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Windows Watcher

Games people play ... by Tom S. Bair, Jr.

This month, I'm running late. My editor is on the verge of whacking me on the top of my noggin with her gold-plated yardstick. My wife is beginning to look at me in that fashion only women can do. You know, that look. It causes your stomach to twist in knots, and your mind fills with both dread and guilt.

I've been playing. Goofing off with two PC games. My troubles first started with Civilization III at Christmas. Then I brought in the New Year with Diablo II. Yes, dear readers -- I have logged in over 80 hours on Battle.net playing my aptly named "pcwriter" character.

Meanwhile the world waits. Household repairs wait. Dreams of new technology are replaced with dreams of my game's role-playing knight. Food is consumed while sitting in front of my computer: every minute counts in gaining strength for my online character...

Gaming can be fun. It can also be destructive to your life. If you find yourself unable to use moderation in your playtime, then I caution you to take a step back and look at the direction your life is taking. It may scare you into taking reality off hold.

Add Skins to Media Player

[ME,XP] Don't like the look of your Media Player? Change it with a new "skin." Using "skin" technology, you can easily switch that plain looking player into something more fit for your personality.

Here's how:

1. Click the Skin Chooser button.
2. Select a skin from the list. Click on one of the dozens of skins listed to see what it looks like in the preview window.
3. Click on the Apply Skin button located near the top of the list.

If you have an Internet connection, you can see many more skin selections in Microsoft's Skin Gallery. Just click on the More Skins button while you are connected to your ISP or online service.

Install XP's Firewall

[XP] Many of us here at Computer Bits have been begging (or bugging) you to install firewall software on your PC if you access the Internet. Since XP comes with a free built-in firewall, now's your chance to surf safe. Follow the below steps to activate the XP Firewall:

1. Click on the Start button.
2. Right-click on My Network Places, and choose 'Properties'.
3. Right-click on the connection you want to protect, and choose 'Properties'.
4. Click the Advanced tab.
5. Click the box to activate the "Internet Connection Firewall".

Please note that if your are using Internet Connection Sharing (ICS), you should only activate the firewall on the host PC. That is, the PC which actually does the connection to the Internet via modem. I've learned the hard way that using this firewall on other PCs on your network while using ICS tends to cause some rather interesting hang-ups.

Where's That Note Again

[NT] Back in March 1998, I showed you how to attach Electronic Stick-On Notes on Help pages in Windows 95. Now Mark wants to know how to do this same thing for Windows NT Workstation 4. The process is very similar to the tip I gave four years ago, with just a few minor differences.

1. Click on the word Options at the top of the Help page.
2. Click on the Annotate option.
3. Type your notes into the Annotate box that appears on your screen.
4. Click on the Save button when you are finished.

NT4 paper clips your note to the current Help page and a tiny paper clip icon appears to remind you of your note. To read, just click on the paper clip icon next to the name of the topic.

Speed Up Comm Ports

[98/SE/ME/2K/XP] Here are a few tricks to speed up your Communication Ports.

1. Click on 'Start'.
2. Highlight 'Control Panel' and click on 'System'.
3. Click on 'Device Manager' icon. (In XP, click on the 'Hardware' tab and then 'Device Manager' button).
4. Right-click on the 'Modem' and click on 'Properties'.
5. Make sure that the following settings are in place:
   The Bits Per Second is as high as possible.
   The Flow Control is set for Hardware.
   Click Advanced and make sure the FIFO buffer is check-marked.
   Insure the Receive and Transmit buffers are set as high as possible.
6. Click on the 'Ok' button to save your new settings.

Use caution when altering the settings for your modem. If you feel you don't have enough experience to attempt this tip, then skip it until a later day.

Make Laptop Buttons Bigger

[98/SE/ME] Do you find that the Minimize, Restore, and Close buttons are too small to see on your laptop? Want to enlarge them? Here's how:

1. Click on 'Start'.
2. Highlight 'Settings' and click on 'Control Panel'.
3. Click on 'Display'.
4. Click the 'Appearance' tab.
5. Click on the 'Close' button (the box with an 'X' in it) in the sample window.
6. Adjust the 'Caption Buttons Size' property until the buttons are as large as you want them.
7. Click the 'OK' button.

Open a few windows and see if you like the new appearance of these buttons. If not, just repeat the steps of this tip over again, altering the size until you are satisfied.

Calculator Help

[98/SE/ME/XP] Most people know how to use a standard calculator. But if you are trying out the Scientific calculator in Windows, you may wonder what some of the keys do. Just right-click on any key and click on 'What's This?' to get a brief description of that key.

Surprisingly enough this help feature works with the standard calculator too.

Configure AutoPlay

[XP] The AutoPlay feature in Windows XP is set by default to activate when you insert a CD, DVD, Zip disk, CompactFlash or SmartMedia card into a drive. Yet AutoPlay is designed to take different actions for different types of content. If you configure AutoPlay, you can make XP take the actions you want for a given type of content.

1. Click on the 'Start' button.
2. Click on 'My Computer'. You will be shown a list of your drives.
3. Right-click on a removable drive and select 'Properties' from the context menu.
4. Click the 'Autoplay' tab.
5. Select the type of content you wish to set Autoplay for in the drop-down box.
6. To have XP perform an action, click on "Select an Action to Perform" button. Next, select the action in the list box.
7. To have XP prompt you for an action each time, click on the "Prompt Me Each Time to Choose an Action" button.
8. Click the 'OK' button.

About the Author

Please feel free to email the author with your comments about this article: Tom S. Bair, Jr.