Shortcut Menu

Right click for Shortcut Menu.

Right click where you are working and a handy menu will open displaying the most commonly used features for the current application. For example, right click where you are typing in a document in Open Office and a menu with font, size, alignment and other features opens. Click on any one of those to open the choices available for that feature.


I know, why not just use the menu across the top? Well, sometimes it's faster to look at a list than try to remember where a feature is in the menu bar.

Making Web Page Content Appear Larger

Ctrl and + or - will make your internet browser window contents bigger or smaller!

How fast is that? No going into any control panel or restarting!

Another shortcut from Carlie!

Fonts: Make mine bigger!

Are you having trouble viewing the fonts because you are using a projector, tiny monitor or maybe your eyes just can't read text that small? Or maybe the fonts are too large! Here is your chance to change that. These steps will change the fonts on your desktop icons and the title bars of open programs. This is not for your internet browsers.

Windows XP:

Right click on a blank area of your desktop (screen).

Click on properties at the bottom of the menu that appears.

Click on the Appearance tab at the top.

Fonts will appear at the bottom of the box.

Choose the size font you like and click apply.

When you are happy with the fonts, click done.

Windows Vista:

Right click on a blank area of your desktop (screen)

Click personalize

Click on Adjust Font Size to the left.

2 choices will appear at the top, 96dpi is normal, 120 is large.

You may choose custom at the bottom right for more choices.

If you choose custom, a scale will appear which you can drag to your choice.

You must restart the computer to make the changes.

Windows 7:

Click Start

Choose control panel.

Click on Display.

Choose your desired size. 100% is normal size.

Click apply.

You will have to log off and log on again to see the change. If you aren't happy, retry the above steps and pick a different size.

Passwords: Make mine strong

Many of you are probably getting a lot of emails from friends and family that contain only a link, no real message. Those emails link to a Canadian pharmacy or a dreaded virus. So why are your friends sending you these? They aren't. They just happen to have a password that is a word or phrase. Spammers are using programs that guess passwords, (computers can make a million guesses pretty fast!)

Protect yourself by picking a password that contains a random group of at least 8 letters and numbers. If you this same password most of the time, you'll have it memorized pretty quickly. You can even use the first or last 4 numbers for your debit card pin code.

Samples of strong passwords:

Er93tak3485

Btfo20vo81

My husband, Steve can be a con artists dream. He received an email from "hotmail" that said they needed his password. He quickly obliged and the spammers quickly took over his account and emailed all his contacts. The email claimed he was stuck in another country with no passport or money so send some quickly. Not one person called or sent us a text. Well that could be because the email was signed, Larry. No company will ever ask you to send them your password.

Clear your desktop

Windows key + d Shows your desktop

(Minimizes every open program and browser)

Repeat to reopen everything.

We share computers at work. For me this is a problem. Some people I work with are as tidy with the computer desktop as they are with their cars. It used to make me crazy minimizing their programs to have a clear working area until my favorite daughter in law, Carlie showed me the the above trick.

A few more windows key tips:

• Windows + e Opens My computer.
• Windows + f Find files or folders, (search)
• Windows + l Logout

These are the few I find helpful to me. If you want to see more, go to the middle of the page at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_key