Rick's Daily Tips

Explore the universe in 3D with Celestia

Posted on December 27, 2012

Do you enjoy learning about the universe and exploring the wonders of space? How about visiting a planetarium for an up close and personal tour of the night sky? If so, you’ll love a free program called Celestia!

Celestia brings the known universe right to your computer screen with amazing animations and “tours” that will keep you spellbound for hours.

You can also choose to go directly to the heavenly body of your choice or “travel” from the solar system to over 100,000 stars and even beyond the Milky Way!

After downloading and installing Celestia, I recommend starting your journey by running the Demo (Simply click “Help” followed by “Run Demo”).

You’ll find links to Celestia’s documentation and the download page right here.

How to use System Restore in Windows 7

Posted on December 22, 2012

system-restore-screenshot

The System Restore utility included with the latest versions of Microsoft Windows is one of the most wonderful tools Windows users have at their disposal. It works somewhat like a time machine, allowing you to restore your Windows installation and software back to the state they were in at any point in time at which a Restore Point was created. If you make a change to your system that renders it unbootable or if a virus or other problem causes issues with Windows performing the way it should, a System Restore can almost always save the day.

If System Restore is turned on, the system creates Restore Points automatically from time to time. Restore Points are also created before updates are installed or other major changes are made to your Windows installation. What’s more, you can create a Restore Point manually should you feel the need to do so for any reason. [Read more…]

How to quickly minimize all open windows

Posted on December 22, 2012

For various reasons we often need to minimize all the open windows in order to see the Desktop. Instead of clicking the minimize button for each window one by one we can minimize all the windows at once with a single mouse click or keystroke – your choice. Here’s how:

1 – Click the “Show Desktop” icon located in the Quick Launch toolbar in the lower left corner of the screen. In the screenshot at right the “Show Desktop” icon is the first icon to the right of the “Start” orb. It might be in a different position on your screen. To restore the windows back onto the screen, simply click the icon again. Note: Windows 7 doesn’t display the Quick Launch toolbar by default so you’ll need to use option 2 below…

windows-key 2 – Hold down the “Windows” key and press the “D” key. You’ll typically find the “Windows” key at the lower left corner of the keyboard between the “CTRL” and “ALT” keys. (Refer to the image at right.) Pressing Windows-D again will restore all the windows back onto the screen.

Beware of installing unwanted software and toolbars

Posted on December 21, 2012

toolbar-install

One of the great things about the Internet age is the availability of thousands of useful programs, tools and apps just waiting for you to download and use free of charge. I use a number of these freebies on a daily basis, and most of them work just as well (and in some cases better) than their commercial counterparts. If you aren’t careful however you can easily install “extras” such as browser toolbars and additional apps that can slow down your system or even steal your personal information.

These “extras” are usually downloaded with your permission whenever you install a “free” program. The reason many of these programs are free is because the companies behind the toolbars and “extra” apps pay the maker of the free software to help them distribute it. This is how it works… [Read more…]