Top Windows Vista Tips and Tricks

June 7, 2008 | By Nathan Hull In General Interest, Software, Top Tech News |

This week I want to spend some time on Windows Vista tips and tricks. I haven’t done much writing about the Window’s Vista operating system and I think it is now time to help out the Vista users. Let’s not waste any time and get right to the nuts and bolts.

1. Too much eye candy?

If aero is too much for you to look at, click Start/Control Panel/Themes and pick a non-Aero theme, such as Windows Classic.

2. Not enough clocks for you?

You can add more clocks to the system tray. Click the clock, and then click Date and Time Settings. Click the Additional Clocks tab. You can add one or two additional clocks to the tray and select different time zones. This is very helpful if you do business in different time zones or travel frequently.

3. Tired of being told you don’t have administrator rights?

Open the Start Menu, type the name of the application you want to run, and then tap CTRL+SHIFT+ENTER instead of just ENTER. If you see a User Account Control dialog, you know you got it right.

4. Hard to find your network connections?

Windows Vista makes networking very easy but also hard to find. Here is a quick solution. In the Start Menu Search box (or Run dialog), type “ncpa.cpl” (no quotes) and tap ENTER. This will bring up your network connections.

5. Having troubles seeing the desktop icons?

There are now three ways to view the desktop icons, including “Extra Large Icons”, which is particularly handy if you have a hi-res display or have difficulty seeing.

6. Need to find files quickly?

No need to open a special window to search for files you’re looking for. Hit the Windows key on your keyboard or click the Start button and just start typing. Vista will display a list of files on your machine that match what you have typed.

I hope this helps all of you Vista users out there. I of course am still using Windows XP and will wait for the new Windows 7 before I take the plunge and make the change. If you are wondering what Windows 7 is just go to Google and type it in the search bar.

Thank you for reading Nathan’s Plain Tech Talk. If you would like to read more of my articles just visit www.PlainTechTalk.com/blog .

If you are having troubles with your home or small business computers, please give me a call at 423-613-5590 or 865-322-1365. You can also visit my website for more information at www.PlainTechTalk.com

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