Computer Info – September 3, 2003

 

This Week’s Meeting

            Well, this week we will do questions and answers – about anything and everything.  We will try to do as many questions from the beginners as we can.

 

SACD

Thought I would mention about this new type of audio CDs.  We learned about them when we started looking for a new stereo system and noticed that numerous CD players were also called SACD players.

What is SACD?  Super Audio CD is a new format developed by Philips and Sony. It uses DSD (Direct stream digital) and a 4.7GB disc to give the consumer an audio experience so real you think you are in the recording studio or front row at a concert.

 

AudioGrabber

            This is the program John was demonstrating for copying your music from your CDs to the computer as MP3 or WAV files.  The free version allows you to only do half of the songs on the CD while the purchased version ($20) allows all of them.

            It copies the audio digitally-not through the soundcard-which enables you to make perfect copies of the originals.

            Check it out at     http://www.audiograbber.com-us.net

 

Internet Explorer and Netscape

What is BCC?

            BCC stands for Blind Carbon Copy.  This is where you send an email message without sending a long list of addresses of other people you are sending the message to.  When you receive a message that was sent to you using the BCC – then it will not show that it was addressed to you – it will show that it was addressed to someone else.

            When you are in Outlook Express 6 and are writing a new message, click on VIEW – ALL HEADERS and this will give you the ability to send your message with BCC.

            When you are in Netscape 4.72 or 6.1 and are writing a new message, click on the TO: and this will give you the ability to send your message with BCC.

 

What is a Signature?

            Have you received email messages where the bottom text is always the same – maybe a quote – their name – a web site address ---- well that information was placed there automatically on every email your friend generates.  It is known as a signature.

            When you are in Outlook Express 6 and wish to create a signature file, go to TOOLS – OPTIONS and select the SIGNATURE tab.

            When you are in Netscape 4.72 and wish to create a signature file, go to EDIT – PREFERENCES – MAIL & NEWSGROUPS – IDENTITY – SIGNATURE FILE.  In this case, you will have to create a file first in something like WordPad.

 

Exporting your Favorites or Bookmarks

            To export your favorites in Internet Explorer – from the FILE menu, choose IMPORT AND EXPORT.  Choose EXPORT FAVORITES (notice that you can also Export Your Cookies).  If you wish to export all of your favorites, leave the Favorites folder highlighted.  On the next screen, choose to EXPORT TO A FILE.  Type in the name and location that you would like for your file – i.e.  C:\MY DOCUMENTS\FAVORITES.HTM  

            Now that we have done that, how do we use them?  Open your browser – from the FILE menu, choose OPEN.  Click on BROWSE – locate the MY DOCUMENTS folder and click on your FAVORITES.HTM.  This will open it in your browser.  You will be able to click on one of your Favorites and access the page that it refers to.

            To export your bookmarks in Netscape – click on BOOKMARKS – then EDIT BOOKMARKS.  From the FILE menu, choose SAVE AS – choose the folder you would like to save them in.

            Now that we have done that, how do we use it?  Open your browser – from the FILE menu, choose OPEN.  Click on BROWSE – locate your file.  This will open it in your browser and allow you to have all of your bookmarks as links.

 

What about address books

            To export your address book in Outlook Express, open your address book (TOOLS – ADDRESS BOOK).  From the FILE menu, choose EXPORT.  Choose WAB (if you would just like to save a backup copy of your Outlook Express address book) – or choose OTHER ADDRESS BOOK (if you would like to save it in a format that can be imported into other programs – you will be choosing .CSV – text file – comma separated values ).  Again, you will have to choose where to save it. 

            To export your address book in Netscape, open your address book and choose FILE – EXPORT – then be sure to change the SAVE AS FILE TYPE to the one you wish to use and watch where you are saving the file to.  You can choose to save it as a .CSV (text file – comma separated values) or a LDIF (this can be read into Outlook Express as can the .CSV file).

            When these files are saved as .CSV files, they can also be read into a spreadsheet.

 

Windows Shortcut Keys  (Going Mouseless)

            Here is a list of keys that you can use to navigate without your mouse.  This list of shortcuts works for Windows 95 – 98 – ME – XP.

 

F1.  Opens help

F2.  Renames the highlighted item

F3.  Opens FIND

F5.  Refreshes a window

F10.  Highlights the menu bar.  Then you can use the arrow keys or the underlined letter to access the command menus.

ALT-F4.  Closes the current window or program (just like clicking on the X in the upper right corner.  If you do this when no programs are open, you will be taken to the SHUT DOWN window.

ALT-ENTER.  Opens the PROPERTIES window for the highlighted icon or file.

ALT-ESC.  Switches to another open window.

ALT-PRINT SCREEN.  Saves a copy of the active window to the Clipboard Viewer.

ALT-SPACEBAR.  Opens the CONTROL menu inside a window, letting you move, resize, minimize, maximize or close the current window.

ALT-S.  Opens the START menu when no other widnow or program is open.

ARROW KEYS.  Changes the highlighted icon in the current window.  Then hit ENTER to open the highlighted icon.

CTRL-DELETE.  Deletes a word from the point of the cursor to the end of the word.

CTRL-END.  Moves the cursor to the end of a document or to the end of a list of files.

CTRL-HOME.  Moves the cursor to the beginning of a document or to the beginning of a list of files.

CTRL-A.  Selects all

CTRL-C.  Copies a block of highlighted text, leaving it in its current position as well as saving a copy of it to temporary memory.  You can then Paste it somewhere else.

CTRL-N.  Creates a new file under the current program.  It only works with certain programs.

CTRL-O.  Opens the OPEN file window, giving you access to your files.  It only works with certain programs.

CTRL-P.  Print the current document.  It only works with certain programs.

CTRL-S.  Saves the current document.  It only works with certain programs.

CTRL-V.  Pastes a block of text that has been saved in memory at the point where the cursor is.

CTRL-X.  Cuts a block of highlighted text, removing it from its current location.

CTRL-Z.  This is a UNDO.

DELETE.  This deletes the highlighted file from permanent storage, placing it in the Recycle Bin.

ESC.  Lets you close most dialog boxes and pop-up menus.

PGDN.  Scrolls downward through a list of files.

PGUP.  Scrolls upwards through a list of files.

PRINT SCREEN.  Saves a copy of the entire screen to the Clipboard Viewer.

TAB.  Moves forward between buttons in a dialog box.  Use the ENTER key to select the highlighted button.