Keyboard Menu Magic
Here’s one for those of you who prefer the keyboard to the mouse, but don’t really know many of the “tricks of the keyboard trade”.
Have you ever noticed the underlined letter in the title of each menu at the top of your screen? (You know – the F, E, V, etc..)
Ever wonder what that was all about? I mean, there has to be a… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: MS Office Help |
Click, Click – Auto Fill It
OK, so you’ve got a long column of data in MS Excel and… in an adjacent column you’re going to apply the same formula to each and every item in the list.
What do you do?
For many of us we simply write the formula in the first cell and then use either copy / paste or the fill handle to drag the formula… Continue reading
Cell Formatting Trick
Do you constantly find yourself going to the Format menu, Cells choice to make changes in MS Excel? (You know, for things like data format, text direction, borders, fill color, etc.)
Do you hate using the mouse for all this?
Looking for a faster, keyboard-driven method to access the Format Cells window?
Yes?
Good, then you’re in the right place.
Next time skip the menu and highlight… Continue reading
Finding Excel Record Lengths
Here’s a tip I received from a reader who finds Excel’s function for determining data length (number of characters in the data) to be a useful tool.
Maybe you too have data sets in Excel through which you must search to find the longest or shortest element.
At any rate, I thought it might be a good idea to pass this one along so let’s get… Continue reading
Get Right to Business in MS PowerPoint
Are you using PowerPoint 97 or 2000 and find yourself tired of seeing this screen every time you start the program?
Looking for a way to bypass this altogether and just get right to business?
If this is you then here’s the scoop.
Take another look at that Startup Screen… maybe take a look way at the bottom?
See it?
Yep… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: MS PowerPoint |
AutoFit in MS PowerPoint XP
OK, so we’re all here for the same reason—to learn to control PowerPoint’s AutoFit feature. With that in mind, let’s get right down to business.
You actually have two types of control over this feature.
One type is when you choose to turn the AutoFit feature on or off globally (at the overall program level so it affects all presentation elements).
Another point of control… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: MS PowerPoint |
Why Does That Text Keep Shrinking?
Is this a question you’ve asked yourself while working in PowerPoint XP?
Have you ever noticed that when working in a title or text placeholder that the font will just shrink as the text fills the box?
A good thing if you want PowerPoint to help take care of the “making it fit” issue, but, not so good if you want text to be… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: MS PowerPoint |
I choose Blue… No, Orange! Wait, maybe Lime Green?
Have you ever found the perfect clipart for your presentation, document or worksheet only to find that it seems to clash with other elements (maybe the background or other clipart)?
Did you find yourself wishing you could change the clipart color scheme so everything would look “right?”
Well, you can… if you have MS PowerPoint.
When you insert clipart into an… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: MS PowerPoint |
Keyboard Font Size Shortcuts
Over the years I’ve run into a couple of different keyboard shortcuts for changing font size and I thought it might be of interest to my readers who love a good keyboard shortcut.
To be exact, I have two different sets of key combinations for increasing and decreasing font size.
This first set will increase or decrease font by the increments listed in the font size… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: MS Office Help |
Headers and Footers?
What exactly is a header or footer?
I think that the MS Office Assistant gives the best definition for headers and footers. According to that cute little guy in the help window:
“A header or footer is text or graphics—such as a page number, the date, or a company logo—that is usually printed at the top or bottom of each page in a document. A header is… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: MS Office Help |
MS Word: Headers & Footers Demystified
So, now you know what they are, I’d bet that the next question you’re dying to ask is “How do I get to these wonderful little miracles?” (All right, I can hear the groans and moans from here. Maybe they’re not little miracles but they’re pretty useful little gadgets anyway.)
The way to access headers and footers is to go to the View menu… Continue reading
MS Excel: Headers & Footers Demystified
Let’s continue on our journey through the world of headers and footers. The train stops next at the MS Excel station.
To access headers and footers in Excel, you will go to the View menu, Header and Footer choice.
The Page Setup window will open with the Header/Footer tab already selected. (You can also get to this location via the File menu, Page Setup… Continue reading
Selecting Multiple Worksheets in an MS Excel Workbook
We all know that to select one sheet you simply click on the sheet tab. The next logical question might be “How do I select several consecutive sheets at once?”
Easy enough answer. First, you’ll need to locate the worksheet tabs in order to select the ones you want.
Then, simply select the first sheet by clicking on its tab then… Continue reading
Q:
Is there any way to clear the formatting of copied text?
A:
There sure is! Have you ever copied a hunk of text that was overly-formatted? You know, italic, underlined, and written in some really strange looking font that’s next to impossible to read?
Like this:
When you paste it into your word processor… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Uncategorized |
Q:
How can I tell how much hard drive space I have left?
A:
We get this one a lot. To see how much space you have left, open the My Computer icon on your desktop (or under the Start menu for XP users) and right-click the drive you are curious about (for most people, this would be
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help, Uncategorized |
Q:
What is a “Buffer?”
A:
A buffer is basically an area of memory a hardware device or software program uses when it needs a constant, uninterrupted flow of information.
For example, if you ever listened to any kind of streaming audio, the program you use probably “buffers” the signal a little before the music starts to play.… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Computer Terms, System Tune-Up Help |
Use Internet Explorer To Open Files
If you’re like me, you always have a web browser open. Well, if that browser is Internet Explorer, you could be doing more with it than just surfing the web!
Internet Explorer can also open all sorts of files. Just drag and drop a file into your Internet Explorer window and watch it open. I use this all… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: File & Disk Management, Using The Internet |
Q:
When I check my email using MSN/Hotmail I get gray boxes where pictures should be. How do I get the pictures back?
A:
This recent “feature” of MSN/Hotmail removes images from email until you review the message and determine that it’s OK. Part of the reasoning behind this is that you don’t have to look at nekkid people or body part pictures when you check your mail… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Q:
What does the “send to” menu do?
A:
If you right-click a file in Windows Explorer or My Computer, one of the options you’ll get from the resulting menu is ” Send To “. You can use this ” Send to ” option to send the file in question to another location, person, program, etc.
For example, one option is to Send To, desktop
Comments | Filed under: Windows Explorer |
Forward this to 500 of your friends???
Will boycotting gasoline from Shell, Chevron, Texaco, Exxon, and Mobil cut off funding for terrorists?
I’m sure that you’ve seen this, or other chain email in your inbox. If it weren’t for all the gross statistical errors and the naive grasp of oil industry economics exhibited in it, this email might actually have some validity. According to the good folks at the… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Stop Homepage Hijacking
We get e-mail from people all the time telling us that their homepage has been changed without their permission (Internet Explorer). Most of the time, a quick trip to the Tools menu, Internet Options will let you reset the page.
However, sometimes it’s an even bigger problem. Some folks find that each time they re-boot their computer, their homepage switches back to the unwanted one and… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Using The Internet |
Q:
What is spyware? How do I know if I have some on my computer? How do I get rid of it?
A:
Spyware is basically a type of program that gathers information about you without your knowledge. This information may be distributed to many sources or just a single source.
Note that if a program alerts you that your personal information may be shared it is not… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Using The Internet |
Q: Last week your newsletter started showing up in my Yahoo “Bulk Mail” folder. Is there a way to get you out?
A:
Well, the email filtering frenzy continues, blocking legit email (like this newsletter) while the “bad guys” sneak their unsolicited commercial e-junk (UCE) into your inbox. We’ve told you about MSN/Hotmail blocking pictures in HTML emails and all the problems with AOL . Now our… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Back It Up!
As most of you know, I recommend backing up your computer on a regular basis. Since I’m always harping about it, I thought it might be a good idea to actually explain how to do this!
First, what exactly does it mean to “backup” your files?
To backup simply means to
Comments | Filed under: File & Disk Management, System Tune-Up Help |
Stop the Spyware Invasion
Did you know that you can prevent it from getting to begin with?
I’m talking about a free way to do it, at least with Internet Explorer. I tried to find Netscape and Opera methods, but didn’t find any.
Just head over to Tools / Internet Options then click the “Security” tab and the “Custom Level” button.
You’ll see a list of settings, the first of… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Using The Internet |
Q:
What is the difference between DVD-R and DVD+R?
A:
Short answer? Not much.
Anyone who was around twenty years ago might remember the battle between the two video tape formats: VHS (Victor Home System) and Betamax (Sony). Fast forward to the twenty-first century and we have a similar battle of the formats with DVD.
The… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Computer Terms, Hardware & Peripherals |
Internet Information Safety
Giving out your personal information to sites on the net is a touchy subject. My suggestion would be to only give out info to sites that you trust. If you don’t trust a particular site, don’t give out your info. I’m not too worried about giving out my info to most business sites, but I’m not going to give it to someone who just would like to… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Using The Internet |
