COMPUTER TIPS - Open Files with any Program

When you open a file in Windows Explorer by clicking or double-
clicking it (depending how your computer is set up) it opens 
with the program that is associated with that file type. 
Sometimes that's not the program you want to use open the file.

To open a file with ANY application, instead of the associated
application:

1) Left-click the file once to select/highlight it.

2) Hold down the Shift key while right-clicking on it.

A new option, "Open with," will be show up in the pop-up menu.

3) Select the "Open with" option and choose which application 
you want to open the file with.

Bonus Tip: If you put a check in the "Always use this program to
open this type of file" checkbox, it will be your new default 
program for opening that file type.

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COMPUTER TIPS - Internet Explorer Shortcuts

Internet Explorer is by far the most superior browser on the planet.

Here are a few Internet Explorer shortcuts and tips I find useful.

- To search for a particular word or phrase on a web page just press
CTRL + F to open the Find dialog.

- Hold down the shift key when you click a link to have it open in a
new window. If you know you're coming back to the same page, a
new window is faster to open and close than backtracking pages.

- Hit the Backspace key on your keyboard to go back a page, or
press ALT + the Left Arrow. ALT + the Right Arrow goes forward a
page, and ALT + Home take you to your home page.

- Hit the Spacebar to jump down the page one screen length. 
Hold the shift key down as you press the Spacebar to jump UP the
page. Use the Up and Down Arrows to scroll slower.

- In IE 5.5, in most cases you can just type "domain_Name.com"
instead of typing the "www" first. IE knows to search for it on the
web. Works for most sites, but a few can't be found without the
www - that's a server issue, not an IE issue.

- CTRL + O opens the dialog to type in a web address. 
Useful for full screen mode surfers like me.

- Press the F11 key to open your browser into full screen mode.
This is the way I always surf, and with the mini-tool bar hidden too.
Press it again to leave full screen mode.

- Right-click the tool bar and select Auto-hide. This hides the tool
bar for true full screen surfing. To use the hidden tool bar,  just
move your mouse to the top edge of the screen. 
Move your mouse away and it disappears again.

PS: You can do this with your taskbar too, by clicking the Start
button, pointing to settings, and clicking Taskbar & Start Menu.
Then place a check by the Autohide feature and click Apply.

- Press the F5 key to reload the page. Press F4 & F5 at the same
time to have the page reloaded at the page top instead of wherever
you had scrolled to.

- Press the Esc key to stop the current page from loading.

- Press CTRL + N to open the current page in a new window.

All the usual shortcuts work as well. CTRL + P opens the print
dialog, CTRL + A highlights everything on the page, CTRL + C
copies what you have highlighted.

Pressing Control, F1, F7, Page Up, Del, A, 9, X, Tab, and Caps
Lock all at the same time, and then clicking your heels together
while blowing your nose doesn't do a darn thing. Rats eh? I know
you wanted to try that real bad.

From Boogie Jack
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Safe Shutdowns 
When your computer stops responding to your actions and you're stuck 
(i.e., clicking a button yields no response, your mouse pointer won't 
move, or a program stubbornly refuses to close), suppress the impulse 
to reach for the reset button on your PC. The ongoing health of your 
Windows installation depends in part on clean shutdowns 
(where you choose Start, Shutdown, Shutdown -- and wait for the 
"It's now safe to turn off your computer" message) at the end of each 
Windows session. Too many incomplete shutdowns and abrupt reboots can 
damage system files and adversely impact the performance of Windows.

Try this instead: press Ctrl+Alt+Del. The Close Program dialog box opens, 
listing all of the programs running on your PC at the moment. Look for 
the program with "(not responding)" at the end of its listing. 
Select it and click End Task. If it can, Windows will close this 
wayward program, freeing you up to save the work in your other programs, 
so you can then do a proper shutdown or reboot.

- Karen Gibson