Want to speed up your broadband connection? Diagnose mysterious crashes? Move massive files across the internet? Sooner or later, you will--and you'll find step-by-step instructions for these and other common PC tasks right here.
asr: PCworld recommeds work space macro here, so it must be best in the category
For even more complex shortcuts, get a macro recorder that can capture detailed steps and repeat them on command. The Workspace Macro program (US$25) can capture anything you type, as well as mouse movements and clicks. Just click New to record a macro, and click Stop after you've done all your typing and mousing.
Find out what your PC is really up to
The Windows Task Manager provides a good start when you try to discover what programs are running on your system, but it's only a first step. For more detailed data, you need another tool. Your best bet: Sysinternals Process Explorer (Microsoft acquired Sysinternals last year). (For more great how-to articles and PC tips, check out Video editing made easy --- and cheap! and Seven things you never knew your cell phone could do).
Get Process Explorer for Windows v10.21 at Microsoft TechNet. It needs no formal installation. Just unzip it and run the .exe file. It will then list your PC's active processes, much as Task Manager does, but with better descriptions and organization.
Interpreting Process Explorer's information is fairly straightforward (and killing processes works much as it does in Task Manager), but here are some tips to help you make the most of the utility.
* Consider adding the useful 'Handles' column to the view. Handles (a term that refers to programming methodology) are a convenient way to measure a process's resource utilization. Processes with high handle usage should be the first ones you kill when resources run low. Add the column by right-clicking in the header area and clicking the Select Columns option. Click the Process Performance tab and check the box next to Handle Count.
* Note that Handles can also be created for media-based devices like CD-R drives, which may cause errors on eject. If you can't safely eject a disk or memory card, use the Find menu to search for the drive letter followed by a colon (for example, E:), and kill that process directly.
* Instead of outright killing a process, you can suspend it (right-click on a process to see this option). This can be useful in the case of a runaway program stuck in an endless loop.
* Want to know what a program's process identification is to better tell whether it's friend or foe? Open the program, then switch to Process Explorer. In the top-right corner is a target icon (concentric circles). Click this icon and drag it onto the program you want to ID, and Process Explorer will highlight the process.
Expand your collection of Windows-tweaking tools
Microsoft offers a sizable collection of useful yet unofficial and unsupported utilities called PowerToys. Following are the essential PowerToys for any serious computer user. All are downloadable from Microsoft's PowerToys for Windows XP page.
* ClearType Tuner: Dramatically improves font legibility on some LCD screens.
* Image Resizer: Adds a new menu when you right-click a photo on your PC. Just click Resize Pictures to change an image's dimensions without opening an editor.
* Tweak UI: If you don't already have Tweak UI, get it. This essential OS tweaking tool offers more granular control over your privacy settings and operations, and even over the way you log in to your PC (plus much more). It should be one of the first things you install on any new computer.
* Alt-Tab Replacement: Adds previews of each page when you switch between open applications using
* SyncToy: Improves the task of synchronizing files among multiple machines, especially compared with Windows Briefcase.
Other list in 35 things every PC user should know
Safeguard Wi-Fi, diagnose your PC
Surf anonymously, test the speed of your internet
Solve Wi-Fi problems, save YouTube locally
Create keyboard shortcuts
Create a disaster recovery disc
Move big files across the internet
Save cell phone data, erase your tracks
Improve monitor colours, decipher digital camera icons
Partition your hard drive, optimize PC settings
Five useful freebies, tighten PC security
Turn off pesky apps
More tips
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