Tricks, tweaks and shortcuts sure to impress your friends

03/02/99

By Doug Bedell / The Dallas Morning News

Secreted inside personal computer operating systems are dozens of amazing tweaks, shortcuts and classy customizations that your dealer and office technician might never reveal or even know.

People tire easily of their computer's same old look and operation. And Windows 95/98 and Macintosh systems hold a trunk full of magic tricks that can increase productivity, make repetitive tasks quicker and inject a little fun into otherwise mundane compu-chores.

"Simply creating shortcuts on the desktop can make life much easier. But people don't know how," says F. Lee Pyles of ComPyles Computers of Rowlett, builder of custom Windows machines.

Many of these tricks can be performed effortlessly, without the help of an able-bodied assistant. None of them here, save Multiple Monitor Magic, requires any additional hardware or software, but each requires a bit of experimentation. And, if there are hard rules against manipulating the setup of your office computer, you should confine customizations to your home system.

Then again, "personal computers" are designed to be personalized, aren't they?

Configurations and system demands may not permit full use on every computer. Most are harmless, however, and can be attempted without a net.

So reach into our virtual top hat for some feats that may amaze the uninitiated - or at least cause them to raise an eyebrow.

WINDOWS 95/98

Multiple Monitor Magic: Set up your computer to run a giant desktop using as many as nine monitors.

Mac graphics artists have kept this secret long enough. For years, the boldest among them have enjoyed vast expanses of computer work area by adding extra monitors.

Bet nobody ever told you that Windows 98 also supports two monitors and video cards. Actually, the operating system is capable of running three, six, up to nine monitors in an enlarged virtual desktop.

"After I found out you could do this, I've never gone back to a single monitor," says F. Lee Pyles of ComPyles Computers of Rowlett. "I use it all the time. When you're doing a lot of tasks at once, I've found it downright essential."

If you could find enough motherboard video slots and monitors, Microsoft contends, a single computer operating system could power a 3-by-3 matrix of nine monitors across a wall-size desktop.

Home and small-office users won't want to attempt something that elaborate. Just getting two to work together can be plenty challenging.

The basic deal: Get an extra monitor and a VGA graphics card. Place the second monitor next to your first, install the second video card onto your motherboard and hook it up to the second video card.

Monitors can be of different sizes and resolution capabilities, just as long as they're VGA. When all goes well, Windows detects the second video installation and begins a magical expansion of your desktop to cover the additional monitor screen.

First, your main screen starts. Then the second screen initializes and instructs you with a black-and-white display to enter the Display Properties section of the Control Panel, and check the box "Extend my Windows desktop onto this monitor."

Suddenly, the wallpaper on your primary screen appears on the second.

You can then drag and drop icons, folders, the start menu - anything you like - across the first screen and onto the adjoining monitor.

After you get this to work once, the second screen will boot automatically each time you start up the machine.

Some users find it handy to locate their mail programs, always open, on the right monitor. Others drag all their icons to one monitor so they can view the Web or work on applications on the other. With large graphics programs, you can drag toolboxes and other clutter to the second screen. They're always out of the way, but still convenient.

A word of caution: This can be a pesky installation. It's not for the faint of heart. Some breeze right through it. Others find the need to radically reconfigure their machines. Still others have pulled out hunks of perfectly good hair.

The computer's resources can be severely taxed to set up MultiMon, as it's known by Microsoft developers.

There's not much helpful documentation from the company, either. Just searching for a list of compatible video cards can be an unending nightmare inside the tedious microsoft.com help site on the Web. Some statements by Microsoft would lead users to believe that an AGP card can handle one of the video slot duties. Many people have found that not to be the case.

It's best to stick with two common PCI cards. The S3 ViRGE-DX/GX and Graphics Blaster Exxtreme, for example, work well together.

The Disappearing Taskbar: Clear the taskbar from your screen until you need it.

Not only that, you can also expand and relocate that bottom-screen taskbar with unbelievable ease.

On small monitors, Microsoft's taskbar takes up precious room when it's left "on" all the time. Get rid of it by clicking on Start, selecting Settings, then Taskbar and Start Menu.

Mark the box for Auto Hide, then click Apply. After that, the taskbar will appear only when you move your cursor to the bottom of the screen.

Alternatively, you can move it to the side or top of your screen by finding a blank, uncluttered part of the bar. Left-click on the mouse and hold down, then roll the mouse or track ball toward the top or side edges of your monitor.

This may take some practice for novices, but it can prove very useful. The taskbar also can be resized to your liking. Move the cursor over the taskbar edge closest to the center of your monitor until the cursor becomes a double-headed arrow. Press down with the left mouse button and hold as you slide in the direction you want the taskbar to expand.

A whole raft of similar tricks can be found in a Microsoft program called TweakUI. It's included with Windows 98, but Windows 95 users must download it from the Microsoft site at www.microsoft.com.

TweakUI has instructions for eliminating annoying animations and for customizing icons, among other things. Beginners at changing desktop configurations are advised by Microsoft to try that utility first.

Follow the manual's instructions or information from the company's online help center.

Hurry! Hide My Screen. Here Comes The Boss: Create a simple desktop icon that quickly blankets your screen.

Perhaps you've been at your office PC doing something you probably shouldn't when up walks a spy, a co-worker or the boss. If you've got a Windows keyboard - one with a little Microsoft flag key - you can quickly hit that key and the letter D to hide your open applications. Do it again to restore your work.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, though, so here's another way to cover up fast:

* Open Explorer. Set the window so you can still see some desktop behind it.

* Select the Windows/System folder.

* Find the files under Type that are labeled Screen Saver. These will have a .scr extension.

* Right-click the mouse on the screen saver you want and drag it to the desktop. Let go of the mouse button and choose Create Shortcut Here. A shortcut and screen saver icon will then miraculously appear on your desktop. Now all you have to do is double-click on the shortcut to activate the screen saver.

Desktop shortcuts can be easily removed by right-clicking on the icon and choosing Delete.

Use Explorer to find other commonly used applications and drag them to the desktop the same way. You can also use a Windows 98 feature called Quick Launch to keep shortcuts in your taskbar. Right-click on a blank spot of the taskbar, select Toolbars, then Quick Launch. This creates a task item that is always available and doesn't take up much screen. Right-click on the Quick Launch bar to delete it or its contents.

"I've fallen in love with Quick Launch, frankly," Mr. Pyles, the computer builder, says.

Finding Lost CD Keys: Make the CD key code to unlock software reappear.

You just think you lost that CD key code, which is imprinted on the software's box or in the documentation and permits you to reinstall the program.

You won't have to call a support line and wait hours for a tech to regurgitate that lost code for you. In many cases, it's not really lost. Windows saved it in a cubbyhole called the Registry.

Don't play around while you go through these steps, though. Deleting some Registry files can cause massive headaches.

"I run into endless problems with people who have gone into their registries and done things," Mr. Pyles says.

And it's always best to follow your manual's instructions and back up the Registry before starting.

Here's the procedure:

* Launch REGEDIT by selecting Start/Run, typing REGEDIT in the text box and pressing Enter.

* Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, scroll down to Software.

* Find the Microsoft listing and look for the directory that contains the software you need to reinstall.

* Double-click the ProductID listing and select the middle two number strings. For example, in the string 53491-460-1656111-49145, you'd select 460-1656111.

* Press Control C to copy the CD key to the clipboard, then paste it someplace where you can reuse it. Some experts advise copying all your keys to a text document, then printing it out for safekeeping.

Look Who's Talking: Messaging instantly between computers on a local area network.

A program called WINPOPUP.EXE is included in Windows 95 and 98. Check it out by using Explorer. Venture down to Windows, then move down to the files listed at the end. Find WINPOPUP.EXE. You can drag it to the desktop or just click it from there.

This feature can be used at home to message Junior when it's time for dinner or at work when you want to send quick notes to the boss, if he's logged on. Employees should check with whomever is in charge of the office computers before using this feature, however.

Recently on a Web page about Windows tips, a group of networked teenagers discovered that they could be instantly alerted to messages by storing a shortcut to WINPOPUP in the Windows-Start Menu\Programs\Start Up directory.

This loads the utility whenever you boot up the computer.

"This is a kull trick," one teen wrote. "Of course, for the first few days, all we did was message each other. It can be distracting if you're really trying to do homework or something."

More Tricks Up Their Sleeves: Thousands of other tricks and tweaks are available at Web sites such as Microsoft (www.microsoft.com), ZDNet (www.zdnet.com), CNET (www.cnet.com), Windows Magazine (www.winmag.com) and Windows-Help.Net (www.windows-help.net).

"There must be thousands of different ways to set things up," Mr. Pyles says. "It all comes down to how people work and what makes them happiest. What's easy for some may be too much trouble for others. You've just got to experiment."

MACINTOSH

Multiple Monitor Magic: Set up your computer to run more than one display.

There's no argument that Mackers were the first to attach multiple monitors to the same computer, letting users slide windows and applications among them.

Of course, Mackers have long coveted Windows users' ability to hold down their ALT key, then tab through open applications. But that's another story.

Macintosh operating systems were customized early on for multiple monitors at the behest of the graphics industry, where increased screen space spells increased productivity.

"When you're doing any application that's graphically intensive, you need a lot of screen size for tool kits and palettes," says Gary Armstrong, a digital graphics creator for Dallas Photo Imaging. "With more monitors, you can dump all those off on another monitor. That way you can arrange the tools in priority."

Michael Pearce, publisher of the online magazine Computer Bits (www.computerbits.com), says the Mac OS easily supports three monitors. Any monitor that is plug-compatible with built-in video will work. In other words, as long as the monitor doesn't require a special card of its own, you're home free.

Because of the way the operating system is constructed, no more than 16MB of memory is necessary to power up additional screens, Mr. Pearce says.

"All you need is the built-in video and a monitor card in the NuBus or PCI slots for each additional monitor and the Monitors Control Panel to set up correct alignment, and define the levels of color and grays you desire for each one," he says.

If instead of the built-in video, your Mac is using a monitor card, which provides a higher pixel depth or density than built-in allows, you can have a similar setup for no more than the cost of a cable adapter ($30) and a cheap 640 X 480 pixels monitor.

"You will wonder how you got along without it," Mr. Pearce says.

Alias, Alias, Who's Got The Alias?: Make aliases for specific programs appear on the desktop.

Making aliases - those desktop icons representing a specific program or data object - is the No. 1 way to customize a Mac. They're easily produced, using the File menu. But how you use them is the trick.

For example, Jay Brousseau, a Dallas free-lance photographer and a Mac devotee for more than a decade, has made lot of aliases, from stationery and letterheads to his modem connection for the Internet.

"I use them for everything," Mr. Brousseau says.

After highlighting the icon for Internet service, for example, he selects Make Alias from the File menu. That puts the alias into the Apple menu for easy access.

Because he uses so many aliases to access much-used applications, his File menu is extremely long. To force the OS to put an alias atop the File list, he simply starts the alias name with a # symbol.

Now, when the OS sorts the entries alphabetically, the Internet service alias is right there at the top.

Mr. Armstrong finds that aliases enable him to grab folders quickly on drives inside other computers. "Even if that other machine isn't up and mounted, you still get right in," he says.

This Mac feature parallels the Map Network Drive and shortcut features of Windows.

"I don't even think I can do anything without aliases anymore," Mr. Armstrong says. "You have what you need right there when you want it."

The False Desktop: Create a screen saver by taking a digital snapshot of your desktop.

For versions of Mac OS 8, here's a trick sure to confound or elicit double-takes.

Hold down the Apple and Shift keys and press 3 to take a picture of your current desktop. The computer saves this image inside the hard drive as Picture 1, Picture 2, etc.

Go to the Apple icon, open the Control Panel and find Desktop Pictures. You can now use the screen shot as wallpaper, in effect creating a desktop facade.

It's a Window! No, It's a Tab! How to transform a window into a space-saving tab.

Drag any window to the bottom of your Mac screen and release your mouse's button. The window turns into a small, unobtrusive tab.

There it can be quickly accessed without taking up precious screen space. For pros such as Mr. Armstrong, this is a must.

"You can get to it quickly there, which is something that becomes really important," he says. "I use that constantly."

Spring-loaded Folders: Drag a file into a folder in one simple step.

In versions of Mac OS 8, drag a file over a folder. The folder will spring open automatically, allowing you either to deposit the file or spring-load an infinite number of internal folders.

This makes it much easier to organize files. Under previous Mac systems, you'd have to go through a number of double-clicks to open the folder and then drag the file into it. This does it with one click and dragging.

Pop-up Menus Everywhere: Easier access to functions for increased productivity.

Contextual menus are available everywhere in Mac OS 8 and above. Many people accustomed to older operating systems have yet to discover them.

Click the mouse while holding down the Control key to view a whole new realm of interaction with your operating system. For instance, if you control-click a document, a pop-up menu will appear with commands such as Delete, Duplicate, Make Alias, Put Away, Get Info, etc. Also, if you hold down the Command and Option keys while moving a file to a new location, it will create an alias.

But Wait! There's More!

Customizing your Mac OS doesn't have to be as difficult as pulling rabbits out of a hat. You can pick and choose adjustments that fit your needs.

On the Web, more Mac tricks can be found in the help section of Apple Computer (www.apple.com), at MacHacks (www.machacks.com) and at Macos8.com (www.macos8.com), among other places.

Back to Top
Send a letter to the Editor about this story
Discuss this story in our technology forum