If you're tired of waiting the Outlook Express to start up, there's a way to make it faster.

Open the RegEdit and navigate to the next path:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\[nr of id]\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express\[vers]

Then create a new DWORD value called NoSplash, and assign the value 1.

Submitted by Ariel Canievsky

For the Thumbnail view of your Bitmap, open the following key in the registry

    HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Paint.Picture\DefaultIcon

In Windows 98, the Windows Explorer shows bitmap files with a little MSPaint icon but it shows icons with an image of the icon. You can make Explorer show bitmaps with an icon, too. Simply change the extension from .BMP to .ICO.

Note 1: Although you changed the extension, the file is still a bitmap and you can use it like one, load it into PictureBoxes, etc.

Note 2: If you give the bitmap a white background, Windows Explorer makes the background transparent in the micro-preview.

In the Registry Editor, go to:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar

NOTE: Choose a bright image, becouse if the image's dark, you won't see the buttons.

You can use CorelDRAW objects to convert graphic files from one file type to another. Alex Vakulenko, author of a Corel script site, provided these instructions:

To access CorelSCRIPT object only, you can use "CorelDRAW.Automation.9" object:

    Dim cs as Object
    Set cs=CreateObject("CorelDRAW.Automation.9")
    cs.FileNew
    cs.FileImport...
    cs.FileExport...
    cs.FileClose...

    Dim app As CorelDRAW.Application
    Dim doc As CorelDRAW.Document
    Dim ExportOptions As New CorelDRAW.StructExportOptions Set app =
    CreateObject("CorelDRAW.Application.9")
    Set doc = app.Create
    doc.ActiveLayer.Import "MyFile.cdr"
    With ExportOptions
        .AntiAliasingType = cdrNoAntiAliasing
        .ImageType = cdrPalettedImage
        .Overwrite = True
        .ResolutionX = 72
        .ResolutionY = 72
        .SizeX = 100
        .SizeY = 100
    End With
    doc.Export "OutFile.gif", cdrGIF, cdrAllPages, ExportOptions
    doc.Selection.Delete
    doc.Dirty
    doc.Close

1. Open the Excel Database.
2. Save it using File/Save_As/DIF_(data Interchange Format) Give it any name except the original name.
3. Open Access
4. Start a new data base (any rubbish at all - not relevant to solution but just need something open.
5. Goto Menu/File/Get_external_data/import
6. Follow usual procedure for opening a file except to set it as Excel and find your excel file
7. Click Import.
8. Click Next
9. Click First_row_contains_fieldnames (if true)
10. Click ok to change/adapt to suitable names
11. Click Next
12. Click new table (?? I think I had a problem using existing table - the existing one can be dumped later ??)
13. Click next
14. Read instructions and make any changes you think fit - I made none!

1. Open Access database
2. Highlight Excel data range on sheet and copy
3. Go to Access table tab and paste