Ten Vista Tips

Here are some helpful Windows Vista tricks to try out.

1.) To quickly change the size of the desktop icons, select one and hold down the Ctrl key and scroll with your mouse wheel. You can do the same in other windows, in order to increase the font size too.

2.) Sharing a folder with other people in your network is even easier with Vista. Open any Windows Explorer window (say My Documents, for example) and highlight it. From the command bar, select Share. Then use the down arrow to select all the users in your list or you can type the name of the person in the network you want to share with and click Add. After that, you can select the permission level you want to grant to that person. Vista can also auto-generate an e-mail that will allow the recipient quick access to the shared document.

3.) The Vista magnifier is a very handy tool if you have trouble seeing what’s on your computer screen or if your eyes get strained from reading text. To access it, simply press Win + U (Win is the button with the flag on it). From there, select Start Magnifier.

4.) Microsoft releases many operating system upgrades and at times, you can lose track of what updates have been installed on a PC. With Vista though, this job is a cakewalk. Go to Start, Control Panel, move to Windows Upgrade and in the left side bar, click View upgrade history.

5.) The Briefcase feature that has been a common fixture in previous Microsoft operating systems is a useful way to sync PCs. This is especially true for the ones that are not on the same network. This useful feature appears again in Vista.

Go to the folder where you want to create a new Briefcase and right click. Select New, Briefcase. Give the Briefcase a name so it’s easier to locate. Now, simply drag or copy any files that you want to sync into the Briefcase. Once you have selected all the files, right click the Briefcase and select Send To. Choose the removable media you want to copy it to.

Next, simply insert the media on which you copied the files into a second PC, open the Briefcase and make any changes you want to the files. Then save the changes. Once you're back on the first PC, reinsert the media, right click the Briefcase and select Update All.

If you are using the Briefcase feature over a network, simply move the Briefcase to the second PC and once you or the other user has made changes to the files, right click the Briefcase and select Update All.

6.) If you, for some reason, don’t like the sound of audio notifications in Vista, you can replace them with visual ones. Simply switch on the visual notifications for sounds and then choose the visual warning that you want.

Go to Start, type "Ease" in the Search box and hit Enter to open the Ease of Access Center (or press the Win key). Select "Use text or visual alternatives for sounds." Place a checkmark on "Turn on visual notifications for sounds (Sound Sentry)." Then under "Choose visual warning," select the option you would like to use and click Save. Now, no more will you hear the repetitive Windows sounds.

7.) If you can't or don't like pressing combination keys (like Ctrl + Alt + Del, for instance), you can set up your keyboard so you can press the keys one at a time. Again, go to Start, type "Ease" and hit Enter to open Ease of Access Center. Select the option that says “Make the keyboard easier to use." Under "Make it easier to type," place a checkmark next to "Turn on Sticky Keys" and then hit Save.

8.) Speech recognition -  Speech recognition allows you to control your computer by voice. By using it, you can do virtually all the tasks you can do with a mouse and a keyboard. For example, starting programs, opening menus, dictating text into documents, e-mails, etc. To activate the speech recognition feature, click Start, type "Windows Speech" in the Search box and hit Enter to open the Windows Speech Recognition window. Select Start Speech Recognition and follow the simple tutorial to set up your microphone and the actual speech recognition. Once you're done, remember to set the speech recognition to start each time you log on to your computer.

9.) If you have multiple documents open in applications (eg  five Word documents that you are simultaneously working on), you can switch between each document by pressing the Ctrl + F6 key combination.

10.) If you regularly work with someone overseas or interstate and you need to keep track of their time difference you can simply add an additional clock in Windows Vista. To do so, click the clock, go to Date and Time Settings and click the Additional Clocks tab. You can add two additional clocks to the tray and select the time zones for both

Wrap the text of your document around the table

If you're an MS Word table user then it's quite possible that you've spent some time trying figure out how to wrap the text of your document around the table.

For those of you who have unsuccessfully searched here's what you need to know.

As always, before you can wrap text you must already have the table in the document. Once it is there then right-click on the table.



From the menu that opens choose Table Properties.

(For those of you with Word 2007… you can also find reach the Table Properties dialog box using the Table Tools, Layout tab of the Ribbon, Table Properties button.)



Now that everyone is in the Table Properties dialog window you need the Table tab.



The bottom section is where you'll find your two text wrapping choices.

If you select Around and click OK you'll find that the text in your document has nicely wrapped itself around the table.

This works the same way text wrapping works with graphics - you move the table and the text readjusts to wrap around its new location.

Word 2007 underline choices

For years we've all used Microsoft Word and have come to rely upon our handy underline button.

Assuming that you've made the transition to Word 2007, then I'm sure you were happy to see the Underline button safe and sound (not to mention easy to find) on the Home tab of the Ribbon.

But, have you really looked at the new Underline button? - Let's compare W2007 with earlier versions:



See the difference? The 2007 version has a down arrow indicating some choices.

Click the down arrow and take a look. As you can see there's several underline choices readily available… the same choices you've always had (and still do) in the Font dialog box…



With that one little addition to the Underline button your choices are now at your fingertips without extra dialog boxes and all the hassles that can go along with using them.

Say it with pizzaz.

Tired of the plain old text boxes in MS Excel? Want a way to make text more interesting?

Do you want to turn this...

into this?

This is just one of the many solutions available, but this method is so easy to do and is available across the board. All you need are the drawing tools, which can be found in MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint.

The first thing you need to do is to locate your drawing tools. You can do this in a couple of ways. One way is to click on the Drawing Tools button located on the Standard Toolbar.

Another way to access the drawing tools is to go to the View menu, Toolbars choice and then select Drawing from the list.

Either way you should see a new toolbar on the screen containing a lot of available options. We're looking for the AutoShapes button.

You'll notice that when you click on the AutoShapes button you get a menu that lists the categories of shapes available.

Picking a shape from one of the category palettes is the next step. Find one that will work for your particular situation and click on its button.

Your mouse pointer should have just become cross hairs that allow you to draw the shape.

Now take your pointer into the document. Click, hold and drag to draw the shape. Once the shape is drawn you can move it around and set text outside the shape to wrap just like a picture.

To get your message into the shape, move the mouse pointer over the shape and right click. The menu that pops up will contain many choices. Choose Add Text.

A cursor will appear inside the shape. From there you can type in the text as usual, formatting and all.

When you've completed your text, just click outside the shape and you'll be returned to the main document.

To edit the text, simply double-click on the shape.

Now you too can create eye-catching documents in a matter of minutes

Navigate Worksheets without Using Tabs

If you have many sheets in your Excel workbooks this tip may save you a great deal of scrolling left and right or using Ctrl + Page Up / Ctrl + Page Down to find the right tab?

Go to the bottom left corner of the program window to the worksheet horizontal scroll arrows.

Right-click

As you can see, a list of worksheet names will open where you can then simply choose the one to which you need to relocate.

The list will show up to 15 worksheets - after that you'll need to use the "More Sheets..." option.

This will open the Activate dialog box containing all of the worksheets. Select one and click OK..

Jumping from this worksheet to that worksheet and back again in a large Excel file has never been so easy.

Please note that we do not provide support for our Word and Excel tips as they are provided by a third party. If you need further information why not try using Google - Cut and paste the heading of our tip into Google's search box. You'll be amazed at the information available.

Bob was hitchhiking on a very dark and stormy night in the hills far from home. A grey mist covered everything in the valleys below. It was getting late, Bob was getting more scared by the minute and still no car came by.

Something made him turn to look over his shoulder - he was right to be worried - a set of headlights came round the corner - he froze as heard no sound of a car.

Trembling he quickened his pace and walked faster his breath forming in clouds in the cold night air as he started his way up the next slope in the road. 

The car kept coming, silent as the night and just as he felt his lungs would burst from the effort of walking up the hill it slid silently to a stop right next to him.

Frightened out of his wits Bob decided that it was better to be inside the car away from the cold and the mist. His mind screaming with fear, he opened the door and jumped in as the car topped the hill and slowly started moving down the other side.

His breath caught in his throat as he realised that the driver's seat was empty - There was no-one driving the car.  His blood turned cold as he saw an approaching curve and he knew that he would never see the light of dawn again. 

A ghostly white hand appeared out of the mist and clamped itself around the wheel and steered the car around the curve. The nightmare continued as Bob sat paralysed in the rear seat as the same hand appeared out of the mist each time the car approached a curve. But now it was worse - Bob could hear the sound of heavy breathing close to the car - whatever was out there was hidden in the mist and he could only imagine what it was and what it would do to him.

Looking out of the passenger side window Bob finally saw the lights of a town in the valley below. He summoned his courage and slipped quietly out of the passenger side door and rolled down the grassy hill to the village below.

Soaking wet from the damp grass and rather muddy he saw a pub on the street not 100 metres away. Running to the door he entered the pub and ordered a large one to calm his nerves.

The door of the pub opened 10 minutes later and two guys walked in and quickly noticed Bob at the bar - their dark watchful eyes travelled over his wet and muddy clothes as they approached the bar and Bob heard one of them say.......

"Hey, look, isn't that the jerk who got in the car when we were pushing it through the hills"?

One Good Deed 

A man appeared before St. Peter at the Pearly Gates.

A man appeared before St. Peter at the Pearly Gates 

Have you ever done anything of particular merit"? St. Peter asked. 

"Well, I can think of one thing," the man offered. "Once, on a trip to the Black Hills, out in South Dakota, I came upon a gang of bikers, who were threatening a young woman. I directed them to leave her alone, but they wouldn't listen. So, I approached the largest and most heavily tattooed biker and smacked him in his face, kicked his bike over, ripped out his nose ring and threw it on the ground. I yelled, "Now, back off or I'll ruin you all!"  

St. Peter was impressed 

When did this happen"? he asked.  

Just a couple of minutes ago 

Goodnight, Beautiful. 

By the time the sailor pulled into a little town, every hotel room was taken. "You've got to have a room somewhere," he pleaded. "Or just a bed, I don't care where." 

"Well, I do have a double room with one occupant, an Air Force guy," admitted the manager, "and he might be glad to split the cost. But to tell you the truth, he snores so loudly that people in adjoining rooms have complained in the past. I'm not sure it'd be worth it to you."

"Well, I do have a double room with one occupant, an Air Force guy," admitted the manager, "and he might be glad to split the cost. But to tell you the truth, he snores so loudly that people in adjoining rooms have complained in the past. I'm not sure it'd be worth it to you." 

Well, I do have a double room with one occupant, an Air Force guy," admitted the manager, "and he might be glad to split the cost. But to tell you the truth, he snores so loudly that people in adjoining rooms have complained in the past. I'm not sure it'd be worth it to you."

"No problem," the tired Navy man assured him. "I'll take it

The next morning the sailor came down to breakfast bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. "How'd you sleep"? asked the manager.

"Never better."

The manager was impressed. "No problem with the other guy snoring"?

"Nope, I shut him up in no time," said the Navy guy. 

"How'd you manage that"? asked the manager.

"He was already in bed, snoring away, when I came in the room," the sailor explained.

"I went over, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and said, 'Goodnight, beautiful,' and he sat up all night watching me."

Congratulations!

A new business was opening and one of the owner's friends wanted to send flowers for the occasion.

They arrived at the new business site and the owner read the card; it said, "Rest in Peace."

The owner was angry and called the florist to complain. After he had told the florist of the obvious mistake and how angry he was, the florist said, "Sir, I'm really sorry for the mistake, but rather than getting angry you should imagine this: somewhere there is a funeral taking place today, and they have flowers with a note saying, "Congratulations on your new location."