05 January 2013

7 Windows Frustrations You Can Quickly Fix



Windows might be popular, but it isn’t perfect. There are a number of frustrating things that can occur while using a Windows desktop – from windows disappearing off your screen to annoying pop-ups and notification messages. We’ll show you how to quickly fix these common Windows frustrations and get back to work (or play).


This article doesn’t cover the frustrations you might experience while using Windows 8. If you’re craving a Start menu or a way to boot directly to the desktop, be sure to check our our list of Start menu alternatives for Windows 8. To learn more about Windows 8, download our free guide to getting started with Windows 8.


Wandering Taskbar


If your taskbar has become untethered and is moving around your screen, from edge to edge, you can quickly fix this problem. Click the taskbar, hold the mouse button down, and drag it to the bottom of your screen. Right-click it and select Lock the taskbar – this will prevent the taskbar from moving around on your screen.


lock-the-taskbar


Of course, if you want to move the taskbar to another edge of your screen, you can right-click it, unlock it, and drag it to another edge. Be sure to lock it when you’re done.


You can also change the taskbar’s location from the taskbar’s properties dialog. Right-click the taskbar, select Properties, and use the Taskbar location on-screen option.


Extra-Large Taskbar


If your taskbar is too tall, you’ve probably accidentally resized it. To shrink it, first make sure it’s unlocked (right-click it and ensure Lock the taskbar is unchecked).


Move your mouse cursor to the top of the taskbar. You’ll see an arrow cursor appear. Click and drag to make the taskbar shorter. Be sure to lock the taskbar when you’re done.


huge-windows-taskbar


Hidden Taskbar


If your taskbar is hidden and only appears when you move your cursor to it, you can prevent it from hiding itself. Right-click the taskbar, select Properties, and uncheck the Auto-hide the taskbar checkbox.


disable-taskbar-auto-hide


If you want the taskbar to automatically hide itself so it won’t distract you, you can instead enable the Auto-hide the taskbar option from here.


Rescue a Lost Window


Application windows sometimes manage to escape from the screen. You may see part of a window but be unable to grab its title bar and drag it back onto the screen, or you may not see any part of the window at all.


To rescue a lost window, bringing it back onto the visible area of your screen, hold the Shift key, right-click its icon on your taskbar, and click the Move option. Press the arrow keys on your keyboard to move the window around, moving it back towards the visible area of your screen.


move window from taskbar


Disable Popup Tips


Many windows programs use “balloon” style tips that pop up from your notification area (also known as your system tray). If you never want to see any of these balloon tips, you can disable them completely. This won’t affect programs that implement their own tips, only the ones that use the balloon-style tips included with Windows.


If you don’t want to see any tips, you’ll need to disable them in the registry. Press the Windows key, type regedit, and press Enter. Browse to the following key in the registry editor:



HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

Right-click in the right pane, point to New, and select DWORD Value.


registry-editor-new-dword


Name the DWORD value EnableBalloonTips. Double-click it and enter a value of 0.


enableballoontips-registry-setting


Log out of Windows or restart your computer. Your changes will take effect when you log back in.


Disable Action Center Notifications


The Action Center included with Windows provides a variety of messages, including ones about available Windows updates, your firewall, and whether you have antivirus software installed. There are also messages that prompt you to run regular backups and troubleshoot problems with Windows or your applications when crashes or freezes occur.


If you never want to see these messages, you can disable all Action Center notifications completely. First, open the Action Center by clicking the flag-shaped icon in your system tray and selecting Open Action Center. Click the Change Action Center settings option in the sidebar and uncheck all the types of notifications you don’t want to receive.


action-center-notification-options


If you’re still encountering other annoying desktop notifications, read 5 Distracting Desktop Notifications & How To Turn Them Off.


Restore Hidden Notification Area Icons


The Windows notification area was once a simple place for long-running applications and system icons. However, it’s been abused by so many programs that there are now multiple ways to hide and show the icons that appear here. If an icon is hidden, you’ll generally find it hidden behind the little arrow icon.


However, system icons can be hidden in two ways. A system icon – such as the volume, power, or Wi-Fi icons – can be hidden behind the arrow or disabled entirely. To control which icons are displayed in your system tray, right-click the taskbar, select Properties, and click the Customize button under Notification area.


Use the options here to control which icons are displayed. You can enable or disable system icons by clicking the Turn system icons on or off link. We’ve covered managing and tidying your system tray icons in the past – check out that article for more details and tricks.


 windows system tray


Have you run into any other common frustrations while using Windows? Leave a comment and share any solutions you’ve found!


Image Credit: Frustrated Man and Computer via Shutterstock


The post 7 Windows Frustrations You Can Quickly Fix appeared first on MakeUseOf.



A More Effective Way of Posting Links on Facebook Pages



Facebook Share Statistics


Your Facebook Page has thousands of fans but when you share a link on that page, however interesting that link may be, it gets little or no attention. Why?


Well, your fans aren’t checking your Facebook Page and for them to see your link, it has to appear in their respective news feeds. The big challenge is how do you make that happen?


Facebook obviously has algorithms in place that decide what content should be highlighted in a user’s news feed but here’s a quick tip that may increase the likelihood of your content appearing in your fans’ news feeds.


The idea is that you should avoid posting links as links. Instead, upload a large-sized photo and put the original link in the description of the picture. You may see some examples on the Digital Inspiration Page.


Facebook Pages with Photos


Earlier, around 10K Facebook users would notice links posted on the labnol.org Facebook Page. Ever since I switched the posting style from link-only to picture+link, the average viewership of posts has jumped north as is evident in the above screenshot.


It maybe a good idea to put the link at the beginning of a photo’s description as Facebook will only display the first 3 lines of the description in the news feed. Also, consider using short URLs as you then get more space for the putting text in those 3 lines.


The other advantage is that your Facebook Fans can switch your page’s Photo Stream and get a visual archive of all your recent posts.


And this approach works on Google Plus as well (see example).


Related tutorial: How to Create Custom Facebook Pages


Tweet this Share on Facebook




Digital Inspiration @labnol This story, A More Effective Way of Posting Links on Facebook Pages, was originally published at Digital Inspiration on 04/01/2013 under Facebook, Internet.



Get the Most Out of your Kindle Reader with Free Tools