Last week I promised to show you how to save backup files for most applications you use, including PowerPoint. This method works for almost every computer application that provides us with a choice of what to name a document and where to save it.

Many of us are so wrapped up in trying to figure out how to use our computers that we often overlook simple ways of doing things. We expect the computer to do it for us. Sometimes we have to take matters into our own hands to get what we want. This is one of those times. We will use PowerPoint for this example because it does not have a programmatic way to save a backup of a data file as Word or Excel do.

We are working on a presentation and it comes time to save it. What do we do?

From now on we always use File – Save As…

Here are three things we do NOT do:

Do NOT click on the floppy disk icon in the toolbar to save the file.
Do NOT use the menu item File – Save.
Do NOT use the shortcut key Ctrl‑S.

Why?

When we select File – Save As… we are always prompted for the file name and location. This does not automatically happen with the other three methods. In fact it only happens with them the first time we save a document, after that we are not prompted so when we save a document we overwrite the previous saved version. File – Save As… will prompt us every time, asking if we want to overwrite the existing file with the same name. The other three methods do not.

Now here is the magic. We use a version number for saving the file. For example, the first time we save the presentation we might name it Presentation01.ppt. (The ppt extension is automatically added by PowerPoint. You may not see this file extension since it depends upon how Windows Explorer is configured.) The next time we save it as Presentation02.ppt. The third time we save it as Presentation03.ppt. Any time we make more than modest changes we save the file and increment the version number. Now we have backup files and a history of the development of the item. At some later date we will delete all the unnecessary earlier versions and keep the final. But until then if something happens to Presentation03.ppt we will open up Presentation02.ppt or Presentation01.ppt and not have to start from scratch or do without.

Most applications have keyboard short cuts to access the File – Save As… menu. In Windows, press Alt–F, followed by the “a” key. After a while this will become second nature.

Backing up is easy. Are you still living on the edge?

Notes on Naming

One digit or two? We suggest using double digits such as 01, 02, 03… not single digits like 1, 2, 3 for file naming. The reason is that if you create file 10 it will sort next to file 1, and 20 will sort next to file 2 rather than sorting in “human” numeric order. Computers need you to be as consistent and logical as possible. (This assumes we will not create more than 99 versions of a file. If you expect to go above 100 start with 001.)

Dates or Numbers? Lots of people like to use the date in file names, perhaps you do. Why do we use a version number and not the date? There are several reasons. The file’s details already contain the file’s creation date and the date the file was last modified so it is a bit redundant to use that for naming. More importantly, it is possible to create several versions of the file in a single day.

Furthermore, how do you date things? Do you use month-day-year as your method? If so then a file with the name Presentation12132005.ppt would show up next to Presentation12132006.ppt even though they are a year apart. If you must use dates (and we really recommend against it) please use the convention of year-month-day, and specify years with four digits not two, and months and days with two digits and not one. Computers work much better with a logical use of numerical characters.

BitTorrent – Sending Large Files

This tip will show you how to “send” large files using the BitTorrent system.

It is not too hard. There is some detail in preparing to send your first torrent file. Subsequent torrents should be easy.

An overview of the process is that we first get and configure our free software. Then we create a tracking file. We email the tracking file, and finally, the recipient uses the tracking file with a BitTorrent application to retrieve the target file from our computer.

Requirements

· A BitTorrent client/server application. This tip uses uTorrent, a free Windows application. Macs can use Azureus, a similar application and also free. (Click on the links to download either one.)

· The ability to download and then run the software mentioned above.

· The ability to configure your network router’s port forwarding capability, if you have a router.

· The ability to configure your firewall to allow uTorrent to act as a server to the internet.

Configure uTorrent

Download/save the uTorrent application. It is small and does not require a setup program. Remember where you saved it if you do not save it to your desktop.
The first time you run the program it will ask whether you want to create a Start menu item and a desktop shortcut. Answer yes.
It will also ask if you want to make it the default BitTorrent client. Go ahead and answer yes.
Next the Network Wizard window will pop-up.

Set up the Connection Type. This can be configured manually by changing the current setting if you know your network connection speed. If not then use the Run speed test at: www.dslreports.com button to find out your connection speed.
Change the Current Port setting from the default 32459 to another number between 10000 and 40000. Do not use the default setting. This makes it easier for hackers to get into your computer. It is like using a default password.
Click on the Test if port is forwarded properly button. If it is not properly configured change your router’s port forwarding to allow the port you chose in step “4b” to be forwarded and then test again.
You should also make certain your firewall does not block uTorrent from acting as a server to the internet.

Click on uTorrent’s Options – Preferences menu. The Settings window appears.
Select the Network Options in the left-hand panel of the Settings window.

Make sure the Listening Port is the one selected in step “4b” above.

Select the Advanced Options in the left-hand panel.

Scroll down the right-hand panel until you can see bt.enable_tracker. Select it by clicking on it once.
Change the radio button for bt.enable_tracker to True, it is near the bottom of the Settings window.
Click on the OK button.

Create a BitTorrent Tracking File

Now we create the torrent tracking file for the file to be transferred. This tracking file is then attached to an email and emailed to your recipient. The file tells their BitTorrent program where to find your file so that they can download it.

Click on the uTorrent File – Create New File menu. A Create new .torrent window opens.
Click on the Add File button and navigate to your desired file.
Select the file and click on the OK button.
Click inside the Trackers: space and type http://yourIPaddress:port/announce. You can find your IP address by clicking on http://www.showipaddress.com. You will see your IP address near the top of the browser window. It should look something like 67.86.125.180, four numbers separated by periods. Type this number, including the periods, after “http://”, then type a colon (“:”), type the port number your selected in step “4b” of the Configure uTorrent section, above, followed by a forward slash (“/”) and the word “announce”.

As an example, if I used port 12345 and my IP address was the one shown above, then my entry would be http://67.86.125.180:12345/announce.

Click on the Start seeding checkbox.
Click on the Create and save as… button.
Navigate to where you want to save it and click on the Save button. Remember where you save it!

A file with the name of your original file with the extension “.torrent” will be created.

Click on the Close button.
You can minimize uTorrent but do not close it.

Email the .torrent File - see the important notes below

Make certain recipients install a BitTorrent application like uTorrent or Azureus.
Compose a new email. Attach (insert) the “.torrent” file we created in step “7” above to the email.
Send the email.
When the recipient receives your email they should open the attachment to their BitTorrent client application.
The recipient’s computer will locate your computer across the internet and then begin the download of the file.

Notes

Do not turn off your computer or disconnect from your network until your recipients have retrieved (finished downloading) the target file from your computer. This may not be obvious to you but sending the “.torrent” file is not the end of the transfer. It is really the beginning. It is just a notice to the other person to start downloading the file.

Most home users have dynamic IP addresses. This means that 67.86.125.180, which I used in the example above as my IP address, is not going to stay that way forever. At some time in the future my ISP will change this number.

This has two implications for torrents.

Tell your recipients to start the download as soon as they receive your email. If they wait too long they may not be able to retrieve the file if your IP address has changed. You should probably alert the recipients by telephone that you just sent an email.

Each time you want to create and send a new “.torrent” file you should check your IP address again to make certain you are using the correct one.

Charmap – Oddball Characters

We all need to insert strange characters into our text from time-to-time, whether it’s the copyright © symbol or the symbol for degree °, or a fraction. You can use Word’s Insert Symbol menu command to accomplish this or charmap.exe to search for that character. One problem with both of these methods is that you are presented with a table of all the characters and it is often hard to find that special graphic symbol when looking at so many.

The solution to this conundrum is

Run charmap (Select the Start button, then Run…, type in ‘charmap’ and press OK or hit Enter on the keyboard)
Check the Advanced View checkbox
Select Unicode for the Character Set combobox
Select Unicode Subrange for the Group by combobox
A small Group By window will open with a list of choices to group characters by.

Charmap image

Now all you have to search through is a subset of the characters rather than the several hundred characters in the font.

Email – Using the '+" Symbol in an Address

Here’s a really arcane but useful tip. You can use the ‘+’ symbol in your email address to distinguish where it came from.

I wish this were easy to explain, but it isn’t.

Many email providers, not all and definitely not Yahoo!, will interpret/read all characters between a ‘+’ and the ‘@” before the domain name as not there.

If you send me something at rhftech+something@gmail.com it would get to me (actually this won’t as I purposely corrupted the address). And it would show up in my email client as addressed to rhftech+something@gmail.com.

So what’s it good for you ask? You did ask didn’t you?

Well supposing you subscribe to a newsletter; you might give your email address as yourname+newslettername@domain.com. Now whenever they or someone they sell your address to sends you email you’ll know who the source was. Or suppose you want to quickly find all the emails from that newsletter, just search or filter on yourname+newslettername@domain.com.

I’m sure that you folks, being as innovative as you are, will come up with a 1001 uses for this.

Internet Explorer – Text Size and Legibility

Sometimes websites are difficult to read because the text is too small. If you are using Microsoft’s Internet Explorer you can attempt to exercise some control by adjusting screen fonts using the View – Text Size menu. If you use this feature frequently you can add a button to your toolbar that lets you access it with two less clicks.

Unfortunately screen text is often unaffected by Internet Explorer’s text size setting. If the text is inside a Macromedia Flash object you are stuck with an unreadable object. But for most everything else there’s another solution within Internet Explorer.

Click on the Tools – Internet Options… menu. The Internet Options dialog window should appear.
Click on the Accessibility… button in the lower right area of the window. The Accessibility window should open.
Click on the Ignore font sizes specified on Web pages checkbox. (Third item down under Formatting.)
Click on the OK buttons to close the windows and save the new setting.

Now when you change Internet Explorer’s text size the text size will change.

Junk Mail – Opt Out of Credit Card and Insurance Offers

Do you get pre-approved credit card applications or insurance junk mail? Did you know there is a way to opt-out of these offers, similar to the National Do-Not-Call Registry (www.donotcall.gov)? That’s right you can end this junk mail!

Go to www.optoutprescreen.com. Navigate to the bottom of the screen and click on Click here to Opt-In or Opt-Out and follow the instructions on the subsequent screens.

Nice huh? Who knew? Now you do!

Mac – Setting Sleep Options

First we need to configure power options to specify how the computer responds to modem rings, network administrator access, and power interruptions. PowerBooks and iBooks additionally allow us to set the processor at highest or lower processor performance to help optimize battery life.

Click Apple menu - System Preferences, and click Energy Saver.
Next click Sleep and adjust the upper slider switches for your time preference.

Now check “Put the display to sleep when the computer is inactive for:” if desired, and adjust the slider switch to your preference.
If you want to save more power check “Put the hard disk(s) to sleep when possible.”

Next click Options. (If the Options button isn’t in view, click Show Details or Show All.)
Now choose from the following options:

To allow the computer to be available to requests from the modem, choose the checkbox "Wake when the modem detects a ring."
To allow the computer to be available to network administrator access, choose the checkbox "Wake for Ethernet network administrator access."
To enable sleep by pressing the power button once, choose the checkbox "Allow power button to sleep the computer." This option is not available on all models.
To start up automatically after a power interruption, choose the checkbox "Restart automatically after a power failure."
For PowerBooks, iBooks, and Power Mac G5 models –

To enable your computer to work fastest select Highest from the Processor Performance pop-up menu. This uses more energy or
Select Reduced to save energy. This may slow your computer.

Some models support the Automatic setting, which allows your computer to switch rapidly back and forth between the Highest and Reduced settings in order to optimize energy use, depending on how much work the processor is doing.

Now to put the Mac to sleep we can

Select Sleep from the Apple menu, or

Press the Power key and then click Sleep, or
Close the lid of a portable computer.

Once the machine is asleep we can wake it by pressing any keyboard key or by clicking the mouse.

By way of information on what happens to Macs when they are asleep –

On all computers:

· The microprocessor goes into a low-power mode.

· Video output is turned off, and the connected display may turn off as well, or enter its own idle state.

· Apple-supplied hard disks spin down.

· Third-party hard disks may spin down.

On PowerBooks and iBooks:

· The Ethernet port turns off.

· Expansion card slots (such as PCMCIA) turn off

· The built-in modem turns off.

· An AirPort card, if present, turns off.

· The ADB or USB connection only responds to the power key on an external keyboard (see Note below).

· The optical media drive spins down.

· Audio input and output turns off.

· Keyboard illumination, if a feature of the portable computer, turns off.

The computer uses less power when in sleep mode then when awake. It continues to power RAM (memory) in sleep mode, so that whatever was in memory when the computer went to sleep will be there when it wakes up. Computers with more memory use slightly more power in sleep mode than identical machines with less memory.

Note: PowerBooks or iBooks using an external keyboard can be awakened by pressing the Power key on the external keyboard (if it has one) or any key on the built-in keyboard. Other keys on the external keyboard will not awaken the machine. If the computer is not asleep, but has spun down the hard drive and dimmed the display, it can be awakened by pressing any key on either keyboard.

Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express – Backing Up Data Files

Your Outlook data file is perhaps the most important file on your computer. If you use Outlook to keep contact information, such as names, email addresses, phone numbers…, to track appointments and recurring dates, like birthdays, then the loss of these files is devastating.

When was the last time you did a backup of these files? Was it within the last month? Have you ever backed it up? If you have backed it up, where is the backup file? Is it backed up on the same computer or elsewhere?

RHFtech suggests backing up these data files at least weekly.

Backing up Outlook’s data file or Outlook Express’ is more difficult than most backups since Microsoft offers the user no choice in where these files are stored. Microsoft assigns the location, and the default location may vary with different versions of the programs.

Let’s explore how you manually backup these files:

Outlook

First we need to find the file. From the Outlook menu select Go, Folder (or if you want to use the keyboard shortcut press Ctrl-Y).
A “Go to Folder” window should pop up with a folder tree.
Select the top-most item on the folder tree. (It is probably named something like Personal Folders.) And then press the OK button.
Next we go back to the Outlook menu and select File, Folder, Properties for Outlook Today.
An “Outlook Today…” window should pop up. Press the Advanced button.
A “Personal Folders” window pops up and the second item Filename shows you the location (drive-folder-subfolder…) and name of your Outlook data file.
Write down this information or copy it to another application like a Word document. You’ll need it, but it won’t be available since we have to close Outlook in order to backup the file.
Press the Cancel buttons to close both of these windows.
Exit Outlook. (This is very important. If Outlook is not closed you will not be able to backup the file.)
Open Windows Explorer by selecting Run… from the Start menu and typing explorer into the Open line. Then press the OK button.
Navigate to the location you found in step 6 above. Select your data file and copy/paste it to your backup location – a CD, another hard drive, another computer on your network, or a USB memory device.

An alternative to this method is to download and install Microsoft’s backup utility located at - Microsoft Outlook Backup Utility.

Outlook Express

First we need to find the Outlook Express data folder. Open Outlook Express and from the menu select Tools, Options.
In the “Options” window select the Maintenance tab.
Click on the Store Folder button.
Select the entire path (except for the final words “Outlook Express”) and then copy this information into the clipboard by pressing Ctrl-C.
Open Windows Explorer by selecting Run… from the Start menu and typing explorer into the Open line. Then press the OK button.
Paste the clipboard information into the address bar in Windows Explorer and press the Enter key on the keyboard.
Copy/paste the folder named Outlook Express to your backup location.

Now you have some protection against computer failure or file corruption.

Microsoft Outlook – Compacting The PST File

Here is a short quiz on Microsoft Outlook.

Do you know that:

·	There is a maximum file size for Outlook’s data file, the PST file or OST for Exchange Server.
·	The larger a file’s size, the greater the risk of corrupting your information.
·	When you delete items from the Deleted Items folder in Outlook that the data file may not shrink.
·	When items are archived to an archive file the data file may not shrink.
·	You can manually compact the data file to force it to shrink.

The maximum size for an Outlook 2003 PST is supposed to be about 20 GB. (You never want a file that size on a personal computer!) The maximum file size for earlier versions of Outlook is 2 GB. Trouble often ensues when you approach 90% of these limits. So keep a handle on your PST’s file size and don’t let it get too large.

Here is how to compact your file.

Outlook 2003

Make certain the Folder List on the left side is visible. If it is not visible select the Go – Folder List (Ctrl-6) menu.
In the Folder List, on the left side, clear out the Deleted Items folder by right clicking on it and selecting Empty “Deleted Items” Folder from the context menu.
Click on the Yes button to confirm the deletion.
Now back in the Folder List click once on the top-most item to select it. It is probably named Personal Folders.
Right click on it and select Properties for “Personal Folders”… from the context menu that appears.
A small window pops-up. Click on the Advanced… button in the lower right area of the window.
Another small window pops up. Click on the Compact Now button.
Wait for compacting to finish. This may take a minute or more depending on the size of your file.
Click OK twice and you are done.

Outlook 2002 and Earlier Versions

Make certain the Folder List on the left side is visible. If it is not visible select the View – Folder List menu.
In the Folder List, on the left side, clear out the Deleted Items folder by right clicking on it and selecting Empty “Deleted Items” Folder from the context menu.
Click on the Yes button to confirm the deletion.
Now back in the Folder List click once on the top-most item to select it. It is probably named Outlook Today ‑ [Personal Folders].
Right click on it and select Properties for “Personal Folders”… from the context menu that appears.
A small window pops-up. Click on the Advanced… button in the lower right area of the window.
Another small window pops up. Click on the Compact Now button.
Wait for the compacting to finish. This may take a minute or more depending on the size of your file.
Click OK twice and you are done.

Microsoft Outlook – Moving Your Data Files

Last week’s tip, Backing Up Your Data Files, was extremely well received so we’re back with a related tip on how to move your Microsoft Outlook data files to a location of your choosing. (This tip does NOT apply to Outlook Express or to people using Outlook with Microsoft Exchange Server.)

If you followed last week’s tip you now know where Microsoft stores your Outlook data files. These are all the files in the default subfolder ending with the PST extension. They are probably named “outlook.pst” and “archive.pst”. The PST extension stands for “Personal information STore.”

Consider moving your PST files to the “My Documents” folder on your hard drive. This way you can back up all your key data files by backing up only one directory/subdirectory folder rather than executing multiple backups.

Let’s explore how you move these files:

First we need to close Outlook. Go to the Outlook menu and select File - Exit. Outlook can take a while to close, even though the application is no longer shown on your monitor, especially if your PST file is large, so we recommend that you wait a minute before continuing. Perhaps you could freshen your coffee.
Open Windows Explorer by selecting Run… from the Start menu and typing explorer into the Open line. Then press the OK button.
Navigate to the location of your Outlook PST files. Select all the PST files and cut/paste them to your desired location such as “My Documents.” Please note that we are cutting NOT copying the files!

If you only see file names without extensions go to the Windows Explorer menu select Tools - Options. A “Folder Options” window opens. Select the “View” tab. Then, in the “Advanced settings” section, uncheck the box next to “Hide extensions for known file types” and then click on the Apply to All Folders button near the top of the window. Press the Yes button on the “Folder views” message box. Then click on the OK button. You should now see the file name and extension.

Now open Outlook. You should receive an error message that Outlook cannot find your file(s). Press the OK button on the message window.
A new window titled “Create/Open Personal Folders File” will appear. Navigate to the location you pasted (moved) your PST files to and select the outlook.pst file. Now click the Open button.
You may see a dialog telling you that your mailbox folder cannot be found and asking if you want to create a new one. Press the Yes button. Then select the location where you moved your PST file(s). Press the OK button.
Outlook should now be opened but it may have opened to a different view than the previous Outlook default view. If so then go to the Outlook menu and select Tools - Options. An “Options” window will open. Select the “Other” tab. Click on the Advanced Options button. Now click on the Browse… button and select the folder you want for your default view. Click OK. Then click OK again. Now click the third OK button. You’re done.

Next time you open Outlook it will open the PST file in the new location with the folder view you just selected.

Microsoft Outlook – Multi-day appointments

To enter a multi-day event you can use the following Microsoft Outlook shortcut.

Go to Calendar view.
Make certain you are in the week or month view, (in the menu View- Week or Month).
Select the first day of the event.
Hold down the <Shift> key and select the last day of the event.
Right-click any portion of the highlighted area, select New Appointment.

An appointment window pops up and the correct dates have been created.

Microsoft Outlook – Using Conversations

Do you ever find it hard to locate the different parts of an email exchange between you and other people in your Outlook Inbox?

You may have tried sorting the Inbox by Subject but since most email clients add little labels to the subject like “FW” or “FWD” or “RE” when people reply that the subject that started out as “Meeting” quickly becomes “FWD: Meeting” and then “RE: FWD: Meeting” and then “RE: RE: FWD: Meeting”. So grouping or sorting by Subject does not work.

Outlook does have a built-in feature, a field named Conversation, that is smart enough to ignore all the “FW”, “FWD” and “RE” additions to the subject line of the original message.

You need to add it to your field list to use it. Do the following:

Go to your Inbox.
Right click on the field bar in the Inbox, where it says “From”, “To”, “Subject” etc.
Select Field Chooser in the context menu that pops up.
The Field Chooser window opens. Select Conversation and drag it (by holding down the left mouse button) to the position in the field bar you want the word Conversation to appear.

Now you can sort on it or use the grouping abilities in Outlook to keep conversations together.

Microsoft Word and Excel – Automatically Backup Files

A smart man learns from his mistakes.

A wise man learns from the mistakes of others.

Ancient Proverb

Today's tip was inspired by the experience of a client, a college student who had stayed up most of the night working on a PowerPoint presentation due for a 10 am class. She had inadvertently overwritten her presentation with a blank document when she first awoke and was frantic to recover the original. Her story did not have a happy ending. There was no backup on the computer or elsewhere. No file could be recovered from the recycle bin, and a low level reconstruction would have taken too long. Is this a familiar story?

So below is a tip to automatically backup your Word and Excel files.

Word

Select the menu Tools - Options. A tabbed “Options” window opens.
Click on the Save tab.
Make sure the “Always create backup copy” checkbox is selected and then press the OK button.

Now every file you edit will save the previous version with the name “Backup of ...” before it saves your edits. The old file will have a wbk extension and be in the same location as your original document. For example, Document1.doc will have a backup file named Backup of Document1.wbk.

Excel

Excel does not have a universal setting so you must set the backup option for each spreadsheet individually. Here is how:

Select the menu File ‑ Save As... The “Save” window opens.
Click on the Tools item in the upper right part of the window. A drop-down menu opens.
Select General Options... near the bottom. A “Save Options” window opens.
Check the “Always create backup” checkbox and click on the OK button.
Then click on the Save button.

Now every file you edit will save the previous version of the file with the name “Backup of ...” before it saves your edits. The old file will have a xlk extension and be in the same location as your original document. For example, Sheet1.doc will have a backup file named Backup of Sheet1.xlk.

So will you be smart or will you be wise?

Microsoft Word – Add Line Numbers

Sometimes it is nice to have each line in a document numbered. This is especially useful when working with technical data or editing a document like a lengthy contract.

It is surprisingly easy to do this in Microsoft Word.

Select File – Page Setup… from the menu. The Page Setup window appears.
Select the Layout tab.
Click on the Line Numbers… button and the Line Numbers window opens.
Check the Add line numbering checkbox and make any changes to the numbering properties you want.
Click OK twice.

Now the document will print with each line numbered. If you want to see the line numbers on screen make certain you are in the Print Layout view. This can be selected from the View menu. When you are done with the line numbers just reverse the process to make them go away.

Microsoft Word – Last Document Shortcut on the Desktop

Do you find yourself frequently returning to edit or view the last document you worked on in Microsoft word? If your answer is “yes” this tip is just the thing for you.

I outline below an easy way to create a desktop shortcut (AKA icon) which will automatically open the last document you opened in Word.

Display your desktop if it is not visible.
(The keyboard shortcut to your desktop is the Windows key+D.)
Right click on your desktop and select New – Shortcut from the menu that appears.
The Create Shortcut window opens. Click the Browse button.
Navigate to the directory

My Computer

– Local disk C:

– Program Files

– Microsoft Office

+ Office#.

The # is a place holder here. Your system will either have no number after the word “Office” or show a 9, 10, or 11 depending upon whether you are using Office version 2000, XP, or 2003 and what version of the Windows operating system you are using.

Click on the “+” symbol to expand the Microsoft Office branch and find WINWORD or WINWORD.EXE. Select it.
Click the OK or the Open button.
Now edit the text to add a space and then /mFile1 at the very end of the line after the quotation mark. Make sure to put a space between the quotation mark and /mFile1. It should look something like

"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\OFFICE11\WINWORD.EXE" /mFile1

Click the Next > button.
Type “Last Word Doc” for the name of the shortcut.

Now whenever you want to retrieve the last Word document just use this new desktop shortcut.

Mouse – Bigger, Better Mouse Cursors

When it comes to mouse cursors one size does not have to fit all. Which cursor is best for you?

Standard Size
Large Size
Extra Large Size

Most people use the standard size mouse cursors in Microsoft Windows because that is the default configuration. The cursor can be changed and it is easy to do.

You may never have thought about changing it to better suit you or if you did want to change it perhaps you did not know how. A larger cursor size or a different color scheme, such as a black mouse cursor, might be more pleasing and easier to see than the standard cursor.

If you want to try a different mouse cursor then:

Click the Start button.
Click the Run command.
Type “main.cpl” in the space after the word “Open:” and then click OK.
The Mouse Properties dialog box will open. Select the Pointers tab.
Select the scheme you want to use from the drop down list.
Press the Apply button.

I find that the second-to-last scheme Windows Standard (extra large) (system scheme) is preferred by most people including me.

See if you like the new scheme. If not then either try another one or revert to the default scheme using the Use Default button. When you are done press the OK button.

OpenOffice – Expect the Unexpected

Today's tip was going to be about cleaning up your desktop, that isn't what this tip is about. Maybe I'll do that one next week.

My world is in a bit of chaos since my primary workstation, Ricky's Beast IV, died yesterday. I built it about 5 years ago, and back in 2000 when it was first launched, it was about as fast as a personal computer could be. Yesterday it went pop, as in snap, crackle, pop. I smelled something burning and that was all she wrote. I think the motherboard is toast.

The title of this tip is Expect the Unexpected. I bet you thought that the unexpected in the title was about my computer dying. Maybe, but the real surprise is that I'm writing this tip in OpenOffice 2.0 Writer and it is really easy to use. It feels like I am using Word 2003. It is free to download and use from OpenOffice.org. It will open most Word and Excel documents without a hiccup It is available for Windows, Linux, UNIX, and Macintosh. It is very usable.

I have been very busy working to replace it with a newly acquired, store bought eMachines top-of-the-line desktop model. It is not earth shaking by comparison to what is available today. Yet it is a lot faster than Ricky's Beast IV and it has a 64-bit AMD processor so it should hold its own for a couple of years.

It happens that I was thinking about what people should be consider acquiring in the way of new computers, both desktops and laptops before my mishap. If you can wait a few months then my recommendation for your next computer is an Intel-inside Apple Macintosh. They are scheduled to become available next year. If you cannot wait, as I could not, then buy inexpensive but robust hardware.

Why switch to Apple? The answer has to do with choice. If you buy an Intel-inside Apple you can turn your machine into a multi operating system machine and have the best of all worlds for software and for most hardware. You will be able to run Mac, Windows, Linux, UNIX, DOS or almost anything else. So it represents a safe move to keep the software vendors in their place. My thinking is based upon expectation and frustration and is not tempered by any experience with the Intel-inside Mac. Reality will probably be somewhat different than my expectation.

So what is the particular frustration? It is how anti-customer and restrictive software vendors have become with their products. My complaint is a digital rights management (DRM) issue. If you use a Microsoft Office version 2002 or later than you know about activating your software. When your computer breaks you have to jump through hoops to get it reactivated on another machine. One is required to contact the vendor and ask them to allow you to re-activate. What if they say no or you cannot contact them? Then you purchase the item again, switch to something else or do without.

I am slowly bringing my new machine to life by installing, updating, rebooting, and then installing, updating, rebooting, followed by more installing, updating and rebooting – 69 reboots so far. As an aside, I should note that none of my data was lost since I store my data on a separate physical drive from the C-drive, which contains the operating system and applications; all I did was pull the data drive from my old machine and installed it in the new one. It works great and I can access my data files without any trouble.

But I have several key applications that need to be re-activated, especially Microsoft Office 2003. I do not have the time or patience right now to contact Microsoft, so I switched, at least temporarily, but maybe for good.

I am a beta-tester for all of Microsoft's Office 12 product line, Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access, etc. This is the version that will follow what is available today. My first thought was that I would use the beta software because I have unlimited rights to install it and it will not expire until next summer or later. But Microsoft has changed the user interface (UI in geek speak.) I am really proficient in Office 2003 applications, but the new UI is so different that using the new version of the applications is often painful. A good analogy is that it is like switching from a standard keyboard (QWERTY) to an alphabetized one; you can do it but you will not like it. I have two printouts, 38 pages for Word and 20 pages for Excel that I need to refer to in order to figure out how to do what I used to know how to do without thinking.

I am not happy about this change and I expect most of you will not be happy either. The new design is probably better for total tyros but for everyone else, including you, it is going to be an adjustment.

I did not expect to find a new office suite because my old computer died.

I suggest you give OpenOffice a try. I think you will like it. And remember it is free!

Printing – Create Additional Printers

This week’s tip is something special, the first RHFtech video tip. Create Additional Printers. (Click on the link to watch the video.)

It may be hard to believe but I do not like writing recipe type tips. It is tedious work, prone to error, and, more importantly for you, harder to understand compared to someone showing you how. So this tip is not a recipe. Instead, I have prepared a video that shows you how to create additional printer configurations on your Windows XP computer in order to save time and trouble when printing.

For example, you have gone through umpteen drafts of a document, printed each one in draft mode to save ink, and now you are ready to print the final version in best quality. After you view this tutorial you’ll no longer have to adjust the print quality or other printer features to print the final version and then readjust them afterwards. From now on you’ll just select the appropriate “printer” from your machine’s list of printers. It’s like having multiple printers instead of just one.

Creating a “new” printer is a straightforward, three step process:

Find your local printer’s port connection.
Add a “new” printer. (Actually it’s just a copy of the existing printer driver.)
Configure the “new” printer.

Caveats:

· The printer you are “cloning” must be attached to your computer, i.e., it must be a local printer.

· The “new” printers can be shared across the network, but they must be configured separately by each computer that attaches to them on the network. (This is because when you add a network printer to your computer in Windows XP the operating system sets the printer’s configuration to the defaults for the printer software.)

· This tip may work in other versions of Windows but it has not been tested by RHFtech and the process is probably slightly different.

Click on the following link to watch the video – Create Additional Printers. (Click on the link to watch the video.)

Printing – Print Selection

This is a simple and useful tip. We use the print Selection feature in your printer’s dialog window to print just a portion of a document or web page.

This is a four step process:

Use your mouse to select or highlight something you wish to print from your document or a web page you are viewing.
Bring up the print dialog window either from the File menu or via a keyboard shortcut like Ctrl-P.
Click on the Selection radio button.

Click the OK button to print the selection.

Security – American or Prussian?

Most of us are American. That needs to change. When it comes to computer security you are either American – All that is not forbidden is allowed – or Prussian – All that is not permitted is forbidden. We all need to be Prussian from now on.

Comparison of Account Types

If you follow technology news you would have seen a lot stories in the last two weeks about Sony BMG’s rootkit debacle. The story is that Sony BMG used software for DRM (Digital Rights Management) purposes to protect songs on their music CDs from being copied. The software surreptitiously installs what is known as a rootkit (only on Microsoft OS) that acts as a Trojan to make changes to the operating system. The software is hidden from the user

and cannot be uninstalled without damaging the Windows operating system. This OS exploit can be used by viruses and worms to do serious damage to your computer and data. The malicious software was included on over 40 of the most popular music CDs marketed within the last 18 months and may have been included with songs downloaded

from their website. The rootkit was reported to have been found on computers at the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense. That’s scary.

No antivirus software – let me repeat that – no antivirus software detected this malware until after a computer developer reported his chance discovery of the rootkit on his blog at the end of October 2005. Maybe the security software vendors are in cahoots with Sony BMG or maybe they are just incompetent. In any event, users of the Windows OS were unprotected even if they paid for and used all those wonderful security tools that are available. Users of Linux and Mac (a UNIX variant) OS were not affected.

So what do you do? You have to become responsible for your own security. You cannot rely on others to protect your computers. Consider implementing the following policies:

Turn off autoplay on your computer. This is the feature that starts a music or data CD when it is put into the computer. (Contact RHFtech if you don’t know how to do this.)
Be cautious about installing software, especially add-ins like internet browser toolbars.
Be wary of attaching memory devices such as USB or camera cards if you do not know where they’ve been.

Establish limited user accounts for yourself and anyone else who uses the computer. Use them.
Normal computer use should be done exclusively in the limited accounts, not in an administrator account. The administrator account is to be accessed only when needed. This operating policy applies to all OS—Windows, Mac, Linux and UNIX.
Regularly run your security software, antivirus, anti-malware, immunization, etc. Keep the software up-to-date.
Back-up, back-up, back-up your data. Do this regularly. And don’t forget to test your back-ups before you put them away. You won’t be happy if your back-up fails you when you need it.

Remember, all that is not permitted is forbidden. Be Prussian. It’s the American thing to do when using your computer.

Web Services - Sending Large Files

Last week’s tip showed you how to send large files using BitTorrent Client/Server software. This week I point you to several internet services that do something similar (see the table below).

The upside to these services is that they are simpler and easier to use and all of them are totally free or have a free version.

The downside is loss of privacy and confidentiality. Email addresses, both your recipients and yours, will be revealed to a third party who may use them for their own purposes. Your file(s) will be placed on a third party’s server where the file’s security is at risk, from both within the service itself and from outside hackers, since many websites are deficient in both internal and external security.

Encryption/decryption utilities can make the files secure. These utilities can create problems since the process of encryption/decryption adds several steps that need to be effectively negotiated in order to successfully send the file. First, you encrypt the file(s); next you transmit the decryption method and code to recipients; separately, you upload the file to the service’s server; finally, the recipients must download the file and successfully decrypt it.

NB - I do not recommend peer-to-peer file sharing services like LimeWire or Bearshare. I believe these types of services create unnecessary security risks and should be avoided, especially by kids who do not understand the potential legal and financial ramifications of sharing copyrighted material.

That said, here is a table of web services for sending large files.

Service (link)	Max Files Size	Cost	Registration Required	Multiple Recipients	Expiration Period	Comment
Dropload	100 MB	Free	Yes	No	7 days	Uploaded file can only be retrieved once.
mailbigfile	1 GB	Free	No	No	7 days	Make yourself the recipient. Forward the emailed link to your recipients. Voilà, multiple recipients!
Megaupload	250 MB	Free	No	Premium service only	30 days	Premium paid services allow for larger files and multiple recipients.
SendThisFile	Unlimited	Free	Yes	Yes (limited to 3)	3 days	Premium paid services allow for unlimited recipients and 6 day time limit.
TransferBIGfiles.com	1 GB	Free	No	Yes	None	Can password protect access to file on web
yousendit	1 GB	Free	No	Yes	7 days or 25 downloads

Windows XP – Desktop Hibernate Shortcut

Previously I discussed using hibernate to save your work space when you shut down your computer and to save money on electricity bills when you leave your computer for any length of time, but many of you do not use it because it is too hard to find “Hibernate” on Windows XP’s Turn Off Computer menu or it takes too many clicks.

Therefore, I am providing you with a method to create a desktop shortcut. After you do this hibernating is just one click away.

Right click on a spot on your computer’s desktop.
Select New - Shortcut. The Create Shortcut window appears.
Copy and paste
%windir%\system32\rundll32.exe PowrProf.dll, SetSuspendState
into the space for Type the location of the item:.
Click the Next > button.
Type “Hibernate” into the space for Type a name for this shortcut:.
Click the Finish button.

Now you can click on the shortcut whenever you want to hibernate. You also can change the shortcut icon to make it stand out.

Windows XP - Setting Power Options

First we should configure the computer’s power options.

1) Click Start - Run, type “powercfg.cpl” and click the OK button.

2) The Power Options Properties dialog window opens. Select the Hibernate tab.

3) Check the “Enable Hibernation” checkbox if it is not selected.

4) Select the Power Schemes tab. Adjust the items to your preferences.

5) Click OK to save the settings.

What’s the difference between Standby and Hibernate?

Putting a computer in Standby is almost instantaneous. In Standby, the computer switches to a low-power state; devices, such as the monitor and hard disks, turn off but your computer draws power to keep RAM (memory) running. The machine uses less power than when awake but more than in Hibernate mode. When the computer is next used, it wakes from Standby quickly, and your desktop is exactly as you left it. Standby is great for conserving battery power in portables. Standby does not save your desktop state to a disk image as Hibernate does, so a power failure while on Standby will cause the loss of any unsaved data.

Hibernate saves everything in memory to an image on the hard drive, and then turns off your computer. No power is consumed while in hibernate. When you restart your computer, your desktop is restored exactly as you left it. It takes longer to bring your computer out of hibernation than out of standby.

Now to put the machine in Standby:

Press Start – Turn off the computer.
Press Standby.

The machine enters Standby.

Once the machine is in Standby we can wake it by pressing any keyboard key or by clicking or moving the mouse.

To put the machine in Hibernate:

Press Start – Turn off the computer.
Press and hold the shift key and the Standby button changes to Hibernate.
Click on the Hibernate button.

The machine saves the desktop to a disk image and then powers down.

Once the machine is in Hibernate we can wake it by pressing the power button on the computer.

Note: If you find yourself using Standby and Hibernate frequently let me know and I’ll tell you how to make short-cuts to put on your desktop or Quick Launch bar.

Windows XP – Spring Cleaning

Spring is here and so it is a good time to clean out and spruce up your computer hard drive. This is easy to do and should help speed up your computer.

Close and exit all applications, including instant messengers. If you were running Outlook wait a minute for it to clear from memory before proceeding to step 2.
Run the Disk Cleanup utility.

Click Start – Run… and the Run dialog box appears.
Copy and paste (or type)
cleanmgr.exe
into the space next to Open and click OK.
Wait for the utility to determine what to do.
Make certain the following items have the checkbox checked–

· Temporary Internet Files

· Offline Web Pages

· Recycle Bin

· Temporary files

Click OK and then the Yes button.

Run the Disk Defragmenter utility.

Click Start – Run… and the Run dialog box appears.
Copy and paste (or type)
dfrg.msc
into the space next to Open and click OK.
The Disk Defragmenter window appears.
Click on the Defragment button.
This may take quite a while depending upon the amount of space used on the drive and the last time the drive was defragmented. Do not use the computer while it is defragmenting.

When the defragment operation is complete you can go ahead and use the computer again or this might be a great time to run both a full antivirus scan and an antispyware scan.