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Tips & Tricks

for some Fun Stuff

         Quicklinks
         Drag and drop ~ Copy & Paste ~ Insert Key ~ Capitals ~ Broadband Troubleshooting ~ Webmail Address ~ How to Printscreen ~

         Cookies ~ Pictures not displaying ~  Buying a new  PC

        Creative Juices Computing - Guide to Buying a New Computer (Desktop, Laptop, or All-in-one)

        Click HERE to download

        Creative Juices Computing - Guide to Buying a new Tablet, iPad or Smartphone

        Click HERE  to download

        What the blazes is ‘drag and drop?

        This refers to an action made with the mouse where you click on the file you want to move and while

        holding down the mouse button, drag the file to where you want it (usually another folder) and then
        ‘drop it’, or let go of the mouse button.

        Okay, so whats ‘copy and paste’ then?

        Copy and paste is when you want to make a copy of a file or folder to put somewhere else. You can
        copy the file/folder a number of ways. These are universal in the Windows Operating system and many
        other programs.

 
        To copy...

        1)     Right-click the icon (of the file/folder you want to copy) and click copy (on the submenu)

        2)     Click first on the file/folder (to select it) then click ‘Edit’ on the menu at the top of
           the screen then click copy

        3)     Click first on the file/folder (to select it) then hold down the Control Key and push the ‘C’
           key (Control+C)

        Then you will need to open the folder you wish to paste the file/folder to. Then you need to paste

        the file. There are a number of ways to do this also.

 
        To paste...

        1)     Right-click the white space in the folder and choose paste (on the submenu)

        2)     Click ‘Edit’ on the menu at the top of the screen then click paste

        3)     Hold down the Control Key and push the ‘V’ key (Control+V)

        Sounds complicated but it’s a concept rather than a rule. Once you understand the concept, copying and
        pasting becomes second nature. Many of us copy (or cut) and paste using the same method. Windows
        gives a number of options for doing many basic tasks, you just end up using the one that works best for
        you.

         to download a white A4 printable version of this tip

         to download a Tutorial - a self running .exe file I made which shows you step by
                                    step how to Cut & Paste and Copy & Paste

        Broadband – simple troubleshooting

        Try…turning your modem/router off for 30 seconds then turn it back on. Make sure all the lights come up.

        Power, ADSL, PPP should all be solid, the Ethernet light should blink.

        Try…restarting your computer

        Check…all the cables are plugged in

        Ring your Service Provider or ISP (the people you pay for your broadband) to see if there are any

        problems on the network. 
        helpdesk.

       Webmail Address

        Never use your personal email address for subscribing to online newsletters or competitions. Always use
        a ‘webmail’ address. There are hundreds of sites with free webmail, among the most common are
        hotmail, yahoo, and gmail. I find that hotmail and yahoo have a number of issues so I personally use
        gmail. It has one of the largest storage capacities (and continues to grow) – that means it will hold a

        TON of emails before throwing out ‘storage full’ errors to your friends and family. And it has lots of

        other features as well. Have a look at 

        http://mail.google.com/mail/help/intl/en/about.html for a rundown.

        For most, simply choose a username and a password, (sometimes you will presented with another form)
        fill in the boxes and submit. And you’re away. And if you use it on a regular basis, you can even add the
        account to your email program so that your webmail is downloaded to your computer (saves the hassle
        of going to the site to look at your mail). This can be useful depending on your use of the webmail
        address. If you get spammed (the email equivalent of pamphlets in your letterbox) you can just close

        the webmail account and open another. Easy.

        You can also use your gmail account as an interim backup. Just send yourself an email and leave it in your
        Inbox, or you can even use it to transfer data between two computers in your house. If the other computer
        doesn’t have a usb port just send an email from the computer you’re on, then go to the other computer
        and download it to that computer. Isn’t technology wonderful?

        How to Printscreen

        Give a technician or repairman a printscreen of your error and he’ll love you forever. This doesn’t work
        if you have the dreaded ‘blue-screen-of-death’ but will work for just about everything else (unless your
        computer has frozen). When the error appears on your screen DO NOTHING! to make the error go away,
        but IMMEDIATELY, hit the Printscreen button (just above the Insert key or to the right of the F12 key) and
        then open a Word document or Image program and paste into the program. Save as usual. Save the file to
        a pendrive or to your desktop and tell the technician where it is so he can have a look at it.

        to download a Tutorial  - a self running .exe file I made which shows you step by
                                     step how to do a Printscreen

        Cookies - What are cookies used for, and is it OK to delete them?

        Cookies are small text files that a website can leave on your computer for future reference. For the most
        part, these cookies are used to remember login information, what you put in your shopping cart, or what
        your preferences are. You will not hurt anything by deleting your cookies, but you might notice that you
        will have to log in again at many websites that used to remember who you are.

        You can easily delete your cookies. Most internet browsers have instructions in their Help File for how to
        do this.

        Why are some of my images showing up as a red x when I try to view them?

        Reason 1

        Your anti-virus or firewall might be set to disable web bugs. What is a web bug, you ask? Nothing
        important; just a teeny, tiny image used for statistic tracking on websites. Sometimes this setting
        prevents other images from being shown.

        How you fix it:

        Go into your anti-virus settings and look for a setting called “Disable Web Bugs” and uncheck it. Not all
        anti-virus programs have it, mind you, so you might have to explore a bit!!

        Reason 2

        Your Internet Explorer security settings are set too high.

        How you fix it:

        In Internet Explorer go to Tools>Internet Options and then click on the Security Tab. From there, take a
        look and see what your security level is set to.  Medium-High, allows for most things. Gauge how you use
        the Internet and where you go to adjust this accordingly.

        Reason 3

        There is a security feature called “Block images and other external content in HTML e-mail.” Having

        this feature turned on will block pictures sent through email.

        How you fix it:

        Depending on what email program you are using, the path is usually...click on Tools>Options>Security>,

        and then uncheck the “Block images and other external content” check box. Click OK. With newer

        email programs you may have to look around for wherever they've moved the settings to, and follow your

        nose.
      

       Buying a new PC
 

         This can be a time consuming and often frustrating process so don’t expect it to happen in half an hour.

        A lot of people don’t realize it’s not as easy as they think. There can be a number of pitfalls from

        incompatible software and operating systems, to no current drivers for your hardware, to conflicts

        between software and hardware. Be patient and prepared. A Checklist is at the bottom of this article.

        So, you’ve decided to buy a new PC huh? What fun! But not if you haven't been asked some very
        pertinent questions. Especially if you're going from Windows XP to Windows 7 or 8.

        For example, did you know that Windows 7 does not come with an email program? The days of
        Outlook Express are over! Mr Microsoft (in his wisdom) has decided that users know what program
        they want to use, and with the advent of 'cloud computing' more of us are using webmail (i.e. accessing
        our mail through our ISP's webpage on Internet Explorer) instead of using an email application.

        So one of the first questions will be...how am I going to get my email? Through an internet browser
        like Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Opera, or Avant Browser or will I download and use one of the
        free options like Windows Live Mail, Opera Mail or Mozilla Thunderbird? Or something else?

        One of the next big questions is, will all my 'stuff' work with Windows 7? My printer? My camera?
        My capture box? tablet? PDA? media player? Any hardware or peripheral needs the drivers to go with
        each operating system. Before you make that all important decision, take a note of what external
        hardware you have and check that the manufacturer has published updated drivers for whatever
        version of Windows you're upgrading to and check the Microsoft Capability Website for their operating

        system database which will tell you if your device is compatible with your new operating system.

- o 0 o -

        Is there anything you want from your old PC?

        Do you want any of the programs or data?

        Data is…movies, photos, documents, videos, favourites etc.

        Programs are…Microsoft Office, Photoshop, accounting software like MYOB or Microsoft Money,

        shareware such as Winzip or Freeware such as Irfanview.

        Have a look through your old PC for any data or programs that you may want on your new PC. 

        Data transfer is relatively easy, however there are a few pitfalls. In most cases you can simply burn the
        data to a CD/DVD or copy to a pendrive which you can then put into your new PC and copy over. If you
        have large amounts of data on a computer less than five years old, you can use a portable drive.
        Note** older computers may detect a large (e.g. 60GB) drive, but will not load it up, so they can’t be

        used.

        But as for your programs, you’ll need the original disk or the original install file that you have backed up
        onto disk or pendrive for just such an occasion (haven’t you?) You cannot “reverse engineer’ software
        by copying the ‘Program Files’ folder – it just doesn’t work that way. You NEED the original disk or install
        file with the product key or serial number. (Some programs need a key or serial…some don’t)

        If you're giving your old PC away and formatting the hard drive (wiping the hard drive), then this is your
        last chance to get that data or program install file. Be very careful with your transfers because once the
        format is done, that’s it. If you backup your program install files and data with clearly marked labels on CD’s,
        then you won’t face problems down the road. Personally I would recommend keeping your old PC for a
        few months, even running the two together (if you can) just in case there’s any obscure program you
        haven’t remembered but can’t do without.

        You should also check your backups to make sure nothing is incomplete or corrupt. Finding out that the
        ‘burn’ failed when you’ve already given away/sold/formatted your old PC is one of those you moments
        you never want to experience first-hand.

        There are other things to consider…

        Hardware

        You will also need to install all your hardware on the new computer. i.e. your printer, camera, scanner…

        you will need the install disks if you plan on using the software that came with the device, and/or check

        the manufacturers website for updated software and drivers for the operating system on your new PC.

        Internet and email access

        After installing your broadband modem, you will need to configure your internet access and once you’ve
        decided how you're going to get your email, you’ll need to configure it as necessary. If you are changing
        from Outlook Express to Windows Live Mail or another mail program you will need to check you can
        ‘export’ your Address Book into the new program otherwise you will be typing in your hundreds of email
        addresses by hand. I, personally have done that once, and I will never do it again!! A backup is your best
        friend, and most programs will let you export your address book in a format that other programs can use.

        Security

        Be safe rather than sorry. Secure your new PC before you go online. If you didn’t think about it before,
        stop and think now about your antivirus, firewall and spyware protection. If you didn’t pre-download
        these programs, use another (protected) computer to download the latest version of your software (free
        or paid versions if you have paid for a licence). Install your antivirus and spyware applications and turn
        on the firewall of your choice. There is a built-in firewall in XP and Vista and Win7 as well as in your
        broadband modem.

        Stuff you don’t want

        These new computers seem to have lots of ‘extra’s that we didn’t know we were getting or ask for.
        Like, ISP promotions (often for US companies) and trial versions of software. If you don’t want it (and
        its not crucial to a system service) then uninstall it. You’ll get more hard drive space to work with, you
        won’t have your Start Menu or Desktop cluttered up with unused and unwanted icons, and whose computer
        is it anyway?!

        Note** Most if not all Vista computers and some Windows 7 sold had a trial version of Microsoft Office 2007
        installed. If you own or bought a retail copy of Microsoft Office 2007 DO NOT install this over top of the
        trial version. You must uninstall the trial version first. Trust me, it gets very messy if you don’t.

        Checklist

        1)       Have all your data (music, photos etc) in one central place.

        2)       Backup your data to a pendrive, portable drive or CD/DVD. Do two copies on different media if
                  you have a healthy level of paranoia.

        3)       Check you have installation disks or backup copies of the install files for all programs that you
                  want to install on your new PC, with serial numbers or product keys.

        4)       Check you have installation disks or drivers for all the hardware you want to connect to your new PC.

        5)       Check you have your Broadband Username and Password handy to set up your internet access.

        6)       Check you have decided how you are going to access your email - webmail or application. And have
                  your Email Username, Email Address and Password handy to set up your email.

        7)       Check you have decided on (and downloaded) your security options. i.e. firewall and antivirus.

                  Install security apps, whatever you’ve chosen as soon as you have set up your internet access.
 

             The Net Ten Commandments - 9). Thou shalt not sign up thy friends & family to porn....err...
             joke newsletters

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