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Computer and Software Tips

Email
Outlook® deletes your email Back up your email in Outlook Express®
Back up your email in Outlook® 2 GB Outlook® files get corrupted
Set up an auto-reply in Outlook Be courteous when sending email to a list
Find Outlook® email conversations Thwart Spammers!
Effective Emails   
   
Using Your Computer
2007 Daylight Savings Time Switch back to your desktop with a click
Have fun with Windows Movie Maker® When do you right-click?
Save what you see on the screen Sort files by date, size, or type
Using Word Count Rotate a Batch of Photos
Find contact names quickly in Outlook® Magnify Documents
Generate random text in Word® Funky Things Happening in MS Office®?
See how much space is left on a drive Find Recently Edited Files Quickly
Copy formulas and formatting in Excel Copy formatting in Word
Making additional calendars in Outlook Calculator - Who Knew?
Removing pesky formatting in Word Sticky notes for your screen
Free/Busy Status in Outlook Calendar Restart Your Computer If You Have Problems
Look Like A Star - PowerPoint Templates
Internet
Protect yourself when shopping online  Create Stronger Passwords
Save keystrokes entering web addresses  
   
Viruses and Spyware
Is it a virus, or a hoax? Be wary of free anti-spyware, anti-adware
Gone phishing? Create Stronger Passwords
Don't take candy from strangers  
Computer Hardware
Get a UPS  Talking to All Your Gadgets
See how much space is left on a drive  Winter Photography Tips
   
Ergonomics
Save Your Eyes  Save Your Neck
Save Your Wrists  

 

Get a UPS

Buy a combination UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) and surge protector for your computer. Surge protectors alone will protect your computer from power spikes, but just as much damage can be done by brownouts. A UPS contains a battery that keeps power steady, and usually costs under $100.

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Save Your Eyes

Set your CRT monitor's refresh frequency above 70 Hertz. Under 70 Hertz, the flickering of the monitor is noticeable to most human eyes (if you're not sure, turn your head and look at the outside edge of your monitor - you'll notice the flickering out of the corner of your eye).

Right-click on the desktop, select Properties, then click on the Settings tab. Click the Advanced button, then set the frequency on the Monitor tab.

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Back Up Your Email in Outlook

You can create a backup file called a ".pst" (personal folder file) by doing this:

  • Open Outlook and switch to the email view.
  • Click on the File menu, and select Import and Export.
  • Select Export to a File, and click Next.
  • Select Personal Folder File (.pst), and click Next.
  • In the next window, click on the file you want to back up. If you want to back up your entire folder structure, click on the top-level Personal Folders file. Make sure the Include Subfolders box at the bottom is checked, then click Next.
  • Click on the Browse button to select the location where you want to store the backup, and type a name for the backup file. Select your preference for dealing with duplicates, then click the Finish button.

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2 Gb Outlook Files Will Corrupt Your Data!

If you have Outlook XP, 2000, or 97, pay close attention to the size of your Outlook files. If one of your ".pst" files (the file that Outlook uses to hold all your data) is getting close to 2 Gb in size, STOP USING IT RIGHT NOW, and split it into smaller files. Once the .pst file reaches 2 Gb in size, it will immediately become corrupted and unusable, and you will lose data. There is no Microsoft tool that will restore your lost data, and their recover technique isn't effective. This problem doesn't affect Outlook 2003 or later.

Check the size of your .pst files by searching your hard drives for *.pst (you may have more than one .pst file). Be sure Windows is also searching for hidden and system files. Windows 2000 will automatically search for them, but you need to set this under Advanced Options in the Windows XP search panel.

You can split up your .pst file by selecting folders and exporting them to a new .pst (using the technique from the January newsletter). Then, you can import the new .pst file, and delete the duplicate information from the old one.

If it's too late for you, and your Outlook has already died, give us a call at (403) 692-2255. We have a tool that may be able to restore at least some of your lost information.

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Just in Time!

With 2007's change in daylight saving time, you may need to take special measures to keep your computer clock in synch with the current time. If you have Windows XP, service pack 2 on your computer, and if your automatic updates are turned on, Microsoft says you "should" be OK. That said, I'd be inclined to double-check your computer time, both on Sunday, March 11th, and again on Sunday, April 1 (when the original daylight savings would kick in).

If you don't meet the above conditions, or if your time seems wonky, here's what you can do:

  • On Sunday, March 11th, right-click on the system time (displayed in the bottom right corner of your screen).
  • From the popup menu, select Adjust Date and Time.
  • On the Time Zone tab, uncheck the box beside Automatically Adjust Clock for Daylight Savings changes. Click Apply.
  • On the Date and Time tab, reset the time, then click Apply, and OK.

Remember, you'll have to manually reset your time again the fall.

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Outlook Deletes Your Emails

By default, when you first install Microsoft Outlook®, it is configured to "AutoArchive" every two weeks. AutoArchiving is designed to keep your Outlook folders cleaned up, helping to avoid large .pst files (like the ones mentioned in February's newsletter). When Outlook AutoArchives, it removes outdated files from your .pst file (by default, 6 months or older), and places them in a special "archive.pst" file.

The problem is that its default setting is to permanently delete any emails that are over 6 months old instead of archiving them. You can turn AutoArchiving off completely, or you can change the setting so that older emails are archived instead of being deleted:

  • Click on the Tools menu and select Options.
  • In Outlook 2003, click on the Other tab, then click the AutoArchive button.
  • In earlier versions of Outlook, click the AutoArchive tab.
  • To turn off AutoArchiving, uncheck the box beside Run AutoArchive every __ days.
  • To leave AutoArchiving on, but prevent it from deleting your emails, uncheck the box beside Delete expired items (email folders only).

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Back up Outlook Express®

Outlook Express stores each email folder as a separate file. The Address Book is stored in an entirely different place. Here's how to find everything and back it up:

The emails are stored in C:\Documents and Settings\(Your Name)\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\(big long number)\Microsoft\Outlook Express. There is a .DBX file corresponding to each folder name. You'll want to make a copy of each .DBX file.

The address book is stored in C:\Documents and Settings\(Your Name)\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book. You will see two files, one with a .WAB file extension, and the other with a .WA~ extension. You'll want to copy the one with the .WAB.

To back up these files:

  • Click on the Start button.
  • Right-click on My Computer, and select Explore.
  • In the window that appears, double-click on My Computer, then double-click on Local Disk C:.
  • Double-click on each folder name in the same sequence as it appears in the lists above.
  • Make a copy of all the .DBX files, and the .WAB file.

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Is it a virus ... or a hoax?

Sooner or later, you get the breathless email: "Whatever you do, watch out for this virus! It reformats your hard drive and you lose all your data, and then it emails itself to all your friends and wipes out their computers, too!"

Sound familiar? There are dozens, if not hundreds of these types of emails. And you're always afraid NOT to pass them on, just in case...

Most of these emails are hoaxes. Their only purpose is to get people to clog the email systems by sending massive volumes of email (remember the "send this to all your friends" part?). The problem is that they can make people careless about real threats, and sometimes, hackers will write a virus later with the same name as the original hoax!

You can check to see whether these threats are for real by going to one of the reputable anti-virus sites, like Symantec (Norton Anti-virus) or McAfee, and searching by the name of the virus or the title of the email.

The moral of the story: Never open an email attachment unless you know what it is!

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Switch Back To Your Desktop With a Single Click

If you work with multiple windows open, you may need to go back to your desktop to open another shortcut. It can be time-consuming to minimize each window in turn to get back to the desktop.

Instead, look in the lower left corner of your screen to the right of the Start button. You'll see a row of little icons in the taskbar. If you move your mouse pointer over each icon, you'll see a little text title popup that tells you what each icon is.

Click on the Show Desktop button, and all your windows will be minimized onto the taskbar at once, so your desktop is visible.

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Have Fun with Windows Movie Maker®

If you've got Windows XP or Vista, you own a little-known tool that makes super-cool slide show videos out of your photographs and/or video clips. Windows Movie Maker lets you select photos and/or videos, and put them together in a slide show, complete with music, fancy slide transitions, title pages, and special effects.

Depending on what version of Windows you have, you may find Movie Maker in various locations, but click on the Start button, then All Programs, and then Accessories, and start looking. Some versions of Windows list Movie Maker directly under Accessories; others store it under Communications or Entertainment.

Once you start up the program, you can import photos, audio, and videos. Drag photos, effects, and transitions into the Storyboard view, then add music and control how long each slide or transition displays in the Timeline view. When you're done making your movie, you can save it to a file, send it by email, or burn it onto a DVD and play it in any DVD player. One small caveat - Vista users may find unusual bugs in the program, at least until Microsoft releases a service pack.

Just start playing - you'll be amazed at what you can create! Can you say... Christmas gifts?

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When the H*** do You Right-Click, Anyway?!?

A right-click is almost always used to bring up a pop-up menu. The items on the menu will be "context-sensitive", meaning that they will apply specifically to the item you clicked on, and will vary depending on where you right-clicked.

For example, if you right-click on a file in a file list, you'll get a popup menu that offers to let you open, edit, print, or delete the file, and so on. Right-clicking in a Word document pops up a menu that lets you change the font or format the paragraph, among other options. Right-clicking on your Windows desktop pops up a menu that lets you work with your desktop icons, or change your display properties.

If you accidentally right-click, and an unwanted menu pops up, you can close the menu by left-clicking somewhere else, or else by pressing the Esc key (in the top left corner of your keyboard).

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Be Courteous When Sending Email to a List

If you send emails to a list of people, be courteous by hiding the recipients' addresses from each other. You do this by using the Bcc field, or else by doing an email mail merge (if you have Word 2003 or later). Either way, the recipient should only see their own address when they open the email.

The simplest way is to start your email as usual. If you have a Bcc field visible, you can click on the Bcc button to add names directly to the Bcc field. If it's not visible, click on the Cc button. (In Outlook Express, these buttons aren't apparent; just click on the text that says "Cc" with the little book icon beside it). When the address list opens, you'll see that you have the option to add names to a Bcc list instead of the To or Cc list.

Some spam filters reject emails if they don't have at least one To recipient, so add your own email address to the To list to avoid getting bounced.

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Save What You See on Your Screen

To save a copy of the screen you're working in, hold down the right-hand Alt and Ctrl keys on your keyboard, then press the Print Screen button. This saves a copy of what is visible on your screen into your Windows® clipboard (the same as a Copy command).

Open a graphics or word-processing program, and hold down the Ctrl key while you press V (or click the Edit menu and select Paste). The image of your window will be pasted into your program. You can then crop the image as needed.

Important: Images on websites are under copyright protection! It's illegal to copy and use a picture without the owner's consent.

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Set Up an Auto-Reply in Outlook®

If you're used to using Outlook in an office network, chances are you can use the Out Of Office Assistant to set up an auto-reply for your email if you're going to be out of the office. But if you're using a stand-alone version of Outlook, the Assistant isn't available. Now what?

Here's what to do: Click on the Tools menu, and select Rules and Alerts (or Message Rules in earlier versions). In the dialog box that opens, you'll see a little New Rule button in the top left corner. When the Rules Wizard opens, select the option to start from a blank rule. Then, work your way through the wizard screens, clicking Next to move through them.

You'll notice that you can select options in the top pane, and then set the parameters for the options in the bottom pane, by clicking on the blue text links. Hint: If you're setting up an auto-reply, make sure you set it to only reply to messages that come from people within your contacts list. That way, you're not replying to spammers!

When your rule is done, you'll see it appear in the Rules list. Check the box beside your new rule, and your auto-replies will start immediately. To turn off the autoreply, just uncheck its box.

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Sort Files by Date, Size, or Type

By default, files are sorted by name, but sometimes it might make more sense to see them sorted by date. In any Windows® file list, you can sort files by date from newest to oldest, or oldest to newest. Here's how:

In the window that shows all your files, click on the View menu at the top, and select Details. This will show you all your files in a column at the left side, and their properties in other columns. At the top of each column, you'll see the column title: "Name", "Size", "Type", and "Date Modified". If you click on the column title, the files will be sorted by that property. To sort by date, click on "Date Modified".

By default, the files will be sorted in ascending order (oldest to newest). You can reverse the sort order by clicking on the column title again. When you're ready to view your files alphabetically again, just click on the "Name" column title.

You can use this technique to sort by name, date, file type, or size - and it works on emails, too!

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Be Wary of Free Anti-Spyware and Anti-Adware

If you’re surfing the net, be wary of free programs that offer to protect you from spyware and adware. Many of these programs are actually spyware and adware in disguise! Some of these programs are reputable, though, and can help protect you. If you’re considering one of these programs, enter the name of the program in an internet search (Google, for example).

If you find good reviews of the software on multiple sites, particularly reputable ones like tucows.com, download away! But if you can’t find any references to the program, or if it gets bad reviews, look for a different one.

If you don’t feel safe using free software, Norton and McAfee both offer anti-spyware and anti-adware software for sale. Either is a dependable choice.

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Protect Yourself When Shopping Online

If you intend to shop online, get a separate credit card with a low limit, and use it solely for internet purchases.

That way, if your online security is compromised, the thief won’t be able to make many purchases, and you can easily cancel the card without affecting the rest of your credit cards.

If a shopping site accepts Paypal, you can create a Paypal account that provides an extra layer of security. Purchases using Paypal are still charged to your credit card, but the credit card number is not released online. Go to www.paypal.com for more information about Paypal accounts.

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Talking to All Your Gadgets

Now that many of us are trying to synchronize Palm and Blackberry devices and other smartphones, the question arises:  What software should I use?

Many of the devices come with their own software system, and also link to Microsoft Outlook®, Act®, or other programs.

If you're just getting started and you don't already use a program for your email and contacts, Microsoft Outlook® (part of Microsoft Office®) is the safest choice.  Don't confuse Outlook® with Outlook Express®, Windows Mail®, or Windows Contacts® - they look similar, but they don't do the same things.  

Since Outlook® has been around for so long, almost all handheld devices will link easily to it.

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Using Word Count

If you write articles for publication, you know that word count is the top priority for your publisher!  Let Microsoft Word® do the work for you, with the Word Count feature.

To use it, use your mouse to select (highlight) the words you want to count.  Then, in Word® 2003, click on the Tools menu, and select Word Count. 

In Word® 2007, it's even easier - just select the words, and look down in the bottom left corner of your document screen.  You'll see "Words: 517/667".  The number before the slash is the number of words you've selected.  The number after the slash is the total number of words in the document.

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Gone Phishing?

By now, most of us have heard the warnings from our banks.  They tell us that they'll never as for our information via email, and advise us not to respond to any email requests for personal information.

Here's another scam, though - if you sell items online using PayPal, you may receive an email that looks like the standard notification of payment received.  Here are two warning signs:  If the email is addressed "Dear (your email address)", and if it asks you to log in to your PayPal account to take possession of your funds, beware!  

PayPal notifications will always be addressed to your first and last name as they are listed in your PayPal account, never to your email address.  And if you've been notified of a payment, it should appear in your PayPal account - there's no confirmation or acceptance process.

Warning:  Don't click on the link in the email to check your PayPal account - it may capture your PayPal account password when you log in.

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Find Outlook® Email Conversations

We've all done it:  emailed back and forth with someone over several days, and then lost track of the one email in the sequence that we really needed.  Here's help:

You can organize your Outlook® emails by conversation (also called "message thread").  Click on the folder that contains your messages.  Then, click on the View menu at the top of the screen, then Arrange By, and select Conversation.  Your folder will rearrange itself into heading titles that are composed of the subject line, and, in brackets, the number of emails that make up the conversation.  Under each heading are all the emails that are part of the conversation.

To go back to the default view when you're done, click on the Received header bar at the top of the folder window.

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Rotate a Batch of Photos

You've just come back from an incredible vacation, and you've taken hundreds of digital photos.  They're now downloaded onto your computer, but it's a tedious process to turn them all right-side up.  What now?

If you've got Windows XP or Vista, you can easily rotate a batch of pictures all at one time:

  • Navigate to the folder containing your pictures using Windows Explorer, or else click on the Start button, and then click on My Pictures.

  • If you can't see thumbnails of your pictures when you get to the correct folder, click on the View menu, and select Thumbnails.

  • Select all the pictures that need to be rotated the same way (for example, all the ones that need to be rotated 90 degrees clockwise).  Hint:  To select more than one picture, hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard while you click on each picture in turn.

  • Right-click on one of the selected photos.

  • In the popup menu that appears, select Rotate Clockwise or Rotate Counterclockwise.  All your selected photos will be rotated 90 degrees.

  • Repeat as needed.
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Find Contact Names Quickly in Outlook®

If you have a lot of names in your Outlook contacts list, you may find yourself spending extra time searching through names to find the person you want.

There are several ways to narrow your search.  If you click on the lettered buttons at the right side of your contacts, the view will jump to the first contact name beginning with the letter you select.  But if you have thousands of names in the list, that doesn't help very much.

The quickest way to jump to the right general area is to click on the first contact in your list, then quickly type the first 3 letters of the name you're looking for (usually the last name, but it depends on how you've got your contacts organized).  If you type only one letter, it's the same as clicking on the letter buttons, so you have to type the 3 letters fairly quickly.

If you need to go to a specific name, use the Look for box at the top of your contacts list.  Type the name, and then click Find now

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Change Magnification in Word® and PDF® Files

If you're having trouble reading a document on your computer screen, make it easier to read by changing the magnification.

On the Standard toolbar in Word® 2003 or earlier, you'll see a percentage displayed, with a down-facing arrowhead beside it.  Click on the down arrow to see your zoom options.  In Word® 2007, you can access a similar control from the View tab, by clicking the Zoom button.

PDF® files use a similar zoom system - look for the zoom percentage (with its down-facing arrowhead beside it) in the top toolbar of your PDF® document.

To automatically select the largest zoom that will still display the width of the page without scrolling, select the Page Width option.

Note:  This doesn't affect the actual font size in the document.  It only changes your view.

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Save Your Neck

This tip could really save your neck... and save you some headaches, too!

When you're sitting in front of your computer, the back of your neck should remain extended and relaxed.  Imagine a string attached to the top of your head, just at the "corner" where it curves down to the back of your skull.  

If you imagine gentle tension on the string, the top of your head will naturally rise a little, and your chin will tuck in  just a little.  When that happens, you'll feel the muscles at the back of your neck extend and relax.  Look straight ahead.

When you're in this position, your sight line should be just at the top of your computer monitor.  If your monitor is higher, your neck will tend to kink and cause tension headaches by the end of the day.

If you wear bifocals, you may need to adjust the monitor height even lower. Make sure that your neck remains relaxed and extended while you are looking through the correct focal range in your glasses.  If you can't lower the monitor any more, raise your chair to compensate (use a footrest if your feet don't rest comfortably on the floor).

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Create Stronger Passwords

Many of the applications we use today require a login and password to protect our security.  But some passwords are better than others.  Here's how to create a "stronger", more secure password:

  • Longer is better:  Your password should contain at least 6 characters.

  • Use a mix of capital and small letters.

  • Use a mix of letters and numbers.

  • Use unusual symbols and characters such as underscores, hyphens, $, %, (, >, and so on.  (Some systems get picky about these, but they will tell you if you've entered an invalid password).

  • Use different passwords for different logins.

  • Change your passwords regularly.

And of course, don't write down or share your passwords!

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Generate Random Text in Word®

If you're creating a document template, or if you just want to see what your document will look like once it's filled with text, Word can generate paragraphs of text for you automatically.

Just type =rand(1,10) and press the Enter key.  You'll get a block of text that is one paragraph containing 10 sentences.  You can generate as many paragraphs containing as many sentences as you like; for example, =rand(3,6) will generate 3 paragraphs, each containing 6 sentences.

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Funky Things Happening in MS Office®?

If some of your Microsoft Office® programs seem to be acting strangely, or if you are receiving error messages, you may need to update your Microsoft Office® or operating system files.

Microsoft regularly issues patches and updates to fix issues in their software, and to add protection from viruses and hackers.  These updates are available for no charge on their website at www.microsoft.com.  When you get there, click on the Security and Updates menu item at the top.  Choose Microsoft Update to update all your Microsoft products.

The site will check over your computer and find out what updates you need, and then automatically install them (if you've selected the Express option).  If you select the Custom option, you will get to choose which updates to install.

Hint:  You may need to do this procedure several times in a row to get all the updates - they can't all be installed at once.

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Save Keystrokes When Entering Web Addresses

If you use Internet Explorer as your browser, you can save some keystrokes when you're typing in web addresses that end in ".com".

When typing an address in your address bar, you only need to type the domain name (e.g. microsoft), and then hold down the Ctrl key while you press the Enter key.  The "http://www" and ".com" will be filled in automatically.

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See How Much Space is Left on a Drive

Many people worry that their computer's hard drive is getting too full.  Or perhaps you're using an external drive like a USB memory stick, and you need to know how much space is left on it.  Here's how to find out:

Click on the Start button in the lower left corner of your screen, and click on My Computer (or Computer, for Vista users).  When you do, a window will open, showing a list of all the drives that are available on your computer.

The main hard drive where your computer stores most of its data is usually called C: (unless you have added drives where you store data).  You may also see your removable drives listed under other drive letters such as E:, F:, and so on.

Right-click on the drive's icon, and select Properties.  When you do, you'll see a pie chart and a numeric listing that shows how much space is used and how much is still free for that drive.

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Find Recently Edited Files Quickly

Has this ever happened to you?  You create/edit and save a file from a program like Microsoft Word, and then can't remember where you saved it. Here's how to find it again without running a complete search of your hard drive:

Open the program you created it in (for example, Microsoft Word).  Click on the File menu (or the Office button if you're using 2007).  At the bottom of the menu, you'll find a list of the most recent files you opened or saved.  Click on the file name to open it.  Some other programs may use a slightly different setup, but if you don't see the list, look for a menu item named something like "Recent Files".  If you're using Windows Vista, you may also see a list of your most recent files under the Start button.

Now that you have the file open, you can figure out exactly where you saved it.  Click on the File menu, and choose Save As.  When you do, a dialog box will open showing the folder containing the file.  To find the complete file path, click on the down arrow to the right of the folder name (usually at the top of the dialog box).  You'll see a tree structure showing all the folders and subfolders that contain your file.

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Copy Formulas and Formatting in Excel

When you're creating a spreadsheet in Excel, you may have (for example) 12 columns, one for each month, with a total for each column in the bottom cell.  Instead of manually recreating the total for each column, use Excel's special tools to automatically duplicate the formula.  

First, manually create the formula in the first column and format it as you choose (bolded, for example).  Once that formula is complete and correct, click on its cell so that a dark outline appears around it.  Hover your mouse over the lower right corner of the border, and a small black box will appear.

Click on the small black box, and drag it so that the rectangle extends across all the cells that you want to contain similar formulas.  When you release the mouse button, the formula will be duplicated in each cell you dragged over, with the cell references automatically updated to suit each column.

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Copy Formatting in Word

When you're writing a document in Word, you can save time by using the Format Painter to copy formatting styles:

Type your text, and format it the way you want (for example, bold, underlined, and 16 point font size).  Click and drag to select the text that you just formatted, then click on the Format Painter button on your top toolbar (it looks like a paintbrush).

Now, select the text to which you want to apply the bold/underlined/16 pt format.  The newly selected text will acquire the same formatting as the text you originally created.

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Making Additional Calendars in Outlook

Want to keep track of your personal and business appointments in separate calendars?  Create another calendar in Outlook:

Click on the Go menu and choose Folder List.  In the left-hand pane, right-click on the Calendar folder, and choose New Folder from the popup menu.  Type a name for the calendar in the Name box, and make sure the Folder contains box says "Calendar items".  Click OK.

Now, when you switch to Calendar view, you'll see your new calendar under the My Calendars list at the bottom of the left pane.  Check the box beside each calendar that you want to be visible.  You can have several calendars visible at once if you want to.

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Calculator - Who Knew?

It's been included in Windows since the very first version, but few people know about Calculator.  It's a fully functional calculator that sits in a small window on your desktop.

You can perform basic math functions using the Standard view, or switch to the Scientific view for complex scientific and statistical calculations (click on the View menu and choose the option you want).

To find Calculator, click on your Start button, choose All Programs, and look in the Accessories folder.  To find out about all the features in Calculator, click on its Help menu.

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Removing Pesky Formatting in Word

Usually, you can remove formatting in Word® documents by highlighting the text, and then choosing Clear Formatting from the Styles and Formatting toolbar.  But sometimes, much to your frustration, that doesn't work.  Here's how to purge out absolutely all formatting:

Highlight and copy the text (Edit | Copy, or Ctrl-C).  Then, start up Notepad (included on all Windows computers):  Click on the Start button, and choose Programs, then Accessories, and finally Notepad.

Paste the text into Notepad, and then highlight and copy it again. Paste it back into a new place in your Word document.  If the formatting shows up again, undo, and paste the text into a different location in the document.  If it keeps being reformatted, you may need to put it into a new, clean Word document.

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Save Your Wrists

If you work on a computer daily, you should take precautions to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome and other repetitive motion injuries.  

Make sure that there is no backward flex between your hand and wrist when you're typing (neutral position).  When you place a ruler on the back of your forearm, the ruler should lie flat all the way down your forearm and the back of your hand. If your wrist is flexed, you'll see a space under the ruler, and the ruler will sit up on your knuckles instead of lying flat on your hand.

Buy a gel-filled wrist rest to elevate sagging wrists to neutral position.  Make sure the surface of the wrist rest is soft, and make sure that the bony base of your hand (not the soft underside of your wrist) is supported by the rest. Using too firm a wrist rest, or positioning it wrong, can cause more problems than it solves.

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Winter Photography Tips

Here are some tips for better digital photos in the winter:

Remember that batteries lose their charge more quickly when they're cold, so carry extra batteries in your pockets where they'll be easily accessible - and warm.

If you've been taking pictures outdoors, give your camera a chance to warm up before trying to use it indoors.  As you bring a cold camera into warm, moist indoor air, condensation can form on the lenses and internal parts.  If you wait until the camera is warm and the condensation has evaporated, you'll get better pictures.

If you're trying to photograph people or pets on a field of white snow, be sure to set the light balance.  Point your camera's sensors at the darkest part of the scene (not the snow), press and hold the button half-way down to save the settings, and then take your picture.  Faces and details will be much brighter and clearer.

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Don't Take Candy From Strangers

Beware of email messages and internet popups that offer to scan your computer for viruses for no charge.  When you click on the button to start the scan, you're granting access to your computer's files.  While "scanning" your computer, they're actually installing a virus, which can then cause malicious damage to your files, and/or silently sit in the background stealing your passwords and personal information.

Also in this category are offers to speed up your computer, optimize your files, and so on.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

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Sticky Notes for Your Screen

What did we do before there were sticky notes?  If you're like me, you've got at least a couple of sticky notes stuck somewhere around your desk.

But here's an environmentally friendly alternative:  Instead of using paper sticky notes, use your computer's "sticky notes" instead.

The Notes function is part of Outlook.  Its icon looks like a little pad of yellow sticky notes.  Click on the Notes icon, and you'll see a list of all your current notes.  Click on New, and a sticky note will appear on your screen - just type your note.  Now here's the best part:  you can leave the sticky note up on your screen, and drag and "stick" it wherever you want.

If you want to get fancy, you can even change the fonts and colours of your sticky notes.  And when you're done with them, you can delete them with no worries about killing trees!

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Free/Busy Status in Outlook Calendar

If you use your Outlook calendar for scheduling, you may have noticed that every time you enter a new appointment, it automatically defaults to "Busy" status (you can check the status by double-clicking on the appointment).

If you must attend the appointment at the time that it is scheduled (such as a meeting with another person), leave the status set to "Busy".  But if the appointment is just a reminder to yourself (such as "Pick up milk on the way home"), set the status to "Free".

Setting the status of appointments helps you (and others) identify at a glance when you are available for other meetings.  This is particularly important if you are using Outlook over a network in an office.  Using Free/Busy to differentiate appointmets lets you show only your "real" meetings in the networked scheduling view.

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Restart Your Computer If You Have Problems

An error in one program can drag down the performance of all your programs.  If everything seems to be slowing down, or if you’ve gotten an error message while using one of your programs, restarting gives your computer a chance to start fresh.

Be sure to restart your computer correctly:  Click the Start button in the lower left corner of your screen, and select the Shut Down, Restart, or Turn Off Computer option.

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Thwart Spammers!

If you send emails to a list of people, entering all their email addresses in the "To:" or "Cc" line is an engraved invitation to spammers.  All the spammer has to do is harvest the list of names.

Instead, put the recipients' email addresses into the "Bcc" (stands for "blind copy") field, or do an email mail merge from Word 2003 or later.

To use the "Bcc" field, start your email as usual. If you have a "Bcc" field visible in your message, you can add names directly to it. If it's not visible, click on the "Cc" button. The "Bcc" field is available in the address list dialog box that opens.

Note:  Some spam filters reject emails if they're sent to more than 5 recipients.  If your emails are getting bounced, try a mail merge instead.

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Effective Emails

When you're using email to communicate, make sure your message gets read and acted upon.  

People get so many emails that they spend very little time on each, so only include one topic per email.  Make sure that the subject line describes the topic in a few words.

Be clear about how and when you want your recipient to respond, and make sure that you attach your complete contact information, including phone number(s).

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Look Like A Star - PowerPoint Templates

You don't have to be a graphic artist to make your PowerPoint presentation look exciting and attractive.  PowerPoint has built-in templates that you can apply to your content with a single click.

To apply a template in PowerPoint 2007, all you need to do is open your presentation, click on the Design tab, and then choose the colour scheme you want from the Themes group.  

Don't see a look that you like?  There are hundreds more templates available on the Microsoft website.  To find them, click on the bottom arrowhead of the Themes scrollbar, and choose More Themes on Microsoft Office Online from the popup menu.

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