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Welcome to today's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, September 29, 2002
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Email Netiquette
Featured Webpage: All About eBay
Featured Computer Term: Buffer
This Week's Topic: Drivers
Question: Controlling Sounds in Internet Explorer
Learning Series: Microsoft Word: Columns
Featured Website: October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month; Fall Foliage
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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: Email Netiquette
Netiquette comes from the words Net and etiquette. It refers to good manners and appropriate behavior in areas on the Internet where you interact with other people such as email, message boards, chat rooms and instant messaging.
Following are some rules and suggestions for using good Netiquette in email.
Don't be rude. Most of us wouldn’t dream of being rude to someone in person so why should an email message be any different? Don’t react to things quickly; if someone is rude to you, think about it, and make sure you’re calm before you send a reply.
Sign your email with your name. This is especially important if your email address does not tell the recipient who you are.
Be Professional. Don't use lots of emoticons or acronyms when writing to someone you don't know. Smileys can be cute in small dosages but LOL and IMHO may be meaningless to many people.
Use the spell check. Most email software has a spell check feature. An occasional spelling error may be overlooked by most people, but an email filled with typos creates a bad impression.
Check your Tone of Voice. It is very easy to come across as rude and demanding in an email, even if that's not your intention. Read your message several times before sending it off, and try to put yourself in the recipient’ s shoes. Would that person find it abrupt or rude?
Be Precise: Keep your message short and to the point. But make sure you have given all the information your recipient needs.
Ask before sending an attachment. Many people - especially those in business, will never open an attachment because of the risk of a virus infection. If it's important to send an attachment, write first for permission to do so. Even then, some will refuse to accept it - unless they know you extremely well.
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Featured Webpage: All About eBay
Join the 46 million people who have made eBay the world's most popular online auction site. Click here to view our All About eBay manual. http://stsico.com/html/ebayintro.html
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Today's Computer Term: Buffer
The buffer is a temporary storage area, usually in RAM. The purpose of most buffers is to act as a holding area, enabling the CPU to manipulate data before transferring it to a device.
Because the processes of reading and writing data to a disk are relatively slow, many programs keep track of data changes in a buffer and then copy the buffer to a disk. For example, word processors employ a buffer to keep track of changes to files. Then when you save the file, the word processor updates the disk file with the contents of the buffer. This is much more efficient than accessing the file on the disk each time you make a change to the file.
Note that because your changes are initially stored in a buffer, not on the disk, all of them will be lost if the computer fails during an editing session. For this reason, it is a good idea to save your file periodically.
Another common use of buffers is for printing documents. When you enter a PRINT command, the operating system copies your document to a print buffer (a free area in memory or on a disk) from which the printer can draw characters at its own pace. This frees the computer to perform other tasks while the printer is running in the background. Print buffering is called spooling.
Most keyboard drivers also contain a buffer so that you can edit typing mistakes before sending your command to a program. Many operating systems, including DOS, also use a disk buffer to temporarily hold data that they have read from a disk. The disk buffer is really a cache.
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Today's Topic: Drivers
Question: I had trouble with my printer and had it fixed. I was told that there was something wrong with the driver but I really didn’t understand the explanation I received. Can you clear this up for me?
Answer:
One of the first steps in troubleshooting a problem with any peripheral device attached to your computer (like a printer) is to make sure you have the latest driver.
A driver is program that tells your operating system, Windows, how to work with a specific piece of hardware, in this case, your printer. The O/S (operating system) will understand some basic things about the device based on the signals it receives directly from the device, but usually advanced features that the device is capable of require drivers.
Most operating systems come with drivers for many devices. If you’re using an older computer, however, and buy a new printer, your O/S may not have the correct driver. Manufacturers also occasionally update drivers for their hardware to correct bugs in the original drivers or to improve the performance of the hardware.
Hardware manufacturers' websites are a great place to find up-to-date drivers. If your printer is a Hewlett Packard, for example, visit their website (hp.com) to check for an updated driver.
Should You Update Your Driver?
It’s not necessary to update your driver if the peripheral is working well. Think about an upgrade only when devices are not working properly.
If you like the latest and greatest though, visit your peripheral manufacturer’s website on a regular basis to check for updated drivers. Along with the driver, you will usually find download instructions as well as install tips for the specific peripheral and your version of Windows.
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Question: Controlling Sounds in Internet Explorer
Question: When I use Internet Explorer I hear a click every time I press the mouse button. Is there a way to stop that? It can become very annoying.
Answer:
You can silence the click. If you'd prefer not to hear that click, follow these steps:
Click on the Start button, point to Settings, click on Control Panel. Double click the Sounds icon (or Sounds and Multimedia, depending on your version of Windows).
In the Sounds Properties box, scroll down through the list and locate Start Navigation, which you’ll probably find under Windows Explorer. Select it and click the Name drop-down arrow; select None.
Click OK to save your new settings.
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Progressive Learning Series: Microsoft Word: Columns
As you format your documents in Word, you may find it better to lay out your text in columns. This is usually done if you are developing a brochure, newsletter or a magazine layout. The number of columns you use is up to you - Word will allow you to divide your page into as many as 100 columns. To add columns, follow these steps:
1. Position the insertion point at the beginning of the material you want to appear in columns.
2. Select the Columns option from the Format menu. When you do, you will see the Columns dialog box.
3. Click on one of the presets at the top of the dialog box, or specify the number of columns wanted in the Number of Columns field.
4. If you don't want your entire document to have columns, in the Apply To box select This Point Forward. This causes Word to apply columns beginning where the insertion point is located.
5. Click on the Line Between check box (if you want a vertical line between the columns).
6. Click on OK.
What if you have a document and you want to format part of it in columns? As an example, let's assume you have a 3-page document, and you want to format the center part of page 2 as three columns. You want rest of the document to remain a single column. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Select the text which will appear in the columns.
2. Choose the Columns option from the Format menu. You will see the Columns dialog box.
3. In the Number of Columns field, specify the number of columns you want.
4. In the Apply To box, make sure it says Selected Text.
5. Click on OK. Word will place the selected text into its own section and set it in the number or columns you specified.
When you use two or more columns in a document, Word calculates column ends depending on the margin locations. However, if you want to end a column before the end of the page and move to the next column, you can insert a column break.
To insert a column break first, make sure you're in Print Layout view (if not, click on View on the menu bar, then Print Layout). Next, click where you want to begin a new column and choose Insert on the menu bar, then Break. When the Break dialog box opens, select the Column break radio button and click OK. Word will now move up any text that comes after the break to the top of the next column.
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Today's Featured Websites:
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Take a look at this website for information on breast cancer, mammograms and women's health issues. Type in your email address and they’ll send you an email reminder when it’s time to get your next mammogram.
http://www.nbcam.org/
Get involved in Making Strides and learn how you can help in making breast cancer a thing of the past.
http://www.cancer.org/eprise/main/docroot/GI/GI_2
Fall Foliage
The Foliage Network Any day now, autumn will arrive in all its brisk, but colorful glory. If you want help planning your Leaf Looking trip, visit the Foliage Network website.
http://www.foliagenetwork.com/
Forest Service
Visit the Forest Service website for fall foliage reports and resources for New England, the Midwest, Rockies, West, and South.
http://www.fs.fed.us/news/fallcolors/index.html |
