With new programs being installed, viruses infecting, and spyware lurking in your browsers, it is not uncommon for your computer to suddenly stop behaving correctly. In fact, it is almost guaranteed that at some point your computer will just not do what you expect it to. Windows has a feature called System Restore to return your computer to a previous working state. System Restore takes a "snapshot" of important system files and stores this information as restore points. You can use these restore points to return Windows to a previous state, ie. the last time it was working properly.

For instructions on System Restore in Windows XP

For instructions on System Restore in Windows Vista

 When you turn on your computer, does it take a long time before Windows actually finishes loading & you can start to use it? This could be because Windows could be loading up lots of programs set to automatically start-up. A program that you DEFINITELY want to start-up automatically is your ANTIVIRUS. Others are completely optional and can be turned off. However, a good rule of thumb is to disable only those programs that you recognise and don't need to have running all the time. When in doubt, leave it on.
For example, on my computer I listen to my MP3s (music files) with a program called WinAmp. For some reason, WinAmp believes that it should always be running on my computer even when I'm not using the program, which is silly & a waste of memory. To prevent WinAmp from automatically starting every time I boot my computer, I ran MSCONFIG and unchecked "WinampAgent." That's it.
To find MSCONFIG on Windows XP, click on the START Menu > go to RUN > type MSCONFIG & click OK. On Windows Vista, go to START > and type MSCONFIG in the Search box. Next select the STARTUP tab. Remember, disable only those programs that you recognise and don't need to have running all the time. When in doubt, leave it on. You can drag & expand the COMMAND column to the right for a better idea of what program the Startup Item belongs to.

 Here's how to recover some disk space: Reduce the Recycle Bin Size.
The default size for the recycle bin is 10% of your drive space,which in truth, is a bit excessive. To reduce the size that the Recycle Bin takes up:
1. Right click on the Recycle Bin icon
2. Select 'Properties'
3. Drag the slider to a lower percentage. I keep mine at 2%.
You can check out how much space is taken up on each drive by clicking on the tab above. 'Space reserved' is how much space is allocated to the Recycle Bin.

Windows has a feature called QuickLaunch which enables you to get to your Desktop & regularly used programs in a single click. If you already have this enabled, you'll see the icons to the right of your Start button; however, by default, the QuickLaunch toolbar is not shown. This handy feature is always viewable on your taskbar so you don't have to return to your desktop or Start options to open the application.

Place your mouse over the image that you would like to save. Click the RIGHT button on you mouse - a menu will appear.
Select "Save Image as " from the menu. A window will appear allowing you to browse to the folder on your computer where you would like to save the image. You can select My Pictures or create a new folder if you want.
Then click "Save". The image is now saved in your nominated folder. NB: Some websites do not want their images available for download - you'll know this when you right click on it and nothing happens.

When you delete a file or folder, in actual fact, it just ends up in your Recycle Bin, where it waits for the unlikely chance that you may need it back later. For example, a quick check in my Recycle Bin showed that I had 3Gb of deleted files sitting there. So if you were deleting files to free up space on your hard drive, they're still there! You'll need to then go into the Recycle Bin & delete the files out of there yet again, to free up that space. There's a simple keyboard shortcut to permanently delete files once and for all. To bypass the Recycle Bin when deleting any file, hold down the SHIFT key as you press Delete. Once you select 'Yes' to the confirmation, the file will be PERMANENTLY deleted and cannot be restored.

Online shopping has been welcomed by many as a chance to avoid the usual mall madness! While virtual shopping may be easy, do a bit of reading to be aware of any possible pitfalls: http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/85568/fromItemId/8135
When paying for goods online, I strongly suggest opening a free PayPal account & try to shop from businesses that accept payments through Paypal. How PayPal works is that you give PayPal your bank account or credit card details which they store on their secure server. Whenever you purchase something online, you make the payment via PayPal who then transfers the funds to the seller's account. This way your financial information is never disclosed. Moreover, PayPal guarantees 100% protection against unauthorised payments sent from your account. PayPal also has a Buyer Protection Program which looks after you, should you not receive your goods. For more info about PayPal, go to http://paypal.com.au

Have you heard of photo sharing? Photo sharing sites allow you to share your photography with friends and family providing a great way to stay in touch. You simply open a free account with a photo sharing site, upload your photos to your account & VOILA! Your friends & family can now view your photos online without the hassle of downloading them in an email. There are numerous photo sharing sites on the Net. A couple of popular ones are Flickr and Picasa web albums:

For more info, please refer to the FAQ/Help sections on the respective websites.


If you've had enough of telemarketers hounding you on the phone (especially those Indian call centres!), register your phone number at
https://www.donotcall.gov.au. Your registration lasts 3yrs and should stop most of those telemarketing companies. (Exempt organisations include charities, religious organisations, educational institutions and political parties.)

Just another word of warning about email scams, also known as phishing. Phishing uses fake emails or other messages, spoofed to appear to come from anywhere like your bank, PayPal, even from your internet provider; and designed to trick you in revealing personal account details to the scammer. One of these scams pretends to be a receipt for an expensive item you didn't buy & says that it's been charged to your credit card. It also includes a link for you to check on this so-called transaction. The scammer hopes that you'll question the supposedly unauthorised charge & click on the link, whereby a spyware program is downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge.  As a general rule of thumb, DELETE ALL EMAILS ASKING YOU TO VERIFY ACCOUNT DETAILS, PASSWORDS ETC. Don't reply to it, don't click on any links - just DELETE. If it's that important, your bank will call you! Moreover any emails from Highway will always be signed off personally.
For examples of some of the phishing scams around, try this Phishing Awareness Test - http://www.netriplex.com/phishfraud/phishing_test.aspx

By default, your email program organises the email in your Inbox and Sent Items folder in chronological order; usually with the most recent date at the top. Did you know that you can sort your email by Sender, Subject & even by Attachments? You'll notice that each column is topped by a Header or Title, eg. From, Subject, Received. Simply click on the appropriate header & that's the way it'll be sorted. For example, if you click on Sender, it'll sort your email in ascending alphabetical order of the Sender's Name. Click Sender again and it'll reverse it into descending order.
I find that chronological/date order is still the best but knowing how to organise it via the other columns is handy, especially if you need to find a particular email.

When you sign up for something on the Web, there's often some innocent- looking text at the end of the form saying something like: "YES, I want to be contacted by select third parties concerning products I might be interested in." Quite often, the checkbox next to that text is already checked and your email address will be given to those so-called third parties; just wait for the spam to roll in! Alternatively, the text will read: "NO, don't give away my email address," and the checkbox will consequently be unchecked by default. This time, you'll have to tick the box. So, the rule here is to:
* carefully read every form you fill on the Web, and
* watch out for those checkboxes!!

For now, I'd advise to hold off on upgrading to Windows Vista. For those of you who already have, there's nothing to worry about. All new systems have bugs and loopholes to sort out, just like XP did, and Microsoft will provide updates to fix these as they arise.
However, just like how you shouldn't buy the latest model anything till it's been tried and tested, it doesn't hurt to stay on XP for a bit longer. Moreover, if your machine already struggles with XP at the best of times, Vista is out of your ballpark. And sad to say, not all hardware and applications/programs will work on Vista. There are known incompatibilities with many games, some antiviruses,CD & DVD burning tools, ADSL modems, to name a few.

Do backup your data. Seriously. Do it.
It is not a good feeling when you lose everything. Back up to a second hard drive, be it internal or external. Those USB pen drives are great for transfering data from one hard drive to another. Consider getting the data off site, just in case the house burns down. Copy the data on a disk and give it to a friend or family for safe-keeping.

When an error occurs in Windows XP which causes a program to crash, Windows may prompt you report the error to Microsoft. Sending the report is optional, but if you'd rather it turned off altogether, here's what you can do:
1. Click Start.
2. Right-click My Computer, then click Properties.
3. Click the Advanced tab.
4. Click Error Reporting.
5. Click Disable error reporting but leave "Notify me when critical errors occur" checked.

In Windows, the Escape [ESC] key can sometimes help get you out of a problem situation. If a program is taking too long to do what you've asked, the ESC key can stop that process. Or say you're renaming a file when you change your mind. Hit the ESC Key to stop the renaming process and return the file to its original name. Basically, hitting the ESC key works just like a Cancel button.

Don't let poor eyesight prevent you from browsing the Web. You can use the Accessibility features in Internet Explorer to increase the text size on webpages and make things a lot easier on your eyes. To make text larger:
1. Go to the View menu.
2. Select Text Size and choose the appropriate size.

  Need to find a particular email that you sent/received amongst the tons of emails in Outlook Express? All you do is click on Edit > Find > Message. Browse for the Folder that the email should be in (eg. Inbox for an email you received, or Sent Items for an email you sent). If you're searching your Inbox, fill in the From: field, entering the email address of person who sent you the email. If you're searching your Sent folder, fill in the To: field, entering the email address of person you sent the email to. If you don't know the email address and all you know is a certain word that would have been in the email message, type that word into the Message: field.

 Does your Internet Explorer window have an old title from a previous connection to your old ISP, eg. Internet Explorer - provided by Big Pond etc? Sometimes,just running a CD that you received free with a magazine will do the the same - "Internet Explorer - provided by APC Magazine". Having this there is totally harmless & does not affect your connection to Highway whatsoever, but if you're like me, and just having this there annoys you, there is a way to remove it! (This applies to computers with WinXP only)
Click on Start > Run & type in: regedit then click OK.
In the left panel, click on the plus sign (+) next to HKEY_CURRENT_USER which then expands the menu. Next click on the plus sign (+) next to Software, then Microsoft, then Internet Explorer, then Main. In the right panel, RIGHT click on Window Title & left click on Delete. When you delete this value, "Microsoft Internet Explorer" becomes the default window title.

 A screenshot is really a snapshot of what is displayed on your monitor. Screenshots can be useful especially when your computer is having problems & one of Window's cryptic unintelligible error messages pops up. These messages may not mean much to you but it could be useful to the person diagnosing your computer. If you get an error message you do not understand or would have difficulty remembering, take a screenshot. It’s the easiest way to save the message to give to others later.
To take a screenshot of your whole screen, press the Print Screen key on your keyboard (usually after the F12 key). Or for one of just the active window, press Alt + Print Screen. This copies what you see on the screen to the Windows clipboard. Now open a word document & press Ctrl + V to paste the image. Now you can save it for future reference or to email.

 Internet Explorer has a feature called AutoComplete that keeps track of information that you've recently typed, such as Web site addresses, information in forms, and search queries. As you type new information, AutoComplete tries to anticipate what you're typing and offers possible matches. This is supposed to save you time because you don't have to type in the full information but,for some, it can also be downright annoying! To turn on/off AutoComplete in Internet Explorer, go to Tools>Internet Options>Content>AutoComplete. You can also erase any usernames and passwords that Internet Explorer has already remembered by clicking the Clear Passwords button.
 

 Do you have a favorite application that you frequently use? If so, you can elevate its priority on the Start menu by putting it at the top of the program list.
First make sure you are in the correct Start Menu view. RIGHT click on Start, left click on Properties & make sure you have Start Menu selected; NOT Classic Start Menu. Now, left click on Start to bring up the Menu, then RIGHT click the link to your favorite program and select the option to Pin to Start Menu. Your program will now be moved permanently to the top part of the list, just below your internet browser and email programs.

 Are you used to selecting text on webpages by holding the left mouse button at the start of a block and dragging your mouse until the end of it? Using this method can become a drag (pardon the pun) when selecting long blocks of text. So, here's another way:
1. Left click just once at the start of the text block that you want to select. You can let go of the left mouse button after left clicking.
2. Go to the very end of the block, hold your SHIFT key down and left click once again. Voila!

 For a great way to put your digital photos to work, try creating a slide show presentation for use as a Screen Saver. Here's how:
1. Right-click an empty spot on your desktop (main screen of your computer) and then click Properties.
2. Click the Screen Saver tab.
3. In the Screen saver list, select My Pictures Slideshow.
4. Click Settings to make any adjustments, such as how often the pictures should change, what size they should be, and whether you'll use transition effects between pictures, and then click OK. Now your screen saver is a random display of the pictures taken from your My Pictures folder.

 Many people make the mistake of trying to email a digital picture which they've taken, without first reducing the file size of the image. Sending a picture which is several megabytes in size is not only time consuming but can be extremely frustrating for the recipient to download, especially if they are on a slower dial-up connection, and may even end up blocking their mailbox. Windows XP has a facility which automatically reduces the size of the image you wish to send. Simply click on the image you want to send and hit the 'Email this file' option under the File and Folders menu in the left hand bar. Select the option to make the picture smaller. The file will automatically be inserted as an email attachment & all you do is simply continue to send the email as per usual.

Does Windows take a long time to load when you turn your computer on? If it gets to the Desktop then takes several minutes before the mouse pointer is finally ready, you may have too many items in your startup folder. These are programs or processes which load up when you start your machine, so the more you have, the longer it will take to load.
Click on the START button then go to RUN and a prompt box will appear. Type MSCONFIG and select STARTUP. Once there, uncheck all the programs you don't need to load when your computer starts up, then click OK. What you see in there may not make much sense but it will not hurt to disable them all as you can always enable the ones you need later if need be. The only program you should LEAVE ENABLED at startup is your ANTIVIRUS PROGRAM.

We all know how to save a website address that you'd like to return to by clicking on Favourites > Add to Favourites, right? But in doing this, you end up with an endless list of Favourites in no particular order. Instead, create a new folder in Favourites for each topic or for each person who uses the computer. Eg. click Add to Favourites then click New Folder. Name the folder "Mum's stuff" or "Holiday Info" or whatever. Click on OK, then on OK again to save the website address in that folder. Now the next time you have a new address to add to "Mum's Stuff", just Add to Favourites and select the appropriate folder. Easy! :)

If you have Windows XP, you may have noticed that your saved password seems to revert to 13 dots which is much longer than what your real password is. Don't worry - there's no need to keep re-entering your password. Your password has been saved correctly but that's XP's little trick in making your password more secure. By making it look longer than what it actually is, your password is harder to second guess. eg. hhmm, 6 dots..his name's John...let's try john01.

If you find that when you open Internet Explorer, there's no dial-up connection box that pops up to prompt you to connect to Hwy, do this: Go to Tools > Internet Options > Connections > then select Always Dial My Default Connection.

Overheating is your computer's biggest enemy. Poor ventilation and dust are the most common causes.
*Keep the computer away from direct sunlight.
*Make sure it has at least 30cm of open space in all directions to maintain proper air circulation.
*Don’t pile papers on top of your computer or monitor; they can cover up vents and cause overheating.
Excessive dust will result in sluggish fan blades and decreased airflow. A fan, which makes grinding, clicking or thumping noises is on its last legs & will need to be replaced.
*Open the case & use compressed air canisters to remove dust and other heat-causing debris. Or vacuum very carefully!
*Keep the computer up off the floor so dust and dirt from the floor or carpet isn’t pulled in. This is especially critical if you have pets with hair, fur or feathers in the area.

Let's say you want to print a document or webpage, however you don't want to print all the pages, just selected ones.
1. Click on File/Print Preview (top left of screen)
2. Click through the pages using the navigation arrows and make a note of which pages you want to print
3. Click on Print (top left of screen)
4. Click on the circle next to "Pages"
5. Type in the pages separate by commas, e.g., 1,7,9 or 5-6
6. OR, to print the page displayed in the Print Preview window, choose Current Page.
7. Click on OK.
Also, if you'd like to fit more printing on the one page, click on File/Page Setup, make sure Headers & Footers are blank, and set smaller margins, eg. 5mm all round.

WinXP & 2000 - To remove the ability for anyone in the world to pop up messages on your computer, you can disable Windows Messenger service.
1. Click Start>Settings >Control Panel
2. Click Performance and Maintenance
3. Click Admin Tools
4. Double click Services
5. Scroll down and highlight "Messenger"
6. Right-click the highlighted line and choose Properties
7. Click the STOP button
8. Select Disable as the Startup Type and click OK
PS: In case you were about to ask, Windows Messenger is not the same as MSN Messenger :)

An easy one yet not done nearly enough. Pick up your keyboard, turn it upside down and tap it on the desk. Now sweep up all the crumbs and dirt that falls out :) Doing this on a regular basis stops keys from sticking. Happy spring cleaning!

So you've finally got yourself a new computer with Windows XP but nothing looks like what you used to have, right?
You can customise your Start Menu so it's more like that of the old familiar Windows 98.
RIGHT click on the Start button (bottom left), left click on Properties, then in the Start Menu tab, select the option for Classic Start Menu and click OK to save. And if Control Panel is also looking unfamiliar, simply click on the "Switch to Classic View" option in the Control Panel on the left.

Rather than printing out whole pages of websites for the tiny bit of info you actually needed, highlight the text you're after then copy (Ctrl-C)and paste it (Ctrl-V) into a Word document. You can now print out a single page of the exact info you needed. You can do the same with images. Either RIGHT click on an image and select "Print Picture" or if you have lots of pictures to print, right click on each image, select "Save Picture As" and save it to your computer,eg. in My Documents. Now open a blank Word document and insert as many pictures (Insert >Picture >From File) as can fit on the page and then print.

Have you tried to send an email with photo attachments, only to have them returned to you as a Failure Message? As long as you're certain that the email address you sent it to is correct, it's most likely been returned as the total email size is too large. Many ISPs limit the size of their customers' mailboxes so if an email is too large, they simply turn it around & send it packing back to the Sender as a Failure Message. To make sure the attachments are an acceptable size, try doing the following in a photo editing program like Paint (found in Windows' Accessories), Paint Shop Pro, Photoshop or the program supplied with your digital camera:
• Make sure that the picture you are viewing on screen is sized at 100% or in 1:1 ratio. If you're viewing it at only 50% of its real size when you save it, when the receiver opens it at the other end, it'll be twice the size you thought it was.
•  Decrease the colour intensity. If you can, reduce the colours to 256 colours.
•  Save the image as a .GIF (click on File > Save As)
•  As a general rule of thumb, try to keep your images under 200KB each. In fact, the smaller the better. Food for thought, most images you view on websites are usually under 30KB to enable quick loading/viewing.
•  Don't pile all your image attachments into the one email. Even if you've reduced each image to 200KB, 10 images @ 200KB each ends up being a 2MB email! Send them individually or at max, 2 per email. 
And lastly, a hint on how to tell how large the image file actually is - RIGHT click on the file & left click on Properties. Remember 1000bytes = 1 KB (kilobyte) and 1000KB = 1 MB (megabyte)

Sick of contant pop-up screens on your computer? Does your dial-up connection box appear when you don't want to go online? Does your browser keep crashing? These are just a few of the problems caused by parasitic software called Spyware which installs itself on your computer without your knowledge. To learn how to remove them, click on the Spybot link under Recommended Downloads on our homepage.

The Preview Pane in Outlook & Outlook Express may enable viruses to run without actually opening the email. To lower the risk of virus infection, you should disable the Preview Pane feature. In Outlook, go to View & untick the Preview Pane box. In Outlook Express, go to View, Layout & untick "Show Preview Pane".

If the Mail Folders column in Outlook Express has disappeared and you can no longer see your Inbox, Outbox etc, go to Tools, Layout & make sure the checkboxes for Folder List & Toolbar are ticked.

Every time you view a web page, order something online, or read your email in a web-based viewer, eg.Webmail, Hotmail, Yahoo mail etc, Windows stores all this material in its Temporary Internet Files cache for later use, and anyone else who uses the computer will be able to view that information. Even if you're not worried about privacy on your computer, you'd be surprised as to how much hard drive space all this information takes up. You may want to delete these files as a part of your regular computer maintenance. In Internet Explorer, go to Tools, Internet Options & select to delete all Files & Cookies in Temporary Internet Files. Also select to delete all offline content as well.

Highway's Webmail is a handy feature which allows you to check your mail from any computer in the world that has an Internet connection. To access Webmail while away from your own computer, simply bring up the Highway Homepage, www.hwy.com.au, and click on Webmail link found at the top of the page. Enter in your username and password and all your new messages will appear.

Some programs just don't want to close. If this happens to you, don't get frustrated. Simply press CTRL+ALT+DEL at the same time to open the Close Program dialog box. Find the program in the list that you want to close or is not responding and select it. Then click the "END TASK" button. After a short while, you may be prompted to end the task again. Just click on the button again. Note that this should only be used as a last resort, and even then you may still need to restart Windows if it locks up.

When sending the one email to a group of clients or friends, you should enter their email addresses in the "BCC" field and not the "TO" field. If not, the email address of each of your recipients will be visible to ALL the other recipients, and not everyone is keen on having their email address flaunted for all to see! With BCC (blind carbon copy), the email message each person gets will have only his/her address visible.

There is currently a hoax circulating about a virus called jdbgmgr.exe. Please simply delete these emails - they contain bogus warnings intent only on frightening or misleading users. If you have already deleted this file, don't worry. It is simply a Java Debugger Manager and is not utilised by the average user. For more info, please refer to the Microsoft site. However, if you wish to restore the file, get the Java VM download from the Java site itself."

Does your computer hang when trying to Shut Down and you're left staring at a screen that says "Windows is shutting down" for ages? Microsoft has a patch which should fix this. Download it from: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;q196008

Is Outlook Express deleting incoming attachments because they're "unsafe"? This security option, by default, is usually not enabled, so if you'd like to be able to open attachments again, you'll need to disable it. Open Outlook Express & go to Tools, Options, then click on the Security tab. UNTICK the box "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus", then click OK to save.

 It's possible to surf the internet with more than one browser window going at once. This is especially useful when doing research as one window is often not enough. To open another browser window, hit Ctrl-N. To cycle through these windows, hold the Alt button down & hit Tab until the desired program is selected.

  If your mouse is jerky & the pointer hard to navigate, it's time for a springclean. You'll find a tutorial at http://www.techsoup.org/learningcenter/hardware/page4237.cfm
Obviously, this does not apply to optical/laser mice; they just need a wipe down with a soft cloth. Cleaning your keyboard can be a bit trickier, from using a can of compressed air to blow out the dirt, to simply turning it upside down and giving it a few good taps on the desk. You can also use a damp rag to clean your keyboard; use warm water & no soap. Always clean your keyboard with your computer OFF. Wait till the keyboard is dry before reconnecting it or for the less patient, you can speed things up with a hairdryer.

 Use Windows Update to regularly update your computer’s operating system. These updates include security fixes to keep your computer and network secure, as well as updates to Windows and Internet Explorer service packs. Other important updates content is added to the site regularly, so you can always get the most recent updates and fixes to keep your computer running smoothly.

For those of you constantly have to turn off/on your call waiting whenever you use the Net, there's an easier way. A new free service from Telstra turns off call waiting temporarily. All you have to do is prefix your dial-in number with *44 ; for example, 0198333499 becomes *44 0198333499. This stops any interference from Call Waiting which will result in dropping your internet connection out. To add this prefix:
1)For Windows 95/98, double click on My Computer then Dial-up Networking. For Windows 2000,ME & XP, go to My Computer, Control Panel then Dialup Networking or Network Connections)
2) RIGHT click once on the icon to connect to Hwy then left click on "Properties"
3) UNTICK "Use Area Code & Dial Properties" or "Use Dialing Rules", and in the Phone No field, add *44 in front of your dial-in number.
TIP: Write down the dial-in number first in case you accidentally delete it!

It is recommended that you check for driver /firmware updates at least 3 times a year to keep it working at its optimum level. This is the software which determines the language that your modem talks to the server in. Updates can be downloaded from most modem manufacturers websites or simply do a search for the make and model of your modem. (You'll find these details by going to My Computer/Control Panel/Modems). If you have an LTWin modem, you most definitely need an update. You can download the latest driver for the LTWin modem by clicking here.

If your computer is on Windows XP and it's taking several attempts before it actually logs on successfully to the Net, the following should fix it. Go to My Computer, Control Panel then Network Connections. RIGHT click on the icon to connect to Highway, then left click on Properties. Click on Networking then Settings and untick LCP Extensions, Multilink & Software Compression. Click OK to save.
* If you're on Windows 95 or 98 and it takes a long time to verify your username & password, go to My Computer, Dial-up Networking & RIGHT click on the icon to connect to Highway, then left click on Properties. Click on Server Types & make sure that 'Log on to network' is NOT ticked. Click OK to save.

Rather than having Mum's, Dad's & the kids' email mixed up in the one Inbox, create seperate folders called Mum, Dad & so on. Then, after downloading your email, simply drag & drop each one into the folder of its respective owner.
TO CREATE A NEW FOLDER IN OUTLOOK EXPRESS: In the Folders pane on the left, RIGHT click on Local Folders, then left click on New Folder. Name the new folder (eg. Mum's Email) & click OK to save. (NB:If you haven't got a Folders pane, click on View, Layout, tick the box for Folder List, then click OK).

If you wind up at a webpage and you want to go to its home/main page to find out about related topics, delete the end of its address in the address bar, and then press Enter. For example; say a Search Engine took you to http://www.webopedia.com
/DidYouKnow/_index.html.
Simply backspace till all you're left with is http://www.webopedia.com and you'll find yourself at the Webopedia homepage which, I might add, is quite a handy site to acquaint yourself with all that computer jargon your kids seem to throw at you nowdays!

When you click on the drop-down arrow in the "Address" bar of Internet Explorer, you'll see a list of locations (URLs) that you've been to. If you'd like to to clear that history, go to Tools, Internet Options then click on the Clear History button.

Here are a few shortcuts which should work in almost all programs.
*Ctrl-F: searches any page to find a specific word or part thereof.
*Ctrl-S: saves whatever document you're working on. Especially handy when writing a lengthy email - just hit Ctrl-S after every paragraph!
*Ctrl-C: copy
*Ctrl-X: cut
*Ctrl-V: paste
*Search&Go: Try typing "go" followed by what you're looking for, in the "Address" bar of Internet Explorer (or "Location" in Netscape). EXAMPLE: If you're looking for sports news, type: go sports news and press ENTER.
*http:// is now optional. Unlike in the early days, you don't have to type http:// in front of a website address anymore. For example, to go to http://www.hwy.com.au, you can just type www.hwy.com.au & hit Enter.

If you find that when viewing webpages, besides scrolling up and down, you also have to scroll left and right, your screen resolution may be set too low. To check your screen resolution, do the following:
1) RIGHT mouse click on a blank spot on your Desktop (main screen of your computer).
2) Left click on Properties, then click on the Settings tab.
3) At the bottom right, you'll see a slide bar for your Screen Area. Slide it so it reads as "1024 by 768 pixels" then click on OK.
4) When Windows asks if you'd like to keep this setting, say Yes.
Now go back into a website & see the difference it makes!

Copying & pasting sounds simple enough but there are many who aren't aware of a few tips that can simplify the task.
* If you want to highlight an entire word, put the cursor on the word you want, then double click & the whole word is highlighted. Clicking three times should highlight the entire paragraph.
* If you want to select everything on the page for copy and pasting purposes, go to the Edit menu and click on Select All.
* If you want to type over an entire paragraph or sentence, there's no need to backspace over the text. Simply highlight the text that you want to delete, then begin typing. The highlighted text will disappear and will be replaced with your new text.

Your computer has completely frozen. What do you do now?
Firstly, if this is happening more than once a month, there may be a serious software or hardware problem with your machine.
If the machine is frozen because a program has stopped responding, then hit the CTRL - ALT - DEL keys together. A Close Program box will appear which will show you all the programs currently open. Select the program you want closed and click on End Task. At this point, please note that you will lose any unsaved data in that particular program. As a last resort, you can reset the computer with the Reset button. When this happens, always let Scan Disk complete its task upon your computer rebooting.

If you're experiencing drop-outs where you have to dial back in again, the answer could be as simple as the following:-
1.) Make sure that Call Waiting on your telephone is not on.
To turn Call Waiting off, press #43#.
To turn it back on again, press *43#.
2.) If you're using Win95 or 98, try lowering the coms port speed for your modem. Go to My Computer, Control Panel, Modems then Properties. Where it says Maximum Speed, drop this to 57600. If the drop-outs persist, change it to 38400.
3.) Make sure that the only thing connected to the phone line is your modem. Unplug any telephones on the same line in other parts of the house.
4) If the drop-outs seem to only happen when using your email, make sure that the option to "Hang up when finished" is not ticked. If the problem persists, please email our HelpDesk.

Make sure that your Antivirus programme is registered and up to date with the latest virus definitions. Many customers have found out the hard way, that their Antivirus had expired and as such, hadn't been updating itself to detect the latest viruses! Updates can be downloaded direct from the website of your Antivirus manufacturer. For a list of some of the main Antivirus programs and where to download their updates, click here.

 If you're going to be away from home, it's a good idea to protect your computer and modem from any damage while you're away. Even if you have a surge protector, it's not worth the pain of coming home to find that there's been damage from a power surge. Not only should you unplug the power to the computer but you should also disconnect your phone line from your modem as a surge can still travel down the phone line and damage your modem. A handy hint is to plug all your power cables (computer, printer, scanner etc) into a single power board; that way you'll only have the one to unplug in bad weather or when away for extended periods.