I’m sure most of you have heard of the Darwin Awards, if not let me explain what they are. The Darwin Award is generally awarded posthumously, and is a way of saying thank you for taking yourself out of the gene pool.
“The Darwin Awards honor those who improve our gene pool… by removing themselves from it.” Direct quote from their site. This award is… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Cool Sites |
Let Your Computer Do the Dialing
Have you ever used Phone Dialer? Maybe you didn’t even know that Windows had it. It can be used to dial common numbers or just to avoid the hassle of holding the phone while you dial and wait for someone to answer. If your computer has a phone line hooked up to it you can have your computer dial the number for you, then… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Uncategorized |
Q:
What are .pdf files?
A:
If you’ve been using the internet for any amount of time, you’ve probably run across these little buggers. They’re Adobe Acrobat files. Normally, you download them and use Adobe Acrobat Reader to read them. You can get Adobe Acrobat Reader for free at Adobe’s web site:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html (Make sure you… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Computer Terms, Uncategorized, Using The Internet |
Putting a Graphic in Your Signature File
Now that you know about sig files, you’re probably wondering, “Can I put a picture or handwritten signature in?” Well—good news—it can be done.
To use an image in your signature, you must use HTML for composing your email. So, launch your favorite HTML editor (Dreamweaver, Go Live, Frontpage) or
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Q:
I’m tired of typing “Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Jim” at the end of all of my e-mail messages. Is there a way to set this up automatically?
A:
Yes, and it’s called a signature. A signature file (or, for those in the know, a “sig file”) is usually just a little piece of text that automatically gets put at the end of an e-mail.
For… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
EZ Spell Checking
Do you always use your spell checker. I know it can take up a few precious moments to hit F7 , or if you do it the long way, Tools / Spelling .
Wouldn’t it be cool if your email could be checked for spelling automatically without ever hitting any buttons or making a single mouse click?
Guess what? There is a way to make spell check… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Q:
Help! When I go to my Address Book I keep finding all these extra names that I didn’t put there. Is there a way to stop this?
A:
You can have an entry in your Address Book made automatically every time you send an email. This is great if you only email a handful of people, but if you do a ton of mailing, you could end… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Q:
What can I do about all this unwanted email? Is there a place to report it?
A:
We all hate getting commercial email that we did not ask for, especially when it’s nasty or fraudulent. The current well-intentioned attempts to stop p spam are still rather primitive and end up censoring legit email along with half the bad stuff. What to do?
You can start by… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Just the Music
Do you play music CDs in your computer? If so, don’t you hate it when you’re trying to listen to your CD and the computer is “beeping” in on top of it (you know, for error messages and such)? Here’s how to fix the problem:
1. Right-click the little yellow speaker in your system tray (the system tray is located opposite your start button). Select Open Volume… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Multimedia |
Q:
I have old disks laying around with important stuff on them but the software that created them is no longer around. Am I out of luck?
A:
In many cases, the info on the disk(s) seems like it’s inaccessible with newer machines. Maybe the software that created it is no longer in existence, or it’s just an odd ball format.… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: File & Disk Management, MS Office Help |
I’ve read about the FDA testing the effect of caffeine on laboratory mice, but that won’t help us here. Adjusting the speed of your mouse pointer and buttons can help liven up your mouse.
If you’re using XP, open Mouse in the Control Panel (click Start>Control Panel>Printers and Other Hardware>Mouse) If you’re using Vista or Windows 7, just type mouse into
Comments | Filed under: Hardware & Peripherals, Uncategorized |
Q:
Is there a way for a left-hander like me to make my mouse easier to use?
A:
Since Windows 98, a feature was included for changing the buttons on your mouse, allowing you to replicate the feel of the right-handed mouse (like having the primary mouse click be your pointer finger).
To switch buttons on your mouse to a left-handed configuration… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Hardware & Peripherals, Uncategorized |
Do you have a web site you visit often? Wouldn’t it be cool to have a shortcut on your desktop for it? Here’s a quick way to do it:
First, head to the web page with either Explorer or Firefox.
Internet Explorer:
You’ll see next to the site’s URL (address) a small icon with a blue “e” on it. Drag that… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Shortcuts & Keyboard Tricks, Using The Internet |
Q:
When I’m writing a long email, is there a way to save it as I go?
A:
I know people who write things up in MS Word or some other Word Processor first, and save along the way, so they can copy and past into an e-mail. There is, however, another way built into Outlook , Thunderbird, and even web-based email like Gmail.… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Keep It Clean
When it comes to our computers, all we tend to think about is the stuff we see on the screen — the software. Most of us tend to neglect the computer itself.
What can you do with your computer to make it run longer? As I just mentioned above, keep it clean.
I can’t tell you the number of computers I’ve opened that have… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Hardware & Peripherals, System Tune-Up Help, Uncategorized |
Q:
Help! My computer just started making a strange sound when I turn it on. It sounds like rapid ticking or rattling (not hard drive sounds either) and goes away after a few minutes. Any ideas?
A:
Sounds like a problem with one of your fans (no, not the people who love you, the ones that blow air).
Your computer probably has two internal fans – one that… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help, Uncategorized |
Updating Windows
If you’re running a newer version of Windows, you’ve probably noticed the Windows Update item when you press your Start button. What is that all about?
Windows update is actually a really cool little feature. You know how Windows tends to have a few bugs? Well, these updates take care of bugs, security holes, and lots of other problematic stuff. Who knows, if you’re having problems, this may… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help |
Michael from California Asks:
How do I “Copy and Paste”?
A:
First off, you’ll be glad to learn copying and pasting is easy. You can copy and paste just about anything your little heart desires: text, web pages, files, pictures, you name it. The idea behind the process is to take information from one place and deposit it into another.
For… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: File & Disk Management, Shortcuts & Keyboard Tricks |
You know about the Start button, right? It sits down in the lower left-hand corner of the toolbar waiting to be clicked whereupon it shall reveal its wealth of information. But what if you click it and you don’t like the way it looks?
Well, you can get some relief, and have fun, with the Start Menu properties. Just right-click Start and choose Properties.… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Desktop Enhancement, Windows Explorer |
Q:
Why doesn’t my Windows XP have Control+Alt+Delete ?
A:
This could be caused by a virus, b ut before you panic, it could also be missing if, for some unknown reason, Task Manager did not install or was deleted. So, first you should find out if it’s there:
Start / Search “all files & folders” for ” taskmgr.exe “. This file should be located on your C… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: System Tune-Up Help, Windows Explorer |
E-mail Etiquette
Sending e-mail that’s looks good is a reflection of your professionalism. And an e-mail that is properly written not only makes you look good, but is easier for your recipients to read which will win you lots of points with that individual. Finally, if you send an e-mail that looks good, you also look like you know your way around the computer and the Internet.
Here are some… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Q:
What do all those error codes (like 404) mean?
A:
It happens to all of us. We’re surfing along, and up comes an error. What do all those error codes mean? Here’s a quick rundown of the most common:
400 – Bad Request – You probably typed in a URL wrong, the server has no clue what you’re looking for, or you aren’t allowed to have access… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Computer Terms, Using The Internet |
File Sizes & Counts
Have you ever wondered how much space a set of files takes up? Or how many files were in a folder? Well, here’s how to figure it out.
If you’re interested in the number of files in a folder and / or the total size of the folder, just right-click it and select “Properties” from the resulting menu (you could also use Alt+double click ).
OK… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: File & Disk Management |
Q:
When I drag and drop files, how do I know what is happening to them? Are they being moved, copied, or is Windows just creating a short cut?
A:
One day while dragging and dropping I actually paid attention and realized that Windows does tell you what it’s doing as you move the file. If you see a ” + ” sign in a little… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: File & Disk Management |
Emoticons are little text representations of emotions that you find in email, chat rooms, and IM’s. When you talk to someone, they can tell what you mean by the tone of your voice or the look on your face. For example, maybe someone says something like, “Why are you so annoying?”
Now, if they say it while they’re laughing, you know that it’s just lighthearted humor. If they say it… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: Computer Terms, E-Mail Help, Using The Internet |
Always Show BCC
As we mention often, if you are sending email to several people, be considerate and use the Blind Carbon Copy feature. This keeps the various recipients secret and secure.
When you go to create an email in Outlook Express , click on “View”, then check “All Headers”.
You should now see “BCC” under “To” and “CC”.
IF you are composing a new message in Netscape Mail
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
Q:
When friends forward email as an attachment, is there a way to save just the attached email in a folder?
A:
Any time you get an attachment with the extension .eml, this means that it is just a regular email. Here is a way to save an attached email if you are using Outlook Express…
With the email containing the attachment open or in the preview pane… Continue reading
Comments | Filed under: E-Mail Help |
