Tips and Tricks for New Users If you are new to computers, this page is perfect for you. Here are a few tips that will make using the computer a little bit easier. I'll try to keep the page in Alphabetical order, to make it easier to use. As I think of, or learn more tips, I will add them. Back Button: Click the tiny black Triangle next to the Back Button. Now you can pick from 5 or 6 previous pages. It works the same with Forward. Browser Windows: You can open an exact copy of the browser window that you have open now by pressing the 'CTRL+N' keys at the same time. This is useful should you wish to keep the page open, say to read instructions, but you also want to hit the back button and go back 2 or 3 pages to see something else. Not just the page is coppied over, the pages history too. Give it a try, it's a very useful tip to know. Change your password or secret question. It can be hard to find the page where you can do this, so i'm adding a link here. Change you password and secret question often to avoid hackers. Always choose something that can't be guessed, and that no one else knows. CHANGE PASSWORD & SECRET QUESTION Chat Rooms.. Are you sick of going into the chat room and no one is ever there? well so are the 20, 30, or more other members who also do that every day.... Members go in the room, see its empty and leave, and that just keeps happening again and again, and thats why the rooms empty, even when 40 members have all gone in that day. So what do you do? It's simple.. Instead of just 'left mouse button' clicking on the chat room link, 'right click' on the chat room link, and select, 'open in a new browser window'.. Now the chat room will be open in a second window, and you can continue to do 'whatever' in the first untill someone joins you. Remember to set the 'chat options' to make a noise when someone enters, or you wont know when someone else comes in, you might miss them. Now why not use the other window you have open to leave a message on the boards to say that you are in the chat room and does anyone want to join you.. Trust me, after half an hour the room will be buzzing.. Clicking on an Address/URL. When you see an address link, like the one below, try 'right clicking' on it. In the box that appears select, 'open in a new window' Now you can go and look at the page, without leaving the one you are on. This is good if you are following instructions. http://groups.msn.com/meanimate (try it out) Copy and paste: You can do this a couple of ways. 1. Highlight the pic/text, then right click your mouse. In the box that appears, select 'copy', then right click where you want the pic/text to go, and select 'paste' 2. Highlight the pic/text. On your keyboard, press down the 'ctrl' key, and the 'C' key, at the same time, (now it is coppied.) Now click your mouse where you want the pic/text to go, and again, on your keyboard, press the 'ctrl' key and the 'V' key, at the same time, (paste.) Copy an Address/URL. Rather than type out a long address, Highlight it, and use the 'copy and paste' above. Favorites: When you find a web page, or site that you like, you save it in favorites. But as more pages are added, it can become difficult to find the page you want. This problem is easily solved. 1. In the Favorites Menu, click on Organize Favorites. 2. Click 'Create Folder', and choose a name. (If you want to save pages about your favorite band, call the folder after them.) 3. Choose a page, and click 'Move To Folder' to put the page where you want to store it. 4. You can 'Re-Name' and 'Delete' pages and folders from here. 5. When you want to save a page, click 'Add' as usual, then click 'Create In' and a box will drop down and allow you to choose what folder you want to store the page in. If there is no suitable folder already made, you can create one by clicking, 'New Folder.' You can create lots of different folders to make finding your pages easy. You can also create a folder, in a folder. (In my favorites, there is a folder called 'Jan', and in that are more folders called 'Graphics', 'HTML', 'Web Rings' and so on. Highlight: Before you can copy anything, you need to highlight it. Again, there are a few different ways this can be done. Highlight a Picture: Place your mouse pointer on the top left of the pic, hold down the 'Left' button, and 'drag' the pointer accross the pic. When it goes blue, it is highlighted. You can try on the picture below. Highlight Text: Any of the following methods work. 1. Place your pointer before the first letter of the text you want to highlight, the holding down the left button, drag accross/down the text. (Good for Highlighting part of a parragraph.) 2. Right click your mouse on the text, then in the box that appears, select, 'Select All.' (Good for Highlighting a whole page.) 3. Double Click the left mouse button over a word, and that one word will highlight. If you (left) click a third time over the word, the whole parragraph will highlight. For this one, you have to be quick with the 'Third Click.' (Good for Highlighting 1 word, or 1 parragraph, out of a page of text.) Choose what method you use, Depending on what, or how much text you want to highlight. You can practice on the text on this page. Manage Pages. Here's a great tip for group managers. When you go into manage pages, it can take an eternity to move a new custom made page from the bottom, up to the position you want it in. Simply hit the 'move up' link once, then hold down your 'ENTER' key untill the page arrives in the correct position. This can also work with moving a page from the top of the list to the bottom too. More Help. Is there something you would like to learn how to do, or do you have a problem or question, concerning your computer, or the internet. If so, 'click the pic' below, and leave your question in the space provided. And if I can't help you myself, I will do my best to get you an answer. Have Fun, Luv Jan x x x back to tutorials index |