happy seniors pc users

9-28-10 for you

2010-09-28T08:16:00.003-05:00

Windows 7

Windows 7 ships with a few nice themes. Nothing really exceptional, but nice enough. Plus, Windows 7 lets you choose a folder containing your favorite photos and use one or all of them as your desktop wallpaper. With Windows 7 you can set a folder of photos as a desktop slideshow. How do you do that? Just right click on your desktop, select "Personalize" and click "Desktop slideshow" (near the bottom), then browse to the folder that contains the photos you want to use as wallpaper. By default, all of the pictures in that folder will be selected. If you don't want to use them all, just uncheck the ones you don't want.

You can download additional Windows Themes from Microsoft (and many other places) too. We're going to stick with Microsoft's themes for now. If you wish, you can google "download Windows 7 themes" and you'll find a ton of them are available from dozens of sites. Remember: Use caution whenever you download things from sites with which you're not familiar.

Microsoft offers 81 different themes you can download from the following page:

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/downloads/personalize/themes?T1=all

Create a System Repair Disc

If you're using Windows 7, you should do this right now. Maybe not right now, but as soon as you finish reading this tip. We're not kidding. If you don't do this right now, you're going to wish you had, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday....

Use the following instructions to create a System Repair Dick. That way, if your computer won't boot up (and there's a 60% chance that's going to happen to you), you can use the System Repair Disc to start your computer and run System Restore or other Windows utilities that can help you get your computer back up and running. So, it's pretty important that you create a System Repair Disc and keep it somewhere safe.

Click Start

Type "System Repair"

Click "Create a System Repair Disc" (it will appear at the top of your menu)

Follow the instructions and that's it.

You can boot Windows from your Windows DVD; but if you do, you'll see a lot of confusing options on the boot screen, most of them pertaining to reinstalling or installing Windows 7. The System Repair Disc, on the other hand, is less confusing; it is designed help you boot your computer and give you options to repair you computer.

So, why not make a System Repair Disc right now? It's better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

Instant Mask

What is it? An easy-to-use image editor that removes the background from digital images

Download size: 5.4 MB

Download times: Dialup - about 30 minutes. High-speed Internet: a few seconds.

If you're looking for a program that will help you remove the background from a digital photograph, so you can take the focus of the photograph, for example your own beautiful face, and put it in another background or another photo, we've found an easy-to-use photo editor whose sole function is to remove backgrounds so that you can take that photo of you standing in front of your house, and put in in a picture with the Eiffel Tower in the background. Oh you can do other things with photos too, as long as what you want to do is remove backgrounds from digital images or photos.

Our freeware pick of the week this week is "Instant Mask". They offer a paid version and a free version. If you're still interested, and we know many of you are, you can learn more about Instant Mask (and download it too) from this page. Remember there are two versions of Instant Mask - a free version and a paid version.

Zoom with the Scroll Wheel

Are you tired of trying to read that fine print on your computer screen? I know I am. At least I used to be.

In the past, if you wanted to adjust the view (zoom in or out) in a document or a web browser, you would have to navigate through several menus and submenus. Today, Microsoft and OpenOffice have simplified this process with sliders found in the lower right corner of documents, but if you're looking for an even simpler way, I can help you out.

We previously published an article about using the scroll wheel on your mouse to zoom in Power Point, but this trick can also be used in other Microsoft Office applications and OpenOffice documents. Furthermore, it works on most browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome. It probably also works in lots of other places I haven't tried.

In Vista and Windows 7, you can zoom by holding the Ctrl key and rolling the scroll wheel on your mouse.

When the Ctrl key is held and the scroll wheel is rolled forward (away from you), the view, including text and images is increased. With the Ctrl key pressed, roll the wheel backward (towards you) and the view size is decreased.

Whether you're reading this in your email (it also works in many email clients), in a document, or on the web, give it a try.

Name Completion in the Windows 7 Command Prompt

Did you know that there’s a key you can press that will auto complete a path or file name in the Windows 7 Command Prompt?

Here's how!

Open a Command Prompt by clicking Start, then typing cmd in the Search Box. Click the Command Prompt icon in the results that appear or just hit Enter.

In the Command Prompt window, type in the change directory command, like this:

Now hit the Tab key.

*Poof* -the path is completed!

If you keep pressing the Tab key, the Command Prompt will put forth the next applicable file or folder that’s consistent with what you’ve typed so far.

Instant Mask

What is it? An easy-to-use image editor that removes the background from digital images

Download size: 5.4 MB

Download times: Dialup - about 30 minutes. High-speed Internet: a few seconds.

Zoom with the Scroll Wheel

Are you tired of trying to read that fine print on your computer screen? I know I am. At least I used to be.

In Vista and Windows 7, you can zoom by holding the Ctrl key and rolling the scroll wheel on your mouse.

Whether you're reading this in your email (it also works in many email clients), in a document, or on the web, give it a try.

Zoom with the Scroll Wheel

Are you tired of trying to read that fine print on your computer screen? I know I am. At least I used to be.

In Vista and Windows 7, you can zoom by holding the Ctrl key and rolling the scroll wheel on your mouse.

Whether you're reading this in your email (it also works in many email clients), in a document, or on the web, give it a try.

FastStone Photo Resizer

I'm always on the lookout for image editing software, and had used the Faststone Image Viewer (see Worldstart tip here.) However, I never tried their Photo Resizer. With this, you can quickly convert the sizes or formats of single images or groups of images. While there are many other software applications available which will accomplish this goal, none that I've used, do it as easily and reliably as this free program. It also contains some basic editing tools, including rotating and cropping.

To download this software, click here, and you'll see the FastStone Photo Resizer at the bottom of the page. Follow the directions and when the download is complete, a shortcut is sent to your desktop. Open the program and the first thing you'll need to do is select the location of the images you want to convert. This is done by clicking on the drive in which your images are located. Then, click on the button to the right of the field above (in red).

This will open the Browse For Folder (Select Source Folder) window.

When you've selected the location, choose the image or images (left column) that you'd like to convert.

Click the Add button (upper right) and there it is. Now, you have to decide just what it is you'd like to do. You'll find the tools in the lower right. In this case, I'm planning to resize this photo, so I've checked the box Use Advanced Options (Resize...). This brings up the Advanced Options button. Click on that, and the Advanced Options window opens. When the Resize box (this will be in the upper left) is checked several options appear. The other tabs across the top provide other editing choices.

You can choose to use a standard size from the menu, Pick a Standard Size, or do custom resizing.

When you've made your decision on output size, click OK. Then you'll have to select an output location (where you want the resized or reformatted photos to be saved).

Click the Browse button and once again, the Browse For Folder (Select Output Folder) window opens. I've chosen to move the converted image to the folder named FastStone Test.

For this demonstration, the photo was resized, but image formats can be changed just as easily as they can be resized by selecting a format from the Output Format menu.

To test this software, I chose to resize 106 photos and selected a standard size from the menu. The process of resizing the 106 photos took less than 10 minutes. When I was finished, I compared the size of the folder that contained the original photos (250 MB) to the size of the folder that contained the resized photos (16.9 MB). If you upload photos to the web, this can be a real time (and space) saver.

http://www.goodguide.com/

http://www.vintage-technology.info/index.html

No More Mouse Wake Up

When I’m going to be away from my computer for a little while, I usually just put it to sleep rather than shut it down. This comes in pretty handy, but because my mouse is so sensitive, if I even so much as tap my desk the computer wakes right up again. This is because my mouse is set up to wake my computer if I move it.

So today we’re going to learn how to disable that in Windows 7.

Click Start, and in the Search Box type Mouse. Select the mouse icon that appears in the results above or just hit Enter.

After the Mouse Properties window appears, select the Hardware tab and click on Properties at the bottom.

Click the Power Management tab. If you don’t see it, then click the Change Settings button at the bottom of the Window

Now simply deselect the option to Allow this device to wake the computer, click OK and you’re all set! Instead of using the mouse to wake your PC from sleep, just tap a key on your keyboard instead!

Don't like it this way? Just follow the steps again and re-select Allow this device to wake the computer.

9-28-10

2010-09-27T15:00:00.004-05:00

Multi-Tab Start Up for Internet Explorer

I don’t know about you, but I have a routine when it comes to browsing the Internet. I go to the same sites every day to check out news, stocks, comics and blogs; leaving all the extra curricular stuff for after I’ve checked my usual stable of sites.
So that’s why this Internet Explorer 8 trick appeals to me. Today we’re going to learn how to make it so when you start IE 8 all of your daily sites come up in their own tabs!

Open Internet Explorer 8 and click Tools>Internet Options.
Make sure the General tab is selected and under Home Page type in the addresses of the sites you want to open up when you start IE.

Firefox Quick Bookmarks

Here’s a nifty way to keep all your frequently visited sites easily within reach in Mozilla Firefox.
All you have to do is drag and drop a bookmark into the little space in between the navigation buttons and where you first tab starts.
Now keep dragging and dropping bookmarks as desired.
You can also drag and drop open tabs into these spots, as well as site headers of some websites, too!

I lost my icon in bottom right hand corner that shows I'm connected to the Internet. How do I get it back?
Good question

Sometimes your Internet connectivity icon (located in the bottom right hand corner of your screen) can seem to disappear as if by magic. This is annoying when you want to find out information about your Internet connection like speed, packets sent and received or even just which provider you are connected too.
It’s solved quite simply, though. It’s different depending on which version of Windows you are currently running.
Windows XP:
- Click Start icon
- Scroll up to Settings
- Then click on Control Panel
- When the screen has loaded, click on the Globe icon called Network Connections

Now this part might be a little tricky if you use several Internet providers, but should not be a problem for most users.

- Right click on your preferred network then click Properties (It will be the one which has “Connected” status)
- When the new screen loads, make sure you are in the General tab.
- At the bottom, make sure the box is ticked which says “Show icon in notification area when connected”. While you are here, you can also choose to get your computer to start or stop informing you about limited Internet connectivity by ticking the other box.
- Click OK and the icon should now appear.

Windows Vista/7
If you are using Windows Vista or 7, then it is a completely different set of instructions, but just as simple.

- Click the right mouse button on the Windows task-bar
- Click Properties
- Change the tab over to Notification area
- Now, you have several options here. You can choose to show or hide Clock, Volume, Network and
Power by ticking or removing the tick from the boxes. (Note: Windows 7 has drop-down boxes)
- Put a tick in the Network box and make any other changes you wish
- Whilst here, you may also want to change the option where icons are removed from the task-bar if they are not clicked often. This should not be a problem if you click the Internet icon regularly though but is worth consideration.
- Click Apply
- Click OK and the icon should now appear

Also...

Just because the Internet Icon has disappeared does not necessarily mean the Internet is not connected. I always find it easier to open a Web Browser, search something and see if it loads to check connection. If you were looking to check connection speed then there are plenty of free tests available online with a Google search for “Free Internet Speed Test”.

Your computer also might be set up with a setting that hides icons that are inactive. This is helpful if you have a lot of icons at once but can be an annoyance when you are trying to find one. This is easily solved by right clicking the task-bar, going to properties and looking for a ticked box which says something along the lines of “Hide Inactive Icons” and removing the tick.

If none of the above techniques work there are a few things you can do. If you have the settings of your system saved then you can revert back to those. This is likely for those of you with programs like Norton Anti-virus. Also, as a very last resort, you can save your files to an external hard-drive and reinstall your Windows system as the original settings include the icon on the task-bar.

Here’s a nifty way to keep all your frequently visited sites easily within reach in Mozilla Firefox.

All you have to do is drag and drop a bookmark into the little space in between the navigation buttons and where you first tab starts.

Here’s a nifty way to keep all your frequently visited sites easily within reach in Mozilla Firefox.

All you have to do is drag and drop a bookmark into the little space in between the navigation buttons and where you first tab starts.

I lost my icon in bottom right hand corner that shows I'm connected to the Internet. How do I get it back?

Sometimes your Internet connectivity icon (located in the bottom right hand corner of your screen) can seem to disappear as if by magic. This is annoying when you want to find out information about your Internet connection like speed, packets sent and received or even just which provider you are connected too.
It’s solved quite simply, though. It’s different depending on which version of Windows you are currently running.
Windows XP:
- Click Start icon
- Scroll up to Settings
- Then click on Control Panel
- When the screen has loaded, click on the Globe icon called Network Connections

Now this part might be a little tricky if you use several Internet providers, but should not be a problem for most users.

- Right click on your preferred network then click Properties (It will be the one which has “Connected” status)
- When the new screen loads, make sure you are in the General tab.
- At the bottom, make sure the box is ticked which says “Show icon in notification area when connected”. While you are here, you can also choose to get your computer to start or stop informing you about limited Internet connectivity by ticking the other box.
- Click OK and the icon should now appear.

Windows Vista/7
If you are using Windows Vista or 7, then it is a completely different set of instructions, but just as simple.

- Click the right mouse button on the Windows task-bar
- Click Properties
- Change the tab over to Notification area
- Now, you have several options here. You can choose to show or hide Clock, Volume, Network and
Power by ticking or removing the tick from the boxes. (Note: Windows 7 has drop-down boxes)
- Put a tick in the Network box and make any other changes you wish
- Whilst here, you may also want to change the option where icons are removed from the task-bar if they are not clicked often. This should not be a problem if you click the Internet icon regularly though but is worth consideration.
- Click Apply
- Click OK and the icon should now appear
Also...
Just because the Internet Icon has disappeared does not necessarily mean the Internet is not connected. I always find it easier to open a Web Browser, search something and see if it loads to check connection. If you were looking to check connection speed then there are plenty of free tests available online with a Google search for “Free Internet Speed Test”.

Your computer also might be set up with a setting that hides icons that are inactive. This is helpful if you have a lot of icons at once but can be an annoyance when you are trying to find one. This is easily solved by right clicking the task-bar, going to properties and looking for a ticked box which says something along the lines of “Hide Inactive Icons” and removing the tick.

If none of the above techniques work there are a few things you can do. If you have the settings of your system saved then you can revert back to those. This is likely for those of you with programs like Norton Anti-virus. Also, as a very last resort, you can save your files to an external hard-drive and reinstall your Windows system as the original settings include the icon on the task-bar.

Here’s a nifty way to keep all your frequently visited sites easily within reach in Mozilla Firefox.

All you have to do is drag and drop a bookmark into the little space in between the navigation buttons and where you first tab starts.

How do I know if I have Service Pack 3 on my Windows XP computer?
A:
It's easy, Just right-click "My Computer" and choose "Properties". In the System Properties box look under "System".
If you see "Service Pack 3" listed there, then it is installed

MS Word 2010: A New Text Formatting Button

I happened to be working in Word 2010 the other day and happened upon a new button in the Font group of the Home tab in the Ribbon.
Find out what this button is all about by reading here!

http://www.watson.org/~leigh/celts.html

Do you get too much email? Priority Inbox helps you get through it faster by putting the most important mail at the top of your inbox.

Watch this short video to see how it works or learn more: