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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, August 29, 2004
Next week we observe Labor Day. To observe the holiday, we are combining this week and next weeks newsletter and taking next weekend off. See you in September!
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Taskbar Troubles: Hidden Taskbar; Moving the Taskbar
Featured Webpage: Check the Weather Report
Tips and Tricks: Outlook Express Driving Directions
Tips and Tricks: Deleting Lots of E-Mail
Tips and Tricks: Selecting Multiple Objects
Featured Computer Term: Head Crash
This Week's Topic: Cut, Copy and Paste
Questions: Buying a New Computer
Websites of Interest: Technology Reviews; Cats; United States Quiz; Food Nutrient Database; Labor 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: Taskbar Troubles
Hidden Taskbar
Question: Somehow I have lost the task bar at the bottom of my screen but only when I have a program open. When there are no open programs, it shows up. What could I have done?
Answer:
There are two possibilities: either the taskbar is set on auto hide, or it is not set to always be on top. Here is how you can set it so that you will always be able to see it.
Right click on a blank area on the taskbar. From the resulting menu, left click Properties.
Make sure there is a check mark in the small box to the left of Always on top (in Windows XP it will say Keep the taskbar on top of other windows). If there is no check mark in the box, click to place a check mark there.
Make sure there is no check mark in front of Auto Hide. If there is a checkmark, click it to remove the check mark.
Click the OK button.
Note: by Auto Hiding the taskbar, you can free up viewing space on your screen. If you would like to see a little bit more of the window that you are working in, follow the steps above to auto hide the Taskbar. You can always return it to Always on top when you are done working.
Moving the Taskbar
Question: That bar that has the start and clock, that is usually on the bottom of the screen, is now on the top. How did it get there and how do I get it back where it belongs?
Answer:
The bar across the bottom of your screen with the Start button on the left end and the clock on the right end is called the Taskbar.
The taskbar can be moved to the top or either side of your screen. It can be pretty easy to accidentally move it from the bottom of the screen. Some people prefer it on the top or one of the sides.
To move the taskbar back to the bottom, drag it there. To drag it, point to a blank spot on the taskbar, hold down the left mouse button and move the mouse down to the bottom of the screen. Release the mouse button when the pointer is at the edge of the screen.
When you release the mouse button, the taskbar will move to that edge of the screen.
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Featured Webpage: Check the Weather Report
You can check the weather at our website. Take a look, the link is below. If your town is not there, send us an email with the name of your town and the zip code and we will put your local weather on the site. Add the webpage to your Favorites or Bookmarks and check back whenever you want to see your local weather forecast.
The Weather
http://www.stsico.com/html/weather.html
Email us with your town and zip code:
info@computerkindergarten.com
Learn how to bookmark a website:
http://www.stsico.com/html/bookmarks.html
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Tips and Tricks: Outlook Express Driving Directions
Outlook Express has an address book that you can use to input email addresses in outgoing emails. You can also store information about friends and family such as their names, phone numbers, home and business addresses, and much more.
Once addresses are input into Outlook Express, you can use the address book to get directions to the location. Here is how:
In Outlook Express, click Tools on the menu and then Address Book.
Click to select the contact you want directions for and then click Properties.
Click either the Home or Business tab, depending where you have input the address you want to locate.
Click the View Map button as shown in the figure.
This opens the expedia.com Web page and provides you with directions to the location.
Note: this works in Outlook Express 6, which is included with Windows XP and Internet Explorer 6.x.
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Tips and Tricks: Deleting Lots of E-Mail
Question: I get an awful lot of junk email. Could you tell me how I can get rid of them all at once without having to delete each individual email?
Answer:
There are two shortcuts that you can use to select multiple items. Once all the items are all selected, then you will Delete.
To select, hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard and click on multiple e-mails with your mouse: you can select as many e-mails as you want.
Or you can hold down the Shift key on the keyboard and highlight all of the e-mails between two selections: hold down the shift, click on the first email in the group, click on the last email and you’ll see that those two emails, and all the ones in between, have been highlighted.
Once you’ve selected all the emails you want, click the Delete button.
For Your Review: Junk email is a big problem. It is hard to avoid it, but there are things that you can do and not do to at least minimize the amount you receive. Visit our website, link below, to learn how.
http://www.stsico.com/html/spam.html
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Tips and Tricks: Selecting Multiple Objects
Here is a trick if you want to select all but a few files: Select the file or files you don't want to delete. In the edit menu, click Invert Selection. Now all the files you want to delete will be selected and the others won't.
Note: Invert Selection may not be available in all email programs.
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Featured Computer Term: Head Crash
Question: My computer broke and I brought it in for repair. The technician said that it had a head crash but was not able to explain that to me in language that I could understand. You have a gift for explaining these complicated computer things in a simple, clear way. Could you tell me what a head crash is? Thank you so much.
Answer:
A head crash is a disk drive malfunction.
The head floats above the disk. That is the part that reads the data on the disk and transfers it to the screen where you can see it. Do you remember the arm with the needle on old record players? It’s similar; of course, the needle actually touched the record to play the music whereas the head uses a laser light to read the data.
A head crash usually means that the head has scratched or burned the disk. If the head becomes misaligned or if dust particles come between it and the disk, it can touch the disk. A power outage can also cause the head to drop down and touch the disk.
When this happens, you usually lose much of the data on the hard disk, especially in the spot where the head touched the disk. Usually, both the head and the disk need to be replaced.
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: Cut, Copy and Paste
Computers are superior to typewriters in many ways. For example, whenever you write something, you may want to rearrange the words, change the order of what you've written or repeat something. Besides the many formatting options in most programs, you can reorganize the contents of your document in any way you wish by using the Cut and Copy functions.
These commands put the piece of data in a temporary location. In word processing, for example, copying refers to duplicating a section of a document and placing it in a buffer called a clipboard. The term copy differs from cut, which refers to actually removing a section of a document and placing it in a buffer. After cutting or copying, you can move the contents of the buffer by pasting it somewhere else.
Cut and Paste is used to move a block of text, a sentence, paragraph, page or column to another location in the same document or another document. Copy and Paste leaves text in its original location while placing a duplicate in a different location in the same document or another document.
The Clipboard is an area of memory reserved for temporary storage of text or graphics being transferred within the same file, between files in the same application program, or between applications. Material placed on the clipboard remains there until it is replaced by another selection, or the computer is turned off or restarted.
The Four Steps
1. Select text to be moved
2. Click Edit, Click Copy or Cut
3. Move insertion point to location text is to be moved to
4. Click Edit, Click Paste
Using Copy, Cut and Paste
1. Open the document and select the section that you want to copy. (Note: to select text, point to the first character to be selected, hold the left mouse button down, and drag across text. To select a graphic, right click on the graphic, left click on copy in the resulting menu. To select a graphic you created, click Edit, Click Select All.)
2. While the section is selected, open the Edit menu and click Copy or Cut. This copies the selected material into a special area of the computer's memory, called the Clipboard. (Note that with Copy, the selection also remains where it was in the document; it doesn't disappear.)
3. Move your cursor to the place or document where you want to paste the material that is now in the Clipboard. Click when your cursor is in the correct spot. A flashing line will appear where you clicked.
4. Open the Edit menu and click Paste.
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Question: Buying a New Computer
Question: my granddaughter is going off to college and I am about to buy a laptop for her. What should I primarily be looking for when I go to the store?
Answer:
Purchasing a computer can be tricky. If you buy one that just has the minimum specs you need, you may end up with a computer that fails to satisfy your needs for very long. If you buy one with the maximum available, you may be spending a lot of money for things you will never have a need for.
Here are some things you should look into before purchasing.
What are you going to use the computer for? You should know what you need in a computer before you even go to the store. Have an idea of what it will be used for; if you don't, you may be persuaded into buying something with features that you will never really need.
If all you are looking for is a simple computer for Internet usage and other basic tasks, prepare yourself to find a machine that fits into that category. For a student just starting out in college, you will probably want to get a very high end computer – the more you buy now, the longer it will last in terms of what it will be able to do.
How much do you want to spend? Once you establish your needs, start looking for deals. Computers may not be as expensive as you think. It is not unusual to find a brand new laptop for under $800. However, while this would be sufficient for someone sending email, writing a few letters and surfing the Internet, for the college student hoping to get 4 years out of the unit, that might not be the best choice.
Rebates - Many of the deals that you find will have rebates. It usually takes several weeks before you get the money, so plan on that. Read the rebate information very carefully. Before you buy, make sure that you understand the terms of the rebate completely.
Should I get a Pentium or Celeron processor? Pentium processors are much faster. Celeron processors are not bad for simple use, but if the user will be playing the latest graphics intensive games or using several programs at a time, that is not the choice to make. Celerons are cheaper for a reason. Take a look at the AMD Athlon processor; it is not a bad alternative to the Pentium and will save you some money.
How important is the screen? You are going to be look at the screen a lot; a college student will spend most of the day using the computer and staring at the screen. Check to see if it looks good enough for you. On a laptop, which will be used in many positions, check the visibility from different angles.
Are you comfortable with the keyboard? Do not expect to get a keyboard as good as the one on your desktop. However, the keyboards in laptops range from great to awful. Make sure you look at and try out the keyboard very well.
Do you like the pointing device? Try out the pointing device or touchpad to make sure it is comfortable for you.
How good is the battery? Find out what kind of battery life you can expect from the computer. There's nothing more annoying than a laptop battery that drains out too quickly.
Is the laptop a good size for you? A laptop that is too big and heavy to carry around will not be very useful.
Understand the warranty. Laptops are carried around - things happen. Will you be able to get it fixed under a warranty arrangement? You can usually purchase extended warranties; would it be worth it to you? What does the warranty cover? These are all good questions to ask.
For more information on buying a computer, you can download our manual, How to Buy a Computer, at our website:
http://stsico.com/html/buycomp.html
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Websites of Interest:
Technology Reviews
Question: Are there any websites that are like Consumer Reports but for computers and computer equipment?
Answer:
Here are several that should help:
http://reviews.cnet.com
http://www.tomshardware.com
http://www.epinions.com
http://www.pcmag.com
http://www.pcworld.com
Cats
If you like cats, there are some very funny pictures at these websites. You can vote for your favorite and submit a picture of your cat.
http://www.amazingcatcollection.com/
http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~shane/stasj/pics/dyr/cats/unger/
United States Quiz
How well do you know the 50 states? Take this fun quiz.
http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/usaquiz.html
Food Nutrient Database
At this website you can look up the calories, grams of carbs, protein, fat, and vitamins and minerals in the foods you eat.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/nutrient.htm
Labor Day
For the history of this holiday, how it came about and what it means, take a look at the Department of Labor’s website:
http://www.dol.gov/opa/aboutdol/laborday.htm
For celebrations and traditions, visit the Holiday Spot website:
http://www.theholidayspot.com/laborday/
Looking for things to do this Labor Day weekend? Go to Digital City:
http://www.digitalcity.com/longisland/
Not on Long Island?
http://www.digitalcity.com/
For news and events on Long Island, take a look at Newsday’s site:
http://www.newsday.com/
Send your friends a Labor Day greeting card online (It’s free!!)
http://www.egreetings.com/ |
