What Is On My Clipboard?

You won't find this utility listed in your All Programs menus, but it is a handy way to view your clipboard contents. Click the Start button, then Run and type clipbrd in the run entry window.  Press the Enter key on your keyboard and a little known utility named Clipbook Viewer will appear.  The last thing you copied to the clipboard will be in this window.  You may need to double click your clip's title bar to actually view it.  It likes to initially show the clip minimized at the bottom of the Clipbook window. 

What Does the Windows Key Do?

All new computer keyboards ship with this extra key positioned on the left side of the left "Alt" button and the right side of the right "Alt" button. This extra button is known as the "Windows Key" and if you've already hit this button before, you know that it opens your start menu by default. Below are some other special command shortcuts you can use to quickly complete tasks on your Windows-based computer system.

• Windows key = Displays taskbar and Start menu
• Windows key + E = Starts Windows Explorer
• Windows key + F = Finds files or folders
• Ctrl + Windows key + F = Finds a computer
• Windows key + M = Minimizes all windows
• Shift + Windows key + M = Undoes Minimize All Windows
• Windows key + R = Displays the Run dialog box
• Windows key + Tab = Cycles through the taskbar buttons
• Windows key + Break = Displays the System Properties sheet

Windows XP Service Pack 2 Set For Launch In August

Microsoft announced on Monday, July 12 that the long awaited update to the Windows XP operating system should be available in late August, two months after it was originally scheduled for release. Although a definitive date has not been set, Microsoft expects to have the code prepared and sent to their manufacturing department by the end of this month. This major update to the popular Windows operating system includes many bug and security fixes as well as new features like the enhanced Windows XP Firewall.

This update will include the latest in security. Service Pack 2 will include all of the previous security updates from Service Pack 1 and many new fixes not yet released. The Windows XP Firewall has also received a new look and more functionality. The new firewall is basic, but powerful. It is built directly into Windows and offers an easy-to-setup interface to keep your computer safe and running efficiently. Microsoft also announced an update to the Automatic Updates tool which keeps your system up-to-date automatically using the Microsoft Windows Update site.

Mike Nash, Microsoft's vice president for security, said that the release of SP2 was delayed to ensure stability and security. Microsoft Chairman, Bill Gates, released the "Trustworthy Computing" initiative in a company wide memo back in June of 2002 to help fight criticisms that Microsoft software was unusable and a security risk to business.

Once Service Pack 2 (SP2) is released, it will be available to users for free from the Windows Update site or can be ordered on CD-Rom directly from Microsoft. This upgrade will also add new features to the Windows Update site, adding the ability to stop and resume downloads at a later time (a perfect solution for dialup Internet users trying to obtain the upgrade). Windows XP Home Edition will be about 70 MB (megabytes) and the update for Windows XP Professional will be about 92 MB, Nash said.

2004 Summer Olympics

With the 2004 Summer Olympics beginning in Athens in less than a month, our Hot Site this month spotlights Athens2004.com, the official site of the 2004 Olympic Summer games hosted in Athens, Greece. Although the site is geared more toward users who will actually be at the games, it offers detailed information on each sport for those who will be watching the games from home. The site also offers schedules, event overviews, news, newsletters, event results, e-cards and much more.

For more information on the upcoming Olympic games, the Official International Olympic Committee (IOC) website is also available at http://www.olympics.org. The IOC website has news and information on the upcoming Olympic games in Turin, Beijing and Vancouver, as well as information from past sessions. Check out http://www.olympics.org for more!