Windows XP Tips

A list of various tips I've come up with. One adds 'sticky' notes to the desktop.

10th June 2004 · Last updated: 5th October 2016
 

  • Use Ctrl, shift and an arrow key to highlight a word in a text file. Then use the arrow keys to highlight more words, or even whole lines.
  • Use Ctrl and backspace or Delete to erase whole words on a line.
  • Use Alt plus Print Screen to take a screenshot of a window only (not the whole screen).
  • Click on an open program tab on the taskbar. Then use Ctrl to highlight other tabs as well. Now you can close all these programs in one go. Right-click on a tab and select "Close Group". (Note: this doesn't work with Office programs.)
  • Drag a file to a program tab on the taskbar. When the screen changes to show the program, drag the file up onto the program - it should now open in that program.
  • You can navigate folders in Windows Explorer quickly using the arrow keys. Swap from left to right pane using tab. If you have a folder with many nested folders inside it, just hold down the right arrow key and the folder zooms open to show all sub-folders almost instantly. Much faster than using the mouse! To close a folder, use the left arrow key. (Note: if a folder is already closed, the left arrow takes you to the top of the list instead.) Try highlighting the C: drive and holding down the right arrow. On my computer, the Documents and Settings folder comes up first, with seven nested folders that zoom open.

Sticky Notes

Place notes on the desktop using HTML. Copy the code below and paste it into Notepad.

<html>
<head>
<style type="text/css">
body {background-color:#ff9;}
* {
 font-family:arial;
 font-size:12px;
}
</style>
</head>
 
<body>
<p>This is a short note that shows up on the desktop. You can put any HTML in here.</p>
</body>
</html>

Now save it as "stickynote.html" onto the desktop. Right-click on the desktop and select "Properties". Click the Desktop tab and then the Customize Desktop button. Now click the Web tab. Click on New and Browse then locate the file you saved. Click OK to get back to the desktop Web tab, then click OK twice to clear the open window boxes. You should see a yellow square on your desktop. Hover over it until a border shows, then move up to the top. A bar should show above the square which enables you to drag and resize it.

You can make the background of the note invisible by adding the same background image used on the desktop - or even a different one! I have a note covering the lower third of my desktop which uses the following code to precisely match the position of the background image. You'll have to play around with the figures to get it to look just right once you've moved the note into place. I also resized the background in a graphics program first, as it was being stretched by the desktop before. So it's important to have an image that is naturally the same size as your screen. That way you can match the note perfectly to the desktop. I then used a table with a solid background colour to make the text readable. The table was finally made opaque by 85% so some of the background image showed through. I thought it was too nice to cover up completely! (See screenshot.)

<html>
<head>
<style type="text/css">
body {background:url(C:\WINDOWS\WEB\Wallpaper\Azul_1024x768.jpg) 0 356px;}
* {
 font-family:arial;
 font-size:12px;
}
table {
 filter:alpha(opacity:85);
 border-collapse:collapse;
}
th, td {
 background-color:#eff;
 border:1px solid #000;
}
th {
 background-color:#cee;
}
.col1 {
 font-weight:bold;
 color:#900;
}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<table cellpadding="3">
<tr>
<th>Task</th>
<th>Notes</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="col1">Web Design Meeting</td>
<td>Arrange with rest of team Monday</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="col1">Accessibility</td>
<td>Ensure site meets W3C guidelines</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td class="col1">Laptop Upgrade</td>
<td>Check prices from list before placing order</td>
</tr>
</table>
</body>
</html>