Things you didn’t know to ask about your Computer

(GEN 7/23/13)

  1. Make Google your Home Page and use it to search – See Handouts
  2. Use “xxx yyy“(quotes) for exact word order and –xxx(minus) to remove a word from search.
  3. 2 Shortcuts – F11=Full Screen and Crtl+(Plus key) makes words bigger.
  4. Include Wikipedia in Google searches when applicable. They have great additional resources at the bottom of their articles.
  5. Windows Tutorials - GREAT Windows video Tutorials.
  • Go to - Five sets of tutorials under Windows Basics in the left sidebar.
  1. Other Tutorials.
  • Thunderbird
  • MicroSoft Office(may need to install SilverLight to view them)
  • Free Computer Tutorial
  1. Over 1000 Geek Tutorials -
  2. Free TV on Windows 7
  3. Create a System Restore Point in Windows 7
  4. Use as much of your monitor’s screen as possible.
  5. Ten Windows 7 Tools
  6. When you want Specific Tutorials – Google for them…
  7. Create a Document to save your Stuff in. I call mine MyDB and it is an Icon on my desktop which I open several times a day. Over 10 yearsof use I’ve accumulated 32 pages of phone numbers, health problems, serial numbers, passwords, birthdays, addresses, prescription numbers, and sayings; everything you quickly write on the back of an envelope.
  • Open a new document in Word. Type in something important to you.
  • Save it with your unique name in Windows Explorer where you can find it.
  • Find it in Windows Explorer and Right click on it.
  • In the menu mouse down to Send to.
  • Slide the pointer over to Desktop (create shortcut) and click it.
  • Now you can find your Stuff in a heartbeat…
  1. There are always at least two ways to do everything. Yours may be better...

  1. Weather Map – go to Select a Location: Enter your address and Zip code.
  2. In Animate: set6 Frames.
  3. At the top of the map click – Link to current view.
  4. When it’s working save it as a Favoriteon IE (browser).
  5. Bad Weather – go to
  6. Tornado Warnings-
  7. Google Earth – Try it; such a cool toy. Find the house you grew up in, where you went to school, where you are right now…
  • You will have to install it.
  1. Google Maps – Street View
  • Google an address with a zip code. Click on Maps or the Green Arrow.
  • Click on the Red A. Click on the street view image.
  • Near the bottom of the screen you see . Click on one of those to move up and down the street.
  • Google google maps street view carto see how they did this.
  1. Help – Every program has a Help menu/icon. The odds are you won’t find what you were looking for but you will find out something useful.
  2. Options – YES you have them…
  3. Open Solitaire it’s a great program to acquire good mousing habits. But be sure to read the fine print carefully, it can be addictive with no known cure…
  4. This is a good time to realize that All Programs have Options and Defaults.
  5. Click on Games in the Menu Bar. Select Options. The Options -Dialog Box opens. Notice that selections are made;Defaults. In this case they were made by Mother MicroSoft in her infinite wisdom; you are free to change them...
  6. Sometimes they are called Options sometimes Preferences; maybe something else. Every program is Defaulted the way the author assumes you want to use it. Maybe not…
  7. Anti-Virus programs are the worst offenders. They will check every keystroke you make, everything you do. You say your computer’s running slow Bucky…
  8. Some things you don’t have to use your mouse for.
  • Copy = Ctrl+C
  • Paste = Ctrl+V
  • Undo the last thing you did = Ctrl+Z
  • Close the window you are in = Alt+F4
  • Maximize/Restore Down window you are in = Double Click the Title Bar
  • Make your browser Full Screen = F11
  • Make your browser text bigger yet= Ctrl+(the Plus sign)
  1. Play in the sandbox. The only way to really hurt your computer is with a baseball bat!
  2. When your Computer Really Gets Sick I suggest you check out
  3. Use Favorites IE
  4. As you use the internet you will come across web sites that you Absolutely want to get back to next month/whenever. Add the site to your Favorites.
  5. While you’re on the site click the Favorites Menu or Icon.
  6. Click Add to Favorites… The site will be added to the bottom of the Favorites list. To manage your Favorites as time goes on select Organize Favorites… with the Menu or the Icon. Folders can be added and the entries can be dragged up, down, or into a folder.
  7. Save the pagebeing viewed in the IEbrowser
  8. When you find a page using the IE browser that you want to save forever…
  9. Select Save as… in the Filemenu. The Save Webpage -Dialog Box will open. Select the My Documentsfolder. Find or create the folder you want to save the page in.
  10. Rememberthe file name you’re saving, then click Save.
  11. When you’re in need of some type of utility Software check Good reviews with no malware.
  12. Searching for a new Digital Camera? Check Dave’s Picks Many full length reviews.
  13. My choice of Online Retailers is They both have good reviews, good prices, and good return policies. Check your retailer buying.
  14. Use the Tab key to move pane to pane in an online form.
  15. Print in Draft Mode – stop wasting ink…
  16. Open the Control Panel and select Printers.
  17. Your default printer will have a √ mark on it. Right click on that printer. Select Printing preferences in the Menu. Select the Paper/Qualitytab. Under Quality Settings select Draft. Click OK, now you’re saving ink!!!
  18. What does Default mean? Check it out with Google using Define…
  19. Charlie Rose – Has done over 5000 interviews.
  • View and listen online -
  1. How to Highlight
  2. Move your mouse pointer to where you want to start highlighting, hold the Leftmouse button down and move the pointer to where you want to stop highlighting, now release the Left mouse button. Walla,highlighted! You’ll know it when you see it…
  3. When something is HighlightedinMS Wordthe next thing you doAffectsthat which is Highlighted. It can be Cut or Copied to the Clipboard, you can paste something to replace it, or type a letter key to replace it.
  4. When you are on the internet you can only highlight to Copy.
  1. How toCopy & Paste
  2. Things are copied to theClipboard; this is a magical place that you can’t see and can hold only One thing/item at a time.
  3. To Copy: Highlight your selection. Now you have the option of using the Menu, an Icon, or the shortcut key Ctrl+C. Either will work. Now you say I didn’t see anything happen!!! That’s right, it’s Magic…
  4. To Paste: You have something on the clipboard you want to transfer. It will be copied to a highlighted area or to where your mouse pointer is blinking. Now you have the option of using the Menu, an Icon, or the shortcut key Ctrl+V. Again either will work.
  5. If you don’t like what happened in either case; type Ctrl+Z. This shortcut keystroke will undo which you just did.
  6. Add photos to Birthday letters in Word.
  7. Email Stripper-
  8. This program is easy as 1,2,3. It will remove the >’s from a junky email message and other unwanted formatting. Copy your trashy message to the Clipboard. Click in the emailSTRIPPER pane. Type 1, it’s copied. Type 2, it’s stripped. Type 3, it’s copied back to the clipboard.
  9. It’s easy to get/use. Just Google email stripper. Go to the PaperCut site and download the .exe file to your Desktop.
  10. Gadwin Printscreen-
  11. Gadwin Printscreenis a program that will capture a portion of your monitor screen. I use it basically when I do online banking/purchases.
  12. The setup has several options. I use it in the rectangular capture, 75% JPEG mode. Then have it copied to the clipboard and saved as a file. Windows 7 has a similar function called Snippit; but I’ve used Gadwin for years.
  13. To download it Google gadwin printscreen and go to gadwin.com.
  14. When you receive that Flaming Email from a friend that concludes with, “If you don’t send this to your ten closest friends in five minutes you’ll turn into a pillar of salt” I suggest you Check the Validity of the Subject Matter at It doesn’t matter whether you agree with the content or not; a bit of critical thinking is a good thing for society.
  15. Al Jazeera English
  • Google Al Jazeera. Click Watch Now
  • Find out what’s happening in the world…
  1. Dual screen of Word 2010/XP
  • I will put both Word 2010 and 2003 on the screen to show some differences.
  1. Install a VirtualWin XP System on your Win 7 System.
  • If you have some XP programs that Win 7 won’t run and you’re crying…
  • Checkout