Some useful keyboard (Windows) and Browser shortcuts

General keyboard shortcuts

• CTRL+C (Copy)
• CTRL+X (Cut)
• CTRL+V (Paste)
• CTRL+Z (Undo)
• DELETE (Delete)
• SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
• CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)
• CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)
• F2 key (Rename the selected item)
• CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)
• CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)
• CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)
• CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)
• CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)
• SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)
• CTRL+A (Select all)
• F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)
• ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
• ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
• ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)
• ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)
• CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents open simultaneously)
• ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
• ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)
• F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)
• F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
• SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)
• ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)
• CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)
• ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu)
• Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)
• F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)
• RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)
• LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)
• F5 key (Update the active window)
• BACKSPACE (View the folder one level up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
• ESC (Cancel the current task)
• SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)
• CTRL+SHIFT+ESC (Open Task Manager)

Microsoft natural keyboard shortcuts

• Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)
• Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)
• Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)
• Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)
• Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restore the minimized windows)
• Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)
• Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)
• CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)
• Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)
• Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)
• Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)
• Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)

For more visit (taken from http://support.microsoft.com/kb/301583)

Some Browser shortcuts

Page Navigation Shortcuts

Command	Windows	Macintosh	Linux
Open History Window	Ctrl+H	Cmd+Shift+H	Ctrl+H
Reload	Ctrl+R	Cmd+R	Ctrl+R
Force Reload (not from cache)	Mozilla/NS: Ctrl+Shift+R IE: Ctrl-F5	Cmd+Shift+R	Ctrl+Shift+R
Back	Alt+Left Arrow or Backspace	Cmd+Left Arrow	Alt+Left Arrow
Forward	Alt+Right Arrow	Cmd+Right Arrow	Alt+Right Arrow
Stop	Esc	Esc	Esc
Home	Alt+Home	Cmd+Home	Alt+Home
Go to Bottom of Page	End		End
Go to Top of Page	Home	Home	Home
Select All Text in Location Bar	Alt+D	Cmd+L	Alt+D
New Window	Ctrl+N	Cmd+N	Ctrl+N
Move to Next/Previous Link or Form Element in a Web Page	Tab/Shift+Tab	Tab/Shift+Tab	Tab/Shift+Tab
Open File	Ctrl+O	Cmd+O	Ctrl+O
Close Window	Ctrl+W	Cmd+W	Ctrl+W
Save Page As	Ctrl+S	Cmd+S	Ctrl+S
Print Page	Ctrl+P	Cmd+P	Ctrl+P
Go Up One Page	Page Up/ Shift+Space	Page Up/ Shift+Space	Page Up/ Shift+Space
Go Down One Page	Page Down/Space	Page Down/Space	Page Down/Space
Go Up One Line	Up Arrow	Up Arrow	Up Arrow
Go Down One Line	Down Arrow	Down Arrow	Down Arrow
Turn on/off Caret Mode	F7	F7 (if F7 is not programmed for another command)	F7

Page Viewing Shortcuts

Command	Windows	Macintosh	Linux
Full Screen (toggle)	F11		F11 (may depend on window manager)
Zoom Text Smaller	Ctrl+- (minus sign)	Cmd+- (minus sign)	Ctrl+- (minus sign)
Zoom Text Larger	Ctrl+= (plus sign)	Cmd+= (plus sign)	Ctrl+= (plus sign)
No Zoom (back to normal/100%)	Ctrl+0	Cmd+0	Ctrl+0
View Page Information	Ctrl+I	Cmd+I	Ctrl+I
View Page Source	Ctrl+U	Cmd+U	Ctrl+U

For more visit (taken from http://www.uvic.ca/help/shortcuts.html)

The 10 Best apps I will recommend at this point of time

1.Browser: Firefox with its extensions, and K-Meleon as a lighter one.

2.Avast Antivirus

3. Smart defrag - for continuous and automatic defrag.

4. Advanced system care: for system maintenance and Malware removal.

5. 7-zip - Compression utility.

6. Bullzip PDF printer - for conversion into PDF by printing.

7. Syncnotes - sticky notes

8. Dropbox : The best online sync app.

9. Digsby - Multichat messenger

10. Foxit- Best but light weight PDF reader

Google Chrome : Dev channel, addons, Lastpass and changing channels

Google Chrome has introduced extensions compatibility with their new Dev channel. Google has three releaes. Stable, Beta and Dev.

You can change channels as below. But one thing if you want to go back to Beta or Stable channels, for which the new release is not available, you have to either wait till the new release comes or reinstall. Again it may be better to backup your profile, in case you think you may want to go back to an earlier release.

Using the Channel Changer to Subscribe to a Channel

1. Download and run the Google Chrome Channel Changer (http://chromium.googlecode.com/files/chromechannel-2.0.exe).
2. Click the circle next to the channel you want to get updates from.
3. Click Update to save your choice.
4. Click Close.
5. In Google Chrome, click the wrench menu and choose About Google Chrome.
   
   
6. Click Update Now to install the current channel's release.
   
7. Restart Google Chrome.

The new Chrome dev version supports extensions. So far few extensions may be there. But the most important one is Lastpass, which you can install as below;

Lastpass extension

Then install LastPass from https://lastpass.com/lpchrome.crx

Windows - some useful tweaks

1. Disable the Windows Startup / Login Sound:

Feel distracted or annoyed by the Windows startup sound, whenever you bootup.Open "Sounds and Audio Devices" from Control Panel. Click Sounds tab. In the "Program events:" slect Windows startup or login as needed.

Click on the pop-up menu that currently says "Windows XP Startup" under "Sounds" and select None. Or you may change to a tone of your liking. Click 'OK' or 'Apply' and you are done.

2. Reduce Bootup time (Defragment Windows Bootup):

Open Regedit, Select "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction", Set Enable value to "Y".

Read what Microsoft says about this:

“Accepted values for this entry are Y or N. If the entry is set to Y, Windows automatically optimizes the file location for boot optimization. This optimization occurs automatically if the system is idle for 10 minutes. Boot optimization improves startup time by locating startup files in contiguous clusters on the volume, reducing the movement of the disk head when reading the volume.”

Some tips for Chrome (or Iron)

1. Task Manager: Shift + Escape (or right click the title bar)

Shows a Task Manager with the web sites that are open in the Browser. You can directly end any tab from the Task Manager.

2. Visual Browser History: Ctrl+H

3. Search your favourite web sites frome the address Bar : Once you visit a site which has its search engine, the next time you want to search the same site, just type in the site address followed by tab, to search the site.

4. Memory used by different browsers and also in tabs of Chrome open a new tab and type about:Memory in the address bar.

5.Reopen tabs closed by mistake: Press Ctrl+T, which will show an option Recently Closed Tabs in the tab so opened. Select the closed tab link to open it.

6. Desktop shortcuts: Open any site and choose "Create Application Shortcut" from the File Menu.

7. Open Chrome by default in incognito:

Make a new shortcut for chrome. Open the properties of the shortcut and modify the target by adding " -incognito" without the quotes at the end of the program path.

8. Drag & Drop downloads: After any download is finished you can just drag and drop the download directly from Chrome's bottom window to any folder.

9. Add a new search engine with an alias: You can add any search engine as default or with an alias. Open options feom tools menu. In Basics tab click on Default search: 'Manage' Button. In the dialog box which opens add the new search engine you need. In the url enter the url for any search you have done with the new search engine. Replace the search entry with %s. You can give an alias name for this search in the keyword entry. Like g for google search for example. Click OK and you are done. In this case next time you want to search with google just type g "your search term" in the url bar and the default search will be replaced with google as you needed and results of the google search will appear.

10. Add languages that you need chrome to be able to display:

1. Click the Tools menu .
2. Select Options.
3. Click the Minor Tweaks tab.
4. Click the Change fonts and language settings button.

Click the Languages tab.

• If your preferred language isn't listed, click the Add button, then select your language from the 'Languages' drop-down menu. Click the OK button to add it to the list.
• To change the priority of a language within your list of languages, select the language and use the Move up and Move down buttons. For example, if a website is available in both French and English, and you prefer to see the French content, move French above English in the list.
• To remove a language from the list, select the language and click theRemove button.

11. Split Chrome's tab into split pane: You can split the Chrome tab into two right down the middle. Just drag the bookmarklet from here to your bookmark toolbar. http://www.chromeplugins.org/plugins/google-chrome-dual-view/

12. How to create Profiles in Google Chrome Browser:

(http://www.labnol.org/software/create-family-profiles-in-google-chrome/4394/ )

Unlike Firefox that ships with a Profile Manager, the only way to create multiple profiles in Google Chrome browser is manually. Here’s how:

Step 1: Load Chrome and choose "Clear Browsing History" from the Tools menu. This will clear all your private data.

Step 2. Open your Google Chrome installation folder that is available at:

For Windows Vista - C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome 

For Windows XP - 

C:\Documents and Settings\\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome

Step 3: Open Windows Explorer and switch to the "User Data" folder available inside Chrome installation folder.

Then select the subfolder called "default" and make a copy of it in the "User Data" folder itself. Give that copy a name, say, Your_Name. (See screenshot).

Step 4 (Optional): We will now initialize this new "Your_Name" profile to the factory default settings.

Open "Command Prompt", switch to the Chrome Application folder and run the following command:

chrome.exe --user-data-dir="..\User Data\Your_Name" -first-run

Step 5: So our new user profile is ready. To run Google Chrome using this profile instead of the default profile, just create a shortcut on your desktop, Quick launch bar or your Windows Start Menu.

Right click anywhere on the desktop, choose New -> Shortcut and type the location:

For Windows Vista: C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe –user-data-dir="..\User Data\Your_Name"

For Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\User\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\Application\chrome.exe –user-data-dir="..\User Data\Your_Name"

13. How to move your cache folder location:

1) Right-click the Google Chrome program shortcut and select Properties from the menu.

2) Append the chrome.exe command line option switch at the end of program path in Target text-box with the following:

--user-data-dir="type the full path of the cache folder here

14. Bothered about privacy use Iron instead:

If you like Chrome and is bothered about privacy and Google making use of your browsing data, then Iron is a good browser to try.

http://www.srware.net/en/software_srware_iron.php

If you are using Iron instead of Chrome all these workarounds should work.

15. Foxit plugin for Chrome:

After installing Foxit, copy the "npFoxitReaderplugin.dll" found in "...\Foxit Reader\Plugin" folder and copy it in "C:\Documents and Settings\user\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Chrome\Application\Plugins" folder. For iron it will be something like "C:\Program Files\Iron portable\Iron\plugins" folder.

To disable the recent documents history In WindowsXP

1. Open Registry editor

2. Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer.

3. Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value of NoRecentDocsHistory by double clicking.

4. Set the Data Value to 1. Save the value and close the registry editor.

Firefox tweaks (about:config)

1. Reduce memory in use when firefox is minimized:

Go to about:config by typing in the url bar. Right-click any area in the window and select New > Boolean. In the dialogue box enter config.trim_on_minimize and press Enter. Select value True and press Enter.

2. Force Extension compatibility with Firefox 3.6 plus:

Go to about:config by typing in the url bar. Right-click any area in the window and select New > Boolean. In the dialogue box enter extensions.checkCompatibility.3.6 [format is extensions.checkCompatibility.(VERSION).(a for alpha OR b for beta) ] and press Enter. Select value False and press Enter.

Change the default time for ending any unresponsive program

If you click on ‘End Task’ when any program is unresponsive, you may find that the program is taking a long time to get killed. You can change this by editing the regedit.exe --- HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\WaitToKillServiceTimeout and change this value to 2000 or whatever you like.

Useful Firefox addons

LastPass Password Manager

by LastPass

LastPass is a free online password manager and Form Filler that makes your web browsing easier and more secure. LastPass supports IE and Firefox as Plugins (Opera, Safari, Chrome, iPhone, Opera Mini via Bookmarklets), allows you to import from every major password storage vendor and export too, captures passwords that other managers won't including many AJAX forms, and allows you to make strong passwords easily. Your sensitive data is encrypted _locally_ before upload so even LastPass cannot get access to it. One Time Passwords & Screen Keyboard help protect your master password.

Tab Mix Plus 0.3.8.1

by onemen, Gary Reyes

Tab Mix Plus enhances Firefox's tab browsing capabilities. It includes such features as duplicating tabs, controlling tab focus, tab clicking options, undo closed tabs and windows, plus much more. It also includes a full-featured session manager.Reload tabs at a specified time interval is also a feature of this addon.

Chromin Frame 1.0.9.3

by Zero Fire

Chromin Frame places the tab bar at the top of window, and replace the title bar and window frame bringing it closer to the Chrome look.

It's design to work with any theme.

Zotero

Zotero [zoh-TAIR-oh] is a free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources.

IE Tab

by PCMan (Hong Jen Yee), yuoo2k

IE Tab - an extension from Taiwan, features: Embedding Internet Explorer in tabs of Mozilla/Firefox...

Xmarks (formerly Foxmarks)

by Xmarks Inc.

Xmarks is the #1 bookmarking add-on. Install it on all your computers to keep your bookmarks and (optionally) passwords backed up and synchronized. Xmarks also helps you uncover the best of the web based on what millions of people are bookmarking.

Read It Later

by Idea Shower

recommended

Read It Later allows you to save pages of interest to read later. It eliminates cluttering of bookmarks with sites that are merely of a one-time interest.

Keyscrambler Personnel

by QFX Software

KeyScrambler encrypts your keystrokes in the kernel and decrypts it at the destination application, leaving Keyloggers with indecipherable keys to record.

The anti-keylogging browser addon protects IE, Firefox, Flock against keyloggers. It encrypts everything you type into a web page, including logins, account numbers, addresses, email messages, and more. Absolutely Free.

The following are not needed if Tab Mix Plus is used:

Session Manager

by Morac

Session Manager saves and restores the state of all windows - either when you want it or automatically at startup and after crashes. Additionally it offers you to reopen (accidentally) closed windows and tabs.

ReloadEvery

by Jaap Haitsma

Reloads web pages every so many seconds or minutes. The function is accessible via the context menu (menu you get when you right click on a web page) or via a drop down menu on the reload button

CheckPlaces 2.2.0

by Andy Halford

Checks your bookmarks are valid and the pages still exist, checks for duplicates and for empty folders and can restore missing favicons. Also checks and compacts (vacuums) your Places database.

Add to Firefox

Firefox change default alt option to open in new tabs

Firefox by default opens items typed in url bar, in the same tab. It is possible to change this by doing the following which changes the Alt key behaviour so that the default be opening in new tabs.

1. Download & instal the userChromeJS-1.0.xpi OR userChromeJS-1.1.xpi.

2. Create a userChrome.js file in the firefox chrome folder. ( see Profile_folder_-_Firefox , Chrome_folder). Paste the following code in the userChrome.js file so created :

(function() {
urlbar = document.getElementById("urlbar");
eval("urlbar.handleCommand = " + urlbar.handleCommand.toString().replace("&& aTriggeringEvent.altKey","&& !aTriggeringEvent.altKey"));
})();

This will change the default behaviour w.r.to Alt key in Firefox. It works from Firefox version 3.1 to Firefox 3.5 beta 4 version.