Easily copy files/folders from one pc to another

We are always being asked how to transfer data "easily" from one computer to another.. Here are several options - all of which are quite easy:

USING AN EXTERNAL OR PORTABLE HARD DRIVE

You can "copy" all of your folders/files from one computer to either an External Hard Drive or Portable Hard Drive for temporary storage.  When you are ready, simply "paste" them to the correct main locations on your new computer...

WINDOWS EASY TRANSFER (Microsoft) - You will need an easy transfer cable to use this option..

P  Click "Start."

P  Click "All Programs."

P  Click "Accessories."

P  Click "System Tools."

P  Click "Windows Easy Transfer."

P  Follow the onscreen prompts to transfer the files you want.

MOUSE WITHOUT BORDERS (Microsoft) This is a free software download from Microsoft that was designed for people who use many computers in the same room. For example, a laptop or tablet that you take to meetings might sit right alongside the desktop PC in your office and allows you to control up to four computers from a single mouse and keyboard.

I have to tell you that I've used it many times now since the fall of 2012 and have no hesitation introducing it to all of you...  I find it easy to download and use, so that I can copy folders and files from on computer to another - whether PC to laptop or vice versa.. Also very easy when you are moving folders or files from one pc to another (as long as they are both up and running at the same time...and it works very well between Windows XP, Vista 7 & 8 operating systems, but I haven't been able to use it yet on Macs (assume the software isn't approved yet by Apple)...but I've also just downloaded it to my Smartphone and love it...

Link to download: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35460

No matter which way you choose, be sure the data transfer is complete before deleting the information on the disk or old computer.

Are your documents & photos safe & private in DropBox?

As soon as the post about DropBox hit last Thursday, May 10th, many of you sent me emails asking how private DropBox was.  Remember, DropBox, like most “cloud computing” services is very careful about privacy. DropBox even claims that files we store with them are actually safer while stored in your DropBox than on your computer; they also state that they use the same secure methods as banks.

So yes – your files are backed-up, they are all stored securely, and password-protected.  No one else using DropBox can see what is in your private files UNLESS you deliberately invite or you put your files into your Public folder.

HOWEVER – Personally, I wouldn’t recommend using DropBox on a “public computer” such as those in the classroom.  Your home and work computers, which are used by you and you alone are fine, but remember the DropBox folder is just like any other folder, so on a public computer it can be accessed…

Remember: everything and anything in your Public folders, just like those in your Shared/Public Folders on the computer are accessible to anyone...  

Next week we will be talking about “Google Drive” (which was introduced at the end of April 2012 and is a great addition to the Google Doc’s storage app).  Yes, like “DropBox” it is another “cloud computing” service, but obviously from Google.  For many of us, especially those with free GMAIL accounts this may be your better option, especially for those who often use public computers

Check back on Wednesday, May 16^th for more discussion about Google Drive vs. DropBox…

What is DropBox?

Dropbox, which started just 5 years ago in 2007 by 2 MIT Graduates who continually forgot to bring their flash drives to class, has a free service (as well as other monthly & annual fee programs) and their software works with Windows, Mac’s, Android and other operating systems…  Yes – this is a “cloud computer” service, similar to what emails users who have hotmail, live or msn with SkyDrive or what gmail users use with Google Drive to save their photos, documents and other files to share or access from anywhere they are..…

Check them out at www.dropbox.com

How to use DropBox:

Go to www.dropbox.com and download their free software to your computer or smartphone (or any other mobile device).

·         Select a location on your hard drive to place the "Dropbox Folder."

·         Drag and drop files you want to upload to Dropbox into the new Dropbox folder on your computer. You can also upload files directly to your Dropbox account using their website upload tools.

·         You can now access your Dropbox files from any computer using Dropbox website or installing the software on that specific computer.

·         Access your files on an iPhone or Android device using the mobile Dropbox application.

·         Any adjustments made to Dropbox files will synchronize automatically.

If you need more help using this, visit www.dropbox.com which has an easy to follow tutorial on their website, or visit our two favorite websites for learning just about anything:

www.ehow.com or www.youtube.com

As of October 2011, Dropbox had more than 50 million users and recently announced (in April 2012) a new feature that allows users to automatically upload photos and videos from their cameras, tablets, SD cards and smartphones.  We’ve also heard that they are going to be giving users up to 3 GB of additional storage space for free, which some feel is to encourage users to use them, vs. Hotmails SkyDrive or Googles Drive for docs & photos… 

Word Processing-Tips to Create a Flyer or Invitation

BEFORE YOU BEGIN a new FLYER OR INVITATION

Be sure you have listed all information you need in your flyer and or invitation - It is too easy to forget something when you get busy “creating” so jot down the “5” W’s: 

Who - What - When - Where - Why

AS YOU BEGIN YOUR New Document:

Be sure to set your margins – If you are using paper with preprinted borders, measure the pre-printed area, so that you can set your margins allowing enough room so your typing doesn’t go into the printed border area (known as the gutter)

Once your margins (top, bottom, left & right) are set, then be sure to choose & set paper layout/orientation to either portrait or landscape

Name your NEW document:

Once margins & paper layout/orientation are set - now Name Your Document Immediately

·        When you open a document in Word, it will have a Document Number

·        The more “new documents you open” during the day the higher the numbers go

·        You want to name your document, so you can find it

·        In Word 97-2003, to the Menu Bar, File, Save As

·        In Word 2007, open the Office Button (Office Button replaced File in the upper left corner of monitor) and then choose Save As

·        In Word 2010, open File, Save As

*Note in Word 2007 & 2010 you want to be sure that you save all documents as 97-2003 compatible so that no matter what version of Word your friends or associates use, they will be open documents you send them and work with them…

Once you have chosen “Save As” the computer will open the “My Documents” folder in Word 97-2003, or in Word 2007/2010 it will open the Library First and then the Document master folder..

Once the Document master folder is open, choose or create the folder you want to save your work in; or if you intend to save yr work onto a flash or portable drive, go to My Computer, find the drive you are using, then open the Document master folder and then find or create the correct folder for your work to be saved in

Once you are in the specific folder you want your work stored in (Always look up to the top of the address bar in the Save As Dialog Box that your work will be saved in the correct folder you have chosen or created for it) you will now name your document

When you finish typing the document name, just use the enter key on your keyboard or you can left click on SAVE in the bottom right corner of the Save As Dialog Box

Tips:

• Type in all the information you will need on your flyer/invitation – do the formatting once the typing is done so you know how much data you have to work with
• Before printing the document on your pre-printed paper, print one on plain white paper & hold it against your paper to the light to be sure it is inside the border
• Have someone else read it, before your pint, so that you are totally sure you have included all of the information needed

Think twice before rushing to buy a new computer

Before you rush out to buy a new computer you’ve seen advertised, because your PC might seem a little slow, you might want to consider a few things…

First of all, when you are on the Internet visiting various websites – are you one of those individuals who always clicks “install this toolbar” assuming it will be helpful when you visit the website again in the future..  Many experts say that more than 75% of the software that is on your computer – either pre-installed or installed by you is never used…  So be careful about what you install and why and consider removing software that you have never used - It is easy to do, but if you aren't sure how to do this, ask for help.. 

Second, organize what you have on your current computer.  Be sure that all document, photos etc. are neatly stored away in specific topic folders so that it is easy for you to find…   Once eveything is neatly organized, if that hasn't helped - consider storing all for your documents, photos, music and videos on a portable hard drive,  You can purchase a 1TB portable hard drive for under $100 – much less than a new computer will cost.  Once you have cleaned off unnecessary application software programs and documents you don’t want or need – you may be pleasantly surprised at how well your computer performs…  Also once you know where everything is it helps to control duplicates – and this especially applies to any of us who have been allowing our digital cameras or camcorders to download our digital media files…  we may have many more copies on our computers than we think, which will cause your computer to crawl…

Third, make sure your drivers are current.  Drivers are the software that allow peripheral equipment to work well with your computer, and those for your printer & scanner should be updated periodically..

Fourth, while we’re talking equipment, we also find it helpful (and healthful) to use the keyboard shortcuts as often as possible.  You want to protect your wrist, elbow & shoulder from tendinitis related issues, caused by the repetitive motion of going back & forth all day long from keyboard to mouse and vice versa… If you are hands are on the keyboard than use keyboard shortcuts to give commands and if they are on the mouse, use the menu or toolbar/ribbon icons… 

Windows Explorer-The computers filing cabinet

When you use Windows Explorer, you can see all the documents stored on your computer (or your network), which makes it easy to select documents, folders, travel drives, digital cameras portable hard drives to work with them.

Windows Explorer uses the same “folder system” you would in a “filing cabinet”. Folders and sub-folders are "containers" to store documents (files). The folders that Windows creates for you are named My Documents, My Music, My Pictures & My Videos. They get their names from the fact that you use them as follows:

My Documents: Use this folder to store other types of documents you save, such as typed text or spreadsheets

• My Music: Use this folder to store music you copy to your computers


• My Pictures: Use this folder to store pictures, such as those you get from a camera or scanner, or from the Internet


• My Videos: Use this folder to store videos, such as those you get from a video camera, emails or from the Internet

In Windows XP and older operating systems you will see that you must open the My Documents drawer to see the other master folders, such as My Music, My Pictures, My Scans, My Videos...

In Windows Vista and Windows 7 Operating Systems, the Master folder is called a Library and in that you will find each of the individual master folders, including My Documents, My Music, My Pictures, My Scans, My Videos..

For those of you using MAC’s – you now have Macintosh Explorer – check it out at www.ragesw.com/products/explorer.html

How to add attachments to email messages

Once you are in your email account and into the section where you can write/compose a new email message:

Be sure to fill in the names whom it is going to in the BCC (to protect everyone’s privacy) - also be sure to fill in a subject and then write your message

Now – click the “attachment” option which usually has a paperclip icon beside it (it might also say Add attachment, insert attachment or insert file/photo”

With many programs you will now see a BROWSE button which allows you to open the Document, Picture, Video or Music files so that you can find what it is you want to attach

Once you have found the correct folder and then found the correct “file” highlight/left click on the file name – with most services if you left click the file twice it will insert/add it to your email message. Remember if you have several files in one folder, you can use the CTRL or SHFT keys to add multiple files.

If you want to send a different file from a different folder or section, just repeat the steps above.

Once you have attached all the files you want, you will send the email message the same as you always do. If you want to be sure what your recipients will see, simply send a copy to yourself as well…

Notes:

Most services allow you to add attachments up to 25GB, although this varies depending on the email provider :

IN AOL – the ATTACH FILE button is in the bottom left corner of the email message

IN YAHOO: When you choose the file you want to attach it appears in the file field, when you are finished, select the 'Attach Files' button and you will receive a message that you have successfully attached your files.

IN HOTMAIL: In newer versions it will ask you if you want to save the attachments as online documents/photos – you can say yes or no (when you say yes they will be saved in your online/cloud documents/photo folders)

IN GMAIL: Click the "Send" command once you have added as many attachments as you desire and they will be added to your message

How to find a lost file on your Computer?

If you are using Windows XP – this is a quick way to find lost files on your computer.

Open the “Start Menu" (either left click on the Start Button left side of the Task Bar OR tap the Windows Flag Key on your keyboard)

When the Start Menu appears, choose “Search” and the Search Dialog Box Opens, with 3 search options:

1. All or part of a file name
2. A word or phrase in the file
3. Look In

Use Option 1 when you know all or part of the document-file name, but you can also add the file extensions (for example for word file, type *.doc, Excel *.xls, Acrobat *.pdf, *.ppt and *.exe for executable files.

Use Option 2 when you don't know the name of file but know that it contains a string of text, by typing the text you want to find from any file or folder. This is time taking process but creates very precise result.

Use Option 3, Look In, to Look in Specific Drives, Folders or Networks that you want to Search for what you put in Option 1 or Option 2 In Look in, click the drive, folder, or network you want to search.

To save time, always select the specified drive or location instead of whole computer
Click Start Button, point to Search, and then click For File or Folders, a Search Results dialog box will appear.

In Search for files or folders named, type the file name or folder name you want to find in containing text.

To specify additional search criteria, click Search Options, and then click one or more of the following options to narrow your search:

• Select Date to look for files that were created or modified on or between specific dates
• Select Type to look for files of a specific type, such as a text or WordPad document
• Select Size to look for files of a specific size
• Select Advanced Options to specify additional search criteria
• Click Search now.

What’s the difference between folders and files?

Folders - are very similar to manila folders in a file cabinet. Inside each of the Folders we will store our “files”. You can create sub-folders, or sub-sub folders to keep your “files” even more organized on different projects that you may be involved with. Such as initially you might have a folder for “Insurance”, but once it begins to get full – you may want to have sub-folders for different types of insurance: health, life, car, home, boat etc..

Files - each individual item we save on the computer – whether it is a photo, document, spreadsheet, song or video is known as a File. Files are the items that you are able to view and to work on if desired. An example would be the images you download from your digital camera; or the Word document that you've created. If you download a CD of music to your computer – although it is only 1 CD, each individual song or track of music is then an individual file.

TIPS:

• When naming files or folders we cannot use computer language symbols such as back or forwarded slashes ( / or \)
• When naming a file with dates you can use: 8.24.10 or 8-24-10 but cannot use 8/24/10.
• Use spaces when you name files or folders to make your filing easier.
• The filing system on the computer always puts numbers before letters 0-9 will always go before a-z, so if you want a file or folder to stay at the top, name it 0.0 to do - the zeros will keep it at the top, vs. naming it to do which would it put it towards the bottom of your list

What is Windows Explorer?

Windows Explorer gives you a fast, easy way to view, copy, delete, move, etc., the folders and files found on all of your disk drives (like a big filing cabinet) It’s important to remember, Windows Explorer is very different from Internet Explorer..

Windows Explorer lets you play with – find & organize the files and folders on your computer, just as though it were a metal file cabinet and work easily moving and/or copying files and folders to and from different drives, such as when you are copying files/folders from your computer to your portable hard drive or flash drive.

Internet Explorer is “Browser” software that allows you to connect to other computers via the World Wide Web & search for information

The easiest way to access Windows Explorer is to hold the windows flag key down & tap the letter “E”. You can quickly and easily access the Windows Explorer this way without having to minimize any other applications or screens that you have open and are working with

How to use the Windows “Find” & "Search" command

The "FIND" & "SEARCH" commands are so helpful when we are working on the Internet, in emails, and especially in operating system and application programs, such as Word, Excel, Power Point, BookSmart or others.

We use the 'FIND" & "SEARCH" commands to quickly and easily search for:

• within a web page that's open in your favorite browser OR
• search for a word or phrase in a Microsoft document OR
• use it to search for a file or folder on your computer

To access the FIND functions in the program you are working in, you can go the Menu Bar in that program, then go to Edit, and it will be in your toolbar list

OR

Use your keyboard shortcuts to find/search for text in a document or webpage - simply press the CTRL + F keys at the same time and this will open the FIND function.

OR

To access the SEARCH functions, to easily find a folder or file on your computer, go to your START menu and the SEARCH function is listed and it will then display the SEARCH dialog box to help you find what you are looking for by either name or contents

Folders vs. Files – What’s the Difference?

When you are "saving/filing" items on your computer - it is helpful to know the difference between a file and/or a folder... sounds obvious - but to many this is confusing...

FILES – are each individual item on your computer that has a name – so if you take 5 photos, your camera will give them each a name – that “name” is a file – all file names end with an extension that tell us and the computer what the file is most photo’s will end in .jpg or maybe .bmp, .gif, .png, .tif etc.. If you have a music CD you want to copy/download to the computer, and that one CD has 12 music tracks – then there will be 12 different file names – music/audio file extensions might be .mp3, .wav, .wma

FOLDERS – symbolized with a manila folder – are the places where we store/file things of a like nature – PC’s are shipped with common folders - With Windows 98 and XP Operating Systems, the common folder names are: “My Documents”; “My Pictures”, “My Music”, “My Videos”, “My Scans”; in newer Windows Operating Systems, Vista & Windows 7, the word “My” has been dropped in your filing libraries

You can create as many folders, sub-folders, sub-sub folders, etc. as you would like. When you create a new folder - remember that whatever folder is highlighted in Windows Explorer or in the Filing Name Drop Down Box - that becomes the "Parent" to your new folder and therefore your new folder can & will be found "inside" that highlighted folder...