PINKY HITS CAPS LOCK

[CJreef]

Jus tried it. I works great, thanks.

[mme]

thank you and thanks to all of you

[bponz]

Don't you hate it when you accidentally hit the caps lock key? Sometimes I have a whole sentence typed in before I realize my mistake!

what if you could set your computer up so it alerts you when your pinky finger wanders off and taps the caps lock key? with this tip, I'll show you how to make your computer beep & flash the next time it happens.

the first thing you'll need to do is get the computer to beep when you hit the caps lock key. here's how:

click the Start button, Settings, Control Panel (XP Users, hit the Start button, Control Panel). Open (click on)the Accessibility Options Icon.

 

on the Keyboard tab, click the "Use toggle keys" checkbox.

 

that's it for the beeping part.

next, we need to get your screen to flash you, uh, flash at you. Here's how:

from the Accessibility Options screen, click the Sound tab and check the "Use soundsentry" checkbox.

 

next click the settings button and select "flash active window" from the "warning for windowed programs" drop down box.

 

that's it. hit OK until you're clear of property and settings screens. open your favorite word processor and hit your caps lock key.

 

[bponz]

Whew!! I had more challenge getting to this point of posting than I did navigating my way to my new Pinky Slip Flash 'N Noise! Anyhow, thanks mme~great tip!

[mldpolyglot]

Anybody know how to do this for Vista?

 

 

Yeah - Not a total convert yet on Vista, but just bought a new laptop which had Vista (all new systems do now), and I did a little playing around and tested how to make the computer beep and flash when the CAPS LOCK is hit. Do the following:

 

Click on the START button (in Vista it is a circle with the Windows logo in it), then Control Panel

 

In Control Panel, double click on "Ease of Access Center"

 

Click on "Make the keyboard easier to use"

 

Under "Make it easier to type" make sure the "Turn on toggle keys" box is checked. Then click "Apply" at the bottom of the window.

 

Click the back button (just as if you were in a browser)

 

Click on "Use text or visual alternatives for sounds". Make sure "Turn on visual notifications for sounds" is checked. Under "Choose visual warning" select "Flash active window". Click "Apply" at the bottom of the window and then close out the window.

 

Open up your word processing program (Microsoft Word) and start typing. Hit the CAPS LOCK key and see what happens!

 

 

Hope this helps!

[cliff46]

Anybody know how to do this for Vista?

 

This is from the help section of VISTA

 

Make the keyboard easier to use

 

You can use your keyboard to control the mouse and make it easier to type certain key combinations.

 

You can adjust these settings on the Make the keyboard easier to use page in the Ease of Access Center.

 

Click to open Ease of Access Center.

 

Select the options that you want to use:

 

Turn on Mouse Keys. This option sets Mouse Keys to run when you log on to Windows. Instead of using the mouse, you can use the arrow keys on your keyboard or the numeric keypad to move the pointer.

 

Turn on Sticky Keys. This option sets Sticky Keys to run when you log on to Windows. Instead of having to press three keys at once (such as when you must press the CTRL, ALT, and DELETE keys together to log on to Windows), you can use one key by turning on Sticky Keys and adjusting the settings. This way, you can press a modifier key and have it remain active until another key is pressed.

 

Turn on Toggle Keys. This option sets Toggle Keys to run when you log on to Windows. Toggle Keys can play an alert each time you press the CAPS LOCK, NUM LOCK, or SCROLL LOCK keys. These alerts can help prevent the frustration of inadvertently pressing a key and not realizing it.

 

Turn on Filter Keys. This option sets Filter Keys to run when you log on to Windows. You can set Windows to ignore keystrokes that occur in rapid succession, or keystrokes that are held down for several seconds unintentionally.

 

Underline keyboard shortcuts and access keys. This option makes keyboard access in dialog boxes easier by highlighting access keys for the controls in them.

[reggieq]

Is the flash just a very transient black stripe across the desktop? Is it possible to make the beep louder ?

[JDPower]

Is the flash just a very transient black stripe across the desktop? Is it possible to make the beep louder ?

 

Thats all I get too and the beep is near inaudible.

[Arthur21743]

Thats all I get too and the beep is near inaudible.

 

Hey! That's what I was gonna say! LOL

 

What with the Smart Fan set on Dumb and the window a/c going, I can barely hear the on beep either. I can hear the off beep better, but by then I've already been put wise to the fact that it was on.

[forallbueaty]

i don't know if i will be using this but i must say that i am always using the caps lock because it's one of my control in game and surely i was and i am writing in cap. letters all the time ... but there is a green light on my keyboard(?) that i pay attention to now lol tks

 

forallbueaty

[Mr.DJ]

Thanks for the tip. My left little finger is well known for inadvertently wandering over to the 'Caps Lock' key on many occasions, and maybe now I'll be forewarned before completing lines of text...thanks. BTW, the beep now works and the active screen now flashes.

[mme]

my pinky wander off ..........im glad you got screen to flash

[mme]

Is the flash just a very transient black stripe across the desktop? Is it possible to make the beep louder ?

 

tweak your system can fix it

[Chucky2a]

Don't you hate it when you accidentally hit the caps lock key? Sometimes I have a whole sentence typed in before I realize my mistake!

 

I thought this was a great tip when I got it in my email from WorldStart Newsletter, Computer Tips.. great thing to have..

I used it all the time, now...

also put it on wife's system and sis in law's too.

[Chappy]

Hi beaulanger

 

This can still be done in Vista, it's just a bit different.

First open Control Panel, then Ease of Access applet, then click the "Make the Keyboard Easier to Use" item. This takes you to the first part of this tweak, where you put a check in the "Turn On Toggle Keys" option.

Now alt+left arrow back to the first page of that applet and now select the "Use Text or Visual Alternatives for Sounds" item. Put a check in the "Turn on Visual Notifications for Sounds" option. You have a couple of options that you can change in there for how to be Visually Notified. "None", which will not flash anything but you still get the beep. OK if you're not listening to music while typing, but not really effective. Next is "Flash Active Caption Bar"..not a bad choice really but with my color theme I hardly notice it, you may like this better tho. "Flash Active Window", really gets your attention but if you select this your Active Window will flash for just about everything you do for anything, anywhere. Could get annoying...

Last is "Flash Desktop"...well this is basically identical to "Flash Active Window" AFAICT (As Far As I Can Tell), so play around with them to see what's better for you.

 

 

You're done!

 

Dave

(Avatar & Sig Images Coming Soon...no time right now)

 

EDIT - Sorry, didn't see this was answered already. I used the PC PitStop web page to access into this post and only saw the first page, sorry for the DBL on your post Cliff46..;-)

Edited May 1, 2007 by Chappy

[merchanb]

Or . . . just use the CAPS lock key for something more useful, like the Windows key that IBM forgot to put on their ThinkPads. It works for me.

[mme]

hey im glad it worked