One of the phrases I hear frequently is, “I didn’t know that!” It usually pops out when something that is being explained triggers a sudden realization that there is a simple way to do something or prevent a problem from occurring. The following suggestions are given to those running Windows machines but many of them are consistent with other operating systems such as Apple or Linux computers.
Take a look at the desktop. This is the screen that appears after we log into our binary buddy. Usually a pretty picture for a background, a taskbar along the bottom of the screen with some icons in it, maybe a few icons located above the taskbar such as shortcuts to programs and files.
If we set up the computer originally choosing all the default settings, (the ones that Windows thinks we need) then some interesting things occur.
Icons that appear on the desktop for a program such as Word and the icon also appears in the taskbar at the bottom of the screen, we find that the icon on the desktop requires a double click to open it, while the one in the taskbar only requires one click from the mouse. If we double click the one on the taskbar we can sometimes open the program twice.
The moving taskbar: Sometimes the taskbar moves to the side or the top of the window. Use the mouse to place the arrow on an empty part of the taskbar, press and hold the left mouse button and drag the taskbar where to its proper place. Once there, use the right mouse button to click on an empty area of the taskbar. A menu will appear and near the bottom of the menu click on Lock the Taskbar. This will prevent it from moving again. If we can’t drag the taskbar to a better position, right click on it and make sure it isn’t already locked. If it is, click to unlock it then move it and relock it.
Now open a browser. There are several popular browsers, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Opera and there is a host of lesser known browsers. What does a browser do? It is not the Internet. It does however, take the data coming from the Internet and converts into something that humans can interpret. Or to put it another way, we can always open a browser, but if we have no Internet connection the page will not be displayed.
All browsers have the capability to print the page we are looking at. Remember it will print the entire page, ads and all. Many times we just want the article or statement from our bank, not all the junk that surrounds it. Take our bank statement for example. We can log in, go to our statement and there it is on the screen. If we use the print command from the browser, everything in the window will print. Now look carefully at the statement itself. Somewhere on, above, or near the statement will be a label or link that says Print. This will only allow the statement to be printed instead of all the junk around it.
Simple tips and tricks.
Court Nederveld owns his own computer consulting and fixit service –Bits, Bytes & Chips Computer Services. He makes house calls in Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte! You can reach him at adakeep@hotmail.com or 941-626-3285
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