April 25 2005
Q: I use Outlook as my email management program.  Even though I am a pretty good speller, my typing needs improvement.  How can I get Outlook to automatically check all my emails spelling before it sends them?
A: All you need to do is turn on the spell checker feature.  Here's how:

1. Open Outlook
2. Tools > Options...
3. Click the 'Spelling' tab
4. Select 'Always check spelling before sending'
5. Click the 'Apply' button
6. Click the 'OK' button
*The same process works for Outlook Express.  Now there are no more exqcuses

April 11 2005
Q: When I am looking for a website using a search engine, I sometimes have to scan lengthy web pages to look for specific text.  How can I do this faster?
A: After you have opened the website (Either in Internet Explorer or Firefox):
1. Press the CTRL + F keys
-This brings up the ‘Find’ window
2. Type in the text you are looking for into the ‘Find what:’ field
3. Press the ‘Find Next’ button
You are taken to the first location where your text appears occurs on that web page!

You can also use CTRL + F to search through lengthy documents or spreadsheets.

April 18 2005
Q: I want to install a new software program, but I am not sure if my computer has the minimum requirements.  How can I check?
A: You can learn your computer's specificaitons in a few places.  Here's how:

Well, you can learn most of your computer's specs quickly by:
1. Find your 'My Computer' Icon-usually on your Desktop or in the Start menu
2. Right Click on your 'My Computer' Icon
3. Select 'Properties' from the Pointer Menu
Your:
-Windows Version
-Processor (Usually an Intel Pentium or AMD Athlon, along with Processor speed in MHz or GHz), and
-RAM depicted in KB (Kilobytes) MB (Megabytes) or GB (Gigabytes)
are listed in this screen (the General-tab).

- For the remaining specification of how much space is available on your Hard Disk Drive:
1. Find your 'My Computer' Icon-usually on your desktop or in the Start menu
2. Double click on your 'My Computer' Icon
3. Right Click on the 'Local Disk (C:)'
-Your hard disk capacity and well as the Used and Free space are displayed

April 4 2005
Q: I was working on an Excel spreadsheet and the right hand margin the 'Search for:' help field disappeared.  How do I get it back into view?
A: The margin is called the 'Task Pane' and it was a new feature in Microsoft Office 2003.  Here's how you get it back:

If you use Microsoft Office 2003 version software (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc).  Perhaps you noticed with this flavor of Office there is a new Window that appears in the right hand side of the screen that (tries to) provide you with instructions on how to complete a task or as a help reference-this Window is called the Task Pane.

If you are like me, perhaps you have been in the middle of the process (maybe finishing mail merge), following the instructions in Task Pane, you mash a key, and it disappears.  Now you are left trying to coax its reappearance.

Well, to bring it back all you need to do is this:
Press the F1 key on your keyboard.
-The 'Task  Pane' reappears