At the end of last year (OK, yesterday), I talked about Resolutions for 2013 and I specifically mentioned that everyone should try to improve their Windows skills. I wanted to start 2013 off right by providing you several tutorials for important skills every user needs to know.

In trying to make things “easier” for users, Microsoft hides the file extensions by default. This is an absolutely horrible default as many users have no idea the format of their files. Make sure to read Display File Extensions in Windows Explorer and Dialog Boxes so you can modify your copy of Windows to display the all-important file extensions.

Now that you can see the file extensions, it is just as important to make sure each extension is associated with the right software as the default for that file type. Choosing the Default Program For Opening Files shows you how to select the program to use.

ZIP files are a very common file type, especially when downloading files from the Internet. Yet surprisingly there are many people who have no idea how to work with ZIP files. Zip Utilities tells you about some of the software designed for working with ZIP files as well as the default support included in Windows. If you don’t know how to work with ZIP files, you really need to read this!

The more time you have had Windows on your computer, the more temp files will build up. They can lead to more instability (crashing) and it is very easy to clean them out. This will speed up your computer a bit and should decrease crashes. Delete Temp Files to Prevent Crashes and Increase Speed shows you how easy it is to do this.

Getting your computer set up in an organized manner is very important. Do it right and the odds of having a faster more stable computer are much better. Read Using a Custom Install When Installing CorelDRAW and Other Software along with the four setup articles linked. The linked articles go over the details of setting up your computer from scratch. Getting the setup right is very important!

Lastly, you need a backup strategy! This goes along with setting up the computer properly so the important data is all fenced into a common area. An invaluable utility for easy backup is GoodSync. Make sure to read Keep Folders of Data Synced With GoodSync to learn how to do it!

With all this information, you’ll be off to a good start on your 2013 resolution to learn more about Windows tasks. I’ll do my best to provide even more quality tips as the year goes on!