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* Webcam Timeshot Tip
* Turn on XP Personal Firewall Tip
* Change the Start Menu Style
* Easy Text Size Change in Help & IE Tip
* Windows Shutdown and Power Off Tip
* Customize Explorer Toolbar Tip
* Check Personal Firewall Status Tip

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Webcam Timershot Tip:
Windows Support
By: WinXpZone.com

 

Microsoft recently released a free download for Windows called PowerToys. These are a set of utilities and enhancements for Windows that add many new features and functions. Seasoned Windows users swear by the PowerToys for past Windows versions, and this latest crop of toys will not disappoint them. They are not officially supported by Microsoft, so they are install-at-your-own-risk.

One of the PowerToys that you may find useful is the Webcam Timershot. This toy allows you to use a webcam to snap (and save) pictures to a file at specified time intervals. You can customize the name and location of the file, and whether that file is overwritten with the most recent snapshot.

 

 

You can download the Powertoys files page Here!

 

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Turn on XP Personal Firewall Tip:
Windows Support
By: WinXpZone.com

Windows has included basic Personal Firewall software so that you can help hide and protect your computer against attacks from the Internet. If your computer is connected to the Internet, you should turn this feature on (unless you have purchased a more robust third-party firewall package). To turn on Personal Firewall, Open Control Panel (click Start -> Control Panel), then open Network and Internet Connections, and then Network Connections.

Find your connection to the Internet (for instance, under Dial-Up), right-click it and choose Properties. In the box that appears, click the Advanced tab. In the top section, check (click) the box next to "Protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer from the Internet." Click OK, and bask in the glow of the feeling that comes from knowing you've made your computer just a little more inaccessible to the bad guys.

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Change the Start Menu Style:
Windows Support
By: WinXpZone.com

 

Does the new Windows Start menu take up too much space on your desktop? You can easily change the look back to the Windows Classic Start menu by following these steps:

* Right–click the Start button, and then click Properties.
* Click Classic Start menu.
* Click the Customize button to select items to display on the Start menu.

By default, selecting the Classic Start menu also adds the My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places, and Internet Explorer icons to your desktop.

 

Easy Text Size Change in Help & IE Tip:
Windows Support
By: WinXpZone.com

 

I mentioned a way that you can change the size of the text that is display in the Help file and in Internet Explorer. As it turns out if you have a "wheel mouse," there is an even easier way to change the text size. In Internet Explorer or when viewing a Help file, simply hold the ctrl key while you spin the mouse wheel up to increase text size, or down to decrease text size.

Java VM: Java applets run in Internet Explorer 6 (a component of Windows) just as they run in older versions of Internet Explorer. The Java VM is not installed as part of the typical installation, but is installed on demand when a user encounters a page that uses a Java Applet. For more information see the Microsoft Technologies for Java Web site.

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Windows Shutdown and Power Off Tip:
Windows Support
By: WinXpZone.com

On some computers, by default, Windows doesn't power off the computer when you tell it to shut down. However, if your computer is relatively new, it can probably by shut completely off by WinXP. To configure your computer for this behavior, simply open the Control Panel, open Performance and Maintenance, then Power Options. On the APM tab, check next to "Enable Advanced Power Management support," then click OK. The next time you choose "Shut Down" from the Start Menu, your computer should shut down completely and then power off.

 

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Customize Explorer Toolbar Tip:
Windows Support
By: WinXpZone.com

In Windows Explorer, you can customize the toolbar to make Explorer even more handy. The Toolbar is the bar of icons directly underneath the menu bar. It contains icons for going back, up one level, displaying folders or search, etc. You can right-click an open area of this Toolbar and choose Customize to change the order of these icons, and even to add new icons to it. For instance, I like to add the Map Drive and Disconnect buttons. In Windows, you may have to unlock the Taskbar before you can make changes in Windows Explorer.

Lock the Taskba - If you find that your Windows Taskbar keeps being changed, or moved to one side or the top of your screen, and you didn't mean to have it do that, this tip is for you. Once you have your Task Bar arranged the way you like it, in the right location on the screen, and with all the right toolbars and icons, you can lock it, so that it won't get changed accidentally. To lock the Taskbar, simply right click it and choose Properties. In the window that appears, check the box (click) next to "Lock the Taskbar." Now you won't accidentally bump the mouse and have your Task bar end up on another side of the screen.

 

 

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Check Personal Firewall Status Tip:
Windows Support
By: WinXpZone.com

In the previous tip, I mention how to turn on Windows's Personal Firewall feature. But once you turn it on, your connection looks just the same as it did before. How can you check the status of the connection and the firewall? Simply open Control Panel from the Start Menu, open Internet and Network Connections, then Network Connections. By default the view is of large icons.

Click the View Menu, and choose "details" in order to reveal several more columns of information about the connections that your computer has. Check the Status column to see if your connection is currently connected, and whether or not it is "firewalled." You can even drag the column headings around (I like to slide the Status column right next to the Name column. You can even remove entire columns by right-clicking the column heading and unchecking it.