Archive of ‘Computer Help’ category

New Windows 10 Features You May Have Missed

Did you recently upgrade to Windows 10?  

Upgrading to yet another version of Windows can be tedious and understandably it gets old having to readjust to new graphic interfaces every couple of years!   Fortunately, this new operating system is proving to be a vast improvement from Windows 8, and some would even say its becoming their top choice over the beloved Windows 7 Professional!

Here’s some of the new features you may have missed:

The Task View button.

Use the Task View button on the taskbar to see and switch between open apps.  You can still use Alt-Tab on your keyboard, but this little shortcut comes in handy if you are stuck to your mouse movements.

Hooray for Snap Assist.

Windows 10 Snap Assist Gif by Tech2.

Use Snap Assist to display a 50/50 split screen view of two apps. Drag the title bar (the bar at the top of the window) to the right or left until it snaps into place. You can snap up to four apps by dragging their title bars into the corners of your screen. Task view displays a thumbnail—reduced image of a graphic—of each open window.

Pin Apps to the Start Menu…like the Recycle Bin!

In the latest versions of Windows, the recycle bin hasn’t been very easy to access.  Oddly enough, pinning the Recycle Bin to the taskbar was a bit complicated.  Finally in Windows 10, the option is now available with a simple right-click. Open up an Explorer window and, under Favorites, click Desktop. Right-click the icon that says Recycle Bin and you now have the option to Pin to Start.  This will place the Recycle Bin in the Start Menu. You can also put it on the taskbar if you drag from the Start Menu!  You can’t drag the Recycle Bin shortcut directly from the desktop to the Taskbar, but at least its a step in the right direction.

Grab Images with the Snipping Tool.

Technically not new but you may have missed it in Windows 7.  Go to your search bar and type Snipping Tool.  Select New and select any area on your desktop or  application you would like to capture.  

With Cortana Personalizations, Your OS Can Say Your Name.

Cortana was the digital voice for Windows Mobile devices and now has graduated to Windows 10.  To personalize your settings,  type Cortana Settings in the search bar.  Cortana & Search Settings will open up and from here you have a wide variety of personalizations.

Use a pin instead of a password.

Open the Start Menu and access the Settings section. In the left side menu of the Accounts window, choose Sign-in options. Now, if you’ll look in right pane you’ll see a section called PIN.

Advanced Command Prompt.

With the release of Windows 10, Microsoft was very excited to announce that Ctrl-V would work inside the command prompt. . Right-click on the title bar of a command prompt window, select Properties, and click the Experimental tab and there are several other new features you can enable.  You can wrap text to the edge of the window, as well as adjust the width to whatever size you want.

Conclusion

Take some time and get familiar with these features and it will greatly improve your functionality and productivity either at home or at work.  Are you looking to upgrade your home or business to Windows 10?  Contact my friends at Magic City Systems today and they will help make the transition go smoothly and effortlessly.

Remove Your Identity from Google Ads

Google announced a changed in service this week which allows them to post your image and identity next to ads.  These ads can show up on YouTube, online banners – really anywhere Google ads are present.  Hint – Google Ads are everywhere!

You have the option to remove yourself from these ‘shared endorsements,’ but you have to uncheck a setting on your google+.

To remove yourself from this option – Go to https://plus.google.com/settings/endorsements?hl=en.

Uncheck the box next to “Based on my activity, Google may show my name and profile…”.

shareendorsement

Click Save.

Solving the Cloud Mystery for Small Businesses

cloud1 What "cloud" really means is using Internet services for file sharing, email, document sharing, etc.  Rather than storing files on your local network, the files get stored back up on the remote server.  The remote server is maintained by the cloud services company.   Email has been used this way for years: you purchase email hosting on a monthly basis and never think about the server housing its contents.  All of that server side storage is done remotely through an Internet connection. Cloud services are generally cheaper and the costs to implement and maintain are much lower than housing your own internal server.

 

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Switch to the New Gmail Look

Google announced an upgrade to its current Gmail interface.  Users may preview the new interface by selecting “Switch to the new look” from their Gmail homepage.  The design is a stripped down version of Gmail, as Google is famous for their simple GUIs. The new design doesn’t offer any new features, just a new layout.

Before

After

New Customizations

You can customize how the email fits to your screen.  Choose cozy, comfortable or compact options.

New Themes

The new Gmail look also comes with new themes. You can access the new color options by clicking on the Gears icon, then Themes.

Chat Window

You can now modify the size of your chat window.

Better Search

The search box has been enhanced to include more filters.  You can now search throughout your email and conversations with more granular options.

Revert Back

If you aren’t ready to use the new look, you can revert back to your old Gmail look temporarily.  Click on the Gears icon, then choose Revert to old look temporarily.  Eventually, Gmail will make the switch for you.

Shake Your Desktop

windows7 Do you run multiple programs simultaneously on Windows 7?  If so, you’ve probably noticed how cluttered your desktop can get.  In Windows XP, to minimize every window on the screen, the quick launch menu had a nice little button called “Show Desktop.”  This instantly minimized every window.  With Windows 7, this is much more fun!

Windows 7’s Aero Shake feature allows you to minimize every window except the one in which you’re currently working in a single step. 

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How to Add Email Accounts to Your Gmail Email

imageGoogle’s email service, Gmail, offers chat, calendar sharing, and a hefty inbox.  All of this is free!  Another great feature of Gmail is the ability to manage multiple email addresses under one account.  You can add all of your email addresses to your Gmail account and reduce the number of places you log into down to one.  It even gives you he ability to respond to an email from one designated account, or make it dependent upon which email address  the email was sent to. 

Here’s how:

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Ask a Geeky Mom

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How is your computer running these days?  Are you wondering what kind of laptop to buy?  Is your husband filling the computer with viruses again?  Click here to send Geeky Moms your question and we’ll give you some free tech advice.

CleanUp!

 

One of the best ways to keep your computer system running efficiently is to clear temporary files and delete Internet browsing cache.  In the past, this was a manual process.  With Windows CleanUp!, you can do this in a flash!

My geeky friends and I have been using this program for years.  A lot of programs on the Internet promise to help your system and never deliver.  CleanUp! actually does what it says it will do.

Here’s How To Get It

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Internet and Email Safety

image With the use of computers and the internet comes certain threats. If you are going to be active on the internet or in email or even if you will be only somewhat active when accessing email and the internet you should take steps to protect yourself. Two of the biggest threats right now are Virus’s and Identity/Account Theft. Below are a few simple steps you can take to protect yourself.

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Exposed – Purpose of a Recycle Bin

image Recycle Bin = Trash can

Let’s say you have a banana peel and you take your banana peel and walk it over to your garbage can and drop it in. In 15 days are you going to walk back over to the garbage can and pick up your banana peel? I’m guessing the answer is NO. Okay, so I’m truly HOPING the answer is no, because that would be really disturbing. Many, many, many, computer users do those same steps with their recycle bin. Granted not with banana peels but you get the point.

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