 |
| Microsoft Windows
NT 4.0 Basic Tips, Tricks, Hacks, and Tweaks... |
|
|||
| Selecting Multiple Files |
| Multiple adjacent files can be selected in Explorer or My Computer by clicking dragging a box around them with your mouse. |
 |
| Deleting Files without Moving them to the Recycle Bin |
| 1. Select the files to be deleted. 2. Hold the Shift key and press Delete. |
|
| Open the Start Menu |
| CTRL + Escape |
|
| Eject CD's |
| 1. Right click on the CD ROM drive icon in My Computer. 2. Select Eject. |
|
| To Bypass Auto Play on CD's |
| Press Shift while inserting CD-ROM. |
|
| To Search One of the Explorer's Folders |
| 1. Click on the folder you want to search 2. Press F3 |
|
| More Keyboard Shortcuts |
|
|
| Cycle through Windows |
| When you have a number of open folders or application windows that you need to access,
you can press Alt-Tab to cycle through windows and programs. But if you’re working in
a program and want to see another open (but not currently visible) folder window, you can
press Alt-Esc to cycle through the windows. When you use this method, the windows will
appear in open view. The first time you press Alt-Esc, all the open windows appear.
Pressing the combination again will cause the current active window to disappear and
activate the next window. This continues until all the windows disappear and you’re
back at your application window. Note: That this only works with windows that are currently open on the desktop; it does not open and display minimized windows. |
|
| Launch Applications via Command Prompt |
| For those of us who need to use the command prompt frequently. You can open Windows NT Explorer and drag a file you want to run to the command prompt window. This will enter the complete file name (path + file name) at the command prompt. All you have to do is click in the command prompt window to activate it and then press Enter. |
|
| Quick NT Task Manager Access |
| This shortcut pops up the NT Task Manager, which shows every running program and process. Click on the Performance tab for a snapshot of memory and CPU usage. Click on the Processes tab and then the CPU heading to identify which threads are sucking up excessive processor cycles. Each number in this constantly updated column represents a percentage of total available CPU resources. |
|
| Reboot NT at least Once a Day |
| The first is a piece of advice I myself practice every day with Windows NT. Reboot Windows once a day to keep trouble at bay. No matter what any one tells you, the Windows 9x line of operating systems has built-in design compromises whose sole purpose is to make it backwardly compatible with real-mode devices and hardware calls, as well as legacy 16-bit applications. That may not sound like much, but it's a big deal. To workaround those and other issues, Microsoft had to make Windows 9.x less bullet proof than it would have liked to. The upshot is, you can't expect Win9x to run forever without eventually choking on its own lack of system resources and the clutter left in memory by exiting applications. Reboot at least once a day. If you turn off your computer(s) at night, as I do, maybe you'll help save a few earth resources over the years to boot. |
|
| Quick Setup |
| If you need to reinstall Windows NT you can use the previous installation's settings and let setup run unattended. To do this, type WINNT32 /U on the command line. |
|
| Ready for Rollout |
| If you need to deploy NT on several desktops, use the Windows NT Setup Manager from the Windows NT 4.0 Resource Kit. This tool saves time by performing unattended NT installations. |
|
| NT Plus Pack |
| If you run a Windows 95/NT 4.0 dual-boot and have the Windows 95 Plus pack installed, you can use your Win95 Desktop themes with NT. Copy THEMES.CPL and THEMES.EXE from your Win95 System folder to NT's System32 folder. |
|
| Don't Delay |
| Launch NT faster by adjusting the boot delay to 5 seconds or less. Select Control Panel/System and click on the Startup/Shutdown tab. In the Show List For control, change the setting for boot delay value. |
|
| Batten Down Your Disks |
| NT's Emergency Repair Disk contains security information about your system, so lock it away safely. |
|
| Explore an Alternative |
| When you adjust Desktop properties such as screen resolution or font size, you can usually avoid rebooting by using the Task Manager to stop and restart Windows Explorer. Select EXPLORER.EXE under the Processes tab and clicking End Process. Then choose Task Manager's File/New Task (Run) menu and enter Explorer to restart your Desktop. |
|
| Make a Pit Stop |
| Visit Microsoft's FTP site ( ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/winnt ) for the latest NT bug fixes and security patches. |
|
| Multilingual Character Map |
| If you've got an application (such as Word 98) that supports Unicode, the Character Map applet in NT 4.0 lets you cut and paste all foreign-language and other Unicode characters. |
|
| Peek at the ClipBook Viewer |
| ClipBook Viewer lets you see what you have copied to Clipboard and how it's rendered in n different formats. |
|
| Share ClipBook Info |
| To pass pieces of information in confidence to others without the hassle of shared directories or file permissions, fire up the ClipBook Server service, open the ClipBook Viewer and share what you copy there. |
|
| Picture That! |
| NT's Wang Imaging applet lets you convert image formats, make annotations and accept scanned input from any TWAIN-complaint device. It stores changes made to an image as objects and not as bitmap edits. |
|
| One-Track Mind |
| CDs with only one audio track will not play in the Media Player. You need to launch the CD Player first, click on Play, then launch the Media Player and select CD Audio from the Device menu. |
|
| Find Your Path |
| Here's a trick for finding out the path of a file: Launch the Run command dialog (Start/Run), clear the Open box by hitting the Backspace key, and then drag and drop the file of your choice into the Open box. Windows will type the full path of the file into the box. |
 |
|||
|
