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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Monday, May 26, 2003
Today we celebrate Memorial Day. Welcome Summer! While it is the unofficial beginning of summer, it is also the time that we should remember and honor the men and women who worked and sacrificed to make our country what it is today.
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Resizing Desktop Icons
Special Feature: Windows XP - Create your own Screen Saver Slideshow
Featured Computer Term: Default
This Week's Topic: What to Do When Your Computer Freezes
Question: Adjusting Mouse Click Speed
Featured Webpage: Weather Report
Featured Websites: Memorial Day
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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: Resizing Desktop Icons
Question: I just bought a new computer and the icons are very small and hard to see. When I took your class at the library, the icons on your computer were nice and large and much easier for me to work with. How can I change mine to look more like yours?
Answer:
You can change the size of your Icons and Shortcuts on both laptop and desktop computers. If you have a lot of icons on the desktop, you might want to make them smaller. Or if they’re already too small and you’re having trouble seeing them, you can make them bigger.
Here's how to change the size of your desktop icons.
1) Right-click on a blank area of the desktop and click Properties.
2) Click the Appearance tab.
3) If you have Windows 95, 98 or ME, click the selection list for Item and click Icon. If you use Windows XP, click the Advanced button; then click the selection list for Item and click Icon.
4) Next, resize your icons under the Size option and click OK to save your settings.
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Special Feature: Windows XP - Create your own Screen Saver Slideshow
Windows XP has a great feature. You can create a slideshow that will display your pictures, one by one, on your computer screen.
1. If you have pictures from a digital camera or scanner, save them in the My Pictures folder.
2. Right click on your desktop, then click on Properties.
3. Click on the Screen Saver tab.
4. In the screen saver list, click on My Pictures Slideshow.
Now your screen saver will show pictures from your My Pictures folder.
You can load pictures from your digital camera or scan in your old pictures, and have them displayed as a slideshow on your computer screen.
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Today's Computer Term: Default
Question: I see the word default used so often. Could you define it?
Answer:
Computer manuals or instructions often refer to something being the Default.
This is a term meaning that if you choose nothing when presented with different options, the program will automatically choose the option labeled as Default for you.
For example, your Word Processing program will set left and right margins at one and one quarter inches without you having to tell it to do so. That is the default setting for margins in that program. If you don’t want those settings, you can change to different size margins.
In some cases, a program will allow you to change the default settings. For example, if your Word Processing program’s default size for fonts is 10 points, and you find that too small, you can change to a larger size. The larger size that you change to will then become the default setting for font size.
When a program allows you to change default settings, you’ll find that this can usually be done within the dialog box where the particular settings are changed.
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Today's Topic: What to Do When Your Computer Freezes
Question: Occasionally my computer will freeze up on me. I pull the plug out but someone told me that this is not a good thing to do. What should I do?
Answer:
When your computer freezes, instead of pulling the plug (which you’re right, is not a great thing to do), try this:
With your left hand, hold down the Alt key and the Ctrl key (you'll find these on your keyboard). With your right hand, press and release the delete key, then release the alt and ctrl keys.
You’ll see a window appear in the middle of the screen listing the programs that you have currently open. One or more of these will say Program Not Responding -this is what’s causing the freeze. Click on that program name, and then click the button below that says End Program. That should get your computer back up and working. It’s always a good idea to then shut it down the right way, wait a couple of minutes and turn it back on.
On the rare occasion that the Alt Ctrl Del doesn't work, hold down the on button for 5 seconds -- that will turn the computer off without unplugging it; then turn it back on after a couple of moments.
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Question: Adjusting Mouse Click Speed
Question: I am having the hardest time getting used to using the mouse, especially the double click. Do you have any suggestions on making it easier?
Answer:
If you’re having trouble double clicking, you can change the time intervals between clicks on your mouse from a very quick to a much slower double-click. By default, the double click speed is pretty quick, making it difficult to get used to the mouse.
To do so, click the Start button, click Control Panel. Find the mouse icon and double click. If you’re using Windows XP, click on Appearance and then you’ ll see Mouse Settings.
Look through the dialog box for the screen that says double click speed -the location of this will vary depending on your Windows version. There you will find a slide bar with which you can control your double click speed. Slide the bar to the left for slower and to the right for faster. Now, test it on the jack-in-the-box or dolphin (depending on Windows version) and see if you like it.
When you’re done, click the OK button and close the Control Panel window.
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Featured Webpage: Weather Report
Is is EVER going to stop raining?!?!? You can get an up-to-the-minute weather report, for your town, on our website:
http://stsico.com/html/weather.html
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Today's Featured Websites:
Note: if you're not sure how to use the following links to websites, take a look at the instructions on using links at the beginning of this newsletter.
Memorial Day
Find history, speeches, links to e-cards and more at this site:
http://www.usmemorialday.org
The History Channel website presents historical facts about the holiday and America's wars.
http://www.historychannel.com/memorial.html
For the kids: learn more about Memorial Day at the Kid’s Domain website. This site features games, crafts and links to other sites of interest to
children.
http://www.kidsdomain.com/kids/links/Salute_to_Veterans.html
What’s to do this weekend? Check out Digital City for things to do and places to go in your area.
http://www.culturalartsplayhouse.org/
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