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volume 1 number 3 october 1996 TipSheet

Welcome to the third issue of MicroMetric's TipSheet. This monthly newsletter is targeted at addressing the needs of our customers.

We'll start this issue with a quote and continue with tips for Trash and the Windows 95 Task Bar.


"These things are like untamed beasts, and we use them because we have no choice."

Paul Saffo, a director of the institute for the Future, Business Week, August 19, 1996, MicroMetric

Tip 20   Recycle bin size Category:   Desktop

Do you always forget to empty the trash? Windows 95 keeps track of the percentage of your hard drive your trash is eating up. When it reaches a certain percentage (the default is 10%), the Recycle Bin will empty itself. (Hey, can someone hook that up for our kitchen trash?) So if you're low on disk space, and have a hard time remembering to empty the trash, you may want to adjust this percentage to a smaller number, so that Windows 95 empties the bin sooner. Click the Recycle Bin with the right mouse button, choose Properties, move that lever to the percentage you want, and click OK. Warning: If you set the maximum to a really small number (such as 1% on a small hard drive), and you often retrieve items from the Recycle Bin, better keep a close eye on it. You don't get any warning that the trash is about to be zapped. When it reaches maximum capacity, it just disappears.

Tip 21   Task Bar definitions Category:   Desktop

The Task Bar is an ever-present strip that tucks itself along the edge of the screen. It's Windows 95's Navigation Central. Click it to switch among open windows. The Start Button, speaker volume control, and clock share the same real estate as well.

Tip 22   Minimize all windows Category:   Desktop

You can make all your open windows disappear when you need access to something on your desktop: Just right-click a blank area of the Task Bar & select "Minimize All Windows". To make them reappear, select "Undo".

Tip 23   Minimize all windows with the keyboard Category:   Desktop

A "mouseless" method to Minimize all windows is press <CTRL><ESC>, then <ALT>M.

Tip 24   Minimize all but one window Category:   Desktop

To minimize all but one window, open a Dialog Box within that application, such as File | Open, then right-click on a blank area of the Task Bar, select "Minimize All". This minimizes all but the one with the open dialog box.

Tip 25   Drag and drop a file on a TaskBar button Category:   Desktop

In Windows 3.x you could drop a file to a minimized application but you can't do that with Windows 95. You CAN drag a file to the application's Task Bar button AND HOLD IT THERE until the application is restored and then drop it onto the window.

Tip 26   Accessing a hidden Task Bar Category:   Desktop

Is your Task Bar buried under all the windows you have open on screen (assuming you don't have the Always on top option set)? Force it to the top of the pile by pressing Ctrl+Esc on your keyboard. This exposes your Task Bar as well as the Start menu. If the Task Bar's all you need, just hit Esc to close the Start menu. (Tip: Ctrl+Esc displays the Task Bar even if the Auto hide option's been set, but if you've dragged the Task Bar off the screen manually, Ctrl+Esc will only display the Start menu.)

Tip 27   Moving the Task Bar Category:   Desktop

Want to move the Task Bar from the Bottom of the screen? Left click and drag on an empty spot of the Task Bar and move it to the top or to either side of the screen, then let up on the button. The Task Bar now has a new home. To expand or contract its home, position the cursor over the Task Bar edge closest to the center of the screen until you get a double-pointed arrow. Then Left click and drag to the desired size.


Copyright 1996, MicroMetric, Inc., All Rights Reserved. Permission to copy in total, with this statement and copyright, is hereby granted.

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