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Time Saving Tips Search BusinessSoftwareMadeEasy.com Synchronize your files the easy way with SyncToy
Originally Posted: Dec 16 2007
If you are like most people, you probably spend some time on your home computer completing work-related documents, spreadsheet, presentations etc. You probably then save or copy those files to a USB flashdrive, take it to work, and either print, e-mail, or work on them some more on your work computer. After a while you may loose track of what file has the most recent edits - is it the one on your flashdrive or your home computer?
If this sounds like you, you are in luck. Microsoft has a handy and FREE software called SyncToy. SyncToy will synchronize selected Folders on your computer with your flash drive (or even another computer if it is connected to your network). Download and setup is easy.
To Download:
1. Go to: http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/prophoto/synctoy.mspx
2. Download SyncToy from the 'download' link on the right hand side of the screen
3. Click Run to install SyncToy
5. Click on the SyncToy icon in you Start menu (In All Programs, it should be near the end of the list)
6. Click 'Create new folder pair'
-The Wizard starts and helps you select which Folders you want to Sync
7. Sync!
That's it!
| Are you safe accessing a wireless hot-spot with your laptop? April 16 2007
If you are like many of our clients, you may use your laptop at public hot spots where you can access the Internet ususally for free. You may not realize it, but accessing the Internet through a hot spot isn't as secure as you may think.
When you access a hot-spot you are using that establishment's wireless network to access the Internet. The problem is that without the proper protection others can access YOUR computer and YOUR files while connected to the hot-spot. Here's a few safeguards that will protect you when using a hot-spot:
- Be sure you have the latest Windows updates. Updates usually contain patches that address security issues in Windows. Having the latest will lessen your change of being hacked
You can check at: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/update/bulletins/
200704.mspx
- Be sure you have a firewall. Firewalls protect your computer from unauthorized (or uninvited) users trying to access your computer. If you have Windows XP with SP2, Norton Internet Security, or McAfee Internet Security Suite you probably have a firewall. If you are not sure, then it's time to explore your security software (Having an anti-virus software is not good enough)!
ZoneAlarm, a free firewall is available from Zone Labs can be downloaded at: http://www.zonealarm.com/store/content/catalog/products/
sku_list_za.jsp?dc=12bms&ctry=US&lang=en
- Before connecting, change your Workgroup. Your computer is shipped with either MSHOME or WORKGROUP as the default workgroups. This makes connecting to your computer while connected to a a hot-spot very easy. Change it to something else by:
1. Right click on your My Computer icon
2. Click the 'Computer Name' tab
3. Click the 'Change...' button
4. Enter a new Workgroup name
5. Click the 'OK' button
6. Click the 'OK' button to restart your computer
7. Connect to the hot-spot
**If you have Domain selected, do not make the above change
**If your computer is part of a network, be sure to change the Workgroup back when you return to your office
- Before connecting, turn-off Windows file sharing:
1. Start > Control Panel > Windows Firewall
2. Click the 'Exceptions' tab
3. Unselect 'File and Printer Sharing'
4. Click the 'Apply' button
**If your computer is part of a network, be sure to reverse this setting when you return to your office
If you are frequently, mobile you may want to invest in a data card from your Cellular phone company (Like Sprint Mobile Broadband or Cingular Laptop Connect cards. These data cards allow you to connect to the Internet without having to rely on a hot-spot and with much better security built-in.I hope this Tip helps!
This article was inspired by 'Four Ways to Surf Safely at Starbucks'. If you want to read the entire article, its at: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,2109464,00.asp | Turn-off the annoying 'Are you sure you want to ...' in Windows Vista March 26 2007
Q: I just purchased a computer with Windows Vista. It has a super annoying feature that asks something like, 'Are you sure you want to ___?' every time I install or run certain programs. Is there a way to turn this off?
A: This 'Are you sure you want to...?' messages are a security feature built-in to Vista that is designed to help alert you of programs that try to install themselves or do something malicious that you would otherwise not know about. The only problem is that you are bombarded with this message each time you do something legitimate. If you would like to turn it off, here's what you do:
In Vista:
1. Windows button > Control Panel
2. Click 'User Accounts' and Family Safety'
3. Click 'User Accounts'
4. Click 'Turn User Account Control on or off'
5. Uncheck 'Use User Account Control (UAC) to help protect your computer
6. Click 'OK'
7. Select to 'Restart Now' to restart your computer
Now you will only be annoyed by a reminder asking you to turn the UAC back on. | Turn-off the 'Would you like to send an error report?' March 5 2007
Q: I am tired of those ‘Would you like to send an Error Report’ windows coming up when a program crashes in Windows. Is there a way to turn it off?
A: It’s bad enough that your program crashed while you were probably doing something important that you are then prompted to send a post-mortem back to the mother ship – as if they will provide an immediate remedy.
If you want to minimize the inconvenience of dealing with the Error Report by turning it off in this situation, what you do:
In Windows:
1. Right Click your ‘My Computer’ icon (either on your desktop or Start menu)
2. Select ‘Properties’
3. Click the ‘Advanced’ tab
4. Click the ‘Error Reporting’ button
-In the ‘Error Reporting’ window
5. Select ‘Disable error reporting’
6. Click ‘OK’
7. Click ‘Apply’
8. Click ‘OK’
That’s it!
(Source: the Journal of Accountancy) | Daylight Saving is earlier this year. Is your computer ready? February 26 2007
Q: Is there anything that I should do for my computer since the Day Light Savings change dates are different this year?
A: If you didn’t know, the change to Daylight Savings is happening earlier this year. Actually, you need to change your clocks on March 11 (three weeks earlier than usual) and end on November 4 (1 week later than usual). This affects you because all your appliances like your VCR, DVD, DVR, Alarm Clock, Microwave, and even your Computer are affected. Since I can’t really help you on your other appliances, I will help you on your computer.
If your computer is already set to automatically receive updates from Microsoft, the change will be automatic like in Windows XP or Vista– your computer will make the adjustments without any intervention. If you use Windows 2000 or if you want to just update other programs like Outlook, click on this Microsoft Link to download the update appropriate for your computer:
http://support.microsoft.com/gp/cp_dst
Even if you are an IT manager, there are downloads available to help manage your network.
If you use XP and do not have automatic updates turned on, click on this link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=
66F1420C-DF2D-400B-A8A9-EF9061A9A3CA&displaylang=en
That’s it!
| Ungroup, Grouped Buttons on your Windows Taskbar December 11 2006
Q: My computer groups several windows into a single button. For example, if I have several Word Documents open, they are all grouped together on a single button on my Taskbar. I noticed that on some of my coworker’s computers, each Word Document gets its own button. How can I change my computer to do the same?
A: Here’s how:
1. Right Click the 'Start' button
2. Select 'Properties' from the menu
3. Click the 'Taskbar' tab
4. Unselect 'Group similar Taskbar buttons'
5. Click 'Apply'
6. Click 'OK'
| Don't like Internet Explorer 7? Uninstall it! December 6 2006
Q: I noticed that after my latest Windows update my Internet Explorer changed. More importantly, I can’t get onto my bank’s website. Can you help me with this?
A: You may have had a new version of Internet Explorer (Version. 7) download and install on your computer when you received your Microsoft Windows updates last month. This new version certainly updates some of the aesthetics, but personally I don't see anything too different in terms of features over Internet Explorer Version 6 that make it a must have. But, since we are a slave to Microsoft…
With Internet Explorer 7, you may have some difficulty trying to view your favorite websites. Well, since there isn't really a way to make each website work with the Internet Explorer version 7 (that is the job of the webmaster at that organization), you can just delete it and Windows will revert back to Internet Explorer Version 6. Here's how:
1. Start > Control Panel
2. Add/Remove Programs
3. Select 'Windows Internet Explorer 7'
4. Select 'Remove'
5. Restart your computer
-Internet Explorer 6 is now your default browser.
| Defrag your Hard Drive for optimum performance October 16 2006
Q: I heard that running the Disk Defragmenter on my Windows computer speeds-up the performance, but when I run it, it says that my Hard Drive is only 5% fragmented. Should I still run it?
A: Yes. Even though Disk Defragmenter is stating that only 5% of your Hard Drive is fragmented, your Hard Drive size could be anywhere from 20GB or larger. Five percent of 20GB represents about 1MB.
In case you don’t know: All your computer files (including documents, spreadsheets, presentations, music, and even programs) are saved on your hard drive. When you double click on a program icon, your computer goes to your hard drive, retrieves the vital files of that program that makes it run, stores those files in RAM memory, and then starts your program.
In the process of retrieving the files from the hard drive, your computer’s hard drive works similar to a phonograph where an arm sweeps over the surface of a record to play the songs. But instead of a record it is a magnetic disk, and instead of songs, it is locating files and programs.
Unlike a phonograph, your files and programs are not stored in a sequential fashion – they are actually saved randomly over the entire surface of the disk. Although you cannot tell, over time elements of each individual file on your computer are scattered over the entire surface of the hard drive. Since this happens slowly you may not realize it, but your computer takes more and more time to retrieve each file. The remedy is to run the Disk Defragmenter regularly. Here’s how:
In Windows:
1. Click the START button
2. (All) Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Disk Defragmenter
3. Click the ‘Defragment’ button
* This process will take some time to complete. It is best to do this as the last task of the day
That’s it! | What the heck is '~$WRL2486.TMP'? June 26 2006
Q: I noticed that I have several files that seem to appear then disappear in my My Documents folder – something like '~$WRL2486.TMP'. What are they?
A: These files are generated my Microsoft Word. Word collects the changes that you make to a document into these temporary Files. They reason they disappear is when you close Word the changes are assimilated into your Document and the temporary files are deleted.
Sometimes, these files aren't deleted because something happened when Word was shutting down. If you are into good housekeeping, you can delete these Files manually.
Before you do you want to:
-Check when to see if the File was recently used (which may be a way to recover a lost document). In the Folder that the '~$WRL2486.TMP' type File exists, you can hover your Mouse over the File name and check the Date Modified.
-Be sure Word is not open or running
If both of these check-out, just delete the File normally.
There is a built-in safe-guard. You won't allow you to delete a File if it is currently in use. So, if the '~$WRL2486.TMP' is being used, you won't be able to delete it.
| Find those lost files June 5 2006
Q: Every time I download a file, my computer saves it but I am never able to find it. Can you help?
A: There is a Search feature in Windows that will help locate your lost files. Before you start the download it is always helpful to note the name of the file you are downloading before you click the ‘Save’ button. This way you can search for that file name.
Here’s how to use the Search feature in Windows:
1. Click the Start button
2. Click ‘Search’
-If you are using Windows XP you are asked “What do you want to search for?”
-At this point you have a few options. You can select to find:
*Pictures, music, or video
*Documents (word processing, spreadsheet, etc.) I found that this option excludes Adobe Acrobat files.
*All files or folders
*Computers or people
3. Click ‘All files or folders’
4. Click 'More Advanced Options'
5. Check 'Search Hidden Files and Folders'
6. Type in the name of your document (or at least a part of it) into the ‘Enter all or part of the document name:’ field
7. Click ‘Use advanced options’ to ensure Windows is doing a thorough search
-In the ‘Look in:’ field
8. Select ‘Local hard drives (C:)’ or select your network drive/folder from the drop-down list
9. Click Search
All files that match what you entered in the All or Part of the File Name field are listed in the Search window.
To find the specific folder where that file is currently located:
1. Right Click on the File in the Search window
2. Select ‘Open containing folder’
You can also move the file to a different location
1. Select the file
2. Edit > Cut,
3. Locate a new destination folder (Like your Desktop or My Documents for easier reference)
4. Edit > Paste
Not sure of the name? Then try this:
In step 3 enter ‘*.___’ and one of the file extensions below:
Word = .doc
WordPerfect = .wpd
Word Template = .dot
WordPerfect Template = .wpt
Excel = .xls
Excel Template = .xlt
PowerPoint = .ppt
Adobe Acrobat = .pdf
QuickBooks = .qbw
Quicken = .qdf | Virtual Memory running low? 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!
| Organize your Desktop Icons in just a few clicks! 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!
| Clean house in Internet Explorer's Address bar 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
| Pin it to the Start menu January 9 2006
Q: I noticed that Windows remembers the last few programs that I opened and places it just above the START button on the Start menu. Is there a way that I can add specific programs to menu?
A: Yes and the answer is simpler than you may think. Here's how:
1. Press the 'Start' button
2. Click '(All) Programs'
3. Find the program you want to add to the Start menu
4. Right Click on the program
5. Select 'Pin to Start Menu' from the list
That's it!
Now when you need to start your favorite program, it will be waiting for you on the Start menu!
If you need to take it off the Start menu, just Right click on it and select 'Unpin from Start menu'
| How can I change the default folder Word that word saves new files? Dec 5 2005
Q: I regularly save my Word documents to a specific folder on my company’s server Ex. K:\Staff\Marketing\Paul M. It is a real hassle to click through the folder tree to find the folder when I save each new document. How can I change the default folder Word saves new files?
A: Here’ how:
In Word
1. Tools > Options
2. Click the 'File Locations' tab
-Under 'File types:' column:
3. Click 'Documents'
4. Click the 'Modify' button
Locate the folder you want to have Word automatically save to
5. Click OK
6. Click OK
That's it!
| Log out of your Windows User Account in one easy step July 25 2005
Q: I share my home computer with the rest of my family. We have setup a few User accounts in Windows – One for myself, one for my wife, & one for the kids. Sometimes, I need to get to my account to retrieve some information (email, a file, etc). Is there a faster way to get into my account than going to the Start button and logging off the current User Account?
A: If you have Fast User Swtiching enabled you can. Here’s how:
Just Press and hold the Windows key (on your keyboard, looks like a flag in the wind with four quadrants – not included on IBM computers) and press ‘L’.
| Shortcuts-not just for programs 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
| Organize your installed programs May 9 2005
Q: When I install software on my computer, the software places a folder at the end of the Program list in the Start menu. After installing several Programs the list has become a little disorganized. How can I fix this?
A: To fix this, you can manually drag each program and organize each Program in alphabetical order or you can quickly organize your contacts by:
1. Click the ‘Start’ button
2. Click ‘All Programs’ or ‘Programs’ depending on your version of Windows
3. Right Click on any program
4. Select ‘Sort by Name’ in the Pointer Menu
-Your Programs are sorted by Type (Folder, Program, etc.) and by name
That’s it! | Spring Cleaning of your old files - anytime is Spring March 28 2005
Q: I have numerous work files (spreadsheets, documents, presentations, etc.) scattered on my hard drive. How can I scan my entire computer and identify all my work files so I can delete the ones I no longer use?
A: You can use the Search feature in Windows to find your files, then delete the ones you no longer need. Here's how:
-In Windows XP
1. Start (button) > Search
-This opens Windows Search feature
-Under the section that says ‘What do you want to search for?
2. Click ‘Documents (word processing, spreadsheet, etc.)’
-Under ‘Search by any or all of the criteria below’
3. Click ‘Don’t remember’
4. Click the ‘Search’ button
-All your documents, spreadsheets, presentations, etc are displayed
-The results may take a few moments depending on your computer’s processor, and/or the amount of RAM memory your computer has.
Step 2-Organize the way the Files are displayed
-In the window that is displaying your Files
1. View > Details
2. Arrange Icons by > Modified
-This arranges the Files according to when they were last modified.
-This arrangement organizes all your Files according to when they were last changed.
Step 3-Keep or delete?
-Don’t know what a File contains? - Just double click on it to see what is inside.
-Ready to delete a File? - Just right click on the File name icon then select ‘Delete’ from the Pointer Menu. | Rename a file March 21 2005
Q: Somehow I renamed a file when I was moving between my word processor and a network folder. How can I rename the file without opening it and doing a File > Save As?
A: All you need to do to rename a file is:
1. Open the Folder that contains the file you want to rename
2. Right Click on the File
3. Select 'Rename' from the Pointer menu
4. Type in the new name you want to give to that file
5. Press the ENTER key when done
That’s it!
You can also Select/Highlight the file, press the F2 key, type in the new name, the press the ENTER key. | Stop the overtype! March 7 2005
Q: When I am typing an email, all of a sudden my cursor starts to overwrite what I previously typed. What happened and how do I make it stop?
A: When you were typing, you must have pressed the Insert key. This invoked an old computer feature-Overtype. To remedy this all you need to do is press the INSERT key again and this feature will turn-off.
This applies to other programs like Word, Excel, etc. | Key combinations for Copy, Cut, and Paste January 31 2005
Q: What are the keyboard short-cuts for Copy, Cut, and Paste?
A:
Copy = Press and hold CTRL + C at the same time
Cut = Press and hold the CTRL + X at the same time
Paste = Press and hold the CTRL + V at the same time
If you are Mouse oriented and you Right Click to pull-up the Copy, Cut, or Paste from the Pointer menu, keep in mind that they may not always be available. In these situations you will almost always be able to use the above Key combinations! | Maximium Overdrive - Computer won't shut-down January 24 2005
Q: My computer is posessed! It won't restart even if I press the ALT-CTRL-DEL and try to shut it down that way. What can I do?
A: Sort of an exorcism, you can restart your computer with this little trick. Press and hold down your computer’s Power button for 10-20 seconds. Your computer will automatically restart and you won’t have to move any furniture to unplug the power cord! This tip works with laptops too!
| Secret way to Maximize a Window January 3 2005
Q: I was double clicking on an Icon on my desktop and I inadvertantly Maximized an open Window next to it. What happened?
A: You Maximized the Window using a little known short-cut. What happened is rather than double-clicking on the Icon, you double-clicked on the Title Bar (The title bar is the colored area at the top of a window that includes the name of of the program, file, or folder that is open). You can double-click again in the Title bar and the window will be restored.
| Will that software fit on your PC? 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 | Do you see what I see? May 22 2006
Q: How can capture the image that is on my computer's screen?
A: Use the Print Screen feature
Maybe you have been in this situation: You are trying to describe what you see on your computer to a co-worker or even someone from technical support. What you describe is not clicking for the other person. Harder yet, you spend several minutes trying to figure out what to use as the same terminology to describe what you see. Well, if you are ever in again just use the Print Screen feature.
The Print Screen feature is on all computers and just like it says, it will take a snap-shot of your computer screen as you currently see it.
Here’s how you use it:
-While your computer is on
1. Press and hold down the FN key or if your computer does not have this key, press the ALT or CTRL key and Press the PRNT SCRN key
2. Open Microsoft Word (or another word processing program)
3. Edit > Paste
-The image of your screen is inserted in the document
You can then save the document and then email it to the person you want to share it with.
That’s it!
Hint:
-On my Dell Laptop the FN key is in blue lettering at right of the Space Bar and my PRNT SCRN is at the left of the Space Bar, also in blue lettering
-On my Desktop with a Logitech keyboard it is the F Mode button & Print Screen buttons at the upper right hand side of the computer
-On other keyboards the FN it is in white lettering at the left hand side of the space bar and the PRNT SCRN button is somewhere at the upper right hand side. | | |
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