MalekTips: 11-17-2004
 
Welcome to the latest issue of the MalekTips newsletter, providing computer and technology help and tips. We appreciate your subscription!
 
Boy do we have tips! Over 100 of them as a matter of fact. Anti-spyware, Windows XP, Digital Cameras, Printers, Internet Explorer, Microsoft Excel 2003, Microsoft Outlook 2003, Mozilla Firefox, Winamp 5, Windows Media Player 10, and much more.
 
Enjoy! And remember - if you have a computer question, be sure to visit the MalekTips forums at http://www.malektips.com/forums
 
Andrew Malek MalekTips.Com
 
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* Tips! *
 
These are the latest tips added to the MalekTips website, presented here in the MalekTips newsletter! Thanks for subscribing.
 
Ad-Aware - Consider Definition Files as Outdated Earlier
Tweak Ad-Aware so it reminds you to download malware definitions more often.
 
Ad-Aware - Change Default Internet Explorer Home and Search Pages
Fix Internet Explorer home and search pages after cleaning up malware infestations.
 
Ad-Aware - Change the Scan Results Sound
Make the Ad-Aware scan results sound a little less jarring.
 
Ad-Aware - Stop Asking to Confirm Everything
Delete possible spyware threats in Ad-Aware without asking for confirmation.
 
Ad-Aware - Upgrading May Not Remove Older Start Menu Items
Clean up your Windows Start Menu after upgrading Ad-Aware.
 
Ad-Aware - Reset Settings to the Default
Revert Ad-Aware's settings to their default state.
 
Adobe Reader - Change Page Thumbnail Sizes
View larger thumbnail images of a PDF document.
 
Adobe Reader - Hide Toolbars, Show More of the Document
Display more of your PDF documents by hiding navigation bars and toolbars.
 
Buying a Digital Camera - Where is the Tripod Socket?
Make sure when purchasing a digital camera that it fits well on a tripod.
 
Buying a Printer - Make Sure it Fits on Your Desk
When purchasing a printer, be sure to consider its footprint.
 
Buying a Printer - Are Cables Included?
Will you need to buy USB, parallel, or Firewire cables for your printer?
 
Choosing a Web Hosting Provider - Development Help Available?
Is there someone to turn to for Perl, C++, or Java questions?
 
Digital Camera Battery - Batteries in Cold Weather
Bring along extra batteries if you plan on taking photos in the cold winter months.
 
Digital Fireworks Photography - Use Double Exposure For Impressive Photos
Use double exposure tricks to take even more incredible fireworks photos with your digital camera.
 
Digital Photo Processing - A Multi-Monitor Setup May Enhance Image Editing
Adding a second monitor to your computer may make it much easier to edit digital photos.
 
Digital Travel Photography - Be Careful on Double-Decker Buses!
Don't damage your digital camera equipment, or yourself, when traveling on double-decker buses!
 
Digital Wildlife and Animal Photography - Don't Smell!
Odors can give away your presence to animals, making digital photography more difficult.
 
Digital Wildlife and Animal Photography - Disable All Camera Sounds
Even the slightest beep produced by your digital camera may scare away wildlife.
 
Digital Wildlife and Animal Photography - Consider a Compact Camera
A smaller digital camera may make it easier to take photos in the wild.
 
Floppy Disk - Protect Your Floppy Disks From Dirt
Keep floppy disks away from the elements to prolong their use.
 
Floppy Disk - Shredding Floppy Disks for Security
Help prevent others from obtaining confidential information from old floppy disks.
 
Internet Explorer 6 Security - Keep the Home Page From Changing
Help prevent Internet Explorer's home page from being changed by software or spyware.
 
Internet Explorer 6 Security - Prevent an ActiveX Control From Running
Prevent Internet Explorer from running a specific ActiveX Control you suspect to be spyware / adware.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Move to the Right When Pressing Enter
Help perform data entry in Microsoft Excel 2003 by column instead of by row.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Stop Showing Paste Options Buttons
Keep buttons from appearing whenever you paste text in a Microsoft Excel 2003 spreadsheet.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Change the Default Font
Change Microsoft Excel 2003's spreadsheet cell default font.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Disable Tooltip Help
Keep tooltip help from popping up in Microsoft Excel 2003.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Change the Color of a Worksheet Tab
Add color to categorize tabs in a Microsoft Excel 2003 workbook.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Change AutoRecover Save Location
Store Microsoft Excel 2003 AutoRecover files in a different directory or on a different drive.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Support International Numbering System
Create spreadsheets with numbering systems that cater to other countries' standards.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Automatically Open a Directory of Files
Automatically open several files when starting Microsoft Excel 2003.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Hide Sheet Tabs
If you don't commonly create workbook files with more than one worksheet, hide the sheet tabs
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Default Workbook Sheets
Modify the default number of worksheets in a new Microsoft Excel 2003 workbook.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Remove Scroll Bars to See More of the Spreadsheet Onscreen
Stop scrolling through Microsoft Excel 2003 spreadsheets with the mouse; use the keyboard instead and save screen real estate for the spreadsheet.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Password-Protect a Workbook
Help protect a Microsoft Excel 2003 from accidental reading or modification.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Change AutoRecover Save Frequency
Save Microsoft Excel 2003 AutoRecover files more or less often.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Keep Column Headers Visible at All Times
Edit large Microsoft Excel 2003 spreadsheet easier by keeping column headers visible.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Disable AutoRecover for Active Workbook
Turn off the AutoRecover feature in Microsoft Excel 2003 if you find it annoying and not useful.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Repair Excel Problems
Fix shortcut and settings problems in Microsoft Excel 2003.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Remember to Save Workbook Properties
Have Microsoft Excel 2003 always prompt you to save workbook properties such as title, subject, and author.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Spreadsheet Modification Slow - Switch to Manual Calculation
Speed up slow Microsoft Excel 2003 spreadsheets by only calculating formulas manually, not in the background.
 
Microsoft Excel 2003 - Add Watches to View Results in Other Spreadsheet Sections
Easily monitor disparate sections of large and complex Microsoft Excel 2003 spreadsheets.
 
Mouse - Buy a Backup
A small investment of a few bucks can save you from much hassle down the road.
 
Mozilla Firefox - Why Use a Different Web Browser?
Why should you consider using Firefox instead of Internet Explorer?
 
Mozilla Firefox - Where to Download
How to download the Mozilla Firefox web browser.
 
Mozilla Firefox - Allow Popup Windows for Selected Sites
Stop blocking popup windows necessary to view certain websites in Mozilla Firefox.
 
Mozilla Firefox - Ask Where to Save Downloaded Files
Stop saving all files downloaded by Mozilla Firefox to the desktop.
 
Mozilla Firefox - Remember More Webpages in History
Force Mozilla Firefox to remember more of your recent web travels for easier recall.
 
Mozilla Firefox - Use Other Search Engines besides Google
Search Yahoo, Ask Jeeves, MSN, or other search engines directly from Mozilla Firefox.
 
Mozilla Firefox - Full Screen or Kiosk Mode
View web pages in Mozilla Firefox without annoying status or menu bars.
 
Mozilla Firefox - about:mozilla Easter Egg
Typing about:mozilla into the Firefox address bar may surprise you...
 
Outlook 2003 - Sending Email - Recalling Messages
Attempt to stop an Outlook 2003 message from being delivered and read.
 
Outlook 2003 - Sending Email - Temporarily Proof E-mail in a Different Language
Proofread Outlook 2003 e-mail messages delivered to those speaking languages other than English.
 
Outlook 2003 Calendar and Meeting - Change Busy Status of Appointment
Change an appointment status from Busy to Tentative in Outlook 2003 in case you may not be able to show up.
 
Outlook 2003 Calendar and Meeting - Change the Calendar Workweek
Force Outlook 2003 to display the Calendar using alternate workweeks such as Sunday - Thursday or Tuesday - Saturday.
 
Outlook 2003 Calendar and Meeting - Publish More Free/Busy Information
Allow other networked Outlook 2003 users to see when you are free for a meeting request months from now.
 
PestPatrol - Download Evaluation Version
Download an evaluation version of the PestPatrol malware scanner and remover.
 
PestPatrol - Download Updates Automatically
Keep PestPatrol automatically up-to-date to help protect your machine against malware.
 
PestPatrol - Unable to Download Updates
Unable to download PestPatrol updates? A proxy server may be to blame.
 
PestPatrol - Running a Scan
Scan your system for adware, spyware, and other threats with PestPatrol.
 
PestPatrol - Remove Sounds
Mute PestPatrol whenever it wants to warn you of found malware or a finished scan.
 
PestPatrol - More Thorough Scanning
Force PestPatrol to take more time and do a more thorough scan of your system for adware and spyware.
 
PestPatrol - Enable / Disable Context Menu
Disable or re-enable PestPatrol's Explorer context menu integration.
 
PestPatrol - Enable / Disable System Tray Icon
Enable or disable a System Tray icon to conveniently access PestPatrol.
 
PestPatrol - Change the Font
Display text inside PestPatrol using an alternate font.
 
PestPatrol - Scan All Files
Scan all files with PestPatrol, not just files with certain extensions.
 
PestPatrol - Ignore Scanning Files or Certain Directories
Prevent false alarms from being generated by ignoring certain files or directories from PestPatrol.
 
PestPatrol - Analyze a Downloaded File for Malware
Use PestPatrol to analyze files downloaded over the Internet for spyware, adware, and other threats.
 
PestPatrol - Limit or Expand your Search
Use PestPatrol to search for many types of malware, not just spyware and adware.
 
PestPatrol - View Emerging Pests
Display a list of emerging malware threats of which you should be aware.
 
Pine EMail - Don't Cut Everything
Make pressing CONTROL-K cut from the current cursor position to the end of the line.
 
Pine EMail - Jump to Messages Quicker
Configure Pine to allow you to jump to particular message numbers just by typing the number on the keyboard.
 
Pine EMail - More Room for Messages
Turn off PINE menus to use more of the screen to display e-mail.
 
Printer - Check Warranty Before Buying Third-Party Cartridges
Ensure that buying cheaper printer cartridges does not void your printer's warranty.
 
Printer - Use Clean Edge Business Cards, not Perforated
Planning on printing your own business cards? Be sure to get the right kind of stock paper.
 
Scanner - Close Down Other Software Before Scanning
Shutting down other software while scanning large documents may speed up the scanning process.
 
Selling Digital Photos - Always Have Your Business Card
Business opportunities can happen almost anywhere - keep your business cards on you at all times.
 
Selling Digital Photos - Don't Overwhelm Potential Clients
Only show your best work to potential clients and not hundreds of photos.
 
Selling Digital Photos - Don't Assume a Computer or Media Format!
Always distribute digital photos in media formats others can use.
 
Spybot Search and Destroy - Lock Your Internet Explorer Start Page
Help keep your Internet Explorer start page from being changed accidentally or by spyware.
 
Spybot Search and Destroy - Fix Problems then Scan Again
Perform two scans in a row with Spybot Search and Destroy to help remove certain hard-to-delete spyware and adware.
 
Spybot Search and Destroy - Run Spybot Automatically
Start Spybot Search and Destroy every time you reboot your computer.
 
Spybot Search and Destroy - View Currently Running Process List
Help determine if spyware or adware are currently running on your machine using Spybot Search and Destroy.
 
Spybot Search and Destroy - Recover Ignored Entries in System Internals Search
Fix errors previously ignored when doing system internals searches with Spybot Search and Destroy.
 
Spybot Search and Destroy - View a Detailed System Report
View and create detailed system reports in Spybot Search and Destroy to help determine if spyware is installed and running.
 
Spybot Search and Destroy - View and Modify Startup Tasks
Use Spybot Search and Destroy to help determine if spyware or adware is starting up on your machine.
 
Spybot Search and Destroy - Do Not Remove Usage Tracks with Certain Extensions
Ignore filenames with certain extensions in Spybot Search and Destroy when deleting usage tracks.
 
Spybot Search and Destroy - Unable to Download Updates Due to Proxy Server
Configure proxy settings, if necessary, in Spybot Search and Destroy to download updates.
 
Spyware and Adware - Clear Your Hosts File to Help Prevent Web Page Redirection
Help keep accesses to web sites being redirected unintentionally; clear your Hosts file.
 
Spyware and Adware - Anti-Spyware Web Sites May Get Disabled
Unable to download anti-spyware applications? This tip may help.
 
Spyware and Adware - What is a DoS (Denial of Service) Attack?
How can your computer be hacked and turned into a tool to damage other machine via Denial of Service attacks?
 
Spyware and Adware - Delete Icons to Websites Appearing on Your Desktop
Remove icons to adult and spyware-supported websites from your desktop, and help prevent them from appearing in the first place.
 
SpywareBlaster - What it is and Where to Download
Download and use SpywareBlaster to help prevent your computer from being infected with spyware and adware.
 
SpywareBlaster - Updating SpywareBlaster
Keep SpywareBlaster up-to-date to help protect you against the newest malware.
 
SpywareBlaster - Updating SpywareBlaster Fails
Configure SpywareBlaster with your proxy server information if downloading updates fails.
 
SpywareBlaster - Older Versions of Firefox not Detected
SpywareBlaster will not help protect older versions of Mozilla Firefox. You should upgrade - here's why.
 
SpywareBlaster - System Snapshots
Save and recall system settings that may get overwritten by spyware or adware.
 
SpywareBlaster - View and Change Browser Pages
Use SpywareBlaster to change web browser home and search pages that may have been changed by spyware / adware.
 
SpywareBlaster - Change the Internet Explorer Title Text
Stop Internet Explorer from advertising itself in its title bar.
 
SpywareBlaster - Disable the Internet Explorer Home Page Settings Area
Help protect your Internet Explorer home page from being accidentally changed.
 
SpywareBlaster - Disable Flash in Internet Explorer
Keep Flash animations from appearing in Internet Explorer.
 
SpywareBlaster - Disable Protection for a Particular Item in Mozilla / Firefox
If SpywareBlaster protection is keeping some websites from appearing in Mozilla / Firefox, here's how to allow those sites to set cookies on your machine.
 
SpywareBlaster - Disable Protection for a Particular Item in Internet Explorer
If SpywareBlaster protection is keeping some websites from appearing in Internet Explorer, here's how to allow those sites to operate fully.
 
SpywareBlaster - Host File Snapshots
Keep track of your Hosts file settings in case they are changed by spyware / adware.
 
SpywareBlaster - Protect Against Particular ActiveX Controls
Protect your machine from ActiveX controls that SpywareBlaster does not yet recognize.
 
Winamp 5 - Keep Visualizations From Hogging CPU
Display visualizations in Winamp 5 without keeping other software from running effectively.
 
Winamp 5 - Video and DVDs Not Showing or Crashing Winamp 5
Diagnose video and DVD playback errors in Winamp 5.
 
Winamp 5 - Optimize for Wider Displays
Optimize video playback in Winamp 5 for non 4:3 displays.
 
Winamp 5 - Stop After Playing Current Song
Want to quit Winamp 5 but not before you favorite song ends? Play the current song then stop multimedia playback.
 
Winamp 5 - Stop Reformatting Song Names
Keep Winamp 5 from reformatting your song filenames in the playlist area.
 
Winamp 5 - Change Midi Output Device
Output Midi music to a keyboard or other device in Winamp 5.
 
Winamp 5 - Solve MP3 Streaming Problems
Trouble playing streaming MP3 files over the Internet with Winamp 5? Make these configuration changes.
 
Winamp 5 - Wrong Plug-In Names Being Shown
If you run many Winamp 5 plug-ins, you may need to periodically clear the name cache to prevent wrong plug-in names from displaying.
 
Winamp 5 - Remove Tooltips for Modern Skins
Keep Winamp 5 from popping up documentation when you hover over control buttons.
 
Winamp 5 - Uninstall a Plug-In
Remove unused plug-ins in Winamp 5.
 
Windows Media Player 10 CD Ripping - Not Getting Music Information Automatically
When ripping CDs with Windows Media Player 10, if album information is not downloaded from the Internet, perform this tweak.
 
Windows Media Player 10 Misc - Purchase Music and Movies Online
Purchase multimedia from a variety of sources with Windows Media Player 10.
 
Windows Media Player 10 Misc - Keep Media Player On Top
Prevent other windows from covering up movies played in Windows Media Player 10.
 
Windows Media Player 10 Misc - Media Info Missing
Can't view multimedia file information from Windows Media Player 10?
 
Windows Media Player 10 Misc - Adjust Volume Using the Keyboard
Make your music files louder or softer without using the operating system's Volume Control utility.
 
Windows Media Player 10 Misc - Hide the Taskbar for More Room
Show more multimedia files onscreen by hiding Windows Media Player 10's taskbar.
 
Windows Media Player 10 Misc - Show/Hide the Menu Bar
Toggle displaying Windows Media Player 10's menu bar.
 
Windows XP and Tweak UI - Give Explorer a Toolbar Background Texture
Add a pleasing texture to Windows XP Explorer's toolbar background.
 
Windows XP and Tweak UI - Change Compressed File Color
Easily distinguish compressed files from within Windows XP Explorer.
 
Windows XP and Tweak UI - Change How Driver Letters are Displayed
Change how Explorer in Windows XP displays drive names.
 
Windows XP and Tweak UI - Hide Taskbar Notification Icons
Keep Windows XP from filling up the Taskbar Notification area with attention-getting icons from the operating system.
 
Windows XP and Tweak UI - Show Internet Explorer Image Toolbar for Smaller Images
Force the Internet Explorer image toolbar to appear when you hover your mouse pointer over all images.
 
Windows XP Misc - Stop Running Desktop Cleanup Wizard
Prevent Windows XP from asking to clean up messy Desktops.
 
Windows XP Misc - Don't Have to Get All Updates at Once
Downloading a few system updates is better than downloading none at all.
 
Windows XP Taskbar - Toolbar - Start Menu - Display Programs Menu in Alphabetical Order
Sort the Windows XP Programs menu by name.
 
Windows XP Taskbar - Toolbar - Start Menu - Remove the Quick Launch Area
Disable Quick Launch icons from taking up space on your Windows XP taskbar.
 
Windows XP Taskbar - Toolbar - Start Menu - Stop Hiding Inactive Notification Area Icons
Keep notification area icons on the Windows XP taskbar from disappearing for no reason.
 
Windows XP Taskbar - Toolbar - Start Menu - Remove "Connect To" from Start Menu
Remove "Connect To" from the Windows XP Start Menu if you connect to the Internet via a LSN, cable, DSL, or other means.
 
Windows XP Taskbar - Toolbar - Start Menu - Access "Control Panel" Quickly From Start Menu
Access the Control Panel as a submenu from the Windows XP Start Menu.
 
Windows XP Taskbar - Toolbar - Start Menu - Remove the Taskbar Clock
Disable the clock on the Windows XP Taskbar.
 
Windows XP Taskbar - Toolbar - Start Menu - View Large Quick Launch Icons
Make the Windows XP Quick Launch icons easier to see.
 
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* Copyright Notice *
 
This newsletter can be redistributed, in electronic or print, provided that no changes are made to this document and this notice is left intact. If you wish to redistribute just pieces of this newsletter, such as certain articles, contact Andrew Malek for information.
 
MalekTips is published by Envision Programming:
 
Envision Programming attn: MalekTips PO Box 11592 Knoxville, TN 37939-1592
 
This issue of MalekTips is Copyright 2004 Andrew Malek of Envision Programming. All other copyrights and trademarks are properties of their respective companies.

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