Expanding screen area flexibly with a magnifier (XP & Vista)

Windows has a screen magnifying utility in the system accessories. This however shows the expanded section at the upper edge, as a result of which the cursor is diffi cult to follow. You want an alternative which is just like any other conventional magnifying glass tool. Magical Glass is better for the task: the expanded section is directly at the cursor position and moves with it. In addition, the tool offers flexible settings to adjust the magnifying glass as per your exact requirements. Magical Glass can be downloaded free of cost from ‘http://freestone-group.com/magg.htm’. Install the program and run it. In the adjustments dialog, deactivate the ‘Automatic start’ option. This disables it from loading every time Windows starts. After the program starts, the magnifi er is ready in the Windows notifi cation area. The Magical Glass can be operated using various shortcut key combinations which can also be edited via the settings menu. For this, right-click on the program's icon in the system tray and select ‘Settings’. In the ‘Magnifier size’ area, determine the size and power of the magnifier. You also have a few predefi ned rectangular formats ready, plus you can also feed in your own custom formats. The ‘Zoom’ setting determines the extent of magnifi cation you will have. As mentioned previously, the hotkeys defi ned to the left of the screen can be changed to your own liking. The default key combination to activate and deactivate the magnifi er is [Ctrl]+[Alt]+[Q]. You can now move your cursor around and see it take eff ect. Moreover, you can even activate ‘Follow input focus’ in the ‘Settings’. Once activated, its behavior is similar to that of the Windows magnifi er. You will always see the area around the cursor enlarged, but you can still position the magnifi ed area anywhere you want by moving the mouse. Such a tool is invaluable for the visually impaired or those who have special needs.