February 4, 2009

Vista Font Size

I have a couple questions for all of you today. First, are you a Windows Vista user? And second, do you sometimes have a little trouble reading the text on certain Web sites you visit or even when you're working on other things on your Vista computer? If you said yes to both of those questions, I think you're just going to absolutely love what I have for you today! This quick tip is all about changing the font size in Windows Vista for a better viewing experience. Let's check it out!

If you want to increase the size of your font in Vista, it's just a couple clicks away. To do so, right click your desktop and choose Personalize. Then in the left pane, click on the "Adjust font size (DPI)" link. After you do that, a type of warning will pop up asking for your permission to continue. Just hit the Continue button and move on. (That is only there because you're changing something on your computer and they want to make sure it really is okay with you). Next, click the option that says "Larger scale (120 DPI) – make text best place to buy cialis more readable." When you're all finished, click OK.

You should see an instant change, but you can check it out even further by opening up your Web browser and going to your favorite Web site. Or maybe open up a document you've been working on. Either way, the font size will be much larger and you will no longer have to strain your eyes to see what's written. Increasing the font size will reduce the number of headaches you get while working on your computer and you'll just be happier all the way around. It doesn't get any better than that!

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System Tray

As you may recall, we have mentioned the term "system tray" in several of our tips, but we've never really explained exactly what it is. I guess I assumed most computer users know what where to buy cialis online it is, but I must be wrong, because several of you have e-mailed me about it within the last few weeks. So, I want to take this time to apologize for never writing a tip on it before. It should have been covered way back in the very beginning. But hopefully I'll make up for lost time today. Let's check it out!

Okay, so what is the system tray? Basically, the system tray is located at the very bottom of your desktop in the taskbar (the long bar that runs all the way across your desktop). If you look along the taskbar, you'll see some icons in the Quick Launch area, then you have some open space for any applications you have open and then on the very far right, you'll see where the system tray sits.

The system tray contains the clock icon, the volume icon and various other icons, depending on what all you have installed on your computer. Usually, your antivirus program icon will be there, it's where your printer icon shows up, your modem icon is there, the safely remove hardware icon sits there and so on. If you need to use any of the items in your system tray, all you have to do is double click on the icons and the programs will open. So, as you can see, the system tray is home to a lot of important applications on your PC. And now you know all about it. Yes!

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Turn That Off: In Vista

Have you recently made the safe cialis switch over to Windows Vista? Or, have you been using it for awhile? Either way, are there some features on the 3D desktop that you'd just love to turn off? I mean, some of them are quite overwhelming and you might have a better Vista experience if you cut them off. Well, have no fear, because WorldStart is here to help!

I've heard so many varying views about the Vista operating system, it's not even funny anymore. Some people hate it, some people love it and others just ride along in the middle. Yes, Vista comes with a lot of brand new features and while it would be in Microsoft's best interest if everyone fell head over heels in love with them, that's just not very realistic.

So, if you want to change your Vista computer around a little, have at it! Now, as the person who asked today's question stated, one of the new features in Vista is the 3D desktop. And while it's cool to look at sometimes, it can also be a little too much. The 3D desktop has to do with Vista's appearance and performance and all the other Windows versions allowed you to make some changes within those realms, so why would Vista be any different? Come along with me as we make your Vista desktop all that you want it to be!

First, right click on the Computer icon on your desktop and choose Properties. From there, click on the Advanced System Settings link that is located off to the left side of the dialogue box. Once you click that, you will be asked if you're sure you want to continue on (since they're advanced settings and all). Just click Continue and go on. Next, choose the Advanced tab and then hit the Settings button. From there, you want to be under the Visual Effects tab.

Once you're there, you will see four options at the top of the window: "Let Windows choose," "Adjust for best appearance," "Adjust for best performance" and "Custom." Below those options, you will see a list of settings. The list is pretty long, so it may take you awhile to scroll through them all. As you look through them, you may want to start picking and choosing the ones you want to keep on your computer. Think about each one and picture in your mind what it would do to your PC. Here are some of the settings you have to choose from:

  • Animate controls and elements inside windows
  • Animate windows when minimizing and maximizing
  • Enable desktop composition
  • Fade or slide menus into view
  • Fade out menu items after clicking
  • Show shadows under menus
  • Show shadows under mouse pointer
  • Slide taskbar buttons
  • Smooth scroll list boxes

Okay, I think you get the picture. There's so much to choose from! Now, let's go over a couple of the options I mentioned above again. If you click on the first one (Let Windows choose), the Windows operating system will choose what it thinks are the best choices for your computer. Now, this may be a good choice, but it still may leave you wanting more (or less) from your desktop experience.

On the other hand, if you click on the Custom choice, you can make your own decisions. You can just check or uncheck certain settings and everything will come out just the way you want it. I think this is the best option for anyone who likes to do things on their own. That's why I told you to really pay attention to the options in the list as you're reading through them. If you picture in your mind what a certain setting will do to your computer, you'll have a better reason for choosing what you choose.

When you're all done customizing your 3D desktop, just click the OK button and all will be saved. You can then go and test your new settings out. See how everything changed? Do you like it? Not so sure? Either way, you now know how easy it is to change those settings and you can go back time and time again until you have everything set perfectly for your Vista experience. Have fun!

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Windows Installer Cleanup Utility

Today, I'd like to share a little Microsoft utility with you that just might save your day! It's a free download and it's called the Windows Installer Cleanup Utility. It has a couple of small, yet helpful features if you ever happen to find yourself in a bind. Let's take a look!

Have you ever started up your computer and had the Windows Installer open automatically and try to install a program? If that's never happened to you, you're one of the lucky ones. When that type of problem happens, there are some very complicated steps to fix it. Luckily, Microsoft realized that and they created the Installer Cleanup Utility. In most cases, the utility will fix those issues.

The utility also fixes installer issues that are caused by incomplete installations. If you've ever had an install fail and you can't get it fixed on your own, the Cleanup Utility may be able to help you as well!

The Windows Installer Cleanup Utility is simple to download and run. Simply go here and scroll down the page a little bit. Then click on the link that says "Download the Windows non prescription cialis Installer Cleanup Utility package now."

At that point, you can choose Save or Run, depending on whether or not you want to save it to your computer. Either way, this utility is a great resource. Enjoy!

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Giving It a Clean Boot

Have you ever tried to install a program and it just wouldn't go? You know, you try it several times, but no matter what you do, it just doesn't install properly. I bet almost everyone out there has run into this at least once and today, I'm going to share a tip with you that I use daily when helping people install programs.

You know about safe mode, right? It's the way a computer can be started to try and fix problems when it won't boot up correctly. Safe mode is great for fixing major problems, but most of the time, it's too restrictive to try and fix less troublesome issues. If you're having trouble installing a program and safe mode doesn't help you, you may want to try a lesser known startup mode, called clean boot.

The clean boot mode is somewhat like safe mode. It makes the computer start up with fewer features running and no background programs. The main difference is while safe mode won't allow you to do many things with your programs, the clean boot mode will. That way, you can start your computer in the clean boot mode, try to install the troublesome program and finally succeed. So, without further ado, here's how you can start your computer in the clean boot mode!

For Windows XP:

1.) Go to Start, Run.

2.) Type in "msconfig" (without the quotes) and click OK.

3.) Under the General tab, you should see that your computer is on Normal Startup. Select Selective Startup and then uncheck the following boxes:

  • "process system.ini file"

  • "process win.ini file"

  • "load startup items"

When you're finished with that, your screen will look like the picture below:

Note: If your computer was already on Selective Startup, you may want to consider not finishing this tip. If your system is already set that way, someone has already modified your startup configurations. Therefore, you may end up altering those configurations by switching over to the clean boot and that may cause undesired results.

4.) Next, go to the Services tab and put a check next to "Hide all Microsoft services." Then click on the Disable All button.

5.) Click OK and you will be prompted to restart your computer.

After your system restarts, it will be in the clean boot mode. Try to install the program you were having trouble with. After you're done, you'll need to put your system back into the normal mode. Here's how:

1.) Go to Start, Run.

2.) Type in "msconfig" (without the quotes) and click OK.

3.) Under the General tab, select Normal Startup.

4.) Click OK and then restart your computer once more.

For Windows Vista:

1.) Go to Start and type "msconfig" (without the quotes) in the search box. Then hit Enter on your keyboard.

2.) If you're prompted for an Administrator password or for a confirmation, type in the password or click Continue.

3.) You'll then see a screen labeled "System Configuration." On that screen, select Selective Startup and uncheck the box that says "Load startup items."

Note: If your computer was already on Selective Startup, you may want to consider not finishing this tip. If your system is already set that way, someone has already modified your startup configurations. You may end up altering those configurations by switching over to the clean boot and that may cause undesired results.

4.) Next, go to the Services tab and put a check next to "Hide all Microsoft services." Then click on the Disable All button.

5.) Click OK and you'll be prompted to restart your computer.

After your system restarts, it will be in the clean boot mode. Try to install the program you were having trouble with. After you're done, you'll need to put your system back into the normal mode. Here's how:

1.) Go to Start, type "msconfig" (without the quotes) in the search box and hit Enter on your keyboard.

2.) If natural cialis you're prompted for an Administrator password or for a confirmation, type in the password or click Continue.

3.) You'll then see a screen labeled "System Configuration." On that screen, select Normal Startup and click OK.

After your computer restarts again, you'll be back to normal. Yes!

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