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Tips
and Tricks for Microsoft Office and Windows
Courage isn't the
absence of fear; it's the dealing with it. - Randall
Forcing a column break
Left to its own devices, Word decides when to jump text from the bottom
of one column up to the top of the next column. There are times, however,
when you want to intervene and insert a column break of your own.
Follow these steps to force a column break:
Place the cursor where you want the new column to
begin.
Press Ctrl+Shift+Enter.
Or use the Insert, Break command, check the Column
Break feature, and click OK.
In Word, there is a program called Equation Editor...From
the menu bar, you choose Insert, then
Object, then you scroll down to the Microsoft Equation Editor.
Here's how to add Equation Editor from Word to the menu bar.
1. Open a document in Word.
2. Click on View
3. Click on Toolbars
4. Scroll down and click on Customize
5. Click on the Commands Tab
6. Click on Insert on the left hand side.
7. Scroll down on the window on the right hand side until you find equation
editor (it's toward the bottom)
8. Left click the mouse and grab the icon and move it to the menu bar
you want it on.
You can find complete instructions herefor using it at:
http://spot.pcc.edu/academ/math/faculty/simonds/handouts/equation/
Shutdown Steps
Here are the best three reasons why you need to perform a shutdown instead
of just flipping the switch:
1) Windows performs something called write-behind caching. This feature
speeds up your computer by allowing Windows to write information in memory
to the disk when more resources are available.
2) There are some registry entries that Windows does not make until a
shutdown is performed. If you just flip off the computer, these entries
will never be made and your computer will act bizarre.
3) If you are a network and have shared resources, performing a shutdown
will release those resources, whereas just shutting off the computer will
not and hangs the resources indefinitely.
Creating a cross-reference within a document to another
section of your document is a simple matter of typing some fixed text
and then inserting a reference to the item. Here's how:
Place your cursor where you want the cross-reference
to appear, and then type an introductory text. For example, you might
write "For more information, see." Make sure your cursor ends
up at the exact spot where you want the cross-reference inserted.
Choose Insert, Cross-reference. The Cross-reference
dialog box appears.
Select the general reference category in the Reference
type drop-down list. The Insert Reference To and For Which list changes,
depending on the reference type that you select.
Select an option for the Insert References To drop-down
list to specify the information from the reference category that should
be inserted in the cross-reference. Note that each reference category
contains a Page Number option with which you can refer to the page where
the reference item occurs.
Specify the exact reference that you want from the
For Which list. For example if you choose Bookmark as the reference type,
the For Which Bookmark list then contains a list of all bookmarks in the
document.
Choose Insert. The Cross-reference dialog box remains
open so that you can add more info to your reference.
When you're finished, close the Cross-reference
dialog box.
Self-running PowerPoint 2002 Presentations: http://office.microsoft.com/assistance/2002/articles/ppconAboutSelfrunPresentations.aspx
In Exel, wrapping text within a cell is a good way to
display more information without making the column wider. For example,
this is often useful for lengthy table headings.
To format a cell or range so that the words wrap
around, follow these steps:
Select the cell or range that you want to apply
word wrap formatting to.
Choose Format, Cells (or press Ctrl+1).
Click the Alignment tab of the Format Cells dialog
box.
Check the box labeled "Wrap text."
Click OK to apply the formatting to the selection.
Word enables you to print USA postal zip code bar codes
on labels and envelopes to help your envelope get to its destination more
efficiently. Bar codes are those little vertical bars above your address
are on mail you receive. Choose Tools, Envelopes and Labels, and then
click Options. Check the Delivery point barcode option, and Word will
insert the correct bar code for whatever zip code you type in when you
print your envelope.
If you are writing a paper, article, or book, you may
want to have a subject matter reviewed. If so, have the reviewer use Word's
Track Changes feature so that you can see what changes the reviewer made.
To access Track Changes, just click Tools, Track Changes, Highlight Changes.
You can choose to track the changes while editing, view the changes onscreen,
or have the changes show in a printed document -- or all three.
To write a comment in Word 97 and 2000, follow these steps:
Select the word or sentence that you want to criticize
or praise.
Choose Insert, Comment. A window opens at the bottom
of the screen with comments that have already been made and the initials
of the people who made them. The comments are numbered.
Type your comment next to the square brackets with
your initials in them.
Click the close button.
With WordArt, you can turn ordinary words into graphic
objects. Among other things, you can sculpt text into a variety of shapes,
flip or stretch letters, rotate or angle words, or add shading, colors,
borders, or shadows to text. Here's how to begin
experimenting with WordArt:
Position the insertion point where you want the
WordArt object to appear in your document.
Choose Insert, Picture, WordArt, or click the Insert
WordArt button on the Drawing toolbar. The WordArt Gallery dialog box
then appears.
Select the WordArt effect that you like and then
click OK, or double-click the effect that you want to use. The Edit WordArt
Text dialog box then appears.
Type the text that you want to appear in WordArt.
Click OK.
Personalize your address labels by adding graphics or
ClipArt in Word 2000. Here's how:
Create new labels.
Enter your label text in the Address section.
Click New Document.
The labels appear on-screen. Click where you want
to insert the graphic to place the cursor.
Select Insert, Picture, ClipArt from the menu bar.
In the Insert ClipArt dialog box, choose a category
and click a graphic you want to insert.
Choose Insert clip from the menu that appears.
The graphic appears where you placed the cursor.
You can use copy and paste commands to copy the graphic to other labels
as well. You can search the Web for free ClipArt.
Change Icons For The Holidays!
If you want to change icons on your desktop to reflect your holiday spirit,
or lack thereof, then simply right-click the icon you want to change (Note:
My Computer, Recycle Bin, Network Neighborhood and My Documents cannot
be changed this way) and select Properties. Click the Change Icon button
and either select a new icon and click OK, or select Browse and find one
on your hard drive. Whenever you run across an interesting
icon, you can download the icon files from the Internet and save it in
a folder to use later, when the occasion or holiday arises.
Web Shortcuts
Do you like to visit specific Web sites on a regular basis? To simplify
your life, you can either create Favorites within Explorer, or you can
actually create a shortcut on your desktop that, when clicked, takes you
directly to the Web page you want to view. Here's how:
Open Explorer. Then open the Web page. Place the
mouse in an area of the Web page with no links or banners. Right-click
that area and select Create Shortcut.
Now, when you're connected to the Web, simply click
the new desktop icon, and it will bring up Explorer and take you to your
fave Web site!
Windows 98 makes it easy to include multimedia clips in
electronic documents.
Click Start.
Select Programs, Accessories, WordPad.
Select Insert, Object.
Select Wave Sound as the type of object to insert.
Click OK to close the dialog box and continue.
Click the Record button to record the message.
Click the Close button to return to WordPad.
Double-click the sound object icon to play back
the message.
Click the Save button to save the document.
Find Your IP Address
Every computer that has Internet access has an IP
address. These can be static or dynamic. Someone with cable Internet access
would have a static, or never-changing IP address. A dial up user would
have a dynamic address, or one that is assigned by the ISP each time you
log on. Occasionally it's
handy to know what your IP address is. To find out:
1) Click your Start button,
2) click Run,
3) in the Run dialog type: WINIPCFG
4) click ok.
Your computer will display your current IP address.
Change the Look of Your Desktop
If you would like to change the icons, background or screensaver on your
computers, these pages tell you how and give you replacements for the
ones you have.
Brainy Icons for Your Computer Desktop
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/icons.html
The Eye of the Storm Screensaver
http://hotfiles.zdnet.com/cgi-bin/texis/swlib/hotfiles/cnfo.html?fcode=47728&b=adesk
Dierk's page: http://www.anicursor.com/
Gorp Company screensavers (nature company): http://www.gorp.com/gorp/screensavers/main.htm
The Buckets comic strip site: http://www.unitedmedia.com/comics/buckets/html/cursors.html
PC Magazine has screen savers to download at: http://pcworld.com/downloads/collection/0,collid,37,00.asp
To find more, search the internet for "animated cursors" and
you'll find lots more to choose from. They usually come with instructions
on how to download them.
Animated cursors
I you are tired of looking at that little hourglass while your computer
chugs along, change it to a spinning globe, or a little walking dinosaur.
In Widows 95 and 98, go to the Start menu, then Settings, Control Panel,
and click on Mouse. Under Pointers, you'll find a few animated goodies
to start playing with.
Play Your Own Sounds!
Are you tired of the typical Windows sounds that seem to belch from your system
at the weirdest times? Would you rather have your child's laughter emanate from
your speakers when you're shutting down or starting Windows? Well, now you can!
If you've ever recorded or downloaded a WAV file, then you have what you need to
begin.
First, create a directory anywhere you like and call it something like WAV_FILES
so that you know what it contains. Save your files here. Now, within the Control
Panel, select Sounds and Multimedia or Sounds depending on which version of
Windows you're using. Scan down the list and find something you want to play
with. Then, use the Browse button and find your file. Click on the WAV file you
want to use. You can test the sound with the button that looks like the Play
button on a VCR. If you like it, then click Apply.
Just remember not to choose long files for frequently occurring sounds. What may
sound neat once or twice might get really annoying after the thirtieth time.
Use Headers and Footers to make your document shine! Here's
how:
Choose View, Header and Footer.
Click the Switch Between Header/Footer icon to choose either the Header or
Footer for editing.
Type in your header or footer text.
Click the Close button when you're finished.
Adding Your Own Screen Saver
If you've ever wanted to nab one of those neat screen savers off the Web, but
were not sure how to actually implement it, this tip is for you. It's really
easy! Download the screen saver to your Hard Drive or a disk. (If you already
have it on disk, then that's fine, too.) Save the file in the C:\Windows\System
directory. If your Windows system is not on drive C, then substitute the proper
drive letter.
After saving the file, right-click on the desktop and select the Screen Saver
tab. Scroll down through the list of screen saver names and the one you saved
should be there. Click on the name and apply any settings (if applicable) and do
a preview to see what it will look like. Then click Apply and you are done!
There are two things to note: Make sure the Screen Saver you download is for
your operating system (for example, Windows NT, 98, 95, Me) and always do a
virus scan on any downloaded file.
This tip applies to Windows 98 and Windows Me. Some
toolbars -- such as the Links bar for the My Computer window -- have handle
controls. These vertical lines at the ends of the toolbar can be dragged to
change the bar size. You can also double-click on the handle controls to expand
the toolbar so it takes up most of the width of the window, pushing aside any
other toolbars on its shared line.
Wrapping text within a cell in Excel is a good way to display
more information without making the column wider. This is useful for lengthy
table headings. To format a cell or range so that the words wrap around, follow
these steps:
Select the cell or range you want to apply word wrap
formatting to.
Choose Format, Cells (or press Ctrl+1).
Click the Alignment tab or the Format Cells dialog
box.
Check the box labeled Wrap text.
Click OK to apply the formatting to the selection.
You can change the height of rows to increase the space
between the rows of data in your worksheet.
Position the mouse over the bottom edge of the row heading.
Drag the row edge until the dotted line displays the row height you want.
OR
You can have Excel change the row height to fit the tallest item in the row.
Simply double-click the bottom edge of the row heading.
Creating a Slide Show
by Shirley Wood
Have you ever wanted to have your photos displayed in a special way that
didn’t require your site visitors to click on thumbnail images or links to
view them? This might be the answer you’ve been looking for.
You can use the HTTP-EQUIV refresh function of the <META> tag repeatedly
to load a succession of pages, creating a slide-show effect in your pages, or in
a different frame, or even in a popup!
The first step is to create your slide pages. How you set them up is really
dependant on how you are going to display them. If you are going to use a pop-up
window, you will want to size your slides (images) to fit that window.
Let's say you have four documents you'd like to use as slides: slide1.htm,
slide2.htm, slide3.htm, and slide4.htm. When you set up your page, have
slide1.htm be the document that's called by the page where you want the slide
show. For example: On index.htm say: "Click here to see a slide show!"
then link to slide1.htm. Next, open the slide1.htm document, and add this tag
just after your opening <html> tag:
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" CONTENT="3;URL=slide2.htm">
Next, open slide2.htm, and add this near the top, and so on:
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Refresh" CONTENT="3;URL=slide3.htm">
If you want the slide show to end with slide4.htm, don't insert the <META
HTTP-EQUIV> tag. If you want it to loop back to the first slide, add the tag
and point it to slide1.htm. This sets up a slide show in one frame that switches
to the next image every 3 seconds. You can change that number (content=3) to fit
your needs.
Remember, you can use as many slides as you want, just make sure to change the
URL to point to the next slide each time.
If you open the slide show in a pop-up window, all they have to do is close the
window to return to the previous page, but if you open the slides in the same
window, you should provide a way for people to break out of the slide show. Just
add a link such as, "click here to exit the slide show" on each page.
In this case, the link would take them back to index.htm.
Shirley Wood
Outfront Moderator
Thomson Learning
While it's easy to stick a picture in a Word
document (Insert | Picture and go from there), it can be difficult getting the
picture to move where you want - and stay put when the surrounding text
changes. It all boils down to something called "Float over text"
or "Move object with text" depending on which version of
Word you're using. In Word 97, the question is whether you want a picture
to "Float over text" - that is, whether you want pictures
to stay put on the page - or not. In Word 2000 right-click on the
picture you want to stay put and pick Format Picture. On the Layout
tab, pick a text wrapping style - do you want text to wrap tightly
around the floating picture, or do you want the picture to appear above or below
the text? (Tip: if you don't care, pick In front of text; that'll make it easier
to see if you haven't lined things up correctly.) Click Advanced and on
the Picture Position tab, clear the box marked "Move object with
text". Click OK to get back out to the document. At that point,
you can click and drag the picture and it'll stay put.
Microsoft Classroom Teacher Network: http://www.microsoft.com/education/mctn/
Learn how to create a "Webliography" with Microsoft Word or design
crossword
puzzles using Microsoft Excel.
Are you tired of trying to come up with an easy way to put
your lesson plan together? Well, if you visit the Microsoft
Office Template Gallery, things may become easier for you. Click Publication
and Education and then click For Teachers. If you scroll through the list you
can find all kinds of handy tools, including a template for creating a lesson
plan.
Note: This tip applies to Microsoft Windows 98 and Windows
Me.
The keyboard is your direct link to your PC, so your keyboard should work with
you instead of against you. You can adjust several settings to suit your
preference:
Repeat rate: A measure of how many times per second
that characters are repeated once you've held down the key long enough to
begin repeating letters, numbers, or symbols.
Repeat delay: A measure of how long you must hold
down a key before that character repeats.
Cursor blink rate: This setting doesn't affect your
typing speed. Rather, it controls how quickly the cursor blinks on and off.
To access these keyboard settings, choose Start, Settings,
Control Panel, Keyboard. Next, choose the Speed tab. You'll see slider controls
for the three settings. Adjust them as you wish!
Use [Home]
and [End], or [Page
Up] and [Page Down] (and those
work in both Netscape and Internet Explorer). To move Back to the last web page
you visited, you can hit [Alt] and the [Left
Arrow]. To move Forward to the "next page" (after you've
moved back), use [Alt] + [Right
Arrow]. [F5] refreshes the page
in Internet Explorer; in Netscape, [Ctrl] + [R]
will Reload the page. And finally, in Internet Explorer, [F11]
toggles Full Screen view on and off.
A favorite here, a favorite there ... pretty soon your list of
favorites will be very long indeed. You'll want ways to handle that long list.
One important step is to sort the Favorites. In Internet Explorer 5.0 or
5.5:
In the toolbar, click Favorites.
Right-click any Favorite in the list.
From the pop-up menu, choose Sort by Name.
You'll see that the Favorites are now in alphabetical order.
IE 5.0 and 5.5 can display pages using the font you choose.
1. Open Tools, Internet Options.
2. Click the General tab.
3. Click the Fonts button.
4. Choose the font you want (nice rhyme, that).
This affects the font only for the current pages. If you want the new font to be
the rule for all pages, click the Accessibility button and check the boxes to
ignore font styles and sizes.
Internet Explorer 5.0 and the new version 5.5 both allow you
to customize the toolbar. Open View, Toolbars, Customize. In the Customize
Toolbar dialog box you'll see two columns -- of the available buttons and the
current buttons. You can drag any of the buttons from either column, to add it
to the current set or remove it from the set.
If you're not a big fan of Clippy, the animated paper-clip
that represents the helpful assistant inside Excel, you can do him in. Right
click on Clippy and choose Hide. After you've done this several times he'll
offer to disappear -- and you can answer with a big OK. You can also get to the
point faster through the Tools, Options, Edit dialog box.
A good site for more information about programs and the possibility of new things
to do with computers can be found at the Warwick (NY) Computer PC Users Group
site: http://www.cyberave.com/~wvpcug/
The PC Technology Guide covers the PC's
major internal components and peripheral devices. It is more concerned with PC
technologies than products.Topics are covered at the overview rather than detailed
technical level and the guide is aimed more at the PC hobbyist than the IT professional.
While its focus is current technology it does convey a degree of historical perspective
CREATE YOUR OWN ICONS FOR WINDOWS 98
Give the shortcuts on your Windows 98 desktop more personality by designing your own icons
for them. With the Paint program in Accessories, you can easily create an image from
scratch and assign it to any desktop shortcut.
http://www.microsoft.com/insider/mi/pficons.htm
You can move the task bar by dragging it to either side or the top.
You can also resize the task bar by dragging the double arrow.
Click on part of desktop where there are no icons. You can arrange the
icons, and by going to properties set the background, screen saver, and other settings.
Check and empty recycle bin on your computer.
Right click on task bar to minimize all windows.
Go to My Computer and choose C drive. It will tell how much space is used
and how much is left in the hard drive. It also has a place to check for errors and
to defragment the drive.
Go to View and choose one of the other views. Go to the arrow in the address
bar and you can see other folders you can go to.
Windows flag key opens Start menu, Windows flag key with pointer opens other
options depending on the program you are using.
Programs, accessories, notepad, then you can type, tell it where to save it, and
name it before saving it. If you want to save it again in another place, go to save
as, and choose the new folder to save it in.
If you know where the file is located, right click on Start, choose Explore, and
find your file. If you don't know where it is, choose Find, then look for the file
by name or date.
You can listen to the tracks of an audio CD in any sequence you want and even
repeat favorite tracks.
1.On the Start menu, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Entertainment, and
then click
CD Player.
1.Insert the audio CD.
2.On the Disc menu, click Edit Playlist.
3.Click Reset.
4.Click each track desired from the list of Available Tracks, and then click Add.
5.Click the play arrow.
Here's one of the fastest ways to make a shortcut to a particular template, and
put it on your desktop or in the Start menu. It also works to make shortcuts to
other programs or folders.
1. Start Windows Explorer.
2. Click your way into the Microsoft Office folder and then into the Templates folder
within it. Then find a folder of Word templates, such as Letters & Faxes and click
into it.
3. Right-click on the template you want--from those files with the .DOT ending.
4. From the pop-up menu, choose Send To + Desktop (Create Shortcut).
You can start Word with that template at any time by just double-clicking on it. Or you
can drag the
shortcut to the Start button and it will also show up on your Start menu.
After you use the File, Open command, you see a dialog box listing the files you
can open. Naturally. But you may have been opening files this way for years without
realizing that you can change the way those files are sorted. Click the Details button,
and then you can click any of the columns to sort by date, name, and so on. Click again on
the column title to sort in reverse order.
BASEBALL 2001 STADIUM WALLPAPER: http://www.microsoft.com/insider/mi/pfbbstad.htm
Put your favorite ballpark on your desktop. Visit the Baseball 2001 Web site to download
free images of famous stadiums such as Fenway Park, Safeco Field and Shea Stadium.
Instead of following the directions on the screen, save the full image of the ball field
in your folder. When you want to use it for a background, go to that folder, right
click on the picture and choose background.
Graphics and Midi Links: http://hometown.aol.com/mellettk/Webpage/graphics.html
There are many graphics on this page, but if you choose Backgrounds you will end up
with a good background for your computer screen. Other graphics may or may not look
right on the screen.
Chibi Creations: Educational Graphics has 6 sets of graphics for teachers; http://www.chibicreations.com/educational.shtml
MY CREATIONS by Glory: http://www.glorysite.com/creations1a.html
graphics by category, search engine available
Graphics for Teachers: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Thebes/9673/graphic1.htm
clip art for teachers
Yet Another Graphic & Clip Art Site: http://www.execpc.com/~strehlow/Site/Site.html
How a Computer Monitor Works? - http://www.howstuffworks.com/nl.php?p=monitor.htm
If you are reading How Stuff Works, chances are you use a computer monitor every day!
Learn all about your monitor, including dot pitch, refresh rates and even the signals
flowing on the VGA cable!
Pep Up Your PC from Home Office Computer, June 2000
To find out how much RAM you have, go to Control Panel, then System Resources.
Look at the bottom of the General page or go to the Performance tab. The
single best. most cost effective path to performance is to add more RAM. For
information, put on your headphones and go to: http://www.rammatters.com/
Steps for finding the problem when your PC acts up:
1. Turn your PC off, wait 30 seconds and turn it back on. The problem may
go away.
2. Narrow down the problem, for example;
| Action |
Printing a document |
| Problem encountered |
Document won't print |
| Components possibly involved |
printer, printer cable, software setup |
3. Make a sure everything is plugged in and turned on.
4. Check all cable connections and switch settings
5. Check for possible sources of radio electrical interference, like
high-voltage appliances such as microwaves and coffee makers.
Monitor Troubleshooting Tips
Is the monitor turned on?
Is the monitor cable properly connected?
Is the brightness or contrast turned down?
Has a screen saver or power saver blanked the screen? To verify whether a
screen saver is running, disable or turn off the screen saver by selecting the Display
icon in the Control Panel. Look at the preview window.
To extend the life of the monitor:
Keep it away from hot and cold temperature extremes
Keep the monitor away from damp or dusty areas
Allow adequate ventilation since heat can damage the electronics
Do not block the ventilation grills
Keep other sources of magnetic fields away from the monitor
The mouse is a fairly simple device, but when it is not working correctly using one
can be very frustrating. If your mouse is not functioning properly, clean the mouse.
On a mechanical mouse, the trackball attracts dirt and needs to be cleaned.
Remove the ball from the bottom of the mouse and clean it with a soft cloth. If the
trackball is unusually dirty, you might want to use rubbing alcohol and a cloth. To
check the various mouse settings, go into the Control Panel and select the Mouse icon.
The setting offered will depend on what mouse is currently installed on your
system.
Cache is used to store instructions.
Tuning the Hard Drive Cache
Go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, System. In System, select the
Performance tab. Press the File System button. The Hard Disk tab will already
be selected by default, and you can change the setting by choosing one of the three
options in the typical role of this machine drop-down box. If you have a portable
computer and you normally use it with a power cord rather than batteries, you should
choose the Desktop profile. This will increase the performance of the cache because
the Mobile or Docking System profile uses a smaller cache to conserve power.
Tuning the CD-ROM Drive Cache
Go to Start, Settings, Control Panel, System. In System, select the
Performance tab. Note the amount of RAM Press the File System button
then the CD-ROM tab. In the Settings area, drag the slider button to set the
Supplemental cache size to Large if the CD's being used on the computer are usually
big blocks of mostly text. Choose Small for mainly multimedia like sound, video on
CD's. If the CD use is mixed, leave the setting at large. Don't use the middle
settings.
"In the Optimize access pattern for" drop-down list, choose a setting based
on the size of your computer's RAM and CD-ROM access speed. This table shows
Microsoft's recommended settings related to RAM size. When finished, the computer
need to be shut down and then restarted for the changes to take place.
| RAM size |
Optimize setting |
| 8MB |
Single-speed drives |
| 8MB to 12MB |
Double-speed drives |
| 12MB or more |
Quad-speed or higher |
Regular maintenance for a computer include:
delete files when not needed
empty browser cache in Navigator by going to Edit, Preferences, the plus sign on
Advanced, and Clear Cache
run scan disk standard every 6 months, thorough every 6 months
It's wise to optimize or defragment your system's hard disk periodically.
Defragging once a week is good schedule for heavy use. To load programs faster, go
to Start menu, then Program, Accessories, System tools, choose the Settings button, check
the "Rearrange program files so my programs start faster" option, and let the
utility do its work. It can take hours to defragment a big hard disk, but the
seconds it saves adds up. Third-party tools like the Speed Disk module of Symantec's
Norton SystemWorks 2000: http://www.symantec.com/
offer more fine-tuning, but Windows' Disk Defragmenter will do the job.
Practicing regular computer maintenance is always a good idea, and can be
particularly helpful if you are recovering from a system crash. Windows 98 comes with
tools such as Disk Defragmenter to help keep your computer in top shape.
Under normal operation, files and applications that are stored on your computer are often
divided into small units and scattered around the hard disk, which can make recovering
them very difficult. Disk Defragmenter places files and applications into contiguous
groups, thereby improving the chances of recovering your data (since files will not be
scattered all over the drive), and keeping your system operating at optimum speed. Other
tools in Windows 98 for keeping your system healthy include:
Disk Cleanup: Cleans your computer's hard disk by removing files you don't need, and lets
you know when your hard disk is getting full.
ScanDisk: Checks your computer's files, folders, data structures, and the surface of the
disk for errors. It finds and fixes errors, helps you regain unused disk space, and makes
your computer run more efficiently.
Maintenance wizard: Performs maintenance tasks automatically, or at times that you
schedule.
Computer viruses can also cause any number of problems, including a system crash.
Microsoft
recommends you always use current anti-virus software, available from a number of
third-party vendors.
The most obvious way to avoid sitting through startup is not to shut
down--to leave your system on overnight. If you've got an Energy Star-compatible
monitor, simply moving your mouse will awaken the sleeping display. Unless trees
regularly fall on your power lines, it's safe to leave a properly ventilated PC switched
on, thought be sure to save work in progress--to a removable disc, not just the hard
disk--before walking away. Also, since system resources seep away as you open and
close programs, let Windows freshen up by rebooting your system (Start menu, Shut Down,
Restart) before going to bed each night.
Would you like to shorten your startup time, even if by a little bit? Tell Windows 98
not to search for your floppy drive when it starts up! You'll still be able to use the
drive, but Windows 98 will only search for it when you click the floppy drive icon in My
Computer, Windows Explorer, or via DOS.
Here's how to do it:
1.Right-click My Computer, click the Properties button, and then click the Performance
tab.
2.Click the File System button and then click the Floppy Disk tab.
3.Clear the option to Search for new floppy disk drives each time your computer starts.
When your desktop displays many icons in full color, it often takes longer to refresh
and reload. To turn up the speed, click on the Display icon in the Control Panel.
Click on the Effects tab and look for the box that says "Show icons using all
possible colors." If you uncheck the box, you can often speed up the computer.
To change your display resolution:
1.Click the right mouse button anywhere on the desktop, and then click Properties.
2.On the Display Properties tab, click Settings.
3.In the Colors list, select the best (last) color setting available.
4.Move the Screen area pixel slider as far to the right as possible. Note the number of
pixels. You
probably won't want less than 800 x 600 for gaming.
5.In the Colors list, select the next lower setting. Move the Screen area slider to
the far right and note the pixels available. Determine which setting gives you the best
resolution. Remember, the more pixels, the better the resolution.
6.Select the color setting that offers the best resolution. Click Apply. Windows will
temporarily change your desktop.
7.If everything appears normal, click Yes when asked if you want to keep these settings.
If another message appears asking if you want to restart your computer, click Yes. Should
your screen go blank or appear to go wild don’t panic. It will return to its original
setting after 15 seconds. When it does, click the next lower selection from the Colors
list and continue with the rest of the setup as above.
When you try to connect PC to printer with infrared, but nothing is happening,
here's what to check:
1. Click Start, Settings, Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Infrared icon.
3. In the Infrared Monitor dialog box, click the Options tab.
4. Click the Enable infrared communication box.
5. Click Apply and then OK.
The #1 virus transmission method in recent years has been via
exchanging Microsoft Office documents (especially MS Word documents). This
happens because MS Office documents can have "macros" (Visual Basic
programs) attached, and these programs can be malicious. Many of the recent
spate of e-mail worms have been transmitted as MS Office documents.
To help contain such problems, users should know that MS Word has an alternate
file format called "Rich Text Format" (RTF) that does not include the
capability to attach macros. An RTF document contains almost all of the same
formatting information as a standard Word (.DOC) file. But RTF files cannot be
infected with viruses.
Organizations that want to reduce the costly overhead of virus infection may
wish to mandate that Word documents are to be exchanged only in RTF form. To
save a document as RTF, simply select "File -> Save as" and in the
dialog box, select "Rich Text Format" from the "Save as
type" field. Think of this as good hygiene: sending a .DOC file should be
considered about as appealing as sharing a used handkerchief with a friend
How to Be Virus Free From Microsoft: http://www.microsoft.com/biz/features/archive/20000103.asp
The recent computer virus outbreak was a not-so-gentle reminder to update your virus
scanning software. Whether it's been two weeks or two years since you last reviewed your
virus protection scheme, it's never too soon - or too late. Here's our take on this
critical piece of prevention.
Changing sounds in Windows 98 can brighten your day,
give you a chuckle, or, yes, even annoy you to tears. Certain sounds are matched to
events (such as a program opening or closing, or an error message appearing) in Windows
98. You know the sound you hear when Windows 98 starts? You could change that to a
recording of your child's voice saying, "Hi Mommy," and make starting work a
little more special. It only takes a minute to assign a new sound to an event in Windows.
The sounds your computer makes when certain actions occur in Windows are stored in the
.wav file format. Windows 98 comes with several .wav files installed. To assign a new
sound to a Windows event:
1.Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2.Click the Sounds icon.
3.In the Events area, choose an event. For example, Close program.
4.In the drop-down box in the Sounds area, choose a sound. For example, Ding.
5.To preview the sound, click the Play button.
Now each time you close a program, you will hear a ding.
Change your tune a lot
You can really spice up Windows 98 by recording or downloading new sounds to assign to
events. To record sounds, you need to have a microphone hooked up to your computer and a
sound card installed in your computer. Most new computers come with both of these items.
To record your own sounds:
1.Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to Entertainment, and then
click Sound Recorder. (If you have a sound card, Sound Recorder is installed with the
regular installation of Windows 98.)
2.Click the Record button.
3.Play music, speak, or make whatever noise you want into the microphone. (You can also
record music from a CD playing on Windows CD player. Find out how.) When you are finished,
click the Stop button.
4.On the File menu, click Save As....
5.Enter a name for the sound file. Save the file in the Media folder in the Windows folder
on your hard drive. You can save as many sounds as you want.
6.Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
7.Click the Sounds icon.
8.In the Events area, select an event.
9.The sounds you recorded will appear in the list in the Sounds area. Select a sound
to assign to your chosen event. Continue to assign sounds to as many events as you would
like to change. You can return to the Windows Default sound scheme (the original
sounds that come with Windows 98) at any time by choosing it from the drop-down list in
the Schemes area.
To use sounds you have downloaded from the Web:
1.On the Web page, click the sound you want to hear. Windows Media Player will open and
play the sound.
2.On the File menu in Windows Media Player, click Save As...
3.Enter a name for the sound file. Save the file in the Media folder in the Windows folder
on your hard drive.
4.Follow steps 6 through 9, above.
Windows 98 includes a tool called Microsoft System Information (Msinfo32.exe).
This tool can be used to gather information about your computer, to diagnose issues with
your computer, or to access other tools that are included with Windows 98. To start
Hardware Diagnostic, click Start, click Run, type msinfo32.exe in the Open box, and then
click OK.
Windows(r) 98: Work faster by right-clicking your mouse: http://www.microsoft.com/insider/mi/pfmousefast.htm
If you have more than one computer at home and would like to network them in
order to share a printer, play games together or access files more easily, this
article can get you started. Find out how your home PCs can now be networked
similarly to an office system. http://www.microsoft.com/insider/mi/pfhomenet.htm
XTEQ X-SETUP: Customize your Windows environment with this downloadable
utility: .http://www.pcworld.com/r/ww/1%2C2061%2Cww-515f2xsetup%2C00.html
The Windows Registry is a database of all your system's settings and software.
Whenever a Windows 95 or 98 program is installed, removed, or modified, Windows updates
the Registry to reflect the change - or at least, that's how it's supposed to work.
Real life is less tidy. System crashes, buggy uninstall programs, and plain old bad luck
can clutter your Registry, leaving it full of improper associations, bogus lists of
installed programs, and all sorts of other junk that can slow down and even crash your
operating system.
If you really know what you're doing, you can clean the Registry with RegEdit (the Windows
Registry editor). For most users, though, we suggest a safer alternative:
Microsoft's RegClean. This download hunts down and removes bogus Registry entries
automatically. It can also reverse any changes you make and restore your previous Registry
if something goes wrong. Most uninstallers, such as CleanSweep, also clean your Registry -
and do a better job than the free RegClean. Make a routine of cleaning the Registry and
Windows 98 will run faster and more reliably.
Download RegClean at this site:
http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0-10106-108-23283.html
Adding live Web content to your desktop
Want to add some "live" content from the Internet to your desktop? Maybe a stock
ticker or up-to-the-minute news headlines? The new Active Desktop interface in Windows 98
can do it. The desktop item will be automatically updated periodically to provide you with
the latest information.
To help you get started, there's a Microsoft gallery on the Web that offers many different
and interesting items you can add to your desktop.
Here's how:
1.Right-click the desktop, click Active Desktop, and then click Customize My Desktop.
2.Make sure View my active Desktop as a Web page is selected, and then click New.
3.Click Yes, and when you are connected to the Web site, browse through the different
items available.
4.To add an item to your desktop, click the Add to Active Desktop button on the item's
page in the gallery.
PC Connection: http://www.pcconnection.com/
is a company that sells computers, computer parts and programs.
CDW: http://www.cdw.com/ is another company that
sells computers, hardware and software.
These are some workshops about using technology in education that you may be
interested in attending, or at least knowing about.
This year's NYSC&TE Summer SIG (Liverpool, August 23/24) are posted on the
Summer SIG info page. There are 16 choices of presentations., Information
is available from the special Summer SIG box near the top of the NYSC&TE home
page: http://www.nyscate.org. Online registration is
also available from the SIG info page.
www.sysopt.com: Scott Wainer'sSystem
optimaization page with links to everything you need toknow about computers.
www.cnet.com: Computeing news, tips, techniques,
fixes. Links to download.com, computer.com, etc.
www.tipworld.com: Freee subscription to over
35 e-mail newletters, i.e. Office Tip of the Day, Bug of the Day, etc.
www.wopr.com: the ultimate Microsoft
Office resorce - learn about the latest bugs, fixes, service releases.
www.winfiles.com: Tips & Tricks, 32bit
shareware, Windows bug fixes, best source of Drivers anywhere
www.techtales.com: Helpdesk horror stories
- be sure you have space to roll around laughing!
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