Announcements

Finally! CD Burning Made REALLY Easy

Here's a cool one for ya! Do you have a CD burner? Have you ever wished there was a good CD burning program that was actually easy to use? Well, save your wishes for something else! We have a program called Burn & Go Gold that makes CD creation a snap!

I have a lot of different burning programs on my computer to choose from, but for most jobs I use this. Its easy to use interface makes burning CDs effortless. For most burns, it's just a two step process. Select the files you want, then hit the "Create CD" button. See why I like it??

It can do audio, data, and even direct CD to CD copies if you have an extra CD ROM drive. Of course, it also lets you copy a CD without a second drive by copying the original to your HD temporarily.

For example, I only have one CD drive in my computer, so I wondered how difficult it would be to copy an audio CD. Turns out I had nothing to worry about. It copies the CD tracks to your hard drive (temporarily) and then burns the CD from there. I think that was about a 3 step process. It couldn't be any easier!

Of course, it allows you to do a "test" burn, select your burn speed, number of copies, helps prevent burning errors, etc. It also supports 80 minute CDs, and a bunch of different audio formats (MP3, WMA, WAV, AIFF, and CDDA). Easy to use and powerful? Someone pinch me! (Ouch, that hurt!)

However, where it goes the extra mile is with its built-in CD Labeling program.

That's right, you can create your own CD labels right from this software. In fact, the CD labeling software not only lets you do CD labels, but you can also create jewel case inserts and covers with it as well. You can even use your own pictures!

Oh yeah, it also includes 20 labels and a labeling system to get you started.

So, if you like the idea of creating your own CDs but don't like the hassle of a complicated CD burning program, this is for you! It's only $14.97 and shipping is FREE if you live in the US.

Check it out (screen shots and all) at:

http://www.worldstart.com/store/burngogold.htm

PS - Unfortunately, quantities on this one are limited, so get to the site ASAP! You don't want to miss out!

MS Office 101

Now Where Did It All Go?

If you're using a new version of the MS Office Suite then you've probably noticed that your menus seem to be a little short. In addition, it seems that they only display items you've recently used. (Good observation!)

Ever wonder about that?

I mean, where did it all go?

The answer is nowhere. It's all there - you just have to display it.

One way to display all items is to click on the double arrow located at the bottom of the menu.

Another way to see them all is to double click on the menu name.

Click, click—all menu items displayed.

The troubling thing is that I find many users don't memorize a multitude of key combinations to get the job done. In fact, I find that many people seem to scan the menus to find what they're looking for.

Let's face it, scanning the menus gets to be even more of a pain when it takes all the extra clicking to see everything.

So, in response to this dilemma (not to mention the frequent emails I receive that address this issue) here's how to turn off the shortened menus. In other words, see it all on the first click, not the second.

You'll need to get to the Customize window. (Tools menu, Customize choice -or- Alt, T then C -or- right click on any toolbar and choose Customize from the bottom of the list)

Now you're looking for the Options tab.

On this tab uncheck the "Menus show recently used command first" choice.

Click Close.

And that's it—if you scan your menus now you'll find that you see everything with just one quick click.

Office Tip of the Day

What I Want, Where I Want It, In MS Word

In our last issue we discussed adding toolbar button commands to MS Word's menus. Not a bad idea for people who like an "uncluttered" window to work in. (The clutter being all the extra toolbars and buttons many of us have constantly displayed.)

But... I can already hear the clamoring of Word users everywhere who want to add items to the menu that aren't currently displayed in a toolbar.

I'm sure some people already thought about using Customize to create a button for a command then using that new button to add the command to a menu.

Not a bad idea—after all, I guarantee that not everyone would have come up with that little gem.

However, it does seem a bit complicated - there's got to be an easier way.

The big question is can it be done efficiently?

Well, I am pleased to say that yes, there is an easier way. Actually, it's as easy as creating a new button (and many of you have been doing that for quite some time).

So... if you're ready, let's get to the business of true customized menus.

The first thing you'll need to do is to open the Customize window. (Tools menu, Customize choice -or- Alt, T then C -or- right click on any toolbar and choose Customize from the bottom of the list)

Now you need the Commands tab.

From this tab you need to find a command you wish to add to a menu.

Once you've found the command you wish to add use your mouse pointer to click-and-hold (hold down the left mouse button) the item.

Now drag it to the menu where you want to place the command.

You'll notice that the menus will open as you move the mouse pointer over each menu name.

In order to put the command in the menu you need to then slide the pointer down the menu.

A dark horizontal line will appear showing you where the command will go.

When you've found the location that pleases you simply release the mouse button to drop the command.

If that's all you want to do then you're done. Simply click the Close button in the Customize window and you're back to work.

But...

...there's so much more to do here.

What about moving things that you've misplaced? What about moving things that were already in the menus? What about deleting items in the menu?

In the interest of a complete discussion today, let's address these last few concerns.

While the Customize window is still open, you can move any menu item you wish.

Simply grab-drag-and-drop the item to be moved. If you click and hold you'll find you can place the item anywhere in the current menu as well as move it to a completely different menu.

What does this mean to you?

One of the best things I can think of is that you can place things that you use frequently near the top.

I know newer versions of the MS Office Suite will use shortened menus - only displaying recently used items. But I've also noticed that many people I've worked with dislike this and turn the feature off. Therefore, the rearranging option may be a good way to organize the items for efficient use.

Now we need to move on to the deleting of menu items.

In the last issue I went over the Alt + Ctrl + - (minus sign) way to remove menu items, but this won't work while you're still using the Customize window.

The question then becomes, how do I remove items while the Customize window is still open? (I mean, let's face it, it's easier to do all your work without closing the Customize window every time you want to delete an item.)

You've got a couple of choices available to you for removing commands.

The first is to right click on the menu item to be removed.

Then from the pop-up menu select Delete.

Poof! Item gone.

The second method is to simply click-hold-and-drag the item into the document. When you release the mouse button you'll find that the menu item is gone.

Well - there you have it, an infinite (well - it sure feels likes it's infinite) supply of ways to customize the menus to your own particular needs.

This is what I call really making yourself at home in Word.

~ April