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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, January 23, 2005
Here on Long Island, we’ve been slammed with about 2 feet of snow. Now it’s time for removal. The editors of this newsletter believe the only good way to shovel snow is to pay someone else to do it. If you don’t agree with that philosophy, we urge you to take great care when you go out there to shovel – stay warm, take periodic rests and stretch frequently. In the featured website section of this newsletter, you will see some websites with tips and hints on shoveling snow and staying well.
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Desktop Properties
Tips & Tricks: The Useful Run Window
Featured Computer Term: Beta Program
This Week's Topic: Canceling a Print Job
Questions: Remove Windows Sounds; Send Links in an Email
Websites of Interest: The Art of Shoveling Snow; All About Snow; AARP - Shovel Snow Safely; Treasures of the World; Nutrition Facts
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Using Links
A Link is a reference to a website. In this newsletter you will see links to
many worthwhile, informative and fun websites. Here are the instructions on
how to use links:
A link will be used one of two ways, depending on your email program.
If you see the link in blue, underlined text, all you have to do is click on
it and a window with the Website in it will automatically appear on your
screen.
If you see the link in plain text, you can copy and paste it into the address
bar on your browser. Highlight the link with your mouse, click Edit up on
the menu bar, and then click Copy from the menu that you just opened up. Open
your browser (click the Start Button, point to Programs, click on Internet
Explorer); click on the address bar. Click Edit up on the menu bar, and then
click Paste from the menu that you just opened up. Press the Enter key on the
keyboard and this will take you to the Website.
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Special Feature: Desktop Properties
Question: I am not very good with the mouse and always accidentally click the Maximize button when I mean to hit Close or I click Close when I want to Maximize. Can I make these buttons bigger to make it easier for me? Thank you so much for taking the time to write the wonderful newsletter. It is so helpful to oldsters like me who want to learn more about the computer.
Answer:
Yes, you can make these buttons larger. Follow these steps to do so:
Right-click the desktop. From the resulting menu, left click Properties. This will open the Display Properties window.
Click the Appearance tab at the top of the Display Properties window. Click the Advanced button. (In Windows 98 or ME, you will not need to click the Advanced button).
You will see the Item drop down box. Click the down arrow next to the current selection; click to select Active Title Bar.
Next to that drop down box you will see a setting for size. Click the up arrow to make the buttons bigger. You may want to increase the size by about 10, and then check to see what the results look like.
Click the OK button to close the Advanced Appearance window. Click OK to close the Display Properties window.
If you would like the buttons a little larger, follow the steps above and increase the size of the Active Title Bar.
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Tips & Tricks: The Useful Run Window
Click the Start button and you will see Run at the bottom of the menu. This is a handy but very under-used utility.
Want to open Notepad? You could click Start, the Programs, then Accessories, then Notepad. A lot of steps. Try this instead:
Click Start, click Run. Type notepad in the Open box; click OK.
For Explorer, type in explorer. For Paint, type in MSpaint. And for a calculator, type in calc.
How do you know what to type in for your favorite program? Find the program in the Start menu; right click on it. From the resulting menu, left click on Properties. Left click on the shortcut tab and take a look at the target box.
If you click on Paint, this is what you will see:
%SystemRoot%\System32\mspaint.exe
Look after the last backslash (\) and you will see the name of the program with the .exe extension. You will use the program name without the extension; in this case, mspaint.
Here is another shortcut you can use:
Instead of clicking Start and then Run, hold down the Windows key (that’s the one with the Windows logo) and press the r key. That will open the Run dialog box. Then type in whatever you want.
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Featured Computer Term: Beta Program
Question: My son has a new program for me but says it is a beta program. Could you explain what that means?
Answer:
A beta program is a test version of a software program. The program has been completely written and the author or authors have worked to make it bug free, but until the program is tested, they can not be 100% sure it is bug free. So they release a trial version, sometimes open to the public, sometimes just to a test group.
If you use a beta version of a program, since it is a test version, it may be fine but there is always the possibility that you may have problems. These problems could be limited to the program, but could also cause damage to other programs on your computer.
Is there a computer term or phrase that you'd like to see an explanation of?
Email it to info@computerkindergarten.com and we'll put the term and its
definition in an upcoming newsletter.
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Today's Topic: Canceling a Print Job
Question: How do you stop the printer from printing something if you change your mind?
Answer:
That is not always possible to do. Some printers will not let you clear out the buffer – that is where the print job is stored, within the printer. Once the job is in the buffer, it will print no matter what you do. First, check the manual that came with the printer. See if there are instructions on buttons or combinations of buttons that you can press to clear out the printer button.
If not, here are some things you can try:
Double-click the printer’s icon in the system tray (bottom right by the clock) to open the printer queue folder. Click the documents you don't want to print and press the Delete key on the keyboards.
If Delete does not work, try right-clicking the documents and click Cancel from the resulting menu.
If you don't have a system tray printer icon, click the Start button, go to Control Panel, and open Printers, or Printers and Faxes (depending on your version of Windows). Delete the job as described above.
If that does not get the current job to stop printing, just letting it finish up if it's small. If it is large, here are some other steps to try:
Open the system tray icon or the Printers folder again. Try right clicking the document and canceling the job again. Sometimes this command has to be given more than once for the printer to stop a job.
Turn the printer off. If the printer has an on/off button, it is better to use this than unplugging it. If there is no on/off, then unplug the printer.
Shut Windows down. you may get a warning about losing a print job; click to allow it to cancel the job.
Restart Windows. You may get a message about deleting the print job; click Yes.
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Question: Remove Windows Sounds
My granddaughter did something to my computer. Now, whenever I click on anything, it beeps or buzzes or chimes. Can these sounds be removed? Help me! They’re driving me crazy!
Answer:
Yes, the sounds can be turned off. Visit our newsletter archives to learn how.
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/072501.html
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Question: Send Links in an Email
Sometimes I see a website that I would like to suggest to someone else. I have received email with website addresses in them; how can I send an email with a website address?
Answer:
Visit our newsletter archives for instructions on sending links in emails:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/022502.html
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Websites of Interest:
The Art of Shoveling Snow
http://www.advancedpt.com/Tips/shovelsnow.htm
All About Snow
Visit this website for the history of snow removal, some memorable snowstorms, and the snowiest cities in the country.
http://nsidc.org/snow/shovel.html
AARP - Shovel Snow Safely
From AARP, tips for staying safe and avoiding injury when shoveling snow.
http://tinyurl.com/6mgrz
Treasures of the World
Take a look at PBS' Treasures of the World site for interesting stories and information on the mysterious monument Borobudur, Faberge Eggs, Picasso's Guernica and much more.
http://www.pbs.org/treasuresoftheworld/
Nutrition Facts
Learn the nutritional value of the foods you eat.
http://www.nutri-facts.com |
