75 Microsoft Word 2003 keyboard shortcuts

Microsoft Word is a text editor/word processing package that has been in use for so many years. No computer is complete without a Microsoft Word application installed. Some OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) like Dell and Hp most times has it preinstalled on their systems.
Being the application with the most use, knowledge of the shortcuts involved would largely boost the efficiency of any user. Although this edition concentrates on Microsoft 2003, there exist Microsoft Office XP, 2000, 2007 and 2010. Majority of the shortcuts listed here can be used on all of them, including Linux word processors like Open Office. Whichever version you may be using, you’re not lost out.

Working with text and paragraphs
Shortcut Function
Ctrl+A Select all text in a document

Ctrl+Shift+A Format selected text as all caps

Ctrl+B Bold the selected text

Ctrl+C Copy the selected text or object

Ctrl+Shift+C Copy the format of the selected text

Ctrl+D Display the Format | Font dialog box

Ctrl+E Center the selected paragraph

Ctrl+Shift+H Apply hidden text formatting to the selected text

Ctrl+I Italicize the selected text

Ctrl+J Justify the selected paragraph

Ctrl+K Insert a hyperlink within the selected text

Ctrl+Shift+K Format select text as small caps

Ctrl+L Left align the selected paragraph

Ctrl+M Indent the selected paragraph from the left

Ctrl+Q Remove paragraph formatting from selected paragraph

Ctrl+R Right align the selected paragraph

Ctrl+T Apply a hanging indent to the selected paragraph

Ctrl+U Underline the selected text

Ctrl+Shift+D Double-underline the selected text

Ctrl+Shift+W Underline the selected words but not spaces

Ctrl+V Paste cut/copied text or object

Ctrl+Shift+V Paste copied format

Ctrl+0 Add/Remove one line space before the selected paragraph

Ctrl+1 Apply single-space lines to the selected text

Ctrl+2 Apply double-space lines to the selected text

Ctrl+5 Apply 1.5-space lines to the selected text

Ctrl+Spacebar Remove selected text's manual character formatting

Shortcut
Function

Ctrl+Equal Sign Subscript the selected text

Ctrl+Shift+Plus Sign Superscript the selected text

Ctrl+Shift+Q Apply Symbol font to the selected text

Ctrl+Shift+F Change the selected text's font

Ctrl+Shift+P Change the selected text's font size

Ctrl+Shift+> Increase the selected text's font size by one point

Ctrl+Shift+< Decrease the selected text's font size by one point

Ctrl+] Increase the selected text's font size by one point

Ctrl+[ Decrease the selected text's font size by one point

Shift+Enter Insert a line break

Ctrl+Enter Insert a page break

Ctrl+Shift+Enter Insert a section break

Alt+Ctrl+Minus Sign Insert an em dash

Ctrl+Minus Sign Insert an en dash

Ctrl+Hyphen Insert an optional hyphen

Ctrl+Shift+Hyphen Insert a nonbreaking hyphen

Ctrl+Shift+spacebar Insert a nonbreaking space

Alt+Ctrl+C Insert the copyright symbol

Alt+Ctrl+R Insert the registered trademark symbol

Alt+Ctrl+Period Insert and ellipsis
Printing and previewing
Shortcut Function
Ctrl+P Display the File | Print dialog box

Alt+Ctrl+I Switch in and out of Print Preview

Ctrl+Home Move to the document's first preview page

Ctrl+End Move to the document's last preview page

Working with styles

Shortcut Function
Alt+Ctrl+K Enable AutoFormat

Ctrl+Shift+L Apply the List style to the selected text

Ctrl+Shift+N Apply the Normal style to the selected text

Ctrl+Shift+S Apply a style to the selected text

Alt+Ctrl+1 Apply the Heading 1 style to the selected text

Alt+Ctrl+2 Apply the Heading 2 style to the selected text

Alt+Ctrl+3 Apply the Heading 3 style to the selected text
Working with tables
Shortcut Function
Tab Move to next cell in a row; Start a new row if pressed within a row's last cell

Shift+Tab Move to previous cell in a row

Alt+Home Move to the first cell in a row

Alt+End Move to the last cell in a row

Alt+Page Up Move to the first cell in a column

Alt+Page Down Move to the last cell in a column

Up Arrow Move to the previous row

Down Arrow Move to the next row

Enter Start a new paragraph within a cell

Ctrl+Tab Insert a tab within a cell

Working with documents
Shortcut Function
Ctrl+N Open a new document that is the same type as the current or most recently opened document

Ctrl+O Display the File | Open dialog box

Ctrl+W Close the current document

Ctrl+S Save the current document

Alt+Ctrl+S Split the document window

Alt+Shift+C Remove the document window split

Functions keys
Shortcut Function
F1 Display Word Help dialog box
Shift+F1 Open Reveal formatting dialog box or open context-sensitive Word Help
F2 Move selected text of object
Shift+F2 Copy the selected text
F3 Insert AutoText
Shift+F3 Change the case of the selected text
F4 Repeat last action
Shift+F4 Repeat Find or Go To
F5 Display the Edit | Go To dialog box
Shift+F5 Move to the last change
F6 Move to the next pane or frame
Shift+F6 Move to the previous pane or frame
F7 Display Tools | Spelling and Grammar dialog box
Shift+F7 Display the Tools | Language | Thesaurus dialog box
F8 Extend the selection
Shift+F8 Shrink the selection
F9 Update the selected fields
Shift+F9 Switch between a field code and its product
F10 Activate the Word menu bar
Shift+F10 Display the shortcut menu
F11 Move to the next field
Shift+F11 Move to the previous field
F12 Display the File | Save As dialog box
Shift+F12 Save the current document

76 keyboard shortcuts for moving faster in Windows Vista

Last week on Everyday with your Computer we considered shortcuts for efficient use of Windows XP.
If you missed it, log into http://decox1st.blogspot.com. Copy and read at leisure.

As is normal with Windows, Microsoft has provided a huge number of keyboard shortcuts to make interaction with the product easier for those who enjoy the productivity that almost 100 percent keyboard use can supply. Below is a list of Vista keyboard shortcuts that are available when you're working on the Vista desktop, in Windows Explorer (not Internet Explorer), in the Vista Sidebar, in dialog boxes, and in Vista Help.

Vista Desktop
Shortcut Function
Windows key Opens or closes the Start menu
Windows + D Displays your desktop
Windows + E Opens the Computer window
Windows + F Opens the Search window
Ctrl + Windows + F Searches for computers (if you're on a network)
Windows + L Locks your computer or switches users
Windows + M Minimizes all windows
Shift + Windows + M Restores minimized windows
Windows + R Opens the Run dialog box
Windows + T Cycles through programs on the Taskbar
Windows + U Opens the Ease of Access Center
Ctrl + A Selects everything in a window
Ctrl + C Copies selected items
Ctrl + X Cuts selected items
Ctrl + V Pastes cut or copied items
Ctrl + Y Redoes an action
Ctrl + Z Undoes an action
F1 Displays Help
F2 Highlights the label of a selected item for editing
F3 Opens the Search window
Ctrl + F4 Closes the current document
Alt + F4 Closes the current item or program
F5 Refreshes a window
F6 Cycles through elements in a window or on the desktop
F10 Activates a program's menu bar
Shift + Windows + F10 Displays the shortcut menu for a selected item
Delete Deletes selected items to the Recycle Bin
Shift + Delete Deletes selected items permanently
Alt + Enter Displays the properties of a selected item
Ctrl + Esc Opens the Start menu
Alt + Esc Cycles through items in the order you opened them
Ctrl + Shift + Esc Opens the Windows Task Manager
Left Alt + Left Shift + Num Lock Turns the Mouse Keys feature on or off
Hold for five seconds + Num Lock Turns the Toggle Keys feature on or off
Windows + Pause Displays the System Properties dialog box
Left Alt + Left Shift + Print Screen Turns the High Contrast feature on or off
Right Shift for 8 seconds Turns the Filter Keys feature on and off
Press Shift five times Turns the Sticky Keys feature on or off
Alt + Spacebar Opens the shortcut menu for the current window
Alt + Tab Switches between open items
Windows + Tab Cycles through open items with Flip 3-D
Ctrl + Alt + Tab Displays open items (use the arrow keys to switch between them)
Ctrl + Windows + Tab Displays open items with Flip 3-D (use the arrow keys to cycle through them)

In Windows Explorer
Shortcut Function
Alt + D Moves to the Address bar
F4 Displays the Address bar drop-down list
Ctrl + N Opens a new window
F11 Maximizes/minimizes the current window
Left arrow Collapses a selection or selects its parent folder
Alt + Left arrow Shows the previous folder
Right arrow Displays the current selection or selects its first subfolder
Alt + Right arrow Shows the next folder
Asterisk (keypad) Displays subfolders within a selected folder
End Displays the bottom of the current window
Home Displays the top of the current window
Minus Sign (keypad) Collapses the selected folder
Plus Sign (keypad) Displays the contents of the selected folder

In the Vista Sidebar
Shortcut Function
Windows + G Cycles through gadgets
Windows + Spacebar Brings all gadgets to the front; selects Sidebar
Tab Cycles through Sidebar controls
In a dialog box
Shortcut Function
F1 Displays Help
F4 Displays items in a drop-down list
Backspace In Save As or Open dialog, opens a folder one level up from a selected folder
Enter Works like a mouse click for some selected options
Spacebar Selects or deselects an active check box
Tab Moves forward through dialog box options
Ctrl + Tab Hops from tab to tab
Shift + Tab Moves backward through dialog box options
Ctrl + Shift + Tab Hops backward from tab to tab
In Vista Help
Shortcut Function
Alt + A Displays the customer support page
Alt + C Displays the Help And Support Contents
Ctrl + F Opens Find dialog box for the current topic
Alt + N Displays the connection settings menu
Ctrl + P Prints a help topic
F3 Moves to the Search box
F10 Displays Options menu
Alt + Home Displays the Help And Support home page

Before Connecting a New PC to internet

It is only natural, when you get a brand new PC, especially one with broadband capabilities built-in, you want to connect to the Internet and see it action. For many, the browser and the World Wide Web are the "killer-apps" of the modern PC—the Internet is what you have a PC for, everything else is just extra fluff.
A Microsoft Windows PC that has not been updated for security vulnerabilities will be compromised by some form of malware within minutes of connecting to the Internet.
Connecting to the Internet with a new unprotected and unpatched PC is practically inviting the nefarious and malicious to infect your PC. There is about a 50 percent chance that an unpatched PC will be infected with malicious software within 12 minutes of connecting to the Internet. Once infected, it is almost impossible to get a PC clean again without completely re-installing the operating system. (This conversation is restricted to Windows PCs for the moment.)
To prevent the frustration that comes with re-installing Windows, you should take the necessary steps to update, configure, and patch your new PC. Keep in mind that no matter how new your PC is, it will most likely need patching and it will definitely need to be properly configured. Today’s edition of Everyday with your Computer will bring to you steps to take to protect yourself before you start Web surfing.

1. Make a starter CD-ROM

Before you disconnect your old computer, take a few minutes to burn a starter CD-ROM that contains the latest version of your favorite anti-virus software. I prefer to keep this simple and inexpensive by using AVG from Grisoft, but if you like Norton or McAfee those will work just as well.
To save time later, you should put other security applications on this disk like Spybot Search & Destroy, AdAware, etc. It would also be a good idea to include any updated drivers you might need—drivers for your video card for example. Just like Windows, your video card drivers are likely to be a little old also. You should also put drivers on this disk for peripherals that you will be connecting to your new PC, like cameras, scanners, printers, and game interface devices. Having all of these device drivers residing on a single CD-ROM means you will not have to go to the Internet to retrieve them as you set up your new PC.

2. Remove the promotional apps

After going through the initial setup process where Windows identifies devices you may be asked to register and/or activate your copy of the Windows operating system—hold off on that for now, you can always do that later. The first thing to do is to clean up the mess that shipped in your PC. You should remove all of the promotional and trial software that you do not intend to use from your new PC. This is usually the first thing to do, because invariably one of those apps will ask if you want to activate or register it—a process that usually involves accessing the Internet. At this point you should have no connection to the Internet at all, wireless or not.
The applications to be deleted are usually ISPs advertisements like AOL and Earthlink, an antivirus app from a competitor of your current application (something you should already have ready on your CD-ROM), trial versions of Money or Quickbooks, etc. If you are not going to use these, go to the Add/Remove Programs applet in the Control Panel and remove them completely.
3. Install antivirus software

Install the antivirus software that you burned onto a CD-ROM in step 1. The assumption is that any PC purchased after this document is published will have Windows XP SP2 installed, but if SP2 is not installed, you could have that update ready on your disk too. In fact, if you know how, you could have some of the more important Windows patches and updates on your disk also. This would be a good time to install anti-spyware software too.

4. Turn on a software firewall

Windows XP SP2 comes with a modest but still useful software firewall. Before you start surfing the Internet you should turn it on—or you can install an alternative third-party software firewall like Zone Alarm. Any alternative firewalls should have been included on the startup CD-ROM you made in Step 1.

5. Install printers and other peripherals

Before you connect to the Internet it is a good idea to install your other peripherals to your new PC. Performing this step means that when you do connect to the Windows update page, it will see your devices and make suggestions for new Microsoft-tested (WHQL) drivers if they are available.

6. Establish a password for the administrator account

One of the most glaring security vulnerabilities in any new Windows-based PC is that it ships with a wide open administrator access to the root directory. You never want anyone but you to have unfettered access to the admin settings on your PC. And while a password could easily be bypassed by a skilled cracker, it will deter the less determined intruder.

7. Create a new user account with password
This is almost as equally important as password protecting your administrator account. For general day-to-day activities, you do not want to be using your admin account. Instead, you should be using a user account that is also password protected (a password that is different than the one you are using for the admin account, please). This adds another layer of protection for your new PC because a user account does not have the same all-access permissions as an admin account. In some cases, malicious software will be thwarted by this level of permissions restriction alone.

8. Turn off unnecessary Windows services

Microsoft has been doing a better job of this with the release of SP2, but there are still numerous unnecessary Windows services and processes running by default on most PCs. If you'd like to see how many there are just perform the three finger salute (CTRL-ALT-Delete) click Task Manager and then the Processes tab. All of those applications, services, processes, etc. are operating in the background on your PC. The problem is that many can actually open access to your PC to the outside world without your knowledge or active consent. That access is usually justified for what the process is supposed to be doing, it is just that many times your PC doesn't need that process at all—Web servers, network messengers, debuggers—are all processes you probably don't need on your personal PC.

9. Establish a system restore point

Now that you have performed the first eight steps you should take a moment to establish a system restore point. To manually create a Restore Point, you launch the System Restore utility by clicking Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | System Restore and then follow the steps in the wizard. This step will establish a fall back point if something happens to go haywire later.

10. Install and configure a switch or router (if any)

This last step may seem like an unnecessary added expense to some, but in this age of viruses, worms, and other nasty Internet infections, a router standing between you and the outside world coming at you at broadband speeds offers another significant layer of protection. Connecting a PC directly to the Internet means that PC gets its own IP address, which means it can be seen by every sleazebag with malicious intent. By adding a router to your broadband setup, the router gets the visible IP address and gives your new PC an internal address. In addition, routers have hardware firewalls and other features that help block the bad guys before they get to your new PC.
This is especially helpful because the first thing you should do when you do actually connect to the Internet is head directly for Windows Update. This is the most important tip in this guide—the only place you should be heading on the Web when you first connect your PC to the Internet is the Windows Update page. You will not have time to check movie times or football scores. The 12 minute countdown to possible infection starts as soon as you connect.

56 keyboard shortcuts to move faster in Windows XP

Using a computer involves clicking and clicking and clicking. The process of dragging the mouse to the spot that needs to be clicked could take some time (especially if the mouse is dirty), not so much though but enough to do something else, if you knew a shortcut. Every operating system and application program can be manipulated with a keyboard shortcut. At times you may find that the same shortcut could be used for several other applications. Once you are acquainted with a collection of shortcuts for a given OS or application, you can use it on others.
I have decided to begin this series with an Operating System. I will take Windows XP and Vista since they are found on majority of systems now.

Let the icon  represent The Windows key. It is normally located between the Ctrl and Alt keys on most keyboards. However, some vendor keyboards and some laptops do not have this key.
Note: Majority of the shortcuts have a + sign in between. The existence of the plus means a combination of keys i.e. you press the keys involved simultaneously to activate the command.

Keystroke Function
 Opens the Start menu
+ E Opens My Computer in Windows Explorer
+ Pause/Break Opens the System Properties dialog box
+ U Opens the Utility Manager
+ R Opens the Run… prompt
+ F Opens the Search for Files and Folder window
+ Ctrl + F Opens the search for computers on the network
+ M Minimize all windows
+ Shift + + M Maximize all windows (after minimizing them)
+ D Minimize all windows to the desktop, and then restore all Windows
+ L Lock Computer
+ Tab Cycle through the open programs on the Taskbar
+ B Selects the first item in the System Tray; use the arrow keys to cycle through the items and use the Enter key to open a selected item in the SysTray
Alt + Tab Switch between open programs
Alt + F4 (in a program) Closes the program
Alt + F4 (from desktop) Opens the Windows Shutdown/Restart dialog box
Alt + Enter Opens the Properties page of a selected item
Alt + Esc Cycle between open programs in the order that they were opened
Alt + Spacebar In the active window, this brings up the corner dialog box for Move, Size, Minimize, Maximize, or Close
Shift + Insert CD/DVD Inserts a CD/DVD without triggering Autoplay or Autorun
Shift + Delete Permanently deletes an item (rather than sending it to the Recycle Bin)
Ctrl + Shift + Esc Opens the Windows Task Manager
Ctrl + drag an icon Copies that item
Ctrl + Shift + drag an icon Creates a shortcut for the item
Keystroke Function

Right-click + drag a file Brings up a menu to copy, move, or create a shortcut
PrtScn Takes a screen shot of the entire screen; go into a photo program (the Windows program "Paint" will also work) and hit Paste to edit and save the screen shot
Alt + PrtScn Takes a screen shot of only the active Window; hit Paste in a photo program to edit and save the screen shot
F1 Opens the Windows XP Help
F2 Rename selected item
F3 Opens Windows search for files and folders
F5 (or Ctrl + R) Refresh Internet Explorer page, or refresh any other window
F6 Cycle through the different types of elements that can be selection on a screen or window
F10 Selects the menu bar in the active program (usually "File") so that you can use the arrow keys to navigate through the menus and the Enter key to select
Shift + F10 For a selected item, this does the same thing as a right-click with the mouse
Tab Move through the different elements on a page or the fields in a form
Shift + Tab Move backward through the different elements on a page or the fields in a form
Ctrl + A Select All
Ctrl + C Copy
Ctrl + X Cut
Ctrl + V Paste
Ctrl + Z Undo
Ctrl + Y Redo
Ctrl + P Print
Ctrl + O Open
Ctrl + Esc Opens the Start menu
Ctrl + Backspace Deletes the entire word to the left
Ctrl + Delete Deletes the entire word to the right
Ctrl + Right arrow Moves the cursor to the beginning of the next word
Ctrl + Left arrow Moves the cursor to the beginning of the previous word
Ctrl + Down arrow Moves the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph
Ctrl + Up arrow Moves the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph
Ctrl + Shift + Arrow keys Highlight a block of text
Click Shift 5 times Turns StickyKeys on or off
Hold down the right Shift key for 8 seconds Turns FilterKeys on or off
Hold down Num Lock for 5 seconds Turns ToggleKeys on or off
Make your own custom keystroke for a program Right-click on the icon of a program or shortcut; go to Properties; click on the Shortcut tab; enter your custom keystroke combination in the "Shortcut key" field (it will only let you assign key combos that aren't already taken)

How to convert from Audio Cassettes /Records to Audio CD

Requirements:
Hardware
• Cassette Player with a Line in/Line Out. (Note: If your player doesn’t have a Line in/Line out, you can use the headphone port but the cable purchased has to have the ability to connect a headphone port to a Line in port of a sound card. Just request for a 2-to-1 AV connector at an electronics shop).
• Computer With Sufficient disk space (to store the .wav files) and RAM (to edit and process the files)
• CD Writer
• Soundcard
• Interconnect cables for connection between the cassette deck and the soundcard usually 3.5mm (1/8-inch) male-male stereo audio cable. (If you are in Uyo, these cables can be found at Nepa Line. Just request for A/V cords).
Software
• Audio Recording Software
• CD Authoring Software (i.e. for Burning)
The Audio Recording software I use is Cool Edit Pro. There’re several others like Audacity that will do the same thing. You can look on the internet for others. If you need the one I use, get in touch with me and I’ll give it to you for free.
Connections & Procedures
1. Connect the Line Out of the Cassette deck to the Line In of the Computer Soundcard
2. Select the soundcard as the preferred recording device (under control panel - multimedia icon)
3. Ensure the Line In Fader on the audio mixer of the computer is not muted
4. Launch the audio recording software
5. Depending on the software used, activate and check all the settings to allow recording
6. If possible, monitor the incoming signal from the cassette deck using the audio software to ensure the incoming signal is not clipping (Too Hot; Levels Too High)
7. Set the appropriate levels for recording and rewind the cassette tape
8. Activate the recording on the computer and playback the cassette tape
9. Once the material on the cassette tape has been recorded into the computer, save the material as .WAV format and edit the wave files accordingly. (Break them up and save them into the individual tracks; process the files with the noise reduction software; edit out the unwanted parts; etc.)
10. When all editing have been completed, the number of .wav files should correspond to the number of songs on the cassette, unless some songs have been omitted.
11. Next, close the audio recording software (Be sure to save all your work) and launch the CD authoring software
12. Select for audio CD writing and import the .wav files and arrange them according to the sequence required (Exact procedure of import would be dependent on the software used)
13. Load in a blank CDR disc and write to the disc using disc-at-once mode and finalized as a CD-DA format (Exact procedure of writing would be dependent on the software used)
Recommendations
- Chose a good CDR disc to ensure durability and integrity of the disc.
- Try with different brands to see which works well with your CD writer and can playback on your CD player.
- Remember that the limit for a regular CDR is 74mins of audio or 650M byte of data.
- If you use an 80mins CDR disc, make sure both the CD writer and CD authoring software supports it.
- There are many software out there, some are specifically for recording or CD authoring while others are an all-in-one solution.
- Pick one that is most suitable to your needs, applications and budget.
- Ultimately, the quality of your end result will depend on several things such as the initial sonic quality of the cassette, the quality of the soundcard used, the power and flexibility of the computer, audio recording software and noise reduction software, your editing skills, etc.

10 things that can make a computer slow in processing and what you could to do.

10 things that can make a computer slow in processing and what you could to do.

User complaints are minimal when the computer is new. The computer starts up quickly and programs seem to open in a snap. But overtime, the user begins to notice that the system is slow or that it hangs up often. While possible causes for system slowdown are endless, these 10 will suggest areas to first consider.

1. Spyware and Viruses.
Spyware and viruses pose a significant security threat, and they can also dramatically decrease computer performance. The first step to combat these should always be to scan the machine with updated spyware detection/removal and antivirus software. If these software scanners do not work or they claim to work but you still see symptoms of a virus attack, here are a few other steps to try.
• Identify and end suspicious processes with Windows Task Manager (Press Ctrl+Alt+Del)
• Identify and disable suspicious services and startup items with the System Configuration Utility (Type msconfig at the command prompt). Use with caution.
• Search and delete registry entries associated with suspicious services or startup items. (Type regedit at the command prompt). Use with caution.
• Install and use multiple spyware detection and removal utilities but do not use more than one anti-virus.

Note: If the above techniques fail, start Windows in Safe Mode and retry. You can enter safe mode by pressing F8 at system startup for the Advanced Boot Options.

2. Processor Overheating
Modern processors generate a lot of heat. That’s why all processors require some sort of cooling element. When the processor temperature goes over the specified temperature, the system can slow down or run erratically. Modern motherboards can monitor the processor temperature and report it through the system BIOS.

The processor fan may fail for several reasons.
• Dust is preventing the fan from spinning smoothly.
• The fan motor has failed.
• The fan bearings are loose and not spinning at the required velocity.

Often you can tell if there is a fan problem by listening or touching the computer. A fan with loose bearings will cause the casing of the system to vibrate, making a characteristic noise.
You may not have to change the fan. If it’s covered with dust, you can spray away the dust with compressed air. Even though you might get the fan working again, it’s pertinent to note that the lifespan of the fan has been likely reduced because of the overwork.

3. Bad RAM( Random Access Memory)
Several situations can lead to a bad RAM relationship with a particular computer.
Some known RAM problems are:
• RAM timing is slower than optimal machine specification.
• RAM has minor flaws that only appear on detailed testing.
• RAM is overheating

In the past, replacing a RAM was just a matter of knowing the speed the motherboard supports and the maximum each slot would take. Today it’s different, because there are many different speeds and types of RAM, and the better motherboards may be tolerant of using RAM that does not match the motherboard’s maximum specification. But beware that you may need to change BIOS settings and you may see performance decreases if you install RAM that is slower that the maximum spec.

Minor flaws in RAM chips can lead to system slowdowns and instability. The least expensive chips often have minor flaws that will cause your system to slow down or intermittent Blue Screens. Although built-in mechanisms may allow the system to keep working, there is performance drop when it has to deal with flawed RAM chips.

In the past, no one worried about RAM chips getting hot, because they didn’t seem to generate much heat. But that’s changed with newer RAM types, especially SDRAM. To check for overheating you may have to touch. You have to open the computer case, power down, and pull the plug out. Ground yourself and touch the plastic on one of your RAM chips. An alternative, which is preferred, is to use third party software. If you need it, I can get you one.
If you find that your RAM chips are overheating, you should consider buying a separate fan to cool your memory. If your motherboard doesn’t support a RAM fan, you might be able to get enough additional cooling by installing a fan card that plugs into a PCI slot.

4. Failing Hard Disk
There may be signs of imminent failure before a hard disk finally gives up, depending on the type of failure (mechanical, electronic, logical or firmware failure). Some of the signs include:
• Slow access times on the affected drive.
• An increasing number of bad sectors when running scandisk and chkdsk utilities.
• Unexplained Blue Screens.
• Intermittent boot failures.

Detecting a failing hard disk can be tricky because the early signs are subtle. With experience you could hear a change in the normal disk spin (Often manifested as a clicking or crunching noise or a high pitched whine). After the disk deteriorates further, you’ll see the system crawl to a standstill. Write processes will take a long time as the system tries to find good blocks to write to. (This will only occur if you’re using a robust file system such as NTFS; other file systems will likely display a Blue Screen).
You may get error messages such as “Windows delayed write failure” on Windows computers.

When you notice the system slow down, run scandisk or chkdsk depending on your operating system. (Just type chkdsk at command prompt, scandisk won’t work within Windows). If you notice a bad sector where a good sector existed earlier, that’s a clue that the disk is going bad. Backup the data on the disk and prepare for it to fail soon. Be sure to have a spare disk available so you can replace it when it finally fails, or replace the disk as soon as you notice the early signs of failure.

Disk noise and scandisk/chkdsk are your best indicators for identifying a failing drive that’s leading to a system slowdown. If you can’t take down a system for a full chkdsk/R run, you may use tools that monitor disk health such Executive Software DiskAlert.

5. BIOS settings

One often-ignored culprit of system slowdown is the machine’s BIOS settings. Most people accept the BIOS settings as they were configured in the factory and leave them as is. However, slowdowns may occur if the BIOS settings do not match the optimal machine configuration. Often you can improve machine performance by researching your motherboard’s optimal BIOS settings—which may not be the same as the factory defaults.
There is no centralized database of optimal BIOS settings, but a simple Web search on your motherboard name and BIOS as keywords should yield the correct settings.
You may also be able to increase performance by updating or “flashing” your BIOS. Check with your motherboard’s vendor for the software and instructions to do this.
Note: Flashing the BIOS may render your computer permanently unusable. Please use with caution, or contact me if need help.


6. Disk Type/Controller Compatibility

The hard disk you use in your computer should be compatible with the controller on the mainboard, else you’ll have a performance drop. Some sample Hard disk types are UDMA-33, 66,100 etc. It’s always a good practice to check the manual (if any) that came with the disk or the back of the disk to find out what IDE interface it support. If your motherboard only supports a UDMA 33 or 66 and you purchased a UDMA 100, the hard disk will work, but not at maximum capacity.

Another potential problem may be the cable type you using. UDMA 66+ drives require a different cable than older drive types. The drive may not work at all with the old cable type. Aged cables will break down over time, especially if they are tightly folded. It’s always worthwhile to change out the drive cable to see if performance improves.

Also keep in mind that hard disk technologies are improving speedily so that performance of newer disks is substantially greater (and so are disk capacities). Replacing older disk, even if they are not at risk of failure, can give you a big performance boost. New Serial ATA (SATA) disk are faster than old parallel ATA types.

7. Windows Services

Many Windows services are enabled by default. Most of these services however, are not required for your computer to run properly. You should review the services running on your computer and disable those that you don’t need. You view these services by typing msconfig at the command prompt and click on the Services tab.
The Essential column shows services Microsoft considers essential to running the computer. However, note that many required services are not defined as essential in the System Configuration Utility window. You can prevent a service from starting at bootup by unchecking the check box to the left of the service.

Another and more detailed way to see the Services is to use the Services applet found in the Administrative Tools menu. Right-click My Computer and select Manage. Important information contained in the Services console includes the service Name, Status, and Startup Type. You can get more details on a service by double-clicking on it to bring up the service’s Properties.

You can stop the service by clicking the Stop button. If you are sure that you don’t need the service, click the down arrow in the Startup Type drop-down list box and set the service to Disabled. If you are not sure if you need the service, change the Startup Type to Manual. Then you’ll have the option of manually starting the service if you find that you need it.

One service that is well known for slowing down Windows 2000/Windows XP systems is the Indexing Service. This service indexes the content of each hard disk and makes it easier for the Search utility to find files. Unless you are running a Web site that uses the indexing service, you may want to disable it to improve performance.

8. Runaway processes

Runaway processes take up all of the processors' cycles. The usual suspects are badly written device drivers, and legacy software installed on a newer operating system. You can identify a runaway process by looking at the process list in the Windows Task Manager. Any process that takes almost 100 percent of the processing time is likely a runaway process.
There are exceptions to this rule. On a smoothly running system, the System Idle Process should be consuming the majority of the processor cycles most of the time. If any other process were to take up 98 percent of the processor cycles, you might have a runaway process.
If you do find a runaway process, you can right-click the process and click the End Process command. You may need to stop some processes, such as runaway system services, from the Services console. If you can’t stop the service using the console, you may need to reboot the system. Sometimes a hard reboot is required.

9. Disk fragmentation

As files are added, deleted, and changed on a disk, the contents of the file can become spread across sectors located in disparate regions of the disk. This is file fragmentation. Some older operating systems, such as Windows NT, don’t have a built-in defrag utility; you must obtain a third-party solution, such as Executive Software’s Diskeeper.
Disk fragmentation can significantly slow down your machine. The disk heads must move back and forth while seeking all the fragments of a file. A common cause of disk fragmentation is a disk that is too full. You should keep 20 percent to 25 percent of your hard disk space free to minimize file fragmentation and to improve the defragmenter’s ability to defrag the disk. Thus, if a disk is too full, move some files off the drive and restart the defragmenter.
In Windows XP, you can use the defrag.exe command line tool to schedule defragmentation on a regular basis. For Windows 2000, you can use a program such as AutoDefrag to schedule defragmentation.

10 Background applications

The system tray is located at the right hand corner of the task bar. Each icon on the system tray represents a process running in either the foreground or background. Most of them are running in the background, so the users may not be aware that they are running 20+ applications at the same time.
This is due to applications starting up automatically in the background. Look first for such programs in the Startup folder in the Start menu. Many applications place components in the Startup folder to run in the background. Some of these programs can really chew up processor and disk time and noticeably slow down a system. Review each of the entries in the Startup folder and delete any that are unnecessary.
Not all programs that run at startup appear in the Startup folder. Another place to look is the following registry keys:
HKEY_ LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run and HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
(Hope you still remember how to access the registry)
In Windows XP, run msconfig and check the Startup tab to view startup programs. You can uncheck the boxes to keep individual programs from running at startup.

11. File system issues

Some file systems work better than others for large disk partitions. If the machine runs Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Vista you should use the NTFS file system for best performance.
File system performance is closely related to cluster size and the number of clusters on the disk. NTFS file systems will bog down if you have a 60-GB hard disk configured with a cluster size of 512 bytes. This creates an enormous number of clusters, which the file system must track and seek. This becomes especially problematic when the drive is highly fragmented. One solution is to use larger cluster sizes. If you set the cluster size to 4K or larger, you will see noticeable improvement in file load times. Please note, however, that large clusters can significantly increase the amount of cluster slack space and lead to a lot of wasted disk space.
Another trick to alleviate file system issues involves tweaking some Registry values (Start Menu|Run|Regedit):
• The first Registry value you can tweak is NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation, which can be found at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Filesystem. When you set this value to 1, it stops NTFS from generating the 8.3 file-naming convention used for backward compatibility. If you do not need these old filenames, you can improve performance by preventing NTFS from creating them.
• Another useful NTFS entry is the NtfsDisableLastAccess value, which can be found at HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Filesystem. This is a REG_DWORD entry, and when it is set to 1, it will prevent NTFS from updating the date and time stamp of directories after they are browsed. However, this does not prevent an update to the file-access information when a file is opened or changed.
If you are not using the NTFS file system, you may be able to improve performance by moving files and folders out of the root directory. With FAT partitions, you may notice a big slowdown in system performance after running scandisk because a large number of .chk files are placed in the root directory. Users sometimes fill their root directories by making it the default file storage location. Move as many files and folders as possible out of the root directory, and performance should improve significantly.

How to Convert a VHS to VCD

Before DVD and VCD came along, VHS was the standard way of capturing and watching motion pictures at home. Due to the durability of DVDs, it is no surprise that VHS was easily overtaken by the digital medium. It is virtually impossible to keep VHS tapes from wearing out. Over time the tape wears down and the footage on the tapes becomes unwatchable. It is possible to preserve your old VHS tapes by capturing them into a digital format and burning them to VCD. A VCD is a video compact disc similar to a DVD that holds moving images along with quality digital sound. Instead of burning to a blank DVD, the files are burned to a blank CD.

These easy steps will tell all it takes to achieve this conversion.

Step
1

Connect your VCR to your computer. There are a couple of ways this can be done. If you have a digital video camera, you can use the cords that were provided with the camera to connect your VCR to your camera and your camera to your computer. These cords are available in local computer accessories shops. Just request for an (AV (Audio/Video) Cord.
This allows the analog video from the VCR to be captured as a digital file. If you don't have a digital video camera, you must install an analog capture card in your computer. With an analog capture card, you can hook your VCR directly to the computer with an audio/video-to-USB cord.


Step
2

Capture the VHS video to your computer. This will require video-capturing software like iMovie, Windows Movie Maker, Ulead video studio, Nero etc. In the software, go to "Import," which is usually under the "File" menu. Name the file and designate a destination folder for the file. When you are done capturing, the file will be available in the folder you selected.
You can call me or send an email and I will give you a copy of the software or direct you on how and where to get it on the internet.

Step
3

Install a software that burns VCDs. Most DVD software, such as Nero, Media Now and Pinnacle, also has the ability to burn VCDs.


Step
4
Place a blank CD in your CD or DVD drive. The drive must have CD-burning capabilities in order to create a VCD.

Step
5
Use the burning software you installed to burn your files onto VCD. Select VCD as your disc type, import the video files that you pulled from your VHS and click the button to start burning the files to the VCD. The progress will be tracked on the screen, and when burning is complete, your VCD will automatically eject from the system.

Watch out for how to convert Audio Cassettes to Audio CDS.