CTRL + Z = Undo!

You were working on a document the other day and made a big mistake. You messed up just about the whole thing and it took forever to get it back to the way it was. Is there a better way?

Yes.

First, if you make a mistake, hit CTRL-Z. In most programs, that will undo whatever it was that you just did. Bad thing is that many programs only give you one or two of these undos. Then you're stuck - or are you?

One clever way to make sure you can always go back is to save your file frequently - especially if you're about to make some big changes. Then if you really mess up good, just close the file and DON'T SAVE IT.

When you open it back up, you'll be back to the way it was when you last saved. This is really handy if you're playing around with image manipulation and are "testing" different effects.

If you want to take this to the next level, you may want to save your file under a different name each time. After all, when it comes to computers, you just can't be too paranoid :-)

I know, this all may seem incredibly obvious, but I can't tell you the number of times I've seen people waste a half an hour trying to get a document back to the way it was originally when they could have just used this tip.

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

Word Processing Problems

Are you having a hard time with your word processor? When you go to highlight a large section of text with your mouse (more than what's currently shown on the screen), you zip right past the point where you want to stop. So, you keep your mouse button down, and go back up only to zip by your stopping point again. This can go on and on in a vicious circle. Here's how to stop this hassle.

The best way I know of is to lay off the mouse a little (they can get wild, ya know). First, put your cursor at the point where you want to start highlighting (selecting) the text.

OK, now (keep your hands off that mouse) hold down your SHIFT key and use your up / down arrows. You'll find when you hold down an arrow that the text scrolls (and highlights) by at a much more manageable rate.

Oh, if the section is really big, tap your Page Up and Page Down keys till you get close to where you need to stop.

Who knew it could be so easy?

Publish Post

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

Shifty Little Tabs

Most people know if they hit the tab key, they can hop from control to control in a program. What most don't realize is that if they hold the shift key while they tab, they can go backwards through the controls.

Sidebar:
Before you ask, Controls are the "objects" you interact (play) with in a program. Stuff like buttons, checkboxes, text boxes, lists, etc. are all controls. Basically, if you can do something with it, it's considered a control.

End Sidebar

For example, say you're filling out a form on a web page. You fill in your first name and, in all your excitement, accidentally tab right past the last name box. You can easily get back to the last name field by holding down the shift key and hitting the tab key.

So, next time you get a little wild with your tabbing, don't grab your mouse - just press your shift key.

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

Don't touch that mouse!

If you are a decent typist, you probably find it annoying to hop constantly between the keyboard and your mouse. I find it irritating and I'm not even that great of a typist! So, here are a couple of ways to help keep your fingers safely at the keyboard.

Here's a trick for generating a "right-click" from your keyboard. Make sure your cursor is where you want it and hit the SHIFT & F10 keys together. You can then use your arrow keys to select the menu option you need (hit ENTER once you have made the selection).

Since the most common task for a right-click is to copy a selection of text (something normally done with a mouse), it would appear that the above tip is fairly worthless. However, I wouldn't put in a tip like that, now would I??

To make the above tip more useful, you'll need to know how to select text with your keyboard. Fortunately, that's easy enough; just use your arrow keys while holding down the SHIFT key.

Who needs a mouse anyway??

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

Number Locking

(Sorry, no picts on this one, I can't grab a screen shot without Windows running)

Does your NumLock key need to be activated every time you boot your computer? Well, *most* computers have a setting that allows you to have it turn on automatically. Since this tip requires you to play around with your computer's system settings (NOT Windows settings), I need to tell you that it's a do-at-your-own-risk deal (more so than usual).

Since all computers are a little different, you may find the instructions below aren't *exactly* what you'll encounter. So, with that in mind, here's how to automatically turn on that NUM Lock key:

1. Turn your computer on. As it's going through its memory tests and getting ready to start loading windows, look for something that says "Press xxxxx To Enter Setup" (mine actually says: "Press DEL to enter setup").

These instructions are usually in the lower left hand corner of your screen. If you don't see any instructions, try hitting your Escape key. That will sometimes clear any "splash screen" and let you see what's behind it. If that doesn't work, you may have to dig through your manual to figure out how to get into your system setup.

Please note that this is done well before Windows wakes up. In fact, for most computers you'll need to do it within a few seconds of boot up.

2. Hopefully you're now in the System Setup area. The Num Lock setting is normally under an option like "BIOS Features Setup" and is called something cryptic like "Boot up NumLock status" You'll need to use your arrow keys to navigate around and usually your Page up / Page Down keys to change settings. Once you arrow to the setting, turn it on (again, probably with your Page up/ Page down keys)

3. After it's set, hit the ESCAPE button. Most computer setup screens have two exit options, one to save and exit and the other to not save and exit. Select the "save and exit" option (you may have to confirm by pressing the "y" key) and your computer should re-boot.

That's about it. If you did everything correctly, your NumLock key should now be turning itself on.

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

Where Was I?

Have you ever been working on a large document in MS Word? You know, one of those really long, several day projects that we all love?

The bad thing (as if a several day project isn't bad enough) is when you open the document, your cursor sits at the very top. You end up scrolling all over the place just to figure out where you left off. Hmm, but do you have to?

Nope, just hit SHIFT - F5 and you'll be transported to the position your cursor was at when you saved the document (be it top, bottom, or middle).

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

Arrow Tricks

Here's a cool little arrow trick. Next time you're using your arrow keys to go from one area of a sentence to another (left and right arrows), hold down your CTRL key. Instead of moving one space at a time, you'll go one word at a time.

If you're using the up and down arrows to go from line to line, holding down the CTRL key will make your cursor jump from paragraph to paragraph (well, from carriage return to carriage return anyway).

One last thing, if you hold down the SHIFT key while you do this (i.e. hold down SHIFT + CTRL at the same time), you select text as you arrow along.

I've tested this in MS Word and Wordpad, but it *should* work no matter what word processing program you use.

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

CTRL Your Folders (and more)

Do you ever find yourself scrolling through a huge folder? If you need to get to the beginning or the end quickly, just press CTRL - HOME. If you want to get to the end, click CTRL - END.

Hey, that's not all!

This little trick works on more than just folders. If you use the HOME key in a word processor, it probably goes to the beginning of the line you're currently working on. If you hit the END key, it should head to the end of the current line. Use HOME & END with the CTRL key in a word processor to go to the beginning or end of a document. Again, this should work, but it depends on your word processor.

Oh, try hitting the HOME or END key with your web browser too :-)

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

Find Stuff

Has this ever happened to you?

You're looking for something on a long web page with Internet Explorer. You think it's there, but you're faced with seemingly insurmountable number of paragraphs, sentences, and words to hunt though.

Well, next time this happens to you, hit the Edit menu, Find (or CTRL-F for you shortcut lovers). You'll get a handy little "find" box that lets you type in a specific word. After you type in your search term, hit the Find Next button and Explorer will look for that word on the page. If it's successful, you'll be zapped right to it.

Oh, if you're still using Netscape, you can do the CTRL-F thing too. Works with both browsers.

As if that wasn't cool enough, you can also use a variation of this tip in Windows Explorer. Next time you're looking for a file in explorer, hit CRTL-F and you'll get a Find or Search box (depending on what flavor of Windows you're using).

If you are already in the area of your hard drive where you think the file is (say, My Documents), hit CTRL-F and your search will be set to look in the My Documents folder.

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

Wheel Mouse Trick

Do you have one of those handy little wheel mice? If so, here's a cool trick for Internet Explorer that you'll like.

Have you ever found yourself on a web page with a font so tiny it was almost unreadable? Well, don't strain your eyes a moment longer. Next time you visit a page like that, hold down your CTRL key and roll the wheel on your wheel mouse. You'll find that you can increase / decrease the font size as fast as your finger can spin that little wheel. Give it a try now if you like. Here's some small text to play with:

Wow! Look at this small text!

Don't have a wheel mouse you say? Well, there's another way to increase the size of your fonts. Just hit the View menu, Text Size, and you'll get a sub menu that lets you choose a larger or smaller font.

Oh, one more thing. If you start messing around with font sizes, you may discover the web site you're looking at doesn't display quite right. Most of the time us web designers create the site to look good based on a certain font size. Just FYI.

Thanks to the reader who sent that one in!

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

Tips & Tricks

Undo Tricks

If you use computers a lot, you probably find yourself out in the real
world wishing you had an Undo command (you know, like just before you're
about to smash your new car). Well, the "universal" undo shortcut is:

CTRL-Z

CTRL-Z is normally used in word processing documents, but it also works
just about anywhere in windows. Let's say you accidentally drag an icon
to your desktop and really wish you had it to do over. Well, hit CTRL-Z
and the icon vacates your desktop and jumps back to wherever it was
before.

Works with Windows Explorer too. Let's say you accidentally delete a
file. Instead of going to the recycle bin to recover it, hit CTRL-Z.
Note that this only works if you are sending the file to the recycle
bin. If you hold down the SHIFT key while you delete (bypasses the
recycle bin) the file is lost. All the CTRL-Z ing in the world won't
help.

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

A Fast System Properties Box

Need to get to your system properties? Well, you *could* click the Start button, Settings, Control Panel, then open the System icon.

Want a faster way?

Hold down the ALT key and double click the My Computer icon on your desktop.

And you get this:

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

Get Sticky

I love using keyboard shortcuts. It's quick and makes me look like I'm a pro or something. However, I realize that many of you like to keep one hand on the mouse, so those three key combos are out. How about a way to type one key at a time rather than all at once?

This feature is called "Sticky Keys" and gives you a delay between key strokes when doing a keyboard shortcut. Let's say you want to copy something-rather than hold down Ctrl + C you can type Ctrl then C.

Ready to get sticky? Here's what to do...

Head over to the Control Panel (Click Start / Settings / Control Panel ) and select "Accessibility Options".

On the "Keyboard" Tab, place a check in the checkbox next to "Use Sticky Keys".

Click OK to close the Accessibility Options window.

Now you can do combos a key at a time. Yeah!

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

Instant Properties

Here's a quick little trick you'll like. If you need to get the properties for something (like an icon, for instance), just hold down your ALT key and double-click it. Instant properties!

Try it with "My Computer" or one of your regular desktop icons.

And yes, I know that you can also right-click an item and select Properties from the resulting menu. I just thought this was cooler.

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

Caps Lock Trick

Don't you hate it when you accidentally hit the Caps Lock key? Sometimes I have a whole sentence typed in before I realize my mistake! (I know, GASP!)

What if you could set your computer up so it alerts you when your pinky finger wanders off and taps the Caps Lock key? With this tip, I'll show you how to make your computer beep & flash the next time it happens.

The first thing you'll need to do is get the computer to beep when you hit the Caps Lock key. Here's how:

1. Click the Start button, Settings, Control Panel (XP Users, hit the Start button, Control Panel). Open the Accessibility Options Icon.

2. On the Keyboard tab, click the "Use Toggle Keys" checkbox.

That's it for the beeping part.

Next, we need to get your screen to flash you, err, flash at you. Here's how:

1. From the Accessibility Options screen, click the Sound tab and check the "Use SoundSentry" checkbox.

2. Next click the Settings button and select "Flash active window" from the "Warning for windowed programs" drop down box.

That's it. Hit OK until you're clear of property and settings screens. Open your favorite word processor and hit your Caps Lock key.

Cool huh?

P.S. If you don't have an Accessibility Options icon in your Control Panel, you may not have it installed.

To install, hit your Start button, Settings, Control Panel. Open the Add / Remove programs icon and click the Windows Setup tab. You'll be able to add components from there. Keep in mind you'll need your Windows CD!

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

Tips & Tricks

The BIG Keyboard Shortcut List

What is the allure of keyboard shortcuts? Do they really save time? Why bother since my mouse is permanently attached to my hand?

I like to use keyboard shortcuts, especially if someone is watching me, because they make me look like a pro. With just a few key strokes I can leave a mouser spinning his wheel! Whatever your motivation, here's a big list of keyboard shortcuts:

GENERAL SHORTCUTS

ALT- F4 - Quit a program / Shut down

ALT-TAB - Hold down the ALT key and hit tab to cycle through open windows.

CTL-ESCAPE - Display the Start menu

SHIFT - TAB - tab backwards through a form

CTRL - X - Cut

CTRL - C - Copy

CTRL - V - Paste

F1 - Help menu

CTRL - Z - Undo

SHIFT & Restart - To restart just windows and not your whole computer, hold down the shift key when you click the OK button on the shutdown screen. Saves lots of time. (not for XP)

CRTL-TAB - Navigate tabs on a tabbed screen

FILE & DESKTOP SHORTCUTS

Hold SHIFT while inserting a CD - Prevents the CD from "autorunning"

If an item is selected:

CTRL while dragging a file - Copies the file

CTRL - SHIFT while dragging a file - Creates a shortcut to the file

SHIFT - DELETE - Deletes an item without sending it to the recycle bin.

ALT-ENTER - Display a file's properties.

F2 - To rename the file

In Windows Explorer:

LEFT ARROW - Collapse the current selection if it is expanded

NUM LOCK-MINUS SIGN (-) - Collapse the selected folder

RIGHT ARROW - Expand the current selection if it is collapsed -Or- Select the first subfolder

NUM LOCK- * Expand all folders below the current selection

NUM LOCK- PLUS SIGN (+) - Expand the selected folder

F6 - Switch between left and right panes

In My Computer:

BACKSPACE - View the folder one level up

ALT- RIGHT ARROW - Move forward to a previous view

ALT- LEFT ARROW -Move backward to a previous view

INTERNET BROWSER SHORTCUTS

For Internet Explorer 6 and Netscape 7 (may work in older versions)

Open History Window	Ctrl+H
Reload	Ctrl+R
Back (Previous Page)	Alt+Left Arrow or Alt+Backspace
Forward (Next Page)	Alt+RIght Arrow
Stop	Esc
Home	Alt+Home
Go to Bottom of Page	End
Go to Top of Page	Home
New Window	Ctrl+N
Close WIndow	Ctrl+W
Go Up one Line	Up Arrow
Go Down One Line	Down Arrow
Full Screen (toggle)	F11
Find on Page	Ctrl+F
Add Current Page to Favorites	Ctrl+D
Print Current Page or Active Frame	Ctrl+P
Organize Favorites (IE)/ Manage Bookmarks (NS)	Ctrl+B
Maximize a Window	Alt+Space+x
Minimize a window	Alt+Space+N
Scroll page up	Alt+Up Arrow
Scroll page down	Alt+Down Arrow

Internet Explorer ONLY

Open Favorites Bar	Ctrl+I
Select text in address bar	Alt+D
Force Reload (not from cache)	Ctrl+F5

Netscape ONLY

Open / Close Sidebar Panel (toggle)	F9
Select text in Location Bar	Ctrl+L
Force Reload (not from Cache)	Ctrl+Shift+R
Zoom Text Smaller	Ctrl+- (minus)
Zoom text larger	Ctrl+= (plus sign)

WINDOWS KEY SHORTCUTS

The Windows key can be used in conjunction with other keys to act as a keyboard shortcut for faster access to menu commands. Now, while the Alt key tends to open program menus (ex: Alt+F opens the File menu and Alt+E opens the Edit menu) and the Ctrl key performs actual operations (ex: Ctrl+C will copy and Ctrl+V will paste), the Windows key will open various Windows tools...

Win key + R will open the Start menu's Run box
Win key + F will open the Start menu's Find window
Win key + E will quickly launch Explorer
Win key + Pause/Break will open the System Properties window
Win key + M will Minimize all windows
Win key + Shift + M will undo Minimize all windows
Win key + D will switch between minimizing all open programs and showing them all
Win key + Tab will cycle through items on the taskbar
Win key by itself will open the Start menu

You can also open programs or folders on your desktop by pressing the Windows key + the first letter of the program/folder/shortcut + Enter . Sounds kinda tedious, but if you're in a bind with your mouse, it can come in quite handy

ARROW TRICKS

Here's a cool little arrow trick to try with word processing programs. Next time you're using your arrow keys to go from one area of a sentence to another (left and right arrows), hold down your CTRL key. Instead of moving one space at a time, you'll go one word at a time.

If you're using the up and down arrows to go from line to line, holding down the CTRL key will make your cursor jump from paragraph to paragraph (well, from carriage return to carriage return anyway).

One last thing, if you hold down the SHIFT key while you do this (i.e. hold down SHIFT + CTRL at the same time), you select text as you arrow along.

I've tested this in MS Word and Wordpad, but it *should* work no matter what word processing program you use.

HOME / END KEY FUN

Do you ever find yourself scrolling through a huge folder ? Well, if you need to get to the beginning or the end quickly, just press Ctrl+Home . If you want to get to the end, click Ctrl+End .

Hey, that's not all!

This little trick works on more than just folders. If you use the Home key in a word processor, it goes to the beginning of the line you're currently working on. If you hit the END key, it should head to the end of the current line. If you pair Home & End up with the Ctrl key in a word processor, you will be whisked away to the beginning or end of the document. Again, this should work, but it depends on your word processor.

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

Do You Know the Menu Key?

I made a new friend today. It was there all along and I never noticed it on the right side of my keyboard between the Window Key and the Control Key. I don't even know its name, so I'll call it the Menu Key. Why? Because when you press it, it opens up a drop-down menu for whatever program you're in. The menu includes all the information you would see if you right clicked, so I guess you could also call it the Right-Click Key.

So, next time you're typing away and need an edit menu or some other feature that you normally right-click to get, just head down to the Menu Key. Pretty soon it'll be your friend too.

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips

Copy & Paste

First off, you'll be glad to learn copying and pasting is easy. You can copy and paste just about anything your little heart desires: text, web pages, files, pictures, you name it. The idea behind the process is to take information from one place and deposit it into another.

For an example, let's pretend you're working in a word processor and need to copy and paste a section of your document into an e-mail. Here's how:

1. First, you'll need to select the text you wish to copy. You do this by putting your mouse cursor at the first character you want to copy and, holding down the left mouse button, drag the cursor to the last character you need copied. As you drag, you'll notice everything gets highlighted (selected).

2. Next, right-click the selected area. Choose Copy from the menu that pops up (or you can use CTRL-C if you like keyboard shortcuts).

3. Finally, right-click the area in your e-mail document where you would like to insert the word processor text. Click Paste from the menu that pops up (For this, CTRL-V is your keyboard shortcut).

That's it. The steps are basically the same for any copy & paste procedure you need to do.

Here's another example. In the image below, we'll take a line of text, copy it, and paste the copy below the original line:

If you want to get a little more fancy, place your cursor at the first character you want selected and, while holding down the SHIFT key, click next to the last character you want selected. It's sometimes easier to follow this procedure than to make selections by dragging, especially when your wrestling with a lengthy document. I can't remember the number of times the area I wanted to stop selecting at zipped right by me on a document!

Another fun way to use the SHIFT key is adding to an existing selection.
Let's say you select an area of text and you came up short of what you really needed. Rather than trying to re-select the whole thing, just hit the SHIFT key and click your mouse where you would like the selection to end. (You can also shorten a selection by doing this too.)

After you have used the SHIFT key to get your text selected, follow the pervious steps to copy / paste.

Read more »

Posted in: Keyboard Tips