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Computer Tips

Making Single Space the Default in Microsoft Word 2007 & 2010

For some unknown reason (to me), Microsoft has decided to make paragraph spacing in Word 2007, 2010 and Start Edition double-space by default. In all previous version of Word, you need to press the Enter key twice to double-space. When formatting street addresses, for example, a user typically wants them to be single spaced, but that doesn’t happen in the… Read More »Making Single Space the Default in Microsoft Word 2007 & 2010

How to fix Microsoft Outlook email address lookup when composing email

Microsoft Outlook’s time is up…actually it has been up for many years. The interface gets worse and worse. The fact that very few of us work solely on one device makes it more irrelevant. And the fact that transferring of data gets more and more complex is absolutely unconscionable in this day and age of technology. Case in point: Today,… Read More »How to fix Microsoft Outlook email address lookup when composing email

5 Quick and Easy Steps to Spring Clean your PC

Spring has sprung and along with your other spring cleaning chores add these five computer cleaning techniques to keep your computer clean, cool, and happy.

  1. Desktops: Unplug all of your cables (label them if necessary) and take the tower outside. Open up the side (usually thumb screws or a latch on the back of the computer) and blow the dust out of the system with a can of compressed air. I recommend starting from the top and moving towards the bottom making sweeping motions from side to side. Pay particular attention to the vents on the case so your computer breathes well. Don’t over spray the fans as you might cause some damage to
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Burning CDs with Picasa for Linux

Unfortunately, Google has not updated Picasa for Linux in almost 18 months. However, it remains a solid product for Linux users who want to easily manage their photos. I’ve tried F-Spot, but it just doesn’t seem intuitive or robust enough for everyday use. Anyway, I was helping one of my many clients using Linux Mint as their only operating system,… Read More »Burning CDs with Picasa for Linux

9 Tweaks I perform for a new client’s computer

When I meet a client’s computer for the first time, I go through a little routine to check for problems, improve performance, and speed up boot times. You can do it to your own computer too.

  1. Use Task Manager to see how many processes are running and determine how much tweaking I have to do to startup.
  2. Use msconfig to streamline the startup process
  3. Install CCleaner to cleanup temporary files
  4. Check on the amount of RAM in the computer. If less than 1 GB for XP or less than 2 GB for Vista or 7, I recommend an upgrade.
  5. Pull up Crucial.com and run the memory scanner to determine what type of RAM and how much RAM can be added. Print out the results and add Crucial’s phone number.
  6. Talk about Read More »9 Tweaks I perform for a new client’s computer

Solution to Microsoft Outlook 2007 or 2010 not opening Word or Excel Attachments

This particular problem has come a few times lately, so I thought I better write out the solution for the website for both my memory and for others who might have the problem. Here’s what the problem looks like: Outlook 2007 or Outlook 2010 users try to open a Microsoft Word or Excel document and cannot do so. Usually this… Read More »Solution to Microsoft Outlook 2007 or 2010 not opening Word or Excel Attachments

Forwarding images in email with Gmail

I normally refrain from helping folks with their forwarding email problems because I believe the majority of forwards do not offer any value, but that’s just me. For those of you who enjoy forwarding and use Gmail and are having problems with the forwarded email not showing the images, try this simple tip: Before hitting send on the message  you… Read More »Forwarding images in email with Gmail