Microsoft Tools
Microsoft Tools Help Page
Obviously Microsoft and Google searches are tremendous resources in this arena. Nonetheless, here are my personal help notes on Microsoft tools:
Contents
Microsoft Help Pages
Internet Explorer
Unlike Chrome and Firefox, Internet Explorer includes an option to download streaming videos. I.e., you visit a website with videos available for viewing, but you want to download, not watch in the often problematic streaming mode. Using I.e., you can right-click the URL to the video and "Download video this links to." Chrome and Firefox don't have this feature. Using Chrome or Firefox, all you can download is the HTML page that references the video; you can't download the video per se. To download videos from YouTube using IE, go the specific YouTube page and right-click the video window. An option will be there to download the video.
Microsoft Office
Reasons not to Buy Microsoft Office 2013
Word 2013 has the autocorrect feature gutted. This is an extremely regressive move on the part of Microsoft. In prior releases, you could right-click a misspelled word, select the desired correction, and add that autocorrection to the autocorrect list. For instance, if you accidentally typed thsi instead of this, in a couple seconds you could configure Word to always correct, automatically, thsi to this. Microsoft removed this feature in Word 2013. There is no way to add to your autocorrect list without traversing several menu items, and then typing both the bad and correct spelling. It takes so long to do this, and the method is so error-prone, that it's no longer worth customizing auto-correct at all.
What a loss of a powerful tool! What the heck were they thinking?!
For this reason alone, Word 2013 is far inferior to prior releases. Use an older version if at all possible.
If you know how, you can copy your previous Word's autocorrect list to the new Word 2013 location, but there is nothing else you can do that does not take a lot of effort for each word.
Another problem is that Word 2013 is also amazingly slow. It cannot keep up with a fast typist--sometimes not even a slow one. Some of this might involve inadequacies with Windows 8, but I can't test Word 2013 on an older OS without paying Microsoft hundreds of dollars. So I can only assume the problem probably is from Word 2013 and not Windows 8. Excel 2013 is also slow. If you use the arrow keys or <Enter> to navigate among the cells, the motion from cell to cell is far slower than you can repeatedly press the key.
If you don't believe me, check what the forums are saying. They voice the same complaints.
No one seems to actually need the newer features in the post-2007 Office products. The only practical need for 2007 or beyond is to be able to read .docx, .xls, and .pptx files. But you can read those using Open Office, which is free.
If you need Office tools, consider Open Office, which is free. Open Office lacks some features of Microsoft Office, but it is a very solid package. Its word processor includes a strong autocorrect feature, like Microsoft Word had until they destroyed it in 2013. It seems that the main disadvantages to Open Office are the lack of encryption and a navigation pane. I think it also lacks styles and headings, but I could be wrong. I still prefer MS Office over Open Office, because I heavily use headings and the navigation pane, but Office versions dating back into the '90's are far better than the 2013 fiasco.
Porting Custom Autocorrect and Dictionary from Old Word to New Word
In Word 2003, your files should be at C:\Users\<your Windows username>\Application Data\Roaming\Microsoft\Office\Proof. In Word 2013, the location is C:\Users\<your Windows username>\Application Data\Roaming\Microsoft\Office\UProof. Apparently the File Explorer will not take you there to these locations, but you can get there using a DOS command:
Invoke a Run prompt by hitting Windows-R. Paste into there
%userprofile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Proof (your Word 2003 custom dictionary)
or
%userprofile%\Application Data\Microsoft\UProof (your Word 2013 custom dictionary)
or
%userprofile%\Application Data\Microsoft\Office (your Word 2003 or 2013 autocorrect entries)
These commands pop a File Explorer window at the specified directory. Once there, you can navigate around a bit; you just can't, it seems, get there in the first place without using a DOS command. The custom dictionary should be in a CUSTOM.DIC file, and the autocorrect entries are probably in MSO1033.ACL. 1033 is the language code for English (or is it US English?). If you use another language, the code will be different. So all you have to do is copy the file from your orignal Word location to the new one.
Outlook
Having Trouble Getting the Monthly Calendar View Back? This URL tells how to fix it:
Powerpoint
Fonts
To change default font in PowerPoint, click on nothing, then select Format==>Font and choose what you want for the default. This doesn’t seem to propagate to other docs. You can also, while editing a font's format, click the button to make it the default.
Avoid Ariel font if math or symbols are included. A good font for math is Cambria Math. Even TrueType fonts sometimes print characters such as the degree symbol differently than appears on-screen--or at least when printing to a PDF file via PDF reDirect.
Lists, Numbered and Bulleted
When creating lists, minimize use of spaces and tabs, and instead get the controls right.
Use the controls to switch to bulleted, numbered, or normal.
To change the starting number of a numbered list, right-click the first item. There is a field for the starting number, which you can edit.
Indent controls are great in theory but not practice. Here’s the method I found to work:
If you want a nice, consistent indent pattern, use the default text window, the one that reads “Click to add text.” That somehow has nice consistent indenting.
That window indents all wrapped sub-lines. When you do not want that, do not use the default text window; instead add a text box. That will very rarely, if ever, indent the wrapped sub-lines.
The format slides panel allows you to toggle on or off the option that puts this window in the slide. If the window is there and empty, you can select it and delete it, or you can toggle it off.
Snapping Issues
Powerpoint likes to force you to snap to objects, even when the snap is turned off. You can stop that nonsense by zooming way in.
If you cannot zoom in, you probably have the slide selected in the slide bar. You need to have the current page selected, not the slide bar, so click inside the page, and then click zoom.
Subscripts, Superscripts
<ctrl>= is the shortcut key to subscript.
<shift><ctrl>= is the shortcut key to superscript.
These shortcuts toggle the function. You can toggle on or toggle off.
This is also the case in Microsoft Word. It is not documented appropriately, but the information exists on the Microsoft’s website. I verified it works in PPT.
Tables
To delete a column from a table, select the column, right-click, and select Delete Columns. Be sure to right-click with the cursor inside the selected column, or else it will deselect. Ways to select a column:
Left-click on the top of the column, making sure the cursor is a downward-pointing arrow.
Drag-select all the elements of the column.
You can format the margins of your table elements by selecting the table, then choosing Format==>Table. Edit the Text Box tab.
Zoom
If you're in a Powerpoint session and cannot zoom, chances are you have the side-bar selected and not the edit window. Click the edit window and try again.
MSDOS
Misc Tips
To execute a previous command, use the upward arrow key.
Pathnames normally use a backward slash "\", but a forward slash "/" is equivalent.
.bat is the filename extension for files containing DOS commands. Double-click a .bat file icon, and the DOS commands will be executed.
Output Redirection
Stdout is handle 1. Stderr is handle 2.
Example of redirecting a command's standard out and standard error both to one file:
copy file_a dir_b 2>&1 >FileForStdoutAndStdErr.txt
Example of redirecting a command's standard out and standard error both to one file, but using append mode:
copy file_a dir_b 2>&1 >>FileForStdoutAndStdErr.txt
findfile file.txt > search.txt 2<&1 – This outputs stdout and stderr to search.txt. findfile finds the file, at least in the system they were talking about.
Some pages that talk about this and similar topics:
http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2198207/bat-redirecting-stderr-to-stdout-has-weird-behaviour - contains rather important info http://stackoverflow.com/questions/918619/redirect-batch-stderr-to-file
If there are no elements, the stdout is empty, and the stderr includes a msg to that effect.
DOS Commands
Wikipedia lists DOS commands: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_DOS_commands
A list of DOS commands is also available by typing help.
My own list:
dir /B /A-D lists all non-directory elements.
cd
cd ../../..
cd ..\..\..
cmd pops an MSDOS window. So you can hit Windows-R to pop a Run prompt, type cmd, and thereby obtain an MSDOS window.
defrag
dir list directory
dir > filelist.txt
dir /b /ad lists elements in the dir with the directory attribute. /b is bare mode: just list the elements.
edit
Editing: Type the name of a text file, and if the file’s not locked, the default editor should pop up and with it.
fdisk (Obviously not to often be used an a hard drive, but I've used it on defective flash drives.)
help lists all commands with brief description
help <cmd> describes how to use <cmd>
<any cmd> /? Reports the help for that command.
ipconfig
ipconfig –all > ipconfig.txt
more
move
path
shutdown -s -f shuts down the PC after a default 20 second wait. -s means shut down. -f means forcibly kill processes.
Windows
Windows 8
Windows 8 is darn slow. This is probably necessary for security, but all PC functions get bogged down. Other than the slowness I love Windows 8, because it makes admin tools extremely easy to find and access. Whatever OS function you need to do, just hit the Window key, which takes you to the Start screen. Then type what you're looking for. By default, Windows 8 searches the Internet and brings up all sorts of idiotic junk. This is absurd; we have Google to search the Internet. To search among the OS tools, or to search your files, click the associated options. There will be some confusion and ambiguity among the various matches to your search string, but overall this search feature is far faster and easier than anything else I have ever encountered. It's incredible and makes Windows 8 very appealing, however they really should jettison that ridiculous Internet search.
If you buy a PC with Windows 8, then if possible:
Do not buy any Microsoft Office software released after 2010. If possible, install any version from 2010 or before. If these are not available, consider whether Open Office has the functionality you need, bearing in mind that Microsoft Office destroyed autocorrect, all Office 2013 products are slow, and Microsoft's Calendar app has less calendar-related functionality than the old Outlook..
Install Adobe's PDF reader, instead of using Microsoft's Reader. Reader might be fine for mobile devices, but it is inadequate for a desktop environment. Adobe is superior because of more functionality.
Also in Windows 8, hibernation actually works!
Windows 8 Flaws
Perhaps for your protection, is often impossible to kill processes from the Task Manager. Windows 8 has an improved Task Manager, but typically when you want to end a program, you have to use a DOS windows (Windows-R then type cmd) with the tasklist and taskkill /f /im <program name> or taskkill /f /pid <process id #> commands. (Update - I guess they fixed this.) Another frustration is that although the Task Manager now lists programs that invoke upon startup, it does not allow you to disable them. It claims to give you this option, but probably again for your own protection, you cannot disable some programs you should be able to.
Windows 8 Tricks
(Some of these tricks may also apply in earlier versions of Windows, but many do not.)
Windows-R: Run a DOS command (goes back at least as far as XP)
Windows-X: Tools Menu (select with mouse):
DOS command prompt
Task Manager (fast access!)
Control Panel
Many more
Window-X is a very fast way to access the Task Manager. Ctrl-Alt-Del is very slow, but Windows-X is very fast.
Windows-I: Settings Bar, containing powerful tools including:
Control Panel
Power Button (fast way to shutdown or restart PC)
Desktop (minimize all windows and show the desktop)
Network Icon (check your network status). This icon is probably also in your "notification area" at the lower right of the screen.
Windows-C: Charms Bar
If you network, you can:
Right-click your Remote Desktop Connection icon and Pin to Start, putting it wherever you want on the Start screen.
In the File Explorer, under Network, right-click a PC on your network and pin an icon for that PC's shared folders to the Start screen. This can be very useful for cases when your networked PC does not like to appear in the list of Networked PCs. This might seem like a strange problem, but my XP machine usually does not show up in my Windows 8 File Explorer. So one time when I had it there, I pinned it to the Start screen, and now it's always very quick and easy to get to.
Note that it is possible to network XP and Windows 8 desktops together. I can't say I know how I did it, but I did in fact do it. I have difficulty, however, with printer sharing and accessing the Internet from within a Remote Desktop Connection session.
Locked Files
If you cannot edit or delete a file because it's locked, there are some remedies that might work:
Create New Copy
Copying your file is very likely to at least give you edit access to the new copy. You may even be able to rename the old copy, and give the original name to your new copy. Now all you need is to delete the old copy.
Kill the Locking Program
Suppose a .doc file is locked by Microsoft Word, so that you cannot edit or delete it. Try closing all files MSW has open. This probably won't work, but try it. Once it fails, invoke the Task Manager. Don't be surprised if you find that Microsoft Word is running. Kill the process. If the Task Manager won't kill it, try killing it from a "Command Prompt." Once your locking program is stopped, there's a good chance you'll now have access to edit or delete your file.
It may be that explorer.exe has your file locked. In this case, you can usually delete the file by killing explorer.exe:
Kill the explorer.exe process using the task manager.
Delete your file using a "Command Prompt."
From the task manager, go to file==>Run new task and type in explorer.exe. (I think you can simply type explorer.)
Explorer will come back up, and your file will be deleted.
If you actually wanted to edit the file, not delete it, copy it before deleting it.
PATH
To set your path (at least in XP), right-click My Computer and select Properties. Select the Advanced tab. Click the Environment Variables button. One of the user variables will be PATH. Select it and click Edit. So for instance, if you have ngspice.exe at C:\Spice\bin, then if you add C:\Spice\bin to your PATH variable you’ll be able to invoke ngspice.exe from any DOS window by merely typing ngspice. You'll similarly be able to invoke the program from a .BAT file.
In Windows 8, pop File Explorer, and from there right-click on Computer, and select Properties. Click the Advanced system settings link, and the legacy Properties window will appear. Click the Advanced tab; then click Environment Variables, and edit PATH as described above.
Misc Tips
When buying a PC, ask the vendor to provide the Windows installation CD. If they refuse, verify with them that you'll be able to create one. Often they do not provide the CD and they delete the files you need to make your CD. This can be problematic. Consider robust disc backup software.
To obtain the Task Manager within a Remote Desktop Connection session, right-click the taskbar within the session, and select Task Manager.