Computer Tips

Smart Quotes

2008-07-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

As you type text, some Microsoft Office programs automatically change straight quotation marks to curly quotation marks (also known as smart quotes or typographer's quotes). Using Word 2007, turn his feature on or off:

Click the Microsoft Office Button, then Word Options
Click Proofing, then AutoCorrect Options

In the AutoCorrect dialog box, do the following:

Click the AutoFormat As You Type tab, and under Replace as you type, select or clear the "Straight quotes" with “smart quotes” check box
Click the AutoFormat tab, and under Replace, select or clear the "Straight quotes" with “smart quotes” check box

Prevent Virus Attacks with Data Execution Prevention

2008-06-20T11:35:00.001-07:00

Data Execution Prevention (DEP) is a Windows Vista security feature that can help prevent damage to your computer from viruses and other security threats by monitoring your programs to make sure that they use system memory safely. If DEP notices a program on your computer using memory incorrectly, it closes the program and notifies you.

Some legitimate programs may not run correctly when DEP is turned on. Check for a DEP-compatible version of the program or an update from the software publisher. If one is not available, you can turn off DEP for the program:

1. Go to Start >> Control Panel >> System

2. Select Advanced System Settings from the Tasks list on the left

3. Select the Advanced tab, then Settings under the Performance section

4. Select the Data Execution Prevention tab, then click to Turn on DEP for all program except those selected

5. Click on Add, browse for and select the applicable program

6. Click on Apply, then click OK to confirm

Restore Old Versions of Files

2008-06-13T08:53:00.001-07:00

Windows Vista (Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions), has a new feature called Restore Previous Versions. Every time a system restore point is created, new versions of your files are created at the same time.

To restore from previous versions of a file: browse through your documents folder and right mouse click on the file name, then click Restore Previous Versions.

From the list of previous versions, select the applicable date to restore from, and then save a copy of the entire document or overwrite the current version.

Screen Orientation Troubleshooting

2008-06-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

Ever hit the wrong sequence of keys on your keyboard and everything on your screen has turned sideways – or even upside down? On some computers, the Ctrl-Alt-Direction keys will change your screen orientation.

To fix the issue: press Ctrl-Alt-Up

If you’d like to change the screen orientation, and you have a Tablet PC, here are the shortcut keys:

Ctrl-Alt-Up - right side up
Ctrl-Alt-Right - 90 degrees
Ctrl-Alt-Down - 180 degrees
Ctrl-Alt-Left - 270 degrees

Adjust Vista's Visual Effects to Improve Performance

2008-06-02T15:15:00.001-07:00

If Windows Vista is running slowly, you can speed it up by disabling up to 20 of it’s visual effects: like the transparent glass look, the way menus open or close, or whether shadows are displayed.

To adjust the visual effects:

1. Go to Start >> Control Panel >> Performance Information and Tools

2. Select Adjust Visual Effects from the Tasks list on the left. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

3. Select the Visual Effects tab, click Adjust for best performance – or click Custom and de-select the visual effects you’d like to turn off.

4. Click Apply, then OK to confirm your changes.

Speech Recognition Software

2008-05-31T21:56:00.001-07:00

Using only your voice, you can start programs, open menus, click buttons and other objects on your screen, dictate text into documents, and even write and send emails.

Windows Vista comes with built-in voice recognition capabilities. To find it, click the Start Button and enter speech recognition in the start search box.

When the search results appear, click on Windows Speech Recognition, plug in your headset or desktop microphone, and follow the wizard.

Regular PC Maintenance

2008-05-26T10:03:00.000-07:00

Over time, computers slow down and may even grind to a halt. Taking a proactive approach with regular maintenance will help prevent disasters - like computer crashes or virus infection - and keep your computer up and running at optimal speeds.

Kootenay I.T. offers discounted regular maintenance contracts and pre-paid service contracts - send an email to request more details.

Typing French Accents

2008-04-20T21:49:00.000-07:00

I'm asked quite often how to type French accents: Hold down the ALT key, then type the three or four digits listed below. When you release the ALT key, the character will appear. Note that you'll need to type the numbers with the numeric keypad, not with the row of numbers across the top of your keyboard.

à - 133
À - 0192
é - 130
É - 144
è - 138
È - 0200
ê - 136

For more French accent codes go to http://french.about.com/library/bl-accents.htm.

Increase productivity on slow internet connections

2008-03-27T11:39:00.001-07:00

If you have a slow internet connection or are still using dial-up, here are some tips to increase the speed of internet browsing and sending or receiving email:

Compress email attachments: Compressing your file attachments can dramatically reduce the time needed to send and receive emails. WinZip is one of the more common compression tools, but you can find more on Windows Marketplace.

Turn off Internet Explorer graphics: Graphics take time to download on slow internet connections, but you have the option to disable the graphics and speed up internet browsing. In Internet Explorer, go to Tools / Internet Options / Advanced. In the Multimedia section, clear all the check boxes, then click Apply to save the changes.

Use email distribution lists: An email message sent to multiple people is sent faster and more efficiently when you use a distribution list. In Microsoft Outlook go to File / New / Distribution List. Enter a name for the list (ie: Family), click Select Members, then browse for and select each contact to add to the list. To send an email using the distribution list, enter the name (ie Family) into the TO field of your email message.

Use simple email signatures: Elaborate signatures that include multiple images take up a lot of unnecessary space in each email, and can slow down the time it takes to send or receive messages. Instead of using images, try a combination of fonts, type sizes and colors to create a distinctive signature.

Increase your web page cache: By increasing the size of your temporary internet files cache, you can decrease the amount of time it takes to open each page when you revisit a website. In Internet Explorer, go to Tools / Internet Options / General tab / Settings. Check the radio button to automatically check for newer versions of stored pages, and set the amount of disk space to at least 250mb.

Exporting Contacts

2008-03-09T16:56:00.000-07:00

One of the quickest ways to send all your Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express contacts to someone is to export them into a spreadsheet file, then email the file to them.

Open Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express
Select File Export
When the Wizard starts, select ‘Export to a File’ and click Next
Select ‘Export to Microsoft Excel’ and click Next
Select your Contacts folder from the list of folders and click Next
Select the location to save the file, and enter a file name
Click Finish

Diagnose & Repair Microsoft Office programs

2008-02-15T09:16:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Office 2007 includes a series of diagnostic tests that can solve problems - like computer crashes - and may identify ways that you can fix other problems yourself. I used the diagnostics the other day to resolve 2 issues with Microsoft Outlook -- an 'Outlook Today' startup error message kept popping up, and I was no longer able to synchronize my Calendar and Contacts items to my cell phone. To run the diagnostics:

Select Help / Office Diagnostics from the menu
Select Run Diagnostics

For more information, go to http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/help/HA012340761033.aspx

Correct monitor flicker

2008-02-09T12:47:00.001-08:00

To get the best possible display from your computer monitor, you may need to adjust the refresh rate. If the refresh rate is too low, the monitor can flicker, which can cause eye strain and headaches. To change the refresh rate:

Using Windows XP:

Right mouse click on your desktop and select properties
Go to the settings tab, and then click advanced
Go to the monitor tab, and select a refresh rate of at least 75 Hertz

Using Windows Vista:

Right mouse click on your desktop and select personalize
Select display settings, and then click on the advanced settings button
Go to the monitor tab, and select a refresh rate of at least 75 Hertz

Speed up Windows XP

2008-01-29T20:22:00.001-08:00

...by disabling specific visual effects:

Click Start, right-click My Computer, and click Properties
Click the Advanced tab and in the Performance area, click Settings
Open the Visual Effects tab and select the Custom option
Clear the check boxes for the visual effects you want to disable
Click OK, then OK again to accept your changes

Reduce photo size for emailing

2007-11-19T10:29:00.001-08:00

If you’re like me and take all your pictures with a digital camera at the highest quality possible, you may have trouble sending them by email because they will be too large.

A quick way to reduce your photo size when sending it by email is to:

Browse to the picture folder on your computer
Right mouse click on the file name of the photo you want to send
Select SEND TO, then MAIL RECIPIENT
A window pops up asking you to select the file size
Select the ‘smaller’ or ‘small’ option, and click ATTACH
Your email message pops up – enter an email address, subject and message and click SEND

Note that you can send more than one photo at a time -- ‘Click and drag’ to select file names that are beside each other on the list, or hold the CTRL key down and click on each file name -- then right mouse click and select SEND TO.

View Microsoft PowerPoint files with free viewer

2007-11-07T11:29:00.001-08:00

Don’t have the software to view slide shows created in Microsoft PowerPoint? Try the free PowerPoint Viewer found at the following link:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=428D5727-43AB-4F24-90B7-A94784AF71A4&displaylang=en

Download and install the software:

1. Click the Download button and save the file to your My Documents folder

2. Double-click the PPViewer.exe program file in your My Documents folder to start the setup program

3. Follow the instructions on the screen to complete the installation

View the slide show by double-clicking on the PowerPoint file, which will launch PowerPoint Viewer 2003.

Set your PC clock automatically

2007-10-28T19:33:00.001-07:00

Windows XP can automatically synchronize your clock to keep it accurate. To set this up:

Right-click your clock, and then click Adjust Date/Time
Click the Internet Time tab, then the Server down arrow
Select time.nist.gov from the list
Confirm that the Internet time synchronization box is checked
Click Update Now, and Windows XP contacts the Internet time server and sets your clock
Click OK to close the Date/Time window

Microsoft Office 2007 Document Themes

2007-10-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

Give your documents a professional and modern look by applying a document theme that includes a set of theme colors, fonts and effects.

To select one of the predefined document themes that are included in Word or Excel:

Go to the Page Layout tab
Select Themes in the Themes group
Click on the document theme that you want to use

To search on-line for other document themes:

Go to the Page Layout tab
Select Themes in the Themes group
Select More Themes on Office Online

Search For Lost Files

2007-09-13T17:37:00.000-07:00

Whether it’s an accidental click & drag on a file or folder, or you simply can’t remember where you saved a file from last week, use Windows Explorer Search:

Open Windows Explorer
On the menu bar, click Search
Select “All files and folders”
Enter all or part of the file name, or a word or phrase
Change the “Look in” field to your Local Disk, or specific folder
Click Search

If you still can't find the file, or you can’t remember what you named the file, use the advanced search features:

When was it modified (last saved)?
What size is it?
More Advanced options ie: by file type, hidden files, case sensitive, additional locations

Microsoft Office 2007 Compatibility

2007-09-06T09:36:00.000-07:00

If you’ve upgraded to Microsoft Office 2007 and your friends and colleagues haven’t, they will not be able to open the Office files you create and send to them.

There are a couple of ways to avoid this issue:

1. For files you’ve already saved, re-save them using the SAVE AS feature and change the file format to Word 97-2003 Document.

2. Change the default file format for all new files you create – go to WORD OPTIONS, click SAVE from the menu and change the “save files in this format” from Word Document (*.docx) to Word 97-2003 (*.doc).

To send your files to someone who doesn’t use Microsoft Office, follow the above instructions and select the applicable file format rather than Word 97-2003.

Protect Your Network

2007-08-31T11:12:00.000-07:00

There are four basic steps you can take to help protect your network:

Use a firewall to control access to your network, block intruders from finding the data on your private network, and control what your employees can access outside of your network.
Use strong passwords which have at least eight characters; use a combination of lower and upper case letters, numbers and symbols; and are changed at least every 90 days.
Turn on wireless security features that are not automatically enabled by manufacturers (because it makes the network easier to set up).
Close unnecessary network ports by using a combination of dedicated firewalls, host-based firewalls or Internet Protocol Security filters.

If you require assistance with any of the above, contact me at mrivers@kootenayit.com.

Create a Signature for Outlook Email Messages

2007-08-09T22:50:00.000-07:00

To create the signature:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options

2. Click the Mail Format tab, then the Signatures button

3. Click New to open the Create Signature dialog box

4. Enter a name for the signature & click OK

5. In the Edit Signature section, type the text you want

6. Click the Font button and then specify font, font style, size, and color

7. Use the Paragraph button to specify if you want your text aligned left, center, or right

To select a signature to appear in new e-mail messages:

1. On the Tools menu, click Insert & Signature

2. Click the signature

3. Outlook applies that signature the message

Change your VISTA desktop background

2007-07-27T10:36:00.001-07:00

1. Open Desktop Background by selecting Start, Control Panel, Appearance and Personalization, Personalization, and then Desktop Background.

2. Click the picture or color you want for your desktop background. If the picture you want to use is not in the list of desktop background pictures, click the Picture location down arrow to view other categories, or click Browse to search for the picture on your computer. When you find the picture you want, double-click it. It will become your desktop background and appear in the list of desktop backgrounds.

3. Under ‘How should the picture be positioned’, choose to have the picture fit the screen, tile, or be centered on the screen, and then click OK.

Make the text on your screen larger or smaller

2007-07-20T11:13:00.001-07:00

With Windows Vista, you can make the text and other items larger or smaller for easier viewing, or so that they fit on your screen:

1. Open Personalization by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, and then clicking Personalization.

2. In the left pane, click Adjust font size (DPI). If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

3. In the DPI Scaling dialog box, do one of the following:

a. To increase the size of text and other items on the screen, click Larger scale (120 DPI)–make text more readable, and then click OK.

b. To decrease the size of text and other items on the screen, click Default scale (96 DPI)–fit more information, and then click OK.

To see the changes, close all of your programs, and then restart Windows.

Clean out old or unwanted Email messages

2007-07-17T10:06:00.001-07:00

1. Sort your messages (by date, sender, category) to find the messages you want to move or delete

2. Select the unwanted messages (hold down the CTRL or SHIFT key as you click)

3. Delete the messages by:

a. Using the DELETE key to move the messages to your Deleted Items folder

b. Using the SHIFT+DELETE keys to permanently delete the messages, bypassing the Deleted Items folder, or

c. Dragging the messages to a folder on your hard drive to move them to the folder

Maintain Your Computer with Automatic Updates

2007-07-06T08:38:00.001-07:00

The most reliable way to get updates from Microsoft is to have them delivered automatically to your computer. In Windows XP and Windows 2000 this service is called Automatic Updates.

If you don't have Automatic Updates turned on, go to Microsoft Update and a wizard will take you through the process of installing the required ActiveX control and running the Express Update.

Improve Readability with ClearType

2007-06-28T10:59:00.000-07:00

ClearType is a software technology that improves the readability of text on Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) and makes the words on your computer screen look almost as sharp and clear as those printed on a piece of paper. It can even improve your reading speed between 10 percent and 15 percent.

To turn it on, go to Microsoft’s ClearType Tuner webpage, click the box to “Turn on ClearType” and then click NEXT to start the install and configuration wizard.

Travel Light Using Remote Desktop

2007-06-22T17:21:00.001-07:00

With Remote Desktop, you can connect to your office computer from home to work with files, programs, and resources as though you were in front of your computer at work.

What you need:

• Your office computer must be running Windows XP Professional

• Your laptop or home PC must be running Windows 95 or a more recent version of Windows, and have the Remote Desktop Connection client software installed

• An Internet connection is required. Even though broadband is preferable, low bandwidth will also work since the amount of data transferred is minimal

For more information about installing, enabling, and using Remote Desktop, contact mrivers@kootenayit.com.

AutoCorrect -- a time saving feature in Word

2007-06-04T09:25:00.001-07:00

Microsoft Word’s AutoCorrect feature expands a 2 or 3 abbreviation into a complete name, or other word or phrase, so you don’t have to type it in manually.

To create one:

Type the word or phrase, then select it
On the Tools menu, click AutoCorrect or AutoCorrect Options
Select the AutoCorrect tab
Select the “Replace text as you type” check box
Type a two-letter or three-letter abbreviation for the name in the Replace box
Click Add, and then click OK to save

To use it:

When you type the 2 or 3 letter abbreviation into your document and press SPACEBAR, Word will expand the abbreviation into the full name or phrase.

How to recognize phishing (fraudulent) emails

2007-05-28T13:18:00.001-07:00

Phishing is a type of email designed to steal your valuable personal data, such as credit card numbers, passwords, account data, or other information. Look out for the following phrases if you think an email message is a scam:

"Verify your account." Businesses should not ask you to send personal information or passwords through email.

"If you don't respond within 48 hours, your account will be closed." These messages convey a sense of urgency so that you'll respond right away, and not check to ensure it's a valid email.

"Dear Valued Customer." Phishing email messages are usually sent out by the thousands or millions, and may not include your first or last name.

"Click the link below to gain access to your account." The links may contain all or part of a real company's name, and usually take you to a phony website.

To protect yourself, install Microsoft’s Phishing Filter, and ensure your antivirus and antispyware software is updated regularly.

10 ways to reduce email spam

2007-05-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

1. Enable the junk mail filter in your email program

2. Block automatic picture downloads in email messages

3. Turn off read and delivery receipts and automatic processing of meeting requests

4. Be cautious about posting your email address on newsgroups, chat rooms, etc.

5. Review the privacy policies of web sites when you sign up for online banking, shopping, etc. to ensure they do not share your personal information with other businesses

6. When you create accounts to shop online, clear any checked boxes that indicate your email address will be shared with other businesses

7. Do not reply to spam

8. Do not respond to email messages from companies asking for personal information – if you think it’s a legitimate request, look up the correct phone number and call the company directly

9. Do not contribute to a charity in response to a request sent by email -- if the charity is one that you want to support, look up the correct number and call them directly to make a contribution

10. Do not forward chain email messages

View Only Unread Messages In Your Inbox

2007-01-22T15:22:00.001-08:00

If your Outlook Express INBOX is getting a little crowded, you can hide messages that you've already read:

Right-click the toolbar and select the VIEWS BAR
Click the VIEWS pull-down arrow
Select HIDE READ MESSAGES

Personalize Your Outlook Email Notifications

2007-01-17T08:16:00.000-08:00

1. In Outlook, select TOOLS, OPTIONS, EMAIL OPTIONS, ADVANCED EMAIL OPTIONS

2. In the "When new items arrive in my Inbox" area, select or de-select the following items:

play a sound
briefly change the mouse cursor
show an envelope icon in the notification area
display a new mail desktop alert (for default inbox only)

3. If you've selected to display a desktop alert, click DESKTOP ALERT SETTINGS

4. Click and drag the slider to adjust duration and transparency settings

5. Click PREVIEW, then OK to accept change

Enlarge Web Page Text

2007-01-12T15:02:00.001-08:00

To make the text larger on a single web page only, on the VIEW (or Page) menu in Internet Explorer, point to TEXT SIZE and select LARGER or LARGEST.

If you find that all web pages are difficult to read, you may want to change your screen resolution:

Right mouse click anywhere on your desktop and select PROPERTIES
Select the SETTINGS TAB, and slide the SCREEN RESOLUTION slider up or down one level
Click APPLY, then YES when prompted if you're satisfied with the result
If not satisfied, click NO and repeat steps 2 & 3 until the screen resolution is acceptable

Run Older Programs on Windows XP

2007-01-09T10:42:00.000-08:00

If you have an older program which is crashing under Windows XP, but worked well under a previous version of Windows, try changing the compatibility properties for the program:

Right-click the program icon on your desktop or the shortcut on the START menu for the program you want to run, and then click PROPERTIES.
Click the COMPATIBILITY TAB, and change the compatibility settings for your program.

Note: If the program still does not run correctly, check with the manufacturer for program updates or patches. For games that use Microsoft DirectX®, make sure you have the latest version of Microsoft DirectX, as well as current video and sound card drivers.

Managing Your Electronic Files

2006-12-28T20:41:00.000-08:00

Need help managing your electronic files? Here are some ways to get organized and protect your files:

Save current files in your My Documents folder, or a subfolder within this folder
Be consistent when naming files and folders
Keep file and folder names short
Use shortcuts and links instead of multiple copies of files
Archive (move) non-current files from your PC to a CD, DVD or external hard drive on a regular basis
Backup your My Documents folder to a CD, DVD or external hard drive on a regular basis

Save Your Favorite Windows Folder View

2006-12-23T13:58:00.000-08:00

Once you've changed your windows explorer folder view (select VIEW from the toolbar, then view option), you can apply the change to all your folders:

Select TOOLS, FOLDER OPTIONS
Select the view tab, and click the APPLY TO ALL FOLDERS button
Click YES to confirm, then OK to close window

Access Internet Explorer after switching from one user account to another

2006-12-19T13:23:00.000-08:00

With Windows XP, if you leave Internet Explorer open on one user account when you use the SWITCH USER log off option, you may receive the error message 'MICROSOFT VISUAL C++ RUNTIME LIBRARY RUNTime Error' on the second user account when you log on, or when you try to open Internet Explorer. Several things may be causing the trouble, so try the following:

Remove the Google toolbar -- Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs
Disable the McAfee Anti-Phishing add-ons in Internet Explorer -- Tools, Manage add-ons
Find and remove Spyware -- many programs are available, ie: Windows Defender, Spybot, Ad-Aware etc...

Printing Digital Photos

2006-12-15T15:31:00.001-08:00

Produce sharper, more eye-catching digital photos at home by:

Always select the maximum photo size and quality offered by your digital camera -- this will improve the image clarity and detail.
Set your print quality to the highest possible color printing resolution -- the greater the dpi setting, the better your prints will be.
Choose glossy or matte finish photo paper rather than standard printer paper -- black and white prints look best on matte finish, color on glossy

Save Time With Templates

2006-12-14T16:01:00.000-08:00

Microsoft Office products come with built-in templates that help you to work more efficiently. To open one of these built-in templates:

Open applicable Office program
Select FILE, NEW
In the task pane on the right side of the window, select “On My Computer”
Browse through the tabs and select a template
Click OK to OPEN

In addition, Microsoft’s Templates Website provides hundreds more templates and sample documents that you can modify. To access these on-line templates:

Open applicable Office program
Select FILE, NEW
In the task pane on the right side of the window, select “Templates on Office Online”
Enter search criteria in the search bar, or select a template category
Browse through and select a template
Follow instructions for saving to your computer