How to increase Windows Explorer default thumbnail size for pictures
Posted on November 3, 2007 - Filed Under Windows XP | 13 Comments
Here’s something about Windows XP that really annoys me: why is it that the size for thumbnails cannot be increased or decreased? If you’re going to have thumbnails in the first place, is it that hard to put in a little slider bar whereby you can increase or decrease the size? I hate going through a folder in Explorer and not being able to clearly see what a picture is about.
By default, thumbnails in Windows XP look like this:
More keyboard shortcuts – Windows Logo key shortcuts
Posted on October 15, 2007 - Filed Under Windows XP | 8 Comments
Last week I wrote a post on Microsoft Word shortcuts and thought I would throw in another post on more shortcuts, this time Windows Logo key shortcuts. These can be very handy for quickly accessing system control panels or to search for files. The Windows logo key is usually on the left side of the keyboard on the bottom row.
Windows: Display the Start menu
Windows Logo + D: Minimize windows or restore all windows
Windows Logo + E: Brings up My Computer (Windows Explorer)
Tweak Windows XP settings with TweakUI
Posted on October 14, 2007 - Filed Under Windows XP | 10 Comments
Since I just wrote a post on how to tweak Windows Vista, I thought I would throw in some power toys for the Windows XP users. Windows XP is not going to disappear any time soon, so if you still have not gotten around to customizing it the way you want, take a minute and read through this article.
One of the best programs for tweaking Windows XP is the TweakUI PowerToy utility from Microsoft. Using this nifty little program, you can fine-tune many Windows settings quickly and easily. You can many settings, from how to group items in the taskbar to disabling or getting rid of those annoying shortcut icon arrows on the desktop.
Three utilities to enhance functionality in Windows Explorer
Posted on September 27, 2007 - Filed Under Windows XP | 2 Comments
Unfortunately due to many problems that people have with Windows Explorer, such as random error messages and computer crashes, many people want to change or replace Windows Explorer altogether with a more robust alternative. I have tried this myself, but have found that I end up always coming back to the default Explorer installed in Windows because it’s just there and works fine most of the time.
How to pin a folder to the Start Menu in Windows XP
Posted on September 19, 2007 - Filed Under Windows XP | 8 Comments
If you’re a person who likes shortcuts on your desktop or lots of programs in your quick launch bar, then you’re probably using the Pin to Start Menu feature in Windows XP. If not, I’ll give a quick overview of how you can “pin” a program to your Start Menu, which means it will remain there permanently, unlike the recently used program list right below it.
To pin a program to the Start Menu, simply right-click on the program in the recently used list and click Pin To Start Menu! Pretty simple. You’ll see that the program gets moved to the top, above the separator line.
How to disable settings, services, and programs in Windows XP
Posted on September 18, 2007 - Filed Under Windows XP | 19 Comments
Even though most people never change the settings on their computers, there are some situations where it’s very useful to be able to turn off or disable a certain program, service, or setting in Windows XP. For example, over the last few years working as an IT Professional, there have been many occasions where it has been proven very useful to disable the firewall in Windows, or to disable the popup blocker in IE, or to disable the autorun/autoplay feature for the CD/DVD drive.