Tweak your Windows without fear
Many a user is of the mistaken view that once you’ve got a Windows operating system set up and running, that’s it, and only Microsoft programmers can tweak it. What comes under the seal, stays under the seal, so to speak.
Right?
Wrong.
If you want to personalize your settings as much as possible and take complete control over your computer, there are tools available to do just that. For the beginning control freak, there’s the classic PowerToys and Tweak UI.
Once you’ve mastered this wonderful application, you might as well take yourself a step higher, all the way to TweakAll. Instead of trying to play with the registry and risking a fatal typo, you can control hundreds of settings just like that.
The best part? Both applications are free, the only thing you spend is time while you download them.
Speed up your mouse
It does happen from time to time that your mouse pointer slows down and wears your patience thin. No problem, there are a few easy steps to fix it.
- Click Start, go to Control Panel. Make sure to be in the Classic view mode. If it means switching from the Category mode, do so. In fact, the Classic view mode is always better.
- Open the Mouse applet.
- In the Mouse Properties dialog box, click on the Point Options tab. There’s a slider bar in the Motion frame. Pull the slider over to the Fast side. Click Apply. The mouse pointer starts moving a lot more sprightly. Experiment with different speeds to see which one works best for you.
- While there, you might as well try out the Enhance pointer precision option, too. This will help you hit the mark more reliably.
Save desktop settings before a crash
This is useful for those who like spending time arranging files and folders on their desktop. If you set up your desktop in a certain way, that’s how it stays after a regular reboot. Except if the reboot has been forced on you by a crash: you’ll lose all the changes you’ve made so painstakingly.
But: you can save those desktop settings before a crash loses them. As soon as you’ve made a change, right-click on the desktop and click the Refresh command. You’ve cheated the dark forces of crashes out of their minds: your desktop will stay the way you’ve set it up – until you decide to change it again.