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Settings Checkmark _ opens links in new windows Control Panel Settings: Start\Settings\Control Panel\, If you make it that far, you have discovered a small world of settings possibilities in your computer. Here, you will find the inside links to your different hardware and software for your PC (personal computer) and here, you can make things personalized for you from your time zone to the buttons on your mouse for right or left handed individuals. If you are handicapped in sight or hearing there is an accessibility wizard in your control panel that can make your computing much more suitable for your needs. It is in Windows 98 and up, I am not sure of 95 but I think it is in 95 also. Be aware, your settings\control panel\install-uninstall tab links you to removal of or installation of programs and should be considered carefully before making changes but, learn about it. It's best to uninstall a program rather than deleting it. Deletion removes what you see in a folder for a software program but it does not remove the files for that program that it's original installation installed into your Windows Operating System. Know positively what you are doing in this area. Take your time. As you do Microsoft updates, they will be added and show up in the uninstall area. Learn to recognize them so you don't uninstall something you wish you hadn't. You will find also in the settings tab, display settings (colors, background picture, screensaver font sizes), your clock and time zone, your mouse, your keyboard and your scanner and more that you can change so your hardware will work for you and these directions or settings change or personalize your computer for your computing needs. Don't be afraid to click on any of the icons in the control panel area to study what is there. It's an adventure and you can't hurt anything by looking. Once you decide you want to make some changes, just do it while thinking, not clicking wildly. The only real don't: DO NOT FIND YOUR WAY INTO THE REGISTRY AND MAKE CHANGES IN IT. NO CHANGES IN THE REGISTRY, PERIOD UNLESS YOU ARE AN EXPERT. MY HUSBAND ASKS ME NOT TO GET INTO THE REGISTRY AND I HAVE RESPECTED THAT REQUEST. I WILL BE STUDYING THE SITUATION ALWAYS TO LEARN AS I WOULD LIKE TO BE KNOWLEDGEABLE ENOUGH TO "GO THERE". Two Windows folders I get into: 1- fonts (text lettering). Never change or try to change the name of a downloaded font. 2- media files (sounds) I love sound files and fonts and download MANY from the internet. You will find links to find some nice fonts on my mirror pages and you can search for (fun .wav files or wav files or wav and fonts) on your favorite search engine. To play different sounds in your windows programs as alarms for different situations, go to:
Windows 98 and 98 second edition: XP = start\settings\control panel\sound and speech Scroll through the options to find what you want to change. I love using the sounds especially for my email to let me know when it comes in and for error messages. Click on the option you want to change then browse to the sound you want to use and click on it. Hit apply and then okay and you should have a sound change at that time. There is a small black arrow, almost un-noticeable to preview the sound next to the apply button. If you download sounds from the internet for your fun media files, they are installed here: C:\Windows\Media Music files you download go into your My Documents\My Music and you can make as many folders to organize in that folder as you want. It is not impossible for a virus file to be deliberately programmed to download with font or music files. It never hurts to check out these files with TrendMicro after the download. Go to the site, browse to your folder and do the Virus Scan. Click play to hear a favorite error sound Click play to hear a favorite incoming email sound
Going into Windows Explorer:
Drag and drop, how to: (situate your mouse cursor over an icon then left click on the icon and continue to hold the left key of your mouse down while dragging the icon across your desktop stopping at a spot and let go. You should have moved the icon to another spot of choice. This same technique is used to move an icon or a file or a folder into a folder. If you want to move a file to a folder, you have a couple of choices to make the move. Right click on the file and select cut then right click on the desired folder and select paste or, left click on the file keeping the left mouse key held down then drag to the folder of choice and when you see that folder light up, drop the file by letting go of the left mouse key and it will drop into the folder. Address bar in Windows Explorer: Windows Explorer works inside your computer the same as Internet Explorer works outside your computer on the internet. Inside your computer or outside on the internet, they both have address bars you can utilize to travel either to files in your computer or to pages out on the internet. Both address bars work the same way. You can use either address bar for searching the Internet. You can actually plug an internet address into your Windows Explorer address bar and it will take you out to the Internet just as Internet Explorer carries you there. Use the tabs at the top of the Windows Explorer page the same way as the tabs on Internet Explorer. To set up an address bar for your Windows Explorer, go into your windows files then click on the view tab, click toolbars and click or checkmark, Standard buttons, Address Bar and Lock the toolbars. By keeping the address bar in sight when you go into your folders, you can read the file paths or the map of your travels from place to place inside your files. This will help you to learn more about how and where your computer stores its files. I have all of my files in plain sight with all of their extensions meaning the type of file i.e. .txt or .jpg or .html and many more. When you learn what those extensions mean, you are on your way to better computing. If you don't see file extensions or a dot with some letters behind it after each file name, go into your windows explorer to tools click on folder options then on the tab for view and uncheck hide extensions for known file types. I would suggest keeping hidden files and hidden operating system folders hidden. Those are files you never want to play with, at all, ever. Look through and read what the window says for your own education and learning experience but don't checkmark anything indiscriminately. CLICK HERE to see a view of my Windows Explorer in a details mode and how some of my extensions look on one of my picture files. If you download .wav sound files for use you can name them whatever you want but, don't change the name of the extension (.wav or .mid or .mp3 or .wmv or ?) and the same goes for any other sound file. You can give the files recognizable names to please you within reason of length but do not change the extension (the . dot whatever it is). To play a .wav file or any other sound file it must keep its extension so the player recognizes it to play. Do not rename any sound files that come with the windows system or it won't be able to find them to use as warning signals unless you program it to by browsing to the file and making the selection. Listen to a sound file, double click on it or right click and select play. Prevent the loss of your collected fonts and sound files. If you enjoy fonts or sound files and you spend a lot of time searching for them on the internet or purchasing them, keep copies in another folder as well as your Windows\fonts and Windows\Media in your computer. If you have to reload in windows for any reason, all will be restored as it is in the disk you are reloading from. When you reload, everything you collected will disappear from the fonts and media files leaving only what comes with the original Windows disk. If you don't want to lose collected files, keep a backup folder somewhere else in your documents.
All pages have been designed, thought out and compiled as helps for use by Seniors and persons new to computing by: RSBlain aka LittleEgypt of http://www.flyingpigwebdesign.com *Scripts used are from:
Dynamic Drive
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and it should take you into Windows Explorer, also. You can, by the way, keep a shortcut to most files or
folders on your desktop or in a folder made specifically for your most
used shortcuts.
Make a shortcut,
by right clicking on the desired program icon in the programs and select create a shortcut.
If you have the choice to make the shortcut on your desktop do it.
You can drag and drop from there or cut and paste from there to a desktop
folder.
Make a new desktop folder,
right click on the desktop and
look at your options to find make a new folder. Once the new folder
is made, name it as you wish it to be named. Folder not flashing
loosely, right click on it and select rename and it will re-awaken for
renaming.