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Welcome to today's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, February 2, 2002
In this Issue:
Special Announcements
Special Feature: Some Computer Safety Precautions to Take
Featured Computer Term: Clipboard
This Week's Topic: Saving Email To a Floppy Disk
Question: Password Elimination
Learning Series: Microsoft Word and Microsoft Works - Page Numbers
Featured Website: Travel - It's been a pretty mild winter so far, but just in case you still want to get away a little, we're featuring some websites offering recommendations and information on Bed & Breakfasts, Historical American Hotels, economy travel and adventure.
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Special Feature: Some Computer Safety Precautions to Take
A reminder: Here are some precautions to take that will keep your computer and your work healthy and in good shape.
Don't take candy from strangers. Never open a file someone sends you unless you know the file is virus-free. Even if you're using an updated antivirus program, you still should refuse to open file attachments from strangers. It's just not worth the risk. And remember, if you don’t know them, they probably don’t have anything you’re interested in anyway.
Update your antivirus software. Sick people are out there writing new viruses even as you’re reading this. Just buying and setting up antivirus software won't protect you. Instead, you must routinely update your virus definitions so that your software will recognize new viruses. Much like backing up, this is an easy task. The hard part is to remember to do it. If you share a lot of files with others, you should update your antivirus software weekly.
Back your work up. If your files are important, back them up! It just takes a few moments to save your file to a floppy disk (or better yet, save them all to a CD-ROM if your computer has a readable writeable CD drive). In case anything happens to your computer, or to that file, you have it safely stored away in another location.
For Windows XP users:
For those connecting to the Internet through a cable or DSL connection, Windows XP has a built in firewall to keep you safe from hackers. You may have to turn it on though. Here’s how:
Click on "Start" and then the "Control Panel". Double-click the Network Connections icon.
Right click Local Area connections, left click on properties. Click on the Advanced tab on top. In the Internet Connection Firewall section, click the box next to Protect my computer.
Once you know that your firewall is on, you can see how good it works by going to http://www.grc.com and test it with ShieldsUp.
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Today's Computer Term: Clipboard
A special file or memory area (buffer) where data is stored temporarily before being copied to another location.
Many word processors, for example, use a clipboard for cutting or copying and pasting. When you cut or copy a block of text, the word processor copies the block to the clipboard; when you paste the block, the word processor copies it from the clipboard to its final destination.
In Microsoft Windows and the Apple Macintosh operating system, the Clipboard can be used to copy data from one application to another.
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Today's Topic: Save Email To Disk
Thanks to Newsletter subscriber Jane for the following question:
How do I save an email to a floppy disk? I would like to save my emails, and I can't figure out a way.
Answer:
Saving an e-mail to a floppy disk is a good idea. Since you don’t mention what program you use for your email, lets take a look at Microsoft Outlook and Netscape Navigator. In other programs, the steps are similar.
If you are using Outlook Express:
1. While viewing the e-mail that you want to save, click on "File" and "Save As". You will get the "Save Message" dialog box.
2. In the Save in field, click the drop down list, and select "3 ½ floppy A:"
3. Under File name, type a name for the e-mail message
4. In the "Save as type" field, you can either save it as an e-mail message, or as a text file. I usually save messages as text files. They take up less space and can be read in any text program.
5. Now click "Save" and you are all done!
If you are using Netscape Mail:
1. While viewing the e-mail that you want to save, click on "File" go to "Save As" and then click on "File" in the sub-menu.
2. In the Save in field, click the drop down list, and select "3 ½ floppy A:"
3. Under File name, type a name for the e-mail message
4. In the "Save as type" field your choices are text or HTML. Text files take up less space.
5. Now click "Save" and you’re all done!
Other e-mail programs work in similar ways.
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Question - Password Elimination
Thanks to newsletter subscriber Cheryl for the following question:
I have to type in my password every time I turn my computer on. Is there a way to eliminate this step?
Yes, there is. Right-click on the Network Neighborhood icon on your desktop and select the Properties option. Select the Configuration tab. Change to "Windows Logon" in the Primary Network Logon box. Click OK.
When Windows asks you to restart your computer, click No. Click the Start button, Settings, Control Panel, and select the Passwords icon. On the "Change Passwords" tab, click "Change Windows Password" then click OK. Now set a blank password. You may want to hit the delete key a few times to make sure the field is empty.
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Progressive Learning Series: Microsoft Word and Microsoft Works - Page Numbers
If you are creating documents that are more than a page or two in length, you will probably want to include page numbers so you can keep your document in order.
Word supports automatic numbering of pages in your document, and you can control the type of page number, the starting number, and the placement of the page number.
Choose the Page Numbers command from the Insert menu. You will see the Page Numbers dialog box.
Using the Position drop-down list, specify where you want the page numbers to appear. For example, you can choose Bottom of Page (footer) to cause the page number to appear at the bottom each page.
Using the Alignment drop-down list, specify how you want the page numbers to appear in relation to your page (left, right, center, inside or outside).
Click on OK.
Adding Page Numbers in Headers or Footers
If you already have headers and footers defined for your document, you can add a page number by simply editing the header or footer and then clicking on the Page Number tool on the header/footer toolbar. The page number is inserted at the location of your insertion point.
If the default page number does not meet your needs, you may want to add page numbers to your headers or footers yourself. These types of page numbers can be rather fancy, if you like. For instance you may want a page number to say "Page 37" (special formatting with the word Page before the actual page number). To add page numbers in your headers and footers, follow these steps:
Choose the Header and Footer command from the View menu. You will see the Header and Footer toolbar, and your page view is changed to Page Layout (unless you were already using that page view). The Header and Footer toolbar appears.
Use the controls on the Header and Footer toolbar to display the place where you want to include the page number: either the header or the footer.
Type the word Page, followed by a space. Then click on the Page Numbers tool on the Header and Footer toolbar.
Format your header or footer text as you would format normal text in your document.
Click on Close.
Changing the Type of Page Numbers
After adding the page numbers, you may want to change the type of page numbers used. Word allows you to use several different types of page numbers, including Arabic (1, 2, 3...), Uppercase Roman (I, II, III...), Lowercase Roman (i, ii, iii...), Uppercase Alphabetic (A, B, C...) or Lowercase Alphabetic (a, b, c...)
To change the format of your page numbers, perform the following steps
Choose the Page Numbers option from the Insert menu. You will see the Page Numbers dialog box.
Click on Format. You will see the Page Number Format dialog box.
Select the numbering format you wish to use from the Number Format list. The table indicates the available types of formats.
Click on OK.
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Today's Featured Website: Travel
BedandBreakfast.com
Planning a getaway? Those who travel frequently know that, unlike chain motels, it can be hard to find information about B&Bs in the area you're visiting.
This site has information on more than 27,000 B&Bs and inns throughout the world. The available information includes room rates, amenities, meals, policies, special features, and attractions and activities. Several search options are available, including by worldwide location, city or address. There's a section for innkeepers to post their information.
Gift certificates are available at the site as well. ***
http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/
Historic Hotels Of America
Old hotels offer a unique getaway experience, filled with the character and charm that only buildings with a sense of history can offer. Put together by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the site offers lists of historic hotels from across the nation.
You can search alphabetically, by state, or by regional location.
And, if you’re looking ahead for some traveling in the fall, be sure to check out the All-American Apparitions section for a listing of haunted getaways just in time for Halloween. ***
http://www.nationaltrust.org/historic_hotels/index.asp
Lonely Planet
There are loads of travel information sites out there, but many of them are targeted to people who travel first class. Here's the site for those who like to travel economically.
The comprehensive Lonely Planet site takes you beyond the typical questions about food and lodging to address such important, but often neglected, subjects as safety and health, while the Thorn Tree offers discussion groups for opinionated travelers and The Scoop offers the latest news on everything from armed insurrections to air fare hikes.
There are articles about offbeat destinations, city guides, and a store to buy all the Lonely Planet books you need. ***
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/
traveladventures.org
Just pick your continent and start clicking around. Learn all about the different countries, cities, locations, and landmarks.
http://www.traveladventures.org/ |
