Washington  - Ever want to click on a link on a webpage without losing the webpage you're currently on? Just hold down the Shift key before you click the link. The target site will open in a new browser window and your current page will remain displayed in the browser from which you clicked the link.

Washington (dpa) - Taking your laptop on the road? Do you best to protect against theft by investing in notebook tracking software such as Absolute Software's Lojack for Laptops. Packages such as this can allow authorities to track down your notebook when the thief tries to connect to the internet. An alternative is the free TheLaptopLock.

Washington (dpa) - When sitting at the computer, pay attention to aches and pains in your body: they're probably telling you that you need a break or that you need to adjust the devices at your workstation. Pains in your "mouse hand" typically do not get better without some adjustment to your time at the computer or the input device itself, for example. Keep keyboard and mouse close to you so that you don't have to reach, and take stretch breaks at least every half hour.

Washington (dpa) - The Quick Launch toolbar in XP and Vista provides a handy way to gain one-click access to your most-used applications. Quick Launch appears directly next to the Start button by default. To add an icon to the Quick Launch toolbar, simply drag it from your Windows desktop to the Quick Launch area and drop it. You should then see a small icon representing the program. One click on the icon will open your application.

Washington (dpa) - Every notebook user needs an external hard drive - in part to store extra data, but also to back up the notebook's internal hard drive. The sensitive hard drives in notebook computers take much more abuse than those in desktop computers. The result can be quicker failure. So make a habit of backing up your notebook's drive on a weekly if not daily basis. (dpa)