COOL COMPUTER TIPS EVERY NEWBIE SHOULD KNOW.

Many hardcore computer users might think themselves above learning new tricks,
but there's always new things to learn that will help improve your skills. Our bet:
you will find at least one useful thing here that you didn't know before.
Inspired and with the help of this AskReddit discussion, we’ve compiled some of
the most handy computer tricks you might not be taking advantage of. Our
ultimate goal is to help you become more productive by shaving valuable seconds
off your workflow. Of course, you can always pass along these tips to your
not-so-savvy friends and family members to help them become better PC users
as well.
General Tricks
Windows hidden "god mode" folder Windows offers a centralized Control Panel for
all of the OS settings, which makes it easy for users to tweak everything from
desktop background to setting up a VPN. To enter this mode, create a new
folder with this exact name (copy and paste it): God Mode.
{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C} . The folder icon will change to
a Control Panel-style icon, and you will be able to jump in and change all kinds
of settings. Note: Don't try this on Windows Vista 64-bit as it's known to
cause a reboot loop.
Use Problem Steps Recorder This handy tool automatically records any mouse
clicks and takes screenshots for you. If you need tech assistance with your
computer, go to Run by typing Windows + R, and then type "psr." Use the tool
and by the time you are finished, you can send this information, neatly compiled
automatically, to the person helping you with the issue. It will make the process
of finding the problem much easier for them, which means you will be able to get
your system up and running faster.
Find/Delete large files wasting space A handy tool called WinDirStat (Windows
Directory Statistics) can be used to easily find which files and folders are taking
up the most space on your drive. From there, you can delete them and open up
a ton of storage space.
Reduce the number of programs running at startup If your PC is taking too long
to boot, it’s probably because you have far too many programs running at
startup. Reducing this is easy, it will make your PC launch noticeably faster and
lighter upon first load. To change the items running at startup, go to Run using
the hotkey Windows key + R, and type "msconfig." A small window will appear
(see the screenshot below), select the Startup tab. From here you will be able to
turn off many startup programs, which can shave several seconds (or minutes)
off your boot time. (Note Windows 8 has moved this functionality to the Task
Manager). Try to make sure you research what you are turning off as some
processes might be needed by third party programs or drivers you have installed.
Cloud backup important files If you’re working on a critical paper for school,
work, or any other major project, make sure you are backing up the file not just
locally. You can use services like Dropbox, Google Drive, or any of the other popular cloud storage solution which will do the legwork for you on the
background. Of course, you can also throw the files on a thumb drive or external
HDD just to be safe but backing up to the cloud can be done seamlessly which
is twice the advantage.
Typing Tricks
Delete an entire word Instead of deleting a single letter, pressing CTRL + BKSP
will delete the entire word behind the cursor. This makes deleting text quicker if
you screw up a whole word.
Move Cursor to beginning of the next or previous word Moving the cursor around
manually while typing is a great way to make your work take longer than it
needs to. To speed of the process, move the cursor around with keyboard
shortcuts. To move it to the beginning of the previous word, use CTRL + Left
Arrow. To move it to the beginning of the next word, use CTRL + Right Arrow.
In OS X you can accomplish the same using the Option key.
Making sub and superscript text If you need to make sub or superscript text
(think exponents for superscript), press CTRL + = for subscript and CTRL +
SHIFT + = for superscript.
Paste plain text of what was copied When you copy text from any source,
programs will usually copy any formatting that comes with it. To paste this as
plain text, press CTRL + Shift + V instead of the standard CTRL + V, and the
system will paste unformatted text.
Note that many programs follow this parameter (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) but not
all, particularly Microsoft programs like Word or Outlook. For those there's a few
alternatives that go beyond copying and pasting in Notepad: 1) CTRL + ALT + V
will show a 'paste special' dialog box. 2) CTRL + Spacebar will remove
formatting in already pasted text. 3) Download Puretext and choose a hotkey to
always paste plain text with it.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Copy only active window to clipboard Normally, the Print Screen key copies the
entire display (or two displays if you got them), ALT + Print Screen only copies
the currently active window to the clipboard. Whether taking a screenshot to
diagnose a problem, or just because you want to show something to a friend,
this will come in handy.
Fix those little mistakes Did you know you can undo almost any action? CTRL +
Z is the ultimate hot key, and for sure you knew about it already, however note
that undo doesn’t just apply to typing. If you accidentally delete or move a file,
you can hit CTRL + Z to bring it right back to where it was. In Chrome and
Firefox you can also undo closing a tab using CTRL + SHIFT + T.
Cycle through open windows Pressing ALT+TAB allows you to cycle through
currently open windows. This makes switching back and forth between running
processes quick and painless. If you want a more stylish method of cycling
through open programs, Windows + TAB will do the job for you.
Interrupt all processes CTRL + ALT + Delete is one of the most common PC
shortcuts, and one almost everyone is familiar with. The important thing to note
is that it interrupts all processes, including the one that is bogging down your
system, which can mean the difference between needing to restart or not.
Close the current program Typing ALT + F4 will close the program that is
running. This is useful as it saves you time mousing over the "X" and clicking.
People will often use this as a joke, telling you to press ALT + F4 to fix a
problem. Don’t fall for it unless you want to close what you are doing.
Minimize all windows Sometimes you have a bunch of stuff running, and you want it all to go away so you can get to the desktop. Simply pressing Windows
+ D will minimize everything you have up, which will save you some time
pressing the minimize button for each window. It should be noted that Windows +
M offers similar functionality, but there is no undoing, so Windows + D is the
more favorable approach.
Open the task manager directly If you want to bypass the interrupt that happens
when pressing CTRL + ALT + DEL and jump right to the task manager, typing
CTRL + Shift + ESC launches it directly.
Close the current window/tab Stick of moving all the way to that X button?
Press CTRL + W and the current window will close. (Don’t do it now, or you
will miss the rest of the tricks!)
Bring up the system information window This is so much quicker than digging
this out the traditional way... Just press Windows + Pause/Break and the
System Information panel will be ready to go. This might be the only use for the
Pause/Break key you will ever find, so enjoy it!
Better multiple monitor control There are several useful keyboard shortcuts for
controlling open windows on multiple monitors. Pressing the Windows Key +
Arrow Keys will cause a window to quickly snap to each side of either monitor.
Alternatively, hitting Shift + Windows Key + Arrows will cause the window to
jump to the other monitor. Lastly, pressing Windows + P will allow you to
quickly set up a second display or projector. Web Browsing Tricks
Automatically add www. and .com to a URL You can shave off a couple of
seconds typing in a URL by simply click CTRL + Enter after you type the name
of the site. Need .net instead of .com, press CTRL + Shift + Enter instead.
Jump to address bar There are a number of ways to jump right to the address
bar from anywhere in browser. Pressing CTRL + L, F6, and ALT + D all
accomplish this goal.
Bring back a closed tab We covered this already, but it's super useful.
Accidentally closed a tab? Simply press CTRL + Shift + T to reopen the most
recently closed tab and get back to what you were doing.
Use private browsing The uses for not having cookies and history saved are
obvious for certain activities, you know, like shopping for gifts on a shared
computer (of course!). Pressing CTRL + Shift + N will launch a new private in
Chrome, CTRL + Shift + P will do it in Firefox and Internet Explorer.
Cycle through open tabs Pressing CTRL + TAB while in a browser will flip
between each one. This can be much faster than moving the mouse and clicking on
a tab. CTRL + NUM (1, 2, 3, 4, n..) will also take you to certain tab in
that numeric order.
 

File Management Tricks
Rename a file quickly Right-clicking and selecting rename is not very efficient.
Instead, simply press F2 while a file is selected to change its name. To alter the
name of another file, type TAB without deselecting the current file.
Rename files sequentially in Windows You actually don’t need to download any
programs to perform a batch file rename in Windows. Instead, you can select all
the files you want to change, right-click the first one in the list, select rename
(or use F2), and type in the name. This will automatically change all the other
files with the same root name with a suffix: (1), (2), and so on.
Select multiple files using the keyboard To select a bunch of files using your
keyboard, you can press Shift + down arrow to select a single file or Shift +
Page Down to select a large group of files at one time.
Security Tips
Run programs on an infected PC Often times, malware will prevent a computer
from running certain programs. Changing the name of the .exe file can often
override this. If that doesn’t work, changing the extension to .com is another
useful alternative, and the program will still be able to run in spite of the
extension change.
 

Read installers Even major programs can install toolbars and other unwanted
pieces of software during installation. Take a few seconds to read each step to
make sure you are not agreeing to install something other than the program you
were actually seeking. Far too often people just push next over and over, and end
up with a browser covered in various search bars that just aren't needed. In the
worst of scenarios, these can have nefarious intentions.
 

Lock your computer if you get up Sick of your "friends" going onto your
computer at work or home and posting things on your Facebook/Twitter page on
your behalf? It’s certainly an annoyance, but an easy one to prevent. Windows +
L will lock your system right away, requiring a password (if you've set one) to
log in again.
Program-Specific Tricks
 

Photoshop: Drag the marquee without losing the ability to size it The marquee tool
is, at its most basic level, designed for selecting a part of an image. It’s used
constantly in Photoshop, and there is a handy trick many users miss. While
dragging it around, you can press space, which will allow you to size it while
moving it. This saves time by letting your perform two key functions at the same
time.
 

Steam: Move games to another drive or partition By default, Steam installs all
games to the same HDD or partition, but what happens if that fills up? The
solution: download Steamtool Library Manager. It makes it easy to move games to
another hard drive without messing with the functionality of Steam.
 

VLC: Fix unsynced audio and subtitles In the popular media player VLC, if your
audio loses sync with the video or subtitles, there is an easy way to fix this.
Simply pressing J or K will move the audio forward or backwards. Similarly, to
sync the subtitles you can press H or G.