Gtalk Shortcuts

Here are some quick keyboard shortcuts that you can use while chatting with your online contacts using Google Talk. These are especially
useful if your mouse stops functioning and you are left with just your keyboard to work on.

Below are the Shortcut key combinations and its function:

[TAB]: Is used to give focus to each of the windows opened by Google Talk.
[CTRL] + [I]: The same function as tab.

[SHIFT] + [TAB]: The reverse of what Tab does.
[CTRL] + [TAB]: The same as Shift + Tab
[CTRL] + [SHIFT] + [L]: Switch between points, numbers, letters, capital letters, roman numbers and capital roman numbers.

[CTRL] + [1 (KEYPAD)]: Creates a normal space between the lines.
[CTRL] + [2 (KEYPAD)]: It creates a double space between the lines.
[CTRL] + [5 (KEYPAD)]: A space of 1.5 is created between the lines.

[CTRL] + [END]: Moves cursor to the end of the current line.
[CTRL] + [7 (NUMPAD)]: Moves cursor to the beginning of the current line.

[CTRL] + [F4]: Closes the current window.
[ALT] + [F4]: Closes the current window.
[ALT] + [ESC]: Minimizes all windows.

[F9]: Opens the Gmail page in your browser to send an email to the current contact.
[WINDOWS] + [ESC]: Opens Google Talk (if it’s minimized, or in the tray).
[F11]: It initiates a voice call with your friend.
[F12]: Cancels a voice call.

[ESC]: Closes the current window.
[CTRL] + [R]: Justifies the selected text, or the current line to the right.
[CTRL] + [E]: It centralizes the selected text or the current line.
[CTRL] + [L]: Justifies the selected text, or the current line to the left.

Speed/Slow your Scroll Mouse

Every time your scroll in Windows, the mouse scrolls few lines at a time. If you want to edit this value so it scrolls more or less, you can edit a key in the registry.
1. Click on the Start Button, click on Run, and type in regedit and hit Enter.
2. Navigate through HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop.
3. Scroll to the bottom and edit WheelScrollLines. Set this to a lower value for a more sensitive scroll wheel and to a larger value for less sensitive.
4. Reboot.

Improve your Outlook experience with Xobni

Here’s a way to extend the functionality of Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, and improve email communication too.
There is no doubt that Microsoft has put in a great deal of effort and investment to develop Outlook Express and Outlook email clients. Why, Outlook offers much more than email: It is also a PIM (Personal Information Manager) and it can be used collaboratively to plan meetings. But when it comes to email, there are some limitations. As the number of messages in a mailbox increases, it becomes extremely difficult to locate specific messages. Yes, Outlook offers ways to sort this out with various ‘Views’ and advanced search features. Yet these are not quite user-friendly or accurate as one would expect. Moreover, these features are buried deep under a heap of menus, which at times can be rather frustrating. So, what does one do? Abandon Outlook and use Thunderbird or some other mail client? Well, we discovered an efficent add-on tool for Outlook called Xobni (Inbox spelt backwards).

Even Bill Gates acknowledges Xobni. “This is really a kind of social networking set of capabilities but brought into Outlook itself. And so we think it’s very, very cool,” said Gates.
Well, let’s get to the point; so what does Xobni really do? Xobni indexes all mail (in all folders) downloaded into Outlook. It also indexes notes, calendars, tasks, and address books. It then searches deep within Outlook and presents the user with historical information that can be used for follow-ups, or to track workflow and schedules. This tool analyzes communication patterns and creates a profile for every person that the user communicates with. The highlight of this tool is that it is quick in locating every message that relates to a keyword or person.

Xobni appears as a task pane on the far right of the screen, and when it loads it displays a search box and lots of useful information.

The Xobni sidebar is collapsible and it can be turned off (if you think it slows down Outlook). But it auto loads with Outlook and begins indexing messages in the background. We encourage you to use Xobni analytics and study the information and statistics that Xobni offers for each user profile (profiles are created for every user with whom you communicate).

Step 1: Download and install

Download the setup file from www.xobni.com. The installer file is 3.5 MB in size. In addition to the setup file, you will also need the Microsoft .Net framework. During installation Xobni checks if this is installed on your computer. If not, then Xobni proceeds to fetch and install it for you. It also offers to optionally link the Xobni sidebar with Linked.com profiles. If you choose to do so, existing Linked profiles of address book contacts are shown on the Xobni sidebar (this can be turned off later). We advise you to skip this, as it does not really contribute too much to productivity.

Step 2: Indexing mail

After the installation, Xobni will take some time to create an index. We suggest you interrupt this process by shutting down Outlook (and Xobni). Restart Outlook, display the Xobni sidebar and then manually start the indexing. Follow these steps.

• Press [Ctrl] + [Alt] + [Del] to load the Windows Task Manager.

• Click on the ‘Process’ tab.

• Search the process named ‘OUTLOOK.EXE’ and shut it down.

• Reload Outlook and click ‘Xobni | View Xobni Sidebar’.

• Click ‘Xobni | Index All Mail’.

Step 3: Xobni Setup

You can improve Xobni performance (and Outlook response) by tweaking some options in the setup.

• From the Outlook menu select ‘Xobni | Options’.

• Go through the self-explained options within the ‘General’, ‘Integration’ and ‘Schedule Time’ tabs.

• Click the ‘Indexing’ tab. It shows collapsed Outlook folders.

• Click the ‘+’ sign against a folder name to expand it.

• Choose what subfolders are to be indexed by checking or unchecking the boxes alongside.

To speed up indexing one may exclude the ‘Archive’  ‘Journal’, ‘Notes’, ‘Tasks’, ‘Drafts’, ‘Junk Mail’, and Deleted Items’ .

Step 4: Xobni Analytics

Xobni provides you with statistics and information that Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express cannot. Here is some of the information that it shows.

• The total number of e-mails received and sent to a particular person at different times of the day.

• Ranks e-mail by sender (number of e-mails received from a particular person against the total in Inbox).

• The maximum number of incoming e-mails that you have received, listed sender-wise.

• The number of conversations you’ve had, and the contents of those conversations.

• The number of files exchanged as attachments and the list of  these attachments Xobni Analytics shows this information in graphical form. To do so, click ‘Xobni | Xobni Analytics’.

Step 5: Xobni Search

Perhaps the best part of Xobni is the speed and accuracy with which it can search for messages sent and received in the past. Messages are searched even as you type the keyword. For instance, type ‘’HP India” in the Search box and in a few seconds it will list all email conversations that contain these keywords.
Simply point at a particular message (in the search results) and it will be displayed in a balloon. Double-click on the message to open it. You can reply or forward within the Xobni window itself, or open that message in the Outlook window. We also found Search useful for tracking conversations related to a particular project. In the search results, click ‘View Conversation’ and Xobni immediately shows a list of all messages that are linked (all the threads in the communication). It also lists the people involved in the conversation and the files exchanged in the conversations (attachments). This is really useful during a project that involves dispersed teams.  Of course, Outlook also has a feature to group messages by conversation, but  Xobni makes the task really easy. 

Avoid WGA notification

Before Windows XP Service Pack 2 came along, Windows validation was optional. But if you have updated your Windows to SP2 (or use Windows Vista), then you will be frequently reminded to validate your copy of Windows. A module named WGA notifications is responsible for these reminders; this module is installed as one of the Windows Updates.
How can you avoid WGA Notification  to install Windows XP Service Pack?

When updating Windows, do not select Package KB892130, which is the WGA module. 
It will avoid WGA notification, if you are using pirated copy of windows.

Memory Tweaking

You must have come across numbers such as 5-5-5-15 or 4-4-4-12 or CL4 on memory modules. Do you know what these numbers mean? These are memory timings or the speed at which the memory processes certain data required by the processor. The higher these numbers, the longer the processor has to wait for the memory to respond and fetch data from it. Hence, the lower the memory’s timings, the better it is. Therefore high end memory capable of running at faster speeds and tighter timings are more expensive than the regular entry level variants.

The series of four numbers separated by dashes are listed in the following order: CL – TRCD – TRP – TRAS. Out of these the first number which is the CAS (Column Access Strobe) Latency is the most important timing. In simple terms, this is the amount of time (number of cycles) that elapses between the memory controller sending a read command and time taken to read data from the module’s pins. For optimal system performance it is recommended to set the memory speed and timings in the BIOS to the rated specifications listed by the manufacturer. If you install memory onto your motherboard and leave the memory speed and timings on automatic mode, it’s quite likely that the memory will run at BIOS’ optimal settings and not at the memory’s rated specifications. Thus the memory may run at a lower frequency or looser timings thereby reducing your PC’s performance. So here’s a quick guide on how to configure your RAM and gain a performance boost.

Step 1: Finding out the specifications of your RAM

First determine the speed and the timing of your RAM. This information is mentioned on the module. If not you can find the information on the manufacturer’s website or you can ask your hardware dealer. Most entry level DDR2 memory modules have timings of 5-5-5-18 or 5-5-5-15. This is also true if only the CAS Latency (CL) is mentioned and specified as 5. Incase you’re building a new PC, buy memory that will run at the maximum (or lower) speed supported by the motherboard. If the speed of memory is faster than that supported by the motherboard, it will run at lower speed.

Step 2: Tweaking the BIOS settings

After noting the required information, restart your PC and enter the BIOS settings. Navigate to the section which has the memory settings. If the speed and timings of the memory are set to auto, set them to the rated specifications manually. Save the BIOS settings and restart the PC when you’re done.

Step 3: Verifying the settings

If your PC boots means everything went fine. You can use the utility called CPU-Z to check if the memory is running at the specified settings. If your PC doesn’t boot, reset the BIOS and check whether your configured the memory correctly. Incorrect memory settings can also lead to system instability.