Lorem Ipsum

Sometimes you need random filler text to see how a style or layout will look with real text in it. Writers, web designers, publishers, programmers, typesetters - all know what I'm talking about. Below is the classic filler text that has been used for centuries. It is not actually random.... it's a passage from Cicero. Use this, and you'll appear to be much more educated than you really are. More....

"Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum."

"Sed ut perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium, totam rem aperiam, eaque ipsa quae ab illo inventore veritatis et quasi architecto beatae vitae dicta sunt explicabo. Nemo enim ipsam voluptatem quia voluptas sit aspernatur aut odit aut fugit, sed quia consequuntur magni dolores eos qui ratione voluptatem sequi nesciunt. Neque porro quisquam est, qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit, sed quia non numquam eius modi tempora incidunt ut labore et dolore magnam aliquam quaerat voluptatem. Ut enim ad minima veniam, quis nostrum exercitationem ullam corporis suscipit laboriosam, nisi ut aliquid ex ea commodi consequatur? Quis autem vel eum iure reprehenderit qui in ea voluptate velit esse quam nihil molestiae consequatur, vel illum qui dolorem eum fugiat quo voluptas nulla pariatur?"

"At vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium voluptatum deleniti atque corrupti quos dolores et quas molestias excepturi sint occaecati cupiditate non provident, similique sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollitia animi, id est laborum et dolorum fuga. Et harum quidem rerum facilis est et expedita distinctio. Nam libero tempore, cum soluta nobis est eligendi optio cumque nihil impedit quo minus id quod maxime placeat facere possimus, omnis voluptas assumenda est, omnis dolor repellendus. Temporibus autem quibusdam et aut officiis debitis aut rerum necessitatibus saepe eveniet ut et voluptates repudiandae sint et molestiae non recusandae. Itaque earum rerum hic tenetur a sapiente delectus, ut aut reiciendis voluptatibus maiores alias consequatur aut perferendis doloribus asperiores repellat."

System Restore in Windows XP (and ME)

System Restore is a Windows XP feature that enables users to save all important system files—a process called creating a checkpoint—and restore them later if something happens with the system. It's essentially a feature that allows users to go back in time and undo all changes to a system.

How it works
System Restore monitors system files and creates checkpoints at the time of significant system events (e.g., driver and application installation) and periodically (every 24 hours). Periodical restore points are only created when the CPU is idle. Additionally, users can manually create restore points through the System Restore utility found in Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools.

By default, System Restore will use up to 12 percent of a user’s hard drive to store restore points. This means that users can store several restore points on the hard drive, which are ready to be rolled back. The exact number of restore points depends on the available space on the hard drive. Larger hard drives have more restore points that can be saved. When there is not enough space, older points are deleted. All restore points are compressed using NTFS compression.

Enabling System Restore
System Restore is enabled automatically once Windows XP is installed. Keep in mind that System Restore requires at least 200 MB of free space on each partition; otherwise, it is disabled and all previous restore points are lost. When more than 200 MB of free space becomes available, System Restore is turned on automatically.

Shamelessly lifted from Tech Republic

MS Paint Only Saves BMPs, but I need JPGs and GIFs

There is a built in filter that is installed along with Microsoft Office. Strangely, MS Paint will not realize this until you alert it to the filter's presence by opening a GIF or JPEG file.

To ensure the filter is installed, launch Add/Remove Programs from the Control Panel. Select Microsoft Office and choose Add/Remove; then choose Add or Remove Features. Expand the Converters and Filters selection. Click on Graphic Filters and select Run all from my Computer. Finally, click on Update Now.

Now launch Paint, click on Open, and select a GIF or JPEG image (you'll have to set Files of type to All files). Once you've done that, you should also be able to save files in either of the two formats.

Filter Your Inbox

Filter Your Inbox

You can quickly filter the e-mails in your Inbox and display only those that match certain criteria. To do this, from the View menu, choose Current View, then Customize Current View, then Filter. Type the text to search for or set the other filter options and choose OK twice. Now you'll see only matching entries in your Inbox, and the words Filter Applied will appear in the top right of the window. To undo the filter, open up the same screen and select Clear All and click OK.

Faxing with your computer

Faxing with your computer

Q. I use Windows XP. What software program will allow me to send and receive faxes on my computer?

A. Before we talk about the software, there's the hardware. Just so we are all on the same page, to send and receive faxes on your computer, you'll need a regular phone line and a dial-up modem.

If you are going to send faxes that do not originate inside your computer, say a newspaper or magazine article, you'll need a scanner. You don't need an expensive scanner. Since faxes are sent in black and white, the scanned resolution doesn't need to be much more than 150 by 150 dots per inch (dpi).

You don't need to spend a dime on faxing software. Windows XP has fax software. But it isn't automatically installed. You have to do the job. Here's how:

1. Open the Control Panel and double click Add or Remove Programs.
2. Click Add/Remove Windows Components to start the Windows Components Wizard.
3. In the Components list, click to select the Fax Services check box, and then click Next. Setup installs the Fax services. If prompted, insert the Microsoft Windows XP program disc, and then click OK.
4. On completing the Windows Components Wizard screen, click Finish. Close the Add or Remove Programs dialog box.

To configure faxing capability: Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, point to Communications, point to Fax, and click Fax Console. The Fax Configuration Wizard starts. Just follow the prompts.

We've All Met People With Too Much Free Time

This may be the ultimate 'too much free time." I liked the Crocodile Hunter. Crikey!

Modify Excel print margins with the mouse

Modify Excel print margins with the mouse

Let's say that you have more data than will fit within Excel's default margin settings. When you go to File | Print Preview, your suspicions are confirmed: Only five out of the six columns are visible.

To correct this by mouse, go to File | Print Preview. If you don't see dotted lines representing margin settings, click the Margins button to display them. Mouse over any of the margin lines. When the cursor changes to a bidirectional arrow, click and drag to change the margins visually.

In many cases, you can pull that last column back onto the page by shrinking the right and left margins. Save even more paper by shrinking the top and bottom margins, cutting a three-page print range down to two.

Based on an article at Tech Republic