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We've been sending out this PC Help Newsletter since 1994, and it contains no advertising of any kind – just useful computer tips.
Furthermore, your email address is safe with us – we don't share it with anyone under any conditions whatsoesver.
PLEASE NOTE:
Most of the information on this page applies to various programs such as Excel, Lotus 123, Quattro Pro, MSWorks, OpenOffice Calc, and the spreadsheet program in Google Docs.
However, these various programs don't always do everything in the same exact way.
Click on Help when you find an inconsistency.
There are no fancy sign-up forms – just mention newsletter in the subject line of your email.
We've been sending out this PC Help Newsletter since 1994, and it contains no advertising of any kind – just useful computer tips.
Furthermore, your email address is safe with us – we don't share it with anyone under any conditions whatsoesver.
PLEASE NOTE:
Most of the information on this page applies to various programs such as Excel, Lotus 123, Quattro Pro, MSWorks, OpenOffice Calc, and the spreadsheet program in Google Docs.
However, these various programs don't always do everything in the same exact way. Click on Help when you find an inconsistency.
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Keeping Spam Out of Your Email
Bob Conlin called to say he likes Outlook Express, but that his account was accepting too much spam. He asked about switching to Gmail. Yes, Gmail filters out almost all spam, but users can have the best of both services by using Gmail for their main email address and having messages forwarded to an Outlook Express account (or to a Windows Mail account or to most other email services). Within a Gmail page click Settings>Forwarding and insert the target email address. We use multiple Gmail addresses for different purposes and have all messages funneled into our Windows Mail account. One of Gmail's handiest features is combining messages with multiple back-and-forth replies into their own separate "conversation" groups. Translate Foreign Language in an Email You can also opt to have Gmail translate messages that arrive in a foreign language. Click on Settings>Labs>Message Translation. When a foreign tongue message arrives Gmail will ask what language you would like it translated into. Google's Quickie Calculator Another interesting Google feature is its "Search Box" calculator. If you type a formula into Google's Search box, pressing Enter will display the result. For instance typing, say, 36+120= will produce the sum of 156. Typing 240-20= will result in 220. Use an asterisk (*) for multiplication and a slash (/) for division. You can also solve algebraic equations by separating various elements with parentheses, just as you would with pencil and paper.
A brand new Google feature provides "411 Information" service for FREE if you dial: 1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411). Put it on your speed-dial. (Thanks to Phillip Woodard for this tip!) Google has posted more information and an instructional video at: google.com/goog411. Attaching Pictures to an Email Bob Conlin went on to say he uses Snapfish.com for showing photos to friends, but recipients have complained about receiving advertising with the pictures. I explained that photos can be attached directly to an outgoing email by clicking the email service's Attach (paper clip) icon in the toolbar, browsing to the target image, and double-clicking it. Alternatively, you can right-click a picture's icon and choose Send To>Mail Recipient. Your default email account will open with the picture already attached to an outgoing message. Inserting Date & Time into an MSWord Doc Bob also had a Microsoft Word question. When he time-stamps a letter by clicking Insert>Date & Time, the date will have changed to the current calendar date whenever the file is subsequently opened. He wants the date to continue showing when he created the file. Well, Bob hadn't realized that "Update Automatically" had been checked. Deselecting the option fixed the problem. Strange Symbols in an MSWord Document Another Word question was, "Why have some strange symbols begun to appear in my documents, such as the 'paragraph' marker (sort of a backwards P)?" Well, we may never find out how they got there, but here's how to remove them: click on Tools>Options>View and deselect "Formatting Marks." (These are special editing symbols that are sometimes required by various print publishers.) Inserted Text Being 'Swallowed Up' Another frequent question is, "Why can't I insert typing into a phrase without the letters to the right of my cursor being 'swallowed up' as I type?" This is because your "Insert" key has been inadvertently pressed. On vintage pre-mouse computers this key once served as a useful editing tool; but on today's PCs it causes way more problems than it solves. Press it once to fix the 'swallowing up' problem (and try not to press it again).
Regarding a recent column about enlarging email text, Henry Lulli wrote, "I hold down CTRL while moving the mouse knob." Right – if your mouse has a center wheel you can roll it forward and backward with CTRL depressed to adjust text sizes in web-based email (such as in Hotmail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc.) as well as on web pages in general. Thanks, Henry. Somebody named Andy wrote, "If you use email programs such as Thunderbird, SeaMonkey, Netscape 7.x, and Eudora, then you can adjust the viewing text size. You can click on Edit, Text Size and adjust it there. If the program is set up correctly, then you can hold down the shift key and use the mouse wheel. You can hold down the ctrl key and hit the plus or minus keys. You can use addons such as no-squint. Or, you can edit a certain little file so ALL your incoming messages will be large size. Its the same settings if you use the browsers of Firefox, SeaMonkey, Netscape 7, 8, and 9, Flock, K-Meleon, Songbird, and a few others." |