On Windows 8 or 7 systems with maxed out screen resolution or multiple monitors, the mouse can get lost in the chaos. Here’s how to find it the easy way.
Tag Archives | groovyTips
Use a Keyboard Shortcut to Instantly Move Windows Between Monitors
A common tasks on a dual-monitor setup is moving windows from one screen to the other. This quick Windows keyboard shortcut makes it easy.
Switch between Speakers and Headphones in 1 Click
Isn’t it always the smallest things that create the biggest irritations? Things like a dripping faucet, a creaking stair step, or Windows forcing you to send your mouse through a maze of menus just to switch audio output between the speakers and the headphones! Aren’t Windows’ developers smart enough to come up with a toggle [...]
A Trick to Sort Files and Folders by Importance
Some important files are more important than others. Mark those with double exclamation points. Windows lets you sort files by name, extension, date of creation, size, and all manner of criteria. But nowhere does Windows have a built-in sort that puts the most important files and folders at the top of a directory. But you [...]
Skype: Remove the Icon From the Windows Taskbar
Clicking the X at the top-right corner of Skype doesn’t actually close it. Skype just sits idly on the Windows Taskbar. Which is the same as minimizing it – you don’t need two minimize buttons on one application. Here’s how to remove the Skype icon from the Windows Taskbar. Open Skype and navigate to the [...]
Skype: Enable Hotkeys
Using hotkeys in Skype lets you use it more easily from your keyboard. Here’s a quick tip on how to enable them. Launch Skype. From the Menu Bar select Tools >> Options. In the options window. click Advanced Settings. Then click Hotkeys. Now set up Hotkeys to execute the following functions. Answer a call Answer [...]
Windows XP System Tray: Disable the Language Bar
If you’re still running Windows XP, one annoyance is the Language Bar icon that appears in the System Tray. Here’s a quick tip on how to remove it. The Windows Xp Language Bar is for speech and handwriting recognition — and for Input Method Editor applications. If you don’t use any of those features, make [...]
5 groovy Tricks and Tips to make Google Voice more Useful
Everyone knows that Google Voice lets you have one number that will ring all of your phones, transcribe voicemails, and email your SMS to you. But what else can it do? There was certainly a lot of hype surrounding the service when it was known as Grand Central, and then later while in beta. Now [...]
What is the dwm.exe Process and Should it be Running?
What is dwm.exe and is it safe or a virus? Great question being that you’ve probably opened up your Task manger where you’ve seen the process called “dwm.exe” and now you’re wondering what it is. It’s obviously taking up system memory, and these short initials make it look suspicious. Here we’ll look at what dwm.exe [...]
How to Run Any File Type as an Administrator in Windows 7 and Vista
If you’ve ever tried to mess with files in the Windows or Program Files folders of Windows 7, you’ve probably noticed that Windows likes to throw up permissions errors. This is mostly because these areas are considered protected operating system directories, and editing them can cause problems. But, if you know what you are doing [...]
5 Groovy Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do with Notepad.exe
Notepad.exe is the barest of bones plain text editor you can get for Windows, and that’s why so many of us love it or hate it. Although I’ve long since moved on to the free feature packed Notepad++, many still use good ol’ Notepad as their primary text editor. Notepad has been bundled with Windows [...]
How To Use Your WiiMote as a Mouse in PowerPoint and Other Windows Applications
The Nintendo Wii Remote may feel revolutionary, but in reality, it’s little more than a Bluetooth device with an accelerometer and an optical sensor on the front. Okay, it’s not exactly primitive—it’s not like you could make one in shop class—but the technology that drives it isn’t proprietary either. That’s good news, because it means [...]
How To Disable The HP Wireless Assistant And Other Bloatware
After purchasing a preloaded HP laptop, chances are you will have several pieces of HP bloatware. Bloatware is junk software that was pre-installed by HP, stuff you’ll probably never need, want, or use. Speaking of which, if you are having problems connecting to your wireless internet, you should probably uninstall the HP wireless assistant. Is [...]
Microsoft Office Labs Speed Launch Review: Super Fast Shortcuts and Custom Searches
Desktop shortcuts are great. The Quick Launch bar is better. But for truly lightning fast shortcuts and functions, you’ll need to think outside of the “out-of-the-box” Windows 7 installation. Office Labs has been working on something they’re calling Speed Launch which lets you fire off applications, run web searches or pull up frequently used documents [...]