COASTWEEK - - This week I shall give you some Windows tips, writes VIPUL PATEL.

Remember some of it could still be vague or beyond your knowledge of Windows but you can always ask someone who knows to show you the first time how to do it.

1.  active desktop - to customize it's settings right-click on your desktop and select active desktop.

2.  adding and removing programs - go to Start + Settings + Control panel + Add/Remove + Windows Setup...you'll need your Windows disk...you can also remove unwanted components here too.

3.  changing regional settings - go to Start + Settings + Control Panel and double click Regional Settings.

4.  channel Screen Saver - you can choose a screen saver that displays a slide show of all Active Channel content you select ... right-click on the Desktop and select Properties ... click on the Screen Saver tab and select the Channel Screen Saver ... click on the Settings button and a list of all your channels will appear in the Channels box ... select the ones you want in the screen saver and click on OK.

5.  clear Documents from Start menu - go to Start + Settings + Taskbar & Start Menu + Start Menu Programs tab + Clear button.

6.  converting drive to FAT32 (only for medium and advanced operators of Windows) - save space and make better use of the space you have ... to find out if your disk drive has already been converted double-click the My Computer icon on your desktop, right-click the icon representing your hard drive and click properties ... on the General tab of the Properties dialog box, the first items are Label & Type ... below the Type field is the File System field which will say what type of FAT ... read the help to make sure you want to change your drive before you do.

7.  copying text - left-click at the start of text you want to copy and drag the cursor to its end ... then right-click and copy or cut and paste the text into the desired file.

8.  decorate a folder - you can change the default wallpaper within an open folder by selecting View + Customize this Folder ... click "Choose a background picture" or follow the wizard to select either a solid colour or image for your wallpaper.

9.  deleting - if you plan to delete programs or directories it's better to use the Add/Remove function in the Control Panel to uninstall them completely and properly...some programs may ask you to reboot after you remove them...it's a good idea to do so even if not asked.

10. desk-top appearance - quick way to changing it is to right-click your desktop then click Properties + Appearance.

11. desktop icon - in Win98 the Desktop icon button on the Quick Launch bar takes you to the desktop in a flash ... great if you have a lot of windows open and you need quick access to your desktop.

12. disable AutoPlay - to disable AutoPlay just for a certain CD hold down the "Shift" key while inserting a CD ... to remove right-click the My Computer icon from the Desktop and click the Device Manager tab ... click the "+" sign next to the CDROM text in the list then click the item that is displayed below the CDROM text ... if more than one CD-ROM drive is displayed when you click the "+" sign click the CD drive that you use ... click the drive that you use when you place CDs into your computer ... click Properties and then Settings tab ... uncheck the "Auto insert notification" check box ... to enable AutoPlay again just check the "Auto insert notification" check box again.

13. end task - use ctrl + alt + del to shutdown programs running in the background before installing new programs ( don't shutdown explorer in the box though) ... use the "end task" and not the "shut down" when making your selections ... it's also great to use when your computer freezes ... then it's ok to use the "shut down".

14. faster start up - you can speed up the computers boot process by telling Windows not to search for your floppy drive ... you'll be able to still use the drive when you click on its icon in My Computer ... right-click on My Computer, choose properties and select the performance tab ... click on the file information button, then on the floppy tab ... deselect the option to "search for new floppy disk drives each time your computer starts."

15. finding your IP Address - click Start + Settings + Control Panel ... next double-click Network icon and highlight (click) TCP/IP ... click Properties button and finally IP Address tab ... you should then see it.

16. formatting a floppy disk - when you format a floppy disk you are getting rid of everything on the disk ... formatting also makes sure that the disk is free of errors and can be written to safely ... place the disk you want to format into your computer ... double-click the My Computer icon from the Desktop, right-click the 3 1/2 Floppy Drive icon and select Format ... from the menu that appears click the Start button from the window to begin ... you can customize the formatting process further by changing the options before you click the Start button.

17. help - to get fast help open the C:\Windows\Help folder right-click the WINDOWS.HLP file and create a shortcut to your desktop.

18. hidden Windows tools - go to Start + Programs + Accessories + System Tools + System Information....click on tools (system file checker is one of my favorites).

19. hourglass - wait for the hourglass to disappear before you begin work and let programs finish loading too before you start.

20. improve your disk performance - go to Start + Settings + Control Panel + System + Performance + File System + Troubleshooting...check the box Disable synchronous buffer commits.

21. keeping your hard disk (drive) clean and in top performance - schedule your "maintenance wizard" to run on your time but remember you must leave your computer on...it will do a disk cleanup, scandisk and disk defragmenter...if you prefer just to defrag your hard drive then do a disk cleanup first.

22. line up desktop icons - right click on the desktop, select Arrange Icons and deselect AutoArrange ... highlight all the icons you want to move then drag and drop them to the new location ... right-click on the desktop and select Line Up Icons.

23. log off - If you want to Log Off the network and log on as a different user you don't need to Shut Down and Restart ... just click Log Off ERROR[Unused arguments - too many, or wrong type] in:<username> from the Start menu.

24. lockups - when Windows locks up press Ctrl + Alt + Delete two times in a row to restart your computer.

• VIPUL PATEL is Sales and Marketing Executive with AfricaOnline Mombasa.