Become an Efficiency Expert With Your PC
Most people invest in a PC with grand visions of using their time more efficiently and becoming more productive. But to get the most out of your PC and the time you spend on it, a little planning and practice are essential.
No matter what you use your PC for, one basic computer skill to acquire is typing. A quick cure for the hunt-and-peck blues is available with training software. An inexpensive typing tutor program is Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing (Mindscape, [800] 234-3088, $40 street price, DOS/Mac/Windows).
After you hone your typing skills, you’ll need to learn how to use a mouse.
Both Windows-based PCs and Macs include a mouse tutorial. But a better way to practice eye-hand coordination with mouse clicking, double clicking and “drag and drop” is to play the game of Solitaire.
The game is included with Windows, and Mac users can download a shareware version off the Internet. So if you’re using a computer at work and your boss yells at you for playing Solitaire, just say you’re learning how to use a mouse. I have one staff member who has been learning how to use a mouse for eight months now.
Get in the habit of using the keyboard instead of the mouse for certain functions. For example, almost all Windows programs use Ctrl+b to put type in boldface, Ctrl+i for italics, Ctrl+u to underline and so forth. If you’re a Mac user, substitute the Command key for the Ctrl key and it will probably work.
Your PC’s desktop is supposed be like your real desk, with frequently used items within easy reach. When you install software programs, the program icons invariably end up in individual folders or program groups. Time is wasted searching through menus just to start programs.
A more efficient way of using your PC is to create program shortcuts that appear right on your desktop. Windows 95 users can right-click on the desktop to create shortcuts for commonly used programs or simply copy the program’s icon to the desktop. Windows 3.x and Mac users can drag and drop the program’s icon onto the desktop too.
Windows 3.x users seem to suffer the most from programs installing themselves right on the desktop. Worse, if you exit Windows 3.x with windows open and have the option Save Settings on Exit selected, the open windows will be there the next time you turn on your PC.
Making Windows 3.x look the same every time it starts is easy. First, from the Program Manager menu bar, select Options and find the line that says Save Settings on Exit. If this choice has a check mark in front of it, click it to remove the check mark and tell Windows not to save the settings on exit.
Set up Program Manager the way you want it to appear each time the computer starts. Afterward, take a sort of computer snapshot of it. Windows uses this snapshot to remember how you want it to look each time it starts. To do this, from the Program Manager menu bar, select File.
The next part is tricky. Press and hold down the Shift key on the keyboard. At the same time, select Exit Windows. You don’t actually exit Windows; instead, you put that snapshot in a place where Windows can find it the next time you start the computer. If you change your mind and want your Windows desktop to look different, don’t worry. Just take another snapshot.
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Kim Komando is a Fox TV host, syndicated talk radio host and founder of the Komputer Klinic on America Online (keyword KOMANDO). She can be reached via e-mail at komando@komando.com
