Search through the question list or go Edit/Find to find the answers you need.
If you do not find the answers, then to send us an e-mail.
Please note that these answers refer to Office 2000 products;
if you are using earlier versions, some procedures might be different,
although the concepts generally stay the same.
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General Computers |
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Most Windows Applications |
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General Computers |
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Windows Explorer & Microsoft Office Products |
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Windows Explorer |
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Windows Explorer |
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General Computers |
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Microsoft Office Products |
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Microsoft Office Products |
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Microsoft Word |
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Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint |
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Microsoft Word |
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Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint |
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Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint |
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Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint |
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Microsoft Excel |
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What are the Alt, Ctrl, and picture keys on the keyboard?
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ALT: The Alt key can help you select operations without using the mouse. For example, on the menu bar there are words such as File, Edit, View, Window, Help, etc. Each word has one underlined letter. Hold down the Alt key and type the underlined letter to show the available operations under that menu. For example, if you hold down the Alt key and type an F, then you will see all the options available under the File menu. Scroll down to select what you want and Enter. | ||||||||||||||||
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CTRL: The Ctrl key is used for most of your shortcuts. To use it, you hold the Ctrl key down, type the code letter once, and then let go of the Ctrl key. For example:
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The Windows Logo: The key with the windows logo ( ) is used to open the Start menu on your taskbar. Just use your arrow keys to find the operation you want and press Enter. |
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The Menu Button: The key which looks like a pull-down menu ( ) will bring up the options available for the highlighted object. This acts the same as a right-mouse-click. For example, if you are typing text and select this button, then you will get such options as paste, insert table, bullets and numbering, etc.
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What's the easiest way to highlight words, lines, large sections?
In Most Windows Applications:
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To highlight a word: double-click on it. |
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To highlight a paragraph: click three times on it. |
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To highlight a line: move the mouse to the left of the line until the cursor turns into a white arrow. Single-click. |
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To select a large section: click at the beginning of the section. Scroll down until you see the end of the section. Hold down the shift key and then click at the section's end. (This works great for those times when you try to select something and your mouse goes too fast!) |
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To select everything: Ctrl +A (select all).
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What are the differences between Windows 95 and Windows 98?
Generally, they look and act the same. However, Windows 98 does have some added features that might make the upgrade worthwhile if you have the $80-$90 to spend:
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The program is a bit more stable and crashes less often than Windows 95. It also uses memory more efficiently, so your programs will run faster. |
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In the Accessories/System Tools directory, there is a Disk Cleanup application with which you can easily delete your temporary files (including those files in the Windows/Temp folder, temporary internet files, and anything in your recycle bin). This makes it a lot easier to keep your hard drive free of unnecessary files. |
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It is easier to customize your desktop: you go to Start/Settings/ Active Desktop instead of Start/Settings/Control Panel and then opening the Display application. |
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You can view your folders as web pages, requiring only one click instead of 2 to open an application on your desktop. |
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The Find features are a bit more extensive and easier to use. |
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It's easier to change the application that opens each file type (for example, you can easily specify that all .GIF and .JPG files open in Internet Explorer). |
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With Windows 98 Second Edition, you can set up a network among all your computers and share one connection to your internet service provideryou and your colleagues can be online at the same time. |
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Windows 98 Second Edition includes 15 troubleshooting wizards that help you zero in on a solution if you ever have a problem.
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How can I create folders & sub-folders?
In Windows Explorer: When you open Windows Explorer, there are two lists. On the left is the folder listdouble-click the desired folder and the files and folders inside this will appear on the right.
To create a new folder:
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On the left-hand side, select the folder that you want to put the new folder in. |
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Go to File/New and select Folder. A new folder will appear in the right-hand list with the words New Folder highlighted. |
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Simply type type the new name of the folder and Enter. |
Example: Click on the Clients folder on the left-hand side. Go to File/New and select Folder. On the right-hand side, there is a new folder with the words highlighted. Type Smith and Enter. That's it!
In Microsoft Office Products, such as Microsoft Word: You can create a new folder when you are saving a file. Simply navigate through the ||Look In »|| box to find the folder that you want to put the new folder in. Make sure that folder's name is in the ||Look In »|| box.
One of the icons beside the ||Look In »|| box is a folder with a star over it. If you put your mouse over the icon, it will read [Create New Folder (Alt + 5)]. Click this button. You will then be asked to name the folder. Type its name and enter or click [OK]. Your new folder should now be in the ||Look In »|| box. If you select [Save], your file will be stored in that new folder.
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How can I move a file from one folder to another?
In Windows Explorer: When you open Windows Explorer, there are two lists. On the left is the folder listdouble-click the desired folder to see what is inside it. On the right is the file list, which lists all the folders and files in the selected folder.
You should see the file you want to move in the right-hand list. You should see the folder you want to move it to in the left-hand list. If you do not, use the [+] and [-] buttons until you do. Single-click on the file you want to move and drag it over the folder you want to place it in. When that folder is highlighted, let go of the mouse button. The file will now be in that folder.
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How can I move a folder into another folder?
In Windows Explorer: When you open Windows Explorer, there are two lists. On the left is the folder listdouble-click the desired folder to see what is inside it. On the right is the file list, which lists all the folders and files in the selected folder.
You should see the folder you want to move in the right-hand list. You should see the folder you want to move it to in the left-hand list. If you do not, use the [+] and [-] buttons until you do. Single-click on the folder you want to move and drag it over the folder you want to place it in. When that folder is highlighted, let go of the mouse button. The folder will now be a sub-folder of that folder.
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Go to Start/Find and select Files or Folders. If you know the name of the file, or one word in the name of the file, type it in the ||Named|| box. The ||Containing Text|| box is optional. If you know what distinguishing words are in the file (such as a client's name or a project), type that in the ||Containing Text|| box. Find the correct directory in the ||Look in|| box (for example, if you know it is somewhere on your C:\ drive, make sure that is typed here). Make sure that the Include Subfolders box is checked. Click [Find Now]. When the list comes up, double-click on the file name to open it.
If you want to find a file that was created on a certain date or within a certain time period, click on the |Date| tab. Click on the appropriate time period and select [Find Now].
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How can I find a file by keyword?
In Microsoft Office Products, such as Microsoft Word: Usually when you go to File/Open, you use the ||Look In »|| box to find the folder that contains the file you need. However, if you don't know the folder, you do have several options to help you find the document.
First, if you complete the properties for each document you save, you can search by keyword, title, subject, etc. (If you do not wish to use the properties option, then click here.)
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To identify the properties, go to File/Properties and complete the information in the |Summary| tab. You can even check Save preview picture. Click [OK] when you are finished. | ||||||
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If you would like to have Word automatically bring up this dialog box every time you save a new document, go to Tools/Options and select the |Save| tab. Check Prompt for document properties. | ||||||
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To find a file by the document properties, go to File/Open and click the [Tools] button. Select [Find ...]. You will then get a dialog box with lots of options.
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Note your other options: match all word forms, match exactly, search sub-folders, etc. | ||||||
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You can include as many criteria as you wish, connecting them with and/or. For example:
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When the list is completed, be sure to make sure the ||Look In »|| box is accurate ... do you want to search your entire C:\ drive or C:\My Documents? | ||||||
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When you are done, click [Find Now]. You will then get a list of the files that match the criteria. | ||||||
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If this does not work, there may be several reasons. First, are your criteria correct (for example, are you looking for keywords but didn't complete the keywords property for the document)? Second, are you looking in the right location (for example, did you specify a folder when you should have chosen the whole drive)? Third, are you sure you saved the file? If so, try again with different criteria. |
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How can I find a file by words used in a document?
In Microsoft Office Products, such as Microsoft Word: Usually when you go to File/Open, you use the ||Look In »|| box to find the folder that contains the file you need. However, if you don't know the folder, you can search for words used in the document.
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Go to File/Open and click the [Tools] button. Select [Find ...]. You will then get a dialog box with lots of options. | ||||||||
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Under the ||Property »|| drop-down box are all the options you can search for, including contents. Simply select the property you are looking for. There are three different conditions to choose from: includes, begins with, and ends with. Then type the value. Be sure to click the [Add to List] button because that list is the actual criteria which will be used. | ||||||||
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Note your other options: match all word forms, match exactly, search sub-folders, etc. | ||||||||
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You can include as many criteria as you wish, connecting them with and/or. For example:
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When the list is completed, be sure to make sure the ||Look In »|| box is accurate ... do you want to search your entire C:\ drive or C:\My Documents? | ||||||||
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When you are done, click [Find Now]. You will then get a list of the files that match the criteria. Note that it might take a while because the program is searching all the text of your documents. | ||||||||
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If this does not work, there may be several reasons. First, are your criteria correct (for example, are you looking for keywords but didn't complete the keywords property for the document)? Second, are you looking in the right location (for example, did you specify a folder when you should have chosen the whole drive)? Third, are you sure you saved the file? If so, try again with different criteria.
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In Microsoft Office Products, such as Microsoft Word: Toolbars are simply awesome! Instead of having to select a menu category, selecting a sub-category, etc., you simply click on the easily-identifiable button. If you don't know what a button does, just move your mouse over the button and let it set there & a small box will come up with its purpose.
To customize a toolbar (for example, to get rid of the buttons you don't use and put in buttons you do use), select View/Toolbars and Customize.
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Select the |Commands| tab. |
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Go through the categories list on the |Commands| tab and select from the right-hand column the command you want to add. Click on it and drag it to where you want it on the toolbar. Let go. |
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If you want to add a vertical line, click on that button and drag it over to the right. |
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If you want to remove a button, click on it and drag down until the cursor turns into an [x]. Let go. |
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You can add/remove as many buttons as you like. Just remember not to go overboard & too many and you'll never easily find the ones you want. |
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Can I print just the current page using a toolbar button?
In Microsoft Office Products, such as Microsoft Word: There is no specific button for printing the current page, but you can easily create one yourself and put it in your standard toolbar. To do so:
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Go to Tools/Macro & Record New Macro. Type PrintCurrentPage (no spaces!). Click [OK]. |
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The macro toolbar will appear with two buttons. The square means stop recording and the two lines and a dot means pause recording. |
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Go to File/Print (or Ctrl +P) and select the radio button for Current Page. Click [OK] or Enter. |
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Push the [Stop] button on the macro toolbar. |
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Go to View/Toolbars & Customize. Scroll to the macros category and select the macro you just recorded. Click and drag it to the standard toolbar. Right-click on the name of the macro in your toolbar and select Default Style. Right-click on it again and select Change Button Image. Select a button which will mean print the current page to you and [Close]. |
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Test your macro. If it works, you're done! If it doesn't, delete that macro and begin again. If it still doesn't work after the second try, to explain the problem in detail. |
Thanks to Lynn DeLuca of Western Reserve Legal Services for this tip!
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What's the best way to include information from another file?
In Microsoft Office Products:
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Include an entire fileGo to Insert/File and select the file you want to insert. Click [Insert]. | ||||||||||
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Include just a section of fileOpen both files. Copy the information you want to include (Ctrl +C) and go to the new file (Alt +Tab if they are in separate programs such as Word and Excel or PowerPoint).
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How can I see my text bigger on the screen?
In Microsoft Office Products, such as Microsoft Word: On your standard toolbar, there is a button with a percentage on it. This is your [Zoom] tool. If you click on the triangle beside it, you will see all the zoom options available to you: from 500% through Two Pages. My favorite is Page Width, which allows me to see the borders of my page while still seeing the text at a pretty large size. (If you can't see the page borders, then go to View to make sure you are at Print Layout ... not Normal.)
Note that the zoom size has nothing to do with printing. If your text is size 12, it will print at size 12, but you can zoom it so that it looks 2" tall on the screen!
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Why do my files always begin at 114% zoom?
In Microsoft Office Products, such as Microsoft Word: Documents open at the zoom size that they were last saved. For example, if you closed and saved TEXT.DOC at 75%, then it would open at 75%. New documents will open at the zoom set in the template used. For example, the PURCHASE ORDER.DOT might have been saved at 50% zoom, and so any new documents based on that template will open at 50%.
To change the zoom level of the template you are using, open the template (make sure ||Files of type »|| reads Document Template).
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Set the zoom and then go to File/Save As ... |
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You will not be able to save the template under its original name. Give it a "fake" name by typing the number 2 after the name (e.g., PURCHASE ORDER2.DOT). |
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Close all of the documents. |
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Go to File/Open and click once on the original document. Delete it by selecting the [X] button. Right-click on the template you just created and select Rename. Delete the 2 from the name of the document and Enter. Select the [Cancel] button. |
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Now go to File/New and select that document as the template. It should open at the correct zoom. |
What if you don't use a template? Actually, the question is "what if you don't specify a template?" If no template is specified, then Word will base your new document on the NORMAL.DOT template. In that case, it will open a new document at the last specified zoom. So if you have one document open at 75% and create a new one, that too will open at 75%.
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How can I get the most out of Microsoft's grammar checker?
In Microsoft Office Products, such as Microsoft Word: Go to Tools/Options and select the |Spelling/Grammar| tab. You can choose to Check the grammar as you type (green wavy lines will appear wherever Word thinks there is a mistake) or to Check the grammar with the spelling (with this option, you must do a spellcheck to find the errors).
The ||Writing Style »|| drop down box gives you several options: casual, standard, formal, technical, or custom. These are not very helpful. Instead, click the [Settings] button. This allows you to identify exactly what you want checked ... whether it be commas before last list items, clichés, wordiness, or even use of first person. Click [OK] when you have completed identifying your preferences.
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In Microsoft Office Products: First of all, if your printer supports double-sided printing, this will be a lot easier. If it does, you can select this option when you go to print and select the [Properties] dialog box.
If your printer does not support double-sided printing, you can still work around it. When you go to print, select Odd Pages in the ||Print|| box. When these have finished printing, put them back in your printer and then print Even Pages.
WARNING: You might have to experiment with the placement and order of the Even Pages. If you need to print in reverse order, select the [Options] button on the print dialog box. Be sure to try this with small documents (4-6 pages) and then write down exactly what you did before you begin printing longer documents.
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How can I convert WordPerfect labels to Microsoft Word format?
- Open MS Word and go to File/Open. Find the WordPerfect file and open it. Click the [Show/Hide] button on your toolbar so you can see the paragraph marks.
- If you have descriptive information in the first section, replace the first descriptive line with A, the second descriptive line with B, the third with C, and so on. Put D, E, and F in front of the other paragraph marks so that you have in the first section:
A
B
C
D
E
F ------Section Break ------
If your first section has actual label information, then type A, Enter, B, Enter, C, Enter, D, Enter, E, Enter, F and Insert/Break ... Section/Continuous so that it looks like the text above..
- Edit/Replace (CTRL +H) ^p (paragraph breaks) with ^t (tabs). Select the [Replace All] button.
- Edit/Replace (CTRL +H) ^b (section breaks) with ^p (paragraph breaks). Select the [Replace All] button.
- Edit/Replace (CTRL +H) ^t^p (tab followed by a paragraph break) with ^p (paragraph break). Select the [Replace All] button.
- File/Save As ... TOSS.DOC.
- File/New and Save As ... NEWMERGE.DOC.
- Tools/Mail Merge and select [Create Mailing Labels] and [Active Document].
- Select [Get Data] and [Open Data Source]. Select TOSS.DOC.
- Select [Set Up Main Document]. Select your label type (usually Avery 5160) and click [OK].
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In the label set-up, [Insert Merge Field] and select A and enter. Do the same for B-F so that you have:
>
>
>
>
>
> - Click [OK].
- Select [Merge], ||New Document||, [Merge].
- You will get errors saying that some records have too many fields ... that's OK, don't worry about it. Just keep clicking [OK] until it is finished.
- Go to Window and select Labels1. This should have all your labels in a nice table.
- Delete the extra paragraph marks by going to Edit/Replace (CTRL +H) ^p^p with ^p.
- Save this document.
If you have lots of documents like this, you might want to set up a macro:
- Complete step 1.
- Go to Tools/Macro ... Record New Macro. Name it ConvertWPLabels.
- Complete steps 2-13. For step 2, you cannot highlight with the mouse. Just to to the beginning of the line and click, hold down the Shift key and push the End button on your keyboard. This will highlight the whole line. Type A to replace that line and then use your arrow keys to go to the beginning of the next line(s).
- Stop the macro.
- Complete steps 15-17.
- Open the next document and go to Tools/Macro ... Macros. Double-click ConvertWPLabels and let it run.
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How can I stop automatic indents? numbers? capitals?
In Microsoft Office Products, such as Microsoft Word: Those automatic indents, numbers, and capitals can be a life saver for us poor typists. But what if don't want those changes?
Automatic indents can occur because of a prefernece set in your options. To check it, go to Tools/Options and select the |Edit| tab. Make certain that Tabs and backspaces set left indent is checked off.
Automatic formatting can also occur because of the AutoCorrect preferences.
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For occasional exceptions: Just go to Edit/Undo (Ctrl +Z) to undo Word's automatic format changes. |
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For all times: Go to Tools/AutoCorrect. On the |AutoCorrect| tab, there are several options, such as correct two initial capitals, capitalize first letters of sentences, and (my favorite) correct accidental usage of cAPS lOCK key. You can check these on and off according to your preferences. |
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The Replace text as you type can be a very useful feature. If this is checked, you can tell it to replace your most common mistakes: such as ont he vs. on the, etc. It is an intelligent feature: if you consistently replace andt he with and the, AutoCorrect will add it to the list. |
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If you want to remove a substitutionfor example, if you want (c) to remain as is instead of turning into ©then click on that rule and select the [Delete] button. |
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On the |AutoFormat As You Type| tab, you can choose whether to apply automatic bullets and numbers, fractions, internet hyperlinks, etc. (So if you want to remove automatic indenting, turn off the automatic bullets and numbering.) |
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Why won't my envelope font changes work as a default?
In Microsoft Word: All defaults are applied to your current template. It could be that, if you are working on a network, you don't have the authorization to make changes to your current template.
There are a few workarounds for this. First, ask your network administrator to either give you the authorization or to make the changes for you. If this is not an option, you could create a new template and save the envelope font changes to this template. Be sure to use this template whenever you want to create an envelope.
Another option is to go into Format/Style. In the List box, select All Styles. You will see in this list a style called Envelope Address. Modify this as you would any style. Do the same for Envelope Return. After you have modified these to your liking, click on the [Organizer] button in the [Style] dialog box. In the left-hand list, you should see the Envelope Return and Envelope Address styles. In the right-hand column, the ||Styles available in|| box should read NORMAL.DOT (global template). Click on each envelope style and then [Copy] them to the NORMAL.DOT list. Then select the [Close] button.
These options should work. If you are still having problems, to explain in detail the steps you have gone through and what the undesired results are.
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Why are my tables cutting off my words?
In Microsoft Word: There are two possible reasons for this: your line spacing or your row heights.
To check the line spacing, select your table (Table/Select Table) and then go to Format/Paragraph. Check the value in the ||Line Spacing|| box. If it is Exactly, then that might be your problem. Make it Single. You can also use this dialog box to put spacing above and below your paragraphs as well.
To check the row height, select the table (Table/Select Table) and then go to Table/Table Properties. Select the |Row| tab. If you want to specify height, make sure it is At least and not Exactly. Note that this is also where you can make sure that rows do not break across pages.
If you are still having problems, to explain in detail the steps you have gone through and what the undesired results are.
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In Microsoft Word & Microsoft PowerPoint: Make sure you can see all of your formatting toolbar. Toward the end of that toolbar, there is a button with 123 on it. The next has three dots and three lines. If you hover your mouse over this button, it reads Bulleted List. This button is your bullet toolbar. To start a bullet list, simply click this button.
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In Microsoft Word & Microsoft PowerPoint: If you want to modify your bullets, go to Format/Bullets and Numbering. Select the |Bulleted| tab. If you like one of the bullet schemes, select it and then click [OK].
If you do not like any of the bullet schemes, select a scheme that you will NOT use and click on it. Select the [Customize] button. Click the [Font] button to change the style and color and then click [OK]. Click the [Bullet] button to select the bullet you want. The most popular bullet font is Wingdings, but feel free to experiment. When you have selected the bullet you want, click [OK] and then [OK] again. This bullet scheme will be available to you until you change it.
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Why won't my formulas accept new information?
In Microsoft Excel: It could be that your calculation function is set on manual. To check this, go into Tools/Options and select the |Calculation| tab. Make sure the radio button is set on Automatic and then select [Calc Now]. Change some data on which a formula is based and see if it changes. If it does, you're done. If it doesn't, check the formula. You might have mis-typed something.
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How do I upgrade my internet browser?
The great news about upgrading your internet browser is that it is free! All you have to do is go to the sites below and click the [Download] button:
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Microsoft Internet Explorer: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE |
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Netscape Communicator: http://home.netscape.com/download
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TRADEMARKS. Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT, MSN, The Microsoft Network and other names of Microsoft products referenced herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.
