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Got files you open regularly? Want to make them easier to get to? Put them on the Start menu. In Windows Explorer, go to the appropriate folder and select the file. Drag it to the Start button, wait until the Start menu pops up, then place the file where you want it. (You're not moving the file, just creating a shortcut.) If you want all such files in one subfolder, right-click the Start button and select Explore to bring up the Start Menu folder in Windows Explorer. Then create a folder called, say, Favorite Files. Information courtesy of PC World, Nov, 2000.

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My desktop icons have lost their snap! They used to snap into position on the desktop. Now they stay where I put them. Is something broken?

No, you just inadvertently changed the desktop's Auto Arrange setting. If you want the icons to snap into place and they don't, or if they're snapping and you'd rather they didn't, just right-click the desktop and select Arrange Icons, Auto Arrange. Information courtesy of PC World, Nov, 2000.

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3. How do I type a long dash?

Typographical em and en spaces are wider than normal spaces.

Select insert, symbol, and in the Symbol dialog box, click the Special Characters tab. Choose Em Space or En Space and click Insert. Add the characters to your Insert menu by selecting tools, customize and clicking the Commands tab in the Customize dialog box. The select Insert in the Categories list and scroll to the Insert EM Space or the Insert En Space entry in the Commands list. Click an entry and drag it to the Insert menu. When the Insert menu drops down, drag the mouse pointer to where you want the command, then release the mouse button. Repeat these steps for the other Insert Space Command, then click Close in the Customize dialog box.

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4. Identify Mystery Apps Running in the Shadows

I close every window and every icon in the system tray, then press Ctrl-Alt-Delete, but I still see that programs are running in the background. What are they?

They could be anything; many programs have modules that lurk in your PC's shadows. To find out what a particular unidentified program is, press Ctrl-Alt-Delete to open the Close Program dialog box, then write the program's name down on paper. After you've closed the box, select Start, Find, Files or Folders. In the Named field, enter the name of the program followed by .exe , such as dbserver.exe . In the Look In field, select Local hard drives, then click Find Now.

Chances are you'll find the file. When you do, the folder it's in should tell you what program put it there. For instance, if the file's in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office, chances are it's part of Office.

If a file search doesn't turn up a program, or if it's in a common dumping-ground folder like C:\Windows\System, turn programs on and off. Select Start, Run , type msconfig , and press Enter . Click the Startup tab for a list of all programs that load at boot-up. Find out what's loading a particular program by unchecking options and rebooting until you can identify the malefactor.

Programs you're likely to find in the Close Program dialog box include:

Explorer and systray: Basic parts of Windows that should always be up.

Findfast and osa: Parts of Microsoft Office 97 (but not of Office 2000). If you don't want them, you can get rid of them by removing Microsoft Find Fast and Office Startup from the Start, Programs, Startup menu.

Rnaap: Part of Windows. It loads when you use dial-up networking, and then stays in memory until you close Windows. Information courtesy of PC World, Nov, 2000. http://www.pcworld.com/

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5. Printing the list of files in a folder (directory).

Printing using a shareware program:

See this web page for information on two inexpensive programs:

http://www.kuhnfamily.com/Kuhn_Consulting/Computer-items/Directory_printer.htm

Printing using "print screen":

Open Windows Explorer, maximize the window, and click on the folder or drive that you want the list of files. Press the "print screen" button on the keyboard. Open a graphics or word processing program. Click Edit, Copy. Click File, Print.

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