You can do IT in later life

You can do IT is a regular feature of laterlife.com aimed at trying to help laterlife visitors make the most of Information Technology on or off the web. 

Jackie Sherman who runs the You can do IT Question & Answer section is an IT trainer and author. Jackie has spent her career in education and specialises in teaching IT to adults. Her courses for adults include such topics as MS Office, the Internet, e-mail and basic web page authoring.  

Jackie has also written several books - you can find more details about these by clicking here. Jackie has also been running a course specifically for over 50s.

Via laterlife.com Jackie aims to particularly help those new to IT and the web to build up knowledge and confidence, so no question is too basic. At the same time she will cover Q&As for the more experienced user. 

So if you would like to ask a question of Jackie, or if you have discovered something which may be of interest to others in making the most of the web, then she would love to hear about that too. Why not email her jackie@laterlife.com

LATERLIFE JUNE 2007

Q: Is there a quick way to complete addresses in the browser address box?

A: On most machines, enter the name of the organisation into the box, then hold down Ctrl and press Enter. (It will add .com, but this may still work as a shortcut to a .co.uk website.) If nothing happens, set the browser to "AutoComplete" as follows:

a. Go to Tools – Internet options
b. Click the Content tab.
c. Click the AutoComplete button.
d. Make sure there is a tick in the "Web addresses" checkbox.

Q: My email system (Outlook Express) no longer shows me attachments. How can I get them back?

A: You will need to turn off a security device used to safeguard your machine. Open the system and then go to Tools – Options. Click the Security tab and take off a tick in the box in the Virus Protection section labelled "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus."
 

Q: I need to produce lists of items in alphabetical order using my word processing application. Is it possible to sort entries in Word?

A: Yes – it is very easy as long as you create a table and each entry is in its own square/cell. Once all your entries have been made, select the entire table and then open the Table menu and select Sort.

When the dialogue box opens, choose to Sort by the column you want to base the sort on – usually Column 1 - in Ascending order and all entries will be re-ordered and placed in alphabetical order. As long as all entries are selected, the details will stay linked even if your table has 2 or more columns, and you can even add a second or third-order sort.





Add any new entries at the bottom of the table, select all entries at the end of your typing and carry out a final sort to place them in their correct positions.

Q: I want to install programs such as anti-virus software, spyware and adware, but I am worried I will actually download unsafe programs that will take over my machine. What is the best source for security programs?

A: You are right to be concerned, so why not do one of two things:

• Buy sealed programs from a retailer you trust

• Go to a secure website if you want to download free programs. I personally feel more confident using Computer Active than other sites as human beings will be able to help you if you phone/write to the magazine or website about any problems. So why not start there – visit www.computeractive.co.uk/downloads  and remember to check the reviews of any software first.
  
   

View previous editions of YoucandoIT for more useful Questions and Answers
 

For a wealth of books on the web and IT generally, visit Amazon and under the books section select Computers and Internet.

Don't forget to visit the general laterlife features section called laterlife interest