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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
   
   
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
Internet
Protect yourself when shopping online  
   
   
Viruses and Spyware
Is it a virus, or a hoax? Be wary of free anti-spyware, anti-adware
Gone phishing?  
   
Computer Hardware
Get a UPS  Talking to All Your Gadgets
   
   
Ergonomics
Save your eyes  
 

 

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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