Five tips for lightning-fast formatting in Word

Five tips for lightning-fast formatting in Word

Takeaway: No matter what kind of document you’re working on, it will probably need some formatting. These shortcuts will help you zip through those tasks so you can concentrate on the content.

Even if you’re a diehard mouse person, certain keyboard shortcuts are undeniably useful — especially when it comes to formatting. Here are five areas where you can save time using the keyboard instead of traipsing around the Ribbon or searching through menus for the options you need.

1: Apply styles

Not everyone uses styles to format their documents, which is really too bad — styles are almost always more efficient than manual formatting. But even if you’re style-shy, you’ll appreciate the instant formatting provided by these little shortcuts. They work on the current paragraph or multiple selected paragraphs:

• Ctrl + Shift + N applies the Normal style.
• Ctrl + Shift + L applies the List Bullet style.
• Ctrl + Alt +1 applies the Heading 1 style.
• Ctrl + Alt +2 applies the Heading 2 style.
• Ctrl + Alt +3 applies the Heading 3 style.
• Ctrl + Shift + S will open the Apply Styles dialog box, where you can choose any style available to the document. (In Word 2003, it will move the focus to the Style box on the Formatting toolbar.)

2: Adjust font size

Word offers two types of size adjustment, although it’s a subtle distinction:

• Ctrl + ] increases the size of selected text by 1 point; Ctrl + [ decreases the size of selected text by 1 point.
• Ctrl + Shift + > increases the selected text to the next largest installed point size; Ctrl + Shift + < decreases the selected text to the next smallest installed point size.

So, for instance, the first shortcut would increase a selection of 12-point Calibri to 13 points. But the second shortcut would increase it to 14 points.

3: Modify line or paragraph spacing

These are handy if you’re trying to add white space and/or improve readability in a document but you don’t have a lot of time to spend tweaking the layout and design:

• Ctrl + 0 (zero) applies or removes 12 points of space above the current paragraph.
• Ctrl + 5 applies 1.5 line spacing to the current paragraph.
• Ctrl + 2 double-spaces the lines in the current paragraph.

4: Transfer formatting

I always get some truculent feedback when I share this shortcut — apparently, the Format Painter feature has a militant and devoted following. But this trick offers something Format Painter doesn’t: It remembers the formatting you copied until the end of your Word session. So if you think you may need to apply a particular set of formatting attributes at various times as you work, this trick is golden:

• Ctrl + Shift + C copies the formatting of selected text.
• Ctrl + Shift + V applies the copied formatting to a new selection.

5: Remove manually applied formatting

If you often work with documents created by other people, you’ve probably encountered more than your share of extraneous formatting. You may have even applied some dubious touches yourself, in the form of wild fonts or excessive italics. The fastest way to eliminate all the manual formatting from selected text and get back to the underlying styles is to use these shortcuts:

• Ctrl + Spacebar removes character formatting, leaving just the formatting of the default character style.
• Ctrl + Q removes paragraph formatting, leaving just the formatting of the paragraph style applied to the selected paragraph(s).

Five tips for printer sharing in Linux

Five tips for printer sharing in Linux

Takeaway: Admins often shy away from sharing a printer from Linux. Following are few simple steps that can simplify setup and sidestepping problems.

Printer sharing in Linux isn’t all that hard. But when asked to set it up, most admins would rather chew off their own arm. Why? Lack of familiarity? Ignorance? Who really knows. But the truth is, it’s not hard and it makes for an incredibly reliable service.

Let’s take a look at some tips that will make sharing out a printer from the Linux operating system much easier for both the admin and the end user.

1: Use the GUI

Both GNOME and KDE have incredibly easy graphical tools to help with the sharing of files, folders, and printers through Samba. The printer sharing feature is found in the Printer Preferences tool on both desktops and can be configured on both the printer and the server levels. The printer level is where the printer is actually shared out, whereas the server level is where a number of options can be set. Most instances will only need the printer-level settings.

2: Make sure Samba is configured properly

One of the issues you will find is that if Samba isn’t configured properly, no amount of GUI will help. This is especially true in a mixed environment. If you do have a mixed environment (especially Windows and Linux), it will be crucial that Samba is correct. Make sure the security= line uses the right mode and that files can be shared to all necessary clients. Once you’ve established that, verify that the entry for the printers is correct. You’ll be looking for two sections: [printers] and [print$]. The former is the global printer configuration and the latter is the configuration necessary for Windows clients.

3: Provide drivers

Unless you’re okay with going to every client and installing drivers for the printers, you will want to have drivers for all flavors of Windows on your printer server for use. These are configured in the [print$] directive in the smb.conf file. The most important entry in that is the path = variable. This will be where the drivers are stored. By default, this is /var/lib/samba/printers/. Make sure you have the explicit pathname to these drivers and to make your life easy, take out any spaces in the directory names for the drivers.

4: Make sure Samba is starting at boot and iptables isn’t blocking

I have found this to be a sticking point in some instances. If power goes out and the Linux machine sharing the printers goes down, Samba may not be running when the machine restarts. When this is the case, no one will be able to print. Of course, how this is done will depend upon which distribution you use. Some distributions offer a GUI tool for this task and some do not. NOTE: Do not do this through the Startup Applications GUI, as that is for user-level applications. Also, make sure your firewall isn’t blocking the ports for printer sharing. The most important port you need to have open is port 631, which is the CUPS (Common UNIX Printer System) port.

5: Grab a Web-based admin tool

CUPS offers an easy-to-use printer configuration tool. Go to http://address_to_printer_server:631 and you will find a tool that makes configuring your printers a snap. To use cups for printer sharing (UNIX to UNIX), you can use the cupsctl command (man cupsctl for more information). For UNIX-to-Windows or UNIX-to-Mac printer sharing, you will need to use a Web-based tool like Webmin. NOTE: When using Webmin, your smb.conf fill will be rewritten. I would make a copy of that file before using Webmin. Samba used to have a tool called Swat for Samba printer sharing setup, but that tool is no longer maintained.

Avoiding problems

As we all know, printing is one of those administrative tasks that can go wrong for so many reasons. Add the layer of multiple platforms and the level of challenge grew even greater. But with the above tips, you should be five steps closer to having your Samba printer server up and running.

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10 tips for sharpening your logical thinking

10 tips for sharpening your logical thinking

Logical Thinking

Logical thinking is critical for IT professionals, managers, and executives. You must be able to diagnose problems end users are having. You must be able to evaluate vendor claims. You must be able to refute your boss when he or she turns down your request for a raise or promotion. The following concepts will help you hone your logical thinking skills.

1: The conditional statement
Have you ever dropped your smartphone into water? Not good, correct? Let’s assume, for purposes of this article, that every time it happens, without exception, that phone is ruined. In other words, this statement istrue: “If you drop your smartphone into water, then it will become ruined.”

This statement, in logic, is known as a conditional statement. The first part of the sentence states a condition or requirement. The second part of the sentence states the result of that condition. If the condition is fulfilled, the result will occur. If you’ve done any application programming, you doubtless have worked with conditional statements. The principles of conditional statements are the same for logical thinking.

2: Understanding premise and conclusion shorthand
The two parts of a conditional statement have specific terms with respect to logic. The first part is called a premise, and the second part is called a conclusion. Within a conditional statement, if a premise is true, the conclusion will be too, because it follows, or results from, the truth of the premise.

Sometimes, in shorthand, you will see the abbreviations “p” and “q” for “premise” and “conclusion,” respectively. The causal relationship (the “then”) is indicated by an arrow: →. Here, “p” would represent “If you drop your smartphone into water,” “q” would represent “the smartphone will become ruined,” and → would represent the “then.” The general nature of a conditional statement can be represented as p → q.

Once we understand the structure of an original conditional statement in terms of p and q, we can understand three other statements related to it. They are the converse, the inverse, and the contrapositive. Knowing these three is important to avoid faulty reasoning and to detect faulty reasoning by others.

3: The converse statement
The converse of the original conditional statement simply reverses the premise and the conclusion. In shorthand terms, therefore, the converse is q → p. In our smartphone example, the converse statement would be: “If your smartphone is ruined, then it was because you dropped it into water.”

As you can see, in this case the converse is not true, because a smartphone can be ruined in many other ways besides dropping it into water. Similarly, though someone who lives in Florida lives in the United States, not everyone who lives in the United States lives in Florida. Assuming that the converse is true, in fact, leads to the fallacy of the “false syllogism”:

• If a phone is dropped into water, it is ruined.
• John’s phone is ruined.
• Therefore, John’s phone must have been dropped into water.

An example of similar potentially faulty reasoning is the following:

• Every computer that has virus x has symptom y.
• Joe’s computer has symptom y.
• Therefore, Joe’s computer has virus x.

This reasoning is faulty for the same reason — namely, that a computer could have symptom y for other reasons. A correct analysis would be the following:

• If a computer has virus x, then it has symptom y.
• Joe’s computer has virus x.
• Therefore, Joe’s computer has symptom y.

The false syllogism is better illustrated this classic way:

• Dogs have four legs.
• Cats have four legs.
• Therefore, dogs are cats.

4: The inverse statement
The inverse of the original statement keeps the original premise and original conclusion but negates each one. In shorthand, the inverse is ~p → ~q.

The inverse of the smartphone statement would be: “If you do not drop your smartphone into water, your smartphone will not become ruined.” Sometimes, the inverse is true. But other times, such as with our example, it isn’t. A smartphone can be ruined in many ways. Therefore, even if we refrain from dropping the phone into water, it doesn’t prevent other bad things from happening to it. The inverse of the virus statement would be: “If a computer does not have virus x, it will not have symptom y.” This statement might not be true if symptom y can result from reasons other than virus x.

Be careful of inverse reasoning.

5: The contrapositive statement
The contrapositive is either the converse of the inverse or the inverse of the converse. That is, it involves a negation of both the premise and the conclusion, along with their reversal. Our smartphone contrapositive would be: “If your smartphone is not ruined, then you did not drop it into water.” The virus contrapositive would be “If a computer does not have symptom y, then it does not have virus x.” In shorthand, the contrapositive is ~q → ~p.

Assuming the truth of the original conditional statement, the contrapositive is the only alternative statement that will always be true.

6: Necessary conditions
Closely related to the conditional and related statements are the ideas of necessary conditions and sufficient conditions.

A necessary condition is one that must be met for a certain result to be achieved. For a smartphone not to be ruined, it must be kept out of water. Therefore “keeping a smartphone out of water” is necessary to prevent it from being ruined. The absence of virus x is necessary to have assurance that a computer does not have symptom y.

I know the objections you are raising right now, but keep reading for my further points.

7: Sufficient conditions
A sufficient condition is one that, if met, absolutely guarantees the occurrence of a certain result — that is, a result that is dependent on that condition. Dropping a smartphone into water is sufficient for ruining that phone.

Doing so guarantees that the phone is ruined. The presence of virus x is a sufficient condition for a computer to exhibit symptom y.

8: Necessary but not sufficient
A condition can be necessary but not sufficient. Keeping your smartphone out of water is necessary for preventing its ruin. However, even if you do so, your smartphone could be ruined in other ways, such as being crushed by a car or dropped from a height. In the same way, even if virus x is absent from the computer, they system could still display symptom y for some other reason. Therefore, keeping a smartphone out of water, and keeping virus x off a computer are necessary but not sufficient conditions for preventing smartphone ruin or the presence of symptom y.

9: Sufficient but not necessary
Similarly, a condition can be sufficient but not necessary. Dropping the smartphone into water is a sufficient condition for ruining it. However, it is not a necessary condition for ruining it. Having virus x is a sufficient condition for symptom y. However, if symptom y can arise from other causes, having virus x is not a necessary condition.

10: Neither necessary nor sufficient
A condition can be neither necessary nor sufficient with respect to a result. To prevent the ruin of your smartphone, it is neither necessary nor sufficient that its area code begin with an even number. To prevent virus x, it is neither necessary nor sufficient that the system unit have a property tag.

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Harden Apache web servers with some of these quick tips

Harden Apache web servers with some of  these quick tips


Apache is one of the most widely used web servers on the planet… and with good reason. Not only is it incredibly powerful and flexible, it’s also free. That cost to feature ratio makes for an attractive package for the DIY(Do-It-Yourself) crowd.


Apache is also really secure out of the box. But for those who live on the edge of paranoia, it’s nice to know there are ways to make an already secure web server even more secure. Here are some tips that you can employ quickly to harden your already running Apache server.


Hide the banner
Apache announces itself with the help of a banner file. By announcing itself, this allows hackers to more easily target attacks. So instead of blindly announcing what piece of software is handing out content, let’s obfuscate it by turning off SecuritySignature.

1. Open a terminal window.
2. Open the Apache configuration file (in Ubuntu this is /etc/apache/apache2.conf).
3. Search for a line containing ServerSignature. If found, set to off.
4. Search for ServerTokens. If found, set to ProductOnly.

Now, restart Apache with the command /etc/init.d/apache restart. Apache is no longer broadcasting itself as the web server. If you want to test this, issue the command curl -I http://DOMAIN, where DOMAIN is the domain serving up your website.




Deny All
The best way to secure access to Apache is to deny access to everything and everyone and then allow access only where needed. This is done by modifying the directory containers; specifically, you’ll want to start with the main <Directory /> container and make sure it looks like:


<Directory />
Order deny,allow
Deny from all
</Directory>


Now create new containers for the directories that you need to give access to. These can look like:


<Directory "/var/www/XXX">
Order allow,deny
Allow from all
</Directory>


where XXX is a specific directory that must be accessed. Once you’ve done this, restart Apache and enjoy a stronger web server.




Trace HTTP requests
Trace HTTP requests are another possible security issue. These requests echo back all received information, which can be used to trick Apache into printing HTTP cookies and hijacking HTTP sessions. This is known as the Cross Site Scripting attack (or XSS).


In order to disable this feature, set the TraceEnable directive in /etc/apache/apache2.conf to off. After you change the setting and the file saved, restart Apache, and you should be good to go.




Disable Directory Indexing
The Directory Indexing feature prints out the contents of directories (this is especially true where there is no index.html or index.php file in the directory). On a Ubuntu server, there are enabled modules in the /etc/apache/mods-enabled directory. The modules to be removed are: autoindex.load and autoindex.conf. You can remove those files with the following commands:


sudo rm -rf /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/autoindex.load
sudo rm -rf /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/autoindex.conf


For other distributions look for the “index” option in the particular directory container and remove the option. A directory container starts with <Directory> and ends with </Directory>. Within those tags you will find the line: Options index FollowSymLinks… . Just remove the “index” option, save the file, and restart Apache.




Disable WebDAV
WebDAV is a popular protocol that allows for the sharing of data (such as calendars) and allows for web-based email. If these features are not needed, I highly recommend disabling this protocol from your Apache server. To do this, issue the following commands and then restart Apache:


sudo rm /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/dav.load
sudo rm /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/dav_fs.conf
sudo rm /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/dav_fs.load
sudo rm /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/dav_lock.load




Use SSL(Security Socket Layer)
I won’t go into the setting up and configuring of SSL, but when you need secure http, you must use SSL. 




Keep up to date
When an update is released for Apache, it is often for security purposes. Keep your eye on updates and make sure that Apache installation is as up to date as possible. This is critical Unlike the proprietary world, the open source world tends to find and fix bugs quickly, so shortly after a bug is found, you can bet the developers will be working on a fix right away. On a piece of software as important as Apache, those bug fixes will be rushed out to the repositories much faster than, say, a piece of desktop software.




Watch your log files
In the /var/log/apache2 directory, these logs are available: access.log and error.log. These logs, in particular, are always important to watch. If there seems to be an issue with Apache, I like to use the tail command on either of these log files (using the command sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/access.log) to watch the logs as events are recorded.

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Five tips for improving Linux Server performance

Five tips for improving Linux Server performance


Most Linux server distributions, out of the box, will outperform proprietary systems. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t things you can do to improve the performance of your server. In fact, there are always ways to eke out a bit more performance, no matter the operating system. But in this article, I want to speak directly to boosting the performance of the Linux server.


1) Kill services that are not needed
This particular trick will go a long way toward improving the performance of your server. With some Linux servers, certain services seem to want to run by default, regardless of whether they are being used. If that is the case, make sure those services are not running. For example: Samba. If you’re not serving files to Windows or other platforms, kill the Samba daemon. The same holds true for many other services. Your best bet is to decide what your server IS doing and then go through and kill what it doesn’t need. This will also have the benefit of making your server more secure.


2) Pay close attention to SELinux
SELinux is an often misunderstood tool. Its purpose is to enhance the security of a server or desktop. It is there for a reason and should not be stopped altogether. It should, however, be configured to meet the specific needs of your server. SELinux is quite powerful, and if it’s improperly configured, that power can rob your system of much-needed CPU cycles and slow down data throughput. If your distribution uses SELinux, be sure you have a strong understanding of it so you can fine-tune it to meet your needs.


3) Compile software from source
This might seem a bit counterintuitive, but when you compile your software from source, you can often run the compilation with flags and arguments highly specific to your hardware and/or needs. This goes for software that runs services and, of course, the kernel itself. The more hardware/need-specific you make your software, the more performance you will gain. Of course, this does require some experience with installing from source. I would recommend starting with this method on a test machine to get used to how the software can be better tailored to fit your situation.


4) Keep updated
This is insanely important from both a performance and a security standpoint. I see it so often: administrators ignoring updates for fear the updates will break their currently running software. If you are one of those admins, I recommend having a testbed server that mirrors your production server. With that testbed in place, you can run the updates prior to running them on the production machine so you will know precisely what could go wrong. From my experience, though, it’s a rare occasion that something does go wrong with a Linux software update.


5) Can the GUI
If you really need as much performance as possible, you can do one of two things: Use a GUI-less server installation or run the server in run level 3. If you need the GUI to get the machine up and running well, you won’t need that GUI running all the time. So instead of running GDM or KDM (and stealing resources), edit the run level so that the boot process stops at run level 3 - console login. This will not only save CPU cycles and memory, it will also circumvent the possible security issues of having GUIs running on your precious server. Each distribution edits the run level differently, so make sure you understand how to make this change before you attempt it.

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Hack Windows XP Start Button - How to change Windows XP Start Button appearance

Hack Windows XP Start Button - How to change Windows XP Start Button appearance

Change the Start text:-
1. First of all, make sure you download Resource Hacker. You'll need this puppy to edit resources inside your Windows shell.

2. Locate explorer.exe in your c:\Windows directory. Make a copy of the file in the same directory and rename it explorer.bak.

3. Now launch Resource Hacker. In the File menu, open explorer.exe. You'll now see a bunch of collapsed folders.

4. Expand the String Table folder and then find folder No. 37 (folder No. 38 if you're in Windows Classic mode).

5. Click on resource 1033 and locate the text that says "Start." This is your Start button, and now you've got control over what it says! Change the "Start" text to your text of choice. You don't have a character limit, but the text takes up valuable taskbar space, so don't make it too long.

6. Click on the button labeled Compile Script. This updates the settings for your Start button. But nothing will happen until you complete through step #20, so keep going!


Change your hover text:-
7. While you're here, why not also change the text that pops up when your mouse hovers over your Start button?

8. Right now it says "Click here to begin." Well, duh! We already know that's where to begin!

9. Open folder No. 34 and click on resource 1033.

10. Find the text that says "Click here to begin" and change it to something cooler. Might I suggest "Open It."

11. Click on the Compile Script button to update this resource.


Customize your Start icon:-
12. For an added bonus, you can also change the Windows icon to the left of the text, too.

13. Collapse the String Table folder and expand the Bitmap folder at the top of your folder list.

14. Click on folder No. 143 and click on resource 1033. You should see that familiar Windows icon.

15. Go to the Action Menu and select "Replace bitmap." Select "Open file with new bitmap", and locate the replacement image on your machine. Note: The image must have a .bmp extension and a size of 25 pixels by 20 pixels. Then click the Replace button.

16. Now that you've made your changes, save the file in your Windows folder with another name, such as newstartbutton.exe. Don't name it Explorer.exe, because that file is already being used by your system. Close all open programs and restart your system.

17. Boot into Safe Mode With Command Prompt by pressing F8 on startup. Then choose Safe Mode in the command prompt.

18. Log on as administrator and enter your password.

19. When the command prompt comes up, make sure you're in the right directory by typing "cd c:\windows" (without the quotes).

20. Now type "copy c:\windows\newstartbutton.exe c:\windows\explorer.exe" (no quotes). Type "yes" (no quotes) to overwrite the existing file, then restart your system by typing "shutdown -r" (no quotes).

When Windows relaunches, you'll see your new Start button in all its glory! ^_^

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General Keyboard Shortcuts

General Keyboard Shortcuts......

Keyboard Shortcuts

General Keyboard Shortcuts:-

CTRL+C (Copy)

CTRL+X (Cut)

CTRL+V (Paste)

CTRL+Z (Undo)

DELETE (Delete)

SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)

CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)

CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)

F2 key (Rename the selected item)

CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)

CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)

CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)

CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)

CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)

SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)

CTRL+A (Select all)

F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)

ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)

ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)

ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)

ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)

CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)

ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)

ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)

F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)

F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)

SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)

ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)

CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)

ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)

Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)

F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)

RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)

LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)

F5 key (Update the active window)

BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)

ESC (Cancel the current task)

SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)

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Dialog Box Keyboard Shortcuts:-

CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs)

CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs)

TAB (Move forward through the options)

SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options)

ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option)

ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button)

SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box)

Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons)

F1 key (Display Help)

F4 key (Display the items in the active list)

BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box)

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Microsoft Natural Keyboard Shortcuts:-


Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)

Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)

Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)

Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)

Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)

Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)

Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)

CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)

Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)

Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)

Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)

Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)

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Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts:-


Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off)

Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off)

Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off)

SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off)

NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off)

Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager)

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Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts:-

END (Display the bottom of the active window)

HOME (Display the top of the active window)

NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder)

NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder)

NUM LOCK+Minus sign (-) (Collapse the selected folder)

LEFT ARROW (Collapse the current selection if it is expanded, or select the parent folder)

RIGHT ARROW (Display the current selection if it is collapsed, or select the first subfolder)

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Shortcut Keys for Character Map
After you double-click a character on the grid of characters, you can move through the grid by using the keyboard shortcuts:-


RIGHT ARROW (Move to the right or to the beginning of the next line)

LEFT ARROW (Move to the left or to the end of the previous line)

UP ARROW (Move up one row)

DOWN ARROW (Move down one row)

PAGE UP (Move up one screen at a time)

PAGE DOWN (Move down one screen at a time)

HOME (Move to the beginning of the line)

END (Move to the end of the line)

CTRL+HOME (Move to the first character)

CTRL+END (Move to the last character)

SPACEBAR (Switch between Enlarged and Normal mode when a character is selected)

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Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Main Window Keyboard Shortcuts:-


CTRL+O (Open a saved console)

CTRL+N (Open a new console)

CTRL+S (Save the open console)

CTRL+M (Add or remove a console item)

CTRL+W (Open a new window)

F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)

ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the MMC window menu)

ALT+F4 (Close the console)

ALT+A (Display the Action menu)

ALT+V (Display the View menu)

ALT+F (Display the File menu)

ALT+O (Display the Favorites menu)

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MMC Console Window Keyboard Shortcuts:-


CTRL+P (Print the current page or active pane)

ALT+Minus sign (-) (Display the window menu for the active console window)

SHIFT+F10 (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item)

F1 key (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item)

F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)

CTRL+F10 (Maximize the active console window)

CTRL+F5 (Restore the active console window)

ALT+ENTER (Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for the selected item)

F2 key (Rename the selected item)

CTRL+F4 (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console)

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Remote Desktop Connection Navigation:-


CTRL+ALT+END (Open the Microsoft Windows NT Security dialog box)

ALT+PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right)

ALT+PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left)

ALT+INSERT (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order)

ALT+HOME (Display the Start menu)

CTRL+ALT+BREAK (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen)

ALT+DELETE (Display the Windows menu)

CTRL+ALT+Minus sign (-) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)

CTRL+ALT+Plus sign (+) (Place a snapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing ALT+PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)

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Microsoft Internet Explorer Navigation:-


CTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box)

CTRL+E (Open the Search bar)

CTRL+F (Start the Find utility)

CTRL+H (Open the History bar)

CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar)

CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box)

CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address)

CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box, the same as CTRL+L)

CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box)

CTRL+R (Update the current Web page)

CTRL+W (Close the current window)

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Reasons To Why PCs Crash???

10 reasons why PCs crash.........

PC Crash

BSOD

Fatal error: the system has become unstable or is busy," it says. "Enter to return to Windows or press Control-Alt-Delete to restart your computer. If you do this you will lose any unsaved information in all open applications."


You have just been struck by the Blue Screen of Death. Anyone who uses MS Windows will be familiar with this. What can you do? More importantly, how can you prevent it happening?


1) Hardware conflict:-


The number one reason why Windows crashes is hardware conflict. Each hardware device communicates to other devices through an interrupt request channel (IRQ). These are supposed to be unique for each device.
For example, a printer usually connects internally on IRQ 7. The keyboard usually uses IRQ 1 and the floppy disk drive IRQ 6. Each device will try to hog a single IRQ for itself.
If there are a lot of devices, or if they are not installed properly, two of them may end up sharing the same IRQ number. When the user tries to use both devices at the same time, a crash can happen. The way to check if your computer has a hardware conflict is through the following route:


 Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager.


Often if a device has a problem a yellow '!' appears next to its description in the Device Manager. Highlight Computer (in the Device Manager) and press Properties to see the IRQ numbers used by your computer. If the IRQ number appears twice, two devices may be using it.
Sometimes a device might share an IRQ with something described as 'IRQ holder for PCI steering'. This can be ignored. The best way to fix this problem is to remove the problem device and reinstall it.
Sometimes you may have to find more recent drivers on the internet to make the device function properly. A good resource is www.driverguide.com. If the device is a soundcard, or a modem, it can often be fixed by moving it to a different slot on the motherboard (be careful about opening your computer, as you may void the warranty).
When working inside a computer you should switch it off, unplug the mains lead and touch an unpainted metal surface to discharge any static electricity.
To be fair to Mcft, the problem with IRQ numbers is not of its making. It is a legacy problem going back to the first PC designs using the IBM 8086 chip. Initially there were only eight IRQs. Today there are 16 IRQs in a PC. It is easy to run out of them. There are plans to increase the number of IRQs in future designs.




2) Bad Ram:-


Ram (random-access memory) problems might bring on the blue screen of death with a message saying Fatal Exception Error. A fatal error indicates a serious hardware problem. Sometimes it may mean a part is damaged and will need replacing.
But a fatal error caused by Ram might be caused by a mismatch of chips. For example, mixing 70-nanosecond (70ns) Ram with 60ns Ram will usually force the computer to run all the Ram at the slower speed. This will often crash the machine if the Ram is overworked.
One way around this problem is to enter the BIOS settings and increase the wait state of the Ram. This can make it more stable. Another way to troubleshoot a suspected Ram problem is to rearrange the Ram chips on the motherboard, or take some of them out. Then try to repeat the circumstances that caused the crash. When handling Ram try not to touch the gold connections, as they can be easily damaged.
Parity error messages also refer to Ram. Modern Ram chips are either parity (ECC) or non parity (non-ECC). It is best not to mix the two types, as this can be a cause of trouble.
EMM386 error messages refer to memory problems but may not be connected to bad Ram. This may be due to free memory problems often linked to old Dos-based programmes.


3) BIOS settings:-


Every motherboard is supplied with a range of chipset settings that are decided in the factory. A common way to access these settings is to press the F2 or delete button during the first few seconds of a boot-up.
Once inside the BIOS, great care should be taken. It is a good idea to write down on a piece of paper all the settings that appear on the screen. That way, if you change something and the computer becomes more unstable, you will know what settings to revert to.
A common BIOS error concerns the CAS latency. This refers to the Ram. Older EDO (extended data out) Ram has a CAS latency of 3. Newer SDRam has a CAS latency of 2. Setting the wrong figure can cause the Ram to lock up and freeze the computer's display.
Mcft Windows is better at allocating IRQ numbers than any BIOS. If possible set the IRQ numbers to Auto in the BIOS. This will allow Windows to allocate the IRQ numbers (make sure the BIOS setting for Plug and Play OS is switched to 'yes' to allow Windows to do this.).


4 Hard disk drives:-


After a few weeks, the information on a hard disk drive starts to become piecemeal or fragmented. It is a good idea to defragment the hard disk every week or so, to prevent the disk from causing a screen freeze. Go to


Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-Disk Defragmenter


This will start the procedure. You will be unable to write data to the hard drive (to save it) while the disk is defragmenting, so it is a good idea to schedule the procedure for a period of inactivity using the Task Scheduler.
The Task Scheduler should be one of the small icons on the bottom right of the Windows opening page (the desktop).
Some lockups and screen freezes caused by hard disk problems can be solved by reducing the read-ahead optimisation. This can be adjusted by going to


Start-Settings-Control Panel-System Icon-Performance-File System-Hard Disk.


Hard disks will slow down and crash if they are too full. Do some housekeeping on your hard drive every few months and free some space on it. Open the Windows folder on the C drive and find the Temporary Internet Files folder. Deleting the contents (not the folder) can free a lot of space.
Empty the Recycle Bin every week to free more space. Hard disk drives should be scanned every week for errors or bad sectors. Go to


 Start-Programs-Accessories-System Tools-ScanDisk


Otherwise assign the Task Scheduler to perform this operation at night when the computer is not in use.


5 Fatal OE exceptions and VXD errors:-


Fatal OE exception errors and VXD errors are often caused by video card problems.
These can often be resolved easily by reducing the resolution of the video display. Go to


Start-Settings-Control Panel-Display-Settings


Here you should slide the screen area bar to the left. Take a look at the colour settings on the left of that window. For most desktops, high colour 16-bit depth is adequate.
If the screen freezes or you experience system lockups it might be due to the video card. Make sure it does not have a hardware conflict. Go to


 Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Device Manager


Here, select the + beside Display Adapter. A line of text describing your video card should appear. Select it (make it blue) and press properties. Then select Resources and select each line in the window. Look for a message that says No Conflicts.
If you have video card hardware conflict, you will see it here. Be careful at this point and make a note of everything you do in case you make things worse.
The way to resolve a hardware conflict is to uncheck the Use Automatic Settings box and hit the Change Settings button. You are searching for a setting that will display a No Conflicts message.
Another useful way to resolve video problems is to go to


Start-Settings-Control Panel-System-Performance-Graphics


Here you should move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the left. As ever, the most common cause of problems relating to graphics cards is old or faulty drivers (a driver is a small piece of software used by a computer to communicate with a device).
Look up your video card's manufacturer on the internet and search for the most recent drivers for it.


6 Viruses:-


Often the first sign of a virus infection is instability. Some viruses erase the boot sector of a hard drive, making it impossible to start. This is why it is a good idea to create a Windows start-up disk. Go to


 Start-Settings-Control Panel-Add/Remove Programs


Here, look for the Start Up Disk tab. Virus protection requires constant vigilance.
A virus scanner requires a list of virus signatures in order to be able to identify viruses. These signatures are stored in a DAT file. DAT files should be updated weekly from the website of your antivirus software manufacturer.
An excellent antivirus programme is McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates ( www.nai.com). Another is Norton AntiVirus 2000, made by Symantec ( www.symantec.com).


7) Printers:-


The action of sending a document to print creates a bigger file, often called a postscript file.
Printers have only a small amount of memory, called a buffer. This can be easily overloaded. Printing a document also uses a considerable amount of CPU power. This will also slow down the computer's performance.
If the printer is trying to print unusual characters, these might not be recognised, and can crash the computer. Sometimes printers will not recover from a crash because of confusion in the buffer. A good way to clear the buffer is to unplug the printer for ten seconds. Booting up from a powerless state, also called a cold boot, will restore the printer's default settings and you may be able to carry on.


8) Software:-


A common cause of computer crash is faulty or badly-installed software. Often the problem can be cured by uninstalling the software and then reinstalling it. Use Norton Uninstall or Uninstall Shield to remove an application from your system properly. This will also remove references to the programme in the System Registry and leaves the way clear for a completely fresh copy.
The System Registry can be corrupted by old references to obsolete software that you thought was uninstalled. Use Reg Cleaner by Jouni Vuorio to clean up the System Registry and remove obsolete entries. It works on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 SE (Second Edition), Windows Millennium Edition (ME), NT4 and Windows 2000.
Read the instructions and use it carefully so you don't do permanent damage to the Registry. If the Registry is damaged you will have to reinstall your operating system. Reg Cleaner can be obtained from www.jv16.org
Often a Windows problem can be resolved by entering Safe Mode. This can be done during start-up. When you see the message "Starting Windows" press F4. This should take you into Safe Mode.
Safe Mode loads a minimum of drivers. It allows you to find and fix problems that prevent Windows from loading properly.
Sometimes installing Windows is difficult because of unsuitable BIOS settings. If you keep getting SUWIN error messages (Windows setup) during the Windows installation, then try entering the BIOS and disabling the CPU internal cache. Try to disable the Level 2 (L2) cache if that doesn't work.
Remember to restore all the BIOS settings back to their former settings following installation.


9) Overheating:-


Central processing units (CPUs) are usually equipped with fans to keep them cool. If the fan fails or if the CPU gets old it may start to overheat and generate a particular kind of error called a kernel error. This is a common problem in chips that have been overclocked to operate at higher speeds than they are supposed to.
One remedy is to get a bigger better fan and install it on top of the CPU. Specialist cooling fans/heatsinks are available from www.computernerd.com or www.coolit.com
CPU problems can often be fixed by disabling the CPU internal cache in the BIOS. This will make the machine run more slowly, but it should also be more stable.


10) Power supply problems:-


With all the new construction going on around the country the steady supply of electricity has become disrupted. A power surge or spike can crash a computer as easily as a power cut.
If this has become a nuisance for you then consider buying a uninterrupted power supply (UPS). This will give you a clean power supply when there is electricity, and it will give you a few minutes to perform a controlled shutdown in case of a power cut.
It is a good investment if your data are critical, because a power cut will cause any unsaved data to be lost.