I have often complained about the functionality of recent Microsoft software being hidden, so that users are hindered in making the best use of their software. Following the review of a ‘hints and tips’ file from Lockergnome, which appeared on a cover disk of a magazine recently, I stumbled upon some useful information concerning the Windows File Managers and toolbars. Checking these tips out led me to think of how I might use toolbars to improve my GUI interface.

Because I like to keep a neat and tidy disk drive I often have need to use a file manager. I still use the old Windows 3.x File Manager, although I am now prepared to use Windows Explorer much more than I did when I first started using Windows 9x. The other file manager tool with Windows 9x is My Computer. However, this is only Windows Explorer with pictures and no folder tree, so as to avoid confusing the non-technical. If, like me, you have an aversion to the My Computer dumbed down display you can change it so it opens to an Explorer interface as follows.

• Open up My Computer and select (Folder) Options from the View menu
• Select the File Types tab
• Scroll down the Registered file types and select Folder (not File folder).
• Click the Edit button
• From the Actions box select explore and click the Set default button
• Click the Close button twice and then close My Computer

The next time you open My Computer it comes up with the Explorer interface. To set it back to the dumbed down interface simply set open as the default for the Folder file type.

Recently I saw someone at work show a feature of My Computer I had never seen before, the ability to show a preview of graphic files. It works with Explorer as well of course. It seems to need a web enabled version of My Computer so works for Windows 98, NT4 and above. I am not sure what combination of Windows 95 and Internet Explorer is required. It does not work with IE 4, but perhaps it will if Active Desktop is installed? Of course one can open a picture file provided the extension is associated with an application but this is wasteful of time. Now, if you go to the folder where the picture files are and set My Computer or Explorer to View - As Web Page then when you select a picture file or html file a preview will appear on the left side of the file window. It is extremely quick to display and I guess it previews files that are recognised by Internet Explorer.

Now, lets have a look at Toolbars. I think you need active desktop installed, (but not necessarily turned on), for the following tricks to work. You will certainly need IE4 or above. When Windows 9x starts it default to displaying a taskbar at the bottom of the screen, the one must-have feature of Windows 9x. Microsoft Office users may also have an Office Toolbar, which can be quite flexible in what it displays. However, assuming you do not have Microsoft Office, there are some neat tricks that can be done with the Windows Toolbars.

If you left click the My Computer icon and drag and drop it to a screen edge up will pop the My Computer toolbar. This will show all items in the My Computer tree, which will include all the disk drives and the system folders. A bit like an Amiga or Macintosh, you can simply click on a disk icon to view its contents. As with all toolbars you can move it around the screen and customise its size. One other trick is to click the drive icon on the toolbar with the CTRL key pressed. The items inside will show on a menu. You can continue this idea on any folders displayed and you will get a cascading menu, a bit like using the Start button but focussed on your disk drive. A brilliant and useful function that nobody, except Lockergnome, told you about. One slight irritation is that if your disk drives have labels it displays the label name before the drive letter. This can be very wasteful of screen estate if the names are long and who uses the names anyway? Even novices refer to the I drive, rather than "Insecure files on Server MMS213"!

To close any toolbars just right click on a space in the toolbar and select Close from the context menu. It is worth looking at the context menu to see what else you can do with toolbars, such as 'Autohide' and 'Always on Top'.

Another feature of Toolbars is that you can create your own! Right click on the Taskbar, (or any Toolbar). From the context menu select Toolbars and then New Toolbar. Browse to an appropriate folder and click OK. You now have the contents of that folder as a toolbar on your Taskbar. Drag it off the taskbar wherever you like.

This gets the ideas flowing. You can create a folder or folders and fill them with shortcuts to your commonly used applications or data files. Having done that you can create toolbars from the folders. Now you have instant access to all your commonly used items. To really put the icing on the cake manipulate your new toolbars to pleasing positions on the screen. Now apply the registry tweak for hiding all icons on the desktop as given in my article, 'The Windows Registry - Part 5'. The result is Windows Nirvana - an uncluttered fully customised desktop specially for yourself! Should you wish further items on the toolbars at some later time simply create shortcuts in the appropriate folders. If you want to ensure privacy move your customised toolbars to a screen border and autohide them. Then, when you leave your workstation others cannot see anything on your screen. When you come back move the mouse to the toolbar position and up it pops.

These ideas have come from just a couple of tips from the Lockergnome. The cover disk on which I got the hints and tips file said they could be freely distributed. Click here for the complete file which is held as a compiled help file. Do visit the site and, if you want, sign up for the e-mail hints and tips service.