Windows 2000 Expert Tips

This info applies to Windows 2000. Some tips also apply to Windows Millennium Edition and/or Windows XP.

Windows 2000 Indexing Service Tip: We finally found the answer to an issue we've been puzzled about since the launch of Windows 2000. The Search for files and folders function has an option to use a feature in Win2K called the "Indexing Service," but enabling this feature never seemed to improve our results or speed things up. However, digging deep into the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and choosing the "Query the Catalog" function produced spectacularly fast results. So, how can the Explorer search function access this index? A message thread on Altavista finally yielded the missing information: simply enable the Indexing Service and precede your queries with a "!" to force use of Indexing Service (or @ if specifying a property name).

To access the 'Query the Catalog' function: right-click the my computer icon, choose Manage, then expand Indexing Service. There you will find folder icons for the System catalog and Web catalog. There is also a third icon called Query the Catalog.

Autorun programs: Windows 2000 lacks the "MSCONFIG" command that makes startup settings so easy to manage under Windows 98 and Millennium Edition. However, the Computer Management option (found in the Administrative Tools" section of Windows 2000's Control Panel) has the answer: When seen in "Basic view" it displays a list of programs and commands that execute at startup time. By switching to the Advanced view (via the View menu), it also shows you the exact location where each command can be found (and edited) using the Windows 2000 Registry Editor, REGEDT32. We used this, for example, to disable Hewlett-Packard's parallel port status monitor for a HP 5200C scanner otherwise successfully connected via USB.

Spend some quality time with the right mouse button: Here are some productivity enhancing techniques for opening windows while holding down various modifier keys or looking around the taskbar in Windows. Shift double-click folder: open Explorer view CTRL double-click folder: open in New Window Try CTRL+Shift double-click too. ALT: Get Properties

As with earlier Windows releases, pressing Alt F4 closes any window.

Also, try CTRL-ESC to open the Start menu (useful if your keyboard does not have a Windows key). By then pressing F and another F (CTRL+ESC F F), you can quickly open the Find command.

Floating taskbar as palette: Make a new toolbar (right click on a blank area of the taskbar and look in the Toolbars submenu). Put it anywhere. It can also be made an iconic palette. Right-click on taskbar: minimize all, tile horizontally, vertically, cascade, etc. Use the address bar or right-click and choose Explorer to see parent folders or press backspace to see parent folder, etc., etc. Note the "See also..." option (visible in "Web view") in Windows 2000. It gives you a customizable view of recently viewed documents and network connections. Windows 2000 (like earlier Windows 9x releases and Millennium) has the ability to open any file with any program you want and time you want. JPEGs (etc.) aren't hard-wired to a specific app, as you claim. Just click on a JPG, then right click and choose "Open With..." Then navigate to the app of your choice. (With earlier Windows 9x releases, you needed to right-click while holding the Shift key.)

Change the Startup Logo. See how to modify the Windows 2000 startup logo.

See also: Windows 98 Tips and Windows Me Tips. Most of these techniques also work on Windows 2000.

For Further Reading:

www.angelfire.com/de2/w2kcd/ - Making a bootable Win2K CD
Windows 2000 Hints & Tips Guide

IT Library

The Techno Zone

User Account

Windows 2000 Expert Tips

Post new comment

More like this . . .

How many search commands do you have in your PC?

Linux News

A Mac OS X Overview

Editorial: MS World Domination Scorecard

Windows Server 2003

Alternative GUIs for Windows XP

Codename: Whistler