Computer Security Tips

Keeping your computer from harm's way is important for any individual. Even for any private computers or public computers, you need to make sure that your contents are away from other people's hands. I cannot blame everyone, because no one is the same. If someone get hold of your contents somehow, some will not use them and delete them forever whereas on the other hand some may use it corrupt your life, blackmail you or even ruin you completely. But as I said, no one is the same. Some may do it, where some may not. So it's your job to make sure that those may not get into other's hands.

Keeping a computer safe doesn't mean only from other people, but also from electrical damages and failures. Keeping a computer healthy is a lot of work and if you care about your works, I think it's best to take that time and keep the computer in good shape.

Here are some tips that you can use to secure your PC.

01. Lock your PC
You may think that no one is going to check your PC, but you are wrong. Some may look into your files without you knowing. Maybe a person in competition at work may look into your works if you leave your work unattended and that may enable him to know everything about your project and may make a copied version before you implement yours. So it is best to lock your PC, even it is only yours. That ensures that no one can look into your file, unless he or she knows the trick to break the password. But most people don't bother that much, so locking a PC can help you in lot a way.

02. Prevent Virus Attacks
After you buy a computer, you might want to secure it from future attacks. It may come in the form of a virus, phishing, or a hack. These may lead you to a serious trouble. So it better to be aware of them and secure it before getting affected. A virus or other types of worms such as malwares, adwares and trojans are problem for your computer and for yourself. A virus, or a worm or a trojan are actually computer programs that are written to do a specific task. They can really do some serious problems. These programs enter into our computer through networks mainly the internet, or from a disk drive or USB that has been connected to a virus attacked system. These programs are always in the move. They go from one place to another. They infest one computer after another. In fact, these programs may not be detected at first. But when they trigger and perform the task that it was meant to do, then we find that our PC is being affected. So it's best to prevent them rather and allowing them to enter our PC. Anti-viruses are programs that detect virus code and deletes them. So it's best to have an anti-virus in all computers.

03. Prevent Malware and Adwares
Malwares and adwares are created to extract our information in an illegal way. I advice not to go into fake adverstisement for they may steal your private information and use them to access your property. So it's better to register or use products or websites in which we can actually believe in. Use the latest versions of browsers such as Google Chrome, Firefox and Opera since they provide with better protection and security. These provide you with security that double-checks URL and notify you if it is a malware site.

04. Backup your Data
No one can actually say when they will be infected. So it's best to backup all your important to just-so-important files and folders for if you lost them, then that means all that you have done or got was all just a waste. This may be your important files at work or your photos of your dear ones or your family, friends or anybosy you're close with. Losing it means breaking off a large part of your life. Losing your work can cost you your job. So it's best to backup all your files before you lose them. You can back up to another external har drive or you can just upload all your backups to online storage space like Google Drive or Dropbox and other services which provides security so that you can believe in them.

05. Shutdown during Lightning
Securing your computer from vicious programs is not just enough. Yes, they may be a lot of problem. But you have to secure your device from everything around you such as rain or lighning. Just some amount of rain can short circuit your computer and damage it. It may lead to exploding of your system and that may be the end of your system. Be careful while taking your laptops out of home. Use a water repellent cover for it, so that it may not get wet. Rains can be really a problem, not only for laptops but for any computerised devices such as the mobiles phones. Even mobile phones, exposed to rain can get damaged. So be warned to take an umbrella everytime you go out. 

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Speed Up your Internet

Tired of using the same slow internet? Do you get bored when you wait for the browser to show the webpages? Yeah, I know, you are BORED or on the other hand IRRITATED. Today, in this technological age, when you are using a internet connection that has much lower speed and also may sometimes disconnects are more than irritating for everyone.

Yeah, for everyone. Some may not know, because they are fond of using speed internet connections. But keep them in front of a computer with slow connection. I am sure that they may throw the PC or Laptop in anger or he/she is an angel and have the patience to wait. But about 3/4th of the world doesn't have the patience. They want speed internet in their hands. Internet without disconnection, and user friendly.

For that you may need to get a more priced internet connection. But I have some tips to speed up your internet connection that you are using now. Well, for a matter of fact, I only know that some of this will work, but there is no harm in trying, Is there?

01. Contact your Internet Service Provider
This is actually one of the best way to know why our internet connection is slow. Maybe, there is a breakage of a wire or over-traffic in the cable. So before doing anything, contact your service provider and ensure why your internet connection is slow. If it is the problem of the service, they will surely try to correct the problem because customers are the valuable asset of the service provides. Without you all, no company can grow.

You may be staying far off from the providers and as farther you go, that much slow the connection becomes. So if you call and tell the providers your problem, they can amplify the power and you can have fast internet connection.

02. Optimize your Browser
You may not know that all browsers are not the same. Each browser has it's own functionalities and functionalities. So it is best to see the performance of most browser before standing onto one. There are some people that still use Internet Explorer because they don't know about most browsers. They may get slow internet connection and may sometime complain the providers. Complaining about anything doesn't prove anything. Change the browser to what we are comfortable with and that will provide us with the best options.

Browsers like Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox  and Opera have better functionalities than most of the others. They do have better features and that enable us to use the internet to its best configuration. But you can check the other browser and check with what you are most comfortable to use. Google Chrome use only a small memory and can be used in sites having JavaScript of Flash files and Mozilla Firefox has many features like blocking JavaScript files or advertisements and Opera has compression technology especially for slow connections

03. Optimize your Device
If you are using a modem, you can optimize it to the best settings allowing you to use more efficient and better internet connection. Changing your settings can sometimes lead to damage or change to your network. So I advice you to ask the help of those who actually know how to change the settings. Don't try it for yourself, if you don't know. It may lead to damage and you may not get any network after that. If you want to learn how, be in the supervision of one who knows about it.

If you are using a router, you can also optimize it to the best setting. You can also place it to the place where you get more coverage and also keep in mind that there should be a direct connection between your PC and the router. Also avoid interference from other wireless devices. in fact keep them a little distance away from the path between the router and computer so that it may not interfere with the network passage.

You can also optimize your Internet service package to better options. You can upgrade to the better package. Buy the one in which you are comfortable with and gives you more access. Don't buy anything that have no range near your home. You can also do a speed test to know how much network you are getting. If it slow, try it on another computer and if it is slow on that computer also, contact the ISP or if it not, configure you PC to the best standards.

04. Prevent Illegal Access
If you are using a wireless connection, make sure that no one is stealing from it. When someone else or many people share a single connection, the speed of the internet can get a lot more slow. Maybe you think that it is the problem of the network. But always be in mind to check that no one has cracked the code and is accessing it without you knowing.

The more people that shares your connection, the more slow it gets. Maybe you just gave it to only one of your friends thinking that he/she will only access it for a limited period of time. But once he/she gets the password, they may share it with their friends which in turn may share to other people. You may only think that only your friend knows the password, but in turn, now the whole neighbourhood knows it. So it's best to find out the statistics of who all are using your wireless connections. And furthermore, be sure to add a WEP password to stop unauthorised users from using your Internet connection or if you can, set up WPA encryption.

05. Check the Bandwidth Usage
There are many application that may use your bandwidth. These may be the program updates or other web applications. These may all run in the background without you knowing. Some of them, may also be assigned to do automatically when the system turns on. So these application may use up all or some of the network in which you have.

So it is best to find out what all applications are running in the background and turn off all which are of no use to you at that time. Sometimes plug-ins in your browser can also take up more bandwidth and memory. So I advice not to put a lot more plug-ins or add-ons in your browser. Keep only that you require and delete all the other. Even it is enabled or not. The plug-ins needs to be loaded and that may take up some of your speed allowing you only a little of the network you actually have.

I also advice you to close the tabs in which you are not looking. Even if you don't do anything, the page is automatically refreshing as new content is published at all times. So that pages even if you are not using consumes a part of your network. So it is best to close the tabs which are not lloking at the time.

06. Scan your PC
Virus attack can also affect your computer which in turn affects your network. Virus are programs that are designed to damage or steal data inside a computer. You may not know whether it is inside the computer, until it is executed. So when it is activated, it may do the work it is supposed to leading to the damage to all your work, morever your programs.

So it is best to prevent viruses and trojans from entering the PC. Install good antivirus and scan your PC at all possible time (at least once a month) and that may find all the virus inside your PC and also prevent other virus, malware or spywares from entering the PC throught the internet connection. As it is said - "Prevention is better than Cure".

07. Take Good Care of your PC
Sometimes, slow internet means not a good PC. Speed and memory of your PC can also affect your network connection. From time to time, browsers and other web applications are updating and they require more and more menory and processing. So dealing with an old computer, this may lead to slow network and even slower computer. So it is best to upgrade our PC first before implementing the network on our computer.

Sometimes it may also be slow on new computers due to over memory usage. People may put a lot of programs at a time such as playing games, listening music, browsing and chatting, working on a photo or audio or video and all at the same time. This leads to over usage of our memory. Our RAM and CPU are just a chip and tha may really get heated up due to over usage. So it is best to close some of the programs and allow the memory to be processed at an equal rate, so that we can use the PC efficiently.

Sometime you may also need to defragment and cleanup your PC, to remove junk files and clean up for better and efficient PC. Uninstall unused programs and check the free space of your hard drive. A full hard drive will slow your computer. You should also turn off the computer when not in use. Give the computer time to rest, so that it will function better.

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Protect Files & Folders in Windows

Locking a folder is sometimes important for us. Maybe we have some files that we don't want others to get their hands into. Those files may be important for us or for our work and those in the wrong hand may sometime leads to a miserable life to us. But remember that there is no 100% protected folder. One way or another computer specialists can break into that, but most of them won't bother when they see that it is password protected.

So it is important to lock or hide these folders from others. here are some steps which you can use for ensuring the security of your folder.

Method 1: Create a Multiple User
You can use a user for yourself, so that no one can log in into your account. You can create a Guest account for others so that they can use the computer without using your personal documents.

1. Go to Control Panel.
2. Click User Accounts
3. Select "Create a password for your account".
4. Type in a "New password" then "Confirm New Password". You can also give a "Password Hint" so that you can remember your password.

Method 2: Create a Password Protected Folder

You can create a password to protect your folder. Here are the steps: 

Note: This also may sometime leads to missing of your files. So if you are a beginner. Make sure you try this out with some random files before doing with the real one, so no harm for your real data.

1. First, you need to ensure the folder that you want to lock. If you don't have one, create one by Right Click - New - Folder . 
2. Create a new text document by Right Click - New - Text Document. Type in the following code.

cls 
@ECHO OFF 
title Folder Private 
if EXIST "HTG Locker" goto UNLOCK 
if NOT EXIST Private goto MDLOCKER 
:CONFIRM 
echo Are you sure you want to lock the folder(Y/N) 
set/p "cho=>" 
if %cho%==Y goto LOCK 
if %cho%==y goto LOCK 
if %cho%==n goto END 
if %cho%==N goto END 
echo Invalid choice. 
goto CONFIRM 
:LOCK 
ren Private "HTG Locker" 
attrib +h +s "HTG Locker" 
echo Folder locked 
goto End 
:UNLOCK 
echo Enter password to unlock folder 
set/p "pass=>" 
if NOT %pass%== PASSWORD_GOES_HERE goto FAIL 
attrib -h -s "HTG Locker" 
ren "HTG Locker" Private 
echo Folder Unlocked successfully 
goto End 
:FAIL 
echo Invalid password 
goto end 
:MDLOCKER 
md Private 
echo Private created successfully 
goto End 
:End

3. Change the "PASSWORD_GOES_HERE" in the code and change it to your desired password.
4. Save the text document as lock.bat (remember to save in .bat batch extension)
5. Run the batch file by double-clicking on it and that will create a folder named Private. This is the place where you will store all you important data. Bring all your important data into the folder.
6. Run the batch file again. This time it will ask whether you really want to lock the folder. Press "Y" and hit Enter. You can see that the folder disappears.
7. To get the folder back. Run the batch file again and enter the password. Then the folder reappears. 
8. This is a simple process of locking your folder. But if you forget your password and you know some basic knowledge of computer, then don't worry.
9. Just go to the "Folder Options" and uncheck the boxes for “Show hidden files, folders, and drives” and “Hide protected operating system files”.
10. The other step is to Right Click on the batch file and click Edit, and you can view your password in the code. So be sure to take the batch file from other's hands.

Method 3: Encrypt your folder

Windows come with option to protect your folder by encrypting it. Encryption means the process of encoding messages or information in such a way that only authorized parties can read it.

Windows XP/Vista/7/8

1. Select the file or folder that you want to encrypt. 
2. Right Click on it and click Properties. Click the Advanced option.
3. Check "Encrypt contents to secure data" option. You can see that the folder becomes green in colour.
4. Click Apply and then Ok.
5. If you want to reverse the process and decrypt the folder. Then select the folder. 
6. Right Click on it and click Properties. Click the Advanced option.
7. Unheck "Encrypt contents to secure data" option. 
8. Click Apply and then Ok.

Windows Server

1. Select the file or folder that you want to encrypt. 
2. Right Click on it and click Properties. Click the Advanced option.
3. Check "Encrypt contents to secure data" option. You can see that the folder becomes green in colour.
4. Click Apply and then Ok.
5. If you want to reverse the process and decrypt the folder. Then select the folder. 
6. Right Click on it and click Properties. Click the Advanced option.
7. Unheck "Encrypt contents to secure data" option. 
8. Click Apply and then Ok.
9. Now click Start - Run (Windows Key + R) and type mmc. 
10. Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Window opens.
11. Click File - Add/Remove Snap-In - Certificates - click Add - My User Account - click Finish - click Ok.
12. In console root, click Certificates - Current User - Personal - Certificates - Right click Administrator - All Task - Export - click Next - select Yes, export the private key - click Next - Personal Information Exchange - PKCS #12 (.PEX) - check "Include all certificates in the certification path if possible" & "Delete the private key if the export is successful" - click Next - set Password - set the location to save the key - set Key file name - click Next - click Finish - click Ok. Then the message "Export was Successful" will open.
13. Log off the system. Log in again.
14. Double click the key - click Next - click Next - Give Password - check "Mark the key as exportable. This will allow you to back up or transport your key at a later time" & "Include all extended properties" - click Next - click Next - click Finish. Then the message "Import was Successful" will open.

Method 4: Password Protect Compressed Folders

You can also compress a folder and give a password to it.

1. Select the folder. Right click and click "Add to Archive" (if you are using Winrar). Compress the folder.
2. Go to Advanced tab. Click on Set Password. Enter any password and for additional protection check mark 'Encrypt file names'.
3. Click Ok.
4. Then delete the original file.

Method 5: Create an Invisible Folder

If you like, you can create an invisible folder, so no one knows where your folder is. 

1. Right click on the folder and select Rename. 
2. Press Alt and type 0160 (Alt + 0160). This will create a blank space. Unlike the space, it is a valid filename.
3. Now change the icon. Right-click on the folder. Select Properties and then select the Customize tab. Click "Change Icon" and select a blank icon. 
4. Your folder is now hidden, but can be known when the user drags a selection box across the screen.

Method 6: Download a Third-Party Software

You can also download some software that allows you to password protect your folder. These help you in ensuring the safety of your folder. But like I said before, you can be 100% sure, whether your folder is safe or not. But it is the best to prepare that facing the worst. here are some name of some third-party softwares that you can use.

1. Protected Folder
2. Folder Lock
3. Folder Guard
4. Folder Password Lock
5. Folder Protect
6. LocK-A-FoLdeR
7. Folder Protector
8. Folder Lock Lite

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Mouse Tips All Should Know In Windows

Mouse is an important device for computer users. Some may not think about that, but guess a computer with no mouse and you to use the keyboard everytime you want to click something, maybe an icon or a pageo r anything else. Now did you find the use of mouse. In fact, mouse is one of most important input device apart from keyboard. That is why, when you buy a computer system, keyboards as well as mouse is also given becuase these are the basic input device for your sysytem.

Mouse is a device which coordinates using the x-axis and y-axis. Here are some mouse tips so that you can use the full potential of a mouse in time of need.

Left Mouse Buttton
The left mouse button is the one that we commonly use. It is used to open a folder, file or link.

Right Mouse Button
The right mouse button is used to open the property menu for the file, folder, or the web.

Move Text

If you have hightlighted a text, left click and drag it to move the text to the new position. This saves time instead of cutting and pasting everytime. You can also right click and drag the text and it will open the action menu which allows you to move, copy or link the text.

Shift Key + Mouse Click
Press the shift key and left-click the mouse wherever you want. It is used to highlight a portion or all the text in a text editor.

Ctrl Key + Mouse Click
Press the ctrl key and left-click the mouse to select multiple objects or hightlight multiple text. If single click didn't do the trick, try double-clicking.

Alt Key + Mouse Click
Press the alt key and left-click the mouse to select the text vertically. This is useful if your content is in columns.

Cut, Copy, Paste

You don't have to click the cut, copy or paste icons in text editors. You just have to right click on the highlighted text and options like cut, copy, paste including undo and redo will appear.

Links in New Tab
Press the Ctrl key and click on a link to open the link in a new tab.

Move & Copy
You can also use the mouse to move or copy folders, files or other items.

• Press the shift key and drag and drop item using the left mouse button to move the item.
• Press the ctrl key and drag and drop item using the left mouse button to copy the item.
• You can also drag and drop the file or folder using the right mouse button to open the action menu which allows you to copy or move create a shortcut.

Open Command Window

Did you know that you can open the command window using the mouse. You don't have to go the Run command and type "cmd" everytime you want to open the command window.  Press the shift key and right key on the mouse will open the option to open command window.

Functions of Mouse Wheel
All of you must be familiar with the mouse wheel since we all use it to scrool up and down. But there are also some other functions of the mouse.

• The mouse wheel is not just a wheel, but also a button. It can used as the mouse's third button.
• You can click the middle button to open a link in a new tab. Just click on the link and the link will automatically open in a new tab. 
• You can also close the link by simply clicking the middle button on the tab.
• Mouse wheels can also be used to scroll automatically. Just double-click on the mouse wheel, a arrow shaped cursor will come. Move the cursor to push the scroll bar to wher e you want to go.
• Zooming can be done by using the mouse wheel. Just click the Ctrl key and scroll up to zoom in and scroll down to zoom out. This can be done in most web browsers, documents etc.
• Click the shift key and scroll the wheel to go forward and back in most web browsers.

Power of multiple clicks 
You always double click to open a folder or a file or an application. But there are also some other importance in multiple clicks

• Double click on the title bar of your window to maximize it.
• Double click on the left hand side of your title bar to close it.
• Double click on a text to select a whole word.
• Double click and drag the mouse to select one word at a time.
• Triple click on a text to select the whole paragraph.

Mouse Side Buttons

Now many new mouse comes with side buttons which can be programmed to do anything. By default, the left-thumb button is used to go back on web pages. This helps you since you don't have to move your cursor anytime you want to change the browser tab windows.

Windows Snap To Feature

If you want to save time to automatically move your mouse to buttons of dialog box, you can turn on the Windows "Snap To" feature in the control panel. 

Move your Mouse with your Keyboard

Instead of using the mouse, you can use the keyboard to move the mouse cursor by enabling Windows option. 

Customize your Mouse

At last, you can customize your mouse button configuration. You can switch primary and secondary buttons, change the speed, change the pointer, display pointer trails. Finally, if you have a mouse with more than two buttons, installing the mouse software will allow you to customize your mouse even more.

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Resolve Windows Automatic Rebooting

Sometimes after a system failure or a system crash you may find that the windows OS keeps rebooting on and on. The system may open only up to the windows loading and then reboots. Yes, it is a problem happened to most PC in the world. You may sometimes worry about this or may get irritated. You may also try out all that you can to bring this back to normal. Sometimes you can or on the other hand, sometimes you cannot.

Some of the things that lead to this problem are:

• May be you clicked on the power switch to shut down fast. This saves time, but destroys the life of your computer. Because, one, by doing this you may corrupt the hard disk. The Hard disk as all of you is a magnetic device, so it needs time to save all the files correctly. That is why, it takes time to shut down when you click the Turn off button because the computer is saving the files and correcting all the work it had done. So if we shut down by clicking the power switch, we may risk losing the hard disk because the hard disk suddenly stops while working which may lead to system failure. So don't ever switch off like that. And all of you should use UPS also, because sudden power cuts can sometimes lead to hard disk damage. 

• Check your power supply. This problem may also arise due to dying power supply. Try checking your power supply whether it is in good condition and it still doesn't tell you; check the system with a spare one.

• It may be also due to the computer temperature. Always have in mind to have fans, heat sink or air compressor in your CPU cabinet. Make sure that these components work perfectly. Increase in work load means increase in production of heat, which may damage your processor. Keep your processor safe. Without your CPU, your computer is just like running dead. You need a processor for the smooth working of your PC. So keep in mind to keep safe of your CPU.

• Protect your cabinet from dust. Sometimes dust can also lead to damage in motherboard components. So it is better to clean your cabinet once in a while. Keep in mind to switch off your PC completely while cleaning. We do not want any damage to ourselves also. Right! 

Don't worry if your computer keeps on rebooting. You have many options to try out. First check all the system components. 

Method 1:

If you are using Windows 7 keep in mind that the problem is set by default to automatically restart the operating system after a system failure.

To avoid system reboot in the future, you have to cancel automatic reboot. Click Start - Computer - right click on Properties and click on Advanced System Settings.
 
In the advanced option, click Settings on Startup and Recovery.


In the startup and recovery settings, uncheck the Automatically restart for system failure and click Ok.


Method 2:

Here are some of the things to check while system rebooting.

• Check all your components are correct. No lose wire or something like that.

• Check you're HDD, RAM, power supply and other drives. Also your fans and heat sink.

• Remove the HDD and try to boot it from a bootable DVD.

• If you have a graphics card, remove it and try to connect the monitor to the onboard video chipset.

• Check the CPU temperature in BIOS.

• Check whether your CPU voltage is high enough to power up the system.

• It may be due to a system virus, try to get rid of it.

• Do a system repair by clicking the F8 button on restart. On the Advanced Boot Options screen, use the arrow keys to highlight Repair your computer, and then press Enter. Select a keyboard layout, and then click Next. On the System Recovery Options menu, click a tool to open it.

• Insert the Windows installation disc or a system repair disc and try to repair it.

• Troubleshoot your computer in safe mode. 

• If your problem doesn't end, try formatting and reinstalling the windows OS once more.

Hope you liked this post. If you have more ideas, feel free to comment them and let the people who are in trouble know the solutions.

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Keyboard Shortcuts All Should Know In Windows

Keyboard is an essential part of our life. Not only for computer professionals, but also to small kids onwards, we need keyboards to type in the data to the computer. In fact, keyboard is one of those devices which have reduced time management. So keyboards are a friend to anybody who uses computer, which may be everyone in today's world.

Using keyboard we can many things such as type in text, play video games, etc. As all of you know, keyboards are the evolved form of typewriters which were used to write documents in olden times. Well, keyboard is also used in writing, but has many functionality.

So you all use keyboards, so it important to know some of the shortcuts of your computer. I am using a Windows PC, so I am posting only Windows shortcuts. Sorry! Mac users, no hard feelings. It's just that I have come in contact with Windows more. Using shortcuts is really helpful in certain times. Instead of using the mouse dragging the text over and over again. It is best to use keyboard shortcuts sometimes.

Here is a list of some of the important keyboard shortcuts that all of you should memorize.

Ctrl + X or Shift + Delete
Press the control key and X or shift key and delete key on the keyboard to cut the selected text or selected item.

Ctrl + C or Ctrl + Insert
Press the control key and X or control key and Insert key to copy the selected text or selected item.

Ctrl + V or Shift + Insert
Press the control key and V or shift key and Insert key to paste the selected text or selected item that we had cut or copied.

Ctrl + A
Press the control key and A to select all text or items present in the program or device.

Ctrl + Z
Press the control key and Z to undo any change that we had just implemented.

Ctrl + Y
Press the control key and Y to redo the change that we had just undo-ed.

Ctrl + S
Press the control key and S to save the document or other file in any program. This can be used anytime when you are doing something important.

Ctrl + N
Press the control key and N to open a new bank document in the current program.

Ctrl + O
Press the control key and O to open a file within the current program.

Ctrl + P
Press the control key and P to print the document which is opened right now.

Ctrl + F
Press the control key and F to open the find option in any program.

Alt + Tab
Press the alt key and tab key to switch between open programs moving forward. Press Shift key along with these two to move backwards.

If you are Windows Vista or & or higher, you can use the Windows key and tab key to switch your programs in full screenshot mode.

Ctrl + Tab
Press the control key and tab key to switch between the tabs of a programs moving forward. Press Shift key along with these two to move backwards.

Windows Key + D
Press the windows key and D to minimize all open programs and show the desktop.

Windows Key + Down Arrow & Windows Key + Up Arrow
Press the windows key and down arrow to minimize the program. First it comes to its "normal state"; then press the down arrow again to minimize it completely.

Press the windows key and up arrow to maximize the program from its normal state.

Windows Key + Left Key or Right Key
Press the windows key and left or right key to slide your program to the left side or the right side of your window.

Ctrl + Shift + Escape or Ctrl + Alt + Delete
Press the control key along with shift key and escape to bring the task manager up front with any intermediate step.

Press the control key along with alt key and delete key to bring the task manager in Windows XP, whereas we have to choose the task manager in Windows Vista, 7 and higher versions.

Ctrl + Escape
Press the control key and escape key to open the start menu. It is an alternate way of using the windows key.

Windows Key + L
Press the windows key and L to lock your PC and it immediately displays the login screen.

Windows Key + P
Press the windows key and P to switch setting if you are giving a presentation or using multiple monitors.

Windows Key + Plus sign or Minus sign
Press the windows key and plus sign or minus sign to zoom in or zoom out.

Ctrl + Backspace
Press the control key and backspace key to delete a full word instead of a single letter.

Ctrl + Left Key or Right Key
Press the control key and left or right key to move the cursor one word at a time instead of one character.

Ctrl + Shift + Left key or Right key
Press the control key and shift key along with left or right key to highlight one word at a time. Press the shift key and down to select one line instead of one word.

Shift + Home key or End key
Press the shift key and home or end key to highlight the line in which the cursor is instead or selecting one word or a character at a time.

Ctrl + Home key or End key

Press the control key and home or end key to bring the cursor to beginning or to the end of the document.

Page Up, Page Down

Press the page up key to move up one page at a time. Press the page down key to move down one page a time.

Press the space key also to move down one page at a time.

Alt + Enter

Press the alt key and enter key to open the properties of selected item.

Alt + F4

Press the alt key and F4 to close the current program.

F1 to F12 (Function Keys)
F1: Used as help key for Windows and also for most programs.
F2: Used to rename files and folders
F3: Opens the search feature for Windows and most programs.
F4: Opens find window in Windows 95 to XP, Opens address bar in windows.
F5: Refresh or reload Windows or the current document.
F6: Moves the cursor to the address bar of most programs.
F7: Commonly used to spell check or grammar check.
F8: Used to enter Windows startup menu, commonly to enter Windows safe mode.
F9: Refresh document in MS Word and send and receive mail in MS Outlook.
F10: Activates the menu bar of Windows.
F11: Enter and exit full screen mode in most browsers.
F12: Open the save as window in MS Word.

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