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Email: help@computercarekelowna.com

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Getting  Along With Your Computer Column Archive

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Grab Bag
 by Cate Eales
Appeared September 24, 2009 on castanet.net
 

I reached into my bag of tricks this week, and came up with several unrelated ones! No theme this week, but I hope you'll find something helpful here!


Change your point of view
When you look at a folder or a drive or even at My Computer (XP) or Computer (Vista), what do you see? Is it pictures of folders and files? Is it a list?

If you make use of the “Views” button in any version of Windows, you can display the contents of a folder or drive just the way you want. In XP your choices are:

bullet Filmstrip – A row of pictures is displayed, and clicking on any picture displays it larger, above the row.
bullet Thumbnails – Small versions of your pictures
bullet Tiles – An icon that tells you what kind of file you're looking at, accompanied by some text describing the file
bullet Icons – Smaller icons accompanied by a file name
bullet List – Even smaller icons and the file name
bullet Details – Those small icons again, and information about the files including size, file type, and more...in list format

Vista offers different choices, which are self-explanatory:

bullet Extra Large Icons
bullet Large Icons
bullet Medium Icons
bullet Small Icons
bullet List
bullet Details
bullet Tiles

Open up a folder and click on the “Views” button. Here are two different views of the same folder in Vista.

Views
click to enlarge image

Views
click to enlarge image

Change the view and see which one you like best. You can always change it again, and you don't have to stick with the same view in every folder!


Whoops! Do over!
In last week's column, the second item contained instructions on how to stop Windows from copying files when you don't want it too. The XP instructions are correct. The Vista instructions were almost correct. I have made the correction, and if you visit that page now, you'll find it a lot easier to find that check box! (Thanks and the tip of a hat to reader Dave C for pointing out the error.)


Put your wireless router where it will work best
It's not that hard to set up a wireless network in your home or office. It's a little harder to do it correctly the first time, and to secure it properly. We'll talk more about securing your network in future columns. Today, I want to tell you something you should think about before you take the router out of the box, and preferably before you even buy the router.

There are several components to a wireless network, Two important ones are the modem, which provides the connection to the outside world, and the router, which provides the wireless part of the equation. Sometimes the modem and the router are in the same piece of equipment. (If you have Telus High Speed, you have a modem/wireless router combination, for example. If you have Shaw Cable, you get the modem from Shaw, and you buy a separate router.)

Whether in the same “box” as the modem or separate, it's the router that “talks to” the wireless card in your computer. That router has to be a reasonably short distance from your computer, and it shouldn't be hidden. I've visited customers and found the router on the floor, under the desk, behind a filing cabinet, and (true story) under a pile of dirty laundry. Yikes.

Put that router out in the open! If you are servicing more than one computer, locate it as centrally as possible. If you're just using one computer, put it near where the computer will be most often. If you put the router in the upstairs bedroom and the wireless computer in a basement with concrete walls, you WILL have trouble staying connected.

Also, most routers today use the same frequency as cordless phones and (believe it or not) microwave ovens (2.4 G Hz). So unless you are prepared to fiddle with changing the broadcast channels on one or more of these devices, don't put your router next to your cordless phone or near the microwave.


Links
Things You Can Do With Files http://rlis.com/columns/column214.htm
Computer Care Kelowna http://computercarekelowna.com
Getting Along With Your Computer Column Archives http://rlis.com/column.htm
Get Cate's column by email http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Sub=20618
RSS Feed: http://rlis.com/rlis.xml

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Do you need help with your computer? I'm here to help you and your computer get along!

Cate Eales runs Computer Care Kelowna, a mobile service helping home users and businesses get along with their computers. To arrange an appointment phone her at 250-764-7043. Cate also welcomes your comments and suggestions. Send email to help@computercarekelowna.com.

You can read previous columns here. If you'd like to subscribe to this column by email, please visit this link It's easy, and free. If you'd prefer the RSS Feed, click here.

© Cate Eales 2009 – All Rights Reserved

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