QR Codes & Smart Phones

Quick Response Codes are the latest technology rage!  Learn more about creating your own QR Codes and scanning with your Smart Phone.
About QR Codes
QR Codes are bar codes that can store phone numbers, URL's, email addresses and much more alphanumeric data.  They are internationally standardized.  These codes are similar to the bar codes that you see on products for scanning prices; however QR codes hold a lot more information.  These codes can store up to 4296 characters!

Smart Phones (cell phones that can access the internet) have free apps that can scan QR Codes.  If your Smart Phone doesn’t have a QR scanner, search for “qr code scanner” from your Smart Phone Market place.  I like the free app, Quick Mark.  You can download it from www.quickmark.cn .

Create QR Codes
Want to create your own QR code?  Go to www.qrstuff.com  to create QR codes for free!  It’s easy…

1.       Select the type of QR code to make.

2.       Complete the required Content information.

3.       Click “Download this image” (found under the QR Code preview)

4.       Click Save (IE 8) or Save As (IE 9) and choose a Save location.  Note: In Internet Explorer version 9, click the down arrow next to Save to select Save As, otherwise the file goes to the default Download folder.

Use your QR Code
Insert your QR Code like you would insert a picture.  Add it to an email, Word document, or any other program that allows pictures. 
Advantage of QR Codes over Hyperlinks
QR Codes can be added to print material.  Anyone with a Smart Phone can quickly access the information in the QR code.

Quickly locate information on a web page by using the “FIND” option!

If you open a webpage and can’t easily find the information you want, use the “Find” option to quickly locate key words on the web page you are viewing.



1. View the webpage with Internet Explorer.


2. Click “Edit” (from the Menu bar) and then “Find on this page”, or press Ctrl+f to open the “Find” search box.


3. Type a key word into the box.


4. Press ENTER on your keyboard.


5. If a match is found, the word will be highlighted on the page.  The number of matches found will display to the right of the search box.

In the screenshot below, "training" was typed in the Find box.  Training is highlighted at the bottom of the webpage.

Quickly Select Large Amounts of Data with the Control Key

The Control key on your keyboard allows you to quickly select large amounts of data in Microsoft Word or Excel.  Here's how:

To select the entire file:

• In Word, open the document, press and hold the Ctrl key, and tap the letter A.  Release both keys (Ctrl+A). The entire document should be selected. 
• In Excel, if all your data is consecutive, click anywhere inside the data BEFORE pressing Ctrl+A.  This selects only the data and not the remaining blank cells.  If you click in a blank cell outside your data and then press Ctrl+A, the entire worksheet is selected.

To select part of the file to the end:

• Open the file, click your mouse where you want to begin the selection, press and hold the Ctrl and Shift keys together, and tap the End key.  Release all 3 keys (Ctrl+Shift+End).

The method above works in both Word and Excel, but if you don't want to select all columns in Excel try this:

• Select the beginning row of data over to the last column you want to include.  If you only want to include 1 column, select the beginning cell.  Press Ctrl+Shift+↓ 

EXAMPLES:
Your Excel spreadsheet has data in columns A - F and rows 1 - 2000.

• To select all the data from A1:F2000, click in cell A1 and press Ctrl+A.
• To select the data in cells A2:F2000, click in cell A2 and press Ctrl+Shift+End
• To select only the data in column A, click in cell A1 and press Ctrl+Shift+↓ 

Use the CTRL key to Copy

The Ctrl (control) key on your keyboard has many functions. Use it with your mouse to copy text or pictures in MS Word, or cells of data in MS Excel.


It works in most Microsoft Office programs!  Here's how:

1. First select (highlight) what you want to copy.
2. Press and hold the CTRL key on your keyboard.  (There are two CTRL keys. It doesn't matter which one you hold.)
3. Click and drag the selected item with your mouse to another location on the screen while holding down the CTRL key.
4. Next release the mouse and CTRL key.  A copy of the selected item will appear leaving the original intact.

TRY IT!

System Restore

With so many people experiencing computer problems, I want to remind you of a Windows tool that will return your system files and settings to an earlier point in time when your computer was working properly, without affecting personal files or email.



For example, if you have just downloaded a new program OR your computer automatically downloaded updates and now your computer isn’t working properly, you can use “System Restore” to restore your computer back to the way it was BEFORE the updates.


“System Restore” is available in Windows XP, Vista, and 7. 

Follow the steps below to run System Restore:

1. Locate System Restore on your computer.
1. In Windows XP or VISTA- Click START > ALL PROGRAMS > ACCESSORIES > SYSTEM TOOLS > SYSTEM RESTORE.
2. In Windows 7 - Click START and then Type "SYSTEM RESTORE" in the search box.  Click SYSTEM RESTORE.
2. The SYSTEM RESTORE wizard opens.
3. Follow the instructions in the wizard.
4. Allow ample time for your computer to restore to a previous restore point.

Notes:

• If restoring your computer to a previous point in time does not resolve your computer problem, you can reverse the system restore back to the current settings.
• System Restore does not affect your personal files or email.

Reopen Last Browsing Session

Did you know that Internet Explorer version 8 remembers the last webpage (or open tabs) that you were viewing when you closed your browser?  So if you accidentally close your browsing session, you can quickly return to it when you reopen Internet Explorer by following the steps below:

1. Open Internet Explorer (version 8).
2. From the Menu bar or Toolbar, click Tools> Reopen last browsing session.

Easily Switch Between Web Pages Using Tabs

If you’d like to keep a web page open while viewing a different webpage, just open each web page in a separate tab using Internet Explorer.

1. First, open a webpage you wish to view (using Internet Explorer).

2.  Next, click on the blank tab (to the right of the tab you are currently viewing.)
3. A new tab appears. In the address bar, type the address for the next website you wish to view and press ENTER.

4.  Now you will see two tabs displaying the name of each website.  Click the tab for the website you wish to view.
5.  Repeat steps 2 & 3 to open additional tabs.
6.  To close a single tab, click the tab and then click the "X" on the tab.