Frequently asked questions always include e-mail attachments and the confusion of what program to use to open them. Learning to recognize common file extensions (ie. MeetingAgenda.doc – where “.doc” is the file extension) will help to take some frustration away from the task. Often used programs and their extensions are:.doc & .docx – Microsoft Word – Microsoft Office added the x onto the end of their Word and Excel extensions beginning with the 2007 edition. If you have an earlier edition of the program installed, you can go to www.microsoft.com/downloads and download a free converter which will allow you to open and print a filewith the newer extension. .xls & .xlsx – Microsoft Excel .pdf – Adobe Reader – www.adobe.com for the free program .jpg or .gif or .png- picture files – all computers have built in programs to open these
Backups
There are so many easy options for backups these days that you have no excuse not to do it! Microsoft Windows has reliable software built into all of their operating systems. Windows 7 certainly is the most user friendly, but if you don’t want to purchase additional backup software, there isno reason to. You can use flash drives (very inexpensive), externalhard drives, CDs or DVDs. If you aren’t sure where the Windows backup software is on your computer, just type “backup” in the “Search programs & files” box directly above the start menu in Vista or Windows 7.A second option is to backup to the “cloud”. The “cloud” is really just a large computer that stores files in a remote location. You will need a high speed internet connection in order to transfer your files. Windows Live SkyDrive offers anyone a free Windows Live account with storage space. Dropbox is another free service with 2 GB of free space and if you are willing to refer friends who sign up, you can get as much as 16 GB free. One last option for free space is a version of Mozy. If you need a lot of space, the paid versions of Mozy or Carbonite are very reasonable. Don’t dismiss the idea of using 2 methods. Offsite storage is obviously a safe guard in case a home or office were completely destroyed.Useful Websites
Tip of the monthYou’re probably used to the standard way of selecting multiple files or folders in Windows Explorer by holding down the Shift key (contiguous selection) or the Ctrl key (not contiguous selection) while clicking on files or folders. However, Windows7 introduced an easier way of selecting multiple files and folders. You can display a check box next to each file andfolder. Clicking the check box next to an item selects that item. In order to do this, you need to turn this option on:To enable check boxes, click on Start and type Folder Options into the search box directly above the wheel. Hit Enter. In the Folder Options window, click on the Viewtab and scroll down under Advanced Settings and check the box next to Use check boxes to select items, then click Apply and OK In some versions of Windows 7, you may just have an option which reads “Use check boxes to select items”. Then you don’t need to look for Advanced Settings.
Now you will notice a small check box when you see files listed and you can click the boxes to select multiple documents or files. If you look under the menu bar at the top of the window you shoudl also seean option to “Select All”.
