Restore Backed up Windows Files
Yesterday we looked at how to use Windows to backup your computer files. Today we’ll look at how to restore those files.
You can restore backed-up versions of files that are lost, damaged, or changed accidentally. You can restore individual files, groups of files, or all files that you have backed up. To access The Restore Center Click Start- Control Panel – System and Maintenance – Backup your computer.
Click Restore Files.
RELATED POSTS:
Windows Backup
Windows Backup is a program that ships with all Vista versions except Starter and Basic and lets you quickly and easily backup your computer. Lets face it most of us only think about backing up after its too late. While Windows Backup isn’t the greatest program out there, its included in Vista for free so its better than nothing. To open it up Click Start – Control Panel – System Maintenance – Backup & Restore Center. Or the Quick way. Click Start and type Backup in the Search box the click the top search result- Backup & Restore Center.
RELATED POSTS:
Rearranging your taskbar
You can customize your taskbar by making its size two or more rows or moving it to any side of your monitor.
First unlock the taskbar. Right click an empty space on the taskbar and deselect Lock the Taskbar.
To make the taskbar larger grab the edge of the taskbar and pull it up.
You can then set it so that your Quick Launch icons get a whole taskbar row to themselves. To do this, position your mouse cursor over the dotted Quick Launch border (the cursor will change to the resize arrow). Click and hold the left mouse button, and then drag the Quick Launch region below the task list.
To move your taskbar to any corner of your monitor, Click an empty space on the taskbar, and then hold down the mouse button as you drag the taskbar to one of the four edges of the desktop. When the taskbar is where you want it, release the mouse button. Getting it into the right position can be a bit tricky and may take a few tries.
You can also add more toolbars to the taskbar. Right click a open area of the taskbar and choose Toolbars then whatever one you want.
Vista Service Pack 1 Beta Due in Mid July
Mary Jo Foley of ZD Net is reporting of the launch of SP-1 Beta to be delivered by mid July and a final version in November. Read her article here.
http://blogs.zdnet.com/microsoft/?p=559 Microsoft is expected to emphasize that SP1 is more about fixes than new features. Most of the elements of SP1 are expected to enhance or supplement features that are already part of Vista, sources said.
RELATED POSTS:Use a Checkbox to Select Multiple files in Windows Explorer
I routinely copy or move multiple files around all my networked computers and hard drives. The old way was to hold down the Control Key (Ctrl) and select the files you want by clicking them in series.
Well I found a easer way to do the same thing. Instead of having to hold the control-key down to make multiple selections, make this change and whenever you roll your mouse over a file, you will see an unchecked checkbox next to it. Click that checkbox and it becomes one of your selections. We just need to make a few changes to Explorer.
To make this happen, Open up Windows Explorer, hit the ALT key to bring up the menu. Now click Tools – Folder Options
to bring up the Folder Options dialog box. Click the View tab and, in the Advanced Settings section scroll down until you see “Use check boxes to select items”. Click the checkbox next to this and hit OK.
Now go back to Windows Explorer and start rolling your mouse over some files. You should now see empty checkboxes appear and disappear as your mouse rolls by, just put a check in the files you want to include.
Using and Customizing the Windows Sidebar
The Windows Sidebar is a small panel that sits on the edge of your screen that houses small gadgets or mini applications, each can provide different information, gathered from your PC or the Internet. Vista ships with a few of these or you can download more off the Internet at Microsoft.
Windows Sidebar is not displayed on by default on all PC?s. If you?re screen resolution is 1024×768 or less the Sidebar won?t be on by default.
To turn it on Click Start ? All Programs ? Accessories ? Windows Sidebar.
Or the fastest way. Click Start and type ?Windows Sidebar? in the search box, then click it to launch.
Configuring the Sidebar:
You will probably want to customize the Sidebar and add different gadgets or change the way it displays or where it appears on your desktop. Many of the Sidebar features can be configured from the Windows Sidebar Properties dialog box. Mouse over to the Sidebar Right Click, and choose Properties.
In this dialog box you can determine whether the Sidebar will start when Windows starts, if you want it to display on top of other windows or whether you want it on the left or the right. If you have multiple monitors you can choose which to display it on.
To close the sidebar, right click anywhere in it and choose close Sidebar. To open it again, just click its icon in the system tray.
Adding Gadgets to the Sidebar:
To add Gadgets to the Sidebar click the + at the top of the Sidebar and it will open the Gadgets panel.
Choose the one you want to use, click and drag to the Sidebar. To get more Gadgets click Get more gadgets online.
To remove a Gadget from the Sidebar, right click it and choose Delete.
Configuring each Gadget:
You can also configure each Gadget by either right clicking and choosing options to change the Opacity or when you hover your mouse over the right edge of the Gadget click the small wrench.
Each Gadget has its own options to change. You can also detach a Gadget from the Sidebar and move it anywhere on your screen you want, just click it and drag it where you want. Want it back in the Sidebar just drag it back.
I hope this helps in explaining how the Sidebar works.
RELATED POSTS:Use Vista’s Snipping Tool to Capture Screen Shots
Sorry For the huge pictures I’m trying some new blogging software called Windows Live Writer and I’m experimenting with picture sizes.
If you ever wanted to save a screen shot of something on your computer screen like a error message to send to someone for help or just a part of a window. Vista now includes a great little program called the Snipping Tool.
You can use Snipping Tool to capture a screen shot, or snip, of any object on your screen and then annotate, save, or share the image. Simply use a mouse or tablet pen to capture any of the following types of snips:
Free-form Snip. Draw an irregular line, such as a circle or a triangle, around an object.
Rectangular Snip. Draw a precise line by dragging the cursor around an object to form a rectangle.
Window Snip. Select a window, such as a browser window or dialog box, that you want to capture.
Full-screen Snip. Capture the entire screen when you select this type of snip
RELATED POSTS:
