Do You Know These Windows Tips and Hacks?
It’s always a good idea to learn as many shortcuts and tips to make your time at the computer more productive, especially if you use a computer with Windows. We are creatures of habit and when we find a way to do a task, we usually don’t want to bother searching for another way. This is true of a lot of users of Windows. However, regardless of the shortcuts they learn initially, it’s almost always possible to find an even easier and faster way to accomplish the same task.
Many folks try not to use their mouse as much as possible, and others use it for just about everything. Keyboard shortcuts can be very useful even if you prefer using a mouse. There is so much more you can do using your keyboard. Most people don’t even have a clue! Do some reading about your version of Windows and you will come up with a significant number of commands and useful functions. For example, if you want to maximize your screen, press Windows and the Up arrow key. To return your screen to normal, press your Windows key and the DOWN arrow key. It’s that simple. If you have a file you want to take a look at before you actually open it, get a preview by using the key sequence, ALT + P. This works great with images, videos, or documents. There are many more keyboard shortcuts that can make working with your PC easier and faster.
A program that is very important to schedule to run regularly is the Defragmentation tool. Some folks don’t defrag their hard drives because they’re afraid they’ll do something wrong and other people just don’t bother. Defragmentation is easy and it can make Windows perform much better. If you create or download many files it’s even more important to do this. Defragmentation gives you more free space on your hard drive by realigning the files that have changed. Go to Properties>Tools for each hard drive and choose defragmentation. The only time defragging your hard drive will take a long time is when you have a lot of files on your hard drive and haven’t used the defrag tool for a while. Otherwise, it’s very quick. You won’t even have to think about defragmenting your hard drive if you set up an automatic schedule for Windows to follow
You can make Windows run faster by maintaining only software that you actually use on your computer. It’s not unusual for a new PC to have a lot of applications and software pre-installed that the owner doesn’t even open. Needless to say, your computer will run slower because of the memory these programs hog. So, if you’re positive a program isn’t one that you’re interested in, delete it. You can also speed up Windows by disabling start-up programs that you aren’t going to be using for that session. This only makes sense. Why have your computer run slowly just to open programs that you don’t need?
As you begin searching for better ways to use Windows efficiently, you’ll discover many tricks, tips, and shortcuts you can apply. There will obviously be more shortcuts and tips you could learn than you could possibly ever use. You will be better off just learning ones that relate to the way you prefer to use your computer. We’ve given you a preview of a few of the shortcuts that are available with Windows. It’s up to you now to research and learn more.
Chill out playing poker!