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University of Wisconsin–Fox Valley

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Common Topics

Wired For Success FAQ's

Media Lab Specific FAQ's

MS Outlook Questions/Tips

MS Word Questions/Tips

Other MS Office Programs Questions/Tips

Blackboard Questions/Tips

Internet Explorer Questions/Tips

Computer Hardware Questions/Tips

Q: How to convert a file with Media-Convert.com?

A: Sometimes we run into situations of incapatibality over different computer systems, (ie. different word processing software) and files can not be read by a recipient. If you happen to be that reciepient that is unable to view a file, try converting it to something you are able to view using www.Media-Convert.com. Simply follow the on screen instructions to convert your type of file into many popular file formats.

Q: How do I sign up for workshops?

A: Free computer training workshops are available to registered UW-Fox Valley students.  Seating is limited to 10 people per class for most workshops. Use this form to Sign up now to ensure your space!

Q: Can I get One-on-One computer tutoring?

A:If you can't attend the scheduled workshop, feel free to schedule a one-on-one workshop with one of our Technology Training Assistants. Use the tutoring request form to request a private session.

Q: Where should I store files on the computer?
A: There is a drive labeled Media (D:). This is a physical drive inside each workstation in the lab, meaning that if you store files on one workstation, you should use that same station again to get access to your files. It is recommended that you create a folder, labeled with your name, on the D: drive. And please be courteous of other students by removing any of your files that you are no longer using.

Q: How do I create a folder on the D: drive?
A: Follow these steps:
1. From the Windows desktop, double click My Computer.
2. Double-click on Media (D:). This is the drive on which you will always save your work.
3. From the menu, select File > New > Folder.
4. A new folder will appear prompting you to name it. Type in your name.
5. Your new folder will then appear with the new name you've given it.

Q: I want to burn CDs. What kind should I get?
A: Any brand of CD-R will work in the media lab. You can also burn rewritable CDs (CD-RW) but if you make audio CDs, not all CD players can read CD-RWs. CD-R discs are very inexpensive. If you look around, you can usually find a spindle of 100 CD-Rs for $15-20.

Q: I want to burn DVDs. What kind should I get?
A: You should get DVD-R or DVD-RW they are the most common forms of DVD's.

Q: How can I listen to sound on a media lab computer?
A: Each workstation on at the Media Lab has a set of AKG headphones.  The volume control for these is on the upper right corner of the keyboard. There is also a headphone jack on the front of the computer, on the beige "Audigy 2" panel. It needs a 1/4" headphone plug. If your headphones are the standard 1/8" plug, the media lab should have adapters available. A volume knob is just to the right of the jack.

Q: How can I listen to an audio CD while I work?
A: If you put your audio CD into the DVD drive, Windows will usually detect it and launch Windows Media Player, which has CD player controls. If not, click the Start button (lower left), then select Programs > Windows Media Player. You can then hear your music through your headphones.

Q: I want to put audio and/or video on the web. Can I do that?
A: The media lab has capabilities to encode projects in a variety of web-ready formats, including QuickTime, RealMedia, and MP3. The best application for creating audio or video for the web is Vegas.

Q: I want to make a web page. How do I do that?
A: There are two applications that you can use to make your own custom web pages - Microsoft FrontPage and Macromedia Dreamweaver. While FrontPage is a bit easier to learn, Macromedia can make simple or complex web designs, including Flash animations.

Q: Is it possible to put video onto a CD?
A: Yes. This format is simply known as Video CD. You can store approximately 74-80 minutes of "VHS-quality" video and stereo sound, and most standard DVD players will play them. There is also a format known as S-VCD, or Super Video CD, which gets about half the amount of video storage but slightly higher quality. S-VCD's cannot be played in many DVD players though.

For information about Video CDs and a guide to player compatibility, see www.vcdhelp.com.

Q: Can I make DVD's or CD's with surround sound?
A: YES!  The Media Lab is now equipped with Sony Vegas 5.0 software, which allows you to mix your video/audio projects in Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound.  The Dolby "AC3" files can then be used with Sony DVD Architect to create DVD's with surround sound and multiple audio tracks, just like professional DVDs.  The only drawback is that the lab is not equipped with 5.1 speakers to preview the sound mix in its full span.

- You can now also use Sony Acid 4.0 to create and mix your music in 5.1 surround sound.

Q: The toolbar used to be on top of my Outlook screen is disappeared. I can't click on Reply or Reply All button.

A: You may have dragged that toolbars off the screen by accident. In order to get it back, do the followings:Go to View menu >> select Toolbars (if it is not seen, click on the extended double-down arrow) >> then point to Standard.

Q: How would you set up the auto spell check in 2000?

A: Do the following:

  1. In Outlook, go to Tools menu >> click on the Spelling tab.
  2. Then check off Always check spelling before sending. You may also want to check off some other options, as seen below.
  3. You can also press the F7 function key, located on top of your keyboard, at any time to check your spelling before sending.

Q: How do you activate the out of the office auto-reply in Outlook?

A: Do the followings:

  1. In Outlook program, go to Tools menu, click Out of Office Assistant. (If you don't see it from the list, click on the double down-arrow command and the menu will be expanded.)
  2. Click I am currently Out of the Office.
  3. In the AutoReply only once to each sender with the following text box, type the message you want to send to others while you are out.

Q: How to create a header or footer?

A:

  1. On the View menu, click Header and Footer.
  2. To create a header, enter text or graphics in the header area. Or click a button on the Header and Footer toolbar.
  3. To insert the Page numbers, click Insert Page Number
  4. To insert the Current Date, click Insert Date
  5. To insert the Current Time, click Insert Time
  6. To insert Common header or footer items, such as running total page number (Page 1 of 10), the file name, or the author's name, click Insert AutoText and then click the item you want.3) To create a footer, click Switch Between Header and Footer. And then move to the footer area. Then repeat step 2.
  7. To create a footer, click Switch Between Header and Footer and then move to the footer area. Then repeat step 2.
  8. When you finish, click Close.

Tip The text or graphics you enter in a header or footer is automatically left aligned. You may want to center the item instead or include multiple items (for example, a left-aligned date and a right-aligned page number). To center an item, press TAB; to right align an item, press TAB twice.

Q: Is there a way that I can just make the first page of my document contain a specific Header information, but not the rest? Or what if I want part of my pages with different headers?>

A: There are two options in doing it:

Option 1:

  • Go to File menu >> Page Setup >> click on the Layout tab >> then choose Different First Page.

Option 2:

  • Create the header as usual when you are working on the first page. At the end of the first page, go to INSERT menu >> BREAK >> then choose Continuous from the Section Break Types.
  • Then double click on the Header area (or go to VIEW menu >> then choose HEADER AND FOOTER).
  • You will see the Header and Footer floating toolbar appeared. Disable the SAME AS PREVIOUS button by clicking it once. Then delete the header information typed in the Header area. From this point and on, your pages will not contain the same header information that appears in the first page.
  • Using the same technique, you can create various header information throughout your document.

Q: When I reply to an email, how can I make my replies shown in specific font style and color? There is a specific font that I like to use every time when I start a new message. What should I do to have Outlook use that font every time when I compose a new message?

A: Both questions can be solved by following the steps below:

  1. In Outlook, go to Tools menu >> Options >> Mail Format tab.
  2. Then click Fonts button in Stationary and Fonts section.
  3. Choose the specific font style, size and color by clicking the associated buttons in this window.

Q: Is there a way that I can find out if my mail is read by the recipient? :

A: Do the followings:

  1. In the email message that you plan to send, click on Options button from the toolbar.
  2. In the Message Options window, check off "Request a read receipt for this message".
  3. Outlook will inform you when your message was read by the recipient.
  4. This is a good way to make sure that your students have read your email announcements. However, it works only for people who are using the Outlook/Exchange email system. (Another reason why you should encourage your students to use Campus Email.)

Q: Is there a way that I can mark a read-message to unread?

A:

  • To mark a message from READ to UNREAD: Right click on the message >> then choose Mark as Unread from the shortcut menu.
  • To mark multiple messages as unread: Hold down the <CTRL> key while choosing individual messages >> then right click on any one of the selected message >> then choose Mark as Unread from the shortcut menu.

Q: And I have so many unread message scattered all over in my InBox, can I view them all at once without scrolling down the mailbox to search for them?

A: To search all the unread messages in your InBox, go to View menu >> select Current View >> point to Unread Messages. All the unread messages will be grouped together.To resume to the normal view, go to View menu >> Current View >> Messages.

Q: How do I force Outlook to recognize "eli" in the To... line without looking up your name in the list?

A: To send me an email directly, just type '=evelyn.li' in the To: line. This way, Outlook will find names that match with 'evelyn.li' only, instead of giving you a list of names that may consist of 'eli' letters in names.

QI have numerous old disks that have the labels on them. Is there anything that I can use to get those labels off and not harm the disk or the machine?

A: [Anonymous]This may sound funny but here's what I do. Put one of the disks underneath your leg (between your leg and your chair), wait for a few minutes for the label to "heat" up. After doing that you should be able to peel it off. Some are easier then others. Sounds funny but it works.

Q: How to insert a footnote or an endnote in Word?

A:

  1. In print layout view (View menu >> Print Layout), click where you want to insert the note reference mark.
  2. On the Insert menu, click Footnote. Click Footnote or Endnote.
  3. Under Numbering, click the option you want.
  4. Click OK. Word inserts the note number and places the insertion point next to the note number.
  5. Type the note text.
  6. Scroll to your place in the document and continue typing.
Note In printed documents and in printed documents that you're viewing online, Word, by default, places footnotes at the end of each page and endnotes at the end of the document. You can change the placement of footnotes or endnotes so that they appear directly below the text.
  • On the Insert menu, click Footnote
  • Click Options.
  • Click the All Footnotes or All Endnotes tab.
  • In the Place at box, click the option you want.

Q: How can I make entire menu show up in Word 2000? I get the funky arrow at the bottom of a shortened menu, then a few seconds later I get the entire menu. I want the entire menu to start with like I did with the old Word.

A: On the Tools menu, click Customize, and then click the Options tab >> Clear the Show full menus after a short delay check box >> Note The Show full menus after a short delay check box affects all your Microsoft Office

Does Microsoft Outlook have a nickname function? I want to be able to key in a short name for someone, but have the full name display in the "TO" box. I can't find a way to do that.

A:

  1. Click on Contacts from the Outlook bar at the left of your Outlook program. (If you don't see it, go to View menu >> select Outlook Bar.)
  2. In Contacts, click on NEW button from the iconbar.
  3. In the Full Name box, give your contact a short name. Ex. - use "gate" as Bill Gate's nickname
  4. Then enter the email address and other info as needed.
  5. This contact will be saved under Contacts folder in Outlook.

Ideally, next time when you want to send Bill Gate an email, all you need to type in the To: box is "gate". But what Outlook will do is to search the entire Global Address book list to see if there is an username matched with "gate". Then once it finds out that there is no name matched with "gate", then it will continue searching your Contacts folder. It will take time, depending how many matching records Outlook will find.

Q: How do you set up a template?

A: A template determines the basic structure for a document and contains document settings such as Auto Text entries, fonts, key assignments, macros, menus, page layout, special formatting, and styles. Using a template every time when you are creating a similar document can save your time.

  1. Create a document as usual.
  2. Then save it by doing:FILE menu >> SAVE AS... >>
  3. Then choose DOCUMENT TEMPLATE (*.dot) from the Save as Type: box.
  4. The template file is usually save in the default Template Folder located in C:\Documents and Settings\yourname\Application Data\Microsoft\Templates.
  5. Next time when you want to use this template, go to FILE menu >> select NEW >> click on GENERAL tab >> then click on the template file name (filename.dot).

Q: How do you change the direction of text so I can make a label that runs down the side of a three ring binder?

Text Orientation ImageA: In Word - Text direction can only be done when the text is in a table format, or as an object. To make the text direction change, highlight the text and then go to FORMAT menu >> TEXT DIRECTION. Then you can change the text direction as desired.In Excel - (Provided by Jim Eagon's)

  • Type the text you want in a cell.
  • Click the Right Button on the mouse.
  • Click "Format Cells"
  • Click the tab labeled "Alignment"
  • For vertical orientation, click on the narrow box on the right-hand side of the display marked "orientation" (this is shown in a vertical orientation… and that's what you'll get).
  • You may further manipulate the text with the other options on the display including Text Alignment: Horizontal and Vertical

Q: How can I get "Word" to act like a typerwriter, and stop indenting, numbering, etc.?

A: If you want to stop auto-numbering, or auto-bulleting, as you type, this is how:

  1. Go to FORMAT menu >> select AUTO FORMAT
  2. Click on OPTIONS... button
  3. Click on AUTO FORMAT AS YOU TYPE tab and then uncheck things that you don't want them to happen when you use WORD.

If you want your computer act just like a plain typewriter, pressing SPACEBAR for 5 times to indent the paragraph, this is how:

  1. Go to FORMAT menu >> select TAB...
  2. Set the DEFAULT TAB STOPS to the lowest number - 0.01"

Q: In Excel, how do you insert more than one rows at a time?

A: highlight the number of rows that you want to increase and then select the INSERT menu. That will increase the number of rows/columns that you highlighted.

Q: How do I set up a group in Outlook so I can list all the members under one e-mail name?

A:

  1. Go to FILE menu >> point to NEW >> select DISTRIBUTION LIST. A new window will pop up.
  2. Give your Distribution List a name, such as 'fungroup'.
  3. If the member is from UW Colleges, then click SELECT MEMBERS button.
  4. If the member is from outside the campus, then click ADD NEW button and then type the user's email address.
  5. Next time when you want to send an email to this group, just type fungroup in the TO line.

Q: I can't find the right/left/centering tool or icon anywhere in my Word.

A: Sometimes the toolbar will be closed by accident. You can get it back by:

  1. VIEW menu >> TOOLBARS >> then point to FORMATTING if you can't find the formatting tools. Or point to something else if that is what's missing.
  2. Usually you want to make sure that Standard, Formatting and Drawing are checked.

Q: If I want today's date to appear in a document automatically every time I review the document, what do I need to type in the document in Word?

A:

  1. In Word, go to INSERT menu >> INSERT DATE & TIME
  2. Choose the format of the date/time as needed. Make sure to check off Update Automatically. (Word will automatically update the date or time when you print the document.)
  3. Every time when you open the document, the date/time will be updated accordingly.

Q: How can I have a few of my "favorite" web sites appear in a task bar in IE? It would be much easier to go to these sites if they were easily accessed, rather than having to pull up the "Favorites" menu for each visit.

A: When you are in a site that you want to be listed under the Links area, just drag the URL from the Address field, and then drop it at the Links area, right below the Address section. You can also rearrange the orders of the links by dragging and dropping as well.

  • To delete a favorite link, just right click on that link name and select Delete from the shortcut menu.
  • To rename a favorite link, right click on that link name and select Rename from the shortcut menu.

Q: How do I put a message at the bottom of every e-mail message that's the same--one that will just appear on every e-mail I send, so I won't have to retype it each time?

A: That's called Signature. To Create a signature for messages:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Mail Format tab.
  2. Click Signature Picker, and then click New.
  3. In the Enter a name for your new Signature box, enter a name. Ex. Formal or Casual
  4. Click Next button.
  5. In the Signature text box, type the text you want to include in the signature.
  6. To change the paragraph or font format, select the text, click Font or Paragraph, and then select the options you want.

Q: I want to print a page off the web. Some of the web page is colored. My printer is black and white only. When I try to print the web page, the colored areas are blank. Can I make the page print entirely in black and white?

A: Web pages with white text on a dark background will not automatically print out as black text on a light background. To print pages with dark backgrounds and white text, you will need to change your preferences on your web browser.

For Netscape Navigator:
On the browser menubar, select Edit - Preferences - Appearance - Colors. Select black as your font color and white as your background color. Then, check the box "always use my colors, overriding document colors." Then, print the page as you would any other web page. When you are finished printing, you may want to return to the colors menu and uncheck the box "always use my colors, overriding document colors."

For Internet Explorer:
On the browser tool bar, choose Tools - Internet Options. At the bottom of the Internet Options - General menu, choose Colors. On the Colors menu, change the background color to white and the text color to black. Then, print the page as you would any other web page.

If you are viewing a web site with frames, make sure you click your mouse on the frame you want to print before hitting the print button. This applies to most of the Blackboard users.

Q: You can use a keyboard shortcut to modify the number of days visible in your Microsoft Outlook calendar!

A: Just press ALT and any number between one and 10. The number determines how many days will be displayed, starting from the current date. So, for instance, to see an eight-day span, just press ALT+8.

For this tip to work, you must use the number keys on the keyboard, not the numeric keypad.

(Tip comes from Kendra Dionne of Tacoma, Washington)

Q: On this computer when I enter grades in my gradebook, if I enter a C+ for one student, then a C for the next, that person also gets a C+. Some switch is set wrong somewhere. Any ideas?

A: It is because that you have the Auto Complete turned on.

  • On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Edit tab.
  • To allow automatic completion, select the Enable AutoComplete for cell values check box.
    To prevent automatic completion, clear the check box.

Q: How to tell students to save a word document from the Blackboard site when using Internet Explorer or Netscape?

A: The best way to do it is --

In IE:

Right-Click on the link name >> then choose SAVE TARGET AS from the shortcut menu >> then find the location where this file should be saved.

In Netscape:

Right-Click on the link name >> then choose SAVE LINK AS from the shortcut menu >> then find the location where this file should be saved.

Q: If you use a particular address book more often than others, you can have it always checked first.

A:

  1. On the Tools menu, click Address Book.
  2. In the Address Book dialog box, click Tools, and then click Options.
  3. In the When sending mail list, click the address book that you want to move.
  4. Click the up arrow next to the When sending mail list. Address books in this list are checked from top to bottom.

Q: I still have this lingering problem with my computer and Word - pasted objects do not appear - only in print preview - this is a real hassle - do you know how to fix this?

A: Make sure that Picture Placeholder is not checked. (TOOLS >> OPTIONS >> VIEW tab )

Q: Is there a way to put a list in alphabetical order when you are in Word?


A: Yes. You can sort the text, numbers, or dates in a paragraph or in a table format. But all the data are supposed in row orders.

The text has to be:

Cat
Apple
Banana

Can't be: Cat, Apple, Banana

  1. Highlight the text that you want to sort >> Table menu >> Sort command
  2. Then pick the options as needed.

Q: I can't find the Office Shortcut Bar on my screen. How can I locate it?

A: Office shortcut can be activated by going:

  1. Start menu >> Programs >> Microsoft Office Tools >> Microsoft Office Shortcut Bar
  2. Then you can right click on the blue area on the shortcut bar to access to the popup menu. Choose Customize... from the menu.
  3. Click on Buttons tab and then click on Add Files to add new shortcuts to the bar. (For example, you can add Internet Explorer to the shortcut bar or add any frequently used file/folder to the bar.)
  4. Most of the programs are kept in the C:\Program Files directory. Make sure you will look for the application file (with .exe extension at the end, or with a fancier icon look).
  5. You should also click on the View tab to select necessary options.

Q: How can I move the Office toolbar from the upper right corner - it's right on top of my "x" to close documents!

A: You can move it by dragging in the blue/grey header area of the shortcut bar.
You can also go into the Customize... option by right-clicking the header area of the shortcut bar >> click on View tab >> check off Auto Fit into Title Bar Area option >> click OK button.

Campus DE/IT Support 

Evelyn Li
University of Wisconsin-Fox Valley
1478 Midway Road
Menasha, WI 54952
920.832.2884 or 920.428.4246 (cell)
Email: evelyn.li@uwc.edu  Office: 1831