From The Tips Box: Web Chat, Shoehorns, Quiet MP3s

Readers offer their best tips for navigating chat windows on the web, putting on shoes easily, and dealing with MP3 players that are just too darn quiet.

Every day we receive boatloads of great reader tips. From the Tips Box is where we round up some of our favourites. Got a tip of your own to share? Add it in the comments or send it using the contact tab on the right.

Press Tab to Switch Between Conversations in Gmail, Facebook

E1M0 and Destructive Appetite discover an awesome shortcut for web-loving socialites:

When talking with multiple people in Gmail or Facebook’s chat windows, you can press tab to switch between conversations.

Use Your Belt as a Makeshift Shoehorn

Photo by Steve Johnson.

Bret shares an easier way to slide your foot into stubborn dress shoes:

Use your belt on your trousers as a shoehorn when dressing. You can lower the belt without ever bending down to reach your shoes.

Change Your MP3 Player’s Country for Better Volume Control

Photo by Mark.

Jeremy Moulton fights back against the man and listens to his music loudly:

If you live in Europe, and your Sandisk Sansa device is playing very quietly, reset it as a device from “North America” or “Other Country”. The EU has a limit on the volume, and it means the device is capped at a certain point. Resetting it as a device from elsewhere in the world will remove this ridiculous volume cap.

Not sure if this also works with other MP3 players, but it’s certainly worth a shot.

Batch Delete Favorites in Windows Using the Registry

Bob shares:

This Registry location holds all the “Favorites” you may have bookmarked in order to get at them more quickly:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Applets\Regedit\Favorites

When it comes time to get rid of some or all of them, go there; deleting multiple entries is far less tedious than using “Remove favourite…” from the favourites menu.

Also, once you’re at that location, add it as a favourite, so you can get to the list quickly in the first place.