Originally Posted June 8, 2008

You may already take advantage of the Fill Series feature in Excel (where you can fill in a series of dates like January, February, March, etc or Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday etc.) in a simple drag of your mouse.  You an create a custom Fill list for your needs that does the same thing for your company divisions, product lines, managers, or whatever.  Here's how you do it.

In Excel 2003
1. Tools > Options...

2. Click the 'Custom Lists' tab
-In the 'List entries' field
3. Enter the first name in series that you want to have filled-in.  Be sure to type a ', ' comma and a space before typing the next name
-Continue until you  have your series complete
4. Click 'OK' when done

How to use:
1. Enter the first name in the series in cell, then press ENTER

2. Place your cursor on the cell you just typed
3. Place your mouse on the black box at the lower right-hand side of the cursor (the black box around the highlighted cell)

4. Drag across (or down) to fill-in the cells with the cells with your custom fill-in series

In Excel 2007
In Excel
1. Click the 'OfficeButton'
2. Click the 'Excel Options' button

-Under the Top Options for working with Excel section
3. Click the 'Edit Custom Lists...' button


-In the 'List entries' field
4. Enter the first name in series that you want to have filled-in.  Be sure to type a ', ' comma and a space before typing the next name
5. Continue until you  have your series complete
6. Click 'OK'
7. Click 'OK' again

How to use:
1. Enter the first name in the series in cell, then press ENTER

2. Place your cursor on the cell you just typed
3. Place your mouse on the black box at the lower right-hand side of the cursor (the black box around the highlighted cell)

4. Drag across (or down) to fill-in the cells with the cells with your custom fill-in series

That's it!

Originally Posted March 9, 2008

I have gotten a few requests on how to attach your vCard to your outbound emails in Outlook (a vCard is an attachment to your email that contains your contact info you have previously entered).  It is very handy since the recipient can merely double-click on the attachment then click on Save and Close and your contact info is saved to their Contacts folder.  Here's how you do it:

In Outlook (This depicts versions through 2003.  The 2007 version is very similar)
Create a vCard for yourself in your Contacts folder
In Outlook:
1. Open your Contact folder

2. Click New
3. Enter your contact information
4. Click the 'Save and Close' button

Setup Outlook to include your vCard with all your outbound emails
1. Click Tools > Options...
 

2. Click the 'Mail Format' tab
3. Click the 'Signatures...' button

4. Select your default email signature
Note: in 2007, click the 'Business Card' button, then click 'OK'
5. Click the 'Edit...' button

6. Click the 'New vCard from Contact...' button

7. Select your contact record info (be sure not to select your entry for your Business Fax)
8. Click 'OK'
 

Caveat: Completing the above steps will send a vCard with every outbound email - which may be annoying to people you email regularly since it will appear like each of your emails has a file attached.  Instead, you may want to send your vCard selectively.  You can do that by:

1. Create a new email
2. Insert > Item...

3. Select your Contact
4. Click 'OK'

That's it!

Originally Posted Mar 3 2007

If you are still stuggling like most of us with the transition to Microsoft Word 2007, here is something that may help - customize your Quick Launch toolbar in Word 2007 to mimick the Standard Toolbar in Word 2003.

Microsoft Word 2003 Standard Toolbar:

Once created, you can quickly find the icons (and hence functions) that you were familiar with in Word 2003.  Here's what you do:

1. Start Word 2007
2. Click the drop-down for the Quick Launch toolbar in the upper right-hand side of Word
   
3. Select 'More Commands...'
   -The More Commands window appears
   
4. Select the following from the window on the left hand side and arrange them in the following order:
   -New
   -Open
   -Save
   -E-mail
   -Quick Print
   -Print Preview
   -Spelling & Grammar
   -Cut
   -Copy
   -Paste
   -Format Painter
   -Undo
   -Redo
   -Insert Hyperlink
   -Borders
   -Insert Table
   -Columns
   -Chart Quick Styles
   -Document Map
   -Show all
   -Zoom
   -Help
5. Click 'OK'
   The QuickLaunch toolbar should look like this:
   

 That's it!

Oct 15 2007
You may have started to receive Word and Excel files from your colleagues that you find that you can't open.  They usually end with 'X' after their name like Proposal.docx or Commission Totals.xlsx.  These files were created in using the 2007 version of Word and Excel respectively and unlike other versions they are not backwards compatible.  In this case we have two solutions.

First, we can download a free converter from Microsoft that will allow us to access files created in Office 2007 software programs at:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=941b3470-3ae9-4aee-8f43-c6bb74cd1466&displaylang=en

Second, we can ask our colleagues with Office 2007 to save the files in 97-2003 format by:
1. Click the Office button in the upper left hand side of the screen

2. Click 'Save As'
3. Select ' _____ 97 - 2003 ___' from the list
4. Name and save the file as you would normally

That's it!

Aug 6 2007
You may have wondered what is the difference between Save and Save As.  I have been asked this question several times and have been a little pressed to come up with a simple explanation.  Maybe this will give some little clarification of what is difference between the two.

When you select Save - It will:

• Save the currently open File
• Save it with the same name
• Save it in the same Folder on your computer

Why should you use Save?

• You should use Save when you have made changes to the currently open File and want to retain those changes.

When you select Save As - It will:

• Prompt you to save the currently open File with a different name
• Prompt you to save the currently open File in the same Folder on your computer (although you can change Folders)
• Verify if you want to Overwrite the existing File (if you use the same File name and save into the safe Folder)

When should you use Save As?

• You should use Save As when you want to create a file based on the currently open file but want to keep the open file in-tact.  For Example if the currently open file is a contract or letter and you want to personalize it with your contact's information (Let me mention that there is a better ways of doing this).  Another situation is when you receive a File as an attachment.  You can open the File, then select Save As... to save it to your My Documents Folder or somewhere else that is easy to find.

I hope this explination helps!

June 17 2007
Well, some consider this feature helpful but like other Microsoft 'features' sometimes it's not.

This feature is controlled in the AutoCorrect function.  Here's how you can turn it off

In Microsoft Word 2003
1. Tools > AutoCorrect
-The AutoCorrect window opens
-Under the AutoCorrect tab
2. Uncheck 'Capitalize the first letter of sentences'
3. Click OK

In Microsoft Word 2007
1. Click the Office Button
2. Click the 'Word Options' button (lower right hand side of the menu)
-The Word Options window opens
 
3. Click 'Proofing' in the left hand margin
4. Click the 'AutoCorrect Options...' button
5. Uncheck 'Capitalize the first letter of sentences'
6. Click OK
7. Click OK
That's it! 

June 3 2007

If you are using ACT! 2007 (Standard or Premium for Workgroups), have Microsoft Word as your default word processing program, and tried to create a Mail Merge template you may have discovered something missing - the ACT! Merge Fields.  Fortunately, Sage addresses the problem with a downloadable Hotfix for this version of ACT!.

Installing the HotFix is a two-step process.  First, the download:
1. Go to: http://www.act.com/community/profile/login/index.cfm?type=profile&Host=www.act.com&Path=/support/updates/index.
cfm&QS=&CFID=36296765
2. Create an account If you haven't already (I know this is annoying, but they didn't ask me)
-After you have logged in
3. Click: http://www.act.com/support/updates/index.cfm?DOWNLOAD=349
4. Click 'Download Now'
5. Save it to your computer that is easy to find, like your Desktop or your My Documents folder
*It may be a good idea to save it to a network or shared drive if you have to install this Hotfix on other computers or you can just copy the downloaded Hotfix onto a USB Flash drive.

Second, the installation:
1. Close all programs including ACT!
2. Double click on the downloaded Hotfix file to start the installation
-The HotFix is installed

That's it!

May 28 2007
If you have been wondering how to convert files (like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, whatever) into a .PDF without buying Adobe Acrobat - Today is your lucky day.  If you are using Microsoft Office 2007 (likely if you bought a new computer with Vista) there is a free download available from Microsoft that will let you do this.  If you are using an earlier version of Microsoft Office, there is also a free download that will let you do this.

Microsoft offers a free download for Microsoft Office 2007 that will convert any file in the Office Suite to .PDF format.  To install it, just click on the link: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=4D951911-3E7E-4AE6-B059-A2E79ED87041&displaylang=en , save the downloaded program to your computer (your Desktop is a convenient location), and double click on it to install (You can delete the downloaded file when done).

When installed, you can save a file as a PDF by:
1. Create a file using any Microsoft Office software programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
2. Save your file as you would normally
3. Click the Office button  in the upper left hand side of the window
4. Save As > PDF
-Keep the same name as the original file for easy reference
5. Click 'Publish'
-The file is saved as a .PDF and saved on your Desktop

If you are using an earlier version of Office, you can download and install CutePDF Writer.  Here's how you can install it:
1. Click on the link: http://www.cutepdf.com/Products/CutePDF/writer.asp
2. Click on the 'Free Converter' link on the left hand margin, download it to your computer, and save it to your Desktop
3. Double Click on the downloaded file to intstall it
-When done
4. Click on the Free Download link again in step 1 and download the CutePDF converter in the left hand margin, download it to your computer, and save it to your Desktop
5. Double Click on the downloaded file to intstall it
-CutePDF is installed

To save a PDF:
1. Create a file using any Microsoft Office software programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
2. Save your file as you would normally
-In the program you are working in
3. File > Print...
4. Select 'CutePDF' from the 'Name' field
5. Click 'OK'
-The Save As window appears with the file name entered
6. Click 'Save'
-The file is saved as a .PDF and saved on your Desktop

That's it!

May 14 2007
Have you ever been working on a Word document then realized that you needed to revert back to a previous version?  Perhaps one that you saved three versions ago?  Well, if you are using Vista you can.

Vista keeps track of all the saved versions of all your Word documents.  When you want to retrieve a previous version all you need to do is:

1. Right Click on the Word Document
2. Select 'Restore previous verions' from the short-cut menu
3. Click the 'Previous Versions' tab
-The previous versions are listed according to date saved
4. Select the version that you want to retrieve
5. Click 'Open'

That's it!
Vista saves the versions of all popular software programs like Word Perfect, Adobe Acrobat, Excel, PowerPoint, and more.

February 18 2007

Q: I use Microsoft Outlook to manage my appointments. Is there a way to change the default duration for new Appointments from 30 minutes to 1 hour?

A: Unlike other Schedule Management programs, Outlook doesn’t have an option to change the duration of new Appointments – In my opinion, this is a short-coming of Outlook. The way you can get around it is by changing the time increments of your Calendar, then by default the default for new Appointments changes to 1-hour.

Here’s how:

-In Outlook (all versions)
-Change the default duration of your calendar
1. Click on the Calendar button or your Calendar Folder in your Folder tree
2. View > Day (to change to the Day view if you aren’t already there)
3. View > Arrange By > Current View > Customize Current View >
-In the Customize Current View Day/Week/Month window
4. Click the ‘Other Settings…’ button
-In the Format Day/Week/Month window
5. Change the ‘Time scale:’ to 60 minutes
6. Click ‘OK’
7. Click ‘OK’
Now when you schedule a new appointment, it will automatically be scheduled for an hour.

That’s it!

1. Open MS Outlook
2. File > Work Offline
3. Shut down Outlook
4. Unplug your network cable from your computer (or turn off your wireless card)
   -Delete the stuck email
5. Open MS Outlook
6. Open your 'Outbox' folder
7. Find and Delete the stuck email
   -Permanently delete the stuck email
8. Open your 'Deleted Items' folder
9. Find and Delete the stuck email
   -Change MS Outlook to Online
10. File > Work Online

April 24 2006
Q: When I try to log on to my bank website using Internet Explorer, I get a blank screen and the technical support at my bank hasn’t been able to help.  Is there anything I can do?

A: This problem usually stems from a security feature called the Pop-up blocker which is a new security feature included in the Windows SP2 update.  When the SP2 update is downloaded to your computer (usually automatic) it installs itself into your Internet Explorer.  This feature is designed to suppress unwanted windows from popping up uncontrollably if you land on a less-than-scrupulous website, but it sometimes it suppresses the ones we need to access.

What we need to do is to add the friendly websites to the Allowed list for Pop-ups.  Here’s how:

In Internet Explorer:
1. Tools > Pop-up Blocker > Pop-up Blocker Settings…
2. Type in the website you want to allow in the ‘Address of Website site to allow:’ field (be sure to include the ‘www’ & ‘.com, .net, etc’
3. Click the ‘Add’ button
4. Click the ‘Close’ button

Note:  If you have installed a Toolbar plug-in from Yahoo, Google or another search site into your Internet Explorer and are still having the same problem, you have to turn-off the Pop-up blocker that is included with the respective plug-in (Yes, these Toolbar plug-ins have their own pop-up blocker that runs separately from the one in Internet Explorer).

Each one of these differs slightly, but what you want to do is look for the Tools > Options menu that is on the specific Toolbar or look for a button that has cross-hairs or a target icon and click on it.  Once there, you will see an option to turn-off the pop-up blocker.  Select this option since Explorer already is doing the Pop-up blocking duty.
 

Mar 6 2006
Q: I receive so many emails every day and many of them I want to keep for a later follow-up, but it is a little hard for me to remember which ones.  Is there a way in Microsoft Outlook to help manage this?

A: Outlook has a handy feature to do exactly this, called the ‘Flag’.  Simply, the Flag feature will Flag any email with a priority color of your choice.  You can then prioritize each outstanding email at your leisure.

Here’s what you need to do:

In Outlook, in your Inbox:

1. Right Click on the email you want to Flag

2. Select ‘Follow up’ from the Pointer Menu

3. Select the color of the Flag you want to mark the email

When you are done

1 .Right Click on the email that you flagged

2. Select ‘Follow up’ from the Pointer Menu

3. Select ‘Clear Flag’

That’s it!

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.)!

January 23 2006
Q: I noticed that Internet Explorer captures all the web addresses that I entered manually into the Address bar.  Is there a way to clear them out?

A: If you are a neat-freak or just paranoid you can clear them out.  Here’s how:
In Internet Explorer:
1. Tools > Internet Options…
-The Internet Options window appears
2. Click the ‘Content’ tab
3. Click the ‘AutoComplete…’ button
-The AutoComplete settings window appears
4. Click the ‘Clear Forms’ button
5. Click OK
6. Click Apply
7. Click OK (again)
That’s it!

While you are in the AutoComplete window you can also:
-Turn on/off the AutoComplete for Web Addresses
-Turn on/off the AutoComplete for Form
-Turn on/off just the AutoComplete Passwords
-Turn on/off a prompt to save for Passwords

Dec 12 2005
Q: My Company uses Outlook 2003.  When I open the calendar it always starts at 8a.  My schedule is off-set where my day starts at 7a.  Is there an option to make the Day Calendar in  Outlook start at 7a too?

A: Well, you have more will power than I.  At 7a I am barely through my first cup of coffee!
Anyway, here’s how you do it:

In Outlook
1. Tools > Options…
2. Click the ‘Calendar Options…’ button
-Under the Calendar Work Week section
Change the ‘Start time:’ field to 7a or the time you desire

In here you will also find options to change the work week and even display dual time zones!

I hope this Tip saves you time!

Nov 21 2005
Q: When I create an email in Outlook, I type in the first few letters of that’s person’s name in the ‘To:’ field and it provides a drop-down list of all the people to whom I have previously sent an email with the same first few letters in their name.  I have a few incorrectly entered names that I need to correct, but this list does not seem to correlate to the names in my Contact folder or even Global Address list.  How can I fix it?

A: This list is called the AutoComplete or Nickname cache and your deduction that this list is actually a separate list is correct.  It list is saved deep within your computer.  It is accessible, but cumbersome to do so.  When you are facing a problem with incorrectly entered names, there is a faster way to fix it.  Delete the incorrectly entered names from the drop-down list.  Here’s how:

-In Outlook:
1. Create a new email
2. Type in the first few letters of the listing that you know is incorrect (enough so Outlook displays the drop-down list)
3. Use the Up/Down Arrow keys on your computer to Select/Highlight the one that is incorrect
4. Press the Delete key on your keyboard
That’s it!

Nov 7 2005
Q: I have noticed that some of the Word that I receive have the location to where they are saved in the footer (Ex. K:\Legal Documents\Clients\Franklin-Templeton\AnnualContract.doc).  I would really like to have the same on my Word documents.  How do you set this up?

A: This series of drives & folders that a specific file is saved is called a Path.
To Print the Path in the Footer in a Word document:
1. Open the document
2. View > Header and Footer
3. Switch to the Footer (you can do this by scrolling down the screen)
4. Place the Mouse in the Footer then click once (this brings the cursor into the Footer)
5. Insert > Field...
In the 'Field Names:' field
6. Select 'FileName'
7. Select 'Add path to fieldname'
8. Click 'OK'
9. Change the formatting of the Path to something appropriate (usually a smaller font)
10. Click the 'Close' button on the Header and Footer toolbar

That's it!

Oct 3 2005
Q: In my industry, I have several nomenclatures that are quite lengthy to type.  Is there a way that I can just type in the first few letters of the word then have the rest of the word appear?
A: Yes.  MS Word has a feature called AutoCorrect.  You can use this feature for this task as well as correct commonly misspelled words.  Here’s how:

In Word:
1. Tools > AutoCorrect Options...
2. In the Replace field, type in the first few letters.  Ex. ‘stereol’
3. In the With field, type in the complete word.  Ex. ‘stereolithography’
4. Click OK

Now every you type in ‘stereol’, Word will automatically replace it with stereolithography.
That's it!

Oct 17 2005
Q: I write several reports a year in Word.  Is there a way to center the text of my cover page quickly?  When I try to do it manually, it takes several tries before I get it right.
A: Yes  Here’s how:
-In Word:
1. Type in the Text that you want on your cover page
2. File > Page Setup…
3. Click the ‘Layout’ – tab
- Under the ‘Page’ section
4. Select ‘Center’ from the drop-down list
5. Place your cursor at the absolute end of your document
6. File > Page Setup…
7. Click the ‘Layout’ – tab
-Under the ‘Page’ section
7. Select ‘Top’ from the drop-down list
8. Under the ‘Apply to:’ section
9. Select ‘This point forward’
10. Click OK

That’s it!

Sept 19 2005
Q: I just installed a new digital camera.  As part of the installation, the software that reads my camera’s pictures has also started opening all my existing photos and digital images.  How can I get the original programs to open my existing pictures?
A:  What happened is that your newly installed digital camera software decided to take over and make itself THE default software for ALL your digital photos and images.  You can change back to the previous software by:
 
1. Open the folder that has the Photos (or even File) you want to open
2. Right click on the File you want to open
Options 1:
3. Select ‘Open With’
-Windows shows you a short list of suggested programs to open the File
4a. Select one from the displayed list it is just a one-time situation
Option 1:
4b. Select ‘Choose Program…’
-Windows displays all the programs on your computer
5. Select the appropriate program
*Be sure to select ‘Always use the selected program to open the selected file’
6. Click ‘OK’
That’s it!

Sept 12 2005
Q:I attach files to my emails that are usually located in a Folder on my company’s server (Our ‘Z:’ drive).  I use Outlook and it opens to my ‘My Documents’ Folder by default.  I then have to click several times before I even get to it.  Is there a way to access that Folder faster that doesn’t take so many clicks?
A: A simple way to solve this problem is to create a Shortcut your ‘My Documents’ folder that points to your Z: drive.  This way, when you want to attach a File to an email you just double–click on the Shortcut in you ‘My Documents’ and you are immediately taken to your Z: drive!

To create a Shortcut to the Z: drive in My Documents:
1. Find the Z: drive
2. Right Click on the Z: drive icon
3. Select ‘Create Shortcut’
-A Shortcut is created for the Folder and placed at the end of the list
4. Right click on the new short-cut and select ‘Cut’
5. Find and open your ‘My Documents’ folder
6. Right click anywhere within you ‘My Documents’ folder and select ‘Paste’
-A short-cut for your ‘Z: drive’ is placed in your ‘My Documents’ folder

Aug 29 2005
Q: Is there a way to move to the last cell in a spreadsheet?  I work with several spreadsheets that are quite lengthy and I usually overshoot the end when trying to scroll using the mouse.
A: Yes.  Here's how:

Move to the bottom of a spreadsheet by:
Press CTRL + END at the same time
-This actually places you at the last cell in your spreadsheet - at the bottom most right cell

Move to the top of a spreadsheet by:
Press CTRL + HOME at the same time
This moves you to the most upper left cell in your spreadsheet - usually to cell A1

August 1 2005
Q: When working on spreadsheets I sometimes want to get a quick total of several cells without inserting a formula, Is there a way to do this?
A: Yes.  Here's how:

1. Click on the first cell

2. Hold down the CTRL key on your keyboard

3. Click on the next cell

The total is displayed in the lower center of the Excel Status Window as ‘Sum=X’.  You can also use the SHIFT key to select adjacent cells.  Just click on another cell to cancel the summary.

June 27 2005
Q: My company has a firewall that includes a Junk Mail Filter.  We use Outlook 2003 which also has a Junk Mail Filter feature.  Consequently, many 'friendly' emails are diverted into the Outlook Junk Mail folder.  How can I turn this feature off?
A: The Junk Mail filter feature is great if you have a stand-alone computer, but becomes redundant if you have a filter that your IT department has installed or even if you installed a 3rd party filter like Norton Anti-Spam, McAfee Anti-Spam, or similar).  Here's how to turn-off the Junk Mail filter in Outlook:

-In Outlook:
1. Tools > Options...
2. 'Preferences' tab, under the E-Mail section
3. Click the 'Junk E-Mail...' button
4. Select ‘No automatic filtering’
5. Click ‘Apply’
6. Click ‘OK’
That's it!

August 22 2005
Q: Does Microsoft Office update as part of the Automatic Updates sent to Windows XP?
A: Microsoft Office does not automatically update.
You have to do this manually.  Here's how:

1. Go to the Microsoft website: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdate/default.aspx
-Under the 'Office Update' section
2. Click 'Check for Updates'
Note: You may be asked to insert your Microsoft Office CD so be sure you have it handy before you start this process.

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