Here in the CSA offices, we get many calls from members asking for help with the operation and use of their PCs. Unfortunately, we aren't really equipped with a help desk, so I thought I would offer a few tips to make your computing experience more enjoyable. Microsoft Word is one of the most popular programs in the world, but it is much better when it's used effectively. Here are a few things that might help:
Speed Up Your Spelling Checker
Word's spelling checker will run faster if you don't ask it for suggestions. If you're willing to bet that you can correct typos once they're flagged, choose Tools, Options and click the Spelling tab when the Options dialog box opens. Deselect the Always Suggest check box, then click OK. Now when you run the spelling checker, Word will tag misspellings but won't make any suggestions.
Speedy Text Selection in Word
Want to select an entire paragraph? Click any part of the paragraph three times. Or move your pointer to the left edge of the paragraph, and click twice when it changes shape to a right-angle outline. To select a single sentence, hold down Ctrl and click anywhere in the sentence.
Quick Trick for Common Phrases
If you tend to type the same phrases over and over, you can use AutoCorrect to save yourself some work and hair-pulling. Select Tools, then AutoCorrect. In the Replace box, type in something easy to remember, and in the With box, type the phrase you often use. For instance, to save typing To whom it may concern: replace it with the keystrokes TW#.
Selecting Fonts
When you select the pull down to choose a font, you will receive a pretty wide selection of fonts. If you are like most people who use their computer for letters and other basic functions, you probably only use two or three fonts on a regular basis. The problem with fonts is that they can really increase the time your computer takes to start up. Every font you see in the list gets loaded at start-up. To minimize this, simply go to the c:\windows\fonts folder and move the fonts you don't use to another folder. Don't delete them, because you may want them at some point. Just create a folder called something like Unused Fonts, and the fonts you place there will not load every time you start your system.
These are just a few of the thousands of little tricks, tips and tools you can find by looking around the Internet. Usually, if you have a problem, the answer is only a few clicks away. A good place to start if you want to really understand the configuration and usage options of Word is http://www.microsoft.com/office/using.htm
2. The New York Times
3. Empty
4. Tomorrow
5. Zero
7. The Ark was Noah's...not Moses'
8. Broken telephone
9. I'm overworked and underpaid
10. A deck of cards