Feb 27 2006
Q: I saw one of my co-workers enter a series of months across the top of a spreadsheet.  She did it so quickly I didn’t see how it was done.  Can you tell me how to do this?

A: This Excel short-cut is very handy.  It works with Months and Days of the Week and can be used to fill-in either rows or columns
 
Say you are creating a spreadsheet with a row of Months across the top.  Here’s how you can fill-in the Months:
1. Place the Cursor into the cell you want to start the series of Months (Ex. Cell A1)
2. Type in ‘January’
-Notice the black box at the lower right-hand side of the cell (or at least it is a little darker around the corner)
3. Place the Cursor over that black box until it turns into a solid cross ‘+’
4. Drag to the next cell B1
-It is automatically filled-in with February
This also works with abbreviations (Jan, Mon, etc.)!

Feb 13 2006
Q: This last week I had two of my customers ask me about the same problem.  Periodically, they get a message ‘Virtual memory running low’ usually when they are running several programs.

First, let me give a brief explanation; Virtual Memory is a mechanism that Windows used to compensate for when RAM memory (the real physical memory that comes on a chip) was more expensive.

When your computer is working, it stores critical information in the RAM memory – this is the real, physical memory (like what you can purchase at an electronics store).  Back in the old days, RAM memory was very expensive hence; it was available only in limited quantities.  To compensate for the limited RAM memory, Windows cleverly created a mechanism that saves any ‘overflow’ on to the Hard Drive that pretends to be this RAM memory.  This is the Virtual Memory and the amount of space dedicated on your Hard Drive to it can be adjusted.

A: There is a way to adjust the Virtual Memory on your computer so you won’t get this message.  Here’s how:
In Windows XP:
1. Right click on your My Computer icon (either in your Start menu or Desktop)
2. Select ‘Properties’
3. Click the ‘Advanced’ tab
Under the Performance section
4. Click the ‘Settings’ button
In the Performance Options window:
5. Click the Advanced tab
Under the Virtual Memory section:
6. Click the ‘Change’ button
7. Select ‘System managed size’
8. Click the ‘Set’ button
9. Click OK at the message saying you have to restart your computer
10. Click OK
11. Click Apply
12. Click OK
13. Click OK to restart your computer
That’s it!

Feb 6 2006
Q: I have Icons & Short-cuts scattered all over my Desktop.  Is there a way I can just quickly arrange them neatly so I don’t have to drag them or re-organize them:

A: The quickest way to re-organize your Desktop Icons and keep them arranged automatically is this:
1. Select a blank area on your desktop
2. Right click once
-This reveals the Mouse Menu
3. Select ‘Arrange Icons By’
4. Select ‘Auto Arrange’
All of your Icons will neatly arrange themselves, lining up in columns on the left-hand side of your Desktop!

Feb 20 2006
Q: Is there a way I can get ACT! to record an entire email under the History section of a specific Contact?

A: Yes.  You probably realize that ACT! records the subject and time/date stamp for all outbound emails sent to your Contacts when you create the email starting from their contact record.  You may find times when you need to record an email in its entirety sent to you.

Here’s how you do it in ACT! 5.0 and newer:

In your ACT! Email:

1. Go to your Inbox (this will also work with when you are in ANY email folder)

2. Find the email you want to attach to the contact

3. Right click on that email

4. Select ‘Attach to Contact…’

5. Select the contact(s) to whom you want to attach the email

6. Click OK

That’s it!

The email is saved in its entirety under that Contact’s Notes/History or History section.  You can attach an email to one or several Contacts at once.  After a while, you may find that you won’t need to create so many folders in your Inbox!