Castellini on Computers - Computer help for beginners » shortcuts

Share YOUR Favorite Keyboard Shortcuts

Rick — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:04:57 +0000

I'm always amazed at how surprised computer users become when they learn about a keyboard shortcut. A keyboard shortcut is a combination of keys that you press on your keyboard to perform a particular function. If you learn them and practice them, they can shave hours off of the tedious maneuvering of the mouse.

These are my favorite and most used computer keyboard shortcuts:

Use keyboard shortcuts to save time editing text – Video Tip

Rick — Wed, 13 May 2009 08:01:41 +0000

When you open an existing Microsoft Word document, Word places the insertion point at the beginning of the document by default. However, if you would like to move the cursor to the location it was in when you were last working on the document, simply press Shift + F5 on your keyboard. When you use press Shift + F5, Word performs the Go Back command, which moves the insertion point from its current location to the last location in which a modification, such as typing, deleting or formatting text, was made. Some other helpful Word cursor keyboard movements include: * Press Home to get to the beginning of a line

Small and Free Utility Software Gems

Rick — Mon, 05 May 2008 22:41:59 +0000

Those of you who have kept up with me over the years know that I'm not a utility junkie. The fewer utilities and installed programs the better for me.

That being said, I admire and cherish great utilities that serve purposes I need. Some of my favorites over the years include Tech Smith's Snag It screen capture tool and Camtasia which I use to create our video tips. I also am never without a desktop tape calculator. My current favorite is the Moffsoft Tape Calculator.

Cut, Copy and Paste! – Video Tip

Rick — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 21:30:06 +0000

These techniques should be standard tools for any computer user. However, many computer users find these techniques elusive.

The ability to move (cut) or copy information from one computer program to another sets you free to do so much more with your computer. Cut, Copy and Paste function by temporarily storing the information, cut or copied, into a temporary holding spot of memory known as the clipboard (Click here for the Webopedia definition).

The information held in the clipboard stays there and is available to Paste until either the computer is restarted or another item is cut or copied. Make special note of this fact when using the "Cut" command, because if you cut or copy another item before pasting the first item, the first one is lost.

Before choosing Cut or Copy, the computer needs to know what you want to cut or copy. This is done by using the mouse to

Ubuntu Keyboard Shortcuts

Rick — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 22:20:44 +0000

A show listener asked about keyboard shortcuts for Ubuntu Linux...ask and you shall receive, click here.

Using Check boxes to Select Files and Folders – Video Tip

Rick — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:26:15 +0000

Some computer users have trouble remembering or using the keyboard and mouse shortcuts to select multiple files and folders. Windows Vista offers an option to allow users to check boxes instead of using the keyboard/mouse combos to select multiple files. To enable this option, again in Windows Vista only, follow these steps:

Open in folder (My Computer, Documents, Windows Explorer, etc)
Click Organize from the menus
Click Folder and Search Options
Click the View tab
Scroll through the Advanced settings and check the Use check boxes to select items option
Click Apply
Click OK

Watch the short 2 minute video below to see a demonstration of this feature and how to enable it.

Desktop Shortcuts Make Computing Easier – Video Tip

Rick — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:07:00 +0000

Learning to make Windows work for you instead of you working for it can yield many more happy and productive hours using your computer. One highly under utilized feature of Windows is the shortcut icon. Learning to use and manage shortcuts will give you a huge advantage with your computer.

All Q&A Session – July 2007

Rick — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 16:00:27 +0000

I don't do it too often, but this month I decided to hold an all Q&A (2 hours) user group meeting. It truly is amazing how many questions 30 or 40 ravenous computer users can generate. Sometimes one question leads to another, and an entire "topic" can take up a half hour. You have to be at one of the meetings to truly experience the type of knowledge and information that gets shared and explored. Some of today's topics included:

Windows Vista’s Open and Save Dialog Box – Video Tip

Rick — Sat, 16 Jun 2007 02:51:22 +0000

Windows Vista has brought us many changes...some good, many not so good. One change that takes some getting used to is the new open/save dialog box. It takes a little getting used to, but with some practice and tips in my video tip below, you will be in harmony with Gates' new monster. In the video, I include how to create shortcuts to your most used folders, explain the new Vista file hierarchy, and demonstrate how to effectively utilize the new dialog boxes you encounter when opening and saving files.

Don’t back up a shortcut

Rick — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 17:52:08 +0000

I've mentioned this before many times, but it bears repeating often especially since I saw it at least three times this week. First, I want to commend the computer users out there for backing up and thinking of backing up! However, it is imperative to know what you are backing up.

A shortcut is indicated by a little arrow in the lower left hand corner of a folder or file. If your backup media has any of these types of icons on it, your backup is worthless. A shortcut is simply a "pointer" to where the actual data is saved. Backing up shortcuts is extremely fast because there is not data in a shortcut. I too often see computer users dragging a program icon (shortcut) or a shortcut to My Documents or My Pictures to their CD drives, external hard drives, or flash drives then wonder why they have no backup should they need it.