Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows Don't you sometimes wish you could stop using the mouse for a while? In Windows, you can! Alt+Tab (press the Tab key while holding down the Alt key) switches you to the last window you were viewing. Hold Alt and press Tab repeatedly to cycle through your open windows. Alt+Esc also cycles you through your open windows and applications. Alt+F4 closes the current application or, if no applications are running, takes you to the shut down screen. Ctrl+Esc brings up the Start menu. Tab moves you through controls, like buttons, checkboxes, text fields, etc. This is especially useful for Web browsing! Alt brings you to the menu bar. Press the letter on your keyboard corresponding to the underlined letter on the menu bar. This pulls down that menu. Once a menu is up, pressing any of the underlined keys lets you select that menu option. For example, pressing Alt, F, S on most applications is a quick way to save a file.

Turn a folder into a toolbar: Drag a folder or folder shortcut to any edge of the screen. Bonus tip: Drag any toolbar onto the desktop to change it into a floating toolbar.

Hiding toolbars: Right-click on any open part of the toolbar. Then click on Close. A box may come up to confirm its removal. Just click on OK.

Increase Windows 95/98 Performance: The Windows 95/98 designers wrote a series of useful programs that enhances operability and performance. These tools are called the Powertoys. One of these programs, Tweak UI, allows users to tailor their systems to their liking. Tweak UI is included with the Windows 98 Resource Kit. Download these programs from Microsoft's Windows 95 site, at Microsoft's Windows 95 Website.

Preventing GeoCities and Angelfire advertisments from appearing: The key to keeping those advertisments away is to disable active scripting in your browser. Here is how you do it in Internet Explorer 4.0x. Note that the Internet Options can be accessed from the Windows Control Panel. Warning: Disabling scripting may prevent other items found on some sites, such as pull-down menus and animations, from working properly. If this happens, re-enable active scripting.

  1.  Click on the View menu.
  2.  Click on Internet Options.
  3.  Click on the Security tab.
  4.  With the current zone, you can choose four levels of
      security. Click on the button next to Custom.
  5.  Scroll down the list and look for Scripting.
  6.  Under Active Scripting, click the button next to
      Disable.
  7.  Click OK.
  8.  Click OK to save your changes to the Internet options.

Quick and easy way to exit a Windows application or program: Use the ALT-F4 (that is, press and hold the ALT key, then press F4)key combination.

Quick and easy way to exit Windows: While the Desktop or Program Manager are open, use the ALT-F4 key combination described above. This works because Windows itself is an application (program).

Windows program halt or stop? In Windows 95/98, use the CTRL+ALT+DEL key combination (press all three keys simultaneously then release) and the Close Program list will come up. If the program that halted is listed as "Not responding," select the item from the list and then click the "End Task" button. In Windows 3.1 | 3.11, use the CTRL-ESC key combination (press and hold Control, then press Escape) to bring up the Task List. If the program that halted is listed, select it and then click on "End Task."

Windows 95 CD-ROM "Specials"

The Hover game that comes with the Windows 95 CD can be copied to your hard drive. Create a folder for the game. Copy the files from the Hover folder on the CD, to the folder in your hard drive. Put shortcuts to HOVER.EXE in your Start Menu or on your Desktop. That's it!