Computer Tips & Tricks
How To Remove Page Info From Printed Pages
By default browsers will add the date, page number and URL to any page printed from the Internet. For most (if not all) of the printables on this site, you probably don’t want text at the top and bottom of the page. Luckily it’s pretty easy to fix, just pick your browser and follow the instructions below.
Internet Explorer 7 Printing Tips
By default there’s a small image of a printer, click that and go to “Page Setup…”. Below is a screenshot showing the button you’re looking for.
Go to “File”, “Page Setup…”, then erase the text in the “Headers and Footers text boxes.
(The default for header is &w&bPage &p of &P and for footer &u&b&d if you need to put it back later. IE’s default margins are 0.75 inches.)
Click the “OK” button and you’re done.
Firefox Printing Tips
From the menu in the top left corner of your browser, choose “File”, then “Page setup..”. Go to the second tab called “Margins & Header / Footer”, in the drop down lists choose “Blank” for all the items you don’t want printed. The screenshot below gives a better view of what I mean.
If you want, you can also adjust the print margins here as well, Firefox’s default margins are set at 0.5 inches. Once you have your setting chosen, click “OK”, and you’re done!
If you’d like a faster way to get to the print preview feature from within Firefox, the Print / Print Preview extensions is very handy. It adds a submenu to your context menu (the menu that pops up when you right click on a webpage) with “Print”, “Print Preview” and “Page Setup”. Much faster if you change margins, headers etc. often.
How to Improve Your Computer’s Performance
Tips for Speeding Up Your PC
Few things are as frustrating as dealing with a slow, sluggish computer. When a computer is brand new, it works wonderfully well. Over time, though, its performance can slowly begin to worsen. This happens for a number of reasons, but the biggest culprits are things like spyware, adware and other computer threats that are unwittingly downloaded along with other content while online. You don’t have to download thousands of MP3s, movies or other items to experience these problems, either – nobody is immune to them. Instead of accepting the situation, there are plenty of techniques and strategies that you can use to make it better – a few of the best ones are outlined below.
Strategy #1: Remove Unneeded Files
Every time you log on to the Internet or otherwise use your computer, temporary files are generated. They are usually only needed once; however, they don’t disappear on their own. Instead, they accumulate over time until they are cluttering up your computer’s file system and affecting its performance. While it’s possible to remove these files one-by-one, it’s much easier and quicker to use a PC cleaning tool that’s designed for the purpose. Try to do so about one time per week to keep your computer humming along with ease.
Strategy #2: Remove Unneeded Programs
Like many people, you probably download and try out many different programs each month. How many of them do you actually end up using on a regular basis? Chances are, not very many of them. By getting into the habit of uninstalling unused and unneeded programs, you can keep your computer’s file system a lot less cluttered. In turn, your PC’s performance will improve dramatically. You can optimize your computer in this way by using its Add/Remove Programs feature. Its location varies by operating system, but you should be able to find it somewhere in the Control Panel.
Strategy #3: Empty the Recycle Bin
When you click “delete” on a file or a program, it doesn’t go away for good – not immediately, anyway. Instead, it sits in a kind of purgatory in your computer’s Recycle Bin. As things pile up in the Recycle Bin, your computer can start exhibiting some very annoying problems. If sluggish startups and frequent crashes are occurring with increasing frequency – and your computer’s recycle bin is very full – go ahead and empty it. From then on, get into the habit of doing so about one time per week. This small but important strategy can make a huge difference.
Strategy #4: Perform a Disk Defragmentation
Windows isn’t very efficient when it comes to storing files. It actually splits them up, depositing them into whatever spaces are available. The more spaced apart the pieces of a file are, the harder your computer has to work to make them run. The Windows disk defragmentation system tune-up utility works to piece all of those files back together again. The process is a long one, though, and only needs to be done about four times per year. Set it up to run automatically once every three months. By doing so, you’ll be able to keep your computer running in tiptop shape.
When it comes to keeping your computer running optimally, small but regular maintenance is the best way to go. Protecting your PC only does so much; even the most careful Internet users in the world unintentionally download malicious software from time to time. By using basic system tune-up tools, cleaning your computer’s Windows registry regularly, performing regular file-cleaning maintenance and otherwise optimizing your PC, you should be able to keep it in like-new condition for a lot longer. Even if your computer has been performing slowly for some time, beginning this regimen is sure to produce results. In the end, you’ll be able to enjoy a computer that flies along – instead of one that spins its wheels.
Outlook Express on Windows 7
I'm not sure what Microsoft is up to. Their latest Windows 7 operating system comes without a native email client.
Most XP users who switched to Vista, found Outlook Express missing but were soon content with Windows Mail, the default email program on that operating system. Users also had an option in Windows Live Mail which could be downloaded and installed for free on both Vista and XP computer. Some have suggested Windows Live Mail for Windows 7 and I would agree with them because I have been using this program on my Vista computer for many months without any problem.
For those who were looking for Outlook Express on Windows 7, sorry, the program is long dead. It's been (sort of) replaced by Windows Mail in Vista and then later by Windows Live Mail. FYI, Outlook Express development and supported has been stopped by Microsoft.
So if you are looking for an Outlook Express alternative, I recommend Windows Live Mail (free) or Outlook (costing about 100 dollars). Mozilla's Thunderbird is an excellent Outlook Express substitute if you want to break out of Microsoft's shackles. IncrediMail and Yahoo's free email program, Zimbra desktop, will also work on Windows 7 operating system.
Many popular email programs
To download email and store the messages on your computer, you can choose from many popular email programs - they may look different but have the same basic functionality. Most of the Outlook Express advantages are also available in other email programs - please refer the how to download email software for your computer. FYI, Windows Live Mail is much more than an email and news client because it can also work as a blogging tool and an RSS reader.
To conclude, there is no Outlook Express program for Windows 7... in fact, one couldn't even install it on Vista. If your Windows 7 computer doesn’t come with an email client (highly unlikely), I suggest you install Windows Live Mail which can be download for free from the Microsoft web site.