Many people do not care for the almost-new Menu navigation system for Windows 7.  I personally see where Microsoft could have made some additional changes; however, I still like it very well.  My favorite feature (which was also available in Vista, though not nearly as robust or accurate as in W7) is being able to click the Start button and type what you want to open or find.

Suppose you want to open a blank Microsoft Excel workbook.  All you need to do is click the Start button and type, "Excel".  Excel will be highlighted at the top of the list. You press Enter; it opens and is ready to go.  You could also press the Windows Key on your keyboard and begin typing.    It is the one on the left side of the spacebar that resembles the Windows logo.  You know the key; it is the one you never use.

Let me take you one step farther.  Let’s pretend that you have document which you created years ago.  You know that it is on your computer; however, you have no idea what it was called or where you saved it.  You do remember that it had the words, "Emerald City" somewhere in the text.  You need to find that email to write some more about Dorothy. 

Use the Start button again and type, "Emerald City".  Then relax as your computer searches your entire hard drive for any document including email that has, "Emerald City" in the text.  In just a few seconds it will appear in the list along with all the others (if there is more than one.)  Just as before, clicking on the correct file will open the document and you can read away. 

Of course, there is the standard procedure where you click Start, "All Programs" and scroll to the program you wish to start.  Then just click and go.  Of course this doesn’t find a particular document very quickly.

There are fancier solutions if you do not like the Windows’ Menus.  One I have used for years is called, "Desktop Sidebar" (desktopsidebar.com).  It is very customizable but will also take you a while to learn how to use.  It is easy for the geekier of you out there, but complicated if you are not used to "adjusting" things on your computer.

Another more simple to use menu launcher is named, "Rocket Dock" (rocketdock.com).   RocketDock is an attractive and fun program launcher.  It is neatly animated and pops at you when you hover the icons.  It supplies a pleasant modern interface which easily arranges your most used applications for quick access.  The downside  with both of these is you need to download, install and then learn how to use them.  For both of these free programs there are instructions on their respective sites.  Check them out if you want something new for your computer. 

Next week we will look at where one of my old favorites went and how to bring it back to life in Windows 7 the "Quick Launch Toolbar".

Tags: desktop sidebar, Email, emerald city, excel, excel workbook, hard drive, keyboard, menu navigation, microsoft, navigation system, new menu, quick launch, Quick Launch Toolbar, rocketdock, spacebar, start button, toolbar, windows 7, windows logo, windows menus

I

received an email from Ben in Arizona last week.  First of all you may ask, "Are you published in Arizona?"  The answer is nope, but I sure wish I was. Maybe then Kim Komando would discover me and I would be on my way to fame and fortune…yeah, right.  I have had people write to me in the past from all over the world. I have heard from several countries; Switzerland, Japan and one fellow in Greenland to name a few.  The internet provides access everywhere, with the exception of certain countries for various political reasons.  But that’s enough of that.  Let’s get back to Ben.

Ben wanted to know how he could change his user account picture in Windows XP.  He did not want to change it to those standard pictures in XP.  You know…the butterfly, chess pieces, rubber ducky or frog.  He wanted something of his own.  Well he (and maybe you) didn’t realize it but you can change your user account picture to any picture on your computer.  It is very simple to do and works the same on XP, Vista and 7.

First, in order to get to your User Accounts screen for XP you have to go to Start, Control Panel and User Accounts.  However, Vista and especially Windows 7 are much easier. All you have to do is click the Start button and type, "User Accounts", wait a couple of seconds and press enter.

First, you must have rights to change your user account.  If you go to the following locations and they are grayed out or you cannot access them, you need to get with your computer’s administrator and have them give you permission

Once on the User Accounts screen click on your picture/account.  You will see a link that says, "Change my picture".  Pretty easy so far, isn’t it?

Click the "Browse for more pictures" link.  Scroll to the very bottom of the screen if you cannot see it already.  Now, navigate to the folder containing the picture you wish to use.  Most likely it will be in your "My Pictures" folder.

Click the picture and click the open button.  You may also double click on the picture to add it to your account.  The picture will now be the "avatar" for your user account.

Picture size is important to an extent. If you want your pictures to fit perfectly, size them to 128 x 128 pixels.  If they are larger Windows will crop them as it sees fit, with the center in the middle of the graphic; however, you may lose the edges.  Windows does a good job of fitting a larger picture into the smaller space automatically.

Be aware that the computer’s administrator can change all users’ pictures.  However, a user with a limited account or someone using a guest account can only change their own picture.

Check out the video of this at "bit.ly/gcIdj1" and let me know what you think (of course since you are reading this here, online, all you have to do is look below).  Let me know what you would like to learn in the Double Click columns.  I always like to hear from you.  Thanks in advance for the feedback.

Tags: avatar, butterfly, chess, chess pieces, Email, fame and fortune, fellow, frog, japan, kim komando, picture, rubber ducky, switzerland, Tips, tricks, User Account, vista, windows 7, xp

Thanks for the response to last week’s column about Gmail Aliases.  I received a “bunch” of emails regarding that feature.  And, “you are welcome” for pointing out that out to you.

I also received a lot of questions from some of you folks who are newer to Gmail about how to set up filters.  So that will be today’s topic.

To create a filter, or rule as it is called in most other email applications, you must first log into your Gmail account.

After you are in, look to the upper right portion of the screen and click on “Settings“.  Once in Settings click on the “Filters” link which should be about four over from the left.  I realize there are many other items to click but for now, stick with Filters.  If you are interested (shown via emails) I will write about some of the others in the future.

Now use the “Create a new filter” link and a new screen will open up with many text boxes available for entering information.

Here is how I created the one mentioned last week for emails sent to the alias, “dblclx+DNR@gmail.com.” They will be forwarded to a folder or a label named, “DNR.”

In the, “To:” textbox I typed in the alias address, “dblclx+DNR@gmail.com”.  At this point you could click the, “Test Search” bar but it will only work if you have any emails in your account for it to find.  You may also fill in other information.  For instance, you may only want to find an email with your product or name in the body of the email. Or maybe you want to find an email from a particular person, etc.  Once you complete that setup, click, “Next Step“.

In this screen you enter what you want the specified emails to do once they arrive.  For my example, I chose to apply it to a new label named, “DNR”.  This is a label in Gmail; however, it more closely resembles a folder that will be created on the left side panel somewhere under your inbox.  Then click the, “Create Filter” link and all is done.

Now anytime an email arrives addressed to my alias address it will go to that specific label/folder.  There are many things you may use filters for in Gmail.  Try them out, but be careful.  You don’t want to automatically delete the wrong ones or mark them as “read” or you may miss the good ones.

Also, here’s one little stray thought about Gmail.  A creative technologist, Paul Truong, created a game based on Gmail.  I read in several places that he did it as a “thanks” to Google for creating and improving Gmail.  “Galactic Inbox” is a simple, quick and fun game to play.  Give it a try today at http://bit.ly/aTFUtq and let me know how you liked it.

Tags: alias, Email, email rules, Gmail filters

I recently received a distressing email from Barbara, Broadway, VA, about being hacked.  Her email started like this, "Yesterday I got up, turned on my computer, and found that my Gmail had been hacked…"  Once they had her email address it allowed them to gain control of her Facebook account too.

Her passwords were not accepted and her alternate Gmail address had been changed to one that she didn’t own.  (Gmail and other online email apps use an alternate to contact you in case something detrimental happens on their site and they need to get a hold of you.  I have never had the need for one yet.)  The hacker had also gone on to delete her address book and all of her contacts in it. 

Of course, all of her email was deleted…or so she thought.  She found later, after communicating with Gmail that all of her Sent mail had been put into her Junk folder, so at least she still had those.  They had forward all of her incoming emails to another account of theirs.  If your Gmail account is hacked you may want to read this and check a few account settings http://bit.ly/9u1CZi.

Why do we get hacked?  As Barbara later discovered it was not someone local who got into her accounts.  They were hacked by someone or some organization in Nigeria.  The bad guys are usually hoping to get your bank account numbers, charge card info, etc.  They also may want to run scams on your friends, making them think you are excited about something the hacker can make money on.  The reasons are endless.

Barbara has not been the only one in the area to be hacked, so do not think it can’t happen to you.  Please take preventative action online or you may have some headaches.

At this time there isn’t any way to stay absolutely "unhackable" but there are things you can do to help prevent it.  First and foremost, make your passwords hard for others to get.  Make sure they are at least eight characters long.  Use upper case, lower case and symbols in your passwords.  Absolutely do not use the same password on all of your accounts.  If you do, when they get one, they get them all and your info is theirs!  Change your passwords several times a year.  If you don’t use an account, close it down.

I have over 194 different password protected sites I keep up.  Yes, I have a super-human photographic memory.  I remember each and every password for each individual site.  NOT! More about that in the near future.

Tags: Email, facebook, Gmail, hack, hacked, hijacked

Last week we talked about the top online email programs.  Today I will discuss the top two I have heard about from readers and others in the area.

Although, Yahoo! Mail was listed as number one around the world, those I have heard from put Gmail and Windows Live Mail as their favorites.  Mine is not a very scientific poll since I used emails from you all and asked people I work with.  Keep in mind, the majority of my coworkers are geeks which could be skewing the results. 

Windows Live Mail (WLM from here on out) has two different address formats.  In 1996 there was Hotmail.com.  Then in 2005 Microsoft decided to revamp the name and add more functionality so Live Mail was born. Therefore, if you have an older account you have a "hotmail.com" address, while the newer members have "live.com" as their address.  Being the geek tester that I am, I have one of each but rarely use either.

With Gmail everyone has the same domain in their address.  They are all formatted as, name@gmail.com.  Gmail started in 2004 by invitation only and then went public for everyone in 2007. 

WLM  will very shortly (maybe by the time you read this) be expanding storage on the site to 25GB.  They will allow this for email and all other types of files with their "Live Sky Drive" app.  Gmail started out with 1 GB of storage and continues to expand daily.  It is now at approximately 7.5 GB.  The issue I have with Gmail is that the storage is not contained in one location.

As stated above Gmail provides an ever increasing 7.5 GB of storage for email only.  Google’s Picasa Web Albums offers 1 GB of storage for photos and videos only. Google Docs gives you 1 GB for everything else; all of your docs, spreadsheets, presentations etc.  You should know this free storage is not transferable from one product or application to another.  My belief is that Google will be merging them together sooner or later. It will most likely be sooner, once Microsoft finishes rolling out their 25 GB.

Both WLM and Gmail offer calendars, address books and more online.  One very important factor is that it is all free.  Of course, both offer upgrades in storage size for a charge.  The basics should be more than enough for the average user.

After doing a review of the two I found that even though I exclusively use Gmail; Live Mail has a lot to offer.  Of course, there is Google Voice but more on that another time.

Tags: applications, Email, Gmail, live mail, microsoft, online, yahoo

I get a lot of questions about online email programs.  I hear: Which one is safest?  Which one is best?  Which one has the better features?  Etcetera, etcetera.  I have to say that I believe a lot of those questions can best be answered by each individual.  You may have to try out several if you don’t use one as your main email program now.

I prowled around the net looking for the most popular programs and found the following as of May, 2010.  At that time, the most popular email websites according to “Email Marketing Reports” were Yahoo! Mail, Windows Live Hotmail, Gmail and AOL Mail.  This data is based on US Internet usage and is in descending order of popularity. First of all I wonder who does not have an email account by now.  However, I am sure new users hit the net every day.  Toward the end of 2009 there were a reported 1.4 Billion active email accounts in the world.  That works out to about one for every five people on earth.  So there are still many out there that have none.

Many users have multiple email accounts.  For instance, I have one specifically for this column.  I have another one for friends and family, an extra for online purchases and a final one acts as a “throwaway” account.  The last one is used when I have to sign up on a site for something and I know that it will create more spam.  I use it for what I need and then check it every week or so and delete all of the junk mail.

In some respects I realize that I am not that much different from other geeks.  I imagine that in reality less than 1/5 people have email accounts.  As an example, my wife, a non-geek, has two email accounts – one for personal use and the other for work.  I would imagine that is more the norm.

As for me I have tried them all.  However, some I haven’t looked at in years.  In the past I have  used all of the top four and still have those accounts active.  I know they are because I checked them this week.  Over the long haul I have chosen to go with Gmail.com as my main online email provider.  They have other extras I really appreciate although Windows Live mail is looking good.  Maybe we will look at that next week.

Let me know which online email services you use and like best.

Tags: aol, Email, Gmail, windows live, yahoo