Q:

But my Windows Experience Index shows only 5.9, with my weak link being my hard disk transfer speed.

I’m really disappointed. How much stock should I put into Windows rankings? Can I do better by replacing my current hard drive? What hard drives are on the market that are scoring 7 and up in transfer speed?

Are there changes I can make to my hard drive, like changing the filing system, that will speed it up and score it higher?

A: A low-scoring hard drive nearly always torpedoes a fast computer’s Windows Experience Ratings. You’ve asked very good questions, so I’ll tackle them one by one.

• How much stock should I put into Windows rankings?

Windows Experience Ratings work best mostly when comparing several computers on the showroom floor:

1. Click any computer’s Start button.
2. Right-click Computer, and choose Properties.

The resulting Windows Experience Index lets you see at a glance which computer beats the other in a fistfight.

To probe a particular computer’s strengths and weaknesses, click the words “Windows Experience Index,” shown to the left, and Windows fetches the window shown at the top of this page. As you can see, the usual bottleneck with high-performance computers comes with their hard drives.

When it comes to speed, hard drives haven’t kept up with processors, memory and graphics cards. Sure, hard drives hold more files than ever. But they can’t move those files around very quickly.

• Can I do better by replacing my current hard drive?

Yes, you can. But before doing that, try the cheap approach: Make sure your motherboard drivers are up to date. Drop by your computer manufacturer’s Web site, and see if they’ve posted any updates for your computer’s motherboard. If you know the motherboard manufacturer, drop by its Web site, instead. Updating a driver sometimes improves your scores.

If that doesn’t help, it’s time for a second hard drive. See, most vendors cut costs by putting one huge hard drive in a computer. It’s a sales ploy, as prospective buyers feel reassured at seeing all that space. But that large size comes at a price: a slow transfer speed.

So, what do you do? Here’s the secret:

Buy a small, fast hard drive, and use it to store Windows and your programs. Then, use your whopper hard drive for storing all your music, digital photos, and videos. The Windows Experience Index only measures your primary hard disk — the one where Windows lives — so you’ll not only increase your score, but speed up your computer.

• What hard drives are on the market that are scoring 7 and up in transfer speed?

Solid State Drives, the big brothers to the flash drives carried around on keychains, are today’s fastest drives. With no moving parts, these drives really kick up your performance.

Unfortunately, they’re expensive. An Amazon search for SSD internal hard drives found a 256 GB drive on discount for $699. The fastest drives could be the OCZ Vertex 2 series; as I write this, Amazon sells a 60GB OCZ Vertex 2 for about $170. Sure, they’re small. But they’re large enough for Windows and a handful of key programs. Everything else can live on your slow-but-mammoth second drive.

• Are there changes I can make to the format of my HD, such as the filing system, that will speed it up and score it higher?

No. If it was this easy, computer manufacturers would be boosting their scores by doing just that.

If you want the highest hard drive scores, go with the SSD drives. I’ve never seen a reviewer who didn’t immediately gloat over their speed increase. Many buyers begin lamenting over how slow everybody else’s computer seems to run in comparison.

So, to boost your Windows Experience Index, as well as your own experience, pony up the money for an SSD drive.

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A: Your 64-bit version of Windows can download and run the 32-bit version of Adobe Reader without any problem. Adobe offers Adobe Reader 32-bit program for free on its Web site.

As for Flash, Adobe doesn’t yet make a Flash player for a 64-bit browser. Adobe has really dropped the ball on this one. Perhaps they’ve tired of patching all of its security flaws.

However,  your 64-bit version of Windows comes with both the 32-bit and the 64-bit version of Internet Explorer. By running the 32-bit version of Internet Explorer on your 64-bit computer, you can still view Flash on the Web.

Both versions of Internet Explorer share the same home page, and Favorites menu. Unless you specifically choose to run the 64-bit version of Internet Explorer, the 32-bit version of Internet Explorer usually runs. For example, the 32-bit version runs when you start the browser from any one of the following locations:

• The Quick Launch toolbar
• The Desktop
• The Start menu
• A link or a file type that’s set up to open with Internet Explorer

The 64-bit version of Internet Explorer runs only when you choose “Internet Explorer (64-bit)” from the Start menu.

Choose About from Internet Explorer's Help menu to see if you're running the program's 32-bit or 64-bit version.

Not sure which version of Internet Explorer you’re running? Then click “About Internet Explorer” from the browser’s Help menu. If you don’t see the words “64-bit” listed, then you’re running the 32-bit version.

As for changing your 64-bit version of Windows to the 32-bit version, that’s another ball of wax. In short, it’s a huge chore, and you probably wouldn’t be able to harness the full power of your current computer. The 64-bit version of Windows is the way of the future, and Adobe’s Flash will soon be pushed aside.

Q: I’ve read the networking chapter in your Windows Vista For Dummies book, and now my Windows Vista computers can share the files in their Public folders. However, I cannot get the Windows Vista computers to share any of their

A: Unlike Windows XP, Windows Vista complicates the sharing of folders on a home network. Windows XP let you share nearly any folder fairly easily. Windows Vista, by contrast, expects people to share only one folder: the Public folder and its contents. (Windows 7′s new Homegroup system simplifies sharing considerably.)

As Microsoft’s designers intended, Vista’s sharing method keeps your files and folders more secure. When you deliberately place something into a folder named Public, you know you’re making it up for grabs.

These restrictions can be too much for small home networks, though, where you want your computers to share nearly everything easily and without restrictions.

To give everybody network access to a particular folder on your Windows Vista computer, follow these steps:

1. In Windows Vista, right-click the folder you’d like to share and choose Share. The “Choose People to Share With” window appears.



2. From the “Add” drop-down list, choose Guest, and then click Add. The word Guest appears in the Name column.  Leaving the Permission Level set to “Reader” lets any visitor read or copy the folder’s files, but not change or delete them. Leave the Permission Level set to Reader unless you trust everybody who sits at your computer, even future visitors who  may use the computer’s Guest account.



3. To let any visitor read, write, change, or delete the material in the shared folder, choose Co-owner from the Permission Level drop-down list.
   
4. Click the Share button to save your changes.

Following these steps gives everybody access not only to that folder, but its contents, including other folders inside it.

Q: I am running Windows 7 Home, and I need to print screen shots. The Print Screen button doesn’t work. What am I doing wrong?

A: When you press the Print Screen key, usually labeled “Prt Scr,” “Print Scr,” “PrtSc” or something similar, you won’t think anything has happened. It certainly won’t send your screen to the printer.

But in the background, Windows has sent a snapshot of your screen to the Clipboard, a little storage tank for things you want to change.

In your case, since you want to print that snapshot, you should copy your snapshot into a graphics program like Paint. (Paint is a graphics program included with every version of Windows, including Windows 7.)

Follow these steps to print or save screenshots from within any version of Windows:

1. On your Windows desktop, align your windows the way you want them to appear when printed or saved as files.
2. Press the Prt Scr key to send the image of your desktop to Windows 7′s hidden Clipboard. (To capture only an image of your currently open window, hold down Ctrl while pressing PrtScr.)
3. Click the Start menu, choose All Programs, choose Accessories, and click on Paint.
4. When Paint opens, click the Paste icon from the ribbon along the top; your image will appear in Paint.
5. Once the image is in Paint, you can print it (Ctrl+P) or save it as a file (Ctrl+S). (You can also edit it with Paint’s editing tools before printing or saving your handiwork.)

Yet, Windows comes with about 30 other Windows Key shortcuts, where you hold down the Windows Key and press a single letter or character to complete a task. Learning a few will really speed up your work, especially on laptops with their awkward trackpads.

I use these Windows key shortcuts most often:

• +E fetches the handy Computer program, which grants quick access to your drives, libraries, and favorite folders.
• + ← (the left arrow key) pins a window to your Desktop’s left edge; press and the right arrow to place another window against the right edge. That quickly aligns the windows side-by-side on your desktop, making for easy cutting and pasting between them.

• +1 launches the first program listed on your taskbar; if it’s already running, +1 brings it to the top of my desktop’s pile o’ windows. Similarly, pressing + 2 fetches the taskbar’s second program, +3 calls up the third, and so on.
• + X brings up the Mobility Center on a laptop, a subset of the Control Panel that deals exclusively with laptop features like checking the battery, and turning wireless Internet access on or off.

Here’s the full list of Windows Key shortcuts for Windows 7; many work in Windows Vista and Windows XP, as well:

	Open or close the Start menu.
+Pause	Display the System Properties window.
+D	Display the desktop.
+M	Minimize all open windows.
+Shift+M	Restore those minimized windows to the desktop.
+E	Open Computer.
+F	Search for a file or folder.
Ctrl++F	Search for computers (if you’re on a network).
+L	Lock your computer or switch users, handy when leaving the keyboard for a break.
+R	Open the Run dialog box.
+T	Cycle through programs on the taskbar.
+number	Start the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number. (If the program is already running, switch to that program.)
Shift++number	Start a new instance of the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
Ctrl++number	Switch to the last active window of the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
Alt++number	Open the Jump List for the program pinned to the taskbar in the position indicated by the number.
+Tab	Cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D.
Ctrl++Tab	Use the arrow keys to cycle through programs on the taskbar by using Aero Flip 3-D.
Ctrl++B	Switch to the program that just displayed a message in the notification area.
+Spacebar	Preview the desktop.
+Up Arrow	Maximize the current window.
+Left Arrow	Maximize the current window to the left side of the screen.
+Right Arrow	Maximize the current window to the right side of the screen.
+Down Arrow	Minimize the current window.
+Home	Minimize all but the current window.
+Shift+Up Arrow	Stretch the window to the top and bottom of the screen.
+Shift+Left Arrow or Right Arrow	Move a window from one monitor to another. (This assumes you’re using a second monitor.)
+P	Choose a presentation display mode if you’re using more than one monitor or a projection screen.
+G	Cycle through your Desktop gadgets.
+U	Open Ease of Access Center.
+X	Open Windows Mobility Center on laptops or netbooks.

A: Holding down the Ctrl key and pressing the letter “s” is one of many Windows shortcut keys. Shortcut keys are time savers, letting you keep your fingers on the keyboard while working, rather than knocking over the coffee while reaching for the mouse.

Pressing Ctrl+S means to “save your current document,” but Ctrl+S does slightly different things depending on what you’re currently doing:

• If you open an existing file, change a few things, and press Ctrl+S, your program saves the new information inside your opened file, keeping the file stored in its original location.
• If you create something new with a program and press Ctrl+S, the program creates a new file, asking you to choose a name and location to store your masterpiece. Most programs even simplify things by suggesting a file name and a location: They usually offer to place your new file inside one of your existing folders, depending on whether you’re working on a document, a music file, a video, or a picture. To retrieve that file later, return to that chosen folder.
• If you press Ctrl+S and you’re not working in a program, Windows does nothing. After all, you haven’t created any work to save.

But, you may ask, how do you find the file’s location if you don’t remember where you originally saved it?

You can find a file’s name and location in any of several ways:

• Click the Start menu and click Recent Items to see a list of the past 15 files you’ve created. Right-click a file’s name and choose “Open File Location” from the pop-up menu; Windows immediately opens the folder containing your long-sought file. (Windows even highlights the errant file’s name for easy clicking retrieval.)
• On the taskbar, right-click the icon of the program that created the file; hover your mouse pointer over the file’s name, and Windows lists the file’s location in a pop-up menu.
• Can’t even remember the file’s name? Click the Start menu and type a few words you remember from inside the document. Windows begins listing files containing those words. When you spot the right file, right-click its name and choose Open File Location.

The “Open File Location” command comes in handy whenever you can spot a file’s name, but want to see the folder where it’s currently living.

How do I get rid of this message?

A: You’re seeing yet another annoying Windows Vista feature. When you try to run some programs, Vista’s User Account Control (UAC) normally steps in, asking if you’re sure you want to run the program. (UAC is a safety mechanism that I cover in Windows Vista For Dummies.)

The message you’re now seeing means that one of your recently installed programs needs your click of approval. However, that particular program is trying to run as soon as you log onto your account. Since UAC doesn’t have time to step in, Windows simply stops the program from running, and sends you the message.

To stop the message, follow these steps:

1. Click the “Blocked startup programs” icon on the taskbar, and point to the “Run blocked program menu” list. There, in the figure below, you’ll see the programs Vista has blocked from starting.

2. If you want to run the blocked program, click its name. Type your password, if prompted, or click Continue, and the program will begin running. (Unfortunately, you must repeat these steps every time you log onto your account.)

3. If you don’t want to run the blocked program, or you’re not sure what to do, choose “Show or remove blocked startup programs.” Windows Defender appears, listing every program that starts automatically.

4. Click the name of the program you don’t want to run, and click the Disable button. (If you change your mind, repeat these steps, and click the Enable button.)

This message often appears in Vista after you install antivirus or other security programs. Those types of programs both require your approval to run, and they want to run as soon as you log onto your account. If you’re tired of seeing the message, check with the program’s manufacturer to see if they have an updated version that doesn’t trigger the message.

Microsoft’s support site offers more technical information about the error message.

Q:

How do I do this? Do I need a professional?

A: Today’s huge hard disks can be sliced up in a zillion different ways by dividing them into partitions. In plain language, a partition is simply a portion of the drive’s space.

Some people divide their computer’s hard drive into a single huge partition — the C: partition — and work from there. Others like to divide their hard drive into two or more partitions, keeping Windows on the C: partition, and saving the D: partition for bulky files like digital photos, movies or music.

In your case, you want to delete your D partition, and expand the C partition to fit the entire drive. Windows XP can’t handle this task by itself, but Windows Vista and Windows 7 can both handle the job fairly easily when you follow these steps:

1. Copy everything you want to save from your D: drive to your C: drive. (Or back it up to CDs or DVDs, because deleting the a partition erases its files.)
2. Click the Start button, right-click Computer, and choose Manage.
3. When the Computer Management window appears, choose Disk Management from the Storage area.
4. Right-click your D: partition and choose Delete Volume from the pop-up menu as shown below. (Click Yes at the confirmation prompt.)



5. Right-click your C: partition and choose Extend Volume from the pop-up menu.
6. When the Extend Volume Wizard appears, click Next at the opening screen, then click Next again to expand the C: drive to fill the room left by the now-deleted D: drive.
7. Click Finish to tell the Extend Volume Wizard to finish the job of extending the C: drive to fill the available space.

When you’re through, your C: partition will consume your entire drive.

Q:

A: An “Orb,” eh? Well, the button is spherical. And many folks on the Internet call the button a Start Orb. Even Paul Thurrott began calling it an Orb in his review of Windows Vista from November 16, 2006. (He still refers to the mystery switch as the “Start Button” in both his books, Windows Vista Secrets and Windows 7 Secrets.)

Microsoft, however, still refers to the button at the base of the Start menu as the “Start button” in both its online documentation and within Windows 7 itself.  For example, follow these steps to see Windows 7′s own Help menu mention the “Start button:”

1. Click the Start button and choose “Help and Support.”
2. Choose “Learn about Computer Basics,” then choose “The Start Menu (overview)” to see the figure below.

A search of Microsoft’s Web site doesn’t show the word “Start Orb” used in any official documentation, although many people call it that in the community-based forum.

One more bit o’ proof: Hovering your mouse pointer over the button (or Orb) fetches the word “Start.”

Although many people adopted the term “Orb” or “Start Orb” as a slang term for the Start button, it’s not an official Microsoft term, so I didn’t use it in the book.

What do you think, readers? Is it a Start button or an Orb?

Q:

A: When linking several computers to create a home network, it’s important for them all to share the same workgroup name. A workgroup name lets computers know which computers they’re allowed to recognize for exchanging information.

Fortunately, the workgroup name of “WORKGROUP”  has been standard for Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP Professional. Unfortunately, Microsoft gave Windows XP Home computers the workgroup name of MSHOME, so you should change it to WORKGROUP. If you’re using Windows XP Home — or if you want to change any Windows computer’s workgroup name to WORKGROUP — follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, right-click Computer, and choose Properties to see the System Properties window.
2. Click the Computer Name tab to see your computer’s name and workgroup name.
3. Click the Change button.
4. Delete the old workgroup name and type in WORKGROUP. (The name will automatically appear in capital letters.)
5. Click the OK button to save your changes.

You’ll have to restart your computer before your changes take place.

Windows 7. Follow the same steps, but in Step 2, click Change Settings before clicking the Change button.

Windows Vista. Follow the same steps, but in Step 2, click Change Settings before clicking the Change button. (You may also need to click Continue at Vista’s permission screen.)