Mousin' Around

Computer tips and tricks for beginning and intermediate computer users -- especially senior citizens! Learn new things that you can teach your kids and grandkids -- they really don't know it all!

Monday, October 31, 2005

Seeing your pictures in My Pictures

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Greetings!
Seeing your pictures in My Pictures

Do you have photographs stored in My Pictures on your computer? Do you see the actual pictures when you click on that folder or just little images that represent the pictures?

To see the pictures you've stored in My Pictures, left click the Start button in the bottom left corner of your screen. You should see My Pictures in the list at the top right corner of the menu. Left click My Pictures. If you don't see the actual photos, look at the toolbar at the top of the screen. It starts with an arrow inside a circle followed by the word "Back." At the far right end of that toolbar you'll see a small square button with a dropdown arrow on the right. Click the dropdown arrow and a list of options will appear. Left click Thumbnails and you will see individual photos or several folders that have photos on the folder. Each folder will have a name. If the photo you're looking for is inside a folder, double click the folder and the photos inside will appear. The rest of the photos in that folder will appear in a row at the bottom of the screen. To see a particular photo enlarged, double click that photo. That photo will appear on your screen. Look at the buttons below the photo. One of them is a Printer button. Click the printer button to print the photo. Windows will walk you through the steps to print that photo.

This Thumbnail option is available in other views in Windows, such as Windows Explorer.

tips like this are found in Barb's books, Taming Your Computer -- The Simple Basics and Taming Your Computer -- Beyond the Basics. If you don't already have them, click here to order.

Do you have friends or family who would find this tip helpful? Please click on the link below, Forward email to a friend!, and send it to them. They're also welcome to sign up for my monthly newsletter as well as the Tip of the Week. Thanks for sharing.

Barb Walker
Taming Your Computer Inc.

phone: 303 752-2152

Forward email to a friend!

This email was sent to mycomputerlady.eilise@blogger.com, by mycomputerlady@aol.com
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Taming Your Computer Inc. | 12768 E. Harvard Circle | Aurora | CO | 80014

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Windows Updates are SO Important!

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Greetings!
Windows Updates are SO Important!
Keeping your computer safe

Microsoft frequently releases FREE updates to the Windows program (that's the program that runs your computer). It's extremely important that you receive these updates on a regular basis. Many of the updates are security related. In other words, hackers continue to find ways to invade your computer and Microsoft continues to plug those holes. You can't receive these updates unless you tell your computer to do so.

To see if your computer is set to receive the automatic updates, left click the Start button. Left click Control Panel. If you only see about 10 icons, left click "Switch to Classic View" in the left column. You should now see numerous icons. Left click the System icon toward the bottom of the screen.

You might see the "Automatic" circle selected. This is usually set for "Every day at 3 a.m." This is fine if you leave your computer on all night. I suggest that you click in the circle beside "Download updates for me but let me choose when to install them." With this option selected you will receive a message in a small "bubble" in the bottom right corner of your screen when updates have been downloaded and are ready to install. Click in the center of the bubble (not the X in the corner of the bubble) and a new window will appear. Click the Install button in this window and the downloads will be installed for you. You may receive a message when the download is completed that it's necessary to restart your computer. Click Restart Now and the computer will shut itself off and turn itself back on. If you have never downloaded the updates it may take a long time to bring your computer up to date, but it's an important investment of time.

Tips like this are found in Taming Your Computer -- The Simple Basics. If you don't already have a copy click here to order your copy.

Do you have friends or family who would find this tip helpful? Please click on the link below, Forward email to a friend!, and send it to them. They're also welcome to sign up for my monthly newsletter as well as the Tip of the Week. Thanks for sharing.

Barb Walker
Taming Your Computer Inc.

phone: 303 752-2152

Forward email to a friend!

This email was sent to mycomputerlady.eilise@blogger.com, by mycomputerlady@aol.com
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Taming Your Computer Inc. | 12768 E. Harvard Circle | Aurora | CO | 80014

Sunday, October 16, 2005

Seeing more buttons on your toolbars

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Greetings!
Seeing more buttons on your toolbars

Typically Microsoft Office programs such as Word, Access, Excel and Powerpoint show you only one row of toolbar buttons at the top of your screen. This limits the number of buttons you can see at any one time. There are many toolbar buttons available when you separate the toolbars onto two rows. Here's how to do it.

The steps for this time-saving tip are similar to last week's tip of viewing entire dropdown menus immediately. Left click Tools, left click Customize. Left click the Options tab. In any of the programs listed above, left click in the check box beside "Show Standard and Formatting Toolbars on two rows." Click Close and take a look at your screen. You now have so many more buttons to use.

If you don't know what all those buttons do, check pages 56-58 in Taming Your Computer -- The Simple Basics. If you don't already have a copy click here to order your copy.

Do you have friends or family who would find this tip helpful? Please click on the link below, Forward email to a friend!, and send it to them. They're also welcome to sign up for my monthly newsletter as well as the Tip of the Week. Thanks for sharing.

Barb Walker
Taming Your Computer Inc.

phone: 303 752-2152

Forward email to a friend!

This email was sent to mycomputerlady.eilise@blogger.com, by mycomputerlady@aol.com
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Taming Your Computer Inc. | 12768 E. Harvard Circle | Aurora | CO | 80014

Wednesday, October 12, 2005

October Computer Tips Newsletter

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Mouse Bytes Computer Tips to save you time!
October 2005

Greetings!

If you're like me, you're looking for ways to save money on gas. Driving around town looking for cheap prices isn't exactly the most economical way to do it. Guess what? There's a website that will help you find cheap gas. Click here to go to Gas Buddy.com. At the top of the screen you'll see a long white box labeled "Search by US Zip Code." Type your Zip Code in the box and click "Search Now." You will see gas stations listed in ascending order of gas price, the name of the station, and the date and time that price was posted to the site. Check it out and save some $$$

By the way, your feedback to this monthly newsletter, Tip of the Week and manuals means so much to me. Donna Dissette recently sent me a wonderful e-mail message: "Your manuals have been a God-send to me. Things I need to do in a hurry come easy as the manuals are written for quick jobs. Thank you again."

in this issue
  • National Computer Month
  • Client of the Month
  • B&B of The Month
  • Starting a New Decade!
  • The Genealogy Corner

  • Client of the Month
    May Anderson and Godzilla

    May Anderson lives in Arvada, Colorado, and enjoys freelance writing for several publications. According to May, "The old way to write was with pen or pencil and correct later. I had reached the ripe old age of my late seventies and didn't intend to go 'out to pasture.' Buy a computer? They scared me silly. I bought one anyway and took a couple of classes, but in the classes they never taught me how to turn it on or off! I've always given a nickname to inanimate objects so I christened the computer GODZILLA. It was overpowering me emotionally, so I took a friend's advice and called Barb Walker, The Computer Lady. GODZILLA doesn't scare me anymore. Barb keeps teaching me new ways to get more done on my computer. I'm getting older, but I'm also getting better."


    B&B of The Month

    If you're ever in the area of Colorado Springs, Colorado, check out the Holden House B&B. My husband and I stayed there last spring and it's a beautiful place. The upstairs rooms are suites and some of the rooms have a large Tub for Two and fireplace. It was peaceful and relaxing and the breakfast was wonderful.

    This weekend, in honor of my birthday, we'll be visiting a new B&B and I hope to tell you all about it soon.


    Starting a New Decade!

    I hinted a couple of months ago that this year I would hit one of those Big Birthday Milestones. On October 14 I turn The Big 6-0. Yes, I'm anouncing it for all the world to know. In thinking about this birthday I remembered a long-ago special event. It was 1960 and President Dwight D. Eisenhower was in office. His birthday is also October 14, and Mom suggested I send him a birthday card at the White House, mentioning that we shared a birth date. So I did. Imagine my surprise when I received a birthday greeting from him in return! I've kept that birthday card in my scrapbook all these years. Talk about times changing -- the envelope has a 4-cent stamp!

    Speaking of October 14, I'll be spending the day at the Arapahoe County Senior Day at 2004 W. Powers Avenue in Littleton, Colorado. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and help me celebrate! The guest speaker is Ms. Senior America and she will present the keynote address, "Aging with an Attitude." I'm counting on her to give me some tips as I start this new decade.


    The Genealogy Corner

    I have been using Family Tree Maker, a terrific genealogy database program for several years. I originally bought an old version at a discount store so I could teach my mom how to use it to computerize all of her genealogy research. In teaching her to use it I got hooked! Literally!!!! It's an amazing program that's very easy to use. I've updated my version of the program every couple of years and it keeps getting better.

    Two weeks ago I ordered the new version, Family Tree Maker 2006 and it's even better than the last version. It's now possible to enter much more information on each family page than previously. If you're interested in getting started with the program or updating your old version, click the link below to go to their website to order. It's $29.95 plus shipping. You will be amazed at how easy it is to use.

    Family Tree Magazine's August 2005 issue listed many interesting websites to help you search for your ancestors. One I found interesting was "Information Wanted." It's a database of "Missing Friends" to help locate your hard-to-find Irish ancestors. To quote the description of the website: "From 1831 to 1921, the Boston Pilot newspaper's Missing Friends column carried advertisements from people looking for "lost" friends and relatives who'd emigrated from Ireland. The database contains a text record for each of the 31,525 ads that appeared in the Pilot." Click here to go to their website and search for your Irish relatives.


    National Computer Month

    I read somewhere that October is National Computer Month. I'm not sure what the appropriate method of celebration is, but you might begin by deleting old documents from your computer. If you have a copy of my first book, Taming Your Computer -- Beyond the Basics, you'll find step-by-step instructions for accomplishing this task in that book. If you don't have a copy yet, click here to go to the FREE sample lessons on my website to learn how. Print the lesson and put it in your computer tips notebook for future reference.

    Equally important is backing up important files to a floppy disk or CD. I've been told there are two kinds of people who back up: Those who do and those who wish they had. After your computer crashes is too late to back up files. My second book, Taming Your Computer -- The Simple Basics, has instructions for copying files to a CD. In computer language it's called "burning a CD." The instructions are on page 46 of that book.

    If you would like to order one or both of my books, click here to do so from my website. You may order them online with your credit card or print out a mailable order form if you prefer. They make excellent holiday gifts and they're so simple children will enjoy using them to learn more about computers also.



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    Sunday, October 09, 2005

    Seeing an entire dropdown menu

    $Account.OrganizationName
    Greetings!
    Seeing an entire dropdown menu
    Save time!

    Microsoft Office programs, such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint, do not display an entire dropdown menu when you click on a word in the Menu Bar at the top of the screen. For example, if you click File, you may only see three or four items until you’ve held the cursor over that menu item for a couple of seconds. Then the rest of the menu is displayed. I find that very annoying (can you tell I’m always in a hurry?). You can change this option so when you click File the entire menu drops down immediately.

    In any of the programs listed above, left click Tools on the Menu Bar at the top of your screen. Left click Customize. A dialog box will open. Left click the Options tab. Left click in the check box beside “Always show full menus.” Left click Close. Now when you click on any item on the Menu Bar, you should see the entire list of menu choices. Now isn’t that better than waiting?

    Do you have friends or family who would find this tip helpful? Please click on the link below, Forward email to a friend!, and send it to them. They're also welcome to sign up for my monthly newsletter as well as the Tip of the Week. Thanks for sharing.

    Barb's books make wonderful holiday gifts for the computer users on your list. Click here to order online from her website or to print an order form to order by mail. Get an early start on your holiday shopping!

    P.S. These manuals are so simple children enjoy using them too!

    Barb Walker
    Taming Your Computer Inc.

    phone: 303 752-2152

    Forward email to a friend!

    This email was sent to mycomputerlady.eilise@blogger.com, by mycomputerlady@aol.com
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    Taming Your Computer Inc. | 12768 E. Harvard Circle | Aurora | CO | 80014

    About Me

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    I love teaching senior citizens to use computers. I'm a senior myself, so I'm working with my peers. When I work with you in your home on your computer, I don't sit in front of your computer and TELL you want to do. You sit in front of your computer while I TEACH you what to do. I also write step-by-step instructions for you to follow when I'm not there.