Index to YoucandoIT previous
editions
Homing in
Q: What sorts of thing can I do
to save time when using the Internet?
Why
use a database
Q: My new
computer has a database application on it. Can you
explain why I might want to use it?
To
filter or to query?
Q: I have started to use a
database but find searching quite confusing. What's the
difference between filtering and querying? They both
seem to do the same thing.
Not
quite so capital
Q: I sometimes make a mistake
and leave the Caps Lock on, so that my text is all in
capitals. Is there a quick way to put this right?
Post
it
Q: I've been asked to produce a
poster for our village fete. I know I could do it in
Word, but is there a better package?
Amazing effects
Q: I'm giving a talk in a few
weeks' time and have decided to use PowerPoint. Is
there one special effect you can recommend that I use?
Frozen Mice
Q: I must be
doing something wrong as my mouse pointer often stops
working and I can't open the menu or close down the
program properly. Can you tell me what has happened and
what to do about it?
Favourites
Q: Often when I'm
on the Web I come across a really interesting page that
I will want to return to in the future. Is there a
quick way to get back there another day?
Changing Sizes
Q: Please help
with a very frustrating problem. When I try to reduce
the size of letters in a word processed document I am
typing, it jumps back to a larger size whenever I start
a new paragraph. How can I stop this happening?
Reducing Columns
Q: I have started
to use Excel spreadsheets and find that some of the
headings for columns are so wide they make the
spreadsheet look rather silly, especially as the
contents of the columns are only a few numbers. How can
I display a large heading but keep the column width
narrow?
Column problems
Q: When using
columns in Word, how
do you make sure the right text
starts at the top of the second or third column? I
press the space bar several times, but then have to
re-set everything if I change the content of the
document.
Overflowing email
Q: I really enjoy
using Outlook
Express e-mail, but now have lots
of messages in my Inbox. What should I do with
them?
Inconsistent web printing
Q: How do I make
sure pages print
out properly from the Web? It
seems rather inconsistent.
Overtyping annoyance
Q: When trying to
add some text,
why does typing sometimes start
replacing words rather than push them along the line?
It's terribly annoying.
Easier on the eye
Q: My eyesight is
not very good. Is there any way to make the screen
easier to use?
Printing galore
Q: I recently
tried to print out a Web
page and found I had printed 14
pages. How can I make sure this doesn’t happen
again?
Format painting for
speed
Q: When I change
certain aspects of
my typing e.g. by making entries
bold in Excel cells, or underlining titles in Word, I
sometimes want to repeat the same changes elsewhere. Is
there a quick way to do this?
Shrink to fit
Q: What does
"Shrink to Fit" mean on the Print Preview toolbar in
Word?
Better Searching
Q: Do you have any general advice about searching
the Web?
Repeated entries
Q:I run a small club and use
Access to maintain a database of members. As many of
the details for each record are the same e.g. the
annual fee and the class they belong to, I wondered if
there was a way to repeat entries
automatically.
Changing your
signature
Q: I send
e-mails to all sorts of people. Can you explain how to
add automatic signatures at the bottom of messages that
I can vary, depending on what style of signature I want
to include.
Easy
indexing
Q: Is it
very difficult to add an index at the end of a long
document?
Working safely
Q:
Do you have any general advice about
working safely with computers?
Zip
it up
Q: I need
to send long documents to people. Is there any way to
save them so that they take up less memory?
Return to sender - capturing addresses
quickly
Q: Is there
a quick way to add e-mail addresses to my Address
Book?
Photos from the web
Q: I often find
fabulous photos or pictures on the Web that I would
love to use in my own work. How do I make
copies?
Finding e-mail addresses
Q:I met an old friend recently who is not
listed in the phone book. I would like to
contact him and I am sure he has an e-mail
address.
How can I find it on the Internet?
Learning how to use Autotext
Q: It seems
rather a waste of time to type in my address every time
I word process a letter. Is there a quick way
to do this?
Replying to e-mails
Q: What’s the
difference between Reply and Reply All when answering
an e-mail?
Make your own Christmas Cards (also
cards for all occasions)
Q: Can you give
me some advice about making my own Christmas
cards. For
example, which is the best package and how is it
done?
Creating Templates
Q: Is there a
way to create standard documents that can be used over
and over again
Newsgroups
Q: I would
like to exchange views with people sharing my interest
in Nelson. How would I go about finding anyone on the
Internet to write to?
Using Address book
Q: How do I
use the Address Book feature in my e-mail
system?
Using a database
Q: I don’t
know how to use a database package such as Access and
so keep records of all the members of my local
association in an Excel spreadsheet, and search the
records for members in specific categories without
checking each one manually?
Using
WordArt
Q:I
produce posters and leaflets and want my text to stand
out. Apart from increasing the size and making it bold
or underlined, what else can I do?
Creating labels
Q: Please tell
me how to use my computer to create labels. I make a lot of jam
and chutney and think I could make my life easier by
saving my labels so that I can just change the dates
each year.
Which e-mail system?
Q: A friend who attends
a local evening class uses a web-based e-mail system
(Yahoo) as he can access this free when he goes to
College.
Is it better to do this than use Outlook Express, as I
do at home?
Master slide in PowerPoint
Q: Can you explain how you would
use the Master slide in PowerPoint?
Organising my work
Q: Since buying my computer, I
have saved everything into something labelled My
Documents.
Is this the right thing to do?
It is now so full of my work that it takes me ages to
find some important letters and reports.
I feel there must be a better way to organise my work.
I am always looking for shortcuts
Q: I am always looking for shortcuts as I spend far too long at
the computer.
Can you suggest a useful tip?
Problems producing charts with
Excel
Q: I have started producing charts with
Excel but have one problem.
Sometimes I want to use information in columns that are
not next to one other, but if I select one range of
cells, the highlight comes off as soon as I click
somewhere else on the spreadsheet.
Uninstalling games
Q: My
grandchildren have installed various games My
grandchildren have installed various games My
grandchildren have installed various games My
grandchildren have installed various games on my
computer that they have found on CD-ROMS. When these don’t work
or aren’t played any more, what is the best way to
remove them?
Changing background
Q:
At the
moment I have plain green as a background to my
desktop.
Can I change this for something more exciting?
Lost file
Q:
I
recently spent ages looking for a file I know I
saved but couldn’t remember where! Any tips for finding
lost files
in future?
Edition 12
Get rid of the yellow box
Q: How can I get rid of the little
yellow suggestion box that appears when I write
letters?
Quick way to enter filename
Q: Is
there a quick way to enter the filename when saving my
work?
Copying databases to disk
Q: I
sometimes want to copy databases to disk to give to
someone else
Edition 13
Correcting errors in Autotext
Q:I know how
to insert AutoText, but how do I
correct some errors made in an entry?
Where did my toolbar buttons
go
Q:I recently tried to save
and print my work but couldn’t find the usual toolbar
buttons at
the top of the screen. Where did they go,
and how can I get them back?
Shortcut
on desktop
Q: I use certain programs
quite often, and want to create a shortcut to them on
the desktop, so that I can open them more
quickly.
Edition 14
Repeated searches
Q: How do I
carry out repeated searches of my Access
database
Clipart
doesn't behave
Q: I have
updated my MS Office package from 97 to 2000 and found
the clipart doesn`t behave in the same way.
Sending e-mail
attachments
Q: How do I
send pictures - or other documents I have saved - by
e-mail
Edition 15
How do I copy a file across from a floppy
disk
Q: A friend has sent me some photos on a
floppy disk and wants the disk back. How can I keep
copies and use them in my presentations or
documents?
I can`t understand instructions on
CD-ROMS
Q:
I have several CD-ROMs but can’t
seem to understand the instructions for using
them.
How do you launch games or educational
CD-ROMS
Q: I like to play games or use
educational CD-ROMs and want a quick way to launch
them. How
is this done?
Edition 16
Removing items to free up
memory
Q: When
trying to upgrade a programme should I remove some
items from the Start menu to free up some memory
Tables or Tabs
Q:
What is the best method to use for producing columns of
numbers
Explain URLs or website
addresses
Q: How can
I find company website addresses
Edition 17
Adding music and other sounds to the
computer
Q: How can
I add my own music and other sounds to the
computer
How do I automate different printing
options
Q: How do I
automate instructions for different printing options
for labels, envelopes etc.
How do you create a Table of Contents
for a book?
Q: How do
you create a Table of Contents for a book?
Edition 18
This month Jackie introduces a few less well-known
options available on some of the menus:-
The
view menu
The
edit menu
The
window menu
The
insert menu
Edition 19
Numbering difficulties
Q: Can you
help me with word processing minutes of meetings
Number sequences
Q:Can you
suggest quick ways to insert number sequences into a
spreadsheet? I use Excel
Blocking e-mails
Q: I am
drowning in e-mails. How can I stop unwanted messages
downloading onto my computer?
Read Jackie's books:
Getting the most from your computer
Basic Computer Skills Made
Simple
Everyday
Computer Activities
A Step-by-step Guide for
Older Home Users
