Computer Info – January 5, 2000
This Week’s Program         This week’s program will be bringing your record and cassette tape music to your computer – so that you can use them for playing music on your computer (maybe MP3) or making a audio CD. Re-cap of Last Week Making a Template in Word
        Create your own template for something that you do repeatedly in Word – like a letterhead. To do this, start with a blank document. Then choose TABLE from the top menu and then choose INSERT TABLE. Insert 3 columns and 6 rows. The first thing we want to do is to make the lines of the table invisible so that they do not print. To do this, right click on the table you have created, and choose BORDERS AND SHADING from the menu. In the borders window, choose NONE – then click on OK. This will show the border as a light gray on the screen, but if you look at the PRINT PREVIEW, you will not see the lines.
        Now, let’s merge the cells in the left hand column, into one cell. This is done by placing your cursor at the top of the left hand column and watching for the cursor to change to a black arrow pointing down. When you have this type of cursor, then click and all of the cells in the left hand column will be highlighted. Now, right click in the highlighted area and choose MERGE CELLS from the menu. While this column is still highlighted, choose to LEFT JUSTIFY the cell (cells). Now place your cursor at the top of the right hand column and watch for the cursor to change to a black arrow pointing down. When you have this type of cursor, click and all of the cells in the right hand column will be highlighted. Now choose to RIGHT JUSTIFY the cells.
        The width of the columns can be sized by placing your cursor over the column dividers and watching for the cursor to change to a double headed arrow. When you have this cursor, you can hold down your left mouse button and drag to change the width.
        The right hand column is for your return address and the date. You move between the cells with the TAB key or the ARROW keys. Place your cursor in the cell where you want the date and then choose INSERT – then DATE AND TIME. To make the date adjust to the date that you are typing your letter, be sure to click on the box for UPDATE AUTOMATICALLY.
        This table must appear at the top of the document for all of these features to work. When you have finished designing your template, then choose FILE – SAVE AS. Be sure to change the SAVE AS TYPE to DOCUMENT TEMPLATE. This will then store it in the TEMPLATES directory.
        To use this TEMPLATE, go to the FILE menu and choose NEW. Your Template should be listed here.
        The left hand column is for the person you are addressing the letter to. What is really great about this, is the fact that the name and address that you type into this column ( the merged cells), will automatically appear on the envelope if you choose TOOLS – ENVELOPES.
Backup Address Book in Outlook Express 5.0
        In Outlook Express, choose TOOLS then ADDRESS BOOK. When the address book has opened, then choose FILE – EXPORT – ADDRESS BOOK. Next the SAVE AS window will open and you will be given an opportunity to determine where you wish to save your backup file – then give it a name. Notice that all the address books end with the extension WAB (Windows Address Book).
Removing Cookie Addresses
        Cookies from Internet Explorer are stored in the WINDOWS\COOKIES folder. A question was ask last week on how to delete several of them at one time rather than deleting them one at a time. These files can be deleted just like files in any other directory (folder). First, left click on the first one that you wish to delete – that will highlight that one. Now scroll down to the last one of the group that you wish to delete – hold down the shift key while you left click on that one – now you will see a group of them highlighted. Now right click on the highlighted area and choose DELETE from the menu. If the ones that you wish to delete are not in a row, then use this procedure. Left click on the first one that you wish to delete – this will highlight it. Now, while holding down the CTRL key, left click on each of the other ones that you wish to delete. When you are finish, then right click on the highlighted area and choose DELETE from the menu.
How do you install a program from a CD when you put the CD in and nothing happens?
        Most CD’s but not all, will start when you insert them into your drive. We are becoming dependent on this. But what if nothing happens? Double click on MY COMPUTER – then double click on your CD drive. Look for a program (or file) called SETUP.EXE (occasionally it will be called INSTALL.EXE) and double click on it. This will start the installation.
Outlook Express – Removing or storing your email messages on your server
        If you are running Outlook Express and you find that after you have deleted a message – the next time that you receive email, that message returns. Then you probably have a setting on that allows you to retain your messages on your server.
        This setting in Outlook Express 5.0 is located TOOLS – ACCOUNTS – click on the MAIL tab – highlight your account and then choose PROPERTIES. Under the ADVANCED tab, look near the bottom and remove the checkmark for LEAVE A COPY OF THE MESSAGE ON THE SERVER. Music From Tape to CD         If you have music on cassette tapes or records and you would like to get that music into your computer and then placed on a CD, it can be done.
        First you need a shielded audio cable from your cassette tape player or your turntable to the input jack on the back of your computer’s sound card. Next, double-click on your speaker icon near the clock – this will open your mixer. Look for the level that has to do with RECORDING. If you a choice, you will want to set it to LINE input (not microphone input).
        Next, you need some sort of Wave editor program. SOUND RECORDER (the one that comes with Windows and you find under your ACCESSORIES) is the type of program that we are talking about. But the problem with using this program is the limitation of time – it will only except one minute of recording time – and all songs are longer than that. So you really have to look for a better quality wave editor program – they have a few at DOWNLOADS.COM or TUCOWS.COM – or other locations on the net. The one that we are demonstrating today is called SOUND FORGE 4.5.
        You have to play your cassette tape or record and press the record button in the program. Press the stop button when that song is completed. Now you can listen to it and delete any portion that you wish (maybe you didn’t stop it in time and you have a portion of the next song on it – delete that portion). When it sounds the way that you want it to, then save it as a WAV file. I halve a spelling chequer
Eye halve a spelling chequer
it came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue'
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea
Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh
As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its rare lea ever wrong
Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your please two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.