windows tip
Remove Outlook Attachments Without Deleting the Message
7:25AM Adam Pash | Too many large email attachments weighing down Outlook’s PST file and your hard drive, but you don’t want to throw out the message with the attachment? Weblog Digital Inspiration details how to separate attachments from email messages in Outlook without deleting the message. It’s a simple process, and when you’re done the file is no longer attached to the message; you can keep or delete it as you see fit. It’s not difficult, but the little two-step process could save you hard drive space and keep Outlook’s PST file lighter and snappier—especially if you back it up regularly. Remove Email Attachments In Outlook Without Deleting the Message [Digital Inspiration] More »
Eliminate XP’s Unread Mail Count
8:00AM Kevin Purdy | If you’re a veteran Windows XP user, you’re familiar with the “helpful” count of your unread email messages you’ll find at the login screen—which is usually wrong or overstated (my screenshot came from a fresh install of Thunderbird). The Online Tech Tips blog shows how to eliminate this stress-inducing reminder through a registry hack. Readers comfortable tweaking in regedit can find the values and instructions at the link below; those who don’t mind installing a free (and very handy) power-user program can accomplish the same thing using TweakUI (here’s where to look once you’ve busted out this power tool). How to get rid of Unread Mail Count in Windows XP [Online Tech Tips] More »
Change Command Prompt’s Default Font for Easier Reading
7:10AM Kevin Purdy | The default prompt in Windows’ Command Prompt isn’t the easiest to read, but Microsoft has a font, Consolas, that works much better in a terminal, as attested to by our commenters. The Digital Inspiration blog runs down how to set Consolas as the default font in your command prompt. Vista users can perform a registry hack to enable their pre-installed Consolas, but XP users without Office 2007 can download the PowerPoint viewer to grab all the Vista fonts. Hit the link for installation and registry-tweaking instructions. Change the Font of Command Prompt Window to Consolas For More Comfortable Reading [Digital Inspiration] More »
Use a Built-In Windows Utility to Create Self-Extracting Archives
12:00AM Kevin Purdy | Most any savvy computer user is probably pretty handy with a free compression and archiving tool (like, say, 7-Zip), but not everyone they send files to will be. The Confessions of a Freeware Junkie blog points out that IExpress.exe, a built-in utility you simply type into the “Run” menu in Windows XP or “Start Search” in Vista, can create self-extracting archives to be emailed to anyone using Windows. Just choose “Extract files only” while clicking through the wizard interface, choose the files to be zipped up, and the end user only has to double-click to get them. IExpress also works as an easy way to convert batch files into executables. Need more info on IExpress? Check out Microsoft’s help page on the tool. Did you know? Windows has a built-in tool to create self-extracting archives via ‘Iexpress.exe’ [Confessions of a Freeware Junkie] More »
Shutdown or Restart Windows from the Shutdown.exe GUI
8:00AM Adam Pash | We’ve covered how to quickly shutdown Windows from the command line or using shortcuts to shutdown.exe as a command line tool, but the Confessions of a freeware junkie weblog points out that shutdown.exe can also be used to great effect through it’s lesser-known graphical interface. In fact, the graphical utility provides a simple interface to remotely shutdown one or several computers on your network, making it a particularly useful tool if you need to perform some network maintenance. It may not be something you use all the time, but this built-in tool is handy to have on hand. Did you know? Windows Shutdown.exe has a built-in GUI [Confessions of a freeware junkie] More »
Answer “No to All” When Copying Files
8:00AM Adam Pash | If you’ve ever copied a folder’s worth of files in Windows, you’ve come across the Confirm File Replace dialog, which asks you if you want to replace an existing file with a new file. You have the option to answer Yes just for this file, Yes to All—which will just replace all the originals with the new copies—or you can say No; what’s missing is a button to say No to All. Rather than clicking No countless times if No to All is what you really want, tech weblog Online Tech Tips points out that Windows simulates the No to All response if you hold the Shift key and then click No. It’s a strange feature, and actually one that we covered years ago, but it’s worth a second mention. Vista changed this dialog entirely, but if you’re still living la vida XP, it’s a good shortcut to know. How to simulate “No to all” when copying in Windows XP [Online Tech Tips] More »
Display Vista’s Clock with a Keyboard Shortcut
4:00AM Adam Pash | Tech blogger Amit Agarwal loves Vista’s new system tray clock and calendar, but prefers not to move to his mouse whenever he wants to take a closer look. To remedy this, he’s set up a simple shortcut to display the clock at the stroke of his keyboard. If you don’t want to take the shortcut route, the post also details a few other methods for getting a quick look at the date and time. Got a favourite method of your own to get a quick glance at the calendar and clock? Share it in the comments. Display Windows Clock On Your Desktop With a Keyboard Shortcut [Digital Inspiration] More »
Keep Taskbar Windows Always Grouped with a Registry Hack
12:20AM Kevin Purdy | If you use Windows’ built-in feature that groups similar program windows on the taskbar, you’ve noticed it only works when you’ve launched enough windows to fill the taskbar. The CyberNet blog offers up a customisable registry tweak that activates the grouping with just two or more windows open. Not everyone enjoys the grouping function, as it was downgraded to a non-default setting in Vista, but for those who do, the hack can be a real helper. You can download a registry fix file at the link below, or make the change yourself at the following key: More »Automatically Mute Your Speakers Overnight
12:00PM Adam Pash | Windows only: Last week we highlighted how to mute your Mac on a schedule, and this week weblog Inspect My Gadget details how to set up similar functionality in Windows. The post suggests a few tools that might do the job, then settles on adding a scheduled task to Windows to mute your computer using a freeware utility called Mute. It requires a minimum of setup but works perfectly, which is always nice. Like the idea of all that automation? Check out how you can get more from Windows Scheduled Tasks. How-to: Schedule your speakers to automatically mute overnight [Inspect My Gadget] More »
