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Technology - Top 12 Tips

Written by Adrian Caruso, CEO/Master Business Coach of TA Fastrack

1. Changing Your Default Mouse Button

A standard mouse has two buttons, one on the left and one on the right. If you are left-handed, you may want to change the default mouse button. To do this simply:
Click the Start button
Select the Settings command

1. Double click the Control Panel icon
2. Double click the Mouse icon
3. Select the Buttons tab
4. Under Button configuration, make your selection
5. Click OK

2. Create a Customised Links Toolbar

For websites that you visit frequently, this is an extremely useful tool - a much better solution than favourites or bookmarks. To create your own customised links toolbar...

1. In Internet Explorer, view the Links toolbar by choosing View > Toolbars > Links
2. Once on a frequently used website, add it to your links bar by dragging the URL icon onto this bar - this will create the link to the page you are on
3. Edit the link name by right-clicking each one an choosing Rename
4. You may also want to delete the default links that appear by right-clicking and choosing Delete

3. Creating Keyboard Shortcuts

Do you have a folder or program to which you want instant access to (no matter where you are on your computer)?
For example, if you would like My Documents folder to pop up while you have Word or Excel maximised, use the following steps to create the shortcut

1. Select the folder in Windows Explorer
2. Create a shortcut and place it on the desktop (You can create a shortcut by clicking on the Folder, selecting New on the File menu, then clicking Shortcut. Right click on Shortcut and send to Desktop)
3. Right-click the shortcut on the desktop and then click Properties
4. In the Properties dialog box, click the Shortcut tab, and in the Shortcut key box, enter a Control key combination or a Control-Shift key combination (i.e. CTRL+ALT+D or CTRL+SHIFT+D - in this case D represents Documents - you may use any other letter) and then click OK

Anytime you hit your specified key combination, your folder/program will open, even when other programs are open. This tip can be used for folders, programs and text file shortcuts.

4. Use Keyboard Shortcuts

If you use frequently use the web as a resource, its worthwhile learning some productivity increasing shortcuts...

1. Open a new window - CTRL+ N (don't go overboard though as too many windows open will slow your system)
2. Open a link in a new window - SHIFT + CTRL + click link (Internet Explorer only)
3. Find on this Page - CTRL + F (very useful for finding key information on a long web page)
4. Go to Next Page - ALT + right arrow
5. Go to Previous Page - ALT + left arrow

5. Fast Spelling

Word uses wavy red underlines to indicate possible spelling errors and wavy green underlines to indicate possible grammatical errors. If you right click on the underlined word you will see a menu from which you can select the correction you want.

6. Go Directly to a Website

Tired of waiting for your homepage to open when all you are going to do is type in a new address. Then try this quick trick:

1. Click the Start button in Windows and select Run
2. Type in the Internet address you want to visit (www.breadtv.com.au)
3. Then click the OK button

Your browser will start and take you directly to the specified website.

7. Keep Monitors Cool

Computer monitors need to stay cool. Unfortunately, they make useful resting places for various items. However, if papers, manuals and other items are piled on top of the monitor, the cooling vents become blocked. This can cause the monitor to fail instantly or constant internal heat can shorten the monitors life over time.

8. Minimise All (an all-time favourite tip)

Do you often have lots of programs open and then need to access a short cut on your desktop?
Rather than minimise each application separately, simply press the Windows key and "M" (for minimise) at the same time. Voilah!

9. Prevent Keyboards from Drowning

Although it sounds obvious spilt liquids are the most common cause of keyboard problems. If the liquid seeps down into the keyboard circuitry irreparable damage is done and the keyboard will need to be replaced. This is even more serious if you use a laptop. To prevent these problems from occurring keep all drinks well away from your keyboard. If you do spill water on a notebook keyboard, immediately turn the computer off and remove the battery. Remove any excess water with a tissue and lightly dry with a hair dryer. Wait at least one day before turning the computer back on again. Do not turn the keyboard upside down. With the low cost of desktop keyboards, it is best to just get a replacement.

10. Quick Commands - Adding Commands to Your Toolbar

Adding frequently used commands to your toolbar will save you time. For example, to add the Save As command to your toolbar simply:

1. Click the Tools menu and select Customise
2. In the Customise dialog box, select the Commands tab
3. Then select File under Categories
4. Select Save As in the Commands box and drag it to the location of your choice on the toolbar (make certain that before you let go of the mouse button, there is a + sign not an x next to the icon)
5. After you released the mouse button, you should now have a Save As button on the toolbar

11. Quick Selections

When working in Word, you can select a single word in your document by double-clicking it. You can select a paragraph by triple-clicking anywhere in the paragraph. This can be useful when you are cutting and pasting, or if you want to spell check a single word or paragraph.

12. Share and Send Documents as Web Pages

Not all companies and people use the same platform or word processing software. Consider this scenario - you have created a Word document that needs to be distributed to a few of your customers and you would like to send it as an attachment. But the problem is that they are using different word processors and cannot read the document.
An easy solution is to save your Microsoft Word document as a Web page. The recipient only needs a browser to view the document and the format and appearance is not changed from the original.
To save your document as a Web Page, do the following (note the differences between Word 97 and Word 2000/XP)

1. On the File menu, click Save as Web Page (in Word 2000/XP) or Save As HTML (in Word 97)
2. In the Save in box, type or select the name of the folder where you want to save the file
3. In the File Name box, type of select the name of the file
4. In the Save as type box, select Web Page (in Word 2000/XP), or select HTML Document (in Word 97)
5. Click Save

To verify layout and appearance, go to Internet Explorer and on the File menu, select Open and then Browse your local drive. Select the file you would like to distribute and view it in your Web Browser. This is what users will see when they open the document.

This article is sourced from Invizage Technology's Technology Information Resources
Invizage Technology is Australia's leading provider of technology solutions for Small-Medium Businesses

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