The Problem
Let’s hear it for the lowly Caps Lock key! (Cheer and applause.) It’s a useful one, though I seldom use it when composing an email. In fact, I have the habit of using lowercase when composing emails, especially when they are to a good friend or colleague.

All other times, I am compelled to punctuate like the rest of us and thus wield the Caps Lock key like a keyboarding guru. And on those occasions, it works very well and almost always gets the job done.

There are times, though, when my oversized pinky inadvertently taps my undersized keyboard, silently engaging the Caps Lock key AND CAPITALIZING EVERYTHING I TYPE. If I am paying attention to what’s actually on the screen, I catch it quickly. If not, everything’s gotta be painstakingly redone!

And then there’s the case of the key sensitive logins and passwords. Ever try to log into something and discover you’re not getting anywhere because the Caps Lock was activated? Annoying.

The Solution
I guess we could tie our pinky back and out of the way. That might help. But a more elegant solution is to configure your computer to alert you whenever that key has been pushed.

Here’s what to do:

Go to your desktop, click on Start, click on Settings and choose Control Panel
Locate the Accessibility Options icon. It looks like a wheelchair.
Double-click the Accessibility Options icon to open it.
Under the tab called Keyboard, click the checkbox “Use ToggleKeys”.
Click Apply. Now your computer will beep anytime the Caps Lock key is hit.
Now click the tab called Sound and check the checkbox called “Use SoundSentry.”
Next choose the visual warning. I like “Flash Desktop”
Click Apply and then click OK.

Now your computer will beep AND flash whenever the Caps Lock key is used. Nice, eh? Try it.

By the way, configuring the computer to beep and flash is a neat little practical joke to play on unsuspecting family members. Watch as they are completely befuddled by your ‘broken’ computer. But don’t tell ‘em I told you to do it!

If you can’t find the Accessibility Options icon in your Control Panel, you can easily install it: Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs > Windows Setup Tab and then just add it. You will need your Windows CD for this.

Have fun!