IT@NUS: Tips & Tricks

LAN Gaming comes to IT Security Week 2007

Activating your monitor to sleep mode in Windows XP

Activating sleep settings on just one computer may prevent considerable CO2 emissions each year. Letting your monitor sleep allows it to go into a low-power mode when you’re not using it. To wake up your monitor, you simply touch your mouse or keyboard.

To set Windows XP to automatically turn your monitor off when your computer isn’t being used

1.	Right-click the desktop, and then click Properties.
2.	In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Screen Saver tab. Then, click the Power button.
3.	In the Power Options Properties dialog box, click the Turn off monitor list, and select a time to automatically turn off your monitor. Five minutes is a realistic setting. If you have a portable computer, set the time for both Plugged in and Running on batteries.
4.	Click OK twice.

Windows XP will let your monitor sleep after your computer has been idle for the specified number of minutes. To reactivate your monitor, move your mouse, or press a key. You’ll save almost as much power as if you had manually turned your monitor off, but you won’t have to press your monitor’s power button.

Import Singapore Holidays into the Calendar

Outlook Calendar allows Singapore holidays to be imported to let users make better plans using their calendar.

Download the Singapore Holidays from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) website in the form of iCalendar format (.ics). For the case of Year 2008, the file can be found here.
From Outlook main window, select File, Import and Export...
Select Import an iCalendar (.ics) or vCalendar file (.vcs)
Select the .ics file that was downloaded from the MOM website.
Select Import when prompted.

The Singapore holidays has now been imported into your calendar.