Ok, now that Microsoft does not support Windows 98 any longer
(you knew that, right?). It’s time to smooth out
some of the ‘rough’ spots in Windows XP.
These tips work with the final release of Windows XP. Unless
otherwise noted, all tips should work with both Home and Professional
Editions. (Please note that some of these tips may require
you to be logged on with Administrative rights.)
Delete files when the Recycle Bin is hidden
This tip has been around for
a while, but I just discovered
it myself. (It’s still a cool tip and roof that
one learns something every day).
By default, the Windows XP Recycle Bin sits at the bottom
right of the desktop, just above the tray notification area
and system clock. If you’ve got a bunch of floating
windows open, however, it’s possible to obscure the
Recycle Bin and make it impossible to drag files and folders
there for deletion. However, Microsoft must have thought of
this event, because you can automatically hide all of those
open windows during a drag operation. The first time it happened,
I thought it was a fluke. But it’s not. Instead, it’s
a cool hidden feature of XP.
Here’s how it works: Make sure a bunch of windows are
open on the screen, with at least one of them hiding the Recycle
Bin. Then, find a file or group of files you’d like
to drag to the Recycle Bin. Pick up the files with the mouse
and move them to the lower right of the screen. As you reach
the bottom area of the screen, pass the mouse cursor over
a blank area of the task bar, hover there for an instant,
and—voila!—the open windows all minimize, leaving
the Recycle Bin available to accept the dragged files.
Use the ultimate configuration tool (Professional Edition
only)
One of the most full featured Windows XP configuration tools
available is hidden right there in your system,
but most people don’t even know it exists. It’s
called the Local Group Policy Editor, or gpedit
for short. To invoke this editor,
select Start and then Run, then
type the following: gpedit.msc. After
you hit ENTER, you’ll be greeted by gpedit, which lets
you modify virtually every feature in Windows XP without having
to resort to regedit. Dig around and enjoy!
Use the Windows Sound Scheme
Windows XP ships with a really
nice new sound scheme, but it’s not
loaded by default for some reason. So once you’ve installed
Windows XP, one of the first things you should do is get that
new sound scheme loaded.
To do so, open up Control Panel and navigate to Sounds, Speech,
and Audio Devices. Then, choose the task titled Change the
sound scheme. In the dialog that appears, choose Windows Default
for the sound scheme. Windows will ask you whether you want
to save the previous scheme, which is usually a brain-dead
question, since no scheme was previously loaded. So choose
No, and then click OK to exit the dialog.
For LAPTOP owners
I’ve saved the best tip for last. Do you know
about ClearType? It will make your laptop (and even
your older desktop) screen look 1,000% better. It’s
built into Windows XP. Here’s how:
l Right-click on a blank
area of the Desktop and choose Properties.
l Click on the Appearance
tab; click effects.
l Check the box: Use the
following method to smooth edges of screen fonts.
l In the drop down box
select: Clear Type.
