Some Computer Terms and Tips

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SELECT THE KEY NUMBER TO LINK TO THE ARTICLE

TO FIND SPECIFIC WORD(S) HOLD DOWN CTRL KEY & PRESS KEY F

LEFT CLICK on the KEY number to go to the article

Foreword: Hopefully, you will have fun learning a little about becoming more 'computer literate' after reading the following tips. Of course you may know it all............I wish I did...... and could remember it in detail. I confess here that I have been 'using' computers for the past 25 years and I'm still learning! The problem with computers is that there is usually several ways of doing the same thing. That makes it more confusing, especially to us 'mature students'. Be comforted by the fact that you are not alone in your confusion. If you discover a way of achieving a result, then stick with it. Forget all the other ways 'they' tell you how to do it (unless you want to do it 'their' way of course.)

Tip: print the following notes for future reference. (29 pages - A4 at December 16th 2005)

See also KEY 15 in Menu above for printing tips

(TO PRINT ALL PAGES: PRESS & HOLD DOWN THE CTRL KEY ..... PRESS P BRIEFLY ..... THEN THE 'DO IT' (ENTER) KEY TO PRINT)

Don't forget: you can HIGHLIGHT > COPY > PASTE any individual  article into NOTEPAD/WORD etc. Then print the article to follow step by step on your computer!

Note: Where you see * ........ you can try out the tip while you are viewing this page ONLINE (connected to the Internet.)

(Here are a few examples, but if you want access to comprehensive technical information, goto the bottom of this page (PRESS & HOLD DOWN THE  CTRL KEY ..... PRESS THE 'END' KEY BRIEFLY),...... click on the 'WEB PAGES button and select 'DICTIONARY OF TECHNICAL TERMS' Enter your technical question and Press your 'Do It' (Enter) Key. (Don't forget you have to be connected to the Internet to access this facility)

Web Page

Web pages are documents on the Internet containing text and graphics that are viewed using a Web Browser.

Browse

'Browsing' is the act of reading information on the Internet. This is done using software called a Web Browser (Internet Explorer.) A Browser is included in the programme supplied by a Internet Service Provider (ISP) that you are connected to via a modem and your telephone Examples of ISP's are AOL, Btopenworld, Freeserve and Tesco, to name a few. To sum up, the Browser is the 'tool' you use to visit Web pages on the Internet to look at, print or download information.

Cookies

Cookies are text files placed in your Temporary Internet Files folder by Web sites you have visited. Cookies have received a really bad reputation. In reality, they are usually no cause for concern and removing them cannot harm your computer. Most cookies are used for tracking the number of visitors, browser type, etc. and do not contain any personally identifiable information, such as your email address, name, address, etc. Other sites use cookies to store your personal preferences. For instance a Web-mail site may store your preferences as to how you like your mail displayed, page colors, etc. Cookies can only be read by the site or familyof sites that placed them on your computer. You don't notice cookies being placed on your computer (unless you have your browser set to notify you). However, every time you view a Web page, many things are being placed on your computer without you being aware of it. Every image, midi file, flash file and/or Java applet embedded in a Web page is downloaded to your computer before you can view it on the Web. In essence, you're seeing the Web page from your own hard drive and not the Web, at least as far as images and other multi-media content. That's why a page with lots of graphics takes a lot longer to view than a page with only a few small images. They all have to download before you can view the entire page.

So, cookies, while having a bad reputation are rarely used for anything nefarious. They are not executable so they cannot "infect" your system or install "spyware". There are more important things to be concerned with like "deceptive software/spyware/malware", drive-by downloads, worms, viruses, Windows updates etc. Think of cookies as text files (they are) that you can remove without causing any hard whatsoever to your computer. You may, if you delete certain cookies, have to reset your preferences on certain Web sites that you use often visit.

Default

This word does not identify what the word really means if you consult an English Dictionary! In computer language it means that this is how your computer is set up at present. An example of this is when a computer instruction reads: 'The default text colour is green with a black background'. If you temporarily change the colours of the text and background while using a programme, then turn your computer off, the next time you switch you computer on and use the programme, the text will 'default' to green with a black background. You can change the 'defaults' of your computer to the way that you so require, usually by changing the options menu. Then those settings become the computers 'defaults' in that particular programme. Word processor programmes have default margins and default page lengths that you can override or reset. The default drive is usually the C drive of a Personal Computer (PC) computer.

Desktop

Desktop is a fancy name name for the screen background in Windows. Here you will see ICONS usually installed when you buy a computer, so that you can quickly access programmes and utilities by selecting them with your mouse. They can be added and deleted easily accept for MY COMPUTER, RECYCLE BIN and NETWORK ACCESS.

I use my Desktop frequently for transferring and saving files being working on. Also it becomes useful for downloading files from the Internet so that they can be found easily. When finished with them, it's advisable to clear them from the desktop to another file of similar content, otherwise the desktop becomes too cluttered with unused Icons.

Directory

A posh name to describe a folder. (Shown coloured yellow when viewed in Microsoft Explorer) If you think of a folder in a filing cabinet containing several separate files, then that's what a Directory is, but containing computer files.

E-mail

Short for Electronic Mail, and the biggest reason that most people are on the Internet. You can send messages virtually instantaneously to everyone throughout the world who is also connected to the Internet. Sending text messages is not the only thing that you are able to do with e-mail. You can 'attach' files, documents and photographs to your e-mail. A word of warning here though, the attachment in whatever form that you send may not be readable by the recipient if they don't have the same programmes as you to read them!

Favourites

When you arrive at a web page that you would like to come back to, you can 'bookmark' the page for future reference. Basically, a 'favourite' is another word for 'bookmark'. A favourite is recorded within your Browser for easy recall if you want to return to that web page without having to re-type the page address again.

File Extention

A file extension indicates what type of file it is. For example .exe is a Windows executable, .zip is a zip file; JPG, GIF, BMP, PNG, and TIF are image files; .htm, and .html are hypertext markup files (better known as Web pages). The extension tells Windows how it should handle that type of file. Every extension needs a program to be associated with it to open it. This is what is meant by "file associations". If there is no program associated with a certain type of file on your computer, you won't be able to open it correctly.

Links

'Links' are included on web pages to connect you to another section or web page with related information. 'Clicking' the left button of your mouse on the link will active the procedure. This how the web works. Millions of links interconnect just about every Web page in the world.

Safe Mode

Safe Mode has been a part of Windows since Windows 95. The basic concept of "Safe Mode" is to allow a user to access Windows without loading any unnecessary drivers or software. Because Safe Mode only allows basic drivers and only necessary software to load (spyware, adware, Trojans, browser hijackers, etc. are NOT loaded) you might be able to boot your computer into Safe Mode when your computer will not boot normally. Windows XP safe mode provides you with a basic graphics driver (enough to display the user interface), access to your drives and windows configuration, System Restore and very little else. Safe Mode is best thing to try if you are experiencing problems booting your system or if running certain software causes issues with your PC. Using safe mode can let you determine if the problems you are experiencing are hardware malfunctions or software issues and even allow you to use System Restore (Windows XP and ME only) to go back in time to a date when your computer was working properly. To boot into Safe Mode, shut off your computer and restart it. Hold down the F8 key immediately when Windows starts to load and you're safe - so to speak - maybe :-).

Toggle

In computer language to 'toggle' means that by pressing a key switches a setting on, and pressing the same key again switches the setting off. To demonstrate this now, select the F11 button on your keyboard (that's situated in the line of F Keys at the top of your keypad.) This will give you a full screen view of this page. Select the F11 button again and the page will 'default' to normal view.

Reminder: CTRL + END  to go to the bottom of the page & link to Front Page

Tips about Scrolling

(These actions apply to all programme applications.....not just on the Internet!)

To scroll toward the beginning of a document, press the UP ARROW.*

To scroll down the page of a document, press the DOWN ARROW.  *

To scroll toward the beginning of a document in page increments, press PAGE UP. *

To scroll toward the end of a document in page increments, press PAGE DOWN.  *

To move to the top of a page, hold down the Ctrl key and press the HOME key.*

To move to the bottom of a page, hold down the Ctrl key and press the END key.*

If you have a 'Scroll Wheel' on your 'Mouse'.......you'll find it quite handy for scrolling up & down.

Of course, there are always the 'slider bars' at the right side and bottom of pages (if visible), that you can LEFT CLICK and HOLD onto, to 'slide the page around.

Reminder: CTRL + END  to go to the bottom of the page & link to Front Page

 Browse the Web faster and easier

If you learn just a few basic things about browsing the Web, such as how to use the buttons on the Internet Explorer toolbar, you'll find that browsing the Web is easier and faster.

To start browsing the Web, click any link on your home page, which is the page that appears when you start Internet Explorer. You can see whether an item on a page is a link by moving the mouse pointer over the item. If the pointer changes to a hand, the item is a link. A link can be a picture, a 3-D image, or colored text (usually underlined).

Now you're ready to find a Web site on your own.

To open a Web page or folder, or to run a program

To go to a Web page, type the Internet address; for example, www.microsoft.com in the Address bar, and then click the Go button.

To run a program from the Address bar, type the program name, and then click the Go button.

If you know the complete path and file name, you can type them—for example: C:\MSOffice\Winword\Winword.exe.

To browse through folders from the Address bar, type the drive and folder name, and then click the Go button—for example:

C: or C:\My Documents

 To link to Web pages you recently visited

To return to the last page you viewed, click the Back button. *

To view a page you viewed before clicking the Back button, click the Forward button. *)

To see a list of the last few pages you visited, click the small down arrow beside the Back or Forward button. *

To link to a specific Web page

To return to the page that appears each time you start Internet Explorer, click the Home button. *

To select a Web page from your list of favorites, click the Favorites button. *

To select a Web page from the list of those you visited recently, click the History button. The History list also displays previously viewed files and folders on your computer. (Try it now!)

Finding information on the Web

The quickest way to find information on the Web, is to use a SEARCH ENGINE. This is a system for searching the millions of web pages on-line quickly, and listing them for you to make a choice of the results. Remember, that the more specific you are in describing the subject that you require, the more likely you are of acquiring the right information. Be patient, it can sometimes take a lot of time to find exactly what you want. There are many search engines available for you to choose from and I list just a few for you to try.

www.google.com - www.yahoo.com - www.webcrawler.com - www.excite.com - www.search .com and finally

my favourite: www.dogpile.com - which searches everywhere for anything in all of the other search engines!

Did you know ?

If you have difficulty reading the text on a Web page click VIEW > TEXT SIZE  >  LARGEST. then press F5 to refresh the screen. *

To quickly save a Web page to your Favorites list, press CTRL+D. *

You can send a Web page in e-mail by clicking the File menu, pointing to Send, and then clicking Page By Email.

Web pictures and backgrounds make great desktop wallpaper. Just right-click the picture you want, and then click Set as Wallpaper.

To scroll toward the beginning of a document, press the UP ARROW. *

To scroll toward the beginning of a document in large increments, press PAGE UP. *

To back up to previous pages quickly, you can click the small down arrow to the right of the Back button. *

To adjust the amount of hard disk space to use for temporary Internet files, click the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click Settings.

You can make sure the Web page you are viewing contains the latest information by pressing F5 to refresh it.

Internet Explorer saves you time and keystrokes by finishing frequently typed URLs for you.

To move forward between frames, press CTRL+TAB.

To move back between frames, press SHIFT+CTRL+TAB.

You can type a word in the Address bar and press CTRL+ENTER to automatically add http://www. and .com on either side of the word.

If your e-mail program is Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express, you can drag an Internet shortcut into an e-mail message.

You can rearrange your Favorites list or menu by dragging and dropping.

To print the current page or active frame, press CTRL+P.

If you want to know which actions you can perform on a favorite link, right-click the link on the Favorites menu.

To print a document, you can drag an Internet shortcut to a printer icon on your desktop.

You can keep your most frequently visited Web pages only a single click away by dragging a shortcut to the page onto the Links bar.

Saving and viewing Web Pages off-line

1. On the Favorites menu, click Add to Favorites.

2. Select the Make available offline check box.

3. To specify a schedule for updating that page, and how much content to download, click Customize.

4. Follow the instructions on your screen.

Note: Before you go offline, make sure you have the latest version of your pages by clicking the Tools menu and then clicking Synchronize.

More ways of FINDING information on the Internet.

You can find information on the Web in a variety of ways:

1. Click the Search button on the toolbar of your BROWSER to gain access to a number of search providers. Type a word or phrase in the Search box.

2. Type GO, FIND or ?..... followed by a word or phrase in the ADDRESS BAR. Internet Explorer starts a search using its predetermined search provider.

3. After you arrive at a Web page, you can search for specific text on that page by clicking the EDIT menu, and then clicking FIND . The SHORTCUT KEYS are Ctrl + F   Then enter what you are looking for

As an example of finding a specific word on this web page, use the SHORTCUT KEYS Ctrl + F and in the FIND BOX type: e-mail. Then keep pressing the 'DO IT' (ENTER) button, which will take you to all the e-mail references on this page! (TRY THIS NOW)

NOTE: This method of FINDING can be useful in any document, not just on the Web.

Reminder: CTRL + END  to go to the bottom of the page & link to Front Page

Recommended sitting/viewing position.

After about two hours work it is recommended that you have at least a 10 minute break and go for a short walk.

Reminder: CTRL + END  to go to the bottom of the page & link to Front Page

Get to know your Keyboard

The WINDOW Key has the Microsoft Logo on it.

 NOTE: The layout shown here is a standard QWERTY (pronounced kwertee) keyboard. So called, because these letters are the first alphabetic letters shown on the top line of the keyboard.

There are many types of keyboard layouts which are basically similar to the above diagram ..... but yours may have additional function keys on them for accessing your computer programmes quickly.

Shortcut Keys

A very useful shortcut key that I use is continuously use, (especially on the web) is CTRL + HOME,  which takes you to the top of (any) page. *

Other shortcut keys that I continually use (and I'm sure you will too) are:

CTRL + Z.... this 'undoes' your last action and returns you to where you were before you had a 'Senile moment'!!!

CTRL + Y... this 'redoes' the last action that you removed with Ctrl + Z when you had that 'Senile moment'!!!

There are numerous Short-cut/key combinations that can save you a lot of time, especially if you have to carry out repeated operations whilst working on a computer. Many of them you will not require, but I suggest that you go and have a look at the HELP section for assistance and to learn a little more about computer manipulation every day.

Select the Function Key F1 for HELP. (in any application or programme.)

Select the Function Key F2 to rename any file.

Select the Function Key F3 to open the Search menu.

To find out about some of the keyboard keys that you may find helpful, (make sure that you select the INDEX tab) and enter the following examples into the search box:

Function Keys.............Shortcut Keys..................Keys

TIP: While you are here, why not explore other subjects in WINDOWS HELP ........... where you can refer to guidance articles when you are 'lost' for instance. You can also print them out (under OPTIONS), for future reference.

Nearly all Application programmes have a HELP menu to assist you during your frustration of not knowing how to progress. Many application programmes also have Tutorials to help you get started or to show you 'how to'.

Reminder: CTRL + END  to go to the bottom of the page & link to Front Page

E-Mail Tips

E-mail acknowledgement of receipt.

I don't know about you, but I get frustrated when I send an e-mail and don't receive an answer, and furthermore, don't know if the e-mail has even been received.

I have discovered that because you have sent an e-mail, it doesn't mean that it has been delivered! It could also mean of course, that the recipient just hasn't bothered, or hasn't been near their computer to check their mail.

Outlook Express has a built in automatic facility that lets you know of the time and date that it was read. (If it has been read of course!)

It works like this ……….. You send your e-mail message as normal, which will automatically request an acknowledgement of receipt. When the recipient opens the e-mail to read, Outlook Express creates a READ e-mail, that includes the time your mail was 'opened'. If the recipient takes the trouble of selecting the YES box, it then places a READ e-mail into the recipients out-box, This e-mail is automatically transmitted to you the next time they go online. It also works the other way around of course, so that they are automatically informed of their messages having been 'opened' and READ by you.

REM: Unfortunately this will not work if the recipient hasn't set up the same facility on their computer, (mainly because they are not aware of it.) I find that business's don't tend to use it, probably because if they don't, then you have no proof of sending any correspondence for them to answer, especially if you have a complaint!

Anyway, here's how you can set it up, if you want to of course: ………….. Open up Outlook Express. Go to TOOLS > OPTIONS > RECEIPTS ............. where you should see this menu:

Make sure the two boxes are 'checked', then click OK .…. and that's it!

Then, if you don't receive a reply to your e-mail within a reasonable period,..... you can send the e-mail  again, and again, and again.....until they answer it!

 Check your e-mail spelling.

NOTE: This will only work if you have other Microsoft spell checking programmes installed on your computer.

There are two ways of checking you e-mail for spelling mistakes after you have composed it: automatically (recommended), or manually ................ The choice is yours.

1. Automatically Spellcheck: In the Outlook Express window, click ..... TOOLS ..... OPTIONS ..... SPELLING....

check (select) the boxes shown below to place a 'tick' in each one

Don't forget to click OK. Your outgoing e-mails will now be automatically spell checked, when you select the SEND button.

 2. Manually Spellcheck: After you have completed your e-mail, simply select the Spelling Tab

and away you go.

Colorize (a choice of 661 colours) or customise your e-mails

1. Connect to the Internet & goto: http://www.wtv-zone.com/BannerzRus/color.html 

2. SAVE the webpage to your DESKTOP.

3. Disconnect from the Internet to work off-line.

4. You should see 2 new Icons on your DESKTOP........Color Chart.htm & Color Chart_files.......(File these away (together) after this exercise, for future reference.

5. DOUBLE LEFT CLICK on the Color Chart.htm Icon to open it.

6. Select your colour by DOUBLE LEFT CLICKING on the colour code required, to highlight it.>>>>>then RIGHT CLICK the highlight, followed by LEFT CLICKING...... 'COPY'

7. Open up a New blank message in Outlook Express.

8. LEFT CLICK on the 'Source' Tab at the bottom of the blank message page. (If you can't see the 'Tabs': Click on VIEW >>>>> then click on Source Editor (it should be 'ticked'……if not…… LEFT CLICK to enable it.)

9. Locate & LEFT CLICK to HIGHLIGHT the existing bgColor code, then RIGHT CLICK to paste your newly copied colour code in it's               place. (The # sign should be left in place.) You can now select the Edit or Preview Tab to view the resultant background colour you chose. 

10. Don't forget that you can alter your font and font colour formats before finally saving.

11. To SAVE your 'creation' as your DEFAULT message e-mail format, goto FILE > SAVE AS  ‘MY STATIONERY’ for example) and SAVE IT as an .eml file to your DESKTOP/MY DOCUMENTS, or your favourite DIRECTORY, (in fact anywhere you can find it easily.)

Footnotes:

When required to send an e-mail in your new stationery format, simply click on the MY STATIONERY.eml  file Icon that you saved. Click on SEND when complete, and you will find your newly created e-mail waiting in your Outlook Express OUTBOX, ready to be 'posted' when you next go on-line.

Remember: You only have to create your personalised blank message ONCE and have permanent access to a new e-mail message in your customised stationery for writing new emails.

You can of course set up any personalised stationery this way, to include background photographs, animations and sound.

Reminder: CTRL + END  to go to the bottom of the page & link to Front Page

Highlighting, Copying, Cutting Pasting and Undoing.

HIGHLIGHTING

This term is used for MARKING or SELECTING text, a picture or an ICON, by dragging the MOUSE around, or over, the object to be 'worked on'.

HIGHLIGHTING TEXT: There are two ways to perform this action:

1. Move the CURSOR to the beginning of the text: hold down the left button of the MOUSE: and DRAG the CURSOR to the end of the section of text required, and release the MOUSE button. The selected or piece of text will now be 'HIGHLIGHTED' ……… (TRY IT NOW on a section of this paragraph.) If you make a mistake, click the left mouse button once, anywhere on the rest of the page, and start again.

2. My preferred method is to move the CURSOR to the beginning of the text required to be highlighted, DOUBLE LEFT CLICK on the first word of the text (this will HIGHLIGHT the first complete word of the passage). Now move the last word, or after an object, of the section required…..press and hold down the SHIFT key on you keypad and LEFT CLICK the MOUSE button.

3. Once highlighted you can manipulate the highlighted section in may ways: Delete, Copy, cut & move, change font and /or size of  font etc at will.

The advantages of this method is applying a more accurate method of selecting or marking, (especially if you have a shaky hand!)  By further pressing down the SHIFT key you can click anywhere on the section you want to 'work' and can ADD or SUBTRACT a HIGHLIGHTED section that you require. (TRY IT NOW! on a section of this page.)

QUICK WAY OF DELETING WORDS 

You can delete a word by highlighting the entire word with your mouse and pressing Delete, but is there a faster way? Yes! If the word is to the left of the cursor, press Ctrl and hit the Backspace key. If the word is to the right of the cursor, press Ctrl and hit the Delete key. Voila! No more backspacing character by character or highlighting to delete a word.

HIGHLIGHTING OBJECTS, ICONS and PICTURES.

To SELECT or HIGHLIGHT an item or text, simply LEFT click and DRAG the mouse pointer around the target (hold down the left button)  Release the mouse button.

COPYING

After SELECTING or HIGHLIGHTING the 'something' you require to copy, RIGHT CLICK the mouse button on the HIGHLIGHTED text or object. From the drop down menu select COPY.

(You can also use a keyboard SHORTCUT to perform this action by holding down the CTRL key and briefly pressing the C key.)

This action places a copy of the 'something' into a Windows storage area called a CLIPBOARD. (which you can't see.)

NOTE: Unless you have a programme that  has more that one clipboard, then you can only copy one item at a time.If this is the case then whenever you copy 'something', this replaces whatever was already on the clipboard.

CUTTING

Cutting 'something' in Windows is the same as copying to the CLIPBOARD with the exception that when you CUT 'something it's copied to the CLIPBOARD and DELETED from your application.

After SELECTING or HIGHLIGHTING the 'something' you require to CUT, ..... RIGHT CLICK the mouse button on the HIGHLIGHTED text or object. From the drop down menu select CUT.

The keyboard SHORTCUT for this action is CTRL + X

PASTING

The PASTE command is used to copy the 'something' on the CLIPBOARD (whether COPIED or CUT) and place it at the CURSOR position on the document that you are working on.

RIGHT click at the position you require to place the 'something you have COPIED or CUT to expose the drop down menu.

Select PASTE

The keyboard SHORTCUT for this action is CTRL + V

UNDO COMMAND

You will find this command very useful, as it undoes (recovers) the items that you have just deleted! In some programmes you are able to 'undo' several deleted items.

There are two ways you can carry out this command:

Select EDIT ........... UNDO(whatever description of the last action).

or, by using keyboard SHORTCUT KEYS......Hold down the CTRL key and depress the Z key.

KEYBOARD SHORTCUT KEYS for UNDO, CUT, COPY & PASTE

 for carrying out some of the actions described above.

NOTE: Not all keyboards have the writing below the alphabetical letters.

Don't forget to press and hold down the Ctrl key and then lightly depress the appropriate key shown below.

(You may see instructions in other programmes like Ctrl + Z for Undo, or Ctrl + C for copy etc.) to denote shortcuts.

Reminder: CTRL + END  to go to the bottom of the page & link to Front Page

Saving Files that you have worked on. (VERY IMPORTANT)

When you have been working on an important document, it is vital that you save the document quite frequently,(say every 10 minutes or so) because if your computer suddenly decides to FREEZE (nothing happens when you try to do anything!) or CRASH (you usually see a Blue screen with instructions of what to do ........ and they don't usually work!). It's probably because your computer has become confused, (cos you're working too fast!) but at least you will be able to recover your work (back to the last time you saved the file.)

I am about to describe the method that I personally use, but if you already have a system of saving and easily finding your named files, then read no further.

First of all I create a DIRECTORY named WORKPAD, (a folder for holding individual FILES that I am working on.) You can call it what you like of course.

This DIRECTORY I position on my DESKTOP, where it can be readily seen, identified and opened, to reveal files I am currently working on.

You may have a DIRECTORY already on your DESKTOP called MY DOCUMENTS and if you are using that, then this is an addition that I use for the following reason. When I have completed work in WORKPAD, I MOVE the file to MY DOCUMENTS for archiving. It's all a matter of personal choice of course. (I will explain in the next 'article' how to COPY or MOVE (transfer) files from one DIRECTORY to another.)

 This is how you do it:

• Hide all of your Windows on your DESKTOP (if there are any there of course) by holding down the WINDOWS BUTTON and briefly press the D key on your keyboard. (Don't worry; they are still MINIMIZED on the TASKBAR below, and if you want to see them again at any time, repeat pressing the above keys again, and hey presto they're back!)

• Click you RIGHT MOUSE BUTTON anywhere on the DESKTOP. Select NEW ......... FOLDER. Type in WORKPAD or any name that you fancy, and press the DO IT (ENTER) key on your keyboard. You now have created your easily 'findable' DIRECTORY FOLDER called (whatever you called it) on your DESKTOP.

Now, whenever you start work in any application (except e-mail in Outlook Express) such as WORD, EXCEL, LOTUS, COREL, etc., etc., and you have a blank UNTITLED PAGE when you first open an application, the VERY FIRST action that you perform is to SAVE AS, and name the blank first page.

Here's how:

• Goto FILE.....SAVE AS.

• In the FILE NAME ..... enter the name you are going to call the file.

• Select the ICON on the TOOLBAR at the top of the panel, and keep clicking this icon until you see DESKTOP in the Save in: box.

• DOUBLE LEFT CLICK on the DIRECTORY you have just created (WORKPAD or whatever you have called it) to open it ........ then LEFT CLICK.......SAVE.

REMEMBER: you only have to carry out the above operation ONCE, at the beginning of an application that opens with an UNTITLED first page.

From now on, when you are working on your whatever, you simply press Ctrl + S (SAVE) which will update your last saved named file with your latest work and overwrite (update) the last saved document stored in the WORKPAD DIRECTORY.

Reminder: CTRL + END  to go to the bottom of the page & link to Front Page

Adding UPDATES to your existing printout of TIPS

If you have printed out the previous TIPS and would like to add on the UPDATES as they are published, then you don't have to print all of the pages again to include them.

You will see from your previous printouts that all pages are numbered.

Select FILE - PRINT - under PAGE or PRINT range - select PAGES and enter the page numbers that you require in the FROM and TO boxes. (In Windows XP separate the page numbers with a hyphen (-)

Press your 'DO IT' (ENTER) KEY to print.

Don't forget that you can save this page on-line for viewing off-line ... see MENU KEY NO: 3

Reminder: CTRL + END  to go to the bottom of the page & link to Front Page

Practice moving text and graphics within a document

TO PRACTICE CLICK HERE  

So your computer is slowing down?

When you first bought your new computer it started up quickly and you were ready to go. Click on the START button, and there was a menu of programmes for you to load up immediately. You may find that after a time things have changed a bit, like it takes forever to start up and you can even go and make a cup of tea while the machine lumbers through the start up procedure. Why this happens is somewhat of a mystery,(so the 'experts' tell me,) but there are one or two things that you can do yourself to improve things, without taking your machine back to the shop where you bought it, for them to charge you megabucks to speed it up.

The first thing to do is to remove any programmes (or anything) from your computer that you don't use anymore. This will free up valuable hard disk space. Windows is reputed to require about 200 Mb of disk space to operate efficiently, but it makes sense to me that the more free disk space that you have the better.

Most modern programmes include an UNINSTALL programme that you can simply click on and sit back and wait for the FINISH button to appear. You can usually find this in the ALL PROGRAMMES folder when you select the START tab on the task bar at the bottom of your DESKTOP screen. If the programme you wish to get rid of doesn't contain an uninstall programme, then go to START - SETTINGS - CONTROL PANEL - select the ADD/REMOVE PROGRAMMES ICON - select the programme you require to uninstall then click ADD/REMOVE. It's as simply as that.

If your not sure of how or hesitant to remove things from your computer, then ask somebody who is familiar with the procedures to do it for you.

If you use the Internet your computer stores TEMPORARY INFORMATION while you are on-line, which you don't need when you sign off, but is stored on your hard disk as useless information. To remove this unnecessary, useless information, open your Internet Explorer - click TOOLS - INTERNET OPTIONS - click the GENERAL tab ( if your not already on it). Select the DELETE COOKIES tab and the O.K. Click on DELETE FILES and delete all of you Temporary Internet files. Click on SETTINGS and reduce your Amount of disk space to use 30Mb. Then click O.K. You will also see how many days that your computer will store links to previously viewed Internet pages for quick access when you sign on-line again. If you don't want this facility, reduce the Days to 0.

You can shrink your Internet Cache by opening your INTERNET EXPLORER - click OPTIONS then click the SETTINGS button under the TEMPORARY INTERNET FILES heading, Drag the slider to make the CACHE as small as you wish - around 30Mb. You can reduce it even more if you wish down to 1Mb to really save space.

You have a CLEAN-UP wizard installed on your computer where you are able to reclaim additional space on your hard disk. Click START - PROGRAMMES - ACCESSORIES - SYSTEM TOOLS - DISK CLEANUP. You may be surprised on how much rubbish you can dispose of that you don't need anymore.

Quick Tip 1:
If you notice your system seems to be running a little more slowly than usual (after you have spent some time on your computer) a simple reboot (re-start your computer) will clean all the digital junk that accumulates when you open/close/install/run programs. This can slow down system stability and performance

Removing useless 'junk' (that's clogging up your computer)

This will work on all versions of Windows from Windows 98 through Windows XP.

First, close ALL open programs. Click on your start button, then go to find, then files or folders and choose "Find All Files" (If you're using Windows XP this will be the Search feature--> "Search/Find all files and folders) dialog box. Make sure where it says "look in", that it is looking at your C: drive (or, if you have multiple hard drives or partitions, be sure "All Local Drives" is selected). Also, make sure there is a check in the box next to "include subfolders". Now, click in the box that says "named" and type the following, exactly as shown here in bold: *.tmp,*.chk,~*.* (must be exactly as shown..you might want to cut and paste all text in bold. (The "tilde" is the little squiggle above the Tab key on the left end of your keyboard. DO NOT FORGET THE TILDE as ~*.* will find all files which begin with ~, but without the tilde it would find all the files on the drive(s) and that is NOT what we want to do!

Once it finds all the files, it will list them and at the bottom it will tell you how many files it found

Hit CTRL+A to select all of them and then hit the DELETE key. If it some are not deleted it's because they are files being used by Windows. You may have to delete these after rebooting. Or, try deleting them one at a time.

All of these files are safe to delete and removing them will remove a lot of rubbish from your hard drive. It might also help you solve some of those mysterious problems you may have been having. You know, those little annoyances that aren't major problems but still nagging ones. If you are concerned about simply deleting all this junk at once, just leave the files you deleted in your recycle bin for a few days until you are sure all is working as it should. If you do find a problem then you can restore the files from the recycle bin. If you find all is working as it should, then just permanently delete the files from the recycle bin. Once they are all deleted, you can save this process as an Icon on your desktop so you can repeat it with one click. While you are still inside the "Find All Files" (or Windows XP Search) box, go to the File menu and click on "Save Search". This will put an icon on your desktop that you can click on any time you want to delete temps again! If you prefer you can drag the icon off your desktop and put it in your Quick Launch Toolbar or "pin it to your start menu by right-clicking and choosing "Pin to start menu".

Prefetch Files

Windows XP has a feature (?) called Prefetch. Prefetch keeps a copy of shortcuts to recently used programs. Unfortunately, it just keeps on saving shortcuts and it can fill up with old and obsolete shortcuts to programs which you've uninstalled ages ago. No sense having all those files, right? It is recommended that you do a little housecleaning every so often. Here's how to sweep and mop up all those Prefetch files:

Click Start ---> Run---> and then type in Prefetch

Depress and hold down the Ctrl key, plus the "A" key briefly, to highlight all the files, then click "Delete These Files" on the left pane. Delightfully deleted and clean as a whistle.

Please note, leaving the Prefetch files will not harm  your computer and deleting them won't harm your computer either. But, there is not much sense of having a ton of files around that you don't need. Right?

There are programmes that you can try (30 days) then buy, that will 'clean out' all the rubbish that the built in clean up facilty doesn't cover.

Examples of these programmes are 'WashAndGo' downloadable from ---> HERE  and 'Ashampoo' downloadable from ---> HERE

WashAndGo allows you to reclaim drive space quickly, by getting rid of space-wasting "garbage". WashAndGo can remove *.bak,*.tmp files, zero-byte files and wrong-uninstall entries. It can delete defective links, empty the tmp. directory, erase old browser-cache files, and clean your Start folders. There is a variety of security options: it will give you a prompt so you can choose which files to delete; it can store all marked files in a special backup directory before deleting them - after 14 days the files can still be found in the Windows trashcan. The program is fast, secure, and reliable. Let WashAndGo reclaim your wasted disk space

Ashampoo WinOptimizer Platinum Suite2 is the great new successor to the hugely popular Ashampoo WinOptimizer Platinum Suite. With an all-new interface and many new features it gives you an unbeatable package of cleanup tools that will keep your Windows® installation lean, mean and running smoothly.

Just as dirt and trash accumulate in buildings and factories in the course of time, unnecessary data and "leftover files" gradually collect in all Windows® installations as you use them. As this garbage collects it slowly clogs up your system, taking up space and making performance slower and slower.

Start-up Programmes

You may not realise that you may have programmes 'running' in the background which are set up automatically when you BOOT UP (START) your computer. Some of them are essential to the running of the computer, but most are automatically installed and set to run on START UP by programmes that have been installed on your computer. The more programmes that you have 'running' in the background, then the slower your PC will run. Click START - RUN and type msconfig then click the STARTUP TAB. Remove the tick (deselect) from any entries that you recognise and don't need to run for easy access. If you don't recognise any of the titles then leave well alone! If you expand the PATH heading to find out where the the programme resides, you may find out what the programme is all about and whether you need it 'running' in the background or not. You can easily deselect titles like Realplayer or Winamp, but don't remove programmes like your virus scanner or any files located in your WINDOWS or WINDOWS/SYSTEM directories. IF IN DOUBT LEAVE WELL ALONE!

Start up help list

If you want help on recognising the programmes running in the background of your computer and whether they are necessary or not, there is a very useful web page on the Internet. To connect (on-line)  --->  CLICK HERE

There are other methods like 'tweaking' the REGISTRY that can help to speed you computer up, which are certainly left well alone if you are not conversant with some 'computer know how'.

Your PC may slow down due to a VIRUS or TROJAN infection. For more details of protection of these 'nasties' have a look CLICK HERE (on-line of course)

 Finally, even after you have performed any, or all, of the above operations to 'tidy up' your HARD DISK, there is one very important task that you should regularly carry out on your computer and that is to DEFRAGMENT your HARD DISK. I have written an explanation on what this is all about below:

HARD DISK Defragmentation.

When you first save files that you have been working on onto a newly formatted or defragmented HARD DISK, it 'records' the content in a continuous blocks of digital information. When you delete some of those files these 'blocks' of information are removed, leaving blank spaces on the disk. When you save further files of work, these blank spaces are filled with your new 'blocks' of information, and if the new file is too big for the blank blocks, then the computer 'breaks up' the new information and distributes it around the disk wherever it can. In other words, it FRAGMENTS the saved files.

A single file (depending on its size) can have parts spread all over your HARD DISK. The computer is able to find all this information in 'one piece' but it takes a lot longer to do so than if it was in a continuous block.

With lots of deletions and lots of newly saved files being added during your computer 'sessions', you will realise that after a time your HARD DISK works a lot harder and takes a lot longer to find the information spread around in 'small pieces.

Therefore, Windows operating systems use a built in programme to DEFRAGMENT disk drives, both static and removable drives as follows:-

 1. LEFT CLICK My Computer on your DESKTOP

2. RIGHT CLICK on the disk you need to defragment. Select - PROPERTIES.

3. Select TOOLS from the Menu

4. LEFT CLICK to Defragment Now.

ADDENDUM

If Defragmenter says that your drive is "only" 4% fragmented for example, and doesn't need defragging, do it anyway. 4% of 1 gigabyte is more than you think, and those of us with bigger drives are that much more fragmented. Never let your drive get to 10% fragmentation if you can help it. Once a month is a good rule of thumb; heavy users may want to defrag twice a month.Expect Defrag to take a good while, especially if your drive is heavily fragmented, and disable the screen saver beforehand. If it seems to hang, leave it alone for a while -- it is probably working on a particularly fragmented section of hard drive and while it seems to have locked, it is actually busy.Premature shutdown of Defrag can zap your whole file structure. Hands off for at least an hour. Go to dinner, come back, and if it's still hung, then and only then shut it down. If your disk drive is only 20 percent full, there isn't much need to defrag except at regular maintenance intervals. If it's 70 percent full, however, your system will likely benefit from it.

 If you have not done this then Run ScanDisk before running Defrag, to check your file system for errors which could turn perfectly good material into "lost clusters." Windows Help gives a "tip" which could crash your drive. It tells you that you can safely use your computer while it is defragging. Don't do it. Keep in mind that you need to have at least fifteen percent free space on your hard drive for Defrag to run properly, otherwise it will only partially defragment your hard drive.

 Defraging a drive can sometimes take a long time, especially if you haven't done it for a long time. The more often you defrag, the less time it takes

Hopefully after carrying out all of the recommendations above, you will notice that your computer works faster than before. If it doesn't ……..call a Plumber!!! 

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What Computer should I Buy?

I am frequently asked what type or model of computer should one buy as a beginner. Well my standard first questions are: 'How much do you want to pay and what do you want to do on it'? Replies come in many forms, but the most common in the Silver Surfer age group is to spend as little as possible: to be able to 'surf the net' and to compose and send e-mails.

If you are able to buy a second hand computer (in working condition of course) with a MODEM included, from someone you know, then that's the cheapest and, I personally think, the best way. You can have a go, try it out to see if it's for you,and then later decide which way you want to go. Throw it in the bin, or go out and buy a new one! Usually the reason the person selling a computer is because they are upgrading to a faster machine with more memory, DVD disk drives, faster video cards, faster processors, faster modems, more RAM and faster everything. As a rough guide about £75 - £100 is about right to buy a reasonable second hand computer, and sometimes you are able to get a scanner and a printer thrown in for that price…. (but please don't quote me on  this, as any of these items may be useable on their new computer!)

If your in the money and want new, then you get what you pay for, but my advice, for what it's worth, is to buy from an established, well known, computer shop who you can take it back to and dump it on their counter if it goes wrong! Before you buy new, find someone you know who knows a little bit about them, and if they can't accompany you, write down everything they tell you. NEVER rely on a computer salesman to advise you on what you require. Always insist that he shows what is on offer for the maximum price you are prepared to pay! ................ A word of warning ............ what you buy today is out of date tomorrow! .... so you'll never win I'm afraid!

As a beginner, the last thing you want is speed! But as time goes on be assured that you will want a faster and  'bigger' computer, (if you persevere with the 'old one' and become 'Computer Literate' that is.)

Incidentally, to connect to the Internet, you do require a telephone connection point near you computer and a programme to set up your computer to connect to the Internet. (although if you know all about it, a connection programme is included in most computers that allow you to connect to an I.S.P. (Internet Service Provider.) Programmes to do this are free, and when connected you are able to choose your I.S.P and the service you want to connect to. This depends on how often you think you want to go 'On-Line'. Most people start off (and some continue) to 'pay as you go' when connected, so you will only be charged for a local telephone call while you are on the Internet. Charges will be  included on your normal quarterly telephone bill. Other more more expensive services are available, which will be shown when you register with your ISP (Internet Service Provider) that supplies your connection to the World Wide Web (www) or Internet (all the same.)

The most common operating systems for Personal Computers (PC'S) originate from the Microsoft Corporation (Bill Gates the originator) and are known as Microsoft Windows. There are many version of Windows (Windows 3.1, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Millennium Edition, Windows NT and now Windows XP.) As the newer versions have emerged, several 'bugs' have been sorted out and generally the systems have improved.

Microsoft does not now support Windows 3.1 or Windows 95, and in 2004 they are not supporting Windows 98. Don't concern yourself with this useless information, as all the operating systems above will satisfy any beginners requirements. Obviously the later the version the better the system (or so 'they' say !) The trouble is that when you become the proud owner of any computer, your grandchildren will come along and say "what a load of rubbish". My standard reply to that is "I really look forward to receiving your choice of a computer for my next birthday/Xmas present from you"! .......That usually shuts them up!

Anyway, summing up, just remember: you don't buy a Rolls Royce to do what a Austin Mini will do for you!

Meanwhile…happy computing.

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'Snagging' (copying) photographs/animations/text  to your computer:

4. Near the top of the SAVE AS frame, you will see this ICON.......

6. LEFT click SAVE...

(you can rename the file if you wish.)

This type of memory drive is rapidly gaining in popularity - they are also called USB Flash Disk, Thumb Drive, Pen Drive, Memory Key, Micro Vault, Pocket Drive, KeyChain, Pico Drive, etc. Flash Drives are an ideal alternative to floppy disks or CDs for easy, compact, fast and reliable data transfer. Higher capacity units (over 128 MB) can offer a more convenient way of carrying files than on a CD. Nearly every new computer sold in recent years has several USB ports (sockets). The USB Flash Drive simply plugs into one of these ports (previously found on the back but now increasingly common also on the front). No cables, power supplies, or batteries are required. No need to shut down your computer. Current USB Flash Drives are truly 'plug and play' on Windows XP and Mac OS X - no additional software is required - the device automatically becomes visible as a new drive and users can unplug at any time (even though OS X may give an error message). However users on Windows 2000, Mac OS 9 or earlier systems should only unplug after a request to the system. Earlier systems (e.g. Win 98) usually also require installation of driver software before the USB flash drive can be used on that computer.
[NOTE: these devices are different to the memory cards that slide in and out of digital cameras, MP3 players, PDAs, card readers or similar - for information about the different types of memory cards visit

Some Tips On Email Manners

I doubt that anyone would put their email address book out in a public place for everyone to see. However, when emails are sent with all recipients showing.... that is EXACTLY what is being done.

We all frequently get forwarded emails and at the top of the message there is a list of everyone the email was sent to. Plus we often see addresses from previous senders. So many people have not been educated on the importance of removing ALL old addresses before forwarding an email and adding multiple recipients in the BCC line rather than the TO line. Having the addresses of other recipients showing on forwarded emails is not only bad email manners, it is a violation of the privacy of each recipient and can easily contribute to the spread of viruses, spam, etc.

To help solve this problem:

1) Each of us should pledge to remove all old email addresses. And, put multiple recipients in the BCC box when forwarding email or sending a new email to lots of different people.

(BCC stands for Blind Carbon Copy: any address's entered here are not seen by any recipient.)

2) Each of us should educate all of our email friends on the importance of following the above rules.

The problem will never be totally eliminated but our efforts can significantly reduce it. Perhaps future versions of Outlook Express will be set up so that recipient addresses do not automatically show. Until then--- it is up to us.


To sum up:

Leave the "TO" field blank. Don't put anyone's address there. Put all of your recipients in the BCC field. This will send a message to everyone you entered in the BCC field without each of them knowing who else received the message. It's quite easy to do. When opened by each recipient it will show "Undisclosed Recipient" in the "To:" field. Just make sure you enter all of the recipients in the BCC: Field and not the "CC: Field" or everyone else will see everyone else you sent the message to. And remember, leave the "TO" field blank!


Note: For those of you who are not seeing the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) field in Outlook Express, you simply have to enable it. From the compose window of Outlook Express (the window you use when composing a message) click on "View" on the top toolbar and check "All Headers".

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If you are new to computing and have XP.

Learn  from your computer while listening to this Interactive tutorial.

 Goto START > ALL PROGRAMMES > ACCESSORIES > MICROSOFT INTERACTIVE TRAINING > SELECT A SYLLABUS (Should be already selected AUDIO) > OK > SELECT HEADING AND LISTEN AND PRACTICE THE TUTORIALS

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 that can save you a lot of headaches. It's really not difficult to understand the concept or to use it. You can access system restore in Windows XP by clicking Start -->All Programs-->Accessories--->System Tools-->System Restore. When system restore appears you'll be given three options. "Restore my computer to an earlier time" ,"Create a restore point" , "Undo my last restoration".

1. If you choose "Restore my computer to an earlier time" you'll be shown a calendar with dates highlighted that you can choose from. When you choose a date you're telling Windows to revert your computer to the state it was in on that date. For example: Today is November 22, 2005. Let's say yesterday you installed "Joe's Hotdog Machine - Graphics for the Hotdog" program and since then you've had nothing but problems. So you open System Restore, go back to a date before you installed "Joe's Hotdog Machine" and restore your computer to the state it was in before you installed that program. You would choose November 20, 2005 from the calendar (although you could go back further if you chose to do so). It's important to remember that restoring your computer to an earlier time is not a complete restore to an earlier time. Any documents you created or email you have received, photos you stored, etc. will not be erased. But any programs you've