Add a Gadget to the desktop

Gadgets sit on your Desktop and offer information about the weather, time and date as well as access to your contacts, productively tools and CPU usage. You can evan have a slideshow of your favourite pictures. You can customise your desktop by adding gadgets and customising them to your needs.1.  In the Start Search window, type Gadgets.2.  Under Control Panel, click Desktop Gadgets.3.  Drag any gadget to the desktop. You can drag as many     as you like. Drag the Clock to the Desktop. (I'll tell you     how to set it, in next post).4.  Click the X in the top right corner of the Desktop       Gadget Gallery...

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Set the time on the clock gadget

Almost all gadgets offer a wrench icon when position your mouse over them. You can use this icon to access settings for the gadget. The first thing you may want to set is the time on the clock gadget.    1.  Position the mouse pointer over the clock you dragged to the desktop. Look for the small x and the         wrench to appear. Clicking the x will remove the gadget from the desktop. Clicking the wrench will         open the gadget's properties, if properties are available.    2.  Click the arrow in the Time zone window and select your time zone from the list.    3.  Click the right arrow underneath the clock...

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Change the view in the Pictures window

When you open most folders, you will see additional folders inside them. You'll use these subfolders to organise the data you create and save, such as documents, pictures and songs. You open a folder to see what's in it and then you can change the appearance of the content inside these folders. You can configure each folder independently so that the data appears in a list, as small icons or as large icons, to name a few.1.  Click Start.2.  Click Pictures.3.  Locate the Views button.4.  Click the arrow next to Views and make a selection     using the slider. Extra Tip :  Show items in the Pictures folder as Large or Extra Large icons and you'll be able...

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Take a screen shot

The Snipping Tool lets you dag your mouse cursor around any area on the screen to copy and capture it. Once captured, you can save it, edit it and/or send it to an email recipient. There are several ways to edit the ' clip ' or ' snip ' (either one will do for a name for the copied data). You can start by copying it or writing on it using a variety of tools. (These tools will become available after creating a snip). You can write on a clip with a red, blue, black or customised pen or highlighter, and if you mess up, you can use the eraser. 1.  Click Start.2.  In the Start Search dialogue box, type Snip.3.  Under programs, select Snipping Tool.4.  Drag your mouse across any part of the screen.     When...

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Record a sound clip

If you need to record a quick note to yourself, a music clip, a sound or other audible, it's easy with Sound Recorder. Sound Recorder is a simple tool with only three options : Start Recording, Stop Recording and Resume Recording. To Record, Click Start Recording ; to Stop, Click Stop Recording ; to Continue, Click Resume Recording. You save your recording as a Windows Media Audio file, which will play by default in Windows Media Player.     1.  Click Start.     2.  In the Start Search dialogue box, click Sound Recorder.     3.  Under Programs, click Sound Recorder.     4.  Click Start Recording and speak into your microphone.  ...

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Use Disk Cleanup

Disk Cleanup is a safe and effective way to reduce unnecessary data on your PC. With unnecessary data deleted, your PC will run faster and have more available disk space for saving files and installing programs. With Disk Cleanup you can remove temporary files, empty the Recycle Bin, remove set-up log files and downloaded program files, all in a single process.    1.  Click Start.    2.  In the Start Search dialogue box, type Disk Cleanup.    3.  In the results, under Programs, click Disk Cleanup.       4.  If prompted to choose a drive or partition, choose the         letter of the drive that contains the operating system,     ...

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Use Disk Defragmenter

A hard drive stores the files and data on your computer. When you want to access a file, the hard drive spins and data is accessed from the drive. When the data required for the file you need is all in one place, the data is accessed more quickly than if that data is scattered across the hard drive in different areas. When data is scattered, it's fragmented.    1.  Click Start.    2.  In the Start Search dialogue box, type Defrag.    3.  Under Programs, select Disk Defragmenter.     4.  Verify that Disk Defragmenter is configured to run on a schedule. If not, place a tick in the appropriate          box.    5.  To manually run Disk...

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