WIN. 95/98 COMPUTER TIPS
My mother thinks I know alot about computers....but I don't, really. However, as my buddy, Bob says, " If you know only one more thing then they do, they think you are a genius! " In an attempt to make you
a genius here are some things I have found.
- Be patient ! If your computer is going slow, don't click the mouse 5 times to speed it up 'cause it won't ! What you really did was to tell the computer to do that thing 5 times. Now you have 5 windows or internet pages (all the same)
that you do not want.
- Cancel out all the windows (X) and internet pages and E-Mail and stuff so that you are back on the desk top, before you shut down, otherwise, when you start up again you may end up in one of the unclosed windows.
- Have you ever tried to use some of the things in one of the dropdown boxes, but it just will not work ? Well, it seems that sometimes you have to turn on the items you want to use. (sometimes ! ) As an example, check this out...
Click " edit " and you see that " cut, copy, and paste " are not darkened and will not work. Go down and click "select all" , which is darkened. Now click "edit" again. Bingo ! The "cut, copy and paste" are now darkened and will work.
Sometimes, you have to "turn things on" on one page to get things to work on another page ( Or window ) If you don't know this, trying to get things to work in all kinds of programs, will drive you crazy !
- When you are on the internet, and you surf somewhere, you hit back to go back to a previous site, right ? So you do, and you don't go anywhere and the "back" is not darkened. Well, you are in a new window. Sooo just X out (close)
the window. Sometimes the sites you go to open in a new window.
- If you are surfing off a list of links on a web site, you can open a new window by right clicking the link and then choosing "open in new window" . Now, to get back to your list of links, just close the window (X).
- Let each thing you do or click on complete its task before you click on the next thing. Yes, it's true you don't have to, but you will have fewer crashes this way.
- You know that dialing noise you get when you open your browser to get on the internet ? It was neat at first, but now is just a pain. Here is how to get rid of it. Launch (open) your browser and when the " Dialing Progress " window comes up
click cancel, then the " Dial-up Connection " window will show. Click settings and under " General "you see "Connect Using--- Your Modem Name. " Click on Configure. Another " General " window opens and it has " Speaker Volume "
Set it at the lowest setting (Off). Now click OK, and OK and then Connect. If you did it right your dial-ups will now be silent ! At least mine are. I've done this in both Win 95 and Win 98 and it works for me.
- When things totally lock up, hit "Ctrl" & "Alt" & "Delete" all at the same time. This will open a window showing all the programs that are running and if one or more is not working there will be a "not responding" by the name of the
ones that are not working. Click the "End Task" box to stop that program. Click Ctrl, Alt, Delete twice to restart the computer. If all else fails, just turn it off, wait 30 seconds, turn it on and it will automatically run scan-disk and away you go !
- If things are running like snails, or it says something weird like it can't find the modem, (and you had one, last time you booted !) turn it off (correctly, of course), wait 30 seconds and turn it back on again. This will cure a lot of things.
- " If at first you don't succeed try, try, again. " BUT after that ... GIVE UP ! I don't know, but it seems to me that a lot of times, you click on something and it tries to load or start, but doesn't ( like a web address URL ). I have found that if you try it
again most times it will work or load or whatever. However, if you have to try it 3 times... give it up, it's a no go. I guess this is true, maybe 80-90 % of the time.
- Here is a place that will give you free computer help through E-Mail. I have used them several times and they are very sharp. Just sign up at their web site and ask away. They are a real life saver ! Click Protonic.com
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