Windows 7 - The secret of the "Snap"

Windows 7 has a new feature called “Snap” where you drag 1 open window to the right side of the screen another open window to the left and each window “Snaps” in place equally sharing the full screen. Many people who have tried the “snap” feature have had minimal success because they don’t know the trigger for making each window “snap”.

The trigger is the mouse pointer. Click and drag the title bar of each window to the right or left and when your mouse pointer touches the edge of your computer screen, release the mouse and the window "snaps" in place.

Windows XP Users
For those of you who are still using Windows XP there is a similar feature called “tile windows vertically”.  Open 2 windows that you want to view side by side.  Right-click on a blank area of the taskbar and select "Tile Windows Vertically" from the context menu. The windows are automatically arranged side-by-side, equally sharing the screen.

This Helpful Hint on Windows 7 “Snap,” generated the following question from a reader:

“I’ve run into an issue w/ Windows 7 that I’m sure many others have. I cannot figure out how to have two Excel files up on the screen at one time. Quite often, I need to copy and paste data from one spreadsheet into another, and I would like to use the SNAP feature to read them side by side and manually copy and paste data. But I cannot figure that out.”

ANSWER: There are a couple of options to use with Excel (which doesn’t automatically open a second window when you open a second file, as Word does.)

Option 1: (Windows 7) Open the first Excel file, then open the Excel program again (right-click on the Excel icon on the task bar and select Microsoft Excel) and then open the next file using the “Open” command. This creates 2 instances of the program and allows you to SNAP the 2 windows following the instructions above.

Option 2: Open the 2 Excel files you wish to view side-by-side. The next step varies based on the version of Excel you are using. In Excel 2007 or 2010, click the View tab on the ribbon. In the Window grouping click Arrange All. Select Vertical from the provided options and click OK. For Excel 2003 or older, click the Window menu and select Arrange… Select Vertical from the provided options and click OK.

Remove Incorrectly Typed Addresses in Outlook or Internet Explorer

Have you ever mistyped a web address in Internet Explorer or an email address in Outlook?

Microsoft’s AutoComplete feature remembers both the correct and the incorrect addresses that you type.

To remove those unwanted addresses, follow the steps below:

Outlook

1. Create a new email message.
2. Start typing the name or email address you want to remove.
3. When the unwanted name or address appears, use the down arrow key on your keyboard to highlight the entry you wish to remove.
4. Press the Delete key on your keyboard.

Internet Explorer

1. Begin typing the internet address in the address bar. (see screenshot below)
2. When the unwanted address appears, use the down arrow key on your keyboard to highlight the entry you wish to remove.
3. Press the Delete key on your keyboard.

Using the Thesaurus in Microsoft Word

1. Use your mouse to right-click on a word in your document for which you want to find a similar word.
2. Select Look Up... on the context menu.
3. The Research task pane opens on the right.
4. A list of similar words is displayed.
5. Do ONE of the following
• To replace the current word in your document, right-click on a word in the Thesaurus and click Insert.
• To lookup a word in the list of the Thesaurus, right-click on the word and select Look Up.

NOTE: If you want to also see a dictionary definition or pronunciation choose All Reference Books in the search location drop-down option.

Shortcuts Everyone Should Know

Keyboard shortcuts save you time – no need to use your mouse!

To use the following key combinations, press and hold the Control key on your keyboard while you press the letter key & then release all keys immediately. Do not hold down the letter key.

5 Microsoft Windows Shortcuts:

• Ctrl+a – selects all
• Ctrl+c – copies what you have selected
• Ctrl+v – pastes what you have copied
• Ctrl+p – opens the printer window
• Ctrl+s – saves your changes

10 Microsoft Word & Excel Shortcuts:  

• Ctrl+n - creates a new document or workbook
• Ctrl+Home (key) - moves the cursor/cell selection to the the beginning of the document or spreadsheet
• Ctrl+End (key) - moves the cursor/cell selection to the end of the document or spreadsheet
• Ctrl+f - opens the Find window to find data within the document or spreadsheet
• F7 (function key) - opens Spell Check
• Ctrl+e - centers the selected paragraph (Word only)
• Ctrl+enter (key)- creates a page break (Word only)
• Shift+enter (key)- moves cursor to next line without creating a new paragraph (Word only)
• Ctrl+; (semi-colon) - inserts today's date (Excel only)
• Ctrl+1 (number one) - opens the Format Cells window in Excel; changes line spacing of selection to single spacing in Word.

Change your Folder View for Pictures

When you are trying to find a specific picture on your computer, among many pictures in a folder, it is helpful to see a miniature of the picture along with its file name. You can change the View options to allow you to see a miniature of each picture. Here’s how:

 Windows XP
1. Open the folder containing your pictures (usually My Pictures).


2. Click the View menu or the Views icon on the toolbar and select Thumbnails to see your pictures.

Windows VISTA

1. Open the folder containing your pictures (usually Pictures).

2. Click the arrow next to the Views option on the top bar and select Tiles, Medium Icons, Large Icons, or Extra Large Icons to see different size miniatures of each picture.

Windows 7

1. Open the folder containing your pictures (usually Pictures Library).


2. Click the arrow next to the Views option on the top bar and select Tiles, Medium Icons, Large Icons, Extra Large Icons, or Content to see different size miniatures of each picture.

Get Rid of the "Enable Macros" Notice

Have you ever opened an Excel Workbook that no longer contains macros but it still prompts you to "Enable or Disable Macros"? 

Here's why:
When a macro is created, Excel adds a module to the workbook to store the macro.  When you delete all the macros in the workbook the module does not get deleted.
Note: A macro is a recording of a set of commands. Once a macro is recorded you can simply type the macro's name instead of typing the complicated sequence of commands, and all the commands automatically run that you have recorded.

How to delete the Module:

1. Open the Excel file that no longer contains the macro.
2. Press Alt+F11 (function key at top of keyboard) to display the Visual Basic Editor.
3. Near the upper-left side of the editor is the Project Explorer. This contains a hierarchical tree that shows the workbook name and the different modules in your workbook. If the Project Explorer is not visible on your screen, press Ctrl+R to display it.
4. Within the Project Explorer should be a folder called Modules. If it is not already open, double-click on the Modules folder to display its contents.
5. Right-click on a module in the folder. A menu is displayed. (See picture below.)
6. Choose the Remove option from the menu. You are asked if you want to export the module before removing it.
7. Click on the No button. The module is removed.
8. Repeat  steps 5 through 7 for each module in the Modules folder under your workbook name.
9. Close the Visual Basic Editor.
10. Save your workbook.

At this point your workbook contains no modules, and you will not get any notification when you subsequently open it.

Having difficulty reading the small print on the Internet?

If you are using a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can quickly zoom in on any web page to make it easier to read. 

Here's how:

• While viewing any web page, press and hold the Ctrl key (on your keyboard) while pushing the scroll wheel (on your mouse) away from you.  Pull the wheel towards you to zoom out.

If you don't have a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can use the Zoom option under the View menu of Internet Explorer.

Another helpful hint submitted by Cook Manwiller:


Use
Control and "+", (plus) to increase size
Control and " - " (minus) to decrease size
and
Control and " 0 " (zero) to return to normal size.