Keyboard Shortcuts in Microsoft Word

Sometimes when you are typing, the most frustration thing is having to pick up the mouse - espcially when you are in full flow!
Using the keyboard shortcuts are not going to save you lots of time but it may help you keep your train of thoughts going.

Most of the shortcuts rely on the Control key which is situated in the bottom left hand corner of the keyboard. It is abbreviated to CTRL. Hold down the CTRL key and then press the other key once.

The most useful keyboard shortcuts I use on a daily basis are:
Ctrl and Z - to undo
Ctrl and A - to select all of the text in the document.
Ctrl and C - to copy
Ctrl and X - to cut
Ctrl and V - to paste

There are many others - type keyboard shortcuts in to the help box in Microsoft Word to see a complete list.

System Utility software

Click the title for an excellent review of system utility software - what it is, why you need it, and which package you should buy.

Batch renaming of digital photos

If you have a whole lot of digital photos that need to renamed, try this little tip:

1. Highlight all the photos you want to rename - if you hold the control key down while you click, you can select more than one at a time!
2. Right click on the selection
3. Choose Rename form the shortcut menu
4. Type in the name you want to give all the files
5. Press enter on the keyboard
6. The files will be renamed with a sequential number after each one.

This works in Windows XP or Windows Vista and can be used for any type of files

Picasa, Googles free picture manager

This is the best free picture manager and editor you can get. It is a free download from Google that helps you locate and organise all the photos on your computer. It catalogs them wherever they are and displays them by folders or by date.

Also it lets you edit and add effects to your photos with a few simple clicks. You can achieve some really great fixes such as increasing the warmth of a photo or adding soft focus.

Share your photos with others through email, prints and on the web: it’s fast, easy and free

Don't bother buying Elements this is the one for most people with a digital camera

Aniti-Virus Software Comparisons

If you're thinking about changing your anti-virus software, you should take a look at the software comparisons at http://www.av-comparatives.org/ before you decide which product to download, or buy.

There are a lot of results to wade through, but happily page 8 of the report summarises them - listing anti-virus products into three categories - Advanced+, Advanced, and Standard. Any of the Advanced+ or Advanced products should do a good job of protecting your system.

It's worth noting that one surprisingly big name actually failed the tests altogether and should be avoided at the moment (see the report to find out which one).

Should You Steer Clear of Windows Vista Home Basic?

In this PC Magazine article Lance Ulanoff speculates that the entry level version of Windows Vista is so limited that it will be little use to anyone.

To understand whether he is correct, we must first understand what is included in Vista Home Basic. Microsoft publish a comparison of Vista editions and Paul Thurrott has a detailed guide, both of which show that when compared to Home Premium, Home Basic is missing the new Aero desktop interface which gives the Windows all their whizzy effects; Scheduled backups; The home Media centre features which make the PC a home entertainment centre; and The DVD recording / Movie making features. At the time of writing, C|net reviews showed that Vista Home Premium users had scored it a disappointing 4.5/10.

So Home basic may offer enough for some basic users, but if you think you will switch between Home Basic and Premium versions of Vista (with the new Aero desktop) then you may be frustrated by the comparative limitations of Home Basic. If you want to use your PC for media or photo applications, then you will probably find Home Basic is lacking features you need. In either case it may be worth spending a little bit extra to get Home Premium rather than saving money on Home Basic and regretting your choice later on.

Ulanoff suggests that PC manufacturers may bundle Vista Home Basic with entry level PC's so make sure you check the level of Vista that is being offered before you spend your money on a new PC.

AVG AntiVirus Expiring

If you use antivirus 7.1 then you will have seen a number of notifications in recent weeks about the need to upgrade to 7.5. The is because AVG have made major changes to their virus engine, which they can't upload to your computer with a normal automatic update.

The information about upgrading to 7.5 has confused a number of users into thinking that they will need to pay for the new version, but don't worry, you can still get a free verson of 7.5 - just follow the instructions on this page.

http://free.grisoft.com/doc/downloads-free75cnv/lng/us/tpl/v5

Incidentally, the commerical version of AVG Internet security offers an all-in-one security solution, which includes spyware protection, spam protection, and a firewall. Spyware protection is available free from Ad-Aware, and a free firewall is available from ZoneLabs, but an all-in-one solution keeps all the protection in a single program.