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Tech Tips

Short PC tips and tricks

How to Fix a Missing Windows CD/DVD Optical Drive

Updated 10. February 2012 - 1:05 by v.laurie

This may be an old tip but the problem it fixes is so frustrating when it occurs that it is worth a reminder. For various reasons, the Windows operating system or Windows software may fail to recognize the CD/DVD optical drive. You look in (My) Computer and there is no CD/DVD drive listed. This may happen after uninstalling CD/DVD burning software, installing a Windows update, or for other reasons.

How to Keep Track of Changes to Your PC with a Free Microsoft Tool

Updated 7. February 2012 - 15:23 by v.laurie

Do you ever wonder exactly what is being added or modified on your PC by that new application that you are trying out? Do you wish that you had a record of the changes to the Windows Registry and system files that happen every time you install something? Several free programs are available to do all that and there is a list of some at this link. One of them is from Microsoft.

How to Get a Free Windows Desktop with Microsoft Office on Your iPad

Updated 5. February 2012 - 14:58 by v.laurie

I’ve been using my iPad 2 more and more and I was intrigued to see that there is a free app that gives you an online virtual Windows desktop with Microsoft Office 2010 on it. I have tried it out and here are some things I found.

The app is OnLive Desktop and it can be downloaded at the iTunes App Store. The app is free but you will need to set up an account to use it. The link for creating an account is here. One part of the signup that may annoy some is the request for your birth date and you must be over 18.

How to Allow Connections Through the Windows 7 Firewall

Updated 31. January 2012 - 14:59 by v.laurie

Experienced computer users often employ a third-party firewall but many average PC users rely on the Windows firewall. One problem that you may encounter with the Windows 7 application is that it sometimes blocks a program that you have just installed. Here is how to configure the firewall settings to allow the program to access the Internet.

Three More Keyboard Shortcuts for Faster and Easier Use of Microsoft Word

Updated 27. January 2012 - 14:46 by v.laurie

In a previous tip, I gave three of my favorite  keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Word and here are three more that I like. They apply to Word 2007 and 2010. As far as I know they also apply to Word 2003 but I no longer have a copy where I can test them out.

Change line spacing

Highlight the block of text whose line spacing you wish to change or use Ctrl+A to select the whole document. Then use one of the following keyboard shortcuts:

Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts to Speed Up Common Email Tasks

Updated 24. January 2012 - 15:04 by v.laurie

Being able to keep your hands on the keyboard can often be the fastest way to get things done. If you are one of the many users of Gmail, here are some keyboard shortcuts to help speed up some common email operations. Before you try them, be sure to enable keyboard shortcuts in your Gmail account as described in this previous tip.

A Better Way to Manage Chrome Browser Bookmarks

Updated 20. January 2012 - 14:16 by v.laurie

I like the Chrome browser but one thing it lacks is a simple way to sort or alphabetize bookmarks. It is true that you can go through the tedious process of clicking through the sequence Wrench icon—Bookmarks—Bookmark Manager, then click a folder, then click the "Organize" drop-down menu, and finally choose “Reorder by title”. But how convenient is that?

How to Easily Insert Special Symbols and Characters in Windows - Part II

Updated 17. January 2012 - 15:07 by v.laurie

The procedure in the preceding Part I is limited to inserting something over a hundred characters. But there is a much larger universe of symbols and characters available if you use hexadecimal as input. The Alt key, the numeric keypad, and the regular keyboard are involved in this particular procedure. (You may have to first make a very simple Registry edit for this to work. See the section below.) Here is how to to insert a hexadecimal coded character:

How to Easily Insert Special Symbols and Characters in Windows - Part I

Updated 17. January 2012 - 21:01 by v.laurie

Did you ever want to put a special character like the cent sign (¢) or the British pound sign (£) into a document or email? Or use the correct symbols for Spanish or other languages? Regular users of word processing programs like Microsoft Word probably already know how to do this but many average PC users are not aware that easy methods of inserting special characters are readily available.

How to Recover Files from Windows XP Backups (BKF Files) in a Windows 7 System

Updated 13. January 2012 - 20:08 by v.laurie

Maybe you got a nice new Windows 7 PC this past holiday season and now you want to transfer from your old XP machine all those files you were so careful to keep backed up. Only you can’t. You used the Windows XP backup utility and Windows 7 won’t read those XP backup files. The Windows 7 backup and restore feature uses a whole different format. (The Windows XP backup files have extension .BKF)

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