Laptops: Pop That Drive (Really Tiny Tip)

Ok…I’m on a deadline and blah blah blah…so this week’s tip, although handy (for laptop owners) is embarrassingly brief.

 

Scenario: Your laptop has a DVD drive. You finished using it to install some software or copy data, etc – but then you shut down the laptop without removing the DVD from its drive.

 

How many times have you done this – and then thought you had to turn the laptop back on to be able to open the DVD door? Well…you don’t have to.

 

Full tip: Laptop tip

Categories: Laptops

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Excel: Be a Tipster

If you’re creating a spreadsheet into which someone else must do the data entry it might be wise offer them instructions – to guard against erroneous data entry.

 

Full tip: Excel tip

 

Categories: Excel

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Excel: What is your Problem?

This is not the most exciting tip I’ve ever put out (and I know some of them are downright spine-tingling!) but sometimes a tip can be helpful by – not telling you what to do…but by telling you what not to do. Below is a list of the most common error messages that you see in Excel; what they mean – and how to fix them fast.

 

NOTE: When you see an error indicator in a cell you’ll also likely see an error alert (a little green triangle in the upper-left corner of the cell). If you click on the cell then just hover over the green triangle – it will tell you what the problem is. Some of these pop-ups are clear…some are so unclear – they’re not worth the effort to read (yeah…I’m talking about YOU little Mr. #NULL!).

 

Full tip: Excel tip

Categories: Excel

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Windows: The French (keyboard) must be stopped!

In an earlier tip, I explained that you can accidentally change your keyboard language by pressing the [CTRL][SHFT] keyboard combination. Excel users (well, efficient Excel users) are more likely to do this because the keyboard shortcut for selecting to the very bottom of a range of data in Excel is [CTRL][SHFT] ↓

 

Since [CTRL][SHFT] caused the French characters to start appearing (you get an é when you type a ? mark) that same key combination ([CTRL][SHFT]) pressed once (if you have two keyboard languages installed on your computer) or twice (if you have three keyboard languages installed) can fix the problem – temporarily.

 

But who wants to have to keep fixing this issue manually?

 

Full tip: Windows tip

Categories: Windows 7

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Word: Save the Footer

I write a lot of manuals and I love shortcuts that allow me to avoid repeating myself over and over again…like having to re-create the same footer all the time. QUICK PARTS to the rescue! Although Quick Parts can be used for a gazillion and three other shortcuts (I counted!) – this is a handy one.

 

Full tip: Word tip

Categories: Word

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Microsoft Office suite programs: A few keyboard shortcuts worth remembering

Not everyone is a fan of keyboard shortcuts. Anyone who knows me – knows I REALLY am! Some keyboard shortcuts can be difficult to remember. But some are worth remembering and sometimes there are little tricks for remembering your favourites.

 

Full tip: Microsoft Office tip

Categories: Various

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PowerPoint:  Eight Tips for an Awesome PowerPoint Presentation

I have asked you all for ideas for tips – and Maria P answered that call. So you can thank her for this request.

 

I recently came upon a webpage entitled “8 Tips for an Awesome PowerPoint Presentation” that so impressed me that I have to share it with you. Thank you Damon Nofar for creating it.

 

So, instead of writing out a tip – my tip is “watch this”.

 

It’s good (in my opinion). Take what you like – leave the rest

 

Oh yeah…here it is:
http://www.slideshare.net/damonnofar/8-tips-for-slideshare

Categories: PowerPoint

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Word/Outlook: Adding Your (Actual) signature to a Word document/email

Thanks to Tracey B. for asking for this tip.

 

To add your actual signature (ok – a graphic of your signature)…

 

Full tip: Word and Outlook tip

Categories: Outlook Word

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Outlook: Flagging Outgoing Messages

Sending an email to someone and want to make sure you stay on whatever task or question you have asked them? FLAG the outgoing email.

You can:

• Add a flag to an email – which will simply place an item in your To Do list. A flag will simply add the subject (of the outgoing email) to your To Do list. It will stay there until you mark the task as done;
• Add a reminder to an email – which will also add the subject (of the outgoing email) to your To Do list – but it was also cause a pop-up reminder to appear – just like a calendar appointment reminder;
• Add a reminder to the email that causes the reminder to be added to the recipients email program.

 

Full tip: Outlook tip

Categories: Outlook

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Microsoft Office 2013/2016: Get Rid of that Annoying Backstage View

I know that you’re sitting there in absolute awe of why…why oh why oh why….with a newer version of anything you’d have to do MORE steps to perform a common task like opening or saving a file.

[CTRL]O (for Open) or [CTRL]S (for Save) – has always taken you (immediately) to the OPEN or SAVE window (shown here).

 

But with Office 2013 and 2016 – it takes THREE (3?????) steps to get to this window: [CTRL]O, then choose COMPUTER – then click the BROWSE icon. I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone!

 

Full tip: Microsoft Office tip

Categories: Office 2013

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