Printing the Screen

By Dick Evans, www.rwevans.com

When someone has a problem on their computer like some weird message appearing on the screen, I will ask them to describe it. Hardly ever works! Sending me a printout of the screen with the error message on it is much easier to understand. But how does one do that?

Years ago, back in the DOS days before we had Windows, we would print the contents of the screen by having printer hooked up and ready to go and then press the PrintScreen or PrtScr or PrtSc key usually located in the top right of the keyboard and perhaps the UPPER case of the SysReq key. Press the key and instantly the words on the screen would print away on the old dot matrix, impact printer.

The key is still there, but it does not send the contents directly to the printer. And it now sends all of the screen contents, words, images, and colors. Where does it go you ask? Press Shift+ PrtScr key and whatever is displayed on the screen is sent to the Windows clipboard. Alternatively, use Shift+Alt+PrtScr and only the contents of the Window having focused is sent.

You cannot see the contents of the clipboard. Have faith that what you sent is really there. To turn it into an image file that can be sent to someone else by email, Open the Windows paint program (Start > Programs > Accessories > Paint) and Ctrl+V to paste the clipboard content.

Ctrl+S to save the image as a file. Place it in a location where you will be able to easily locate it, give it a name, and change the Type to JPG. Now you have a screen print or a picture of the screen containing the weird message to email to your PC Guru to analyze.

Printing the Screen

By Dick Evans, www.rwevans.com

When someone has a problem on their computer like some weird message appearing on the screen, I will ask them to describe it. Hardly ever works! Sending me a printout of the screen with the error message on it is much easier to understand. But how does one do that?

Years ago, back in the DOS days before we had Windows, we would print the contents of the screen by having printer hooked up and ready to go and then press the PrintScreen or PrtScr or PrtSc key usually located in the top right of the keyboard and perhaps the UPPER case of the SysReq key. Press the key and instantly the words on the screen would print away on the old dot matrix, impact printer.

The key is still there, but it does not send the contents directly to the printer. And it now sends all of the screen contents, words, images, and colors. Where does it go you ask? Press Shift+ PrtScr key and whatever is displayed on the screen is sent to the Windows clipboard. Alternatively, use Shift+Alt+PrtScr and only the contents of the Window having focused is sent.

You cannot see the contents of the clipboard. Have faith that what you sent is really there. To turn it into an image file that can be sent to someone else by email, Open the Windows paint program (Start > Programs > Accessories > Paint) and Ctrl+V to paste the clipboard content.

Ctrl+S to save the image as a file. Place it in a location where you will be able to easily locate it, give it a name, and change the Type to JPG. Now you have a screen print or a picture of the screen containing the weird message to email to your PC Guru to analyze.

Password Protect Folders

I was looking for a way to encrypt or password protect a folder and folder and found this little freebie with a Google search. It is called LockDir and can be downloaded at http://tinyurl.com/password77. This page will also instruct you on the "how to" of using it. Simply put you just copy the .exe file into the folder you want to protect. Then open the file. 

Enter the password you want to use to access the folder and click Protect. All the files in the folder will be hidden except for the lockdir.exe file. To unlock the files, open lockdir.

Now just enter the password you used and click Unprotect. The files are available to you. For detail instructions see the page opened when you click the download link above.

Recovering Data from a Broken Computer

Q:  I have an old laptop that broke. How can I obtain the stuff on my hard drive? I need a few items on it.

A: If broke means it will not boot, but otherwise turns on, you need a bootable CD and then you can copy the material off the old drive onto a USB flash drive. The Hirens Boot CD works well for this purpose. http://www.hirensbootcd.org/download/.

If not, you need to remove the hard drive and connect it to a special set of cables that will turn it into an external hard drive. Then you can plug it into your new computer and copy the files off of it.

Here is the adapter you need http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA1KT0NJ7560

You take out the old hard drive CAREFULLY. Then you plug it into the adapter and then plug the adapter into a USB port on the new machine. The drive will work just like a USB flash drive and you can drag and drop files from and to it.

When you are all done, you can use the old drive as a backup drive.

Outlook the New Hotmail

Were you surprised to get that email from Hotmail saying they were importing your account over to Outlook.com? I know I was and the new UI (user interface) does not look like the old Hotmail UI. After poking around for a while I figured out how to do those tasks I was familiar with in Hotmail. I wrote the following white paper to help those who are still struggling with the same questions.

Outlook the New Hotmail
by Dick Evans, www.revans.com

Hotmail has been given a new look. This paper gives some examples of how to do what you did before using the new interface.


Mine started up with the above look. Left column shows all my folders, like it did in Hotmail. Next is the list of emails to be read. To the right is a preview of the email that is selected (in blue above). And to the right of that are ads. You can control the layout by click the gear in the title bar to the left of your name.

Click to read the full white paper in PDF form...

Sending a Fax

Every once in awhile I need to send a fax to some place. Many have purchased a 3 in 1 printer that prints, scans. and faxes. Of course they require a phone connection to do the faxing and with so many just using cell phones that feature is worthless. I have a laser printer and a simple scanner, printer, copier from HP that works great. No need for a fax... until today!

I find it interesting that you cannot scan the necessary document and email it as a PDF to them, but I have yet to find anyone who will accept that form of communications. I think it is a legal thing; the law allows for faxes but not emails.

Off I went to Google to look for a way to send a fax from my computer. There are many possible sites out there, but most require a download and come with a cost, usually monthly. All I wanted to do is send one fax.



I ended up at faxzero.net. It allowed me to send the fax and displayed a confirmation that it was received. It is all online; nothing to install on your PC. The items to be faxed may be PDF, DOC, or DOCX files. And you can send multiple files in the same fax. It was a perfect fit for what my needs were.

Lost My Windows Password

I had an old computer and forgot the password to sign in. It was not what I currently use and I tried everything I could think of to sign in. Even the password help I had set up did not give me a clue.

I went where I always go, Google, and searched for how to recover a password. I found some software I could buy to display them and a quick way to do it right from Windows.



At the sign-on screen, I pressed Ctrl+Alt+Del on the keyboard twice. Another sign in screen displayed allowing me to type in the username and password. I entered the username administrator and signed on. I  created a password when I setup the machine and fortunately I knew what it was. If I had not entered an administrator password during the original install, the password would have been left blank.

Windows started up and I was able to go into the Control Panel and Users and change the password for my normal account. I shutdown and restarted using the new password and I was back in business.

Windows 8 Classic Start Menu

I really like Windows 8. It boots faster, shuts down faster, and comes back from hibernation faster. There are some neat new apps and the Metro style Start Screen is fun to use. BUT. Yes there is a but for me...

I really wanted the machine to boot right to the desktop and I missed the easy access to applications, folders, and system areas I had with XP, Vista, and Windows 7. Sure I could poke around between the desktop and the Start Screen, but a lot more clicking was required.

Enter an app called Classic Menu. It is free forever and places the start button back on the desktop view. Windows key or click on the button to open the classic start menu. To get back to the Start Screen for Windows 8, Shift+Windows.

When you first boot the machine you go right to the desktop. Oh, you get to choose which start menu format you want to use, XP. Vista, or Windows 7. Works great and you can turn it off if you want; perhaps for training someone on basic Windows 8.

Download it at http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/

Playing Movies in Windows 8

Windows 8 is fast and clean. It is pretty and customizable for those that like to do that. You can change how things look on the start screen and even add your own icons and links.

You can use the start screen or go right to the familiar desktop view. Except for the missing start button, you might think you were still using Windows 7.

But unlike previous versions of Windows it does not have a way to watch a movie! If that is something you want to be able to do you must purchase an additional program. Windows movie player does not come with Windows.

It is available until January 31st as a free download. After that you will have to pay for it. I believe it will cost $10.

So if you have Windows 8 take advantage of the free registration while you can.

The link is http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/feature-packs

Office 2013 First Look by Dick Evans

by Dick Evans 11-30-2012

I downloaded the trial copy of the latest version of Microsoft Office--2013. The download was quick and the install uneventful. I was surprised it left Office 2010 installed and active.

Before you get too excited about this new version, know that it only works with Windows 7 or Windows 8. If you have XP or Vista, be happy with versions up to Office 2010.

There are some other requirements as well, but everyone with 7 or 8 probably meets them. Your  machine needs at least a 1GHz processor, 1GB of RAM for the 32-bit version (2GB for the 64-bit version), at least 3GB of free hard disk space, and a graphics card that can provide at least 1,024-by-576 resolution.

Word looks a lot like 2010 but with better graphics in the ribbons. Like 2010 it has a File button and you really can't see much difference as you use it. It is in the features available that Office differs from other Word Processors. Typing a document is just as easy in Office 97 or even using Google Docs or OpenOffice.

Features in Word 2013 that really stand out.

Streamlined ribbons.

Direct access to the Microsoft SkyDrive. You can open and save documents to you Cloud storage which is free from Microsoft for 7 gb.

The ability to open and edit a PDF file. You can modify it and save the update as either a PDF or a document file.

Right clicking on a picture has an option to add a caption to the image.

As I use it more I will report on any additional features that pop out at me. And I will spend some time with Excel and PowerPoint.

How do I get the 60 day trial of 2013?

Get it at http://bit.ly/ZWg8BD only for Windows 7 and Windows 8.

What about the trial version of 2010?

It is available at http://bit.ly/rKNRSK for all versions of Windows. Or you may have gotten a free Office Starter 2010 with your new computers.

Windows 8 First Look
by Dick Evans



A new operating system is here!

The first thing you notice is a cell phone looking interface. Although designed for touch screen access, you can still use your old monitor and a mouse. The old desktop is missing. No start button. This is a drastic change! Don’t panic, everything's not as it seems. If you have a brand new computer with a touch screen, you can use your finger to move the screen and call up apps much like you can with a smartphone. But, your mouse still works and if you click the desktop icon you are taken to a familiar screen.

Gone in Windows 8

●     The start button has been removed. Hidden is a hotspot in the lower left corner of the screen that opens the Start screen, a multi-screen interface replacement for the Start menu.
●     The Show Desktop button has been removed from the taskbar. Hidden as a hotspot in the lower right corner where it was previously located.

Added in Windows 8

●     Windows 8 has short boot times, because it saves the kernel's memory to the hard disk on shutdown (similar to the existing hibernate option) and reloads it on startup.
●     Windows 8 is said to have better performance than Windows 7, even with the new interface running on top of a desktop...

• And a lot more...

Taking the Plunge into Windows 8

I decided to take the plunge. I have a Dell Inspiron 1525 running Windows 7. I went to the Microsoft download site and clicked on the $39.99 pro download available until January 31, 2013. the first thing it did was spend about ten minutes checking my machine for compatibility. When that section finished it asked if I wanted to keep my settings, files, and apps, or just personal files, or nothing. I picked the first option.

Time to pay for it. You can get the download for $40 plus a DVD for $15. You can use a credit card or PayPal. After accepting payment it displays the product key and emails a receipt.

Next the 2gb download begins with an estimate of 1 hour+ to finish. My machine was running 32-bit Windows 7 Ultimate. It is a dual core Pentium @ 1.86GHz with 4 GB of RAM. And a small 160 GB hard disk drive.

That download took almost 2 hours so I decided to wait until morning to continue. When I rebooted there was an icon on the desktop to get back into the next step in the install process.

This was the same screen I had ended up on last night. There were two options I could take. the first would simply do the install. I chose the second which created an ISO file which allowed me to create a bootable install DVD, This took about 10 minutes.

I pushed the DVD back in and restarted from it. After a minute or two, the Windows 8 Setup screen appeared. I left the US defaults and clicked Next.

The next screen allowed me to either Install Now or Repair. I clicked the install option. I assume the Repair option can be used later to fix otherwise unresolvable issues.

Next it wanted the product key I had purchased and had written down. I keyed it without the dashes and clicked Next. After a couple of minutes I checked the box to accept the terms and clicked another Next button.

The next screen was very important. The Upgrade option keeps all the existing files, settings, and apps. The Custom option just installs Windows 8. I was careful to choose Upgrade.

It had me remove the DVD and restart. I was warned to not select the custom option on the restart. The tricky part was to let the old Windows 7 start normally and then push the DVD back in. When the selection screen pops up, select the upgrade option.

Read the screens carefully without making assumptions. I messed up a couple of times and had to restart the install process.

It takes a while to do the install. It asks for you to setup a log-in password, which I do suggest even if you are the only one to use your machine. Then it asks for your Microsoft email address and password. If you do not have one, register for one as Windows 8 is closely coupled with Sky Drive and other Microsoft cloud items.

That was all there is. Windows 8 booted. Everything worked. The desktop (Win+D) looks just the same as it did with Windows 7. Now I just have to get used to the new Start Menu to take full advantage of the new features. While I am doing that I can get right back to the old desktop view at any time doing whatever I was doing before 8.

More notes coming in the near future as I play with 8. Take the plunge and be one of the early adopters. The price is right!

Free Media

Check out Wikimedia Commons. You will find over fourteen MILLION pieces of media you may download and use. And you can upload some of your own to share with others.

See http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Build a free website

Build a free website for yourself or your church or your club or for someone else. Very easy to get started. Free templates and drag and drop tools. No need to know HTML. Anybody can do it. Click http://tinyurl.com/freeweb7 to try it out...

Filler Text

Have you ever seen the following in a document or on a website?

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Duis a fringilla risus. Etiam tincidunt pharetra risus, vel blandit orci scelerisque ut. Aliquam varius metus nec diam egestas eu auctor urna pretium. Ut non dictum purus. Cum sociis natoque penatibus et magnis dis parturient montes, nascetur ridiculus mus. Nunc diam arcu, pellentesque eget sollicitudin non, tempus ut risus. Etiam tempus magna et justo interdum vulputate. Nulla lacinia mauris non ligula facilisis accumsan. Donec vestibulum laoreet nisl in fermentum. Aliquam ultrices viverra eros id ornare. Nam dictum arcu vel nulla viverra iaculis.

No, it is not a secret code. It is filler text used when designing a site or creating a presentation or a pamphlet. You want to set up the formatting but do not have all the content yet, so you need some filler.

It is Latin in its origin but nonsensical; a random group of words used by typesetters since the 1500’s.

Well look no further than http://www.lipsum.com. Just enter the number of paragraphs you need and click Generate Lorem Ipsum button. A new page appears with your text ready to be copied.

Watch out for this kind of email

What is wrong with this picture?

1. The From address is @usps.com and the US Post Office is a .gov
2. The To address is not you!
3. Dear customer -- they would always identify you by name
4. Attachment -- they would not send you an attachment. If you upzip it your are subjecting yourself to malware

WARNING!

Just because the name in the from box in your email is someone you know, it may not be safe to assume it is really from them.


Here is an email I received this morning. I know Vicky and might be tempted to click on the link and see what she has to show me that she found on the Internet. Then I notice the + next to her name. I use Yahoo and that means she is not in my address book. Well, that is funny. I know she is so I mouse over here name to see the address she sent it from.



Hey, that is not her!

Had I assumed it was her because of her name, I would have clicked the link and opened my computer up to untold issues. And had I added this new address to my contacts I would not have known when this erroneous address would be used again to suck me into another trap.

Some basic rules I use when looking at my emails even when I know the sender is legit’:

• If something looks funny, I don’t open it
• if there is a link, I mouse over it to see where it will take be first
• If there is a link to open a video and it is not from YouTube, I do not open it
• If there is an attachment that is from some email pass-a-long, I do not open it
• If it look slegit and it is from one of my financial or insurance companies, I go directly to the company Website to find out about it instead of taking the link off the email
• If a company I do business with sends an email that does not have my name in the email but instead reads like Dear Customer, it is probably not from who I think and I do not click on any links

When downloading apps I look for them on some legit site like cnet and not from the result of a search directly. And when installing apps I avoid adding toolbars and search engines to my browser. They not only reduce the amount of room in my browser window, they add numerous background tasks that slow down the system.

In other words, I try to use common sense and not subject myself to potential threats. And I try to run the following apps once a week:

• ccleaner
• malwarebytes
• defraggler
• full antivirus scan

Word Show/Hide

One tool I use when working with a document in Microsoft Word is the Show/Hide button. Some refer to this as the Show Paragraph Marks button, but it shows more than just the paragraph mark.

As you may know, I like to use shortcut keys at the keyboard level. Well when you mouse over the button in Word 2007 or 2010 (I did not check older versions), the popup tells you that the shortcut key is Ctrl+*. That is correct, but to access the * you must hold down the shift key. I would rather say this shortcut is Shift+Ctrl+* or you might say Shift+Ctrl+8.

What this button does is display the hidden characters in a document, which includes the end of paragraph marks (backwards P), the spaces between words as dots, tabs as right arrows, and new lines as down to the left arrows.

Being able to see these hidden marks is especially helpful when copy and pasting from an email. It shows quickly why the sentences do not fill the line allowing you to easily remove the offending marks.

Buying On Line

by Dick Evans

I remember way back when I first ventured into purchasing items online. I was apprehensive about giving out my credit card information over the net. Security back in the 90’s was pretty loose.

I began by opening a single credit card specifically for online orders. I purposely kept the credit limit low; around $500 I think. I figured if I had a problem with the account number being hijacked at least they could not get me for more than that! Good idea except my credit card company was so thrilled with my use of the card they upped my limit automatically. So much for that failsafe!

Well, security has gotten better and I am comfortable using my cards at known online retailers like Amazon and Staples and OfficeMax and Egghead... Whenever I can I like to use my PayPal account. It gives an added level of security as the place I am buying from never gets to see my credit card information. And I can use PayPal to receive funds from others.

One of my credit card companies offers a one time number. The call it a Secure Online Account Number:




I sign in to my account and request a number. It immediately creates one for me to use on my next transaction. It can only be used once and will post against my credit card. Works great. I use this for all purchases that cannot be done with PayPal where I do not have a relationship with the seller.

In addition to Discover, I understand other companies offer this service as well. Check with your credit card company and see what they offer.

One last comment regarding Debit Cards. I do not like to use them. They hit my checking account right away and offer no benefit to me at all. I would never use one for an online purchase.

The math is simple. I buy with a debit card and my checking account is hit right away. Not only do I have to have the cleared funds available but I have no recourse if I have an issue with what I purchased.

When I use a credit card, I have 30 or more days of the money being in my checking account. If my account pays interest, I am paid by the bank to leave it there. Add to that the 1% to 5% cash back rewards I get with my credit cards--they pay me to use their card. If I have an issue with something I ordered, they go to bat for me with the seller to resolve the issue. In the meantime the charge is taken off my account so I am not charged any interest.

Simply put, I use credit cards and PayPal to purchase online. If the seller is an established company, I trust them with my information. If not, I use a one time number for the purchase.

Securing Our Computers

We spend time backing up our data so if our hard drive crashes we can get most of it back to a new drive or new computer. We password protect important things like our accounting information and even set up our user name so it requires a password to log on to Windows.

But what if we lose our laptop or netbook or even our new tablet?

Sure, they may need a password to log on as us, but what if they take out the hard drive and hook it up to another computer? Yes, they can do that and access all the files except those password protected. They can even boot the computer with a CD having its own operating system like Ubuntu and access everything right on the drive without having to remove it.

There is an alternative that will protect all the data on the hard drive and remove all possibility of anyone accessing the data, even you.

Using the boot option to access setup, F2 on most of my computers, check to see if there is the possibility of adding a password to the hard drive. If so, add one. Then only those with the password can boot the machine and log on. BUT DO NOT FORGET THE PASSWORD or even you will never be able to get it to work.