Questions and Answers
given by Panel at the General Meeting
held on Wednesday 21 November 2007

1. QUESTION: It is a little disappointing that XP does not have some of the nice fonts that were available in Windows 98.  A friend has emailed me several fonts that I want to use on my computer.  I have saved them until I work out how to add them to my available fonts. 

ANSWER:  Adding new fonts to your computer - you save the required fonts to My Documents. Then go to Control Panel, then click on the Fonts icon. If you have both screens open together, by making them smaller by clicking the little box right next to the X in the corner, you can do one of two things. You can drag each Font icon in your My Docs to the Font Page, or you can Copy and Paste each font from my Docs to the Font page.  You can also download other new fonts from a good website eg. AK Font Viewer.

Adding new fonts in Vista instead of XP: Vista is the same as above, but the Control Panel opens by default a little differently. Make sure it opens in "Classic View", and not "Control Panel Home". If it opens in the latter, choose Appearance & Personalization > Fonts. Then choose "Classic View", so it will, in future, always open in this view, which is the same as the old XP screen, and so more familiar to use. From then on you do exactly the same as you do in XP to insert new fonts.

 2. QUESTION: Can you imagine my frustration – when my PC “crashed” I lost all my Email addresses?  I had kept regular backups of all my important files, but didn’t know how to backup my Address Book. 

 ANSWER: Apart from the tedium of retyping all those addresses when your computer crashes or you buy a new one; an exported Address Book saved onto your Flash Drive is perfect to take with you on holiday.  You can also backup onto a floppy disc or CD. 

To export and save your Email Address Book > Insert your Flash Drive >Open Outlook Express > Click on Address Book on the Toolbar >.When your address book opens to reveal your list of addresses >Click on File > Select Export >Address Book (WAB) >Click and the Save In window appears > Click on the Browse arrow and select your Flash Drive >. In the File Name window give an appropriate name eg. Mary email backup Oct 07 >Click Save.

Remember to keep this backup up to date to avoid disappointment and frustration.

 If using Incredimail: Perform the same actions as for Outlook Express until you reach the name of the Address Book. In Outlook Express it is Address Book (WAB), but in Incredimail it is Incredimail Exported Contacts. This is what you do: Insert Flashdrive > open Incredimail > Click on Address Book in the Toolbar. When your address book opens, go to File > Export > Incredimail Exported Contacts. The Save in: window appears. In File Name section, type in an appropriate name e.g. Mary Smiths's Email backup > Save in your Flash Drive (or CD drive if you are using a CD) > Click Save.

3. QUESTION: I use the spell check feature in Ms Word and other programs.  Can I set up my Outlook Express to automatically check my messages for spelling errors?

 ANSWER: In the Outlook Express window go to the Tools menu and in the drop down menu select Options.  In the Options box click on the Spelling tab, then check (activate) the ‘Always check spelling before sending’ option and finally click OK.               

4. QUESTION: My friend has pictures of her family on her screen (desktop) when she starts up her computer.  Can you tell me how to do this on my computer?

 ANSWER: You can change your desktop in no time.  Right click on your desktop and select Properties from the drop down menu.  In the Display Properties dialog box which appears click on the Desktop tab where you may select from the ‘Background’ list provided.

 If you want to use a picture that you have saved on your computer, simply click the Browse button and an ‘Open’ window will appear. It will default to your My Documents/My Pictures folder but you can browse through other folders. Click on the picture you want then click Open. This will take you back to the Display Properties dialog box and you should see a preview of your brand new desktop.  If this is what you want, click Apply then OK and you’ll have a nice new desktop to enjoy.

Vista Answer re Changing Your Desktop: Right-click Desktop > Personalize > Desktop Background >Picture Location > Pictures. Then all the pictures you have put in your Pictures Folder (called My Pictures in XP) are on display for you to choose from. Click Browse to see all the folders you have put into Pictures, click the one you want, and straight away, the picture is displayed on your Desktop.

5. QUESTION:  The font (default font) which my computer uses to write email messages in Outlook Express is too small, and not the one I would like to use.  How can I change it? 

ANSWER:  Open Outlook Express >Select Tools > Options > Compose Tab > Click on Font Settings > Choose the font and size you require from the menu that opens; and you can even change the colour of your text in this window > OK > Apply > OK.

In Incredimail: When reading an email, go to View > Test Size > Largest. When writing your emails, the only way I know is to set the size of the font on the Tool Bar, either before starting to type, or when finished by Selecting All (Ctrl A) and then change the font to say 14 pt.

6. QUESTION: When I open Word it always opens with Times New Roman size 12.  How can I change my computer so that Word opens in Comic Sans MS ?

ANSWER: Open Word > Click on Format > Font . In the Font Box, using the up-down arrows, choose which font you want as the default. Click on the Default box which is in the bottom Left Hand corner > Click OK.

In Vista: Open a Word document. Have "Home" tab open. Go to Change Styles > Fonts > Create New Fonts. On the screen that appears, change Heading to e.g. "Comic Sans"; then change Body Font to "Comic Sans". Name it in the appropriate box e.g. "Comic Sans" to make it easily chosen, any time you drop down the Change Styles menu. Click Save. You will see that the Heading box and the sub heading boxes have all changed to Comic Sans. Drop down the Change Styles box again, choose Set as Default. Then you have Comic Sans set as your default font from now on, until you decide to change it.

7.QUESTION: How can I save to a CD ?
8.QUESTION: What is the difference between burning and saving to a CD ?
These two questions are answered together:

ANSWER: Saving and Burning to a CD (or DVD) are the same thing. To save data to a CD or DVD, you must first have a suitable program. Such programs are usually supplied with the CD/DVD Burner, but in this club we prefer to use a free program from the Internet. This program is CDBurnerXP Pro 3. First start the program running. Click on the top listing, which allows creating a data CD or DVD.

Give a name to the collection of data (or the CD/DVD) by RIGHT CLICKING on the new compilation icon, then clicking on RENAME on the menu, followed by the new name and ENTER. Next, click on the down arrow at the right of BURN, and select BURN AND LET ME CHOOSE SETTINGS.

Now, navigate to the folder containing the required file(s), select the file(s) to be copied, then click on the ADD button. Note that the total size of what you are copying (and have selected), together with the still available space on the CD/DVD at the bottom of the screen. If you have not put a disc into the burner drawer, you will see the space available shown as N/A. N.B. In this case, when you select BURN you will get a message to insert a disc.

When you have added all you wish to record in the compilation and are ready to record, click on BURN. On the window now showing the only change to the given settings could be to tick VERIFY DATA AFTER BURN. Also it is good to choose a lower than maximum writing speed. Then click on WRITE DISC and burning should start. If you have previously recorded some data on the disc, you will get a window saying: Continue Multisession Disc? Click on CONTINUE DISC (MULTISESSION), and burning will take place. N.B. This message may come up earlier. If so, treat it the same way. When burning and checking are complete, click on DONE and the disc drawer should be extended so that you can remove the disc. 

9.QUESTION: How can I change the language in my Email?  It is all in French.

ANSWER: This is a problem that is happening to a number of people and many of them are associated with the installation of Microsoft Office 2007 where you already have Outlook Express installed. There is a suggestion that it is part of a plan by Microsoft to "encourage" you to switch to Microsoft Outlook. Outlook has features including safety which are not in Outlook Express, but of course, you have to pay for it. Some of the problems are simply a case of spell check dictionary being in French and will not change, resulting in all words being rejected. The correction for this in Outlook Express is:
Tools > Options > Spelling > Language > change to English > Apply > OK

To change language:
Start > Control Panel > Region & Language > drop menu of Languages > Select required language > Apply > OK

If these do not work, do a Google search for outlook express language. You will find several simple free downloads which have solved the problem for some people.

10.QUESTION: How do I send by email, or print out from a large document, a smaller amount of text or pics. than the whole file on my flash drive or on my screen?

ANSWER:

• Open the whole document on your flash drive

• Highlight the section of the document from your flash drive or on your screen you want to email or print

• To print, just go to File, Print, Tick Selection and print

• To email, go to Edit > Copy > Open New Message > Click on the body of the email where you want the text > Click Edit > Paste. The selected text is now on your email ready to complete and send. This method is safer and easier than creating an attachment as it avoids virus implications.

11.QUESTION: How do I print labels for CD’s and DVD’s instead of having to physically write on labels?

It is no longer a good idea to print paper labels and stick them to CDs or DVDs. Many new drives spin at very high speeds and can shatter if a label is off balance or comes loose. There have been a number of reports of drives which have shattered and severely damaged the computer.

Some printers now come with an accessory which allows printing directly onto printable CDs and DVDs. Some Canon printers have this capacity.
Choose "CD label print". > Text > Enter your text > Choose options such as Color, Font Shadow etc > OK > you can then drag the text to the position needed on the CD > Background > choose an image > OK > Print > Print >
Fit the printable blank CD into the special plastic drawer as per the prompts > click Print.

There is another option using a special CD/DVD disk drive with a "Lightscribe" facility which can "burn: and image on the back of special discs. That is a subject for another day.

12.QUESTION: How do I save old emails for future use?

ANSWER: Select the required email, then click on FILE > SAVE AS. When the small window opens, select the folder, the name and the file type (usually EML) and click on SAVE.

13.QUESTION:How do I send an email picture in Picasa 2?

ANSWER: Open Picassa. In the library view, your photos will be shown in the Right-hand side of the box (the lightbox). Highlight the photo in the photo tray. Click the email button on the output options bar. Your usual email box will appear with your photo as an attachment in the attachment box. Address the email, then click the send button.

14.QUESTION: Picasa 2 is duplicating all my photos.  How can I stop it?

ANSWER: Picassa lets you choose what the programme can access on your computer. Go to Tools > Folder Manager. The box that opens shows, on the Left-hand side, your drives and folders or My Documents - My Pictures - C drive. If any of these has a tick in front of them, then Picassa has access to those files. To remove that access, highlight the one with the tick > go to the Right-hand side of the box and click the circle in front of 'Remove from Picassa'. Click OK. The tick will be replaced by X. Picassa now has no access to those files.

That Picassa is duplicating photos can mean it's just doing its job as requested, depending how the programme is being used - Collections - Albums or Folder. Best advice is to download from Picassa the Getting Started Guide.

15.QUESTION: Is it possible to print out all in my Address folder?

 ANSWER: Question 2 answers this question.

16.QUESTION: How do I save a favourite Web picture?

ANSWER: Click on the picture to select it, then click on FILE > SAVE AS. When the small window opens, select the folder, the name and the file type (usually JPG) and click on SAVE

17.QUESTION: Internet Explorer always opens at a small size and I seem to be forever clicking to enlarge it.  It was not always this way.  How can I set it back to always open at a larger size?

ANSWER: There is a setting in Microsoft which is supposed to do this, but it has proved unreliable. There are several simple proprietary free programs which do this. I have been using one for a long time and it has been 100%. Do a Google search for South bay software 1.61 and hit "I'm Feeling Lucky".

AutoSizer
Keep Internet Explorer Maximized

AutoSizer automatically resizes programs for you, keeping them at a specific size or keeping them maximized. One popular use is to keep Internet Explorer maximized when you go on the web. It works with most programs, including Notepad, web browsers and many others.

18.QUESTION: How can I get Outlook to default to Australian English and make it stick?  I already had Australian English set in the Control Panel and in Word, but nothing seems to work with Outlook.

 ANSWER:

 Windows XP - Word 2003:
Click Start > Control Panel > Regional & Language Options > Languages tab > Under Text services and input languages > click Details > Settings tab > Select English (United States) or English (Australian) > Apply > OK

Windows 2000 - Word 2003
Click Start > Control Panel > Text Services > change default input language to English (Australian).

19.QUESTION: Since I installed XP, My Documents window opens on boot up.  How can I stop this from happening?

I have never seen a computer boot up to an opening point other than the opening desktop.

If it is as you say, backup all data, then run your XP disc again to repair any faults in the operating system. This usually does not remove your installed programs and data.

If this does not work, reformat the Computer and reload the operating system again. This will remove all installed programs and all the data.

1. but, assuming that the desktop screen does open first:

• Click Start > All Programs > Accessories

• Right click Windows Explorer

• Click Properties > Shortcut tab

• The target should be before change:  %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe

• Change to: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe c:\

• After c:\ type the exact name of the location you wish the folder to open at.

Note: There are no spaces between any letters except after .exe when a space is required before you type c:\ etc

2. As a shortcut, it is good practice to have an icon on the desktop for My Computer and Windows Explorer.

How: Windows XP - Word 2003:

• My Computer: Click start > Right click My Computer icon > click Show on desktop

• Windows Explorer: Click Start > All Programs > Accessories > Right click Windows Explorer > click Send To Desktop (create shortcut).

Windows 2000 - Word 2003

• My Computer: Right click Start > Click Open > Right click Yellow Folder icon (top left above Start Menu) > Click Send to > Desktop (create shortcut).

• Windows Explorer: Click Start > programs > Accessories > Right click Windows Explorer > click Send To Desktop (create shortcut).

When icons are on the Desktop:

• When the desktop opens, double click My Computer. This will show and allow you to open the Drives on your computer

• Double click Windows Explorer -  takes you to the location as set-out in point 1.

• Right click Windows Explorer - opens the shortcut menu to select Properties etc.

20.QUESTION: How can I change the American form of dating everything with the month, day and year sequence?  It is so annoying (for other than Americans – Bill!).  How can I permanently change this function?  I am using XP Professional.

• Click Start > Control Panel > Regional & Language Options > Customize

• Customizer Regional Options window opens

• Click Date tab > click the arrow at Short date format > select style > select date separator type

• Select the arrow at Long date format > select style > OK

• Both styles will show in the sample windows

• If satisfied, click Apply > OK

21.QUESTION: Presuming that virus protection, Spybot and Adaware are kept up to date,  are there any dangers in receiving emails that have a long list of addressees, with or without their email addresses shown, and especially when they are sent via Hotmail?

ANSWER: It is unlikely that numerous addresses add to the normal risks of emails. However, it is very bad netiquette to send emails with lots of addresses visible. It is both a privacy issue and very untidy. If you need t forward such emails always delete the spurious addresses after selecting "Forward" and before sending. If you need to send an email to many people, use the "Blind Copy" (Bcc) facility.

22.QUESTION: When receiving a photo attachment, whether reduced or not, how do you avoid a gigantic version of the photo being spread all over the email text? (Outlook Express)

ANSWER: There appears to be a bug in the Outlook Express program of the recipient, or alternatively in the program of the sender.

Do a Google search for Microsoft outlook repair kit and run the program. If this does not work refer to your ISP as the problem could be occurring anywhere along the line.

23.QUESTION: How do I download free software from the internet to:

1. my PC

2. my memory stick    e.g. Photo story 3,  Picasa 2?

There are two common types of free software which are downloadable.

1. Compressed files which must be manually uncompressed upon receipt; these usually end with ZIP.

2. Executable files usually ending in EXE

We will only deal with the second type which is the most common.

Locate the file you want with a Google search. Click on the "download" button or "download" text. When the download window opens, make a note of the file name and the download folder.
You can choose to SAVE the file or OPEN it. I prefer to SAVE it first.
If you choose to OPEN it directly, then follow the prompts to install the program. If you have saved it to a location, locate the file and double click to open it and install the program.
Note: That this is a very concise version of the actions needed. A full description, with all the options may take an hour or more to explain.

24.QUESTION: What are the current free computer protection programs one can download from the internet?

ANSWER:
Antivirus: AVG, Clamwin, Avast, and others.
Antispyware: Adaware, Spybot Search and Destroy, and others.

Be careful in selecting such anti malware. There are many very similar names which are actually spyware.

25.QUESTION:  Is there a way to save to a flash drive all the Letters, E cards Sounds and Animations which have been downloaded into my Incredimail Style Box?

Incredimail has a unique feature which allows you to transfer all your emails, addresses and settings to a new computer very easily, and you can also use this feature as a regular backup.

Simply choose File > Data and settings transfer wizard > Export Data settings > follow the prompts and browse to choose a folder/drive/flash drive etc.
You should do this as a regular backup in case of emergencies. If saving to a flash drive, be aware that the file size can b e very large - 500mb or more.
I have not checked whether this also saves all your pretty stuff as well as other contents.