Tips and Tricks
to make life easier

Emailing Pictures

There are many programs you can use to send pictures by email, but here is how to do it with Windows XP. Presuming your pictures have been saved in your 'My Pictures' folder:

• Open 'My Documents' > 'My Pictures'

• Find your picture or pictures

• Click once on your picture to highlight it (you can select more than one picture)

• Right click on your highlighted picture/s to open the action menuLeft click on 'Send to'

• Left click on 'Mail Recipient'

• Check that 'Make all my pictures smaller" is ticked. This should be ticked unless your recipient is going to print a high quality photo. Sending photos in full size can take a long time, as the full file sizes are very large.

• Click OK

• Your email program will now open

• Address and complete your email, then send it off.

 

Index of Questions

• How do I copy a disk when I only have one disk drive?

• I have a problem burning CDs in XP.  Sometimes I use the XP burner and sometimes Nero.  I have trouble trying to add to these disks later. Why?

• What is default?

• My printer is very slow. It was advertised as 'up to 10 pages per minute', but only prints 5 to 7. What can I do about it?

• How do I send pictures in an email to a person on dial up, so they don't take a long time to download?

• My printer has started printing white streaks in text, but colour is OK. Can I fix it?

• In Word, how do I alter margins?

• Microsoft Word shows the language being used in English American. How do I change this to English Australian?

• I made a notice, and to make it stand out, I surrounded the title with a thick red border. However, I then found I could not move the cursor down the page so I could type the message. I tried typing the message first, but that did not work either. In despair, I made up two pages and copied what I wanted together. There must be an easier and better way. Can you help?

• When I download something from the Internet, where does it go and how do I find it?

• Not infrequently, I have sent or received emails which are timed and dated the following day from when I sent or received them. Why is this so? Can I do anything to correct at least the times and dates of those I send?

• When I get an email with attachments from somebody who sent it to 10 other people as well, can I delete the names of the other 10 people and email it to a friend as if it is direct from me?

 

Questions answered by Don Mees:

Q: How do I copy a disk when I only have one disk drive?

A: I assume that this refers to floppy disks. Open MY COMPUTER and then select the floppy disk to be copied by clicking on its icon. Drop down the FILE menu and select COPY DISK. This opens a small window showing copy from floppy disk to floppy disk. Click on START and wait for the window to say INSERT THE DISK YOU WISH TO COPY FROM (SOURCE DISK) and then click OK. The progress bar then shows increasing green dots above "Reading source disk", until dots get to halfway. Then a new window opens saying INSERT THE DISK YOU WANT TO COPY TO (DESTINATION DISK), then click OK. Then green dots continue on their way above message saying "Writing to destination disk". Eventually the green dots disappear and the message changes to "Copy completed successfully". Click on CLOSE.

 

Q: I have a problem burning CDs in XP. Sometimes I use the XP burner and sometimes Nero. I have trouble trying to add to these disks later. Why?

A: The CD burner in XP and NERO are not compatible and cannot add to disks burnt by the other. Also problems have been found with the XP burner after some updates have been installed so that it cannot add to disks burnt by it. I suggest using only Nero or a free program called CDBurnerXPPro3, which can be downloaded from www.cdburnerxp.se .

 

Q: What is default?

A: Default is a preset condition in the software you are using. An example is in WORD when you select FILE, SAVE AS, the default file name is the typing that starts your document, the default folder is MY DOCUMENTS and the default file type is WORD DOCUMENT. You can change any or all of these to suit yourself.

Questions answered by Lynton Bradford

Q: My printer is very slow. It was advertised as 'up to 10 pages per minute', but only prints 5 to 7. What can I do about it?

A: Many people are mislead with this common type of advertising. In 'Normal' mode most printers print about 1/3 the rate advertised. The advertised rate is for a minimal amount of plain black text in 'Draft' mode. You can often achieve closer to the advertised rate by choosing draft mode for general, non critical printing. Large photos may take several minutes to print.

Q: How do I send pictures in an email to a person on dial up, so they don't take a long time to download?

A: Very important question. Picture files should be reduced in size before sending by email. A simple way is by using Picasa, available free from Google. After downloading and installing, open Picasa > click picture > Email > choose your email program > select the recipient > type in your message > send.
A typical picture from a camera could be about 1.6 mb in size. Instead of around 10 minutes to download, it will be about 30 seconds.
An even better way is to use an imaging program > resize > 72 dpi > 300 pixels wide > tab > JPG >75%. This gives a 56kb image and will be about 4 inches wide.
Note: Reducing the size in Word or Publisher does not reduce the file size. It will, in fact, increase the image file size.

Q: My printer has started printing white streaks in text, but colour is OK. Can I fix it?

A: You need to clean the print head. Start > Printers and Faxes > Right Click your model printer from list > Properties > Maintenance > Head cleaning > Some printers have an option to clean black only. If available, use that option rather than waste your colours. Allow to finish.
When finished > select nozzle check. Then check results on paper, if the text pattern is missing in parts, repeat or choose deep cleaning. If streaking has been evident for some time, several head cleans may be needed.

Questions answered by Daphne O'Donnell

Q: In Word, how do I alter margins?

A: Open a Word document. Select File > Page Setup > Margin Tab > change the margin settings.

Q: Microsoft Word shows the language being used in English American. How do I change this to English Australian?

A: During the initial installation of the program, English Australian should have been selected.
XP has an icon on the task bar EN click and change to Australian.
Other programs: Open a word document and enter some data. From the Standard toolbar, select ABC > below the suggestions box click the arrow at the side of the dictionary language and select English Australian.

Q: I made a notice, and to make it stand out, I surrounded the title with a thick red border. However, I then found I could not move the cursor down the page so I could type the message. I tried typing the message first, but that did not work either. In despair, I made up two pages and copied what I wanted together. There must be an easier and better way. Can you help?

A: What program were you using? If you were making it in Word, first enter several enters on the page then use the Text box, Line Color and Line Style from the Drawing toolbar. Type the notice in the Text box. Move the Text box into the required position then click an entry point under the Text box and enter your text. Word is not the program to make notices of flyers. They are best made in Greetings 2002 or Publisher. These programs are designed to make flyers from the most simple to the most complex. Using the correct program will take all the frustration out of the exercise.

Questions answered by Ian Gemmell

Q: When I download something from the Internet, where does it go and how do I find it?

A: To find a list of all the items in Temporary Internet files:

• Open Internet Home Page (Google)

• Click on Tools

• Click on Internet Options

• Click on settings following "Delete Internet Temporary files"

• Click on Settings

• Click on View Files

You will be surprised at how many files are listed. It is advisable to delete these from time to time as they take up considerable space. It is not practicable to restore these files. Their main purpose is to make future access to any of these searches much faster.

Q: Not infrequently, I have sent or received emails which are timed and dated the following day from when I sent or received them. Why is this so? Can I do anything to correct at least the times and dates of those I send?

A:
Step 1:The first step is to right click on "time" on the task bar. Click on "time/date". Adjust time or date, if necessary.

Step 2: Send yourself an email noting the time sent and the time received back. If either of these times is defective you need to talk to your Internet Service Provider.

Step 3: Check to ensure that your computer battery is charged.
 

Q: When I get an email with attachments from somebody who sent it to 10 other people as well, can I delete the names of the other 10 people and email it to a friend as if it is direct from me?

A: The answer is "yes". In order to do this you need first to click on Forward. Having done this, you can delete or add any information to any part of the email.
Note: As this attachment has been to a considerable number of other recipients, it is preferable to Copy and Paste the attachment to a new email, which you can send.
 

Thanks to Panel Members for their very helpful answers.

If you have a particular question you would like answered email it to:

ronpam@tpg.com.au

 

Tips and Tricks

To Install a Program from a CD

• Insert CD in drive.

• Windows should automatically start the set-up program. However, if it doesn't, double-click on My Computer, move to the CD-ROM drive, then double-click Install or Setup.

• Follow the on-screen instructions, and select the default options if you are unsure.

To Install a Program from the Internet

If you find a program on the Internet you wish to install, you just follow the instructions. Eventually you will be asked where you want to save the file, so...
Click the link or button to Download or Install.

• For Dial-up users:
  Click the Save button to download the installation program to you PC (e.g. My Documents) to run later.

• For ADSL or Internet connection:
  Click Open to install the program direct from the Internet.
   

To Uninstall a Program

• Go to the Start menu, then select Control Panel in XP. For Windows 98 click Start, Settings, then Control Panel.

• Click the Add or Remove Programs icon.

• Look for the program you wish to remove, select it and click Remove.

Retrieving Files from Recycle Bin

Finding deleted files:

• Right click on Recycle Bin and select Open.

• Find the file you need to retrieve.

• Right click it and select Restore. This will restore the file to its original location.

Virus Hoaxes

Hoaxes are dangerous. They are conservatively estimated to cause millions of dollars in damages each year. They flood mail servers, slow down networks and waste countless hours of users' and companies' time. They can cause as much damage to your computer as real viruses. If you have a good anti virus program you are reasonably protected against viruses, but you have no automatic protection against hoaxes. Typically they claim to be from a large well known company, and state, in reasonable sounding technical terms, that certain catastrophic damage can occur, and you are urged to immediately send a copy to all your friends.

An example of a sinister and very harmful hoax is one that states that a certain virus file may have already been placed on your system and will cause your computer to fail completely very shortly. You are asked to search for this file and delete it immediately.  But the file named is actually a critical system file and deleting it will cause parts of your system to fail erratically and intermittently. Even an expert can have difficulty trying to locate and correct the cause when it occurs because it is a missing file, not a virus. How can you recognise a hoax? Firstly, be suspicious of any warning which suggests sending a copy to your friends. Secondly, contact your antivirus web site and search for the virus on their virus encyclopedia, or send them an E-mail.

Never pass on such a warning. If you want to warn your friends about a real virus, refer them to a reputable web site link (usually a reputable Anti-virus Company), to contact for information.

'Help' Files

MS Windows and all fully compatible programs have extensive 'Help' files. These should be your first choice when you have a problem. Choose 'Help' from the tool bar, or easier still press 'F1' function key. You can leave the 'Help' screen active while you work, if you wish. In some programs it can get in the way of your work. If it has a blue bar above it, you can move it by clicking on the blue bar and dragging it to a different location.

Cords and cables

These are weak links. If something doesn't work, or if you get error messages when first switched on, then shutdown correctly (if possible). Check that each cable and cord is firmly plugged in at both ends; if there is any doubt, disconnect and reconnect. This action tends to clean the plugs and sockets and make better connections. Also check phone cable to wall socket (if used). Check that on/off switches on peripherals (printers, scanners etc) are switched on.

Floppy disk and CD/DVDrom drives

Purchase head cleaning kits for these and clean as recommended, especially the floppy disk drive. Protect floppy disks from any magnetic source, generally keep away from any magnetic material such as scissors, or tools, which may have become magnetized. incidentally this goes for all magnetic recorded media such as credit cards. With CD/DVDs, do not expose to sunlight, intense lights or heat. Avoid scratching the surfaces especially the printed side.

Printers

Paper: Use top quality paper, always "fan" out before using. Humidity can effect print quality. Keep paper wrapped when not in use.

Refilling Cartridges: Many ink cartridges can be refilled at least 6 or more times, but if you intend to refill, stop using the printer and refill as soon as the first sign of white lines appears in the print on your printer, a warning that the ink is low. If you continue to use a cartridge which is running out of ink, you can cause the ink jets to fail. The tiny electric elements in the jets overheat and burn out if not cooled by the incoming ink. If this happens the cartridge cannot then be reused. Buy ink refills before you need them. A delay of a few days can cause your ink cartridge to dry out and it may not work again when refilled.

Cleaning the printer: Occasionally inspect the rollers and printing area. Clean any ink collected on rollers with a cloth dampened with methylated spirits. Check regularly for paper scraps or fluff.

Keyboards

With computer switched off, vacuum fluff and dirt from between keys. Methylated spirits is generally safe to clean off marks, but be careful of the numbers and letters. Some keyboard letters may wipe off with methylated spirits. If you spend long periods on the computer, invest in a keyboard with a wrist rest. Around $50 to $120.

Spilt drink: You should avoid drinking at your computer, but if drink is spilt on the keyboard, what can you do? If it is plain water, shut down, unplug the keyboard and shake it out as best you can, then let it dry thoroughly in a warm dry place. If the drink contains milk, sugar, wine, beer or anything similar, there are two problems that can occur. The delicate key contacts can be corroded or sticky. If the spill has been minor maybe it will be OK. If the spill has been considerable, remove the keyboard and rinse under cold water, then shake it out well and leave to dry for a few days. Generally it will work. If not, keyboards are cheap, as little as $2 or $5 for second hand and $25 up for new.

Formatting Tip for Microsoft Word

Superscript: Ctrl,Shift,plus

Subscript: Ctrl,=

Undo Superscript or Subscript: Ctrl,Space

To Clear Your Browser's Cache

Is your browser slow

Maybe your cache needs clearing. Each time a Web page is opened a cache file, or temporary copy, is created. If you've viewed many Web pages, your hard disk cache may be overloaded. Temporary files take up a lot of hard disk and RAM space, thus slowing down your computer.

 To clear your cache in Internet Explorer:

• Go to Tools menu, select Internet Options. Click on the General Tab. Go to Temporary Internet Files  then click Delete Files button.

Clearing your Cache will not adversely effect your browser at all, and can help increase your page download time, as well as your computer's general performance.

 

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