Short cuts and other tips Vista Tips Discuss Short cuts and other tips in the Windows Vista forums; I thought we could share some available useful shortcuts and tips to make Vista run better and make for safer data and file protection. 1. There's one short cut ...

[felix8406]

I thought we could share some available useful shortcuts and tips to make Vista run better and make for safer data and file protection.
1. There's one short cut I use frequently on IE...Ctrl + D. If I'm doing a search and don't want to loose the website that I just found, pressing Ctrl + D sends the link of the webpage directly to my favorites.
2. Documents should be setup so the data is maintained on a separate drive other than where the operating system is install, normally the C: drive. This way if something happens to the operating system and the HD needs formatted, ur data will still be safe. First your HD needs to have at least two partitions (partition has to be large enough to maintain ur data). Right click on documents, select property, on popup window change HD letter from C: to the designated partition where u want ur data stored. You may be ask if u want to create the folder, select yes, then select yes when prompt if u want your files move to the new folder.

Please share some more tips.

[felix8406]

The Quick Launch Toolbar can make u more efficient and save u time. It's not enabled by default, so u need to enable it if u want to take advantage of it. The Quick Launch shortcuts are always visible on your taskbar and require just one "left-click" to activate. You can add shortcuts to folders and files, as well applications. To activate "Quick Launch Toolbar" right button click on open area of Taskbar, go to Toolbars" and click on "Quick Launch". To expand the Quick Launch tool bar, right click open area of taskbar, make sure the Taskbar is not locked, and then pull the "handle" (shown as a series of small dots). Drag any file, shortcut or application to the Quick Launch toolbar and it'll be quickly available to you on just one click.

[Znod]

Good tips felix. I like to keep my data safe in a less "complicated" fashion. I just back it up. I keep everything backed up at a second location which takes care of issues such as hard-drive failure, fire, and theft. Also, if I am working on something I care about, then I back it up to a flash on close or, at worst, at the end of my work session. I always carry the flash drive with me for eventual backup at the second location.

And, another tip is that I always keep an updated (enough) disk image of my internal drive on an external drive for disaster recovery. Having such an image provides the fastest and least labor intensive method of recovering from a disaster IMO.

[felix8406]

Task Manager provides information about programs and processes running on ur PC and displays the most commonly used performance measures for processes. U can see the status of the programs that are running and end programs that have stopped responding.
Most people access the WIndows Task Manager by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete, however, u can access it much faster through the taskbar. Just right click on the Taskbar and select Task Manager.

[felix8406]

Use the new/improved search tool to organize and find data more efficiently. Using the search tools and folders allows u to find all data on your PC, including mail, music, pictures and personal files and folders quickly. The good thing about it is you don't need to know the complete name of the file or folder u are searching for...just a few words will do the trick. U can also add tags to your data so it'll be easier to search. For example you can add a keyword, e.g. science, to all documents related to a specific school project. When you want to search for “science, all documents related to the science project will be displayed. U can add tags when saving the document using the “save as” command or after the document has been saved.

[felix8406]

Did u know u can install Vista RC1 without a product key to try out the five Vista versions....Ultimate, Home Premium, Home Basic, Business, or Starter?
During the installation, leave the product key field blank, hit next, and answer no to the dialog box. Select which edition to install and check the box at the bottom. Note: Please keep in mind that u won't be able to activate Vista unless u have a prduct key for the version u selected. This is only for those of us who want to see how each Vista version looks like.

[Znod]

. You are providing some interesting and good info.

[felix8406]

Thanks Znod. One thing I do want to warn is that the key issued with RC1 does not work unless u install the complete program, e.g. if u choose to install Vista Home Premium, your current DVD product key is not going to work and u cannot activate windows. U'll be able to use whatever version u choose for 14-days, after that, u must either upgrade or do a complete installation. By the way, I installed the starter version and performance rating stayed the same. The PC does react much faster though.

[felix8406]

Do u want your Vista power button on the Start menu to shut down ur PC rather than putting it to sleep (default)? Click Change advanced power settings and tweak the settings. Go to “Control Panel”, click the “Power Options” icon (switch to classic view if u need to), Click “Change power settings”, click “Change advanced power settings”, click “Power buttons and lids”, “Start menu power button”, select “settings”, shutdown instead of sleep.
Like Compaq PC used to say "happy computing".

[crabby]

Great thread felix You have quite alot of time on your hands atm don't you If only my days were so free

crabby