Select a Tip tp display by choosing a link from the list below.

Adding zip to your computer
Does your computer seem to be getting slower and slower? Perhaps it’s so slow you are thinking about buying a new one. Before doing that, consider the following suggestions that might add a little zip to your current system.

1. Uninstall programs you no longer need. Explore the contents of your hard disk and identify programs that you no longer need. If you have Windows XP, use Start/Control Panel/Add/Remove Programs (for Windows 2000 use Start/Settings/Control Panel/Add/Remove Programs) to access the Uninstall feature.
2. Remove unneeded fonts. If you have Windows XP use Start/Control Panel/ Fonts in the classic view (for Windows 2000 use Start/Settings/Control Panel/Fonts) to determine the different font types stored on your system. To see a sample of any font type, double-click it. Review the fonts and delete those you will not need.
3. Empty the Recycle Bin. If you have either Windows 2000 or Windows XP, files are not removed from your hard disk when you delete them. Rather, they are moved to the Recycle Bin. To empty or remove files from the Recycle Bin, open the Recycle Bin and use File/Empty Recycle Bin.

Adjusting text size
Does the text of your favorite Web site appear too small to read comfortably? Would you like to read the small text that appears on screen without straining your eyes? Windows XP comes with a utility designed to magnify on-screen text. Follow these steps to use this tool:

1. Click Start/Control Panel and select Accessibility Options.
2. Choose Magnifier from the See Also list.
3. Select the desired magnification level and options.
4. Minimize the Magnification Settings window.

The Magnifier follows the mouse cursor and displays the magnified text at the top of the screen. To close the Magnifier, open the Magnifier Settings window from the task bar and close the window. The Magnifier will disappear from the top of the screen.

Avoiding viruses
Are you concerned about catching a virus? Here are a few suggestions that might help:

1. Use an antivirus program. Install antivirus programs on all computer systems you use and run them frequently.
2. Check disks. Before using any floppy or CD, check for viruses.
3. Enable write protection. Protect data and programs on floppy disks by enabling write protection.
4. Check all downloads. Check all files downloaded from the Internet.
5. Update your antivirus program. New viruses are being developed daily, and the virus programs are continually being revised. Update your antivirus program frequently.

Buying online
Have you ever bought anything online? If not, it’s likely that in the future you will join the millions that have. Here are a few suggestions on how to shop online:

1. Consult product review sites. To get evaluations or opinions on products, visit one of the many review sites on the Web such as www.consumersearch.com and www.epinions.com.
2. Use a shopping bot. Once you have selected a specific product, enlist a shopping bot or automated shopping assistants to compare prices. Two well-known shopping bots are located at www.mysimon.com and www.shopping.yahoo.com.
3. Consult vendor review sites. Of course, price is not everything. Before placing an order with a vendor, check their reputation by visiting vendor review sites such as www.gomez.com and www.bizrate.com.
4. Select payment option. Once you have selected the product and the vendor, the final step is to order and pay. Security of your credit card number is critical. Consider payment options available from www.private.buy.com and www.americanexpress.com/privatepayments.

Caring for floppy disks
Are you concerned about losing the data stored on your floppy disks? Actually, floppy disks are quite durable, and taking care of them boils down to just a few basic rules.

1. Don’t bend. Don’t bend them, flex them, or put heavy weights on them.
2. Don’t touch. Don’t touch anything visible through the protective jacket.
3. Don’t remove. Never attempt to remove a disk when it is rotating and in use.
4. Avoid extreme conditions. Keep disks away from strong magnetic fields, extreme heat, and any chemicals such as alcohol and other solvents.
5. Use storage boxes. Store disks in a sturdy plastic storage box.

Of course the best protection is to make a backup or duplicate copy of your disk.

Caring for optical disks
Are you concerned about damaging your optical disks? Actually, they are quite durable, and taking care of them boils down to just a few basic rules.

1. Don’t stack. Don’t stack or bend disks.
2. Don’t touch. Don’t touch the recording surfaces. Hold only by their edges.
3. Don’t remove. Never attempt to remove a disk when it is rotating and in use.
4. Avoid extreme conditions. Keep disks from extreme heat and direct sunlight.
5. Use storage boxes. Store disks in plastic storage boxes.

Of course the best protection is to make a backup or duplicate copy of your disk.

Cleaning an inkjet printer
Is your ink-jet printer producing smeared pages? Are the characters looking blurry? Then it could be time to give it a cleaning. Here are a few cleaning suggestions:

1. Disconnect. Turn off the printer and unplug the electricity.
2. Open. Open the printer and locate the spray nozzles.
3. Clean. Wipe the nozzles with a dry, lint-free cloth or a swab moistened with distilled water.
4. Reconnect. When completely dry, plug in the printer and turn it on.

To prevent clogging in the future, always allow your printer to finish printing the current page and to return the print head to its resting position before removing the page or turning off the power.

Compressing files
Are you running short of hard-disk storage space? Want to send a large file or several files at once over the Internet? You can save both space and valuable connection time by compressing the files first. Compression/decompression utility programs are available in Windows XP. If you don’t have Windows XP, consider using WinZip, a popular compression program:

1. Start. Start the WinZip program.
2. Create file. Click the New button on the toolbar to create and name a zip file.
3. Select. Locate and select the file(s) you want to compress.
4. Compress. Click the Add button to compress and add the selected file(s) to the zip file.

You can now replace the selected file(s) with the much smaller zip file. To access the original files at any time, start the WinZip program, select the file(s) to decompress and click the WinZip Extract button.

Defragmenting your hard-disk
Does your internal hard-disk drive run a lot and seem slow? Are you having problems with lost or corrupted files? The problem could be with fragmented files--files that when saved were broken into pieces (fragments) and stored in different locations on your hard disk. To clean up the disk and speed up access, consider defragging. If you are using Windows 98, 2000, or XP:

1. Start Disk Defragmenter. As discussed in Chapter 5, use Start/ All Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Disk Defragmenter to start defragmenting your disk. Defragging rearranges the file parts so that they are stored in adjacent locations.
2. Keep working. You can continue running other applications while your disk is being defragmented. Unfortunately, your computer operates more slowly, and Disk Defragmenter takes longer to finish.
3. Automate. Use Start/All Programs/Accessories/System tools/ Scheduled tasks to schedule this task to be done automatically for you in the future.

Designing your Web site
Are you thinking about creating your own Web site? Perhaps you already have one and would like to spruce it up a bit? Here are a few suggestions that might help.

1. Use a common design and theme. Consistency in the use of colors, fonts, background designs, and navigation features gives a Web site a unified feeling and makes it easier to use.
2. Use graphics and animations to add interest. Graphics and animations add interest and focus the user’s attention. However, they take time to download and the wait time frustrates users. Be selective and limit the size of graphics. Also reuse graphics from one page to another.
3. Make navigating your Web site easy. Create a simple method of navigating that allows users to get to their desired information as quickly as possible. None of your content should be more than three clicks from the home page.
4. Design your site for a standard display. To maximize the impact of your site for the largest number of users, design it to be viewed by a monitor with a standard 800 x 600 resolution.

Getting professional computer help
Having problems or want to upgrade your system and would like professional help? Here are a few suggestions:

1. Select a reputable computer store. Consider local as well as national chain stores. Check them out with the Better Business Bureau.
2. Visit the store with your computer. Ideally, have a knowledgeable friend accompany you. Describe the problem and get a written estimate. Ask about the company’s warranty.
3. Tag your system. IF you leave the system, attach a tag with your name, address, and telephone number.
4. Pay by credit card. If a dispute occurs, many credit card companies will intervene on your side.

Improving digital photos
Are you having trouble getting the kind of photos you want with a digital camera? Would you like to make the most of digital technology in your photos? Here are some tips to help you get started:

1. Buttons and Knobs. Get to know the functions of your camera before you begin. Most cameras have an automatic mode, but be sure you know how to turn on the flash, zoom the lens, and set the image resolution.
2. Photography Basics. Many digital cameras have an LCD screen on the back. You can use it to help frame your shots more accurately. Just be aware that using the LCD screen uses more battery power.
3. Red-eye Reduction. Many digital cameras have a red-eye reduction feature. When photographing people in low light, you can use this setting to eliminate glassy red-eyes in photos.

Planning a presentation
Planning a presentation for school or work? Here are a few tips from professionals to make it the best ever:

1. Be prepared. Know your audience, equipment, and presentation room.
2. Practice and time your presentation by giving it to a friend.
3. Begin and end well. Begin with a joke or story. End with a summary.
4. Know when to move. Move around to focus attention on you. Remain still to focus attention on your slides.
5. Relax. Prior to a presentation, take a short walk, stretch, or just take a few quiet moments to breathe deeply.

Printing from the Web
Do you find extra pages in the printer when you try to print from the Web? Would you like to print your favorite articles without all the ads and hyperlinks? There are several ways to get what you want in a printout. Here are a few suggestions you can use with Internet Explorer:

1. Preview. To see what will be printed, choose Print Preview from the File menu. You can scroll through the pages and make sure the items you want will be printed.
2. Choose Printer Friendly. Many Web pages have a Printer Friendly button that removes all the ads and sidebars. Look for the button at the conclusion of most Web articles.
3. Print Selection. You can highlight and print only the text you would like to print. Highlight the text and graphics you would like to print and choose File/Print and check the Selection option under the Page range box.

Protecting children
Do your children or little brother or sister use the Internet a lot? While you may want them to be able to take advantage of the educational and entertainment side of the Internet, you also want to protect them from the negative side. To help protect them from viewing inappropriate material, consider the following suggestions:

1. Locate. Place the computer in a common area where children can be easily supervised.
2. Discuss. Discuss browsing with children to explain what types of content you consider to be appropriate. Create a specific agreement and limit the amount of time your child spends on the Internet.
3. Surf. Spend time with your child on the Web. Visit family sites and create a shared e-mail account.
4. Filter. Use a filter program and/or investigate your browser’s filtering capabilities. Recent versions of Internet Explorer, for example, include a Content Advisor program.
5. Verify. Check up on your child’s Web activities. Visit their Web pages and search the Web for their screen names.

Protecting your privacy
What can you do to protect your privacy while on the Web? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Encrypt sensitive e-mail. Encrypt or code sensitive e-mail using special encryption programs.
2. Shield your identity. Use an anonymous remailer or special Web site that forwards your e-mail without disclosing your identity.
3. Block cookies. Use your browser or a cookie-cutter programs to block unwanted cookies.
4. Check for Web bugs and computer monitoring software. Use spy removal programs to check for Web bugs and computer monitoring software.
5. Notify providers. Instruct your service provider or whomever you use to link to the Internet not to sell your name or any other personal information.
6. Be careful. Never disclose your telephone number, passwords, or other private information to strangers.

Reducing spam
Are you tired of sorting through an inbox full of spam? Americans receive over 200 billion spam e-mails every year. Here are a few simple tips to help ensure that your inbox is spam-free:

1. Choose a complex address. sally_smith@hotmail.com is much more likely to get spam than 4it3scoq2@hotmail.com. Consider using a more complicated, and less personal, user name.
2. Keep a low profile. Many spammers collect e-mail addresses from personal Web sites, chat rooms, and message boards. Use caution when handing out your address and be sure to read the privacy policy of a site before you hand over your address.
3. Don’t ever respond to spam. Once you respond to spam, either in interest or to opt out of a list, you have confirmed the address is valid. Valid addresses are worth more to spammers, who then sell the address to others.
4. Use a filter. Most e-mail programs have a filter option that screens incoming e-mail based on a set of preferences you choose. You can set up your inbox to accept only mail from certain addresses, or block mail from others.
5. Consider a software solution. There are plenty of programs available to help protect your inbox. For example, MailWasher provides an effective and free program available at www.mailwasher.com.

Reporting identity theft
Have you been a victim of identify theft? If you have or if you ever are, here are some suggestions on what you should do.

1. Contact local and federal police authorities to report the crime.
2. Call the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) free Identity Theft Hotline at 1-877- IDTHEFT (438-4338) to obtain current advice relating to resolving credit-related problems.
3. Visit the ID Theft Web site at www.consumer.gov/idtheft for additional information and advice.
4. Obtain and file the ID Theft Affidavit available at the ID Theft Web site.

Securing your computer
What can you do to protect the security of your microcomputer system? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Avoid extreme conditions: Don’t expose the computer to extreme conditions. Clean your equipment regularly. Use a surge protector to protect against voltage surges.
2. Avoid viruses: Install, use, and periodically update virus protection programs. All incoming files should be checked for viruses before they are executed or saved.
3. Avoid attachments: Never run an e-mail attachment with an .exe extension unless you are sure of its source.
4. Install firewall: Either use Windows XP firewall and/or obtain a commercially available product.
5. Update software: Occasionally programs (especially operating systems) have security weaknesses. Software manufacturers often provide corrective code to eliminate the security holes. This code is often referred to as a patch.
6. Guard the computer: If you are concerned that your computer may be stolen, put a cable lock on it. If you subscribe or belong to an online information service, do not leave passwords nearby in a place accessible to others. Etch your driver’s license number into your equipment. That way it can be identified in the event it is recovered after theft.
7. Guard programs and data: Store disks properly, preferably in a locked container. Frequently and periodically make backup copies of all your important data files and programs. Store copies of your files in a different--and safe--location from the site of your computer.

Switching to a left-handed mouse
Are you left-handed? Do you struggle to use a mouse with your right-hand? Or would you just like to use the mouse with your left-hand to free up your righthand? Here is a tip to easily switch the button functions on your mouse if you use Windows XP:

1. Click Start/Control Panel and select Printers and Other Hardware.
2. Choose Mouse from the Control Panel Icons list.
3. Choose the settings you would like for each of the mouse buttons from the drop-down windows.
4. Click OK.
5. Test your new mouse functions.

Windows XP’s User Accounts make it possible to maintain these mouse settings in your profile.

Using AutoShapes in a spreadsheet
Have you ever wanted to draw attention to a cell in a spreadsheet? AutoShapes make it easy to emphasize the contents of your worksheet. If you are using Excel 2002:

1. Open the Drawing Toolbar. Right click a toolbar and select the Drawing toolbar from the menu.
2. Open the AutoShapes Menu. Click the AutoShapes button on the Drawing toolbar to open the AutoShapes menu.
3. Choose and Insert an AutoShape. Select an AutoShape click on the worksheet and drag to create the shape.

Using browsers
Have you used the Internet? If so, then you probably already know how to use a browser. For those of you who do not, here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Start browser. Typically, all you need to do is double-click the browser\’s icon on the desktop.
2. Enter URL. In the browser’s location box, type the URL (uniform resource locator, or address) of the Internet or Web location (site) that you want to visit.
3. Press ENTER. On your keyboard, press the ENTER key to connect to the site.
4. Read and explore. Once connected to the site, read the information displayed on your monitor. Using the mouse, move the pointer on the monitor. When the pointer changes from an arrow to a hand, click the mouse button to explore other locations.
5. Close browser. Once you are done exploring, click on your browser’s CLOSE button.

1. Start with the right approach. For general information, use a direct search. For specific information, use a key word search.
2. Be as precise as possible. Use specific key words that relate directly to the topic.
3. Use multiple words. Use quotation marks to identify key words.
4. Use Boolean operators. Typically, these include words such as and, not, or.
5. Check your spelling. Misspelling is one of the most common problems.
6. Keep moving. Look only at the first page of search results. If necessary, try another search using different key words.