Computer Tips & Tricks Everyone Should Know Find and Compare the Best Tech Products By Dave LeClair on June 12, 2013 Read user comments (34) Many hardcore computer users might think themselves above learning new tricks, but theres always new things to learn that will help improve your skills. My bet: you will find at least one useful thing here that you didnt know before. Inspired and with the help of this AskReddit discussion, i’ve compiled some of the most handy computer tricks you might not be taking advantage of. My ultimate goal is to help you become more productive by saving valuable seconds off your workflow. Of course, you can always pass along these tips to your not-so-savvy friends and family members to help them become better PC users as well. General Tricks Windows hidden god mode folder Windows offers a centralized Control Panel for all of the OS settings, which makes it easy for users to tweak everything from desktop background to setting up a VPN. To enter this mode, create a new folder with this exact name (copy and paste it): God Mode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}. The folder icon will change to a Control Panel-style icon, and you will be able to jump in and change all kinds of settings. Note: Dont try this on Windows Vista 64-bit as its known to cause a reboot loop. Use Problem Steps Recorder, This handy tool automatically records any mouse clicks and takes screenshots for you. If you need tech assistance with your computer, go to Run by typing Windows R, and then type psr. Use the tool and by the time you are finished, you can send this information, neatly compiled automatically, to the person helping you with the issue. It will make the process of finding the problem much easier for them, which means you will be able to get your system up and running faster. Find/Delete large files wasting space, A handy tool called WinDirStat (Windows Directory Statistics) can be used to easily find which files and folders are taking up the most space on your drive. From there, you can delete them and open up a ton of storage space. Reduce the number of programs running at startup If your PC is taking too long to boot, it’s probably because you have far too many programs running at startup. Reducing this is easy, it will make your PC launch noticeably faster and lighter upon first load. To change the items running at startup, go to Run using the hotkey Windows key R, and type msconfig. A small window will appear, select the Startup tab. From here you will be able to turn off many startup programs, which can save several seconds (or minutes) off your boot time. (Note Windows 8 has moved this functionality to the Task Manager). Try to make sure you research what you are turning off as some processes might be needed by third party programs or drivers you have installed. Cloud backup important files, If you’re working on a critical paper for school, work, or any other major project, make sure you are backing up the file not just locally. You can use services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or any of the other popular cloud storage solution which will do the legwork for you on the background. Of course, you can also throw the files on a thumb drive or external HDD just to be safe but backing up to the cloud can be done seamlessly which is twice the advantage. Typing Tricks Delete an entire word Instead of deleting a single letter, pressing CTRL BKSP will delete the entire word behind the cursor. This makes deleting text quicker if you screw up a whole word. Move Cursor to beginning of the next or previous word, Moving the cursor around manually while typing is a great way to make your work take longer than it needs to, To speed on the process, move the cursor around with keyboard shortcuts. To move it to the beginning of the previous word, use CTRL Left Arrow. To move it to the beginning of the next word, use CTRL Right Arrow. In OS X you can accomplish the same using the Option key. Making sub and superscript text If you need to make sub or superscript text (think exponents for superscript), press CTRL = for subscript and CTRL SHIFT = for superscript. Paste plain text of what was copied When you copy text from any source, programs will usually copy any formatting that comes with it. To paste this as plain text, press CTRL Shift V instead of the standard CTRL V, and the system will paste unformatted text. Note that many programs follow this parameter (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) but not all, particularly Microsoft programs like Word or Outlook. For those theres a few alternatives that go beyond copying and pasting in Notepad: 1) CTRL ALT V will show a paste special dialog box. 2) CTRL Spacebar will remove formatting in already pasted text. 3) Download Puretext and choose a hotkey to always paste plain text with it.
Posted on: Wed, 05 Mar 2014 07:51:07 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015