How to password protect PDF files with Mac OS X &#...

A client today had a need to learn how to password protect PDF files on their iMac and MacBook Air. With OS X, the process is quite easy…here it is: ...

Print Your Own Manual

To save on printing, shipping and packaging costs, many software and hardware companies no longer provide printed manuals. One of the top complaints I hear from computer users is; “I wish there was a manual.” Instead of printed manuals, many manufacturers use online manuals or Adobe Acrobat files on the item CD to house their manuals. Often times these manuals contain great information, but can be hard to thumb...

You are ignoring Web 2.0 – 12 articles to ca...

Over the past few years, I have written and talked much about Web 2.0 or as it is sometimes known, cloud computing. You have ignored those articles and haven’t visited or tried the Web 2.0 offerings that are changing the way we use computers. Today, I’m going to give you a second change to get up to speed, because I will be writing more and more about Web 2.0 in the coming months, and I want you along for the...

Convert and-or Create a PDF file online

  If you ever have the need to create a PDF file so you can share it easily with others, or have the need to convert a PDF file into a word processing file, then I recommend giving PDF Online a try. In just a few steps, you can upload a file you want to convert to a PDF or upload a PDF file you want converted to a Word file. Once the file is uploaded, it takes just a minute or two for the service to perform its magic...

Searching within a Web page – Video Tip

This tip falls in the category of “wow, that’s easy to do, I wish I would have known about it long ago!” When you are on a particularly long web page and need to find a term or phrase, click on Edit from your menus, then Find (or Find in page on some browsers). The keyboard shortcut is Ctrl + F. You will be presented with a small window that allows you to enter a word or phrase and then the computer will...

Adobe Reader 9 update – DON’T DO IT!

Adobe released version 9 of their PDF (Portable Document Format) Reader program. Once the king and almost sole PDF reader on the market, it, like so many other mainstream programs, has become bloated beyond recognition. This software bloat slows down the performance of even the fastest computers, and for this reason, I firmly stand against software bloat. I added Adobe Reader to my do not use list almost two years ago....

Managing your digital photos

Organizing your digital photos is so important. Too often I see people who have major computer problems and think that everything is backed up only to find that their digital photos were so spread out on their computer that the only had a portion of them backed up. Many people simply copy their digital photos onto their computer wherever a given piece of software puts them and they have no idea where that is. These notes...

Zoho Writer – Video Tip

We have written quite a bit about Web 2.0 here at HelpMeRick.com and this week I decided to start a mini-series featuring my favorite Web 2.0 web site, Zoho. Zoho offers an online set of productivity tools unequaled anywhere else on the web. Many of the tools are offered at no cost and cover everything from word processing to project management. In this first installment, I take you on a short tour of the Zoho word processor...

How to fill out a PDF form with your computer

I fielded a call from a client today who wanted to know how to transfer a PDF (Adobe Acrobat) form he received via email to Microsoft Word so he could fill it out using his computer, save it, then email it back. My short answer was that he couldn’t do it. Technically, it can be done through a series of computer hocus-pocus, Jedi mind tricks, a great deal of knowledge about the Windows clipboard, Adobe Acrobat,...

A Faster Way to View PDF Files

For years, most of us have used Adobe’s free Acrobat Reader, later named Adobe Reader, to view PDF files. PDF stands for Portable Document Format and is the easiest way to distribute files and forms to many people without worry about compatibility. Like most commercial software, Adobe’s product used to be small, fast and work well. Since version 5 (now they are on 8), the product has become as bloated as many...

zamzar online format conversion tool

Thanks to ‘deadman’ in the chat room who helped us out this week in discovering this great online conversion tool. Even though it is still in beta, we want to help get the word out so that folks support this project. Convert PDF to RTF and much more!

How to Create PDFs in Ubuntu

For those looking for a way to create PDFs in Ubuntu – this seems to be the most popular solution.

The string theory of personal computers

One of the most common questions I get as I work on other peoples’ home computers is, "Where did you learn all of this stuff?’ Today I setup a large office copier on a business network. It is the first time I have ever set up such a thing. It seems like at least two or three times per month, I fix a problem that I have never seen before. It is the ultimate in on the job training, however it is not voodoo or a...

Understanding FIle Management – April 2007

Click here to get the PowerPoint handout for today's meeting.

Open Adobe PDF files in Firefox

Adobe Acrobat files (PDF) don't open properly in the Firefox browser window. However, one of the main advantages of Firefox is the vast library of add-ons to the browser called extensions. Here is a great one called the PDF Download extension you need if you use Firefox.