FAQS! FACTS! FAX! 183 (21/10/99)

ILLOGICAL LABELS

Labels are no problem I can print a sheet containing the same or a single label in Word 97 but how on earth can I print three columns of labels, with each one showing a different address? It seems impossible?
Michael White

A

It's not impossible the facility is just very well hidden. Select Envelopes and Labels on the Tools men and click on the Label tab. If anything appears in the address field clear it and make sure 'Full page of the Same Label' is checked (no, it doesn't make sense). Next, go to the Options button and select your label format, or create a custom label, click OK and on the Label dialogue window select New Document. A blank label sheet appears into which you can type your names and addresses. Save and print the document in the usual way.

SPEAKER TWEAK

I have just got into the new Internet phenomenon MP3, however not having a CD writer I am restricted to playing my new tracks on my PC. I have a pair of good quality Hi-Fi speakers kicking around doing nothing, is it possible to connect them to my PC to help improve the quality of sound?

Neil Gornall, Spalding, Lincs.

A

It depends on the PCs soundcard and your speakers, however the simple answer is yes. You should notice a big improvement in sound quality since many PC speakers are cheap and nasty and sound quite horrible. The majority of soundcards have an on-board amplifier but they tend not to be very powerful – usually just a few watts – so it's not going to be very loud. Nevertheless, it's normally enough to drive a pair of bookshelf speakers positioned either side of the screen. Most hi-fi (and PC) speakers have an impedance of 8 ohms, anything else and you may get distortion, low volume or in extreme case, it could damage the output stage of the soundcard's amplifier. If your soundcard has a 'line output' socket you could connect that – with a suitable lead – to one of the auxiliary inputs on a hi-fi system, this would also enable you to copy recordings from the PC onto audio tape. 

WAYWARD WORD

My Word 97 application seems to have disappeared! When I click on the icon in 'Office' a document appears but not the surrounding program with the drop down menus and toolbars. I have tried clicking all over the document with left and right buttons to no effect. I have tried to uninstall Word 97 but get a message that tells me it cant be found, so I then tried to reinstall from my CD. All appears to load but I still only get 'Document 1'. What on earth have I done?
Graham Spring, Hazelbury Junior School, Edmonton, London

A

If a blank document appears the chances are Word is still there and working normally but in the Full Screen display mode. Pressing the Alt button should bring up the menu bar. There should be a Close Full Screen button on the information bar at the bottom of the screen but if that has been displaced you can try the keyboard shortcut Alt + C to restore it to Normal view.

CAUGHT IN THE NET

I was very interested in your response to reader Helen Whalley's letter on credit card security (F!F!F! September 30). As an Internet novice, could you tell me how I recognise that a site is offering me a secure link that encrypts credit card details? Recently I responded to a request from my Internet Service Provider to confirm their records with regards to my personal details and credit card details. No sooner had I replied when I realised that I might have been foolish, and contacted my provider by phone. I was advised to cancel my card, which I did with the subsequent inconvenience of waiting seven days for a replacement card. Fortunately there were no illicit withdrawals on my account. My ISP reminded me that they had told me from the outset that they would never ask for credit card details on the Internet. I feel suitably chastened, and lucky to have got off so lightly.
David Reilly

A

You were indeed very lucky and it's a timely reminder for us all as this sort of scam is apparently quite widespread. Internet sites that use a secure ordering system will normally say so in the How to Order or Help sections. Look for features like SSL (Secure Sockets Layer), which encrypts data sent to the site so that it cannot be read or intercepted by a third party. Internet Explorer and Netscape will warn you when details you sending are being securely handled; however you will need to make sure these options are enabled. In IE go to the View Menu, select Internet Options and the Security tab and make sure the Medium or High options are checked. In Netscape select Security Preferences on the Options menu then the General tab and check the Security Alert boxes.

MEMORABLE DATES

There's a simple solution to Glyn Reed's problem (F!F!F! 7 September). Having created
his template, he needs to set up a macro using the macro/record function in Word. He can assign it to the toolbar for speed or give it a keystroke shortcut. When recording has begun, open the template file, press Ctrl-A (select all), press Ctrl-Shift-F9 (to fix date), click cursor into the point where he would normally start typing, end recording. Or to put it in
macro-speak:

Sub MAIN
FileNew .Template = "C:\MSOffice\Templates\Filename.dot", .NewTemplate = 0
EditSelectAll
UnlinkFields
EditSelectAll
LineDown
End Sub

Now one click on the toolbar will bring up his template with today's date fixed and ready to
start typing
John Dean

There is an easier way of getting Word to display the date you want in a document. Create your template, form letter etc. then instead of inserting a date, go to the Insert menu and select 'Field'...'Date & Time'. From the available options select 'CreateDate' and your saved document will always display the date it was first created. If you regularly need to save an updated document and show the date it was revised, select 'SaveDate'. In either instance use the 'Options' button to select a date/time format or create your own. Remember to click on the 'Add to Field' button to save your chosen date/time format. There are further options such as edit date and print date which some users may also find useful and which speak for themselves.

Philip Pearson

Stopping the automatic updating of a date is simple at the time of creation. When you click on Insert, then Date and Time, a menu comes up and there is a check box at the foot which says "Update automatically". Switch that off and the problem is solved.
Alison Bell

A

Thanks to everyone who responded.

UNDER THE THUMB

I am a proud grandmother of eight and have successfully scanned a family photograph into the Photo Paint program in Corel Draw 7. How do I reduce it down to a thumbnail so that I can send it as an attachment to an email? Books warn about sending large files but I haven't found one yet that explains how to do something about it.

Hazel Brazier, Stratford Upon Avon, Warwickshire

A

The trick is to reduce the amount of data you are sending, rather than the size of the image. The simplest method is to use a file compression scheme like JPEG, which has little or no impact on picture quality. Save the file in JPEG format and you should find that it has shrunk from several megabytes to just a few hundred kilobytes, small enough to send as an email attachment.