Monday, February 19,  2001		Article

THOUGH you can learn many applications, software and programs, yet you cannot call yourself a computer wizard unless you have a command on your operating system. The world of computers is wide and one cannot become the master of all things. However, if you know some useful tips and tricks, it can help exploit the operating system well.

E-mail client

Take, for example, the case of the e-mail client. E-mail client is one of the most widely used programs in a computer. Normally persons use these program for a maximum number of time during the day yet the strange thing is that though they may have a shortcut for them on the desktop yet there are no specific shortcuts for sending and receiving windows as a default setting. As a result if you have to send a mail, open the e-mail program first and then open the composing Window.

However, the task of sending e-mails can be made convenient by a simple trick. All you need to do is right click on the desktop and click New. In the drop-down window choose shortcut. This will open a new short cut window on the computer screen. Simply write mailto: in the command line and give it the name e-mail send. Now click OK. This will create a short-cut for message composition on the desktop of default e-mail client. If your default e-mail client is Netscape, then this short-cut will represent the message composition window of Netscape messenger. Using this short-cut all you need to send a mail is double-click on this short-cut directly, fill in the necessary fields and send. This will thus save some of your time.

Fast dialling for Net connection Time is actually of essence in computers. What you normally do on a P III computer can also be done on even a P I. However the major difference in both is of speed and time taken to perform an operation. In some applications like system booting, modem dialling and connecting, there is hardly any difference between the speeds of the computers mentioned above. You can boost up the performance of the computer in these areas by applying simple tricks and thus can make it more useful. First for fast dialling the Internet connection or ISP, you can simply do so by editing the dialup network settings. Thus in your dial-up network settings right click on the connection icon and then click on properties. Now select the server type settings tab and uncheck Log on to Network checkbox. Similarly under allowed Network Protocols, uncheck NetBEUI and IPX/SPX Compatible check boxes as you use only TCP/IP networking protocol for the Net connection. This change in setting will enhance the connecting speed to the Web.

You can further enhance the modem performance by disabling compression on the modem. You can also increase the speed of the modem dialling by editing the advanced settings. Thus to boost the modem for faster dialling, click on the control panel and then double-click the modem icon. Now choose the modem you are using for the connection and then select its properties. In the properties window click on the connection tab located on top of the window. In this window, you will find another button "advanced settings". Click on this button and enter S11=1 in the extra settings field. Now click OK and close all Windows.

Next time when you connect to the Internet, you will feel better performance in terms of faster modem dialling. However, a word of caution here: If your connection drops frequently, then you should not use this setting. Instead use the setting S10=50. Moreover, if you are already using this setting as extra settings, then in that case also, you should not use this setting.

If you are conscious about the speed of the Internet connection and would like to be informed about the speed at which you are surfing the Web, then by using a simple setting you can know the rate at which you are sending and receiving the data. Thus if you are a Windows '98 user and want to check the data transfer speed using dial-up networking, simply click the "Start" button, and choose "Programs". Now click on Accessories >System Tools> System Monitor. This will open a new Window on the computer screen. In this Window, choose Edit button. Then click on Add Item.

In the dialog box, click "Dial-Up Adapter." In the dial-up adapter, click "Bytes received/second" and press "OK". This will configure bytes received per setting in the dial-up adapter. Similarly for setting up bytes transmitted per second, you need to click it also. Now having this setting on in Windows '98, you can know about your data speed easily.

Data transfer speed is indeed important for the Net surfers.

Issues related to bookmarks represent a problem for a majority of Web surfers. A deep insight into these can clear all doubts. Bookmarks is a file that contains references to the Web pages that you have already visited, which then can be organised and used to return to a particular page later on. You can create a list of bookmarks in the Web browser you use. Here a majority of persons face a problem. Suppose if you normally use Netscape browser and wish to use Internet Explorer later on, a majority of persons feel that using the Internet Explorer would be a problem as they will not be able to access the bookmarks created in the other browser.

Basically, it is a matter of ignorance and does not represent the problem. You can access the bookmarks created in Netscape Navigator in Internet Explorer by simply looking under the "Favourites" menu in the Internet Explorer. Select "Imported Bookmarks" Here and all Netscape bookmarks would be found listed here.

Bookmarks are important for the Web surfers as it makes the job of finding sites easy for them and are thus convenient. However, there is some inconvenience associated with the sites, which are not bookmarked. You can open the bookmarked site by simply clicking on it. For those sites which are not bookmarked, writing the complete Web address is at times boring and tiring and thus quite inconvenient. There is a simple trick, which can make the task of opening sites much easier. If you are an Internet Explorer user, simply type the domain of an address, for example Yahoo and press Ctrl + Enter.

Internet Explorer will automatically write "http://www....com" around the name you typed that saves the botheration of writing those words repeatedly. For using this tip check whether the domain name is correct. If you are not sure about the domain name, you can simply write the name and press enter. Internet Explorer will try to find the site by using various extensions. If it can't find a site with the domain you typed and the .com extension, it looks for the domain with .edu extension. If this doesn't work, it looks for the domain you typed with the .org extension. Thus it helps substantially in writing down the Web address.