How to Troubleshoot your Network

How to Troubleshoot your Network

How often have you had trouble with your home network, and tried various different programs to attempt to figure out the problem? Wouldn't it be easier to have one tool that can do pretty much everything you need to keep your network running properly?

VDO Technology Computer

Tip of the day E-mail Done Your Way

E-mail Done Your Way

Do you use Yahoo!, Hotmail or AOL as your main e-mail program? If so, let me ask you this: have you ever switched over from Outlook Express to one of those because you thought it would be a better e-mail experience? If you answered yes, do you miss Outlook Express and all it had to offer? Okay, enough questions. If you said yes again, keep reading, because this is the tip for you!

If you would like to continue using your Yahoo!, Hotmail or AOL account, but prefer to use it with Outlook Express, there's good news, because you can do that! You can use both of the e-mail programs you're familiar with together to create your own e-mail heaven. Here's how:

Yahoo!

The first thing you have to do is get your Web based Yahoo! account into a POP account so that Outlook Express can understand it. The best program for that is probably YPOPS. It's easy to use and you will be able to access all of your e-mail safely with it. You can download YPOPS here. Once you have it downloaded, get it up and running and then open Outlook Express. Go to Tools, Accounts, Add, Mail.

Now, type in the name you want to use and click Next. On the next screen, you'll want to enter your Yahoo! e-mail address and click Next again. Ensure that POP3 is selected under the section that says "My incoming server is a (blank) server" and enter in "localhost" under the part that says "Incoming mail (POP3, IMAP or HTTP) server." Type in the same thing ("localhost") where it says "Outgoing mail (SMTP) server" and then click Next.

On the following screen, type in your Yahoo! mail username under the "Account name" section. If you're not sure what your username is, it's just the beginning part of your e-mail address. Next, type in your Yahoo! mail password (whatever it may be). Click Next and then click Finish. Now, for the next part, highlight "localhost" in the Internet Accounts window and choose Properties. Then type "Yahoo! Mail" under Mail Account. That's it! Click OK and then click Close.

Your Yahoo! e-mail will then be brought in through Outlook Express and you can enjoy all the features. You can also go back to your YPOPS account and change some settings within that, such as your bulk mail folder, sent messages, deleted messages, etc. Just double click on the YPOPS icon and change whatever you want.

Hotmail

For your Hotmail account, you'll still need a POP program that OE can understand. For that, FreePOPs is recommended and you can download it here. Once that's done, go to the Start menu, All Programs and choose FreePOPs so that it will be open and ready. Next, open Outlook Express and go to Tools, Accounts, Add, Mail.

Next, type in the name you want to use and click Next. On the next screen, you'll want to enter your Hotmail e-mail address and click Next again. Ensure that POP3 is selected under the section that says "My incoming server is a (blank) server" and enter in "localhost" under the part that says "Incoming mail (POP3, IMAP or HTTP) server." For the "Outgoing mail (SMTP) server" section, type in your ISP's mail server. (That's usually the same server you have used before with any non-Hotmail account). Click Next when you're done.

Now, enter in your complete Hotmail e-mail address under the "Account name" area and type in your Hotmail password. Click Next and then click Finish. Now, go back and highlight the new Hotmail account you created under the Internet Accounts list and choose Properties. Go to the Advanced tab and enter "2000" into the "Server Port Numbers/Incoming mail (POP3)" section. Click OK and Close. You can now start receiving your Hotmail e-mail in Outlook Express and you can also go back to FreePOPs and change your settings to fit your preferences.

AOL

We have done a tip on using AOL in Outlook Express before and you can read the complete version here. But the basics are that AOL allows any e-mail client that has IMAP support to send and receive e-mail. Well, it just so happens that Outlook Express is one of those programs.

So, open Outlook Express and go to Tools, Accounts, Add, Mail. Type in your name and click Next. Now, enter in your AOL e-mail address and click Next again. For the "My incoming mail server is" section, choose IMAP and under the "Incoming mail (POP3, IMAP) server" area, type "imap.aol.com" (without the quotes). Now, in the "Outgoing mail (SMTP) server" box, type "smtp.aol.com."

Next, under the "Account name" area, enter in your AOL screenname, which will be the beginning part of your e-mail address. Then type in your AOL password and click Next and then Finish. Under the Internet Accounts window, highlight "imap.aol.com" and choose Properties. Go to the Advanced tab and enter "587" under "Server Port Numbers for Outgoing Mail (SMTP)."

Now, go on over to the IMAP tab and make sure the line that says "Store special folders on IMAP server" is unchecked. Click OK when you're done. Close that window out and choose Yes for the next option. That will then start the download of the AOL folders list into Outlook Express. Click OK when that's done and you're all set!

Keep in mind that your AOL e-mail will stay on the server, so you should go in and visit your regular AOL account every once in awhile, just to keep it cleared out. Other than that, you can go and enjoy your AOL e-mail while using Outlook Express.

There you have it. All the benefits of your favorite e-mail programs rolled into one!

~ Erin

Ms office Tip-The Clean Sheet

The Clean Sheet

Are there times when you find MS Excel's gridlines more distracting than helpful?

Wish there was a way to get rid of them and just view a clean worksheet?

If you answered yes, I've got exactly what you're looking for!

Gridlines in older versions of Excel are controlled through the Options window (Tools menu, Options choice).

Once you're in the Options window, you're looking for the View tab.

Under the View tab, you need to uncheck the Gridlines box in the Window Options section.

Then click OK.

If you're working with Excel 2007, you're looking for the View ribbon, Show/Hide section.

Again, you'll need to uncheck the Gridlines option to hide them.

Regardless of the version you're using, at this point, your gridlines have vanished, leaving you with a clean sheet!

Quick Tip- Undo That, Please

Undo That, Please

Here's an oldie, but a goodie for you! Do you ever make mistakes while you're typing or when you're working in a certain program? If so, would you like to be able to go back and redo some things so that your mistakes are long gone history? If you would, all you have to do is hit Ctrl + Z on your keyboard.

Clicking Ctrl and Z at the same time will undo any changes you've made (good or bad). Maybe you've done something and it's not necessarily a mistake, but you would still like to redo it. Well, just use Ctrl + Z and it will be taken away! This undo shortcut works in pretty much any standard program you may use on your computer.

You can also undo by going to Edit, Undo, but the keyboard shortcut is just so much faster and easier. Give it a try today. Happy undoing!

~ Erin

Tip of the day

Create Your Own Desktop

Here's another oldie, but goodie for you. (Plus, I've gotten a lot of requests for this one and it'll be a really good refresher course for some of you!)

Are you tired of the desktop picture you currently have? If you are, why don't you spice it up a little?! It's really not hard to do at all. Just read this tip through and you'll be a desktop changin' pro in no time. I bet you'll be changing your desktop image every week now!

The fastest and easiest way I've found to do this is to right click on your desktop and select Properties. From the resulting window, click on the Display tab.

You can go ahead and scroll through the list of images that the Windows XP people kindly provided and you can also preview them in the top window.

Feel free to change the Position mode from Stretch (one big picture) to Tile (many little pictures) to Center (one small picture in the center of your desktop with a hand picked color filling in the background).

Now, if you want to use a picture that you have saved on your computer, simply click the Browse button and an Open window will appear. It will default to your My Documents/My Pictures folder, but you can browse through other folders via the Look in: box at the top.

Once you've found the picture you want, click on it and then click the Open button. This will take you back to the Display Properties window and you should see a preview of your brand new desktop. When you have things looking just the way you want them, click Apply, OK and just like that, you'll have have an all new desktop to love and enjoy. It doesn't get any better than that!

Have fun creating the desktop of your dreams!

~ Steve

ComputerTip Ms office Seeing Continuous Text Flow in the Print Layout View

Seeing Continuous Text Flow in the Print Layout View

Everyone has one. It's inevitable. Yes, we all have a preferred view in MS Word. Some of us like the Normal view and others use the Web Layout view on a daily basis.

If you're like me, you are a fan of the Print Layout view in Word. To me, that view is basically, "What you see is what you get," including the visibility of all the margins. I guess I just like to see each page as a representation of an actual piece of paper.

Well, regardless of your reason for preferring the Print Layout view, I'm sure you've found times when it would be helpful to put the pages together. You know, to easily see the flow of the document and to know exactly how the text is flowing from page to page, without the visual disruption of the margins and spaces between the pages.

At this point, I'm certain a few of you are thinking, "No problem. It's just a quick change in the View menu." Or, if you're aware of the View buttons in the bottom left corner of the program window, the change is just a quick click of the correct button.

But, wouldn't it be nice to have the luxury of altering the Print Layout View's behavior for this purpose, anytime you choose?

Yeah, I agree. I'd still rather see this view and just find a way to temporarily remove the top and bottom margins so that I can see how it's all coming together.

Fortunately, for anyone with this line of thinking, there is a one click way to alter the Print Layout view to meet those requirements.

What you're looking for is the Hide/Show White Space feature.

Take your mouse pointer and slowly run it over the gap between the "pages" of your document.

At some point, it should change to two inward pointing arrows and display this message: "Hide White Space" (Word 2007 says "Double Click to Hide White Space").

While you still have the double arrow, click to change this:

Into this:

Like magic, the document will change to display just a solid black line between the pages.

Notice that the top and bottom margins of the pages are no longer visible, which gives you a full and uninterrupted view of how the text is flowing from page to page.

Want your margins returned?

No problem! Simply run the mouse pointer slowly over the black dividing line until the pointer changes again and displays this message: "Show White Space." (This time, the cursor changes into a double arrow pointing outward).

One click here and your document is instantly returned to its original Print Layout view.

Isn't it nice to know you have options?!

~ April

Can you explain to me what an MP4 is?

Q:
Can you explain to me what an MP4 is? I've obviously heard of MP3, but now there's an MP4?! I'm so lost and confused. Please help!

A:
Yes, there is! I know, isn't it amazing how fast the world of technology develops? It seems like we get caught up on one thing and the next day, there's something new to learn about. I mean, we shouldn't complain, because all of the technology we're surrounded by is what keeps some of us going each day, but it definitely is a little hard to stay on top of everything that comes about.

But even though understanding everything gets a little difficult sometimes, it's not impossible. I promise that after today, you will fully understand one more computer term and you will be able to check it off your "find out what this is" list! Alright, let's get right into it!

To start with a quick definition, MP4 files are compressed video files. Their main purpose is to make video files much smaller so that they are easier to work with and support. Video files used to be very big in size and they were very difficult to work with. But now, the same files are compressed with the same material and they go by the new name of MP4s.

MP4 files work very similarly to MP3 files in that they are compressed files that do not affect the quality of sound. (In case you're not sure, MP3s are music and audio files, so an MP4 is just taking that to the next level with videos). The term MP4 is also known as MPEG-4 AVC, which stands for advanced video coding. Now, if you're still not sure how the whole MP4 technology works, make sure you keep reading, because it's going to get even more interesting, I promise!

Since MP4s deal mostly with video files, they are a little more complex than the MP3 music and audio files. But, they are still able to be compressed by using special coding procedures. For example, certain aspects of the files are minimized. Those are usually the temporal and spatial redundancies. The motion and intra estimations of the frequencies are usually transformed as well. And last, but not least, the file goes through a lot of compression and decompression, which is referred to as codec.

Now, I'm sure you're probably wondering if there's such a thing as an MP4 player, right? Well, yes there is. It works just like any other media player. You can purchase the device at any regular electronics store and you then just hook it up to your computer or television. It really is that easy, even if it doesn't seem like it!

Of course, as with everything else, the MP4 technology has its ups and downs. Let's start with the advantages. MP4s are able to produce videos with a DVD quality at a rate of 1 Mbps or less with a broadband Internet connection. (That's blazing fast!) So, if you were to get an MP4 player, you could get your videos and watch them in a matter of seconds. MP4 players can also play older MP formats, including MP3 audio files.

As for the disadvantages, there will more than likely be several piracy issues within the MP4 technology. The MP3 format went through this as well. As you may already know, there are pirated versions of movies on the Internet that are ready for download at any time. So, with MP4s mainly dealing with videos, the piracy problems are sure to get out of hand as this technology becomes more and more popular. Just keep an eye out for that!

So, there it is. The MP4 technology explained for you in as simple of terms as I could come up with. I do hope you have a better understanding of this now and who knows, maybe you'll be the next person to start MP4ing around!

~ Erin

Quick Tip- Run With Vista

Run With Vista

Have you made the switch to the new operating system of Windows Vista yet? If you have, are you getting a little frustrated with being away from everything you knew in XP? I mean, going from XP to Vista is an extreme change and it can be very difficult getting used to all the new features. I know I felt that way when I first started working with Vista. I was so used to XP and I just felt like the two operating systems were like day and night.

But, if you look past all that confusion, you'll find that there are a few things you can do with Vista to bring back the comfort of XP. (I'm not even kidding!) And as a matter of fact, I'm going to tell you how to do one of those right now. In Windows XP, a function I always use a lot is the Run command. It's just an easy feature to work with and it gets me where I need to go. Now, as I'm sure you've noticed, Vista doesn't offer the Run command. Or does it?!

To get the Run option back for yourself, right click on the Start button in Vista and choose Properties. Make sure you're under the Start Menu tab and then click the Customize button. Scroll down near the bottom of that list and checkmark the box that says "Run command." Once you've done that, click OK. In the next window, click Apply, then OK again. Now, go and click your Start button. What do you see? Yep, the Run command is back and ready for some action. Yes!

~ Erin

Today Feature-Gpedometer

Gpedometer

Attention all runners, cyclists, rollerbladers, walkers or anyone who routinely likes to take jaunts around the park or neighborhood and would like to get a little geeky about it! Now, by geeky, I mean streamline your excursions and suck all the data you can from the experience. In case you haven't figured it out yet, that’s the way I roll and with this week's download, you can too!

This program, called Gpedometer, was written by a runner who wanted to get a better idea of the distance his various routes were, without lugging around a GPS or a pedometer. He did this by writing a route planner for the incredible Google Maps that allowed him to utilize its capabilities with a mix of other services, providing him with an incredibly useful application. Since Google Maps allows you to zoom in to roof level of almost any region (within the U.S.), you can easily pinpoint where your trek will take you, whether you're going two miles or 20 miles. Once you have the route laid out (which is easy to do with the recording feature Gpedometer has), you can then calculate the distance you've gone and even estimate how many calories you burned on the trip.

Gpedometer’s Features:

Saving Routes - If you want to save your map, click the Save route link and all the current route information, including the location, distances and elevations will be saved. The other settings will then be saved in the database. When the route has been saved, a URL will appear below the link. This is the URL you'll want to use when accessing the route again later. It can be placed in a bookmark or an e-mail. (In Internet Explorer only, you will also be presented with a link that will allow you to automatically add this URL as a bookmark).

Units - Use the English/metric radio button beneath the distance boxes to choose your units.

Elevation - If you want to view a graph showing the elevation of each point plotted against distance, click the small or large link next to the Elevation heading. (Note: As far as I know, this will only work for U.S. maps, but some users have reported that it will work in Canada and the UK as well, so just give it a try!)

Mile Markers - By default, markers will be placed at the end of each mile or kilometer and at the beginning or end of your course. Use the Turn off markers and Turn on markers links to toggle whether the links should be shown or not.

There and Back Routes - If your course is a "there and back" type thing, click the Complete there and back route link once you reach the midpoint.

Calorie Counter - If you wish to calculate how many calories you've burned in the course of your run, click the Turn on calorie counter link and enter your weight in the Weight box.

Printing - Click the Print map link to temporarily reformat the screen and make it more suitable for printing.

You can also find resources on the Web site that will help you with every aspect of the service. These resources include a message board, FAQs and an instruction manual, among other things that should have you plotting courses like Magellan in no time!

So, as I always say, if this is something you're interested in, please give it a try. This is a wonderful little program and I’m sure a lot of you will find a great use for it!

You can check out the Gpedometer for yourself right here.

Note: This one doesn't actually include a download link, so all you have to do is click on the link above and you can start using the Gpedometer right away. Enjoy!

~ Chad

ComputerTip Ms office

What Grammar Rules Are You Using?

Have you ever found yourself wondering about the rules MS Word is using to make its grammar recommendations when you check your documents?

Ever wish you had a little peek into the madness behind it all?

Wish you could tell Word to stop checking a few things that just drive you crazy?

If any of this sounds familiar, read on to take a look into the grammar rules used to check your documents.

In older versions of Word, you need to start with the Tools menu, Spelling and Grammar choice.

At the bottom of the Spelling and Grammar window, click the Options button.

This will take you to the Spelling and Grammar tab.

In Word 2007, you can get there directly through the Office Button, Word Options button, Proofing choice.

Once there, you can select and deselect a variety of options. One to pay attention to is the Writing Style choice.

Using the drop down list, you can choose to have Word check either the "Grammar Only" or "Grammar & Style."

Interested in what the specific differences are between the two choices?

No problem!

Click the Settings button.

The Grammar Settings window will open, displaying the choices for Grammar checks.

When you select "Grammar Only," you only get the grammar portion of the list. In contrast, the "Grammar & Style" choice will have items from both parts of the list selected. (Notice that you can toggle between the two Writing Style choices at the top of the window, allowing you to easily compare the two).

Scroll through the list.

You're free to check or uncheck items as you see fit.

When you're done, click OK and then OK again. (If you're in an older version of Word, you'll also have to close the Spelling and Grammar window).

That's it! You now know where to find Word's control over the Grammar check. It looks like it's time to customize and make it your own!

~ April

Get Some Yahoo! Help

Are you having trouble with your Yahoo! e-mail account? Maybe you're having a problem reading your messages or perhaps you can't send an e-mail out. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's interfering with your e-mail time and we just can't have that! So, if you've run out of other options in seeking help, allow me to give you the best one of all: Ask Yahoo!

Yes, that's right, you can actually ask the Yahoo! team to help you with your e-mail troubles. To do this, log in to your Yahoo! e-mail account and in the very top right hand corner, click on the Help link. Next, scroll down and click on the Contact Us link. Once you get to that page, there are three options you can choose from to receive help. You can either view the help pages, contact their customer support or ask other Yahoo! users. I suggest clicking on the second one (Contact Customer Care - reply needed), because you can get help from a Yahoo! expert directly.

So, go ahead and click on that link. From there, click on the link that describes your e-mail problem the best. There's basic help, assistance with mail errors and problems and there's mail abuse help. The most common would be the second choice, so go ahead and click on the Yahoo! Mail Errors and Problems Form link. You then need to fill in the form provided so they can pinpoint what might be causing your e-mail problem. When you're done, click the Send button and it will be sent to Yahoo! Since you requested a reply, you should hear back from someone within a day or two. Just be patient though, because they do get a lot of questions everyday and it takes time to wade through them all. But when they do get back with you, you should be able to solve your e-mail mystery and be on your way!

~ Erin

You can't stop now! There's so much more to read about. Keep going to learn all about the Ten Net Commandments, find out what grammar rules you should be using in MS Word and learn how you can easily name all your CD tracks right on your computer. Also, be sure to check out this week's awesome download and as always, don't miss out on Amanda's Cool Site of the Day!