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Delete only one entry from Internet Explorer Address Bar (history)- Video Tip

The address bar in Internet Explorer (or any web browser) allows you to type in known web sites and visit them quickly. Sometimes you might want to clean out individual entries from the address bar or history, but this isn't possible in Internet Explorer unless you edit the registry. Watch the video below to learn how to perform this delicate Windows tweak. The video has a surprise ending to make this process a whole lot easier!

Here are the registry steps for Internet Explorer to delete an individual entry from the address bar:

  1. Close any open windows or programs
  2. Click Start
  3. Click Run
  4. Type: regedit
  5. WARNING: Registry editing is for experienced computer users only.

A rare Microsoft Access Tip

Many years ago, I attended a Microsoft Access (database program) class and one tip stuck in my head, but I forgot the exact steps. The tip was a keyboard shortcut to copy the exact information from the previous record's field to the new record's field. For example, if you are entering a database of people from New Mexico, instead of having to type Albuquerque(the most common city in the database) every time you get to the "City" field, this keyboard shortcut could be invoked instead. 

This tip evaded me for years, but today I finally found it and wanted to document it here for any Access users and myself. The shortcut is to push the Ctrl + '   (Control + Apostrophe) keys on the keyboard! Works great. 

Email Preview Button in Outlook Express – Video Tip

This tip evaded me for many years, but now you can benefit from its use. The tip works in any versions of Windows including Windows Vista's Windows Mail.

When asked how to delete a message without opening it in Microsoft Outlook Express, I traditionally answered by directing the computer user to the View menu (See Tip #156). This works, but if you want to turn the Preview back on you have to go through the same number of steps.

Why would you want to delete emails without opening them? A couple of reasons include not wanting to open an email that advertises how to enlarge certain private parts or see an ad of Jolene's sorority web site and you may not want to open a potentially dangerous email that might have a virus.

Run, don’t walk, to buy a new computer

One of my favorite Sci-Fi movies of the past few years was iRobot. The film was so loosely based on the Isaac Asimov book that they had to put "inspired by" rather than "based on" in the credit.

The film took place in the near future in a time where every home had a robot.

One main corporation was responsible for supplying most of the robots. As a new line of robots was introduced, the corporation gladly exchanged everyone's existing robots for free for a brand new model.

What no one suspected was that the new robots were rigged to take over the world.

Daylight Savings Time

Last week, a caller or emailer asked about our computers and the upcoming change in our Daylight Savings Time procedure. Traditionally, we North Americans set our clocks ahead one hour on the first Sunday of April and then set them back an hour on the last Sunday of October. Computers automatically made these changes while we slept through it or first thing the next morning when we turned on our computer.

Starting this year, that will change in the United States and Canada. We will now "Spring Up" on the second Sunday in March and "Fall Back" on the first Sunday of November. Computer updates are being rolled out as we speak to take care of this for us. You can read more about the roll out on Microsoft's site by clicking here.

One month away from Windows Vista

Microsoft plans on rolling out Windows Vista en masse on January 30, 2007. After nearly three years of delays, the much anticipated new operating system will be available. Unfortunately, the only reason it is getting released now versus later is because Microsoft stripped away many of the features it was supposed to have in order to deliver the product at all. This doesn't bode well for Microsoft or we computer users. I showed my brother Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 while he was here for the holidays. His response: "It's sexier."

I will admit that it has a certain visual appeal, but nothing earth shattering. What it doesn't have is an intuitive look and feel that users will feel comfortable with out of the box because the visual aesthetics are so different. With one month to go, I am anxious to see the reception that it gets from consumers. So far, the volume business clients that have had access since November have been very unimpressed and sales are lackluster.

How to send an email attachment

We have a few program specific tips on our website about how to send email attachments. Each step is broken down step-by-step.

 I am writing this more as a general guide for emailing attachments. I have seen a few mistakes lately that have caused problems for first-time attachment senders. Here are a few tips to help you avoid problems.

1. If you are emailing photos and you use Outlook, Outlook Express or gmail, download and install Picasa – selecting, resizing and sending photos is a one step process.

2. Don't ever scan a document as "text" when scanning. Sometimes this will open the scanner software's OCR feature which converts it to a text document rather than an image. This sounds good, but it will cost you a lot more time and it probably will just frustrate you.

No AM Radio in iPods and other portable music players

There are so many MP3 players on the market that they now all look the same. The iPod, the Sansa, the Zune, the Zen, there really is no difference. Sure one may be a little more popular and another may be more compatible with non-proprietary formats and software, but in the end they all have the same set of features.

Pretty much every manufacturer, except for the iPod, features a built-in FM radio. The built-in radio is the iPod's right mouse button. For almost 20 years consumers tried to tell Apple that they needed to have two buttons on the mouse. Apple spent 20 years trying to convince the consumer that as long as you didn't mind using both of your hands in keyboard combinations you really didn't need two buttons on a mouse. Almost two years ago Apple gave in and started supporting the two button mouse.

Are you missing the Menu bar in Internet Explorer 7?

IE 7 Menu BarActually, Microsoft designed the new browser that way so that there is more room for browsing. However, if you want the menu bar (the one with File, Edit, View, Favorites, etc) back, follow these steps:

 

  1. Start Internet Explorer
  2. Press and release the Alt key on your keyboard
  3. The menu bar will be visible, Click the View menu option
  4. Click Toolbars
  5. Click Menu Bar

That will do it. You can't move the menu bar above the new address bar, but at least it will be visible and usable from now forward. For those of you who just want quick access to the menu bar, but don't mind that it is missing, remember the Alt key trick to get the menu bar to appear when you need it.

How to buy a computer book

When teaching my basic computer classes, I often get the question, "What is a good computer book?"

This is also followed or preceded by the complaint that the individual's computer did not come with a manual.

As strange as it may seem, there is a very good reason why the average computer doesn't come will a full instruction book. The reason is that there is too much to know about a computer to fit in a single manual.

Most computers come with a small user guide that shows how to turn it on and what numbers to call for tech support. Strangely this little guide is often a file on the computer, so you must turn the computer on in order to read it.