2 PC Annoyances and How To Solve Them!

I have a love-hate relationship with my computer.

In fact, often I love to hate my computer!

It will do things I know even the great Mr. Gates didn'tintend, and it usually does them at the least convenienttime (like when I'm on a deadline or in a hurry).

Rather than the usual whining and doing nothing about it,I've decided to share a couple of things that previouslyannoyed the heck out of me and the solutions I found tohelp you avoid these same problems.

*Disappearing Internet Explorer Status Bar*

The status bar at the bottom of the Internet Explorer webbrowser serves many purposes.

It allows you to hold your mouse over a link to see wherethe link will take you.

It enables you to see a page's loading progress as you waitfor it to download.

Most importantly, the status bar allows you to see thelittle gold "lock" symbol that lets you know you've made aconnection to a secure server (very important to knowbefore you input credit card data).

For some inexplicable reason, from time to time, thisstatus bar disappears from my browser.

Also, the toolbars at the top tend to move periodically andmess up my "system" for surfing the Internet.

Now, it's not the end of the world, but it really ticks meoff when things change and I didn't change them! If thisever happens to you, here's how to literally "lock" thetoolbars and status bar in place so they don't disappear ormove again.

First, close all your Internet Explorer web browser windowsexcept for one. If the status bar doesn't already appear inthe window, go to "View" and then click "status bar."

Also, make sure you have all the toolbars arranged the wayyou want them.

Next, place your mouse over a blank spot on one of the toolbars at the top of the Internet Explorer browser window.

Right-mouse-click and a menu will appear where you shouldcheck the option "Lock the Toolbars."

Then, while holding down the key, click the "X" inthe upper right corner of the window to close it. This willset your selection.

If you ever need to change your toolbars in the future,simply right-mouse-click on the toolbar and uncheck the"Lock the Toolbars" option, make the changes, and then re-lock the toolbars to keep them from moving or disappearing.

*Missing File Extensions*

One of the biggest pains in the neck involves openingWindows Explorer, viewing a list of files, and not beingable to see the file extension (.doc, .txt, .html, etc.)for each file.

For some reason, Windows considers this classifiedinformation!

To make the file extensions show up, click "Start" then"Control Panel." Double-click "Folder Options" then clickthe "View" tab. Scroll down the list and uncheck the boxthat says "Hide extensions for known file types."

You will now see the file extensions any time you open upWindows Explorer.

(c) Jim Edwards - All Rights reserved
http://www.thenetreporter.com

Jim Edwards, a.k.a. TheNetReporter.com, is a syndicated newspaper columnist, nationally recognized speaker, author,and web developer. Owner of nine (9) successful e-businesses as well as a professional consulting firm, Jim's writing comes straight off the front lines of the Internet and e-commerce.

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