We all know cats have nine lives, but did you know files have three? When you create a file, it has its first bite at existence, an existence which continues until you, in your casual god-like manner, delete it. Deleting the file isn’t the end, though. All you need to do is open up the [...]
Microsoft has long produced software with a belt-and-braces approach, offering a choice of ways to perform a particular task. For example, in Word, you’ll find a smorgasbord of methods for cutting, copying and pasting text. There’s the usual cut, copy and paste via keystroke, menu or toolbar. There’s also the Office Clipboard, which is like [...]
This tutorial guides you through building a simple, single-file database. In a single-file database, also known as a flat-file database, you put all your information into a single table. This is the simplest form of database to create, but it has some serious limitations and disadvantages. The most important of these limitations are that single-table [...]
What’s a database? If you think of word processors as… well… processors of words, and spreadsheets as number processors, then you can think of databases as processors of unstructured information, aka “data”. Feed a database data in any sort of guise – as numbers, text, dates, images, web links – and it will digest all [...]
Can’t tell your first normal form from your third? Untangle basic database jargon with this easy-to-understand dictionary of terms.
Windows is malleable. It’s designed to be tinkered with, adjusted, customised. When you first run Windows – whether it’s Windows 7, Vista, Windows XP or even an earlier version – what you see is Microsoft’s idea of how the operating system should work and look. You don’t need to settle for that. In fact, you [...]
The Recent Documents list has been a feature of Windows for many years. It provides a quick way to access the files you’ve used most recently. In Windows 7, you’ll find Recent Documents has been tucked away out of sight and is only available by customizing the Start Menu. That’s because 7 introduces a far [...]
Windows 7 contains plenty of new features, but there’s only one truly new concept you’ll need to wrap your head around: libraries. Libraries provide a new way of managing, viewing and finding your files, toppling the old (My) Documents folder from its central position. A library looks and behaves pretty much like a super-folder, but [...]
Are you ready for Windows 7? It doesn’t take much to qualify. Pudgy old Vista’s slender successor requires nothing more from your PC than a gigabyte of RAM, a processor running at 1GHz, 16 gigabytes of hard drive space and a video card with support for DirectX 9 and WDDM 1.0. If those figures don’t [...]
When you buy a copy of Windows 7 to install on an existing computer, there are three key questions you need to ask yourself: Which edition of 7 do I want? Can I buy an upgrade version or do I need to pay for the more expensive full version? Should I choose a 32-bit or [...]
There’s a theory that Microsoft gets it right with every other version of Windows. Those who subscribe to this school of thought give Windows 95, Windows 98 Second Edition and Windows XP the plaudits; Windows 98, Windows Me and Windows Vista are relegated to the better-luck-next-time bin. If you think there’s something to this theory, [...]
Can’t tell your hardware from your software? This plain English computer glossary introduces all the terms you need to get started with computers and the Internet. A access To gain entry to or connect to. Access (Capital “A”). Microsoft’s database management program, available as a standalone product or as a component in some editions of [...]
Most text selection in Word involves selecting horizontally – selecting a line or a paragraph of text. Sometimes, though, you need to select a vertical slab of text. To do that, hold down the Alt key while you click and drag your mouse over the text. This comes in handy when someone sends you an [...]
If you frequently find yourself wanting to edit the same document you were using in your last Word session, you can create a shortcut which does just this, using a command-line switch. Here’s how: Right-click an empty spot on your desktop and choose New -> Shortcut from the pop-up menu. Click the Browse button and [...]
Have you ever wanted to delete the document currently open in Word? I find I often want to do this when I’m trying to clean out a whole bunch of old documents: I open each one, check the contents and, if I no longer need it, delete it on the spot. Word won’t normally let [...]
How do you omit the page number on the final page of a Word document? I was asked this recently by someone who is using Lulu.com’s self-publishing service. Lulu had asked her to resubmit her book with a completely blank final page – no page number, nothing. Finding the solution to this seemingly simple request [...]