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Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Change What your Power Button Does

It's time to think outside the box on this Quicktip. The power button on the front of your PC; what does it do? It tends to put my computer at home to sleep when I press it, but what if you've got other stuff you'd rather it be doing?
What about just shutting the system down? Perhaps you'd like it to make your PC hibernate? Shoot, what if you don't want it to do anything at all?
Here's the tip.
For Windows Vista:Type “Powercfg.cpl” in the search box minus the quotes. Once the Power Options window appears, click on “Choose what the power button does” off to the left. Here, you can assign a function to the power button and away you go!
For Windows XP: Click Start>Run and then type in “Powercfg.cpl”, once again, minus the quotes. Under the Advanced tab you'll see options for how you want the power button to react to your press. Funny, though, that only XP gives you the option to have Windows ask you what you want to do when you press the button. This option is strangely absent in Vista. I guess Vista doesn't ask, Vista only tells!
Did you like this Quick Tip? Did you not? Let us know by rating or adding to it here:http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tips.php/change-what-your-power-button-does
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Conserve your LCD Monitor's Lifespan
Like all electronics, LCD monitors have a lifespan. Usually, this can be up to ten years or so, but even after only a couple of years our monitors can begin to dim; giving us a dark, eye-straining image that can make it difficult to get anything accomplished! You can tweak the brightness, fiddle with the contrast, but the damage has already been done. Your backlight is dying and you need to start shopping for a new monitor.
But wait! Say the monitor you're using still looks good at the moment. Is there any way to prolong the life of your LCD?
Why, yes, folks, there is! It's really easy, too! Notice the row of buttons on the front or side of your monitor? That's the adjustment panel. Here, you can set your monitor's brightness, contrast, horizontal and vertical positioning and a bunch of other settings to make your viewing experience better!
For now, all we're concerned with is the brightness and contrast. To make sure the backlight in your monitor lives as long as possible, turn both of these down a bit; just to tolerable levels. This takes the strain off of your monitor's backlight and will ensure that your investment sticks around for awhile!
As an added bonus: Here's a neat site that has all sorts of tests and explanations to keep your LCD monitor looking good and performing up to spec: http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test/
Keep it alive!
~ Be Sure to Leave Your Comments!

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