Computer Info –
This Week’s Meeting
John Watkins will be hosting the meeting this week – it will be Windows For Beginners Part 2.
The next meeting will be December 17th.
Accessibility Options
Windows XP and previous versions come with a standard set of accessibility options for users who have visual, hearing, and mobility impairments. Explore these options by opening START – PROGRAMS – ACCESSORIES – ACCESSIBILITY. Windows XP will provide you with an ACCESSIBILITY WIZARD to help you make your selections.
The MAGNIFIER option lets the user see a magnified version of the screen using a split screen presentation. In addition to the magnifier, the colors can be reversed, making the text white on a black background. The NARRATOR is a text-to-speech application that reads on-screen menu commands and text to the user. It is designed to work with WordPad. The ON-SCREEN KEYBOARD options lets you type using only the mouse. This can be helpful for those with impaired mobility.
One of the neatest parts is they give you samples of the changes you can make so you can "see" what works for you before you change anything. You can change the width of the blinking cursor and the width of the scroll bars, too.
Don’t Get Tricked Into Running a Virus
Virus files often try to hide their true extensions (the three-letter abbreviation after the dot, such as .doc or .jpg) to trick you into thinking you are opening a harmless file. To see the actual extensions, follow these steps. Click START – MY COMPUTER. From the TOOLS menu, click FOLDER OPTIONS. Click to clear the check mark from the HIDE FILE EXTENSIONS FOR KNOWN FILE TYPES checkbox. Click OK. If you see something unusual, such as a file with a double or tripe extensions, it is probably best not to open it.
Renaming a Group of Digital Pictures –
WINDOWS XP
You can quickly rename an entire series of photos without opening each one. Open the folders where your pictures are located. Select all of the pictures (EDIT – SELECT ALL) or select the ones that you wish to rename. Right-click on the first picture and rename it. When you are finished renaming it, all of the pictures will be renamed (name the first picture BOATING.JPG – the next picture will be named BOATING (1).JPG and others will be BOATING (2).JPG, BOATING (3).JPG, etc.
MiMail.J
This is the latest variation of a virus that’s been around for several weeks. This one warns that the victim’s PayPal account is about to be cancelled. It opens a Web page that looks like it is from PayPal and asks for the victim’s credit card information. Don’t fall for this one.
It is a mass-mailing worm that attempts to steal personal information – it displays a series of forms that ask users to enter their credit card information.
NotePad
Notepad strips all formatting from your text. If you are having trouble with unwanted formatting and you can’t figure out how to remove it.. Simply cut and paste the text to Notepad, then cut and paste it back into your document. It becomes raw text with all of the formatting stripped away.
If you get paragraphs in Notepad that appear as one long, long line – do this. Select FORMAT and select the WORD WRAP feature. The paragraphs will then fit the windows width.
WordPad
WordPad is worth using. It is a basic word processor with many of the features you would expect – and it is included in Windows. You can find it by START – PROGRAMS – ACCESSORIES – WORDPAD.
WordPad can open files in the DOC format that Microsoft Word creates.
Direct Cable Connection
For simple file transfers, you can connect two computers using a serial or DirectParallel cable. First, connect the cable, then go to the first computer’s Control Panel. Choose Network Connections, select Create New Connection, and click Next. Choose Setup An Advanced Connection, click Next, and select Connect Directly To Another Computer. Follow the prompts to select the rest of the options and then repeat the process on the second computer. As you walk through the wizard, be sure to select Host for one computer and Guest for the other. When the two computers are connected, an icon will be displayed showing a Network Connection.
Dial-Up Hangup
In the Network Connection Window (in Windows XP – from Control Panel) or the Dial-Up Networking (in Windows ME – from Control Panel -- in Windows 98 – from My Computer) -- right-click your dialer and choose PROPERTIES. On the Options tab (in Windows XP), set the IDLE TIME BEFORE HANGING UP to NEVER to prevent being automatically disconnected. This is where many people blame their provider for disconnecting them.
Office 2003 (Standard Edition)
To install you will need your 25-character key that identifies your copy of Office 2003. After you have installed it, store the key with the installation CD.
Pick the best installation for you. It gives you four installation options: Typical, which installs the most common applications and tools; Complete, which installs all applications and tools; Minimal, which installs only the required applications and tools; and Custom which allows you to pick the applications and tools that end up on your PC. Most users will choose Typical.
If you choose Custom, Microsoft gives you two options and they are both easy. The first presents itself immediately after you select the Custom installation. It gives you a list of Office 2003 applications and you simply put a check mark next to the ones you want. You can click Next to continue or you can choose the Advanced Customization option. Here you will be given a list of core applications along with their corresponding tools. You get to choose the installation status of each one. Make your decision for each one and then click Next to continue.
The programs will be installed (by default) at C:\PROGRAM FILES\MICROSOFT OFFICE.
Microsoft requires you to activate (a process that allows Microsoft to identify the computer on which a program installs, thereby preventing you from running the program on other PCs). If you do not activate -- Microsoft Office will start degrading and losing functions after you have run it approximately 50 times.
Save Your Settings – It takes time to personalize your copy of Office 2003. So rather than risk losing your setup, back it up. Open the START menu – PROGRAMS – MICROSOFT OFFICE – MICROSOFT OFFICE TOOLS – SAVE MY SETTINGS WIZARD. Follow the step-by-step instructions. Why not save them to your MY DOCUMENTS folder – remember -- that folder where you are placing all of your documents (spreadsheets, pictures, recipes, etc) for easy backup.