each folder you have created in step 2. For example, a shortcut with command line to “C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Graphics”.
4. Right click an empty space on the toolbar, and then select Toolbars - New Toolbar…
5. Point at toolbar created in step 2, for example C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Graphics.
6. Repeat the procedure for each folder you have created in step 2

Now you could either open the Start button - Programs and right click on each icon and select SendTo to move the icon to the toolbar, or you can go to C:\Windows\Start Menu\ in the Windows Explorer and do the same job.

Desktop with Mac Style

Click on the My Computer icon so it shows all your system drives and other resources. Right click on the 3 1/2 Floppy [A:] and drag this icon over to the upper right hand corner of the screen where you'd normally see the floppy icon on the Macintosh system. Release the right mouse button and choose “Create Shortcut(s) Here”. Do the same with your hard drive icon, CD-ROM and other drives of choice. You'll soon have a comfortable looking screen with quick access to your files just like on a Mac system. Optionally, right click on your new shortcuts and choose Rename to make it even more familiar.

Desktop as Taskbar

Want to activate your applications faster? Start with putting the application shortcuts in the desktop. Double-click the My Computer icon, and then go to the C:\Windows\Desktop folder. Double-click the Desktop folder to open its window, close all previous windows including My Computer. This Desktop window can be moved to any place, or minimized to the taskbar. From now on, if you want to activate your applications, just press the Alt+Tab key, use the arrow keys to select its icon, and then press Enter.

Changing Taskbar Looks

If you have bored with Taskbar's size, color, and fonts, you may want to change each setting without change all of desktop items. To do so, right-click an empty space in Windows desktop, select Properties, go to the Appearance tab, and then select Inactive Title Bar in the Item column. Next, you can change several settings in the Color, Font, and Size columns. Click the Apply button every time you want to see the result of your new settings.

Changing Your Quick Launch Icon

You can change the program icons in the Quick Launch bar by right clicking on them, opening the Shortcut tab, and clicking on the Change Icon button. You can pick one of the displayed icons or browse for more choices.

Changing Desktop Size

You can change many of Desktop's settings, not just its color or fonts. Just right-click the desktop, select Properties, and then go to the Appearance tab. In the Item column you will see the list of desktop component, such as Active Windows Border, Menu, Caption Buttons, etc. You can change the size of those components by clicking the Size button.

Calibrating Your Display Size

If you need your printer output have the same size with its preview on the monitor, then you need to calibrate your Windows screen. Just perform these steps:

Right-click any empty space on Windows desktop, select Properties, and then go to the Settings tab. Make sure your current display resolution is more than 640x480 pixels. Click on the Advanced button, select Other in the Font Size section. Get a real ruler and then stick it on your monitor. Drag the ruler picture on the screen to the left or right direction until it has the same size with the real ruler.

Accessing Applications on a Cluttered Taskbar

If you open too many applications, most of your application names are hidden or cannot be recognized. To solve this problem, try pressing Alt key followed by Tab key. On your Windows desktop will appear a new window, which contains a list of all open files and folders. To switch from one object to another object, press the Tab key again.

An Always Ready to Use Address Bar

One of IE's most powerful hidden gems is a universal command line, where you can launch programs, open folders, go to Web sites and more. Right-click on the taskbar and select Toolbars/Address. When the Address box shows up on your toolbar, click and hold on the word "Address" and drag it to the top of your desktop. Right-click on it and select Always on Top. Now, when you maximize applications, they'll expand between your Address bar at the top and your taskbar at the bottom.