Hints and Tips for Windows 95 and Programs.
Page 1.

Program

Hint or Tip.

Windows 95

To shorten the time to re-boot your PC, if only Windows 95 Needs to be restarted, Hold down the 'Shift' key when clicking the OK button to 'restart the computer' on the shut down screen.

Excel (Most versions)

'Select the whole of second row and go to the Window Menu and select 'Freeze Frames'.

Excel (Most versions)

'Select the whole of any row and go to the Window Menu and select 'Freeze Frames'.
This will freeze all the rows ABOVE the selected row.
Try and find this in Microsoft literature on Excel!

Excel (Most versions)

'Select the whole second column, then go to the same menu and option as above'.

Excel (Most versions)

'Select an entire column and go to the Window Menu and select 'Freeze Frames'.
This will freeze all the columns to the LEFT of the selected column.
Again Microsoft neglect to tell you this!

Excel (Most versions)

' Select cell B2 only, then go to the same menu and option as above.
( Again, Microsoft don't tell you this one!!!)

Excel (Most versions)

' Select a single cell only, then go to the same menu and option as above.
This freezes all the rows above and columns to the left of the selected cell.
( Still more omitted by Microsoft!!!)

MS Office 97

If any of the files you generate are likely to be used or sent to another user, always save them to be compatible to earlier versions of their particular application. They may not have Office 97, and it is NOT backward compatible (i.e. Older versions cannot read Office 97 files).

Windows 95

If you have a crash of any sort, albeit only a single application, it is always advisable to reboot your system. (See the first tip though, as it is often only necessary to reboot Windows).

MS Office (Most versions)

If you cannot find a character you need on your keyboard, make use of the 'Insert' menu and select the 'Symbol'. You can then find a font that has the required symbol. (Could prove useful for American keyboards needing say the '£' sign).

Word 97

If you use Word 97 for designing your Web Pages, before saving the page as HTML, always save it as a regular Word document. This allows you to recover it if the HTML saving does not give the required result.

Windows/DOS

To accelerate booting, press the 'Esc' key to bypass Memory Check. The more RAM you have, the more time you save.

Windows 95

With ALL Applications, if the particular file is to be used on another machine that may not be running Windows 95, Always save a version of the file in the 8.3 ('progname.xyz') DOS format as the long name will be abbreviated to a possibly unrecognisable one.

Word (All versions)

After you've used the File, Find command to locate a text string and closed it, you can use 'Shift + F4 to search for further occurences of the same text without reopening the Find/Replace dialog box. This works even after you've closed the document, letting you search a new document for that same text string.

Netscape

Navigator users wishing to check for updates can access the Netscape site by clicking on the pulsating 'N' to be whisked there.

The Internet

To move from top to bottom and /or back to the top of a large Web page, Use the 'End' key to get the bottom of the page, and to return to the top of the page use the 'Home' key. If you require stops in between, use the Page Up or Page Down keys. N.B: The Home and End keys may NOT work in NETSCAPE, but can be made to do so by holding down the [Ctrl] key at the same time.

Windows 95

To close a window and all its parent folders, hold down Shift when clicking the close button in the top right corner of the window.

Internet Web Pages

If you regularly visit a specific Web Page, always carry out a 'Refresh' to ensure you are reading the latest information on that page.

Excel 95 on...
(Maybe earlier too?)

If you have a row (or column) that needs a calculation that is common to each row (or column), type it into the first cell then 'Copy' it and highlight ALL the cells it is to go into and 'Paste' it there. Excel automatically changes the cell references to suit the location.

Word 97
(Maybe earlier too)

If, like me, you regularly misspell certain words, Word can correct them for you. To add your 'typo' to the AutoCorrect list simply right click on the misspelled word. Select 'AutoCorrect from the pop-up menu, then click on the correct spelling.

Word
Pre 95 especially)

If you disagree with Word about spelling (earlier versions of AutoCorrect would not accept PC's as a word, for instance), don't turn it off altogether, just hit [Ctrl] Z as soon as it makes the change and Word will revert to what you typed.

Lotus 1-2-3

When you type a formula such as 3/4, 1-2-3 calculates and displays the results, 0.75. If you want to display the formula instead, precede it with an equals sign: =3/4.

Windows 95

Part of the drop down menu when you right-click a file is 'SendTo'. You can add items to the SendTo menu using drag and drop. The folder is located in the Windows folder. This is an often 'under-used' system. Add your Printer, Heavily used folders, Wordprocessor, spreadsheet or any application you regularly use.

SendTo
(Windows 95)

Add SendTo to your SendTo menu. Open the Windows folder in Explorer view. Drag the SendTo folder in the right-hand section of the window to the same folder in the left-hand section (Use the right mouse button and create a copy). There you have it, SendTo SendTo! Now if you want to add anything to the SendTo menu you just select the 'SendTo' option on the SendTo menu. Next time you open that menu, your new addition is there.

Windows 95

Add the Windows 95 Powertoys to your hard drive. The most useful applications are SendTo any Folder, TweakUI, QuickRes, and Explore from Here. There are some others, but watch out for the one that claims to allow viewing a folder without opening that folder. It only works on folders with minimal content. You also lose the ability to edit anything within the Windows folder with this one.

Windows 95

If you don't like the 'My Computer' name tag for your PC, CHANGE IT! Right click on the My Computer icon, select 'Rename' from the drop down menu and change it to the name of your choice.

PC/Apple-Mac

To exchange files between the PC and Apple Macs, use MS-DOS formatted disks and for text save as RTF for text files and either JPEG or GIF for picture files. This works, believe me!.

Windows 95

Working away on your PC and forgotten the date? Move your mouse pointer over the clock in the Taskbar and after about 1 second the date is displayed..

Windows