Master list of 220 submitted tips, plus some of Tracy’s favorites

Oh my goodness! It took forever and a day, but the tips are organized into some categories and edited to be fairly uniform and easy to scan.

When it was all said and done, I ended up with 220 tips I decided made the list (the ones I didn’t include wouldn’t have changed any rankings, trust me). I also kept some that somewhat sounded repetitive, but I’d rather have the little bit extra that tip provided than nix it for being similar to another.

Find the whole list in Word format here, or check out our forums for the same list and possibly some new, added ones.

Since I know it’s a huge list, I collected some of my personal favorites after the jump for those who don’t have time to read the whole 220 but want to catch a glimpse, although all the tips are great. Also, all the tips will at some point make it onto the Tip of the Day feed, so you can subscribe to that to get tips sent to you at a steady pace.

My favorite tip? I don’t even remember who this is from any more (though I can guess, heh), but I thought this was a neat trick!

• Most tableteers want one-touch access to their favourite programs, but don’t like to navigate through the Start menu or put the Quick Launch in taskbar to waste space. To solve this, enable a toolbar (Quick Launch, or create a new toolbar from a folder full of shortcuts) by right clicking on the taskbar when it is unlocked. Now, drag the toolbar onto the desktop, and then onto one of the sides of the screen. You can now right click on this new bar, click Always on Top, and customise it to your liking (e.g. auto-hide, small icons, etc.).

All my other favorites are after the jump!

• Rubber feet on tablets are infamous for falling off. Check them once in a while. If one has fallen off and you’ve happened to find it, try hot glueing them on. Better yet, take them all off and reglue them with hot glue, to ensure they stay on.
  
• Just purchased that great new app for your tablet pc and received the registration/unlock key via email? Email a copy of it to your Gmail account and mark it with a star. Be sure to put a descriptive name in the message header. That way, if you ever have to re-load your software, you’ll have an easy way to retrieve the registration/unlock codes no matter where you are.
  
• Don’t answer your phone, let all your calls forward to voicemail. You can deal with the messages on your time, rather than being held captive to incoming calls. I only retrieve my voicemails via my Samsung i730 PDA phone during my train rides to work.
  
• Earphones/Headphones are good when you are in class and you’ve forgotten to mute the speakers before shutting down last. Just plug in the headphones when starting up, and the disruptive Windows Sounds won’t be heard. Another approach is to go into Sound Properties in the Control Panel, click the sounds tabs, and select the "No Sounds" scheme.
  
• To make a copy of your noteflags and I THINK pens if you customize them (though not 100% on this) copy the file "preferences.dat" from C:\Documents and Settings\\Application Data\Microsoft\OneNote. When you want to restore them, you’ll have to copy them back into that same location, but it’s easier to do that then to try to remember what all your noteflags were.
  
• Going back and later listening to a lecture and re-organzing the notes is time-consuming, but will greatly increase your understanding of the material. You may not have time to do this for every class, but keep this in mind for particularly complex or confusing topics. Of course, feel free to annotate your previous notes at this time. You may discover that what you thought you understood in class you either don’t remember or no longer understand. This is a good time to email a professor and ask or take a note to ask in the next class. (This has a side benefit: professors tend to grade students who ask questions like this easier than those who take no interest in the class. This is one reason students on the front row score better than those on the back row.)
  
• Use noteflags. If you’ve seen the bit on Chris Pratley’s blog about note flogs, it puts then into perspective and explains a lot. Customize them to make them more useful for your needs. If you use the note flag summary you can get all your important notes in one place. This is extremely helpful if you have a professor who likes to strongly suggest important materials for a test. Slap on a note flag, study your notes, and the morning before the test, and create a summary. That way you’ll have all the important things right there as kind of a “cramming cheat sheet.”
  
• Enable the one-click opening of files. It is much more natural to be able to tap once on a file or short-cut to launch it.
  
• For those who have tendency to multitask and get distracted often, you can create a set of windows users. Each user will be associated to a context you use your PC, as example, Study, Class, Entertaiment, Work, Research. And set those users only the software and the files you use in that context whitout share information that are not related or deny Internet connection to those contexts were you need concentration.
  
  As exaple get all the IM and emails and RSS in a user,as a "street" context, so you can go there and view your Mailbox, or chat with your neighbours, or get the newspaper, you go ther only 2 or 3 times a day, not everytime.
  
  Imagine your Computer as a department of many rooms were you do specific things in each room. You can still switch to the others rooms without closing everything and helps to feel better when you decide to do something.
  
  You can even "decorate" every user/room with diferent colors, images and UIs (even widgets) acording to the things you do there.
  It works great to me.
  
• Get your own website and FTP digital copies of your files. That way, no matter where you are, you can download your files just in case your tablet pc crashes and you have to print out backup copies on paper. Many ISP’s (like Comast) provide space for creating your own web pages included in the cost of your subscription.
  
• Your tablet can become your ultimate road trip companion. Just connect a GPS locator (included with Streets and Trips), a mobile power adapter (or a power inverter which can convert DC current to AC current), a CD-car tape adapter, and you’re set! You can ink, get directions, listen to music, watch DVDs, work on homework etc. all during the ride.
  
• You may not have time to spend your morning visitng websites, and may not have access to the Internet wherever you are. To compensate, make use of Windows’ Offline Files and Synchronise features, which can be used to sync both files over a Network and web pages for reading at a leisurely pace at a later time (e.g. while on the bus, etc.)
  
• BACKUP! Many people use their tablet PCs to store their entire life, and find backup methods such as external hard drives and DVDs cumbersome and expensive. Here is a good way to back things up:
  
  a) Use the SyncToy to transfer and keep your Desktop and My Documents folder in sync with your PC over the network
  b) Be sure to transfer your Outlook PST file (usually located in C:\Documents and Settings\(USERNAME)\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook) to the PC as well, regularly
  c) Use the Microsoft Office Settings Wizard (in All Programs>Microsoft Office>Office Tools>Save my Settings Wizard) to keep your toolbar configurations backed up, and save the resulting file on the PC as well
  d) Take a day to create a CD full of installation files for all of your programs (name the files accordingly).
  
  Now, you won’t have to spend as much money or time backing up.
  
• Tired of having a tangle of power cables in your bag? Try using those hair ties that look like two balls attached to an elastic loop - makes for a super fast way to wrap up your cables (got this from an old woodworking magazine!).
  
• Have you lost your tablet pen? Before purchasing the same one again, consider the Wacom Cross Executive, HP TC1100, and Motion LE1600 pens (you can go the each manufacturer’s website or google them to find out more).
  
• Always "optimize" your PDFs. Advanced –> PDF Optimizer. My settings (to minimize HDD space) include Deskew: Automatic, Background removal: Off, Edge shadow removal: Off, Despeckle: Low, Descreen: Automatic, Halo Removal: On.

11 Responses to “Master list of 220 submitted tips, plus some of Tracy’s favorites”

1. Life On the Wicked Stage: Act 2 Says:
   March 19th, 2006 at 7:17 am

   Student Tablet PC Hints And Tips List

   Tracy Hooten has taken 220 of the Tablet PC hints and tips from the recent Student Tablet PC contest and grouped them into categories and compiled them into a word document. There is quite a bit of handy information here.

2. Dave Says:
   March 19th, 2006 at 10:32 am

   Thank you for the tip on where the notes flags are kept. I did lose those once when my pc crashed and was not a happy camper. your tip will ensure that history does not repeat itself.

3. Andy Y. Lin Says:
   March 19th, 2006 at 12:31 pm

   Nice tips! You should consider putting them onto a .one file for people to download.

4. wwtablet Says:
   March 19th, 2006 at 4:32 pm

   I thought the contest was for the tip of the day that isn’t daily anymore…

5. Tracy Hooten Says:
   March 19th, 2006 at 5:09 pm

   It was for the Tip of the Day. I’m just posting them here for those who want to grab them all at once. There will also be tips added from me and other random places on the Tip of the Day feed, and I’ll probably add to the current tips when they’re published on the Tip of the Day feed also as needed.

   The tips on the forum are so people can continue to contribute tips as they feel like it.

   I stopped updating the Tip of the Day during the contest because I didn’t want to steal tips from contest people, then I was trying to get them all arranged before going again. Plus, it’s Spring Break, and I’ve been doing a lot of breaking ^_^.

6. Rachel Southerland Says:
   March 19th, 2006 at 10:05 pm

   These tips are GREAT. I made it halfway through reading them this afternoon from the original post. I spent an hour and a half organizing OneNote note flags, pens, and downloading files suggested, like TIP plugins for Firefox. I loved reading all of these. I’m in the midst of my personal paperless/productivity challenge with my convertible, and this site has helped teach me so much about customization. Thanks.

7. Nithi Sothilingam Says:
   March 20th, 2006 at 1:16 am

   “My favorite tip? I don’t even remember who this is from any more (though I can guess, heh)”

   

8. Robert Burdock Says:
   March 20th, 2006 at 5:33 pm

   Thanks for taking the time to sort this out Tracy. It’s easy to see how much work you’ve put into this. Just to let you know your efforts are appreciated Warmest

9. GottaBeMobile.com Says:
   March 21st, 2006 at 9:52 am

   Looking for some Tablet PC tips?

10. wouter Says:
    March 25th, 2006 at 8:39 am

    cool, i’m gonna learn them to use them all:)

11. Everythingblogcast Says:
    March 28th, 2006 at 4:57 pm

    Good tips everyone

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