Use the Monitor Preview

When you are in the Control Panel - Display Settings, under the "Appearance" tab, you can change the Windows colors. Instead of just selecting an item to change the color by selecting it from the pull menu, try clicking on it in the monitor preview. Open Display Properties, click the "Appearance" tab, and then click on an item on the monitor to change the Window color.

US Keyboard in International Style

Open up the 'Keyboard' from your Control Panel, select the 'Language' tab, then pull up the Properties for the 'English (United States)' layout. Now, in the drop-down menu, change it from 'United States 101' to 'United States - International.' From now on, you don't have to remember the code to make an accented lowercase E, you can type an apostrophe first and then the letter. Windows will transmogrify it for you. ~n will become an 'n' with a tilde over it; "u will become a 'u' with an umlaut mark over it. In addition, you can also use: ALT+/ (upside-down question mark), ALT+1 (upside-down exclamation mark), and ALT+c (copyright symbol).

Maximizing a video clip

If you have not changed anything with your multimedia settings in Windows 98/95, your video clips will be played in a small window. You can maximize the video by clicking the maximize button in the top right corner of the window, or from your player configuration, or do that through the Control Panel. To do the last alternative just double-click the Multimedia icon. Click the Video tab on the top of the window. In the drop-down menu next to Window, select Show Video in Full Screen. Click OK and view the video.

Eliminating Slow to Display Icons

If you are heavily using the Control Panel then leave it open on the first time. That way, you don't have to repeat the clicks to open it again, and you don't have to wait for the slow-to-display Control Panel icons to redisplay.

The Easiest Way to Install True Type Fonts

As you know, it's much simpler to install True Type fonts in Windows 9X/Me than previous versions of Windows. The easiest way to do so is to first open Control Panel and double-click the Fonts icon. Open Explorer and drag the fonts from your disk or CD to the Fonts window. Note that the installation process is invisible, you can verify that it worked by trying to use the new fonts in any Windows-based applications.

The 24-hours System and AM/PM

If you want to show the zero number on the clock (for example, 9:00 appear as 09:00), try to change the time style to HH:mm:ss ttt. The "H" is a code for 24-hours system that used on some countries in the world. Meanwhile, if you want to use AM/PM (Ante/Post Meridian) system, you need to enter "h" or "hh" code.

Removing the Similar Fonts

To save hard disk space and to get faster Windows startup, you might want to delete several types of fonts. To do so, click on the Start button. In the Settings menu, click Control Panel, and then click the Fonts icon. In the View menu, select List Fonts By Similarity. In the List Fonts By Similarity To box, click a standard font type (Arial, Times New Roman, etc). All available fonts will be appeared by their similarities with the selected font. You can delete some of them.