Everyone always seems mystified by Photoshop's layers features.
While layers are very complex, I believe that they are often viewed as being more complicated than they actually are.
A layer is simply a picture or transparent layer placed on top of another picture. Think of it as placing clear plastic wrap on top of a photo. By creating a layer, you prevent any damage or change to the base photo.
Here is a quick list of terms that will help you figure it all out:
Layer Pallette: You can see all of your stacked layers in the Layers Pallette.
This happens when an e-mail file that gets built each time you open e-mail gets corrupted. It is: {inbox.msf}. Here's how to fix it:
This may take a little while the first time. To test all is well, close Thunderbird and re-open it and it should open quickly
I have learned to be careful when loading Picasa onto a client's computer.
Picasa is one of my favorite digital photography programs. Once you install it, it scans the entire computer for all digital photos. It catalogs them and displays them as thumbnails in order of date created.
The fact that it looks for and catalogs all of the photos on a computer has led to a little bit of embarrassment to a few of my clients.
Yesterday while working with a wonderful client, I installed Picasa to help her manage her digital photos easier. After installing it Picasa displayed a large porn collection. I knew that the photos were not there because of anything she had done so I had her look away while I deleted the photos.
If your desktop icons aren't displaying properly, try deleting the ShellIconCache file found in the Windows folder. Use the Find or Search function find the file, then delete it and restart your computer.
"My computer is running slow." This complaint tops the list as the number one computer owner complaint over the past few years. Once an infliction for older computers only, slow computer syndrome (SCS) can affect even the newest and most powerful of computers. With Windows XP, there is one quick barometer that you can use to test the health of your computer; the Processes list. Too many processes running automatically at startup can indicate either a poorly configured machine or sign of a serious computer problem related to viruses, spyware or both.
In the Windows world, a process is a program (or part of a program) that is currently running. Microsoft Windows itself starts at least fifteen to twenty processes when we turn our computers on for the day. Over the years, I have developed a mental chart that allows me to quickly assess a computer health just by looking at the processes running upon a fresh boot (start) of a computer:
The numbers are purely anecdotal based on my experience with thousands of computers. However, they also offer a good way to quickly get a handle on where to start with a computer.
To view which processes are running on your computer (Windows XP or 2000 only), push Ctrl+Alt+Delete on your keyboard OR RIGHT Click on a blank part of your taskbar then click Task Manager. After the Task Manager appears, Click the Processes tab. In the lower left corner of the Processes tab window, the total number of processes will be shown.
Use my chart to gauge the health of your machine right at startup before you open any programs. If your system has more than 45 processes running at startup, you should search our site for two different terms: Spyware and MSCONFIG . You can use the tips listed under these topics to reduce the number of processes that start automatically with your system. In some cases, you may need to employ the help of an experienced computer professional to help safely reduce the number of processes (thus increasing the health and speed) of your computer.
For those that like to tinker with their computer and want to know what some of the cryptic names you will find in the Process list are, use the following sites to sleuth out the Processes listed in your Task Manager:
As I have mentioned before on the show and in these articles, I teach the local basic computer classes for the Parks and Rec. department. I teach the classes as a four-part series in which I dedicate an entire two hour session to file management.
Teaching the concept of how your computer organizes information is a huge struggle for me. I don't think it is because if my teaching technique or the inability of my students to comprehend the topic.
The reason that file management is so difficult to teach and comprehend is that it isn't sexy, it isn't tangible and it is isn't universal in it's use. By the latter, I mean that each person can apply the concept differently.
When you are having trouble receiving or sending email, here are a few tips to help keep the mail flowing.
Lately, I have seen too many real emergencies. Sometimes I get calls that are "emergencies" like the kind where the grandkids have come over and deleted the solitaire icon from the desktop.
But, then I get real emergencies. Lately I had one client whose hard drive motor suddently quit. Today I saw a dentist's office where the server with all of the software kept shutting down suddenly. Then, the worst yet, I am working a little bit with a local financial institution whose server crashed – not a small business either.
In all but one case, the client has complete and current backup, but even having backup doesn't help keep the ship afloat when a major crash happens. Sometimes the entire ship has to be put in drydock for a week or so to get things figured out.
I thought that this piece of information was pretty common knowledge, but apparently it isn't so I'm discussing it today. When you delete an email, it gets moved to the Deleted Items folder and accumulates there. When you delete any type of file or document on your computer, it goes to the Recycle Bil and accumulates there unti you empty it.
For email in almost any email program (except AOL), you can RIGHT click on the Deleted Items (Trash) folder and click "Empty Deleted Iterms (Trash)" option. You will then be asked if you are 'sure' that you want to delete all of the trash…click Yes. In Outlook Express, you find this function in the Edit menu as well. Outlook users will find it in the Tools menu, and Mozilla or Thunderbird users will find a similar funciton in the File menu.