Tips for Vista and XP

Wireless Channels

Today, we're going to talk about wireless channels!

First of all, wireless keyboards and mice basically work through signals, which come from the wireless receiver you have hooked up to your computer. If the receiver is not able to get a good connection with either the keyboard or the mouse, they will not work properly. In that case, you have to change the receiver's channel until it does start to work. Now, keep in mind that it may not work on the first try. You might have to change it multiple times before your new hardware starts to function correctly, so try to be patient.

So, the next question is, how do you do it? Take your wireless receiver and flip it over. You should see a small button there. Just push in on that button (you may need to use a pen or pencil to make sure it gets pushed down all the way) and then try using the keyboard and mouse. If they still don't work, push the button again and so on. You may also need to do the same thing on the mouse (and only the mouse). On the bottom side of the mouse, there's a similar button. Just keep pushing that until it connects to the receiver and works for you. If both items are working right, your receiver will light up when you use them. So, yes, this is one downside to the wireless world, but at least you now know how to fix the problem. And it's an easy fix at that!

Do you have any information on the Reliability Monitor in Windows Vista?

the main function of the Reliability Monitor is to track down any malfunctions that may be occurring within your Vista computer system. It pinpoints any problems you may be having and it also helps you fix them right away. Once you run the Reliability Monitor, it gives you a graph of all your software installs, uninstalls and any errors that have been recorded within those programs.

To start the Reliability Monitor application, click on your Start button and in the search box that comes up under that, type in "reliability." Once your results show up, select the option of Reliability and Performance Monitor. Then click on Reliability Monitor.

Once you have that open, you will see your Reliability Index value in the very top right hand corner. That value is set based on how smoothly Vista runs on your computer. It starts at 10, but it can decrease, depending on everything you have on your system. For example, if you try to install some older programs onto your Windows Vista computer, they might end up crashing if they cannot be supported by Vista. If that happens, your value will go down.

Your Reliability Index is updated on a daily basis, which is very convenient. Since it's done that way, you can check your status one day, wait a week or two and then check it again. If some of the same applications or pieces of hardware are causing trouble on a regular basis, you'll know it right away and you can take the next steps in getting them fixed.

So, what if the Reliability Monitor does find a few problems with some of your software or hardware? Well, once you find all of that out, you'll need to troubleshoot them. Then if you're not able to fix them properly, you may have to remove them from your Vista computer completely. Otherwise, your Vista computer will not run at its full capability. And if that happens, you're the only one losing out.

Now, as I said earlier, the Reliability Monitor does try to give you some tips on getting your problems fixed. Whenever it finds a malfunction on your Vista computer, the Reliability Monitor will record the date on which it happened and it will give you examples of the events that led up to the point of when the problem actually started. All of that information will be displayed in the System Stability Chart within the Reliability Monitor application. The errors are then marked with a red circle with a small "x" inside.

Once you get your report, you can go through the list of errors found on your computer and then look back through all the information given to see what might have caused the problems in the first place. For example, if your computer crashed at one time or another, you can go back through your report and see what might have caused it to happen. Often times, things that happened a few days (or even weeks) earlier can be the reason for a persistent problem. And that's exactly what the Reliability Monitor is for.

Quick View Changes in Word

It seems like everyone has a preference for the way they view their MS Word documents.

Some people prefer the Normal View, while others like the Page/Print Layout View. Plus, there's the Web layout and in newer versions of Word, the Full Screen Reading and Draft views.

Whatever your preference, it's always a good thing to know how to get to a different view. Sometimes you're trying to accomplish a task that lends itself to a view different from your usual way of seeing things.

I bet most of you know you can change views using the View menu or View tab on the ribbon (depending on the version of Word you use).

In fact, your choices are the first items on the menu, so you can't miss them!

But what if you could change views with a quicker click?

You may not have realized it, but there are buttons for your view choices right on the screen the whole time you're working.

Take a look at the horizontal scroll bar across the bottom of your document.

Follow it all the way to the left.

In older versions of Word, on the very left, you have four buttons, which are also known as the view buttons.

Newer versions of Word may have view buttons that look like the image below and they're found on the far right side of the Status bar.

You can just do a "quick click" to switch from one view to another, no menu/ribbon tabs require