Automatic Log On
To preclude having to manually log on to Win2000 each time you start or restart it, click on Start, Settings, Control Panel and run the Users and Passwords applet. On the Users tab of the Users and Passwords dialog box, uncheck the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer check box and click on the Apply button. In the Automatically Log On dialog box that then opens, enter your user name and password. Henceforth you can automatically log on to Win2000 each time you start or restart your computer. If you're the only person who is going to be using your Win2000 Professional computer and are not connected to a network, disable the logon procedures by clicking Start, Settings, Control Panel. Next click the Users and Passwords icon and clear the selection named Users enter a user name and password to use this computer.

Double-Click Elimination
Everyone who uses Windows is used to the venerable convention of single-clicking an item to select and double-clicking to open it, and those who use the World Wide Web are used to the convention of pointing at an object to select and clicking once to open it. With the interface changes added to Win 2000/NT, you can adopt the point-to-select, click-once-to-open convention, and you don't have to use the Active Desktop. Click the Tools menu in any window and select Folder Options. (In WinNT Workstation 4, click the View menu.) Click the General tab and look for the Click Items As Follows section at the bottom of the page. (In WinNT Workstation 4, in the Windows Desktop Update section, select the Custom option and then click Settings.)  In the Click Items section, select the Single-click option. You can also decide whether you want your icons to be underlined all the time, so they look like links on a Web page or underlined only when you point to them. Click on OK when you finish.

Files
With Win2000 Professional/WinNT Workstation 4, Explorer and My Computer do some actions that confuse people. For instance, when dragging a file one folder to another on the same drive, you move the file. When dragging a file from one folder to another on a different drive, you copy that file. It gets even more complicated, for example you can sometimes click on the file and hold down Ctrl or Shift to reverse the rules. So use the following commands. To copy a file to another location on the same disk drive, hold down Ctrl and drag the file there. To copy a file to a different disk drive, drag it there. To move a file to another location on the same disk drive, drag it there. To move a file to a different disk drive, hold down Shift and drag it there. When you can't recall how to copy or move a file, hold down the right mouse button while dragging and then choose Copy or Move from the menu.

Handling Files within Programs
Here are shortcuts to use with Win2000 Professional and WinNT Workstation 4 when working with files. Start a new file: Press Alt, F, N. Open an existing file: Press Alt, F, O. Save a file: Press Alt, F, S.  Save a file under a new name: Press Alt, F, A. Print a file: Press Alt, F, P.

Incompatible Program
Although most Win98 compatible programs will work just fine in Win2000 Professional, some will not, such as programs that use virtual device drivers, VxDs. WinNT 4 had the same restriction on VxDs, so if a program is listed as WinNT 4 compatible, it does not use VxDs and should be Win2000 compatible.

Internet Explorer Links Bar
The Internet Explorer (IE) Links bar in Win2000 Professional is located right next to the Address bar and is a convenient place to add links to a few Web pages that you frequently use. Just click the link to display the page. You can add a page to the Links bar in a number of ways by dragging the icon for the page from your Address bar to the Links bar, dragging a link from a Web page to the Links bar, or, dragging a link to the Links folder in your Favorites list. If the Links bar doesn't appear on your toolbar, click View, Toolbars, and Links.

Lock Up Your Computer
If you're leaving your desk for a break, lock your computer so others can't peek at your work by pressing and holding down the Ctrl and Alt keys as you press the Delete key. When the Windows Security dialog box appears, click Lock Computer to see the Workstation Locked dialog box. Now you can take your break. When you return to your desk and want to unlock the computer, press and hold down the Ctrl and Alt keys while pressing the Delete key. The Unlock Workstation (or Unlock Computer) dialog box appears. Now type your password and an asterisk will appear for each character you type to prevent others from seeing your password. Finally click OK.

My Documents
My Documents is a new folder on the Desktop of Win2000 Professional and My Pictures hides inside of it. Many Win2000 programs try to save files in the My Documents folder. Pictures from a digital camera and graphics that you create or download from the Internet go to the My Pictures folder by default. If you misplace a document or picture, try these two folders first before launching a full-fledged search.

Office 2000
In Word for Win2000, you can use several methods to move between two open documents. Two of the methods common to Word 97 and Word 2000 are choosing Window from the menu and then choosing another document, or pressing Ctrl + F6. In Word 2000, you can also press Alt + Tab to move between documents.

Personalized Start Menus
In Win2000 “Personalized Menus” is one way to reduce menu clutter. Win2000 keeps track of how often you use a particular menu shortcut. Those that you use infrequently are hidden from view, while those that are used frequently will gravitate toward the top of the menu. This feature is called a “Short” menu. Hidden items can be displayed by clicking the chevron emblem (two down arrows) on the bottom of any menu. Personalized Menus won't instantaneously appear because Win2000 needs to first learn your habits. If you decide that Personalized Menus are an infringement of your liberty and you would rather use the full, unabridged menu, turn off the personalized menus by clicking the Start, Settings, Taskbar & Start Menu, and General tab. Now deselect Use Personalized Menus before clicking OK.

Security Enhancement
You can ratchet up the security level of Win2000 by requiring all users to press Ctrl-Alt-Delete before logging in. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel and the double-click the Users And Passwords icon then click the Advanced tab. Now check the box for Require UsersTo Press Ctrl-Alt-Delete Before Logging On and click the OK button.

Shortcut Information Tips
With Win2000/Me you can make shortcut information tips by right-clicking the icon and choosing Properties. Next select the Shortcut tab and type any descriptive text that you need in the Comment box. The text in the box scrolls allowing you to add as much as a small paragraph of information. When you have finished adding your text, click OK.

Starting Up Internet Explorer
Win2000 comes with IE5. To show how tightly its browser is tied to the Win2000 operating system, Microsoft gives you many different ways to start IE. There’s a shortcut for IE that appears: on the desktop; another on the Quick Launch toolbar; and one on the Start, Programs menu. Or, you can type a URL into the Address Bar in My Computer or the Windows Explorer, and they morph to become IE. Click Start, Run, and then type the URL and click OK.

Synchronization
Synchronize, a Win2000 Professional "applet,” is a mini program or mini application. It synchronizes with updates online and offline data, including shared folders on another computer and offline Web. To use this feature choose Start, Programs, Accessories, Synchronize. Next click Setup to designate what is to be synchronized and then select the check box(es) for the item(s) to synchronize. When you’re finished selecting items, click Synchronize. On most networks, you're always connected to the files you're using, in which case Synchronize isn't used. But if you're not connected all the time, as when in the field, use Synchronize to match up your working files to those at the other location.

Taskbar
To more efficiently work with Win2000, you can display or hide the built-in toolbars on your Taskbar. When you choose one of the Window’s toolbars, its button appears on the Taskbar. To display a toolbar right-click a blank area of the Taskbar to display a pop-up menu. Then point to Toolbars and choose one, such as Links or Desktop, from the submenu. To hide the toolbar’s display, clear the checkmark for it on the Toolbar’s submenu.

Window to Window Switching
Sometimes switching from window to window is easy in Win2000/NT Workstation 4. If you can see any part of the window such as a corner, a bar, or a piece of dust, click on it. You can also just click on that window's button on the taskbar along the bottom of your screen. A fun trick, however, is to hold down the Alt key and press the Tab key. A box pops up in the center of the screen naming all the programs currently loaded into your computer's memory. If the program you're after has a little box around it, remove your finger from the Alt key. The window named in that box then appears on the screen. If you're looking for a different program, keep your finger on the Alt key and press the Tab key once again. At each press of Tab, WinNT moves its little box around the name of another open program. When the box reaches the desired program, you can release the Alt key. The program again appears on the screen.

In closing, Win2000 was distributed with approximately 500 problems. Service Pack (SP) 2 fixes hundred of these glitches and includes all changes incorporated into SP1. You can get this update by going to: Microsoft Downloads , or you can order the service pack on CD-ROM for $14.95 plus $5 shipping costs by calling Microsoft at 800/360-7561. There is one utility that does not work well with Ofc2000 if installed as part of Win2000. Apparently the SystemWorks component WinDoctor and Ofc2000 just don’t get along with one another.