Keyboard shortcut of the week: So what is this key anyway?

The 'Application' KeyMost Windows compliant keyboards have a rarely used key between the Windows Key and the Ctrl key to the right of the space bar. This key can be used to bring up what is called a context menu for whatever is selected at the time. Context menu is the name for the menu that pops up...

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50th post and first for 2008

After a period of disruption in my life I am hoping to be able to post regularly to Bloody Computer! again. I am going to start with a review of posts from 2007.Top 3 Most Read Posts1. Where has all my hard-drive space gone? (30th August): 51 views2. The mystery of the disappearing Taskbar. (10th December): 47 views3. Keyboard shortcut of the week: control your selections (8th December): 30 viewsData...

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Keyboard shortcut of the week: save and backup regularly

Your PC can crash at any time. Not a comforting thought I know, but one that should prompt us all to save our work as often as possible. So, for this end of the year post I will extol the virtues of saving regularly, and by extension, of backing up your files.Firstly let's deal with saving your files...

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The mystery of the disappearing Taskbar.

Once in a while, Windows gets into a terrible state and the Taskbar and its Start menu disappear. This is because the software that manages these, called the Windows Explorer shell, has crashed. To deal with this, without logging off and on the computer, you have to end any existing sessions of Explorer and run a new one.To end existing Explorer sessions hold down the Ctrl and Alt keys and press the...

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From screen to video: recording Windows

As you will have seen in my last post I have at last added video to this site. I used a handy freeware application called CamStudio to record what I was doing on my screen.This software has some excellent features that include: recording of vocal commentary; addition of captions; and even picture-in-picture...

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Keyboard shortcut of the week: control your selections

If you ever have to select more than one item at a time in a Windows program then you can use the control key, generally marked Ctrl. I find this technique particularly useful for dealing with my emails. I can hold down Ctrl and click on each spam email in turn, then take my finger off Ctrl and hit the Delete key so get rid of them all.Using Ctrl to select multiple items also works well in Window...

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Lack of recent posts

Regular readers may have been wondering why there have been no posts here recently. This is because I have been effectively homeless for a number of days due to a house fire.But fear not, dear reader, there will be more help and advice available soon when I am more settl...

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