Windows 7 and 10 System Restore - How to Create a Restore Point

1. When your computer is working properly, click in the Search box and type: Restore point.
2. Click, Create a restore point (Control panel).
3. On the System Protection tab, click Create...
4. Type any name for the restore point.
5. Click Create. The system will create a restore point.  (This may take several minutes.)
6. When the restore point has been created, you will see a message that the restore point was created successfully.
7. Close the message.
8. Click OK to close the System Properties window.

NOTES:

• A restore point contains registry entries and copies of certain critical programs including drivers and key system files.  When you restore to a restore point, you replace the current settings and programs with the older versions.
• Try to remember to create restore points at least once a month.
• Restore points take up space on your hard drive.  If you want to delete old restore points, view the System Properties window, click Configure, and then next to "Delete all restore points for this drive", click the Delete button.

Restore your Computer to an Earlier Version

If you are having computer problems and you think the problem is due to something that was recently installed, you can roll back your computer to an earlier version if you have created at least one restore point.

1. Close all running programs.
2. In the search box, type: restore point
3. Click, Create a restore point (Control panel).
4. On the System Protection tab, click System Restore..
5. Click Next.
6. Select a restore point.
7. Click, Scan for affected programs, to see what will be changed or deleted.  Click Close.
8. If you don't see any problems with the restore point, click Next.
9. Follow any instructions on your screen to complete the Restore.  
10. The restore will take several minutes.  Be patient!  It will let you know when the restore is completed successfully.

Microsoft Outlook - Create a Calendar Entry from an Email using Quick Steps

If you are using the desktop version of Outlook, be sure to check out Quick Steps.  There are some predefined shortcuts in the list for saving time on repetitive tasks, like emailing the same group of people or automatically moving emails to a specified folder. You can even create your own Quick Steps!  I created a Quick step to turn an email message into a calendar appointment.  Here’s how:

1. Open Microsoft Outlook Email.
2. On the Home tab, in the Quick Steps group, click, “Create New”.
3. In the Name box, give your Quick Step a name, like, “Appt from email”
4. In the Actions dropdown, select, “Create an appointment with text of message”.
5. Click Finish.
6. The Quick Step appears in the Quick Step selection box by the name you assigned.

• To use your new Quick Step, view an email that you want to convert to a calendar appointment. On the Home tab, click the Quick Step name, i.e. Appt from email. The calendar window opens with the email message displayed.  Set the date/time, edit the subject if necessary, and then click Save & Close. The appointment appears on your calendar with the email content included.

The Quick Step will be there anytime you want to convert an email to an appointment!

Allow Pop-ups in Google Chrome Browser

Some websites use pop-ups to show you specific data from the website.  Without the pop-ups, you will not be able to see all the data.  If pop-ups have been blocked, you will need to unblock them for some sites.  Follow the steps below to allow pop-ups for specific websites using Google Chrome browser.

1. Open Google Chrome.
2. Click the 3 vertical dots in the upper right corner.
3. Click Settings in the menu.
4. Scroll to the bottom and click Advanced.
5. Scroll down to the Privacy and Security section and click the arrow to the right of Content settings.
6. Click the arrow after Popups.
7. Next to Allow, click ADD.
8. In the pop-up window, type the complete address of the website you wish to allow pop-ups. i.e. https://www.manwillercomputertraining.com 
9. Click ADD.
10. Close the Settings tab.
11. Finished!

How to Create Custom Numbers in Excel

If you want your data to have leading text in each cell, i.e. ACCT - 12345, without typing the text each time, set up Custom formatting!

1. In Excel, select all the blank cells where you want to apply the custom format.
2. Press CTRL+1 (to open the Format cells dialog box).
3. Select Custom from the Category list.
4. Under Type, enter the text you want to automatically display followed by the minimum quantity of numbers (represented by zeros).
5. Click OK.
6. Now try typing just the numbers in the cells.  The text should automatically display!

Create a Checkbook Register in Microsoft Excel

You can download a free check register directly from Excel.  Here’s how:

1    1.  Open Excel.
2.  Click File > New
3.  In the search box, type: “check register” and then press ENTER.
4.  When the results of your search are displayed, select one.
5.  Click Create.
6.  Save the register to a location of your choice.

You now have an electronic check register that will automatically calculate your balance.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Enter your current balance in the first Deposit field so as not to delete the formula in the Balance column.
 
If you want to print the last few lines of the register to put in your checkbook to use while you are away from your computer, do this:
1.     Select only the data you want to print.
2.     Press Ctrl+p to view the print options.
3.     Select “Print Selection” (instead of “Print Active Sheets”)
4.     Click “Print”.

How to play CD's and DVDs in Windows 10

In case you are not aware, Microsoft removed the media player in Windows 10 for many people. This means you may not automatically be able to play a CD or DVD. 

According to Microsoft, if you upgraded your computer from Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate or 8/8.1 Pro they have provided you an app that will install automatically with Windows updates. (Although I haven’t seen it.) It is named, “Windows DVD Player”.  If you did a clean install of Windows 10 or purchased a new computer with Windows 10, you will not have a Microsoft player.  You can purchase the player from the Microsoft Online Store at a current price of $14.99.

I found a free player, VLC Media player, which works great! Click on the link below to download.
http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html

Windows 10 Shortcut - Remove a Program

Here’s a quick shortcut to remove a program in Windows 10: 

1. Right-click on the Start button.
2. Click Programs and Features.
3. Right-click on the program you want to uninstall.
4. Click Uninstall.