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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, August 12, 2007
The editors of this newsletter will be taking vacation for the remainder of the summer. We will resume publishing the newsletter on Sunday, September 9. We wish you a wonderful summer!
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Protect Your Computer
Tips & Tricks: Typing Symbols
Question: eBay
This Week's Topic: Change the User Account Picture
Question: Windows Vista Firewall
Question: Using Menus without the Mouse
Websites of Interest: For Kids and Grandkids; File Extensions; Dolphins; Chow; Women in World History; Volcano World
Did you know that all of our newsletter articles, all the way back to our first edition, November of 2000, are available online with a full search function?
Take a look! Visit
http://computerkindergarten.com/
To see the most recent newsletter, click This Week's Edition on the left. Once you are there, you can navigate to all of the 2007 editions. Just click the date on the right.
If you want to see prior years, click Archives on the left. Click to choose the year; that will take you to the index for that year. When you see an article you would like to read, click on the date (in blue, underlined text).
To go back to the Index, use your browser’s Back button on the top left.
To search for a specific topic, click Search the Archives on the left. Click in the Search box, type in keywords for your topic, click the search engine you want to use, Google or Yahoo, and then click the Search button. That will give you a list of articles matching your keywords. Click the blue, underlined text to go to that article.
We appreciate any suggestions that you may have to help make our site better and more maneuverable. Please send all suggestions, questions and comments to:
info@computerkindergarten.com
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Special Feature: Protect Your Computer
It is important for you to know what programs are running on your computer and be able to identify potential risks.
When you turn your computer on, many programs and processes start up automatically. These run behind the scenes, you do not see them running, and they do take up resources that could otherwise be dedicated to helping you do your work faster. While many of these are things that the computer needs to do its job, there are some that are unnecessary. If your computer has been infected by any viruses or spyware, these will also start up automatically and can be found in with the running programs and processes.
Along with the periodic virus and spyware scans that you do, you should also check the running programs and processes. To see what is running, hold down the CTRL key and the ALT key and then press and releast the Delete key. This will open Task Manager. Click on the Processes tab (or Programs, depending on your version of Windows).
This will show you the list of programs that are currently running. Some may be recognizable; others not. These should be analyzed periodically, because spyware and viruses will show up on this list, if they are running on your computer. To see what each process does, note the process name and then go to either of the following websites to look it up.
http://www.processlibrary.com/
http://sysinfo.org/startuplist.php
At these websites, you will see an description of the item and what its function is. If an item is listed as spyware or a virus, this will let you know that you have to run a virus or spyway scan immediately.
Look at the running programs and processes periodically. After awhile, you will get used to see what is supposed to be there, without having to look each item up. Then, if anything new or unusual appears, you will know to research it right away.
Note: to save yourself sometime of possibly having to look items up that will be spyware, run a scan first.
This is the third article in our Protect Your Computer Series. Visit our newsletter archives to read the two previous articles:
Viruses, Spyware and Cookies:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/080507.html
Windows Updates and Security Fixes:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/072907.html
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Tips & Tricks: Typing Symbols
Question: For my job, I frequently have to use symbols such as the copyright and trademark, degree, cents, fractions and a few others. Is it possible to put these in my documents?
Answer:
Yes, it is.
In Microsoft Word, click Insert on the menu, then Symbol. Click the Special Characters tab at the top. You will see a list of symbols that you can insert into your document. Click the one you want, click the Insert button and then click the Close button.
In Microsoft Works, click Insert on the menu, then Special Characters. You will see a list of symbols that you can insert into your document. Click the one you want, click the Insert button and then click the Close button.
In most email programs, you can use a combination of keys on the keyboard. For the numbers, you must you the numerical keypad, not the row of numbers above the alpha keys. (If you are using a laptop, turn on the numerical keypad and you will use the blue numbers on the U, I, O, etc. keys). The Alt key is found on the bottom row of the keyboard, next to the spacebar.
For the copyright symbol, hold down the Alt key, type 0169 and then release the Alt key.
For the trademark symbol, hold down the Alt key, type 0153 and then release the Alt key.
For the registered symbol, hold down the Alt key, type 0174 and then release the Alt key.
For the degree symbol, hold down the Alt key, type 0176 and then release the Alt key.
For the cents symbol, hold down the Alt key, type 0162 and then release the Alt key.
For the 1/4 fraction, hold down the Alt key, type 0188 and then release the Alt key.
For the 1/2 fraction, hold down the Alt key, type 0189 and then release the Alt key.
For the 3/4 fraction, hold down the Alt key, type 0190 and then release the Alt key.
For more of these symbols, take a look at this website:
http://tinyurl.com/2jyfu3
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Question: eBay
I am thinking of using eBay. I have a lot of things around the house that I would like to get rid of and do not want to throw out or have a yard sale. I have also heard that you can get some good prices on things. What do you think of eBay?
Answer:
Yes, you can usually save some money shopping on eBay and other online auction sites. If you are a collector, or perhaps need a specific item that is no longer manufactured, you can find some unusual things there. You also may make a little bit more selling your things than you would at a yard sale.
While it is convenient to shop, it can be time consuming to sell. Some items, depending on their value, may just not be worth it.
And there is the safety issue. Since you will be putting personal information online, you need to make sure that you do everything the right way. Here are a few things to keep in mind when using an online auction site:
Before you bid on an item, always check the seller’s feedback score. This tells you how many transactions the seller has been involved in, and how many where positive. If there are not enough transactions, or a high percentage of the transactions were negative, do not deal with that seller.
When paying, always use PayPal and your credit card. If there are any problems, you have eBay, PayPal and your credit card company standing behind you. If the seller of that item does not accept PayPal or credit cards, do not buy the item. There are millions of sellers on eBay, your item will come around again.
If its too good to be true, it probably is.
For big ticket items, always comparison shop.
eBay or any site, or any business, will never ask for personal or financial information by email. If you receive an email, from anywhere, asking you to give or confirm information, it is a scam.
Learn about the site before using it. Go into help on the site and read as much information as you can. Find out what their resolution policies are, if you do encounter a problem in the future.
eBay and other online auction site can be very good to use. Just make sure that you know the right way to protect yourself, your money and your financial information.
Here is an excellent article by AARP that explains all about online auction sites and the precautions that you should take:
http://tinyurl.com/2s6fb8
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Today's Topic: Change the User Account Picture
Question: There is a picture of a rubber duck at the top of the menu when I click the Start button. I am sure this can be changed. Could you please tell me how?
Answer:
Yes, it can be changed. If you want, you can even put one of your own pictures there instead. Here are the steps:
Click the Start button and open Control Panel. Open User Accounts and select Change My Picture.
The Change Picture window will open where you will see a choice of pictures, such as fish, flowers, puppies, kittens, etc. If none of these appeal to you, you can choose one of your own pictures.
To do so, click Browse. This will open up your files, where you can maneuver to the folder that contains the picture you would like to use. Once you do so, select your picture. Click the OK or Change Picture button (depending on your version of Windows), and close any remaining windows.
When you click the Start button, you should now see the new picture at the top of the menu.
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Question: Windows Vista Firewall
I just got a new computer with Windows Vista on it. Could you tell me how to turn the firewall on?
Answer:
Click the Start Orb, found in the same location as the Start button in previous versions of Windows.
Open Control Panel and click Check This Computer's Security Status. If you do not see this option, click Control Panel Home on the left.
This will open the Windows Security Center. Click Windows Firewall and then click Change Settings. Click to select the On option and then click OK.
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Question: Using Menus without the Mouse
I am 86 years old and I think I am doing pretty good with the computer considering my age. My mouse skills, however, are mediocre at best and I have a great deal of trouble maneuvering through menus. I have seen your keyboard alternatives in the past, which I have found to be extremely helpful. Do you have any tricks for the menus?
Answer:
Yes, you can use your keyboard to open menus and give commands.
Press the Alt key on the keyboard and you will see that File on the menu bar is now highlighted. To open the File menu, press the down arrow. If you want to open one of the menus to the right of File, use the right arrow.
Once the menu is opened, use the up or down arrow to maneuver to the command you want to give. When the command is selected, press the Enter key on the keyboard.
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Websites of Interest:
For Kids and Grandkids
This site offers a very diverse selection of games, quizzes, and educational tools guaranteed to keep children actively inspired for hours at a time.
http://www.kidnetic.com/
File Extensions
For those who would like to learn a little more about their computers, this website is a helpful resource with information and explanations about the many file types that you may come across as you explore your computers file system.
http://www.file-extensions.org/
Dolphins
The Wild Dolphin Foundation is a non-profit organization based in Hawaii, whose mission is to protect the natural habitats of dolphins.
http://wilddolphin.org
Chow
At this site, you will get great cooking, food and drink tips, recipes, and information delivered through well-written articles, audio, and video.
http://www.chow.com/
Women in World History
In school, we are not given much information about the important roles women played in history. This website can fill in all of those blanks. Take a look at interesting stories of women who ruled, brought about changes and were otherwise influential in our history.
http://www.womeninworldhistory.com/
Volcano World
Volcanoes can sleep for centuries and then erupt with little warning. At this very interesting site, administered by the Department of Geosciences at Oregon State University, you can learn all about volcanoes as well as look at some fascinating photographs.
http://volcano.und.nodak.edu/ |
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