Most keyboards include a Windows key (winkey). It's on the bottom row, next to Alt, and has a little flag on it. It's really useful in combination with other keys. For example:

-- WinKey+R - Open the Run dialog

-- WinKey+Pause - Open the System Properties

-- WinKey+F - Find: All Files

-- WinKey+M - Minimize all open windows

-- WinKey+D - Show/Hide Desktop

-- WinKey+E - Open Windows Explorer

-- WinKey+F1 - Open Windows Help

 ONE BIG THING TO KNOW ABOUT PAY PAL Speaking of auctions, many people use PayPal, an eBay subsidiary. You should know that PayPal has different arrangements with various credit cards. If a buyer using Visa or MasterCard is defrauded, the buyer can get a chargeback from the credit card company. PayPal is stuck with the bill. Buyers using Discover and American Express do not have that protection. Keep that in mind when you buy through PayPal.

LET ALL KNOW IT IS A "DRAFT" Working on a Word doc and want every one to know it is a draft? Go ahead and make the word "draft" appear faintly in a Word 2002 printed document. Word calls these "watermarks." To add one to a printed document, from the Format menu, select Background and then Printed Watermark. To insert a text watermark, click Text watermark and then the text you want. Select any additional options, such as the watermark appearing diagonally or horizontally, and click Apply. To see your watermark onscreen, click File and Print Preview.

Printing Internet Explorer Favorites
Q. I have a number of sites in my Internet Explorer Favorites at the office. I would like to save some, but not all, to my home computer. How can I print the links, so I can type in the ones I want at home? -- Bill in Seattle, listening on KQBZ 100.7 FM

A. It is possible to print the links. Open Internet Explorer and:

--Click File>>Import and Export

--Click Next>>Export Favorites>>Next

--Highlight Favorites>>click Next

--Select a folder to export to and click Next. Click Finish

--Go to the bookmark.htm file you just created and double click it

--Click Print. Select the "Print table of links" box. Click Print.

Typing in all those links is going to be a bear. There's a better way. First, create the bookmark.htm file as above. Double click it. Then:

--Click Print>>Edit with Microsoft Word. You'll get what looks like gibberish. That's actually HTML. Look at it closely. You'll find the items you want to drop. Delete them, along with the attendant HTML code

--Save and close the file

--Send the file to your home computer's e-mail as an attachment

--At home, download the attachment to your hard drive

--Open Internet Explorer

--Click File>>Import and Export

--Click Next>>Import Favorites>>Next

--Click Browse and navigate to the saved file

--Click the file>>Save>>Next

--Select the folder where you want to put the new list of favorites

--Click Next>>Finish

Obviously, there are more steps in the second process. But it saves you from having to enter the URLs manually. If you don't have Word, edit the bookmark file in Microsoft FrontPage or WordPad, Windows' word processor. To find WordPad, click Start>>All Programs (in 98 and ME, "Programs")>>Accessories>>WordPad.

Q. On a recent show, you mentioned that you always look for special promotional codes when shopping online. How does that work and can you tell me the names of the sites?

A. Spending more money than I have to on anything drives me crazy.

That's why I am especially fond of the secret code words, sometimes called "promotional codes," used by Web retailers. Know the code and you save money!

Promotional codes are distributed by the retailers. People who are regular customers of these stores get the codes by e-mail or regular mail. But even if you are not a regular customer, you can still get the code. You just need to know where to look.

Luckily, there are several web sites that do nothing but accumulate and list promotional codes that you can use when shopping online.

Some sites that I use to get the codes are:

Current Codes -- http://www.currentcodes.com
Naughty Codes -- http://www.naughtycodes.com
Deal Hunting -- http://www.dealhunting.com
Cool Savings -- http://www.coolsavings.com

So what I do is have two browser windows open when shopping. One window is where I am doing my shopping and placing my order. And the other browser window is the one I use to find the promotional codes.

Once you get the code, there is a place during the checkout process to enter a promotional code. Type in the code and your total amount due is automatically adjusted. This is a secret only the Internet power users like you know!

Q. I worry about losing my Favorites, address book and stored e-mail. Is there a way to back these up? I use Internet Explorer and Outlook Express. Thank you for your help, Kim!

A. You can back all of these up. Microsoft has made provisions for that. But you may want to use a third-party program instead. Microsoft's way is involved.

Let's take the Favorites first. These are your links in Internet Explorer. You create this list, using the Favorites button, when you find sites that you will want to access again. Over time, this list can become lengthy. It would be a shame to lose it.

To back up the Favorites, open Internet Explorer and click File. Click Import and Export. That will open Import/Export Wizard. Click Next. Select Export Favorites. Click Next, select Favorites, and click Next. Select the destination folder, and click Next. Click Finish, and you're done.

The name of the Favorites file is Bookmark.htm. If you want, you can copy it to a floppy or CD.

You can also export your saved e-mail and Address Book in Outlook Express. To Export the Address Book, click File>>Export>>Address Book. Select Text File (Comma Separate Values). Click Export. Click Browse and select the folder to store the Address Book. Click Next and select the fields you want to export. Click Finish and Close.

Saving your e-mails is easier. Click Tools>>Accounts. Select the Mail tab and mail account, and click Export. Browse to the target folder and click Save. Click Close.

There is more at risk in Outlook Express than e-mails and the Address Book. You have program settings, filters, news group settings, stationeries, blocked senders list and more. You can back all of this up individually, but I would use a shareware program. That is much simpler.

Two good programs that back up Favorites and Outlook Express are:

ABF Outlook Express Backup ($29.95), http://www.abf-soft.com/

Genie Backup Manager V4.0 ($49.95), http://www.genie-soft.com

In case you want to read Microsoft's instructions, they are here: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=270670

Compared to its shaky predecessors, Windows XP rivals the Rock of Gibraltar. But this doesn't mean you can just compute and go. Periodic maintenance is essential to keep your computer humming along.

Start with Disk CleanUp. It does quite a few things to free hard disk space including removing temporary Internet files, files in the Recycle Bin, installed programs that you do not use, and old Restore Points.

To use Disk Cleanup, double-click My Computer, right-click the hard disk on which you want to free space, and select Properties. Click Disk Cleanup on the General tab.

On the Disk Cleanup tab, click to select the check boxes of the files that you want to remove, click OK, Yes, and OK. When done, click the More Options tab. Here, you can remove Windows components that you do not use. On the More Options tab, you can also remove installed programs and restore points, too.

Next, get the hard disk in tip-top shape. Disk Defragmenter and Chkdsk (which replaced ScanDisk, found in earlier versions of Windows) are important tools.

Run these as a pair at least monthly, starting with Chkdsk. As its name implies, ChkDsk scans the hard drive for errors. It should be set to correct any errors automatically. The most common type is orphaned data located on the hard drive. This is most often caused by an improper shutdown or system crash.

To use Chkdsk, click Start and My Computer. Right-click the hard drive you want to check, and click Properties. Select the Tools tab and click Check Now. Check both boxes. Click Start. You'll get a message that the computer must be rebooted to run a complete check. Click Yes and reboot. Chkdsk will take awhile, so run it when you don't need the machine.

Next comes Disk Defragmenter. When you save a file, bits and pieces of the file can be scattered on the hard drive. Disk Defragmenter puts these bits in contiguous order, so the file can be more easily reconstructed. That speeds up opening files.

Disk Defragmenter shares the Tools tab with Chkdsk. Click the Defragment Now button.

Another area that can stand an occasional scrubbing is the Registry. This massive database tells Windows how to run. As you install and delete programs, remnants are usually left behind in the Registry. Eventually, this debris can make Windows shaky.

The Registry is a critical part of Windows. Before cleaning it, back it up. Click Start and Run. Type "regedit" (without the quotes) in the box and click OK. In the Registry Editor, click File and Export. Select a folder in which to save the backup. Name the file Registry Backup and click Save. If cleaning the Registry leaves your computer unstable, double-click the Registry Backup file to restore it.

Two free programs, EasyCleaner 1.7 and RegSeeker 1.30, make light work of cleaning the Registry.

http://www.toniarts.com/ecleane.htm

http://www.hoverdesk.net/freeware.htm

Despite regular maintenance, Windows XP can still misbehave. Here's where Dr. Watson can help diagnose the problem. Dr. Watson creates a log file that lists everything that happened. It is difficult for the everyday owner to understand, but could help a technician. Open Dr. Watson by clicking Start and Run. Enter "drwtsn32" in the box (without the quotation marks) and click OK.