Showing posts with label Windows. Show all posts

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Keyboard Shortcuts (Windows)

Keyboard Shortcuts with Free Download

As with all things ‘computer’ there are multiple ways to achieve a goal such as ‘Cut’, ‘Copy’, ‘Paste’ or Navigate your cursor around a document. When you are typing (or there is a lack of ‘menu’ present) it is sometimes more expedient to use your keyboard rather than your mouse to do things.

Keyboard Shortcuts help you save time by allowing you to never take your hands off the keyboard to use the mouse. Keyboard shortcuts use a combination of keys to achieve a Function’. For example: Have you ever wondered what that Ctrl key was for? Well, if you press and hold that down and then hit another key magical things will happen. The Shift and Alt keys can be used as well.

I also find that by taking your hand away from the keyboard to find your mouse to either click a Menu about your document or right click to find the ‘Options’ menus, you can distract your focus on the task at hand.

Keyboard shortcuts are also immensely handy for those of you who use a lap top ‘track pad’ (naughty) instead of a mouse, so….

Remember that you need to master Selecting (or highlighting) techniques first.[see the Selecting Text shortcuts]

Step 1 is to locate certain keys on your keyboard (as a lot of keyboards differ from one another)…

Ctrl (Control) -
usually the first and last keys on the bottom row

Shift -
usually the first and last key of the second bottom row

Navigation Keys -
usually grouped together or in a row downwards on the right hand side

Arrow Keys -
Bottom right

F Keys -
Very Top Row

Alt Key-
usually either side of the Space Bar

Now you have located the Ctrl, Alt, Shift, F, Arrow and Navigation Keys you can Download a printable version of this guide and keep them by your keyboard until you learn them ‘by heart’.

Remember that keyboards can be different so these shortcuts are a guide only. After you have printed this open up a word document and type some text. Then go through the shortcuts and make sure they work for you.

It’s always good practice to 'say' the commands as you perform them...(all geniuses talk to themselves) For example;

Copy Command: Ctrl+C

Say …‘hold Control and press C’

Here are a few to get you started...

MOST USED

Cut selected text Ctrl + X

Copy selected text Ctrl + C

Undo last edit Ctrl + Z

Paste selected text Ctrl + V

Redo last action Ctrl + Y

Task Manager (to stop a process when its stuck and taking forever to think about it or your computer is ‘frozen’)
Ctrl + Alt + Delete

SELECTING TEXT

Select All the text in a doc Ctrl + A

Select a Word at a time Shift + left/right arrow

Select a Sentence at a time Ctrl + one click of mouse

To Download your free Keyboard Shortcuts Guide Click here

Yours in Shortcutting
Kim-Denyse

www.mycomputertutor.net.au

Sunday, October 3, 2010

I Can't Open an Email Attachment

Email Attachments Not Opening?

New Technology often causes Lost 'File to Program Associations'

Recently I have had a lot of phone calls and pleas for help regarding emails. ' I can't open some of my emails!!!'. What they really mean is that they can't open their email 'Attachment'...and its only SOME attachments not all of them.

Strange? Not really... its to be expected.

Operating Systems and their Compatible Programs

People are becoming increasingly confused with 'programs' and 'files' and what opens what. This is due to the constant development of new operating systems, compatible programs and the difficulties you face dealing with the transitions.

For each new Windows Operating System that comes out, Microsoft releases a new version of Office

1. XP=Office 2003

2. Vista = Office 2007

3. W7= Office 2010

This creates a problem for those who own Microsoft Office 2003 or previous versions:

You cannot open any file created with MS Office 2007 or 2010 without downloading a Compatability Viewer first (here's the link Compatibility Pack : CLICK HERE)

Another reason could be that they own a Mac and have produced the file with a Mac program that Windows PCs can't read

REMEMBER: Nowadays nothing is constant nor consistent when we speak of operating systems and their compatible programs

Programs and File Extensions
So how do you overcome this situation?

When you create and save a file using a program, the name of the file is followed by a dot and then a file extention of 3 letters which tell you which program will open it.

Example:
.doc means that the file has been created with the MS Office Word 2003 program
.docx means that the file has been created with the MS Office Word 2007 or 2010 programs

HINT: when you send a file as an attachment it is probably best to send it in a .pdf file format (unless you want the receiver to be able to edit it)

Lost File Associations
If you can’t open a file it will probably have an icon that looks like this:

The reason is that your computer doesn’t know what type of file it is and can’t find a program to open it. It may have merely 'Forgotten' or someone sent you a file produced with a program your computer doesn't recognise

Why this happens varies, so its probably best to just know a solution that just may fix it.

There are a couple of different ways to do this ...

Right click on the icon.
from the Drop Down 'Options Menu'
Left Click

‘Open with’: and choose a program you think may open it. Look for a box to tick when you want your computer to always open an unidentified icon with this specific program because you are reasonable certain that you know which one will open the file

or
2. ‘Rename’ is a shorter and faster method to use when you are not sure which program to use

I have a 'Lost File Association' Step-By-Step Guide to restoring lost file extensions so please contact me so I can send it to you

Its a quick fix so if this doesn't work be sure to contact me so we can get to the bottom of it

Kind Regards

Kim-Denyse CertIV TAE, Dip Bus
My Computer Tutor
kim@mycomputertutor.net.au

Saturday, February 20, 2010