Illustration: James YangGot a minute? Probably not, because you're busy closing windows and programs whose buttons clutter up your taskbar, or because you're repeatedly typing your XP log-in password. Take heart: I have fixes for these PC hassles.
Tame Taskbar Turmoil
The Hassle: After a few hours of computing, dozens--well, half-dozens--of application and document buttons occupy my taskbar. Closing them individually is a pain. Do you have a quicker way?
The Fix: Try playing with XP's universal multiple-task Control key, a handy but well-hidden shortcut. Click the taskbar button of an app you want to close; then hold down the <Ctrl> key and click the taskbar button of each other program you want to close. Release the <Ctrl> key, right-click any of the selected taskbar buttons, choose Close Group, and say adios. Next, experiment with taskbar groups, a setting you may have forgotten. It's super for stacking, say, multiple Word docs or IE sessions within one taskbar button. Right-click a button-free spot on the taskbar and choose Properties. On the Taskbar tab under 'Taskbar appearance', check Group similar taskbar buttons and click OK.
IE Save Problems
The Hassle: I used to be able to save images from Web pages as .jpg files using Internet Explorer. But now I find that I can save files only in .bmp format. What's going on?
The Fix: IE has a long-standing bug. To see if you have it, go here, right-click any portion of the image, select Save Picture As, click the arrow at the right end of the 'Save as type' drop-down list box, and note the file choices. If you're limited to .bmp files, IE's cache may be full or it may contain a corrupted file. Click Cancel to close the Save Picture dialog box. Then delete the browser's temporary cache by selecting Tools, Internet Options, Delete Files, OK. Better yet, use ButtUglySoftware's CleanCache 3, a freebie that lets you delete other IE files, too. Either way, exit IE, log out of Windows, log back in, and run IE again.
No go? Here are two workarounds:
Workaround 1: Select Tools, Internet Options, Settings, View Objects, and look for programs listed as 'Unknown' or 'Damaged' in the Status column. If you find one, right-click it, choose Remove, and click Yes to confirm. Repeat the process for any others. Still busted? Delete all of the downloaded program files.
Workaround 2: Select Tools, Internet Options, Advanced, scroll to the Security section, click Do not save encrypted pages to disk to clear its check box, and click OK. In IE, select View, Refresh or press <F5>.
Bypass XP's Pesky Log-In
The Hassle: Windows insists on a new password every month. How can I shut this off?
The Fix: In a work setting, I would just put up with it. But in my home office, I got tired of the reminder. Here's how to defeat it. Open Control Panel, select Performance and Maintenance in Category view, and choose Administrative Tools, Local Security Policy. In the left pane, double-click Account Policies and click Password Policy; in the right pane, double-click Maximum Password Age. Change the number to zero, click OK, and then close the Local Security Settings window.
Tool of The Month: Conquer Taskbar Clutter
A messy taskbar is one of my A-list kvetches. Every chance I get, I move taskbar buttons to the system tray. In Outlook 2002 and later, for instance, right-click Outlook's icon in the system tray and select Hide When Minimized. For apps that lack this feature, play around with Iconize, a nifty, free tool written by Brooks Younce). Right-click Iconize's system tray icon and choose from a list of open applications to minimize to the system tray. You'll recognize the app because Iconize uses the same icon that appeared in the taskbar.
Contributing Editor Steve Bass is the author of PC Annoyances, published by O'Reilly. Contact him at hasslefreepc@pcworld.com.
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