January 2004

New schedule for computer training is now available

Miscellaneous Tips

By Teresa Lightle- Technology Coordinator                            Printable Version (pdf)

From time to time I stumble on new tips that really may not fit into a specific category or provide enough information for an entire article. I hope you can use a few of these to make your job a little easier.

Internet Explorer

Auto Search

With most versions of Internet Explorer, you can do an “autosearch” using the address bar. Type the words “find”, “go” or “?” without the quotes directly into the address line and then the key word.

Then click Go on the right or press the Enter key on the keyboard. This will launch by default MSN search engine to find sites that match the criteria. To change which search engine is used to find “autosearch”, see article on Searching the Internet December 2002.

Increase the size of a web page

Increase the size of the text of a web page quickly by holding down the “Ctrl key” on the keyboard and use the wheel of the mouse; scroll up (requires a mouse wheel).

Add web page to favorites

Ctrl + D will add the web page you are browsing to your Favorites; it will not prompt you for file location or the ability to change the name.

Windows

Use the windows key ˙ key on the keyboard to activate the following windows shortcuts:

˙ + M	Minimizes all windows open on desktop
˙ + E	Opens My Computer
˙ + F	Search for files or folders
˙	Displays the start menu

Use the Alt key on the keyboard to activate the following windows shortcut:

Alt + F4

Close the active window. Very helpful for Pop up windows in IE Explorer

Stop Auto Run

Hold down the shift key while inserting a CD will key the Auto run to start.

Permanently delete an item

Hold down the shift key and press delete. This will bypass the recycle bin. Be careful.

Scrap it

Saving a scrap of a document to the desktop can make it easier to consolidate pieces of multiple documents into one or when using a paragraph or graphic several times.  To scrap text from a Word document:

1.      Select the text you want to scrap

2.      Choose Copy from the Edit menu

3.      Minimize Word to view the desktop

4.      Right click anywhere on the desktop and click paste

The scrap will appear on the desktop as shown left and assign itself a name. You may wish to rename the scrap for your convenience (right click on the scrap and choose rename.) The document scrap can now be used again by copying it from the desktop and pasting it to the location you desire. Dragging and dropping selected text and graphics will achieve the same results.

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For Questions or Comments about this newsletter please contact: tlightle@bcoe.org

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