|
Some Q and A`s for May..
Q: I use Outlook Express (OE) for my
e-mails and need to acknowledge messages received when I am away on
holiday or travelling. Is there a way to send an “out of office”
message using this system?
A: Although OE is a cut-down version of
Outlook, it does offer the option to set message rules and you could
use these for your out-of-office messages in the following way.
-
First create a word processed file containing your message. Save it
as a Plain Text file somewhere that is easy to locate.
-
Open the OE Tools menu and click Message Rules – Mail.
-
Click New and in the top box (1. – Select the Conditions for your
rule) click in the box next to the bottom option: “For all your
messages”.
-
In the middle box (2. – Set the Actions for your rule) select:
“Reply with message”.
-
In the bottom box, click the underlined word “message”. This will
take you to the files on your computer. Change the file type you are
looking for to Plain Text, find your message file, select it and
click Open. Back in OE you will now see the filename listed instead
of the word “message” in the bottom window.
-
Give your rule a suitable name e.g. “Out of Office” and then save it
before closing the Rules window.
-
What will happen from the date the rule is applied is that,
immediately you receive any messages, a reply will be prepared in
your Outbox containing the text message you saved. You will have to
be online all the time, or someone will have to connect your system
regularly but then the sender will receive this holding message.
-
Make sure you turn off the rule (by taking off the tick next to its
name in the Message Rules box) when you get back home, or all future
messages will be dealt with in the same way. Just turn it on again
before your next trip.
Q: Do you have any advice for someone
who keeps forgetting their passwords? I find it very hard to choose
different words for the various websites I visit for shopping etc.,
but I know it is not a good idea to use the same word or to write
any of them down and keep them nearby.
A: I am just like you but I think I
have come up with the perfect method for keeping a range of
different passwords safe and to hand.
-
Decide on one password that means something to you and is actually
two words e.g. wellkept, turnover, babyjane etc.
-
Make the second word start with a capital e.g. wellKept, turnOver or
babyJane. Passwords are case-sensitive so it is very important to
type this letter as a capital every time.
-
Now you can change your password regularly by adding a different
number between the two words e.g. well14Kept, baby22Jane, turn48Over
etc.
-
For any website you visit, or for repeat visits when you feel it is
time to change the password, use your basic password plus a random
number. If you write down ONLY the name of the website and number on
a piece of paper e.g. Sainsburys – 65 or Barclays – 22, someone
finding it is going to find it very hard to do anything with it.
-
In future you only have to remember the basic password and make sure
you don’t lose your updated piece of paper.
Q: I enjoy computing and want to enrol
at my local college to take one of the basic qualifications. Can you
explain the difference between CLAIT and ECDL as I could do either?
A: Here is an overview of the two
qualifications which I hope will help you make up your mind.
|
CLAIT |
|
ECDL |
|
Level 1 (introduction) is called New
CLAIT and you can progress to Level 2 (CLAITPlus) or Level 3
(Advanced) Next year it changes to CLAIT 2006 but you can still
gain the different levels as they won’t be very different |
|
Mixed Level 1/2 is ECDL but there is also
an Advanced level course if you want to stretch yourself.
|
|
New CLAIT includes one compulsory unit
(using a computer to create and print a file) and a choice from 9
others. You must take 4 to gain the qualification, chosen from
Word processing, Spreadsheets, Databases, Charts, Computer Art,
Presentations, E-Mail and Internet (or BBC Webwise), Desktop
Publishing and Webpage creation. |
|
You must take all 7 modules for this
qualification and these cover Basic concepts of IT (a theoretical
course), file management, word processing, spreadsheets and
charts, databases, e-mail and Internet and presentations. There
are no units on desktop publishing, computer art or Webpage
creation. |
| The assessment
involves a 2-hour test taken in normal classroom conditions where
you carry out a range of tasks to produce an accurate printout of
e.g. a word processed document, DTP publication or spreadsheet.
|
|
The tests are usually on-line and each
one takes around 25 minutes. They will test your ability to carry
out tasks using the correct menus, toolbar buttons or steps,
rather than checking the accuracy of a finished product. |
|
Courses are relatively cheap, usually
offered by local FE colleges and are taught over several months
e.g. 2 hours a week. |
|
Courses are usually hundreds of pounds
and studied on a self-help basis from books, internet websites or
CD-ROMs, although a few places will offer taught courses. |
| CLAIT is only really recognised in the UK |
|
ECDL (or ICDL) is now Europe and world-wide.
|
|
