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Well-Accessorized Windows

Windows comes with several handy tricks and utilities to help you keep your computer in shape and to perform certain routine tasks. Here are undocumented power tricks for Windows' Disk Cleanup and System Tools, plus a way to customize your shortcut info tips.

Quick Cleanup for a Single Disk

Windows 98, 2000, and Me Windows' Disk Cleanup utility can delete unneeded files on a disk (select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scheduled Tasks, launch Disk Cleanup, and then choose the right drive). But it's faster to Alt-double-click a drive icon in My Computer or Explorer (use the right pane, not the folder tree), or right-click the drive icon and choose Properties. Then click the Disk Cleanup button on the General tab.

Check Your Housekeeping Habits

All Versions Windows comes with a number of system tools for maintaining your computer. Windows 98 and later versions let you use the Maintenance Wizard to automate these tasks. Select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Maintenance Wizard to deselect apps that start automatically when you start Windows and to set the schedule for Disk Defragmenter, ScanDisk, and Disk Cleanup.

You can also schedule any installed program to run (Backup, for example): Select Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Scheduled Tasks to open the Scheduled Tasks folder, launch the Add Scheduled Task icon, and follow the instructions in the Scheduled Task Wizard. Note that the Scheduled Tasks folder shows when tasks are scheduled and when they last ran, and that you can run any of them on the fly by right-clicking the task and selecting Run.

Windows also keeps track of when you scan your disk for errors, make a backup, and defragment your hard disk in another place: Double-click My Computer, right-click a hard disk, and choose Properties to access this information. Click the Tools tab to see how long it's been since you used ScanDisk, Backup (if installed), or Disk Defragmenter (see Figure 11). If it has been a while since you've used these tools, just click one of the buttons to do the chore on the spot. This is also a handy way to start these accessories without digging through the Start menu. Note: Windows 2000 doesn't track when you last used these utilities, but you can still launch them from this dialog box.

Create Your Own Shortcut Info Tips

Windows 2000 and Me Icon info tips are helpful, but you don't need to settle for the info tips that Windows gives you. If you have Windows 2000 or Me, you can make the info tip for a shortcut say anything you want. To do this, right-click the icon and choose Properties. Select the Shortcut tab and type any descriptive text that you wish in the Comment box. The text in the box scrolls, allowing you to add as much as a small paragraph of information. When you have finished adding your text, click OK.