PC Club Table Top By  Gary Brumfield
August 23, 2010  

System Information: What is your Operating System (OS)?

· Left-click on the Windows Flag (START) button at bottom left of monitor screen

· L-click on Control Panel in the shaded area of the start window

· L-click on the System icon.

This opens a window containing important and useful information about your computer including Operating System and updates, your computer model and serial number and Microsoft Product Key.

Why?: This information handy to have when making a phone customer service call.

MS flag key + E = Windows Explorer shortcut 
(i.e. Computer/My Computer)

Right-Click for handy short cuts

Instead of searching crowded toolbars for an action that you want to perform, try Right clicking the mouse first. Many handy short cuts are available via R-Click that are application and window unique.

Try it everywhere, experiment, it’s fun and you will learn stuff!

Shortcuts & Desktop: Cluttered desktop? (Delete unused icons on desktop)

Do you have Icons on your desktop that you seldom or never use?

Simple solution = R-click and select Delete.

Note: this action does not delete the program/application/file, only the icon on your desktop. Now, rearrange the remaining Icons to suit your frequency of use. Demo: Delete used icons & show that programs are still available for use.

Hint: Icons/shortcuts on your desktop are best utilized for frequently used programs, applications, & files.

Conversely, if you want to Add shortcuts to your desktop for frequently used programs or applications,

· L-click the MS flag at the bottom left of the screen

· then L-click on All Programs

· R-click on desired application

· L-click on Send to

· L-click on Desktop (create shortcut)

The selected application Icon will appear on your desktop for future quick access with a simple double L-click. Show examples (Add icons to desktop)

This procedure also applies to a file or document that you want to access frequently, such as a journal, a monthly expenses spreadsheet, or a quick access photo file folder. However, creating a desktop shortcut for a file is best done from Windows Explorer or 
My Computer.

Documents: Open Windows Explorer,  L-click on the Views tab

Pictures: Open Windows Explorer, L-click on Pictures

L-click on the Views tab
View different selections

These are Mouse, Toolbar and drop-down menu commands that are especially helpful when working with photos, reports, spreadsheets, file management and much more.

You should be able to find you files quickly by using one of the following techniques:

· Go to your Desktop and L-click on the MS Flag; your Startup window opens

· L-click on Recent Items; a small window with 6 to 10 recently viewed files should appear

· L-click on your desired file and it will open if it is on your computer (explain this)

· Open the Application that you know you used to create the file you seek

· L-click on the application button in the uppermost left hand corner of the application window

· A window opens that shows the 10 to 12 most recently viewed files for this application

· L-click on the file you want to open

This is a correct procedure for most modern (2003 to present) Microsoft applications.

· Open the Application that you know you used to create the file you seek

· L-click on the application button in the uppermost left hand corner of the application window

· A window opens that shows Icon commands, L-click on Open file folder

OR

· L-click on the small Open folder icon in the uppermost left hand corner of the application window

· This opens the Widows Explorer window and opens your Documents folder

· L-click on the file you want to open

· For more extensive File search techniques, review the File Extension section of this document

Does anyone here use something other than MS Internet Explorer (I.E.) for their internet browser?

Most of us find the internet websites that we want to visit from web search engines (Bing, Google, Yahoo, etc.), TV ads or publications. Once we find our way to the correct site after wading through a maze of blinking advertisements and seemingly intentional misdirection, it’s smart to save that hard sought web address in our Browser’s Favorites/Bookmarks file.

It’s simple. With the correct web address showing in the internet address bar at the top of the browser window,

· L-click on Favorites

· L-click on Add to Favorites.

Now you will be able to get to that website more quickly from your browser by:

· L-clicking on Favorites to open the Favorites list,

· Then L-click on the website address you want.

Note: You can change the name of the website in your list to make it more user friendly. You can create file folders in your favorites list to organize similar websites into related categories. You can also show or hide the Favorites list on your browser page.

Examples: ( add sites to favs; add folders: Banking, Shopping, Media, Government, etc.; move some favs to folders; change web name; delete; show/hide favs list).

Additionally, if you have a website that you visit daily, you can make it even easier to access by:

· L-clicking on the yellow Star to the right of the Favorites Star.

This adds the selected website to the Favorites Bar for quicker one L-click access without going to the Favorites list.

Example: (add web addy to fav bar, then delete)

You should always periodically Save files and documents that you are working on, and other files and attachments that you want to keep.

Using the Save command or icon is the easiest way to save a file. However, for NEW files, the Save command/icon will save the file to a location of its choosing (usually Documents) and with a filename of its choosing (if the file does not already have a filename). These computer named files are often difficult to find later.

Using the Save As command option allows the user to select a unique filename and location (file folder) to store the file for later user friendly retrieval. Once a filename is created, the Save command/icon can be used for quick saving and retrieval.

File extensions: Who cares? Think of it as cultural diversity within your computer

Everything that you create and Save on your computer must have a unique FILENAME & FILE EXTENSION. The file extension is separated from the filename by a period/dot followed by a 3 to 5 letter extension mnemonic. Frequently, computer users will communicate using file extensions as adjectives.

Examples:

“Send me a PDF file of the User Manual for TurboTax.”

“Mom, I’m going to send you some JPEG’s (photos) of the kids.”

“Grandma, I want a MP3 (non-iPod personal music) player for Christmas.”

2011 Regal_Brochure.pdf

Monthly Expenses.xls

My Daily Journal.docx

2010 Summer at the Beach.jpg

Think of your computer as the United Nations and the various applications and programs are foreign dignitaries who speak different languages. For the most part, no two dignitaries/applications speak the same language and each one expects to interface in his native language. Each time you use one of the dignitaries/applications to create a file (letter, spreadsheet, edit photos, burn music, etc.), it is saved in the foreign language of the dignitary/application that created it. Usually, the file can only be opened, changed, read, edited and printed by the application (foreign language) that created it. The file extension directly identifies the program/application that created it. (Note: Program/application “translators” can sometimes bypass the above stated file extension rules).

Some common File Extensions (foreign languages) are:

· Go to your Documents file and sort by file extension (type). This groups all your Word documents, spreadsheets, music, photos, movies, etc, into common groups.

· Create a high-level file folder for each group, (i.e., Documents, Music, Movies, etc); L-click Organize tab, L-click New Folder, name folder

· Highlight, R-click and group drag all files of each group into the appropriate folders. (NOTE: You are given the opportunity to either Copy or Move the selected files to the new folder (See below).

· At your leisure, you can create meaningfully named sub-folders to further organize and refine your files for ease of access.

Examples: (create high level folders & sub folders; explain Copy vs. Move)

Documents: Correspondence, Templates: FAX & Letterhead, Journal, etc

Spreadsheets & Lists: Monthly Expenses, Christmas Card List, Work: Sales Forecast

Photos: By Date (2010 dec 20 – 28); Date+Occasion (2010 jun Mom’s BD), etc.

Say you were working on a Word document, an important letter, and you get interrupted and go off to address whatever… You come back later to find that your computer or the application has timed out with no sign of your letter. The application (Word) has probably saved the letter with a title of its own choosing; but, you don’t know what it is. You should be able to find your letter by:

· Going to Windows Explorer (Flag key + E)

· Type *.doc (star dot doc) in the Search box, (upper right corner of window)

· Highlight the “C” drive and L-click.

All of your Word files should show up in the Explorer window and you should be able to figure out which one is your lost letter. Applications create their own filenames by using either the title or the first few words from your document. The “*” (star/asterisk) symbol is considered a “wildcard” by Windows Search utilities. (Note that this Explorer window also allows you to sort your documents and files by alpha name, date modified, and other options.)

*.* “star dot star” would search for all saved files and documents in your computer (I wouldn’t recommend this = too much data)

*.avi would search for and list all video files in your computer

2010*.jpg would search for and list all photos whose filename begins with 2010

*forecast*.xls would search for and list all Excel spreadsheets with the word forecast in their filename.