Windows 2000 Tips

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1)   A Doctor for your PC
2)   A fresh start
4)   Add a font into your PC
5)   Add new Channels
6)   Adjust keyboard and Regional Settings
7)   Better way to get help
8)   Change shortcut icons
9)   Change the location for My Documents
10) Change your mouse pointer
11) Check integrity of system files

12) Check the startup programs
13) Choose your start page
14) Clean screen
15) Control access to a hard drive on a networked PC
17) Create different user profile on a single PC
1a) How and why should I create new folders?
1b) How can I customize my Start Menu?
1c) How can I cut/copy/paste text from a document?
1d) How can I move files to different locations?
1e) How do I create shortcuts on the desktop?
1f) How can I find help from a program or window?
1g) How can I find if I have a file, folder or program on my computer?
1h) How can I search within a document to find a specific word or grouping of words?
1i) How can I select a file/folder from My Computer or Windows Explorer?
18) Customize folder Web view
19) Dictate a short notes
20) Discover Windows 98
23) Easier Email and faxing using Send To
24) Empty Recycle Bin and Recover deleted files
25) Fetch free Desktop themes
26) Find out your IP address
27) Folder Web view
28) Hide or Show file extensions
29) Increase performance and free up drive space with FAT32
30) Keeping multiple folders open
3a) Keyboard Alerts
3b) Keyboard Shortcuts
31) Look at Windows through a magnifying glass
32) Maintain your system
33) Managing multiple windows
34) Minimizing saves resources
3b) Modem Connection
35) Modify Send To
36) Modify the Start Menu
3b) Monitors
37) Monitor PC and network performance
38) Phone Dialer
39) Protect your PC from others
40) Put a URL on your desktop
41) Put a Web page on your Desktop
43) Put Windows to the WWW on the desktop
4b) RAM (Memory)
4a) Recycle Bin
47) Serving applications from the system tray
48) Set standby times for Desktop PC
49) Setting audio and video options
50) Specialized Quick Launch toolbar shortcuts
5c) Shut down program without mouse
5b) System Tray
51) Take a picture of your screen
52) Taskbar properties
5a) Put the Taskbar where you want
53) Toolbars on your Taskbar
54) Tune for crisp and sharp images, Resolution
55) Turn off Channels
57) Updating Windows 98
58) Use your favorite picture for Desktop wallpaper
5q) What is Windows Registry?
59) Watch TV on your PC
60) Watch your PC with Resource Meter
61) What Windows loads at Startup
62) Windows 98 Registry
63) Windows Logons
6a) What does the right mouse button really do?
64) What is difference of CRT and LCD?
65) What is RAM?
66) What should I do when a program freezes?

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Discover Windows 98
Insert the Windows 98 CD, select Run from the Start menu button, and type 'tour98'
and click OK.

Windows 98 Registry
Type 'scanreg' on Run from the Start menu

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Check the startup programs
Type 'msconfig' on Run from the Start menu, and then check the Start up button by clicking. It will show the check Marks on the progrmas that is part of the star-tup programs. Make un check by clicking on programs to inactivate during the startup process.

Find out your IP address
Type 'winipcfg' on Run from the Start menu

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Phone Dialer
Click Start, Programs, Accessories, Communications, and then Phone Dialer. Need a
Modem connected to a PC and has to plug your telephone into the modem.

Easier E-mail and faxing using Send To
You need to install Microsoft Fax. Right click a file or e-mail attachment, select Send To. Drag and Drop messaging, faxing, and printing. Check in to Symantec's WinFax PRO
(http://www/winfaxpro.com) or ZetaFax from Equisys (http://www/zetafax.com) Both of these applications support Win98 and Win 2000.

Dictate a short notes
Click Start/Programs/Accessories/Entertainment/Sound Recorder. Click the record
button and start talking. Save your file and double click the file to play it back through PC's speakers.

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Add a WWW on the desktop
Right click on the desktop and select Properties, and then choose the Web tab. Make sure there's a check mark next to View My Active Desktop As A Web page. Click the New button, click No, and type the URL, click OK.

Turn off Channels
Right click on the desktop and select Properties, then the Web tab. Delete the check mark next to Internet Explorer Channel Bar.

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Add new Channels
Click New on the Web tab and Yes. This opens Microsoft Active Gallery where you
can choose from Channels that you want to add.

Choose your start page
Go to the site you want to come up each time you connect to the Internet.
From the View menu, select Internet Option, click the Use Current button, and then click OK.

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Clean screen
Go to My Computer and, from the View menu, select Folder Options. Choose the
View tab and look for the heading Visual Settings. Check the box that says Hide Icons When Desktop Is Viewed As A Web Page, and then click OK. From then on, whenever you want to clean screen, place your cursor on the desktop, right click and from Active Desktop select View As Web page.

Put a Web page on your Desktop
Right click on the Desktop and select Properties. Go to the Background tab, click the Browse button, find your home page .htm file and click OK.

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Managing multiple windows
Right click on the Taskbar and choose minimize all or other options.

Use your favorite picture for Desktop wallpaper
Right click on the Desktop, select Properties, and then go to Background tab. Click Browse, then find the picture and select, OK.Use Graphic Interchange Format (GIF) or Joint Photographic Experts Group(JPEG)

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Fetch free Desktop themes
Go to Control Panel and click Desktop Themes. Clicking Windows Update from the Start menu. This will start your browser and take you to Microsoft's update site on the Web.

Updating Windows 98
Download additions, fixes, changes and enhancements to Windows 98.
Updating device drivers Video card and sound card manufacturers, among others, are constantly updating their device drivers.By clicking Device Drivers on the Windows 98 Update site, you can have Windows Update scan your system. If no updated drivers are listed after the first scan, it is a good idea to click Rescan.

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A fresh start
You can fresh start with Reformatting hard drive and reinstalling Windows 98 and all of applications. Make sure organize data and do backups.
Increase performance and free up drive space with FAT32 Changing from FAT16 to FAT32 speeds Windows startup and application loading, and it also can free up several hundred megabytes of storage space on your hard drive. Select Start, Programs, Accessories, Systems Tools, and Drive Converter (FAT32)

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Tune for crisp and sharp images, Resolution
For every computing, 1024 x 768 is a good choice. The higher resolution, the smaller the elements on your screen, so if your screen fonts look small, click the Advanced button, click the General tab, and choose Large Fonts from the Font Size drop-down menu or change your setting to a lower resolution.

Taskbar properties
Right click on the Taskbar and control Taskbar's look and behavior. If you prefer small
icons on Start Menu, check the Show Small Icons on Start Menu.

Put the Taskbar where you want
Click on the taskbar and drag it to top or side, or bottom.

Put a URL on your desktop
Right click on the empty place on the desktop, select New, Shortcut and type the URL on the location box.

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Serving applications from the system tray
The area embossed in your Taskbar is the System Tray. The Tray also holds the icons of applications running in the background.

Toolbars on your Taskbar
Toolbars are specialized grouping of icons that become a part of your Taskbar.
You can drag icons from the desktop and place it between the two vertical markers. Put shortcuts on your Quick Launch toolbar.

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Specialized Quick Launch toolbar shortcuts.
Create shortcuts for repetitive tasks. Open the fax form and add to the Quick Launch toolbar on the Taskbar. This will save your time

Change the location for My Documents
Right click on the My Documents folder on the Desktop, select Properties, click browse, and select the new drive as the target folder.

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Hide or Show file extensions
To make visible, open My Document and go to Folder Options under the View menu. From the View tab, remove the check mark next to Hide Extensions For Known File Types. Once file extensions are visible, be aware that you will have to type the extension when you create or rename a file.

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Protect your PC from others
Check Password Protection box in the screen saver dialog box.
Control Panel's Power Management option is another place where you can add
password protection. Click the Advance tab

Control access to a hard drive on a networked PC
If you want to control access to the contents of an entire hard drive, select drive from My Computer and then Properties, click the sharing tab, make sure the Shared As radio button, and then check the appropriate radio button.

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Create different user profile on a single PC
Go to Control Panel and click Users. Click the New Users button the follow the instructions.

Keeping multiple folders open
Click View, Folder Option in My Computer, and click the Classic Style radio button. Select the Web style will give Web-like underline. When you place your mouse pointer over a file or folder, it will highlights, select

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Folder Web view
Open document folder in Window Explorer using right click on the Start button. Then
click the View menu and select As Web Page.

Customize folder Web view
In Window Explorer, click View and then select Customize This Folder. Click choose a Background Picture, select a picture.

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Change your mouse pointer
Control Panel, Mouse icon, clicking the Pointer tab. Also adjust the mouse trail using slider.

Look at Windows through a magnifying glass
Start, Programs, Accessories, Accessibility, Magnifier. Right click and exit to quit.

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Set standby times for Desktop PC
Check them out from Power Management in the Control Panel. Save batteries with laptop power management. Power Management from the Control Panel

Modify Send To
Create special Send To destinations by creating a shortcut for the destination and inserting it into the Send to folder which is in the Windows directory

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Setting audio and video options
Click Multimedia in Control Panel. By clicking the Video tab, you can tell Windows 98 whether you want video to play back in a small or full screen

Modify the Start Menu
Start, Settings, Taskbar & Start Menu. Use the Advance Function to make shortcut, copy etc..You can drag files to start menu.

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Minimizing saves resources
If you prefer to have programs that load at startup run minimized from the start, right-click the Startup folder, click properties, and specify Minimize under the Run heading.

Adjust keyboard and Regional settings
Response, cursor blinking rate, and foreign language keyboards.
Control panel, Regional setting

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Watch your PC with Resource Meter
Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Resource Meter

Monitor PC and network performance
System Tool, System Monitor can track and report a wide variety of activities on both freestanding and networked PCs.

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Empty Recycle Bin and Recover deleted files
Right click to empty or select to recover

Take a picture of your screen
To capture active window only, press Alt and Print Screen. To capture everything, press Print screen that will be stored in the window's clipboard. Open Paint from the Accessories and paste.

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Check integrity of system files
System Information from the System Tools. System File Checker can extract a good copy of the specified file from the Windows 98 disc.
Add the Windows 98 program disc on the hard drive is useful for upgrade, etc.

What Windows loads at Startup
Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Configuration Utility.

A Doctor for your PC
Dr. Watson utility monitor your PC. Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools,
System Information, select Dr. Watson. When you select Dr. Watson takes up residence in the system tray to monitor your PC.

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Watch TV on your PC
You need a TV tuner card to actually watch cable, satellite.You will also need to install the Windows 98 Web TV application.

Change shortcut icons
Right click on the icon, click Properties, click the change icon button. Shareware sites on the Web for icon collections - http://www.winfiles.com

Maintain your system
System tools to maintain system. It's under Start/Programs/Accessories/Syatem Tools.

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Better way to get help
Start menu, click Help.

Add a font into your PC
Download from the Web and install under the C/Windows/Font area.

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The windows Registry
Massive database that contains most of the data Windows needs to function properly. The Registry also manages a computer’s hardware, and keep track of such resources as IRQs (Interrupt request lines).

Windows Registry consists of 3 files;
User.dat -- User preferences, such as desktop settings, fonts size, and other customizable windows features

System.dat-- Hardware configuration and system and application settings.
Policy.pol –- System policies, usually within a corporate network or for company owned standalone PCs.Company’s IT staff can use this to override users’ individual preferences and maintain some consistency throughout the organization.

Registry Checker – The program responsible fro verifying the integrity of the Registry and making backup copies.This program resides within two files, Scanreg.exe (DOS version) and Scanregw.exe (Window version) but more limited than Scanreg.exe in its’ capabilities.

Scanreg.exe – Primary duty is to check the Registry for errors during system startup. If it determines no problem exist, it makes a backup of the system Registry and copies this file into a hidden folder at C:\WINDOWS\SYSBACKUP.It compresses these files and saves them as CAB(cabinet)files named Rbxxx.cab, where xxx equals the copy number (001, 002, and so on). Scanreg.exe flags each file listing with one of two words, either Started or Not Started.

To use Scanregw.exe to back up your Registry from your windows, click Start, select Run, and type scanregw.exe in the open field of the Run dialog box. The program runs a check for errors, and if it comes up empty-handed, gives you toe option to create a backup copy.You can also Run from DOS prompt by typing scanreg.exe/backup.

Shut down the PC and restart in MS-DOS mode.Do not attempt to do this by launching a DOS window from within Windows; Windows uses the Registry files when it is running, and you won’t be able to replace them while they are in use.

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Registry Command Switches:

Command	Description	Available for
/backup	Backs up the Registry with no prompts	Scanreg & Scanregw
/restore	Display a list of backup files available, sorted by date and time of the backup	Scanreg
“/comment=”	Specifies that comment is attached to the backup which is displayed with /restore	Scanreg & Scanregw
/fixRepairs	the Registry files	Scanreg
/autoscan	Scans the Registry files every time it is run, but only backs up once per day	Scanregw
/scanonly	Scans the Registry files and returns an error level. Does not backup	Scanregw

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Keyboard Alerts
To make it audible beep every tine you press CAPS LOCK, NUM LOCK, or SCROLL LOCK, open the Control Panel and double click Accessibility Options. On the keyboard tab, click the Use Toggle Keys checkbox. To enable a shortcut key to turn the beeps on or off, click the settings button and click the Use Shortcut checkbox.You can now turn those beeps on or off by holding down the NUM LOCK key for five seconds.

Recycle Bin
In order to stop the warning on asking you if you really move the file to the Recycle bin, by right clicking the Recycle Bin and select Global tab and uncheck the Display Delete Confirmation Dialog Box checkbox. Click OK

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Windows Logons
If Windows asks you for a username and password every time you boot up, you can disable it by right-clicking Network Neighborhood and selecting Properties.
In the Primary Network Logon drop-down menu, select Windows Logon instead of Client for Microsoft Network. Click OK.

If you currently type a username and password, you will need to clear the password before restarting the system. Open the Control Panel (Start, Setting, and Control Panel) and double click Passwords. Click Change Windows Password.

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System Tray
The System Tray makes it easy to access frequently used programs. However, with too many icons in the tray, performance may be noticeably slower. Right click a program’s icon to close it.

To permanently remove a program from the tray, click the Start menu and Run. In the Run dialog box, type msconfig and click OK. Click the Startup tab. In the list of program, clear the checkboxes of any programs you don’t want in the System Tray.
Remove applications only if you are certain you don’t need them – there are important system files here that should always be loaded.

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Modem Connection
When your modem disconnects unexpectedly, here is the tip that might keep you on-line – Click Start, Setting, Control Panel, double click the Modems icon. Click Properties, Connection tab, Advanced button.In the Extra Settings text box, type S10=50. This instructs the modem to stay connected for up to five seconds even if it doesn’t detect a carrier.

Shut down program without mouse
Press ALT & F4

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RAM (Memory)
* SDRAM – frequently used as system memory in PCs, very popular kind of RAM until
     RDRAM appeared.
* RDRAM – a very fast (and expensive) type of memory that is almost exclusively used for
     system memory. It’s a new design for RAM developed by Ram bus in the early1990s.
     Intel Pentium 4 systems use RDRAM.
DDR SDRAM – a new and improved version of SDRAM (double-data rate SDRAM)
DRAM – dynamic RAM
VRAM – video RAM
EDO RAM – extended data output dynamic RAM
Flash RAM – a specialized kind of memory that’s frequently used in small portable devices, such as PDAs and digital cameras.It can store data when the device is turned off.

*- The three most common types of RAM used today.

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Monitor
The CRT (Cathode-Ray Tube) monitors are the large, heavy, box-like peripherals with curved, glass screens that have been the staple of desktop systems for years. They work in one of two ways, both of which make use of an electron beam that moves across the back of the screen and lights up phosphor dots inside a glass tube. Some monitors shoot electron beams through a thin sheet with tiny holes in it, while others rely on a number of vertical and horizontal wires.

LCD (liquid-crystal display) monitors, on the other hand, don't have a picture tube. Instead, they use a liquid-crystal material, which has properties of both solid and liquid materials, and is sandwiched between a couple of glass plates. Special molecules within this screen are able to bend and twist light, and how the light is twisted will determine the colors your eyes perceive. (Although monochrome LCD monitors do exist, they are relatively rare, and therefore, we will concentrate on color monitor.) The LCD monitor itself is flat and lightweight, and the screen is slightly flexible to the touch.

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How do I create shortcuts on the desktop?
There are several different ways that this can be done, one way is to right-click on the desktop and go to New, inside of new you'll find Shortcut. By clicking the Browse button, you will be able to find the program or file, which you want a shortcut created for.

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How can I customize my Start Menu?
There are a few ways this can be done as well, one way is to right-click the Taskbar (bar which has the Start button and the clock.) Upon right-clicking you will see Properties. In Properties you click the Start Menu Programs tab and proceed to click on either the Add, Remove, or Advanced buttons.

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What should I do when a program freezes?
In order to exit out of a frozen program you can press the Ctrl-Alt-Delete keys simultaneously. Make sure to do this only once. Once this is done a Close Program window will appear. Generally the program that is frozen will display that it is Not Responding. You can either double-click the message or select it by a single-click and select the Close button. Selecting the Shut Down button will automatically close all of your programs and shut down the computer. Selecting Cancel will simply close the window and bring you back to the frozen program.

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What does the right mouse button really do?
The right mouse button is a very useful thing to get to know. In almost every application there is a way to use the right-mouse button. In Windows however, the right-mouse button is often a quicker alternative to using pull-down menus. On the desktop for instance, using the right mouse button can create new folders, create shortcuts to programs/folders/files, arrange desktop icons in several different ways, copy/cut/paste, change wallpaper, etc. It’s almost a case of what can’t the right mouse button do.

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How and why should I create new folders?
New folders are useful for filing and organizing documents. There are a couple of ways to create new folders. While browsing through My Computer or in Windows Explorer, select the File menu followed by New and pick Folder. A new folder will be created and then you’ll have to name it. This can also be done by right-clicking in the window and following the same procedure as above.

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How can I move files to different locations?
After locating a file/folder through either Windows Explorer, or Find Files, or My Computer you can select it and use one of three methods to cut, copy or paste it. First, you can right-click the file/folder and select Cut or Copy, then in the new location right-click and select Paste. Second, you can select (single-click) the file and select the Edit pull-down menu and select either Cut or Copy, followed by selecting Paste from the Edit pull-down menu in the new location. Third, you can select (single-click) the file and press Ctrl-C on the keyboard for Copy, Ctrl-X for Cut and Ctrl-V for Paste.

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How can I cut/copy/paste text from a document?
This can be accomplished in a similar way to what is stated above. If there is an excerpt of text you’d like to copy/cut you have to select it first, then follow the same directions as above. Text can be selected by pointing the mouse pointer arrow to the beginning or end of the excerpt and holding down the left mouse button. While holding down the button begin to drag the mouse over the text you want to select and release the button gently when you have selected it all. While the text is highlighted you can follow the directions above.

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How can I select a file/folder from My Computer or Windows Explorer?
There are a few ways to select files/folders. One way is to single-click the item you want. Another way is to hold down the left mouse button and drag the mouse to form a box around the items. Another way is to single-click the desired item and hold down the CTRL key to select others. This allows you to select items that may not be listed in order. (In addition to selecting multiple files/folders, the CTRL key can be used to deselect as well.) In addition, if you want to select multiple files that are listed in order you can single-click the first file/folder you’d like and hold down the Shift key followed by any of the cursor-arrow keys. This allows you to select files/folders that are next to, above or below the initially selected file/folder. Finally, to select all of the files/folders in a window you can either select the Edit menu and choose Select All or you can simply press CTRL-A on your keyboard.

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How can I find help from a program or window?
Most Windows-based programs have Help interfaces, where a user can search for help topics or browse an archive of pre-formatted troubleshooting techniques. To access the Help interface select Help followed by Contents (this may vary from program to program.) An easier way to directly access Help is to press F1 on the keyboard. Also in most Windows-based programs, you’d find that menu items have their own small window. Usually in these windows you can find a question mark (?) and an X at the top right corner. By single-clicking the question mark you will see an arrow with a question mark attached appear. By selecting any field title or tab title or any bit of text for that matter, you should see a small little dialog window appear with the help topic associated to it.

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How can I find if I have a file, folder or program on my computer?
In the Start menu you’ll find the Find menu, select Files or Folders. In the Named field, type in the name of the item you are looking for. (You can also give an abbreviation.) You should then specify where it is that you want to search for the item. In the Look in field you’ll see where the search will be conducted. If you’d like to change or narrow the location select Browse. From there you will be able to choose the drive or directory in which to search. If you know the exact path (location) of the item you want to search for, you can also type it directly into the Look in field. Once you have entered what you are looking for and where you are looking for it select Find Now. A search will then be conducted with its results displayed accordingly. In order to open any of the results double-click as you would normally. (The others features in the Find program are geared more towards advanced users.)

How can I search within a document to find a specific word or grouping of words?
Most programs have some sort of find function. Generally, one can seat within a document by selecting Edit followed by Find. This will allow you to find if and where a word is used in a document. This can also be done by pressing Ctrl-F on the keyboard.

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Keyboard Shortcuts
Here are a few keyboard shortcuts to consider:
(Note: Some programs do not use these standard shortcut keys)

Shortcut Keys	Functions
Ctrl - C	Copy
Ctrl -Esc	Start menu
Ctrl -X	Cut
Ctrl -Alt -Delete	(Once) Close Program screen, (Twice) Reboots the computer
Ctrl & V	Paste
Ctrl -F4	Closes sub-windows in programs
Ctrl -A	Select all
Alt -F4 (function)	Closes programs
Ctrl -U	Underline
Alt - F	File menu
Ctrl -B Alt -E Ctrl -L Alt-(underlined letter of program menu) Ctrl -E Alt -Tab Ctrl -R Altc-Esc Ctrl -Z F1 (function) CTRL-Y F2 (function) Ctrl -F Tab Ctrl-O Shist -Tab Ctrl -S	Bold Edit menu Left-align Opens the program menu associated to it Center align Toggles between open programs Right align Toggles between previous open programs Undo Runs the help wizard for a program Redo Allows you to rename a selected icon Find Switches forward between fields To open a document Switches backward between fields To save a document