***WINDOWS*** (Click here for Internet Tips)

Lock Your NumLock Preferences in Place
Windows 98 turns on the NumLock key by default each time you boot up. If you would prefer the NumLock key to be off by default, you can change this setting with a slight alteration to your CONFIG.SYS file. To do so, open your CONFIG.SYS file with Notepad (it is usually located in your root, or C:\, directory) and add a line that reads:
NUMLOCK = OFF
or
NUMLOCK = ON
depending on your preference. Save the file and reboot for the changes to take effect.
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Print a Directory Listing
Get a listing of all files contained within a Windows 98 directory. If you simply want the ability to copy and paste the contents of a folder to a text editor such as Notepad, you can do so easily. To copy a folder's filename contents for printing or saving, simply download a clipboard patch such as Name to Clipboard:
http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0-10096-100-1552619.html
However, if you desire a more instant and integrated solution, you can right-click a folder and select "Print" to print a directory listing of its contents. In order to actually print, the process is a bit trickier.
First, open Notepad and type the following lines:
CD%1
DIR >LPT1
remembering to substitute your current printer port for LPT1 if it differs. Save the file in your Windows\Command directory as PRINTDIR.BAT. Access the Command directory using Explorer, right-click the PRINTDIR.BAT file, and select "Properties" from the pop-up menu. Once the "Properties" dialog box appears, select the "Program" tab and check the box labeled "Close on Exit." Next, select "Minimize" from the Run pull-down menu. Click Apply and then OK to save changes.
Next, type REGEDIT in the Run command line from the Start menu to initiate the Registry Editor. Access the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell directory and select New/Key from the Edit menu. Name the key "Print" and press Enter. Now highlight the new Print key and select New/Key from the Edit menu again. Name this new key "Command" and press Enter. Now with the Command key highlighted, double-click the Default value listed in the right-hand pane of the Registry Editor. In the "Value data" field, simply enter the C:\Windows\Command\PRINTDIR.BAT path. You now should be able to use the right-click menu's Print command to print the contents of any folder.
Warning: Tweaking the Registry is risky; you're taking your system into your own hands. To be safe, manually back up the Registry before you make any changes.
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Delete Without Second-Guessing
If you're sure of your decision to delete and would rather Windows didn't double-check with you each time you drag an item to the Recycle Bin, turn off Windows 98's delete confirmation. First, right-click the Recycle Bin from your Desktop and select Properties from the pop-up menu. Click the "Global" tab and select the radio button labeled "Use one setting for all drives." Check the box labeled "Do not move files to the Recycle Bin." Finally, click Apply and OK to save changes. Even though the setting warns that items will not be routed through the Recycle Bin, you still may recover the items from it. Eliminate this and other needless confirmation screens by downloading a program such as RtvReco, which bypasses such dialog boxes.
Click here to download:
http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0-10106-100-885060.html
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Change Your Drive Letters
Perhaps you're the type who doesn't like convention, or you're used to using particular drive letters for certain drives. Fortunately, you can change your drive letters and break out of the "A:\ through E:\" monotony. To do so, double-click the System icon from the Control Panel. Once the System Properties window appears, select the "Device Manager" tab. Find the device or drive that you want to change and highlight it. Click the "Properties" button to open the item's Properties settings. Select the "Settings" tab and under the "Reserved drive letters" heading, choose the same letter for the "Start drive letter" and "End drive letter" options. If the drive letter fields are disabled, you can usually enable them by checking the "Removable" option to change the drive letters. However, once you have changed your drive letter settings, be sure to uncheck the "Removable" box if it initially remained checked. Click OK twice and restart your computer to enable the changes.
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Restoring a Deleted Briefcase
If you accidentally delete the My Briefcase icon on your desktop, you can restore it without too much trouble. Simply right-click anywhere on the desktop. When the desktop shortcut menu appears, select Briefcase from the New submenu. You'll be able to view a New Briefcase icon on your desktop. You can rename the icon "My Briefcase."
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Disabling Animated Windows and Menus
As you know, by default Windows 98 is configured to use animated windows and menus. This means that the when you minimize and maximize windows as well as open menus, Windows 98 uses special effects to create the illusion that the windows and menus explode on to the screen.
While this special effects magic is very cool, takes time and resources. If you want to see how much, simply disable this feature. To do so, access the Control Panel and open the Display Properties dialog box. Now, select the Effects tab and clear the Animate Windows, Menus And Lists check box in the Visual Effects panel.
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Another Way to Select Multiple Files
If you're working in Windows Explorer or My Computer and want to select all but a few files in the current folder, there's a quick way to do it. Instead of selecting the majority of files one by one, simply select the files you don't want included in the selection by holding down the [Ctrl] key and clicking on each one. Once you've selected the files you don't want, choose the Edit menu's Invert Selection command. Now the files you initially selected will be deselected, and the rest of the folder's files will be highlighted.
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Enabling automatic caching of shared files in Windows 2000
When you share a folder in Windows 2000, one of your new options is to enable automatic caching of the files. This option enables your users to cache network files on their local hard drives so that they can access the files even when not connected to the network. To enable automatic caching, begin by opening Windows Explorer. Next, select an existing shared folder (or share a folder). Right-click on the shared folder and choose Sharing. This opens the folder's Properties dialog box to the Sharing page.
To enable automatic caching, click Caching. By default, Windows 2000 automatically enables manual caching of documents in a shared folder. To make files in the folder available to users even when they're offline, from the Setting dropdown list, select Automatic Caching For Documents. By enabling this setting, Windows 2000 automatically makes any file that a user opens in your shared folder available to them offline. (Note: Windows 2000 will only make those files that the user opens available offline--not all files in the shared folder.)
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MS-DOS configuration files in Windows NT
On occasion, you might find it necessary to run a DOS application within Windows NT. You might also find that these applications look for specific DOS configuration settings--and that Windows NT doesn't have these settings by default. In the past, you would configure these settings on a DOS-based computer by using two files: autoexec.bat and config.sys. Although Windows NT won't delete these files if they exist on your computer, for the most part, Windows NT ignores whatever commands you've put in these files.
So what do you do if you need to change the DOS configuration to run an old DOS application under Windows NT? Microsoft has included two files in the \winnt\system32 directory, autoexec.nt and config.nt, that mimic the roles of the autoexec.bat and config.sys files. Windows NT processes the autoexec.nt and config.nt files whenever you run a DOS application. So, if you find that you need to change your DOS environment under Windows NT, simply edit these two files.
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Taking CTRL of a System
When you're working in a document or with files and you must move or copy text or files, ensure that you take control of your system with the [Ctrl] keyboard shortcuts. Use [Ctrl]X for cutting, [Ctrl]C for copying, [Ctrl]V for pasting, and [Ctrl]Z for undoing any operation.

Alphabetize Your Start Menu
Keep things in order and sort your Start menu alphabetically. To do so, right-click any item in your Start menu and select "Sort by Name" from the pop-up menu. This will place items alphabetically within your Start menu. However, when new items are added, they won't necessarily appear in alphabetical order. To ensure that all folders appearing in your Start menu will remain alphabetical, you must first access the Registry Editor by typing REGEDIT in the Start menu's Run command. Once in the Registry Editor, access the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MenuOrder directory. Click the StartMenu\Menu subdirectory and delete the Order key that appears in the right-hand pane of the Registry Editor. Restart Windows to effect the change.
Warning: Tweaking the Registry is risky; you're taking your system into your own hands. To be safe, manually back up the Registry before you make any changes.
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Speeding up Windows 95, 98 Log-Ons on your NT
If you have Windows 95, 98 clients on your Windows NT network, you can cut the time it takes for these clients to log on to your domain by not configuring them to call for a separate Windows password. You'll need to make this alteration by editing your Windows 95, 98 clients' Registry, so make sure that you back up before you start.
When you're ready, start by selecting Start > Run. Type regedit in the Open text box, and then click OK to start Registry Editor. Next, you'll need to navigate to the
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows
\CurrentVersion\Policies\Network key
Assign a new value in this key by choosing Edit > New > DWORD Value. In the New Value #1 text box, type DisablePwdCaching. Double-click on the DisablePwdCaching value to open the Edit DWORD Value dialog box, and type 1 in the Value Data text box. Select OK; you should now be able to view this value in the right-hand pane of Registry Editor. Your final move is to close Registry Editor and restart your computer.
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Say Good Riddance to the Documents Menu
Anyone can clear the Documents menu instantly in Windows 98, but users who find it especially useless or incriminating can do away with it permanently. To do so, from the Start button's Run command type REGEDIT to open the Registry Editor. Access the directory HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\ Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer. From the Edit pull-down menu, select New/Binary Value and name it NoRecentDocsHistory. Once it's named, right-click the new value and select Modify from the pop-up menu. Change the binary value to 01 00 00 00. Next, create a new binary value in a similar manner on the Edit menu. This time, name it NoRecentDocsMenu and modify its binary value to the same binary number string. If the NoRecentDocsHistory or NoRecentDocsMenu values already exist within this directory, simply right-click the values and select Modify to change the binary values to the proper values. Once these two items have been modified, simply restart Windows to effect the change and eliminate your Documents menu.
Warning: Tweaking the Registry is risky; you're taking your system into your own hands. To be safe, manually back up the Registry before you make any changes.
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Access Long Filenames in DOS
Sometimes navigating through DOS directories can be tricky, especially if the directories or files you wish to access have long filenames (more than eight characters before the file extension). To work with such directories and files with ease, simply enclose the long name in quotation marks. For instance, if you would like to access the "My Documents" directory, simply type cd\"My Documents" from the C:\ prompt. If you don't remember to enclose long names within quotes, you will most likely receive a "File not found" error.
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Eliminate the Modem Icon From Your System Tray
You can clean up your Taskbar by removing the small connection icon from your system tray. To remove the icon when using Dial-Up Networking, right-click your connection and select Properties from the pop-up menu. From the connection's Properties window, select the "General" tab and click Configure. From the Modem Properties window, select the "Options" tab. Under the "Status control" heading, uncheck the box labeled "Display modem status." Click OK twice to save changes.
If you are more of a HyperTerminal user, you can eliminate the modem icon from your system tray whenever HyperTerminal connects. To do so, launch HyperTerminal from your Start menu and from the ensuing folder, highlight the connection you want to change. From the File pull-down menu, select the "Properties" option. From the Properties window, select the "Connect To" tab. Click Configure and select the "Options" tab from your Modem Properties window. Uncheck the box labeled "Display modem status" and click OK twice to save changes.
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Quickly Change Windows Explorer to My Computer
If you're working in Windows Explorer and determine that the task you're performing could be accomplished more readily in a My Computer style folder window, don't close Windows Explorer and then open My Computer. Instead, just change Windows Explorer into My Computer. Select the close button in the top right corner of the All Folders pane. You can then change back the transformation by pulling down the View menu, opening the Explorer Bar submenu and choosing the All Folders option.
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Right-Click Without Clicking at All
If you own a mouse with a single button or you just prefer using your keyboard, you can access shortcut menus without right-clicking. In Windows 98, hit Shift-F10 to simulate the right-click action.
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Detecting Hackers on Your Network
As users become more sophisticated (and with "hacking" Web sites posting daily tips on how to break into networks), it is becoming more likely that your network will be hacked. As an illustration, there are many different software programs out today that allow users to capture (also known as "sniff") network traffic. Users can capture passwords as they travel across your network cables by capturing network traffic.
If someone uses Microsoft's Network Monitor to sniff your network traffic, you can detect her presence by utilizing Network Monitor too. You'll need to configure a filter in Network Monitor so that you can capture packets that utilize the Bloodhound Oriented Network (BONE) protocol. This protocol allows someone to capture network traffic, without taking into account whether it was sent to or from that user's computer.
But what if someone has another kind of sniffer? Lots of third-party vendors are now developing programs that you can utilize to detect password-sniffer programs. One option is GFI's LANguard (www.gfi.com). This program allows you to detect the presence of password sniffers on your network.
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Password protecting your backups
If you're really security conscious, you'll be happy to know that you can password protect your backup jobs in Microsoft Backup. When you do, nobody can open, back up to, or restore files from your backup job. To assign a password to a backup job, launch Microsoft Backup and select the backup job that you want to password protect from the Backup Job dropdown list. Then, click the Options button in the bottom-right corner. When you see the Backup Job Options dialog box, select the Password tab, and choose the Protect This Backup With A Password check box. Once you do, the Password and Confirm Password text boxes become active and you can assign a password to your backup job.
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Creating notes on your desktop
Many people routinely jot down important notes on those yellow post-it notes and then stick them on the monitor, where they stay indefinitely. Wouldn't it be nice if you could quickly create a note on your desktop that you could easily edit, print, or delete? Well, you can do so easily. Just right-click an empty space on your desktop and select New and then Text Document from the resulting shortcut menu. When you do, a document named New Text Document will appear on your desktop. The document's name will be highlighted, so just type an informative title and press Enter. Now if you double click the document icon, Notepad will open the text file and allow you to enter your note. The best part is that you can edit the note at any time, and even print it by right-clicking the file's icon and selecting the Print command from the shortcut menu.
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Identifying Network Cards
Because of Windows 2000 Server's enhanced routing capabilities, you might be considering implementing a Windows 2000 server as a router for your network. To do so, you'll need to install at least two network cards in your computer. But, if these cards are identical, you can find it difficult to identify which card is which when you look in the Network And Dial-Up Connections folder. An easy way to identify your network cards is to simply unplug one of the card's network cables. When you do, Windows 2000 automatically displays a red X on this card's object in the Network And Dial-Up Connections folder.
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Locking floppy disk drives in Windows NT
One technique you might consider for securing your network is to lock your users' floppy drives. By locking floppy drives, you prevent users from copying unauthorized programs to their computers, and from copying confidential company data to floppy disks. If you find that you want to secure your users' floppy drives, you can do so on your Windows NT-based computers by using the FloppyLock service included in the Windows NT Server Resource Kit. This service prevents users who aren't members of the Administrators or Power Users groups from accessing their floppy disk drives.
You'll need to start by installing this service (so that it will appear in the Services dialog box in Control Panel). To do so, begin by opening a Command Prompt window and accessing the \ntreskit folder. Next, enter instsrv FloppyLocker x:\ntreskit\floplock.exe (Note: Replace x: with the drive letter on which you've installed the Resource Kit.) When the service is installed, open Control Panel and double-click on Services. You should see the FloppyLocker service in the list of services. If necessary, configure the service to start automatically whenever your server boots and to log on using the System Account. When you have it configured, click Start to start the service. You should now be able to access the floppy drives of this computer only if you're logged on as a member of Administrators or Power Users.
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Planning the Terminal Services Server Installation
If you're planning on installing Windows 2000's integrated Terminal Services service, here are some planning suggestions.
Ensure your server has enough power. Before you install Terminal Services on a computer, ensure that the server has all the necessary hardware to manage the expected processing requirements of your terminal users. Keep in mind that the server provides all of the RAM, I/O, and processing management for client sessions, so the server will require enough resources to provide acceptable performance to numerous users at the same time.
Plan your RAM around user activity. Microsoft recommends that you begin planning your server installation by dividing your users up into three categories:
Typical users who may run a group of two or three common business programs, such as a work processor, spreadsheet, and browser. Allow approximately 6MB of RAM for each typical user.
Task-based users, who typically perform basic data entry on a single program. Plan for approximately 4MB of RAM on the server for task-based users.
Advanced users who utilize three or more applications at the same time, and who run applications that call for extra data processing, such as querying large databases. Allocate approximately 8 MB of RAM for each advanced user.
These are only basic guidelines. You'll need to configure and test your server with users running their actual applications to pinpoint the best levels of RAM to install.
Install on a member server. Because of the added processing needs, it's not a good idea to install Terminal Services on a domain controller. The demands that multiple terminal users place on the system could cause normal domain performance, such as log-on servicing, to fall. Instead, install Terminal Services on a member server instead. Keep in mind that when you install Terminal Services Licensing, you need to install it on a domain controller or a member server in a workgroup. If you install Terminal Services on a member server, the terminal server will poll the domain controllers for one that's been installed as a license server.
Select your hardware for performance and to allow for growth. Consider other hardware components in your planning such as:
Multiple processors. If you install Terminal Services on a server that is able to support numerous processors, you can add processors as your capacity needs expand.
Hard disks. You'll need quick hard disks for adequate server performance. Microsoft suggests Fast-SCSI and SCSI-2 interfaces.
Network adapters. You may decide to configure multiple network connections to your Terminal Server. Every network adapter in the server should be high-speed, high-performance cards.
Of course, it's important to remember that all of your hardware should appear on the Windows 2000 Hardware Compatibility List (HCL).
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Make Text Larger Than Life
Microsoft Magnifier offers extra support for users with weaker vision. This utility opens a magnification window for easier reading, and offers high-contrast color options for better visibility. To access Magnifier, simply select Accessibility from the Programs/Accessories subcategory of the Start menu. You can adjust settings for magnification level, window size, and tracking options as well.
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Canceling Password Protection in Windows 98
To cancel your password protection, open Passwords from the Control Panel. Then choose "Change Windows Password". When it asks for the new password, just leave it blank. Do the same for verification. Then restart Windows. The first time, it will ask you for a password, leave it blank. It should not ask you again.
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***INTERNET*** (Click here for Windows Tips)

Add Reply Recipients to the Address Book
If you've gotten a message from someone new, you can easily add your new friend to your address book. When you reply to that person, right-click the "To" field and select Add To Address Book from the pop-up menu.
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Caching an ASP Page
Some applications send pages through a proxy server, which acts on the behalf of client browsers to request pages from a Web site. Typically, the proxy server caches HTML pages to cut the load on the server, and to enhance the processing speed of the HTTP request. This normally functions well for static content but is not a good option for most dynamically generated ASP pages. There is a way to tell a proxy server to cache an ASP page by setting the Response.CacheControl property to Public. The property is set to Private by default, which prevents the server from caching the page.
<% Response.CacheControl = "Public" %>
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Use Multiple Accounts to Manage Mail and News
Outlook Express makes it easy to create several accounts that you can check independently or all at once. With Inbox Assistant, you can even combine multiple accounts and put your mail in different folders based on those accounts.
When you install Outlook Express, you create your first account. To add more, select Tools/Accounts from the Outlook Express main menu. Click the Add button, and select Mail to create a new mail account. A wizard steps you through the process of creating the new account. When the wizard finishes, click the Close button in the Internet Accounts dialog box. To check mail in any or all of your accounts, select Tools/Send And Receive from the Outlook Express menu, and choose either All Accounts or an individual account name.
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Moving content from the Web to your local hard drive using FrontPage's publishing feature
Perhaps you're just beginning to use FrontPage to manage a Web site. Or maybe you've just purchased a new PC. Either way, you may need to move remote Web content to your local hard drive. Fortunately, it's easy to do so using FrontPage's publishing feature.
First, open the live copy of your Web site in FrontPage. Then choose Publish Web from the File menu. In the Publish Web dialog box that appears, type the location where you want to save the local copy--something like C:\Inetpub\myweb--and then click Publish to begin the process. (If you use FrontPage 98, you'll choose Publish FrontPage Web from the File menu. Then, you'll need to click the More Webs button to reach the Publish FrontPage Web dialog box, where you can specify the Web's new location.)
In a few minutes (depending on your connection speed and the size of your site), you'll have a local copy of the Web site. You can then open it and begin editing-publishing it back to the Web server when you're through.
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Search the Web From Anywhere
You no longer need to go to a search site to perform a Web search; Navigator 4.0 lets you start searches directly from the Netsite box in the Location toolbar. Simply type in a phrase of two words or more and press Enter. Navigator automatically executes a search with Magellan, Yahoo, Lycos, Infoseek, or Excite. If you want to search on just one word, type a plus sign (+) and a space before the word.
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Enabling Hyperlink Rollover Effects in FrontPage on a Page with a Theme
When you decide to apply a theme to a page, you typically don't have control over Web features, such as hyperlink rollover effects, that are accessible from the Page Properties dialog box. With some additional steps, you can still utilize hyperlink rollovers on a page with a theme.
First, erase the theme by right-clicking on the page and choosing Theme from the shortcut menu. In the Theme dialog box, select (No Theme) for the Selected Page and choose OK. Then, right-click on the page, this time choosing Page Properties. Change to the Background tab and choose the Enable Hyperlink Rollover Effects check box. Then, select the Rollover Style button and pick the color, font, and style you want. Select OK two times to go back to the page. Now, return and reapply the theme to the page.
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Set Your Helper Applications
Helper applications customize Navigator to your specific needs. For instance, you can tell Navigator to automatically launch your favorite image editor whenever you download a TIFF file.
To set up helper applications, select Edit/Preferences from the main menu, then click Applications under the Navigator entry. There you can edit existing helper-application choices by selecting a file type from the list and clicking the Edit button. In the Edit Type dialog box, select a helper by choosing the Application option and browsing to the app you want. The next time you download a file of that type, the application you selected will launch.
You can also add new file types by clicking the New Type button, entering the file type and file extensions, and specifying the appropriate application to launch.
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Changing your Desktop Wallpaper on the Fly
At times you may find an interesting Web graphic that you want to utilize as desktop wallpaper. Both Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer let you easily apply Web graphics to your desktop. To do this, right-click on the graphic you'd like to utilize as wallpaper and then select Set As Wallpaper from the shortcut menu that results. The browser applies the graphic to the desktop and saves it as a bitmap file that is temporary. Once you apply the graphic, you can customize its display properties as you normally would.
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How can I use MP3s to make a music CD?
Coupled with a file-sharing program such as Napster, MP3s provide an incredible opportunity for mix-CD creation. Download 74 minutes of music to your hard drive, and away we go! Be warned that not all CD players will accept Data CDs burned with music: some only accept special audio CDs, which are slightly more expensive. Most of the CD players we have come in contact with, though, freely accept Data CDs, so we suggest you try it out.
An easy-to-use tool for CD burning (and most other MP3-related needs) is MusicMatch Jukebox, which we suggest you download and install now.
Once you have loaded the program, drop the MP3s you want to burn onto the playlist window (on the top right of the program) and select Options > Create CD from Playlist. At the pop-up window's prompt, choose Audio, and you'll have a CD burned in mere minutes. MusicMatch will even print liner notes for your new disc, with track names and times included.
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Differentiating Between Cell Spacing and Cell Padding in FrontPage
When you design a table in FrontPage and access the Table Properties dialog box, you find two settings that seem alike: cell padding and cell spacing. How are they different?
Cell padding affects the amount of space between a cell's edge and its content--think of it as the cell's margins.
Cell spacing manages the amount of space between cells. If you expand cell spacing, the table's background color (or image) will show between the cells.
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Refine LIST Search Results
Pare down your LIST command search results in IRC by adding more variables. To view only the most active channels, type the LIST command followed by the -MIN variable and a numeric value. For instance, typing /LIST -MIN 20 will display only channels that have a minimum of 20 members. Another variable to use with the LIST command (always preceded by a minus sign and often followed by a numeric value) is MAX (for maximum members). You can also use a TOPIC variable with the LIST command that will only display channels that have a designated topic. To show private or public channels, simply use the PRIVATE or PUBLIC variables in conjunction with the LIST command.
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Use Outlook Express With Your Hotmail Account
If you have an existing account with Microsoft's free Web-based email client, Hotmail, you can use Outlook Express to check and send email from your Hotmail account. Pull down the Tools menu and click Accounts. In the Internet Accounts dialog box, click the Add button. Select Mail to open the Internet Connection Wizard, and follow the instructions to configure your existing Hotmail account. You'll need your Hotmail account name and password.
To send a message through your Hotmail account using Outlook Express, click your Hotmail Inbox in your Outlook Express folder list. Then compose and send your email as you normally would.
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Adding Styles to Your FrontPage Form Buttons
If you don't want plain vanilla (or boring gray) form buttons, you can add some visual attraction using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). To do so, double-click on one of your buttons and select the Style button in the Push Button Properties dialog box that appears.
What you'll do next depends on which version of FrontPage you have. In FrontPage 2000, push the Format button and select the kind of formatting change you want to make. Make the alterations you wish in the dialog box that appears, then close all the open dialog boxes. Preview the page in the browser, and your alterations will be in effect.
In FrontPage 98, select the tab at the top of the dialog box corresponding to the changes you want to make. After you've made your changes, select OK twice and preview the page in the browser.
Note: Not all browsers support CSS; Internet Explorer 4 and 5 do the best job. As always, you should test your Web sites in a variety of browsers to avoid surprises.
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Add Subfolders Instantly
To quickly add a new subfolder to your standard set of mail folders, right-click the folder you want to use as the parent, then select New Folder. Enter the new folder's name, and click OK.
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Sort Mail Automatically
You can use the Inbox Assistant to sort mail that's already in your in-box. Just set up your sorting rules with the Inbox Assistant, click the Apply To button, and select your in-box. Outlook Express filters through the existing in-box messages and applies the rules accordingly.
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Designing Custom HTTP Error Pages
Internet Information Server enables you to display your own custom error pages instead of the unattractive and unfriendly default error pages. Simply create an HTML or ASP page displaying whatever information you wish, including dynamic content, graphics, or anything you could normally do. Then, to link it to IIS, you'll need to launch the Internet Services Manager. On Windows NT machines, this is found in the Windows NT Option Pack | Internet Information Server folder in your Start Menu. On Windows 2000 machines, open Control Panel and double-click on the Administrative Tools applet. Once you have the Internet Services Manager running, choose your Web site in the tree view, right-click and choose Properties, then choose the Custom Errors tab. Scroll down to the error you want to alter, choose it, and click the Edit Properties button. Enter the URL to your page and select OK. Your users will never have to view a generic error page again!
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Hiding pages from search results
FrontPage's Search Form component makes it very easy to add a search function to your Web. What it doesn't do, however, is let you control which parts of the site will be searched.
If you have pages that shouldn't be included in a search, you can hide them by moving them into the _private folder-or into another folder you create whose name begins with an underscore.
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Trim connection charges by composing email offline
When you use Web-based email services, the time you spend online composing an email message can rack up considerable connection charges from your ISP. You can be a more frugal email correspondent by composing lengthy email message offline in a word-processing program or text editor. When you've finished composing the message, save the file. Then, access your Web-based email service and send the message you composed as an attachment. This way, you'll be charged only for the time it takes to log on and send the attachment rather than the time it takes to write your message, too.
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Mail in HTML
Outlook Express lets you create and view email in HTML instead of plain ole text. To create an HTML message, click the Compose Message button on the main menu. In the New Message menu, select Format/Rich Text (HTML). A new toolbar appears that contains standard HTML formatting buttons for fonts, lists, images, and lines. You can use these buttons to create slick HTML email that your recipients can view either in HTML-ready email programs or in a Web browser.
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Making Your Own Icons of Bookmarked Addresses
You may have viewed the little icons that appear next to any bookmarked addresses. If you copy the bookmarked link to your desktop, a bigger version of that icon will appear. This is only possible with Internet Explorer 5 or higher.
You can even do this with your own icon. Create an image that is 16 pixels by 16 pixels. Notice how small this is and how little can be represented. Use little color and not much detail for a more recognizable icon. If you don't have a graphics application, you can download Microangelo, an icon editor and creator.
You can also design your icon online using a Java icon generator at Favicon.com. You are presented with a blown-up grid that you color square by square. You can then reduce the image to see what it will look like. When you are finished, the icon is emailed to you. Save the file as favicon.ico and upload it to the root directory of your Website. Make this the same place you would keep your index.html file.
You can also design unique icons for different pages of your site. Let's say you have a special section on software. You could create a little disk or CD icon that appears only when that page is bookmarked. To make a reference to this icon, place the following code between the <HEAD> and </HEAD> tags:
<LINK REL="SHORTCUT ICON" HREF="youricon.ico">
Utilize the full URL of the icon file if it does not live in the same directory as your HTML file. Some Web hosting services might not support .ico files. Be sure to go to your ISP and ask.
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