Windows Tools, Help & Guides

We received a couple of comments to this post asking whether it was possible to have a button to toggle the Navigation Pane in Windows 7’s Explorer.

After some digging around i’ve come up with a solution.

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We’ve taken a look at how we can use Internet Explorer’s new “Speed Dial” page as our Home page.  Today’s Quick Tip is going to show you how to display more than the default 2 rows of sites in the new tab page or “about:tabs”.

Note: Before modifying the Registry, check out our guide to working with the Windows Registry, which teaches you the basics and how to back up keys before making changes

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I’m starting a new series here, which involves daily usable tips for different programs. This time I’m going to show you how to create a usable Drop Down Menu in Excel. In this mini-tutorial I am using Excel 2010, but the steps are pretty much the same no matter which Office Version you use. The main difference is where you find the different tools, and where possible I will try to mention where things differ.

Creating a usable Pull-down Menu

If you use Excel on a day-to-day basis filling out forms and information, you might find yourself typing in the same information over and over. Either by typing it in or using copy and paste. When filling in forms you will normally use the same cells over and over (this is where we can use Pull-down Menus). Pull-down Menus can also control your Excel document in different ways like retrieve information or navigate between Sheets and Documents.

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Inspired by a comment from one of our readers (Frogman) about a tool from the “good old” DOS days. He told us that he used to convert his batch-files into EXE-files using DOS commands. The good news is that this tool still exists inside your windows. Since then it has been updated with a Windows GUI (windows graphical user interface)

Doing a search on the net, you can find literally hundreds of freeware apps to do this conversion, but in this article I will only use the forgotten Windows Tool which is hidden in the System32 folder:

iEXPRESS 2.0

iExpress is actually a program for creating installation packages. But as it creates standalone Executable files (EXE-files) we can use it to execute almost any runtime script we want.

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Windows Guides’ Rating	Compatible with	System
5 out of 5

jv16 PowerTools is the ultimate Windows optimization and tune-up utility suite. The bottom line is that it keeps your computer running smooth, fast and greatly improves its overall stability. If you’re still (gasp!) using our old RegCleaner program, or an older version of PowerTools, it’s time to wake up and pay attention! PROS: Fast. Lightweight, Easy to Use. CONS:Not Free VERDICT:Overall the most reliable “optimization and tune-up utility suite” I have ever encountered. No matter if you are an experienced user or not – JV16 PowerTools will become your best friend – ensuring your computer a long and healthy life. PRICE: From $29,95 VERSION REVIEWED: 2.0.0.986 DOWNLOAD: JV16 Power Tools 2010

jv16 PowerTools 2010 is here and it’s sweet!

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Microsoft Research have released an Internet Explorer Add-On that lets you play “Spot the difference” with websites.

Diff-IE is a prototype Internet Explorer Add-on that:

• Highlights the changes to a page since the last time you visited it
• Allows you to view – and compare – previously cached versions of a page

When changes are made obvious, especially the subtle and unexpected ones, you get a whole lot more out of the web pages you visit.

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