Windows Tips

Infopackets Reader Frank C. asks: " I have recently upgraded to [a full install of MS Office] and [subsequently] also installed Microsoft Outlook. I have always used Outlook Express for receiving and sending emails, but now Outlook is receiving some ... of my mails ... [while] at other times, the mail comes or goes through Outlook Express. [I would like to only use Outlook Express as my default email client]. What do I do?" My Response: I have also chosen to install the "full installation" of Microsoft Office and have also noticed what Frank is referring to. By default, a full ... (view more)

Yesterday's Visitor Feedback question was sent in from Arlene M. In a nutshell, she asked if it was possible to make a window *always* stay on top of other windows, even after clicking or moving other windows. My response stated that, "If a window ... is active (IE: in use), it will remain on top of all other windows. Once another window is clicked or moved, it becomes the active window [and all other windows fall behind]." I also provided Arlene with some great keyboard shortcuts to make flipping through windows a real snap: A quick way to cycle through active Windows? Today, I ... (view more)

Arlene M. asks: " Dear Dennis, I have Windows XP Pro. Sometimes, [the window I'm working with stays on top of the desktop], and sometimes [it disappears below other windows]. Do you know how I can have my active window show up on top so I don't have ... to [constantly click through other windows to get to it]? " My Response: If a window is active (IE: in use), it will remain on top of all other windows. Once another window is clicked or moved, it becomes the active window. Some programs -- such as WinAMP (used to play .MP3 files) -- have a feature which can make its program window ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Reverend Matthew Swisher emailed me over the weekend and asked a question about the Windows Clipboard: " Hi, Dennis! I enjoy getting your news letters very much. They have added so much to my computer knowledge. There is always ... something in everyone of them that I find useful, and because this is so, I have sent the subscription URL to everyone in my address book ... [And now, for my question] ... I suppose this may sound silly to you, but I do not know how to access the 'clipboard' [from within Windows]? I can't find information about it anywhere in the computer books ... (view more)

After sorting through and reviewing nearly 300 emails in preparation for yesterday's article on "[How to] receive phone calls while using a dial-up Internet connection*", I decided today that it was time to clean out my Inbox and get a bit more ... organized. Side note: if you missed out on yesterday's article, you can read it online: Receive Phone calls when using Dialup Internet? As it turns out, I came across a bunch of old emails dating back to January of this year. The emails were from Infopackets Readers, who answered an old newsletter question pertaining to Windows File ... (view more)

Recently, my Explorer windows stopped positioning themselves properly on the screen. While flipping through emails and web pages in a fiendish learning frenzy, I offset an Explorer window to one side in order to get to another. When I finished what ... I was working on, I closed all Windows and shut the computer down. Since then, all Explorer windows I launch are opening in an offset position. Desperate times seek desperate measures. In an attempt to fix the problem, I've tried closing all Explorer Windows, launching a new one, repositioning it in both minimized / maximized settings, and then ... (view more)