Windows Vista E-mail
Windows Mail, as it is technically called, is the new e-mail program for Windows Vista. It comes right along with it and you can use it basically the same way you used Outlook Express in Windows XP. It's a really good e-mail client, so whether you're new to Vista or you've been working with it for awhile. To get there, go to Start and click on Windows Mail. Now, if you have not set up your account yet, you will see a wizard pop up that will take you through all the steps. Here they are in a nutshell:
1.) Type in your name (or at least the name you want all of your receivers to see when you send them e-mail). Click Next when you've decided.
2.) Enter in your e-mail address. This can be the same one you've used for years or if you'd like to create a new one (in Yahoo!, Hotmail, etc.), you can do so. Click Next again when you're done.
3.) The next step asks you for your Incoming and Outgoing names. This is actually information you will need to get from your ISP. If you used Outlook Express on your other computer, you can use the same information, but if you don't remember it, contact your ISP to get it. That's the only way you'll get past this part of the setup. Click Next when you're finished.
4.) Next, you'll need to choose a username and password for your e-mail account. At this stage, you can click the "Remember" checkbox. That way, you won't have to type it in each time you open your Windows Mail. Then click Next.
5.) If you're all set, you can click the Finish button and your account will automatically be set up.
The first thing I noticed with Windows Mail was that the views were pretty much the same as outlook express. There's the box on the top and the box on the bottom. The top shows your received e-mails in a list and the bottom shows the actual e-mail content. I also noticed that the folders on the left hand side were exactly the same, including Inbox, Outbox, Sent Items, Deleted Items, Drafts and Junk E-mail. The menus along the top were fairly similar as well. I'm sure you'll notice that they are no longer icon type buttons, but a bit of a smaller version. You'll see Create Mail, Reply, Reply All, Forward and Send/Receive. All of those work just like OE.
A couple things that were different are the Print and Delete buttons. In Windows Mail, the Print button is an actual icon of a printer and the Delete button is just a big red X. You just have to click on those to print or delete your e-mails. I guess they weren't good enough to get their own buttons this time around. : ) After those, there is a series of new icons. If you hover your mouse over them, you'll see that one is Contacts, the second is Windows Calendar and the third is Find.
With Contacts, you can click on that icon to add people to your address book. It's a very convenient way of accessing the e-mail addresses and names you need. Just a quick click and there they are. The Windows Calendar is another very cool feature. Click on that button and a calendar will pop up for you. You can go from month to month, making notes of your appointments, etc. It's very easy to use and great for keeping track of your daily activities. The Find button is where you can either search for a particular message, a certain person or for text in a certain e-mail message. That way, if you lose an e-mail, you can search by any of these criteria to retrieve it much faster.
Alt + Tab
Let's say you have about four different programs running on your PC all at the same time. For instance, maybe you have your e-mail up and running, a Web browser window open, a Word document ready for review and your music player playing your favorite song. With all of that going on, have you ever wondered if there was a quick way to pull each of those programs up as you need them, without the rest of them getting in your way? For example, maybe you're working on your Word document, but you want to bring your music player up to change songs. So, how can you do that quickly and painlessly?
All you have to do is press Alt + Tab together one time. Once you do that, it will bring up a little box that has all of your open programs listed. Then while continuing to hold the Alt key down, just press the Tab key to scroll your way across the programs. Highlight the one you want and then release the Alt key to pull that program up. Want to change programs again? Just repeat the process as many times as you need. It's so simple and it also helps you to keep track of everything you have running on your PC at one time.
We often talk about spam e-mail in the newsletter, but today, we’re going to take a look at spam mail in your mailbox! I know I get a ton of catalogues I never requested, all trying to sell me something. But with Catalog Choice, you can put an end to those unwanted catalogues once and for all!
Begin by clicking on the Get Started button. That will take you to the registration form. You’ll need to provide your name and address, create a password and check the box that says you’ve agreed to their terms and conditions. The reason you need to provide your name and address is because that's what is used to cancel the catalogues.
As soon as you’ve filled out the form and registered, you can start using the Web site. Choose Find Your Catalogue and put the name of the catalogue into the search field. Click Search. It will then search the database for that catalogue and hopefully find it. If it doesn’t, make sure to submit it by using the Suggest a Catalogue link above the search engine.
If it does find it, just click on the Decline button next to the title. That will take you to a form to fill out. Just fill it out to the best of your ability. You can always add more to it later, because it will be stored under the Review and Manage Your Declined Catalogues section.
The other section I’d like to point out is the Help section at the bottom of the list. That will let you take a gander at the FAQ page, where you’ll probably find the answers to any questions you may have.
http://www.catalogchoice.org/
F4: So Many Uses
There are several uses for the F4 function located on your keyboard. First of all, you can use it to close any open applications. Just make sure the program you want to close is selected, press Alt+F4 and that window will automatically close. Now, if you're using one single application that has many different documents within it, press Ctrl+F4 and just that one window will close instead of the whole program.
You can also use F4 to shut down your computer. Make sure all of your programs are closed and press Alt+F4. That will bring up the "Turn off computer" box and you can proceed with the normal shut down. Pressing Alt + F4 is the same as Start, Turn off computerGoogle Chrome
Pros
1.) Google Chrome will not crash. Everything within the browser runs on its own, so you won't have to deal with bad Web sites or browser crashes. That also adds a little more security, because it isolates everything into its own environment.
2.) Google Chrome is really fast. Again, since everything works on its own, one slow Web site won't drag the rest of your work down. You can just go to another tab or window and be on your way!
3.) Google Chrome is unnoticeable (in a good way!) The interface for Google Chrome is perfectly streamlined, so you won't even know you're in a Web browser. Most of your window space is devoted to the Web site you're visiting, so there are no big buttons, etc. taking up all your room.
4.) Google Chrome makes searching easier. One of the main features in Google Chrome is Omnibox, which is basically an all-purpose bar located at the top of the browser that you can use to search for something or to find a Web site. All you have to do is type in a URL or a search term and it will do the rest of the work for you. Omnibox also remembers the sites you've visited and suggests others you might like.
5.) Google Chrome gives you more tab control. Tabbed browsing is taken to the next level with Google Chrome. You can drag and drop your tabs, you can combine them together, you can set up your own configurations and so much more!
6.) Google Chrome livens up your homepage. The Google Chrome homepage is very dynamic and like I said before about the Omnibox feature, it will remember the Web sites you've been to so that you can revisit them with ease. It also compiles a list of your favorite top nine sites and displays them on the homepage. Of course, you can change your top nine at any time, but that's just another example of how Google Chrome makes your life easier!
7.) Google Chrome keeps you private. Along with everything else, Google Chrome also offers a private browsingoption. It's called Incognito and it basically sets up a browsing area for you that is away from everything else on your computer. You get your own private window to search with, which keeps your information as private as possible.
Google Chrome
Cons
1.) Google Chrome is still a beta version. You all probably know by now that beta means the program is still being tested. This is the first version of Google Chrome to ever be released, so it's still being tested and problems are bound to pop up. It's just something to keep in mind!
2.) Google Chrome has no add ons. If you're a big Firefox fan, you probably use your add ons regularly, but you won't be able to do the same in Google Chrome. I'm sure some will be added in the future, but for right now, no add ons are available.
3.) Google Chrome isn't synched up. Again, if you use Firefox, you know you can synchronize it to be the same on any computer you may use from time to time. That makes it very easy to keep all your data straight. Unfortunately, that feature is not yet available in Google Chrome, so you'll need to remember that as well.
4.) Google Chrome isn't quite up to standard. If you think you're going to see the exact same things in Google Chrome that you see in Firefox or Internet Explorer, you're in for a disappointment. You'll see a difference in the text formatting and several other features.
5.) Google Chrome may share your information with advertisers. Google is known for giving certain information to advertisers and then bombarding you with ads while you're using their search engine. Well, the same goes for Google Chrome. Google will be in control of your browsing experience and let's face it, that might not be something you want to deal with all the time.
6.) Google Chrome dropped the drop down bar. Instead of the usual drop down box you're used to seeing for all your recently visited Web sites, you're now forced to use the new Omnibox feature. I told you all about the Omnibox yesterday and while it's a good idea, you're probably going to miss the drop down box a little more than you may think!
7.) Google Chrome takes away your history. Do you like to sometimes go back through your history and see what all you've done on your computer? Well, you're not going to be able to do that with Google Chrome. Instead, you'll only get a day by day report.
Well, there you go. We've now covered the good and the bad when it comes to the new Google Chrome Web browser. I know both sides hold a good argument, so now you just need to decide if you're going to start using it or not. It may or may not be worth a try.This Web site is a really fun application! What you see is a map of the U.S.A. and what you’re going to do is put in zip codes. Let's check it out!
It will show you exactly where my zip code is on the map. Then if you click the Z key or click on the word Zoom, it will zoom in on that location. In the zoomed in mode, the other dots represent the zip codes near by.
If you hold down the Shift key and type in more numbers, it will change the location. So, let's try 44052. That’s the zip code I grew up in.
The image of the map itself is all the dots of the zip codes. Isn’t it interesting that it still keeps the shape of the country?!
Check this Web site out and remember to have fun with it!
Painting by the Rows?
That amazing little feature can quickly transfer formatting aspects to other locations in your file, without changing the actual text or data.
Much to my amazement, despite the frequency of which I use the Format Painter, it never occurred to me just how flexible it can be in Excel.
Just in case it never occurred to you either, the Format Painter can be applied to an entire row or column.
With the Format Painter active, you simply need to click on the row number or column letter to have Excel instantly apply the formatting all the way across or down.
(To activate the Format Painter feature, highlight a cell or text with the desired formatting and then click on the Format Painter button).
Even better, if you need multiple rows or columns formatted, click on the first, hold and drag the mouse across or down the labels and then release the mouse button when you've highlighted what you need.Formatting transferred to more cells than you could ever imagine with just a few clicks!
That amazing little feature can quickly transfer formatting aspects to other locations in your file, without changing the actual text or data. Marvelous!
Much to my amazement, despite the frequency of which I use the Format Painter, it never occurred to me just how flexible it can be in Excel.
Just in case it never occurred to you either, the Format Painter can be applied to an entire row or column.
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