How to use the Windows “Find” & "Search" command

The "FIND" & "SEARCH" commands are so helpful when we are working on the Internet, in emails, and especially in operating system and application programs, such as Word, Excel, Power Point, BookSmart or others.

We use the 'FIND" & "SEARCH" commands to quickly and easily search for:

• within a web page that's open in your favorite browser OR
• search for a word or phrase in a Microsoft document OR
• use it to search for a file or folder on your computer

To access the FIND functions in the program you are working in, you can go the Menu Bar in that program, then go to Edit, and it will be in your toolbar list

OR
Use your keyboard shortcuts to find/search for text in a document or webpage - simply press the CTRL + F keys at the same time and this will open the FIND function.

OR

To access the SEARCH functions, to easily find a folder or file on your computer, go to your START menu and the SEARCH function is listed and it will then display the SEARCH dialog box to help you find what you are looking for by either name or contents

Adding Photos or Clip Art to Word Documents

There are so many ways to enhance documents created in Word, Excel and other programs – but one of the most common is to add photo’s we’ve taken or saved to the computer, or to add clip-art.

To “add” a photo or clip art you will go to “INSERT” on your menu bar or ribbon, which will give you the various choices of what you want to “INSERT”. In older versions of Word, you will go to:

• Menu Bar
• Insert
• Pictures
• Now choose File to find the photo you’ve saved in My Pictures OR Clip Art, OR Word Art, OR Symbols
• Once you choose what you want to insert, left click on the photo or clip art, choose OK and it will appear on your document

IMPORTANT TIP:
In order to easily work with your photo, clip art, word art or symbol once it is on your document – immediately go the Text Wrapping Icon (looks like a little dog on a postage stamp) – when you left click on thus icon a list will appear – choose THROUGH – this allows you to now work with (size and or move) your photo, clip art, word art or symbol, where ever and how ever you would like…

If you forget to activate this option – as you move your photo or clip art – you will see your text being “pushed out of the way” and they won’t work together compatibly…

So take control and remember to activate the Text Wrapping Icon…

Copy, Paste, the “Clipboard” & “Ditto”

“DITTO” is a free feature available in Windows Operating Systems XP, Vista & 7 and is free

The “CLIPBOARD” is the “virtual spot” where items are held when you use either the copy or cut feature. So when you activate the copy or cut command, whatever you have “highlighted” and then copied or cut, will be held on the CLIPBOARD. It will remain there until you activate the PASTE command and remember, you can activate the paste command wherever you’d like – in an email, in a document using word, word pad, word perfect, an excel spreadsheet, that book you are working on in BookSmart or Walgreen’s, or any where else.

This is useful for URLs (web addresses from your browsers address bar), news articles, instant messaging, e-mail and much much more.

Typically the clipboard can only hold one thing at a time*. You can copy a block of text and paste it somewhere else. Then you have to go back for the next block. To copy and paste multiple things, you have to go back and forth.

*The clipboards in newer versions of Office programs, such as Word, Excel, Power Point, Access & others can hold many more items than a single item; this has been true since Office 2000 and the number items which can be stored has increased with each newer version of Office

You can activate “Ditto” which takes away the “one item a time” limitation. It allows your clipboard to hold more than one entry. So copy a URL and some text and a few e-mail messages. Then paste them wherever you'd like without going back and forth. Your clipboard holds it all.

You can copy and paste just like you've always done. To activate “Ditto” use your keyboard shortcut - press Ctrl + `. You'll see a list of past items you have placed on the “clipboard”; just click on the one you want to paste.

Excel – what do the “auto’s” mean

When you are working in Excel – there are several “auto” functions and they can be confusing as to how and why they are different.. Hopefully this will help…

AutoFill – creates and/or completes a series of values in an Excel spreadsheet – for example you can type January at the top of a column, and if you then drag the + auto handle from the bottom right corner of the cell that January is typed in across the rows to the right of January, Excel will now “auto-fill” February, March, April etc and continue on…

AutoFormat – adds chosen attributes to your spreadsheets, such as font styles and sizes, borders and even ranges of numerical styles – so highlight the table or area you want to format and when you choose format, auto format various styles, colors etc will appear – choose the one you like and Excel will now format that portion of the table or spreadsheet that you have highlighted – don’t like what you’ve chosen – change it

AutoSum – this adds up a column or several columns or a row of figures in a spreadsheet. This is the icon for Auto Sum “S” – So if you put your cursor in a cell at the end of a row or column (or you can highlight the range of cells” and then click on this icon on the toolbar – once you have clicked on the icon, press enter on your keyboard and Excel will calculate the total for the selected range (By the way the keyboard shortcut for this that does the same thing is: Alt + =)

Aligning your text

It is very easy to align your text - but let the computer do it for you - never use the space key several dozen times to "center" text in a document, email or other application....

When you use Microsoft Word, Works, Word Pad or Word Perfect an this also works for cells in Excel, slides in Power Point, in most email programs when you are typing a new email message and many other software programs when you are working with “text”.

The "alignment buttons" allow you to easily align your text and the 4 standard options are:

• Left
• Center
• Right
• Justify/full justify (used to be called block style)

On your formatting toolbar (or in the Home Tab Ribbon of Word 2007/2010) you will see 4 “alignment buttons”.

When your cursor/pointer is in the word, sentence or paragraph you want to change the alignment for, simply click on the alignment button of your choice..

Quickly Minimize & Restore Open Windows/Applications

Keyboard Shortcuts allow us to implement commands quickly and easily – 2 favorites that we use are:

• When you want to “minimize” all open windows/applications so that you can return quickly and easily to the desktop – simply hold the Windows Flag Key and tap the letter “M”..
• Then to return/restore your windows/applications to their original state, simply hold the Windows Flag Key, the Shift Key and the letter “M”..

What is the Computer Control Panel?

The CONTROL PANEL is where we can change many ways in which our computer and the peripheral hardware work, including your printer, keyboard, mouse, monitor – your audio & video functions and add or remove software just to name a few..

To access the control panel – you can go to Start and when the Start Menu appears – choose control panel (in older versions of Windows – you need to go to Settings to find the control panel).

The look of the Control Panel has changed considerably with with Windows Vista & Windows 7 Operating Systems. Both of these newer Operating Systems offer two different views of the Control Panel: Classic View and Category View, and it is possible to switch between these views through an option that appears on the left side of the window

Many of the individual Control Panel “commands” can be accessed in other often quicker ways – a favorite is when you want to make changes to the Display Properties – instead of going to the Control Panel and choosing Display, when you are on the Desktop – simply Right Click on any emptry area of the Desktop, choose Properties and the same Display Properties Dialog box will appear for you to work with.

4th of July Festivities & Fireworks in Lake Havasu City…

Have a wonderful, safe & happy holiday weekend and if you are looking for some fun & fireworks in Lake Havasu City... check this out.....

The festival begins Sunday July 4th at 4 pm at the north grassy-area of Rotary Community Park including a vendor village with food and retail booths, a beer gardens, live DJ music, and a kid’s play area. The Beer Garden will serve individuals during the festival and fireworks. Proceeds will benefit local charities during the year through Lake Havasu City Professional Firefighters Association’s guardian-angel-type fund

The kids area will have ongoing contests including potato-sack races, a water-house, waterslide, a sponge run and other activities-contests & activates will be announced over a public address system.

The watermelon- and pie-eating contests will begin about 6 p.m. at the main stage,

At 9 p.m. the expanded 23 minute fireworks spectacular will take place and spectators can tune in to radio station KNTR AM 980 or 97.1 FM for a 21-minute compilation of patriotic-themed music

There is a non-resident fee of $5 to park in Rotary Park on Friday, Saturday and Sunday this weekend. The fee will be waived for part-time Havasu residents who can provide a utility bill,. Remember - No alcohol or dogs are allowed in the park..

Have a wonderful 4th of July holiday weekend.. and a little trivia about the 4th

On this day in 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved by the Continental Congress, starting the 13 colonies on the road to freedom as a sovereign nation. As always, this most American of holidays will be marked by parades, fireworks and backyard barbecues across the country.

Independence Day was first observed in Philadelphia on July 8, 1776. In 1941, Congress declared July 4 a federal legal holiday. John Adams proclaimed: "It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forevermore."

The basics of the U.S.A. :

• Capital: Washington, D.C.
• Motto: "In God We Trust"
• National Anthem: "The Star Spangled Banner"
• National Bird: Bald Eagle
• National Flower: Rose

A few facts about our National Bird, the Bald Eagle…

• Benjamin Franklin, John Adams & Thomas Jefferson served on the committee that picked the eagle for the national seal (Franklin wanted the turkey.)
• Bald eagles have few natural enemies & live only in North America.
• Bald eagles get their white head & tail feathers about 4-5 years of age.
• The only other kind of eagle in North America is the golden eagle.
• Bald eagles mate for life, but if one dies, the survivor will accept a new mate.
• It is a felony to shoot an eagle

That Fireworks were invented in China in the 12th century to ward off evil spirits and the US imports an estimated $128 million in fireworks from China each year.

'The Star Spangled Banner' was written by Frances Scott Key and was originally set to the tune of an English drinking song in 1814.

Calvin Coolidge, our nation's 30th president, was born on July 4th, 1872. He is the only president to claim this honor.

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe, all presidents, all died on a 4th of July.

The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council state that over 150 million hot dogs are consumed during Independence Day festivities. That's a lot of dogs, people!

The Liberty Bell sounded from the tower of Independence Hall on July 8, 1776, summoning citizens to gather for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon.

The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence did not sign at the same time, nor did they sign on July 4, 1776. The official event occurred on August 2, 1776, when 50 men signed it. Their names were kept from the public for six months to protect the signers since they would have been punished with death if independence had not been achieved (you know, treason and all).

The salute of the union occurs on Independence Day at noon: One gun shot is fired for each state.

The American flag has 50 stars (one for each state) and 13 alternating red and white stripes (one for each colony). There is no official designation or meaning for the colors of the flag. However, when the Great Seal of the United States was chosen this is what was listed for them.

• white for purity and innocence
• red for valor and hardiness
• blue for vigilance, perseverance, and justice

Bristol, Rhode Island is noted as having the oldest continuous 4th of July celebration.

Printing Options-What to print

When you are in any of the office types of software programs (Word, Excel, Power Point etc), the quickest way to print what you are working on is to use the Printer Icon on your toolbar, BUT when you do this, you will print the entire document, spreadsheet or presentation.

Often we want to print just a paragraph/selection, or just the current page, slide or worksheet we are working on – or possibly several different pages or slides, such as page 2, 7-11, and 27.. You can do either of these very easily – you control what is going to be printed…

To control what you are printing when your work is open:
Go to the Menu Bar > File > Print OR in the newer versions of Office (2007, 2010) open the Office Button > Print
The Print Dialog Box opens > In the bottom left side, you can now choose:

• All
• Current Page
• Pages
• Selection (this is only a choice when you have highlighted something such as a paragraph)

On the right side, you can choose:

• Whether you want it collated or not
• How many copies
• In Word, you can choose how many pages you want printed on a page

What is a ZIP file?

.Zip file format is the standard method for "compressing" files on a computer - it allows us to condense large groups of files into one smaller file. If and when someone sends you a "compressed or zipped file" you will need to decompress or "unzip" the files. The most popular Zip program is "winzip" and you can download a free trial version from "winzip.com" or other free programs from many other shareware sites (such as shraeware.com or passtheshareware.com or thesharewareportal.com)

You can also "unzip" a file from Windows Explorer:

• Open Windows Explorer (using the Flag Key + E is the easiest way)
• Now Right click on the folder you are attempting to "unzip"
• Select "Extract to"
• Now choose the folder you want WinZip to decompress the files to.
• Make sure the "Use folder names" box is checked so any specified folders are recreated.
• If the box is left blank, all the different files will be unzipped into the single selected folder

Folders vs. Files – What’s the Difference?

When you are "saving/filing" items on your computer - it is helpful to know the difference between a file and/or a folder... sounds obvious - but to many this is confusing...

FILES – are each individual item on your computer that has a name – so if you take 5 photos, your camera will give them each a name – that “name” is a file – all file names end with an extension that tell us and the computer what the file is most photo’s will end in .jpg or maybe .bmp, .gif, .png, .tif etc.. If you have a music CD you want to copy/download to the computer, and that one CD has 12 music tracks – then there will be 12 different file names – music/audio file extensions might be .mp3, .wav, .wma

FOLDERS – symbolized with a manila folder – are the places where we store/file things of a like nature – PC’s are shipped with common folders - With Windows 98 and XP Operating Systems, the common folder names are: “My Documents”; “My Pictures”, “My Music”, “My Videos”, “My Scans”; in newer Windows Operating Systems, Vista & Windows 7, the word “My” has been dropped in your filing libraries

You can create as many folders, sub-folders, sub-sub folders, etc. as you would like. When you create a new folder - remember that whatever folder is highlighted in Windows Explorer or in the Filing Name Drop Down Box - that becomes the "Parent" to your new folder and therefore your new folder can & will be found "inside" that highlighted folder...

Happy Father's Day

Anyone can be a father,
But it takes someone special to be a DAD
So for all our special dads & grand-dads – here’s to you..
Happy Fathers Day and thank you for being such a wonderful dad…

MY DAD
When I was just a tiny kid,
Do you remember when,
The time you kissed my bruises,
Or cleaned by soiled chin?

You scrambled for the balls I hit,
(Short-winded more than not,)
Yet, every time we'd play a game,
You praised the "outs" I caught.

It seems like only yesterday,
You wiped away my tears,
And late at night I called your name,
To chase away my fears.

Though time has changed your handsome grip,
Your hair is snowy white,
You gait's a little slower now,
Thick glasses help your sight.

Oh, do I thirst for years gone by,
To be that growing lad,
Re-living all of the memories,
Of growing with my dad.

…Author Unknown


Grandfathers Are Fathers Who Are Grand
Grandfathers are fathers who are grand,
Restoring the sense that our most precious things
Are those that do not change much over time.
No love of childhood is more sublime,
Demanding little, giving on demand,
Far more inclined than most to grant the wings
Allowing us to reach enchanted lands.
Though grandfathers must serve as second fathers,
Helping out with young and restless hearts,
Each has all the patience wisdom brings,
Remembering our passions more than others,
Soothing us with old and well-honed arts.

…Author Unknown

PRINTING FROM THE INTERNET Part 2 of 2

The first two options we reviewed in Part 1, are for quick-easy printing directly from the internet. But, many times we want to be able to change/enlarge the Print style or size of what we are printing from the Internet to make it easier to read, especially with articles, directions, and other important information. So that is when this option works well…

Option 3:

• “Highlight” the portion of the Internet item you want to print & change (to copy to Word)
• Be sure pointer is on what’s highlighted then "Right click" on what you have highlighted and an action menu appears - choose/left click on "copy"
• Minimize email/internet; Open Word, NotePad, Works, whatever WP program you use
• Right click again (be sure pointer is on the blank page Word, etc), Left click "paste"
• Now in Word, NotePad or Works, make your print/font style, size changes
• To print, either left click on the printer icon on the toolbar OR
• Left click on "file" on the toolbar, then left click on "print"
• Left click “selection or current page" in page range section & "number of copies you want"
• Left click "OK" and it will now print with all your changes

To Save what you have now worked on, left click on "File", then "Save As", then be sure you are in "C" Drive, then "My Documents" or find your Flash Drive/Memory Stick and choose that - then choose the folder you want to put it in and left click on Save

TIP: try not to use the printer icon on your internet toolbar, because when you print using this ICON, you will print everything on your monitor including the ads, etc..

PRINTING FROM THE INTERNET – Part 1 of 2

When you are reading something on the “Internet” - your email, a newspaper article or something else on a website, you may want to print it for someone else or for your own future reference. There are a few options on how you can do this quickly & easily...

OPTION 1:

• Almost all email and other media websites today show a “Print” icon or “Print view” – formerly known as Printer Friendly Version) usually at the top or sometimes at the bottom of what we are reading.
• When you click on this Print icon, the website will copy what you have chosen, but eliminates almost all unnecessary info/ads from the page so that you only print the article or email – saves a lot of ink and paper.
• Now the print dialog box will appear, choose/left click "selection" in page range section (one of the "print range" choices)
• Then left click "number of copies you want"
• Then left click "OK" and what you have chosen prints without all the unnecessary ads etc.

OPTION 2:

• Another option is to “Highlight” just the portion of the email/article that you want to print
• Left click on "file" on the toolbar, then left click on "print"
• The print dialog box will appear, choose/left click "selection" in page range section (one of the "print range" choices)
• Then left click "number of copies you want"
• Then left click "OK" and "what you highlighted" will now print

TIP: try not to use the printer icon on your Internet toolbar, because when you print using this ICON, you will print everything on your monitor including the ads, etc..

What do the tags mean on websites .com, .net .org

When the world wide web was launched in 1989 the .com and .net extensions at the end of a website were used to help categorize the several hundred websites available at that time - .com meant a commercial website and .net meant telecommunication.. Now there are a growing number of “extensions” and this list will continue to grow as does the number of websites… here are just a few extensions you might recognize…

.arts - Cultural groups
.biz - Used by small business
.com - Commercial
.edu - Educational
.firm - Firms and businesses
.gov - Government
.info - Informational services
.int - International
.mil - Military
.mus - Museums
.name - Individual/personal names
.net - Telecommunication Co’s
.nom - Personal websites
.org - Non-profit Organization
.store - Businesses offering goods
.tv - Entertainment industry
.web - Entities w/ties to the web

Because of the growing use of names/websites, more "tags" are being added and in addition to the standard tags (.com; .net) you’ll begin seeing two (2) letter tags, such as .au, .uk, .de and .jp which relate to a countries & geographic locations - au = Australia; uk=United Kingdom, etc...

What is a PDF document???

PDF: Short for Portable Document Format, a file format developed by Adobe Systems. PDF captures formatting information from a variety of software application programs – including Microsoft Word & Excel, Word Perfect and others, so that it is possible to send formatted documents and have them appear on the recipient's monitor or printer as they were intended. So they are welcome to open, read, save & print the documents – but they cannot change them.. When you and I visit websites, such as the registry of motor vehicles, IRS, medical, insurance and other such websites, forms we download are often done in PDF format so that we can view them, save them, print them as we need them – we just couldn’t modify them or change any information on them. In order to view them however, we need to have the Adobe Reader, which is a free application distributed by Adobe Systems

To download the latest version of Adobe Reader go to this website:
http://www.get.adobe.com/reader/

What is a Firewall??

A firewall is a system designed to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network. Firewalls can be implemented in both hardware and software, or a combination of both.
Firewalls are frequently used to prevent unauthorized Internet users from accessing private networks connected to the Internet, especially intranets.
All messages entering or leaving the intranet pass through the firewall, which examines each message and blocks those that do not meet the specified security criteria.
Many anti-virus programs contain firewalls which you can turn on or off when you want to download authorized new programs
Your Internet provider has numerous firewalls and other security precautions to protect them and all of us when we are using their Internet services

KEYBOARD - WHAT DO ALL THOSE KEYS DO?

KEYBOARD enables you to communicate with the computer by typing information and instructions into the computer (the type of keyboard we use are used for computers and cell phones as “QWERTY STYLE).

A NUMBERIC KEYPAD is located at the right of the keyboard. It is used like a 10-key calculator.

The top row of keys are FUNCTION KEYS. They perform specific tasks in software applications – such as F5 refreshes your screen when you are on the internet; F11 gives you a full screen for more viewing area.

ESC. or “ESCAPE” on the top left of your keyboard allows you to stop a task at anytime.

The CTRL or “CONTROL” keys are on the bottom left and right corners of your keyboard. They are used with other keys to complete commands.

The ENTER key is on the center row, right side of your keyboard. Use enter to move your cursor down a line.

The BACKSPACE key is on the right end of the row of number keys on your keyboard. Pressing the backspace key moves your cursor one space to the left, and eliminates any typing as it moves.

The 4 ARROW KEYS - up, down, left and right keys on the keyboard allow you to move around your document without destroying your work.
Up = one line;
Down = one line;
Left = one character or letter;
Right = one character or letter

The DELETE key will eliminate any typing to the right of the blinking cursor.

The PAGE UP & PAGE DOWN keys allow you to move up and down on a page of your document quickly.

The HOME key takes you to the beginning of your current line of type.

The END key takes you to the end of your current line of type.

The HOME key with the CTRL key, takes you to the very beginning of your document.

The END key with the CTRL key, takes you to the end of your document quickly.

Fun websites for May

It's Memorial Day Weekend and we thought you'd enjoy checking out a favorite Memorial Day website with lots of helpful information about the holiday and th way it is celebrated.. enjoy

www.usmemorialday.org

When I want to know which websites are “Hot” – we can always check out

www.allmyfaves.com

which we’ve been talking about for a few years now and is on our favorite list..

Another favorite website to visit that lists their opinion of the top “100 websites” is:

www.100bestwebsites.org

Want to travel from the comfort of home, then check out web cams all over the world, including spring tulip farms in Holland, the oil spill in the gulf, cape cod beaches, the Eiffel Tower and many many more:

www.earthcam.com

So check them out - and if you have a favorite website you'd like us to share with everyone - just send it to me and remember to save websites you visit to your favorite or bookmark list so they are easy to visit again in the future..

Enjoy the Internet - where we can learn & explore anytime - anywhere…