Whit4you | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 01:12 pm     Ryn in can move this to tech tommorow but this is a really handy tip and few people ever make it to tech so could ya keep it here just for the night? TY Wanna be able to access the Live feed updates with just one mouse click no matter where you are or what your doing on your computer? Here's how -> First - if you DONT know what the "show desktop" icon is or it's not located on your taskbar then skip to end of this post and read info then come back up here. ONE CLICK to live feeds: 1) First highlight next line and hit Cntrl C to copy it. ../10972/1036711.html"../../clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":)"> ------for those who use desktop alot ----- 5) Ok so you access your desktop alot? (boy do we need to talk hehe) You now have this funky webpage on your desktop!! DRAG that funky webpage PAST the top of your screen - just keep going till it does something freaky. NOW - it's at the top of your screen - right click over where it says "The Clubhouse" on the left side of your screen. Always on top and Auto hide NEED to be checked - uncheck "show title" Now drag the bottom of the window down as far as it will go. To access the live feeds from now on from anywhere anytime - click on your "show desktop" icon on your taskbar and run your mouse up to the top of the screen. It'll go away when you move your mouse outside that window. If you don't like this you can remove it by going to the far left corner move your mouse till you see a little arrow type thing and then right click and choose close. ----- for those who don't use desktop alot --- STEP 6 - Ok for those of you who don't use your desktop a ton: You want to resize that page you dragged out to your desktop now - do NOT put it to the extreme left / right or top (or you will have to go read step 5 lol) Just make it the size you want it to be (maybe leaving a row of folders visible at the top at all times or on the left if you wish) NOW - make if you didn't earlier you MUST right click on the top bar and choose "always on top" To view what's under it now you'd have to click on that title bar (The clubhouse) and uncheck "Always on top" then says hit your "show desktop" icon. Now if you don't like this handy dandy thing - just click on that top bar and hit close it's gone forever lol. --- Ok I realize this was very verbose folks but I wanted to baby step the novices through this. I coulda explained it in 15 lines but then I'd have had a bunch of lost people who did not hit "ok" after they cut and pasted the link or whatever lol. Thats it - you can get anywhere on the BBFC from one mouse click on your computer now no matter what you have open or where you are on your computer lol. Ryn has links under the live feeds to the gen discussion etc the links work! Take care ----- DONT know what a "desktop icon" is? If you don't see a "show desktop" when you mouse over the icons in your taskbar then do this: Right click on a blank spot on the taskbar and choose toolbars then qucklaunch. It will put several icons there for you - delete the ones you don't need but keep the desktop icon (has a little pencil on it as I said) This icon will take you to the desktop no matter where you are or what you are doing on your computer - when you click it. OK now you can go read the other steps LOL. |
Jadeygurl39 | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 01:21 pm     Ok Whit I'm going to try what you said. Boy you sure are smart. I am not very computer saavy. Thanks ahead of time...I think. LOL Jade |
Whit4you | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 01:30 pm     Here's a screen shot that might help -
starting from the left - is my desktop left of that is the 'funky website' I was referring to (till you resize it etc) on the far left is the Toolbars / new toolbars step and how it should look... at the bottom of the picture is the "desktop icon" (it's the 4th one over from the START button) |
Whit4you | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 01:31 pm     Jadey hehe lemme know how it turns out this is sorta complicated for novices - but I think my steps are pretty detailed - holler if I missed one LOL |
Whit4you | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 01:49 pm     FYI for those curious - the reason I don't use my desktop is because I used pretty much the above steps to put all of my most used programs and anyhing I need access to into one handy dandy 'self-hiding' bar (here's a picture of it - I don't have the text on mine cause by now I know what each icon is - for a while I did have text and smaller icon's though LOL) as you see from the picture just above that bar is only their when I want it to be (move mouse to the very left corner of my screen) if I say want to go to my documents folder - or say one of the folders I do have on the desktop they are all there...lol. My grandaby takes up my entire desktop after the few folders they wont let you delete lol. Those are my most used programs (other then the four I use the VERY most which as you've seen are next to the start button) the folder on the top left houses a shortcut to all my games - so it's one click to the games) The folder towards the bottom houses "all the rest" basically all the programs I use the most are one click away from ANYWHERE on my computer (right at this moment to get to any of them I just move my mouse over <<<---- there) however there are a few dozen other programs that I do access semi-often and THOSE are all in that handy dandy little folder for when I need them - example all my programs that start "on startup' - I stick in there cause I often end up exiting them and sure dont wanna hve to dig for them if I want them again LOL. Anyhow I suppose I'm rambling but you'd be surprised how easy it is to do this AND ya you'd prolly want ot have the small icons with words at least for a while but I prefer it this way now.
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Curlyq | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 01:49 pm     Whit, as somewhat of a novice I can tell you your instructions were just right. I now have easy access to the live feeds area. Thanks. |
Whit4you | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 01:51 pm     work for you curly? Good - I hope you went with step 6 option (you get to see alot more of the screen that way..then those who need total access to their desktop) |
Curlyq | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 01:53 pm     I went with step 5 for now, but I might do what you did later. |
Jan | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 01:59 pm     Whit does it have to use Internet explorer to access? I am a Netscape user but when I added the link as you describe it used IE for access. |
Whit4you | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 02:12 pm     Ya - actually it is really fun making a tool bar like that (it's the same as what you did in step 5) accept you need to make yourself a folder - like say "my toolbar" somewhere on your computer then right click on task bar - choose toolbars then new toolbars - then you scroll through your hd till you find that "my toolbar" fold and hit OK. It'll stick it on your task bar and you move it to your desktop just as you did with the clubhouse funky website one - and then DRAG it all the way off screen to the left. Then you know all that clutter on your desktop? Move some of those stray shortcuts into one of those folders on the desktop and then right click drag the folder all the way off screen to the left and choose "move here" (or copy here if you really want it on your desktop TOO LOL) Then you can proceed to move all the varoius shortcuts you have on your task bar there and leave your taskbar clear for active programs To move all your favorite programs that are NOT on your desktop lol... to that you have a few choices 1) open explorer find the programs you'd like in that new toolbar and right click and drag it to desktop (select create shortcut here) then move it to "my toolbar" as you did with the others. OR and I think this is better... slightly more complicated at FIRST but way easier AFTER That... you'll love it LOL Hit Start button then Run then type Sendto and hit OK. Up is going to pop up a folder leave it open... go to explorer find your "my toolbar" folder that you made..right click and drag it to the Sendto folder that popped up (the sendto folder will have stuff like ... Floppy A and My domuments etc... Ok NOW watch this your gonna faint lol.... wanna move your shortcuts there now it's a snap... Go to explorer again.... pick any program you'd like in this new handy dandy toolbar and right click on it and hit "sendto" and of course choose your "my toolbar" folder. Amazing eh? LOL (you can move your desktop shortcuts there that way too of course) NOW - what happens if you somehow lose the toolbar (I did once) to get it back just go through those steps above again and it'll be back. FYI - here's a small section of how it looks with the small icon with text
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Whit4you | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 02:18 pm     Sorry Jan I'm not really sure how to do it with netscape - is netscape your default browser? maybe one of our brain-e-acks can figure out how if your default browser is netscape and it's still firing up IE with this command....I'm sure it can be changed LOL I used IE to get the link for you guys - maybe if you get the link using netscape it would be different? Dunno - seems to look the same to me...but cant hurt to try it |
Curlyq | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 02:25 pm     Whit, I just saved all the instructions you posted here so I can play around with all of that. I was going to ask you how do I get the Live Feed toolbar/window to refresh, but then I found it under the right-click options. Duh! Thanks for all the info. |
Whit4you | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 02:29 pm     yup right click and of course you can use ryn's handy dandy links at the top of the page to go to the other sections of TVCH Since I'm passing out Windows tips (this WAS BB related though ryn ok LOL) anytime you wanna do a websearch - you can do it from anywhere on your computer that you have a address bar (for example windows explorer - toolbars - address bar) just type say ? titanic or ? fansites (just hit OK when your browser search engine pops up) You can do this in ANY program that has an addy bar not just a web browser... try it you'll like it lol
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Bob2112 | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 02:36 pm     Thanks Whit, I always pick up a new tip from you! However, I need one more side of the screen so my wife and kids can each have their own pop-up short cuts. So, now the only thing I'm missing is the picture of your grandbaby for my desktop and I'll be all set. Thanks for these and the mIRC tips in chat. |
Sanfranjoshfan | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 02:44 pm     I'll admit that I'm not a Win98 user....I'm on a Mac using OSX. I found all I have to do is highlight and then drag that link to any folder or the desktop and it becomes a url shortcut. I can rename it if I want and add that shortcut to the dock by simply dragging it to the dock. Voilá! One click on that dock url icon and you are at the live feeds.
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Sanfranjoshfan | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 02:50 pm     oops...trying again
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Whit4you | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 03:08 pm     Bob - you can put your toolbar on the left and theirs on the right however personally THAT would make me feel a tad claustrophobic - I'm so used to not going too far to the left of my screen now it's fine - for those who havent tried this - you can still use your entire screen see that little E top left of this screen? You can still go that far to the left - it's just when you go OFF the screen that the toolbar comes up LOL BUT - for me if I had to use even some caution on BOTH sides of screen it'd bug me... Thing is though we RARELY use the very very top of the screen so you could put a tool bar up there - you can't really put as many options up there though if you are using text and icons - lol unless your not phobic about that toolbar taking up 1/3 of your window when it pops up. THAT would bug me so Anyhow you can have 3 of those toolbars I mentioned if you don't have claustrophobia or if you have a bigger monitor LOL FYI you know what would be cute - you could make the one for the KIDS at the top (note that BLANK space in my icons? (it's a 16 x 16 pixel grey .bmp that I made and renamed to .ico) So it'd be like this (hope you dont have more then two kids hehe) Anyhow - I did a sample screeshot for you of how your kids 'toolbar' could look IF your phobic like I am and dont want the toolbar taking up to much space.. if NOT - then of couse they could have two rows of icons - here's the deal you'd wanna put all the obviously recognizeable icon's like you see in this picture then each side could have a FOLDER that'd pop up the other programs that don't have recognizeable icons) am I making sense? See how that blank .ico leaves a spacer? So - left side could be yours - right side your wife's - and the kids could share the top - using that space. OR if you wanna get really fancy - we could probably find a way for your lower taskbar to have a cute little icon for each of you and when it's clicked it'd change the toolbar to whomever's icon you picked LOL - that sounds a bit tough though hmmm.......batch file would work lol...gawd I miss dos Anyhow I cropped out the left and right - this is enough to give you an idea of what the kids toolbar would look like
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Bob2112 | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 03:17 pm     That's all great and fine, Whitney, but what about the picture of the grandbaby? ...wonders how long the reply would have been if he was serious about a toolbar for wife and kids...  |
Gritss | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 03:20 pm     Whit, does this method work on winXP? I like the moving the mouse off the screen feature. |
Jadeygurl39 | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 03:23 pm     Good gawd Whit you are daagum smart. I'm serious. Now I am totally intimidated but I am going to try and do all that you have posted. I would love to pick your brain about saving resources etc...How much money do you want for your expertise? Thanks again, Jade |
Whit4you | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 03:27 pm     OH no who let the Mac user in!!!!!!!!! I was the last person on the planet who had Windows who still went to Dos 50 times a day lol. Wasn't till a few years ago that I actually went a few days without going to doss LOL. And guess what honey... Mac's don't have DOS - sooooooooooooooo you gotta know what I think of the Mac lol. I barely lived through my first use of a Mac ....and then.... Microsoft decides to clone the Mac.... see but at that time computers were my life / my love and my career soooooo I was drug kicking and screaming into the world of an OS controling your friggen life!!!! You wouldnt believe the HELL I went through till I decided to stop fighting Microsoft tooth an nail of it's desire to control every aspect of MY COMPUTER in MY HOUSE on MY desk!!! LOL I was hysterical about it really - I had to reformat soo many times till I finally gave in and started going with the "We suggest you do X" options .... Don't get me wrong Microsoft OS is a totally terrific product for anyone who doesn't mind someone else controlling their actions and their decisions on their computer in their own house or 'paying the conciquences" - oh and while I'm ranting this 'monopoly' lawsuit cra* is so totally bogus!!!! But um I wont go there now - I'm still pulling my hair out over memories of reformat after reformat until I finally submitted to their will. <-- so not subbie LOL Anyhow - I don't have any tips here for Mac users - because I havent used the Mac much - when I did it drove me even crazier then MS does because at least *I* can go to Dos if say.. I want to make a little batch file that'll oh say... sort by date of all files ending in any given variable under 10k and oh say merge them all into one text file print out a copy then zip and increment by one from the last saved zip file. this is a silly little example of course - but if you play chess - you can get a glimpse as to what I mean there are how many possible combinations in the first move? in the first 10? In Dos I could do *ANYTHING* I wanted anyway I wanted - because there were infinate possiblities lol. FYI the main reason I would never get a Mac was that they didn't have Xtree - and there was no point in a computer without Xtree lol Anyhow I'm a mac user now to just with a different logo on the computer screen LOL Whit |
Whit4you | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 03:35 pm     Sorry Grits don't have XP (or at least I've never installed it LOL) so I have no idea - give it a try can't hurt eh LOL If you have a "sendto" option under right click when you select a file - then do a find in this thread on the "sendto" tip and take it from there and work backwords.... -- Jade - mem resources or hard drive space or? and ya do try this it's quite a feeling of accomplishment when it starts saving you alot of time... like here's something I never knew till recently grrr - in explorer if you click on that line between say 'name' and 'size' or 'type' - it automatically sizes the window to FIT. I can't tell you the hundreds of times I've dragged the name in or out and then moved the size over and stuff cause I needed to see all the information (had vga monitor here till just recently so 640 screen) Another thing nobody bothered to tell me and it would saved me how much time???? is control Z will undo anything you just did in Explorer (move - copy - delete) you know how you mean to copy something to one dir and you copy it to a diff dir.... or meant to copy it and you moved it instead...etc? just hit control Z ... Well I better stop or I'm gonna overwhelm someone tempted to try the above stuff lol. I think I got into these windows tips here last year and had promised to give a bunch more but got busy ro forgot or something LOL. |
Sanfranjoshfan | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 03:42 pm     Hey Whit.....I know nothing of DOS or most of the "inside the OS" stuff....but from what I understand, Mac's OSX has a command line UNIX Terminal thingy (pardon me if I get too technical here. LOL) akin to DOS on a PC. Like I said, I know nothing abut it. I dunno what an xtree is. :-) Oh yeah...I gotta add that I haven't had to reformat or reinstall OSX since 10.01 came out....March of 2001, I think. And my G4 has only had 4 OS crashes in all that time....and ALL of those happened a few weeks ago while I was trying out a beta screensaver! ;-) I spoze we each have our favorites of the OS systems we use to spy on our favorites in the house that we watch so we can post about it all on our favorite bulletin boards that we frequent...LOL |
Bob2112 | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 04:00 pm     Whit and Gritss, It does also work on XP. Whitney, we're gonna have to get you moved over to a Unix system running X Windows. Then you will be able to write Perl and shell scripts to your hearts content, and won't be controlled by any large corporation. Linux runs just fine on a Pentium class computer with 64MB of RAM. At work, some of our Unix servers had over 400 days of uptime, before we moved into a new building last fall. It's going to be a while before we get that high again, but several servers are well over 100 days up time already. SanFran, My daughter has informed me that a Mac will be our next computer purchase. I'll have to tap your expertise when that happens, since Whit doesn't want to support that platform. ...still waiting for the desktop picture, Whit... |
Whit4you | Sunday, August 04, 2002 - 04:03 pm     Well lemme tell you I'm not your normal PC lover Sanfran...I mean I would prefer a dot prompt to MS Access . (see that dot?) that's the extent of the graphical interface of CHOICE for me when it came to database programming...LOL Diff op systems are better for different people and their needs - my problem with Windows though is.. if I wanted a Mac I'd buy a Mac - but I was setting up computer systems for business's when Windows came out... no matter how much more I prefered Dos and the million and one utilities I had .. I HAD to conform to Windows or not be the 'best of the best' at what I did at the time lol. The Mac does have a program similiar to Dos's batch commands (don't remember what it is called) it's on tip of tounge and driving me NUTS lol. You know I dated a Mac user and we were living together and he was going to write Xtree for me for a Mac because I could NOT live without Xtree - so couldnt bear to be on his computer for long. Xtree um - sum it up in 10,000 words or less? LOL Basically anything you can dream of or think of to do with files - could be done in under 5 keystrokes in Xtree... I asked my boyfriend how to get a listing of all files on his mac under 5 k created before dec 31st - sorted by name - view em and then zip em up to archive them. His answer um - took about an hour lol. I was used to just you know hitting control S 5 12/31/90 N G V and then alt S and naming the zip. LOL I'm giving a pointless example of course and it isnt to say the PC is better then the Mac - Windows doesnt really have Xtree either so LOL. I suppose I could use their final version they made after Windows came out but I hate bulky friggen programs and like most other windows programs it got big and bulky! I doubt alot of computer users really are about being able to get files to sing and dance while standing on their head but like right now I have at least 100,000 files on my computer...it's handy to to be able to manipulate them ANY way I want to lol. I just wish I'd stuck around long enough for him to finish the Mac version of Xtree it was looking good (he worked for Apple for many years) |