Tips and Tricks
Use Windows Update and Microsoft Updates Automatically - You'd be surprised
how many people don't update their Operating System (or any other software
on the computer) how they should because it is looked at as a nuisance
and they think that if the computer ain't broke, don't fix it. It is very
important that you keep your computer updated with the latest updates from
Microsoft. If you have Microsoft products like Microsoft Office installed
on your computer, make sure that you use Microsoft Updates instead of Windows
Updates so that you can receive important security updates for all of your
Microsoft products.
Windows Shortcuts can save time and make life easier.
What are Windows Shortcuts? They are shortcuts to Windows actions, e.g. my
favorites are:
Ctrl + A = Select All
Ctrl +
C = Copy
Ctrl + X = Cut
Ctrl + V = Paste
If you haven't used Windows shortcuts before, then the way to correctly use
them is to first hold down the Ctrl key and while continuing to hold it down,
then press the next key of the shortcut you want to perform. Now that you know
how to use it here are a few more:
CTRL+ Z = Undo
DELETE = Delete
SHIFT+DELETE = Delete the selected item permanently
without placing the item in the Recycle Bin
CTRL while dragging an item = Copy the selected item
CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item = Create a shortcut to the selected
item
F2 key = Rename the selected item
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW = Move the insertion point to the beginning of the
next word
CTRL+LEFT ARROW = Move the insertion point to the beginning of the
previous word
CTRL+DOWN ARROW = Move the insertion point to the beginning of the
next paragraph
CTRL+UP ARROW = Move the insertion point to the beginning of the
previous paragraph
CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys = Highlight a block of text
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys = Select more than one item in a
window or on the desktop, or select text in a document
F3 key = Search for a file or a folder
ALT+ENTER = View the properties for the selected item
ALT+F4 = Close the active item, or quit the active program
ALT+ENTER = Display the properties of the selected object
ALT+SPACEBAR = Open the shortcut menu for the active window
CTRL+F4 = Close the active document in programs that enable you to
have multiple documents open simultaneously
ALT+TAB = Switch between the open items
ALT+ESC = Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened
F6 key = Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the
desktop
F4 key = Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer
SHIFT+F10 = Display the shortcut menu for the selected item
ALT+SPACEBAR = Display the System menu for the active window
CTRL+ESC = Display the Start menu
ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name = Display the corresponding
menu
Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu = Perform the
corresponding command
F10 key = Activate the menu bar in the active program
RIGHT ARROW = Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu
LEFT ARROW = Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu
F5 key = Update the active window
BACKSPACE = View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows
Explorer
ESC = Cancel the current task
SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive = Prevent the
CD-ROM from automatically playing
CTRL+SHIFT+ESC = Open Task Manager
Update your Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware Daily - There are more new viruses
and spyware being introduced into the internet every day at an alarming
rate and keeping your anti-malware software up to date is very important
in finding the latest problems.
Learn To Use System Restore - On WindowsXP with Service Pack 2 or greater
installed and Windows Vista, you have a feature offered to you that can
help if your computer becomes infected or corrupted. You can attempt to
restore Windows back to a time when the computer was working normally.
Sometimes this still won't work, but its worth a try in bad times.
Make Sure You Have Enough Memory for Anti-Malware Software - To efficiently
run most Anti-Virus Software without significant slowdown of your computer,
WindowsXP users should have at least 512MB of memory installed, but 1 GB
is the ideal. In Windows Vista 2GB should be the minimum for any version,
and at least 3GB is the ideal. Anti-Malware software can take up a lot
of the computer's resources when running in the background and adding memory
(RAM) can help with every program that runs on the computer. You can find
out how much Memory you have by right-clicking on "My Computer" and
then choose "Properties". A box should come up showing you the
information about your version of Windows and how much Memory you have.
When using Vista, right-click on "Computer" and then choose "Properties" to
see the information.
Make Sure Your Wireless Network Signal is Encrypted - There are boneheads
that will actually go driving through neighborhoods looking for a wireless
network to hack into to see what information of yours they can figure out,
or even use your computer to do other illegal actions that the intruder
wants. They can load key-logging programs on your computer without your
knowledge and get your most valuable user names and passwords to important
financial sites that you use. Even worse, your neighbors may use your wireless
signal for free and infect your entire household with a viruses coming
from their computer without you knowing!
Using an External Hard Drive Enclosure - This tip is for more advanced
computer users. An External Hard Drive Enclosure is a piece of hardware
that you can buy at most electronics stores. The uses for removing malware
are that the hard drive in the infected computer can be removed and attached
to a anti-malware protected computer with an USB cable. In this way the
OS on the infected hard drive is not running so the malware may have no
power and can be found easier and removed since it will not be running.
It is extremely important that the computer that hosts the external hard
drive is protected with both anti-virus and anti-spyware protection and
a working firewall to insure protection. If you are not comfortable opening
up your computer and physically uninstalling your hard drive, do not even
attempt this.
Another great use of the External Hard Disk Enclosure is to back up your
data before having to reinstall you OS to make sure that there is no malware
on your computer. If you don't know where to locate your files on your
computer, let a pro do it. Remember, you cannot back up installed programs
themselves. They will have to be reinstalled if you wipe your OS. You can
back up the data that some of these programs used, like Word documents,
music, pictures, etc. Be very careful with backing up any malware that
may have sneaked in your data backup. Scan the external hard drive with
your anti-virus and anti-spyware programs before returning to your clean
computer.
Recommended Software Protection - I'm not going to single
one product out over another here, but one popular respected computer magazine
recommends
using AVG Free Edition for anti-virus protection, with Threatfire for anti-spyware
protection, and Windows Defender for extra spyware protection and updates
from Microsoft. I will also say that Malwarebytes' Antii-Malware software
is excellent for the hard-to-remove trojans. Most of these software downloads
work well so try more than one to see what you like.
Create a PreInstalled Environment Boot CD - A PE Disk is a disk that creates
its own Operating System Environment when booting up the computer to it.
Programs can be installed onto the disk that can rid malware. There are
ones that you can buy, but if you're pretty handy on the computer, you
can make one for free by using BartsPE. I can't be responsible for training
on this disk and there's plenty of information from their website to get
you by. The last time I used it, it didn't work that great on Windows Vista
machines, but hey, its free.
