Checking Free Disk Space

Checking to see how much hard drive space is used or free is easy in Windows. Double click on the MY COMPUTER icon on your desktop. In the window that opens right click on the drive you want to check, and choose PROPERTIES from the popup menu. You'll be presented with a window describing how much space is used and available as well as a pie chart showing the information.

Changing the Appearance of Windows

To change how your Windows looks click on START> SETTINGS> CONTROL PANEL then in the Control Panel window, double click on the DISPLAY icon. In the window that opens select the APPEARANCE tab at the top. From here you can change the fonts, colors, and other attributes of the appearance of Windows.

Rearranging the Programs Menu

Ever notice how after you have a bunch of software installed that the programs menu is a mile long and you have to scroll to get to the items you need? There's an easy way to fix that: Right click on the START button and choose EXPLORE from the popup menu. In the window that opens you will see an explorer view of the start menu. You can rearrange, add, and remove items here to organize your programs menu the way you like it.

Quick access to the Control Panel

Ordinarily to access the Control Panel you'd click START> SETTINGS> CONTROL PANEL, but there is a faster way: on your keyboard press the Windows Key + R to open the RUN box. Type in CONTROL and hit enter (or click OK) and up comes the Control Panel. You can also use the RUN box to open things like NOTEPAD, WORDPAD, Internet Explorer (IEXPLORE), and other things.

Find your IP Address

Your IP address is your unique location on the Internet. When you dial up to connect you get an IP address and you alone occupy that address for the duration of your connection. It will look something like: 64.123.19.240.

To find out what your current IP address is do the following:

Windows 95/98/ME: Click START> RUN and type in WINIPCFG and press enter (or click OK). In the window that pops up click on the MORE INFO button to get further detail. Look for IP ADDRESS. The number next to that is your current address.

Update your Windows

Microsoft has made it easy to make sure your Windows has the latest and greatest updates. Just point your web browser to http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com and click on the PRODUCT UPDATES link and follow the instructions.

Scanning Your Hard Drive for Errors

Scandisk is the utility that comes with Windows for error checking your hard drive. To run Scandisk open Windows Explorer, right click on the drive you want to check and choose PROPERTIES. Choose the TOOLS tab and then click on the CHECK NOW button. Scandisk should be run about once per week.

Defragmenting Your Hard Drive

Disk Defragmenter is the counterpart to Scandisk. It rearranges the information on your hard drive to make it quicker to read and write date. To run Disk Defragmenter open Windows Explorer, right click on the drive you want to defragment and choose PROPERTIES. Choose the TOOLS tab and then click on the DEFRAGMENT NOW button. Disk Defragmenter should be run about once per month.

Stop Programs from Loading at Startup

If you have Windows 98 or Windows ME you can stop programs that load at startup easily. To do so, click on START< RUN and type in MSCONFIG and hit enter (or click on OK). The System Configuration Utility will open up. Look through the tabs and uncheck the items that you don't want to load. Be careful that you don't remove important things like device drivers.

Uninstall Unneeded Software

To uninstall a program that you no longer need or want, click on START> SETTINGS> CONTROL PANEL. In the Control Panel double click on the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMS icon. You'll be presented with a list of programs that are currently installed. Highlight the one you want to remove then click on the REMOVE button to start the uninstallation process.

Other Great Sources for Tips & Tricks

ActiveWin.com

Bob Cerelli's Windows Page

Chami.com

Windows Tips and Tricks

OptimizeXP.net