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Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

5 new tips for Windows and OS X users


July 7, 2002


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2002, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2002, The Post-Standard

   If you've been able to read this column regularly over last 19 years, you probably know how much I love discovering -- and sharing -- tips and tricks for personal computing. This week I'm in my element again, offering five new tips, all in the "advanced" category. They're aimed at both Windows and Apple OS X users.
   (A quick reminder: All my previous tips 'n' tricks articles are online. You can read them by going to my Technofile site, one of the longest-running online technical resources available worldwide -- it's been continually available in one form or another since 1983 -- at twcny.rr.com/technofile/. Search for "tips" -- without using quotes -- or browse through the "Computers" topic page to find the articles you want..)
   Here are my latest tips:
   1. If your computer has a scheduler in the BIOS, use it to turn your computer on automatically at a certain time every day. (Be sure to see Tip No. 2 also.) I have my main Windows PC and my Apple G4 turn themselves on just before I get up in the morning, so that my e-mail is ready to read. To make my e-mail program automatically start with the computer, I put a shortcut to the program into the Startup folder (in Windows) or drag the program icon to the Login window in the Preferences panel (Apple OS X). I have both programs set up to get the mail every few minutes once they start running.
   You'll have to check the PC's BIOS to see if you can do this under Windows. Look at the screen while your computer is coming to life and you should see a notice about how to get into the BIOS setup menu. Your computer's manual might tell, also. (Usually, you press one or two specific keys.)
   The BIOS is the PC's Basic Input-Output System. It controls the PC until after the operating system takes over. (It continues to run some things all the time, too.)
   Apple OS X computers don't yet have a direct way to schedule the computer to turn itself on, but I have a trick that does it for you if you have both OS X and Mac OS, the older operating system. Boot up in Mac OS and open the "Energy Saver" control panel. Set a time for the computer to turn itself on, then boot back into OS X. The computer will boot up at that time, regardless of which operating system you are normally using.
   2. If you are able to use Tip No. 1, here's one that makes it even more powerful: Use a scheduling program such as PowerPro (Windows) or QuicKeys (Apple computers) to shut down your computer at a certain time every day.
   This turns your computer into a much more friendly appliance. You no longer have to worry about forgetting to turn your computer off when you go to bed, for example. And you can make sure your computer stays off (and therefore remains safe from attack across the Internet) at all the times you specify. It even lets you enforce a time limit on computer use in the family. When the kids know that the family computer always shuts itself down at a certain time, they will learn to respect the limits you set on their activity.
   3. Make shortcuts (Windows) or aliases (Apple) to each of your commonly used folders and put copies of them into all those folders. This might seem like a crazy idea -- like a dog that chases his tail, maybe -- but it's not. You're simply making sure that no matter where in the file system you are, you can get instantly to any other favorite location just by clicking the appropriate shortcut.
   Let's say you normally use "My Documents" along with three folders named "My Pictures," "MP3 Files" and "My Music." You also use your CD-ROM drive a lot, and you find yourself navigating to a folder called "Snapshots" within another folder that's itself within still another folder called "Program Files."
   Whew. Too much trouble! Here's how to fix this mess:
   Make shortcuts or aliases to each of those folders and to the CD drive. (If you're rusty on how to make Windows shortcuts, right click on the item and choose the shortcut option; under OS X, drag the item with the Option and Command keys pressed, then let go. There are other ways to do this under both operating systems, so if you feel comfortable with your own method, stick to it.) Then put them all those shortcuts into a new folder named "Aliases" (Windows and Apple). That's a handy name because it starts with "A" and therefore will be near the top of an alphabetical list.
   Then copy the "Aliases" folder to each of the folders represented by the shortcuts. From then on, simply open the "Aliases" folder and double click on a shortcut to open one of the other folders. A bonus: Dragging an item and dropping it on any of the shortcuts will send it to the location represented by that shortcut. This sort of thing sure does make my time with both Windows and OS X go faster, and it should do the same for you, too.
   4. Get some good mouse software. Many Windows users probably now work with a "wheel mouse," which has a wheel in the center for easy scrolling and other functions. Microsoft makes excellent software for such mice and gives it away. A bonus: There are Apple versions as well as Windows versions. (Yes, any modern Apple computer can use a two-button mouse -- they come with a single-button mouse, for reasons that made no sense to me -- and they can even use a mouse with a wheel in the middle, too.)
   Pay attention, now. I'm about to make your life better. No matter who made your mouse, Microsoft's software should work with it. I haven't found any exceptions yet.
   Get the latest Microsoft "wheel-mouse" software from the company's file site. Go to www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouse/download.asp and choose the software for your version of Windows. Apple computer owners can go there to get Microsoft software for Mac OS 9 and OS X, too. (Apple versions will work with any USB mouse that has a wheel.)
   5. Get out of the rut computer users invariably find themselves in when they're trying to view and copy images. I've written previously about image viewers and why they're absolutely necessary, so I'll spare the details here. (Go to my site and type "image viewer" without quotes as the search term to see the past articles.)
   For Windows users, I can't praise the free Irfan View image viewer enough. If you use Windows and If you don't have a fast image viewer -- one that will show any image on your hard drive within a fraction of a second -- climb out of that rut and get Irfan View from www.irfanview.com. Set it up to take over the display of ALL images. You won't be sorry.
   For Apple OS X users, ACDSee 1.6 is good. The same version works on older Apples (running Mac OS) and on OS X Apple computers. You can try it for free. Go to www.acdsystems.com.
   But don't forget iPhoto, which all Apple owners get free. (If you don't have it already, get it from www.apple.com.) It's one of my candidates for software sainthood. It's not designed for easy viewing images stored as files on your hard drive -- you have to bring those images into iPhoto first -- so you might want to install the free Archer image viewer even if you love iPhoto. Find Archer by searching for it in the OS X section of www.versiontracker.com.