Computer users have a wide range of experience and levels of understanding of their computers. The great majority of users have just learned the most basic features of a few of the thousands of programs out there. It really can be a help for you to learn computer basics that you may have been taught.

But that’s nothing to be ashamed of — even the most advanced computer user was at that level at some point, myself included. Even if you’re just using your computer for word processing, learning a few simple skills can make your life a lot easier.

• First and foremost: save often!    If you type a long letter, or make a lot of changes to whatever you’re working on, and the power goes out or something else happens, you could lose everything you haven’t saved!Just imagine how upset you would be if you’d worked on something for half an hour, an hour, or longer, and *poof* it vanished.Just going to the File menu and clicking save can help you avoid losing all that work.
• Save as new versions periodically:   If you’re working on a large project — such as a story or essay, where you write multiple drafts — periodically use the “save as” option from the File menu to save your file with a new name.That way if the third draft had something good you deleted in the fourth draft, you can bring it back for the fifth.For example, if you’re working on a file called My Letter.doc and you’ve made a lot of changes since your last save, go to “save as…” from the File menu, and change the name to My Letter2.doc.This way, you have both versions.
• Remember you can click anywhere in the document with your mouse and make changes wherever you place the cursor (the blinking vertical line which indicates where what you type next will appear).So if you realize you’ve made a mistake two lines back, just click where you want to make the change instead of deleting everything back to the mistake, then retyping it all. When you’re done, just click at the bottom and pick up where you left off.
• Cutting, Copying & pasting:   If you want to move a word, a sentence, a paragraph, or even a page of text, you can cut it and paste it someplace else in the document.To do this, just highlight the section of text you want by dragging your mouse (click and hold the left button, then drag) across the text. You’ll see a highlight appear where you drag.Let go of the mouse button then go to the edit menu.In the edit menu you can select “copy” to make a copy of the text, or “cut” to remove the text that is highlighted.Then go to the part of the document where you want to move or copy the text and click there so the cursor appears where you want your text to appear.

  Go back to the edit menu and select paste.Your text will appear where you clicked.You can use this to move text around in a document, or copy and paste it into an other document or even an email, and vice versa. Copying and pasting also can work with graphics or even files and folders in some situations.

• Undo: if you make a mistake the “undo” option in the Edit menu will allow you to undo the last thing you did. Accidentally highlighted and deleted a paragraph in that letter?Just undo before you type anything else and it comes right back.  Like all of the skills I’m talking about in this article, you can undo in Microsoft Windows, and you can undo in Mac OS X
• Learn the common keyboard shortcuts which work in most applications:
  On Windows PCs, the common keyboard shortcuts include: CTRL-S to save, CTRL-C to copy, CTRL-X to cut, CTRL-V to paste. ALT-F4 will close a window or program (or prompt you to shut down Windows if you are not in a program).On a Macintosh computer, common keyboard shortcuts include: Command-S to save, Command-C to copy, Command-X to cut, Command-V to paste. Command-W will close a window, and Command-Q will quit the program you’re in.

  In all cases, these key combinations are done as follows: hold down CTRL (or Command), type the other key, and release both. Just like using the shift key to type a capital letter. On both Macs and PCs, these and additional shortcuts are typically printed in the menus next to the option.

These are just a few computer basics that can really make your life easier.

For more help, including easy video lessons, check out my computer courses or my new computer training app for iPhone and iPad.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

I’m very happy to announce the release of my new app
for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad – Basic Computer Training & Tips iOS app:

Computer Training App

This only came out today, but in future versions I plan to make many more of my lessons available, but this is just version 1.0 – got to start somewhere!

In addition to the lessons in the app, you can submit a computer question to me directly from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch and you can also find links (and bonus free lessons from)  my computer training audio albums that are available on iTunes.

I’ve recorded a tour of the app which I’ll post separately.

If you have friends or family with an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch, please share this page with them with the share buttons above or below this post!

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

I received a computer question by email from a subscriber named Willa Valdez, who is wondering what I think about Ubuntu and Open Source software in general. Here’s her question:

“Dear Worth,

Mahalo Nui Loa for your Newsletters. Your computer lessons have helped me tremendously.

I am thinking of purchasing a netbook. They both have the operating system Ubuntu (latest version) already installed. I am a newbie when it comes to Linux but I am curious about how how this system works. I installed Ubuntu via WUBI along side VISTA, however, my computer would freeze when I chose to boot with Ubuntu. I was able to boot with Ubuntu a couple of times and liked the Gnome desktop. Unfortunately, some of the applications I use were not supported i.e. Skype. I did not delve into learning the Command Line just yet.

I would appreciate your thoughts on Ubuntu and your general opinion on the Open Source concept.

Again, thank you for expertise and assistance.

Aloha,

Willa Valdez”

Below is a partial transcription of the audio:

What do I think about Ubuntu and open-source? There are a few things. Let’s start with some definitions. Not everybody is familiar with Ubuntu. A lot of people think it’s called Abuntu, but it’s Ubuntu. It’s an African word.

Ubuntu is a version of Linux. Linux is a type of operating system that is an alternative to the more mainstream Microsoft Windows and the mainstream, but not quite as mainstream as Microsoft Windows at least in terms of widespread use, Mac OS X. Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows are all examples of operating systems, which is just the underlying software that’s needed to let your computer run and allows everything else to work.

Linux is a project that has been going on for quite some time. It’s what is called an “open-source project,” and it’s part of the open-source movement.

Open source actually goes back to the roots of making software originally. The most widely used software is Microsoft Windows, and it’s developed by a particular company, which is Microsoft. That is not a value judgment but just how it is

That’s what you could call a closed-source program. It’s software that was designed by a particular company, and as a result, it’s guided a bit by the company’s agenda. That’s not some kind of “Microsoft is evil” kind of statement. Every company has some degree of agenda or plan.

Open source is an alternative to that. The way it works is you have a community of people from all over the world collaborating to find ways of improving the software and fixing problems.

They find problems in the first place. Person A finds a problem. Person B finds a solution, and then Person C implements the solution. That is perhaps how it might work. Basically, the whole idea is to work together to make the best software you can.

I think open-source is great. I don’t use it exclusively. There are some people who are very militant about it. It’s kind of cool in a way too, I should say. There are some people who insist on using only open-source software for ethical or moral reasons, but I don’t go that far.

I think open-source is great. It’s something that people can use in a lot of cases.
I try to recommend it in a lot of cases. Mozilla Firefox is an example of open-source software. Open-source generally, if not in every case, is free. They don’t charge for it, just like with Mozilla Firefox.

Mozilla Thunderbird, the email program I recommend for Windows users particularly, is another open-source program. I recommend using the OpenOffice program for Windows or NeoOffice for Mac.

Open-source is essentially just a collaboration of people from all over just trying to work together in a very altruistic kind of way to just try to make the world a better place through better software. That’s the principle behind it. Linux is an example of open-source software, and Ubuntu is one specific version of Linux, for there are many.

One of the downsides for Linux and one of the reasons that it has not been adopted widely is the fact that, on average, until recently, it has been significantly harder to use than Windows. I think Windows is harder to use than the Mac software.

It has really been something that was mostly used by the techy people who are really into tinkering. They want to be able to tinker with the computer as much as possible, and they’re perfectly happy with things not being set up and ready to go out of the box.

Ubuntu is one of the versions of Linux that has made a lot of strides to improve the situation and make it a lot more accessible to people. It’s not completely there, but certainly if you want to try it, I don’t want to discourage you.

A lot of the really inexpensive and lightweight laptops that have become popular over the last couple of years, and Netbooks particularly, are shipping with Ubuntu or some other version of Linux on it. It cuts down the cost of not just inexpensive hardware but also inexpensive software by providing this free open-source software.

It’s fairly easy to use the basic stuff now. You can get around. It’s usually going to come preloaded with most of the basic software you need, but you’re still going to run into issues.

I don’t have a copy of Ubuntu installed on any of my computers. I’ve played with it before, and it’s one of those things on my to-do list. When I theoretically start having free time to play with stuff like that, I definitely want to try it out because it has apparently become much better. I’ve seen a little bit with a couple of clients, and it has definitely come a long way.

It’s something that may not be for everybody yet, but it’s something that’s very cool. I really like the principles and ideals behind open-source software. It’s definitely something worth checking out.

One really neat thing about things like Ubuntu is that there is an easy way for you to try it if you want. They have something called a Live CD as you can do with a lot of Linux installations.

You go to their window and download an image of a CD. It’s stored in a file, and then you can use disc-burning software. They’ll have instructions on the website on how to do this.
You can burn a Live CD [or make a bootable USB drive] that allows you to start the computer and run Linux. You don’t have to worry about actually installing it, replacing anything, or trying to install it side-by-side with Windows, which doesn’t always work as Willa has discovered.

Those are some general thoughts about it. Hopefully that makes sense and answers some of your questions. Ubuntu and other versions of Linux are just going to keep getting better and better over the coming years.

I am a little bit hesitant about telling people to just rush off and start using it. If you’re a little more of an adventurous computer user and you want to try things out, then it’s definitely something worth trying.

I definitely support the concepts behind it, and I think that open-source software in general is a great thing. I’m actually using some to record this audio. WordPress is blogging software that I use for my websites many times. That’s free. It’s open source, and I highly recommend it.

Open Source is a great thing. I hope that makes sense and answers your questions.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

If you’re upgrading your Mac to OS X Tiger it’s a good idea to make a bootable USB drive or DVD install disc to keep you covered in case of  problems, and to save time downloading when upgrading multiple Macs. Click the image below to watch the video lesson where I show you exact steps for how to make a bootable Tiger disk. More advanced users can read a summary of the steps below the video:

The full video above is intended to be easily understood by more basic Apple Mac users.

If you’re impatient you can skip the introduction by going to 1:07.

Instructions on how to make a bootable DVD begin at 2:45.

The steps if you want to make a bootable USB flash drive (I suggest 8GB or larger) or any USB or Firewire external hard drive begin at 4:03

More advanced users might find this quick summary of the steps helpful:

1. Download Mac OS X 10.7 “Lion” in the Apple App Store
2. Once downloaded, before you install, double-click the Macintosh HD icon (or click the Finder face icon on your Dock) then double-click your Applications folder.
3. Locate “Install Mac OS X Lion” & right-click (Control click) the icon.
4. Click the “Show Package Contents” menu item
5. Double-click the Contents folder in the new window, followed by the SharedSupport folder
6. You should see file called  – this is the disk image you’ll make the boot disk from
7. Open Disk Utility (using the Spotlight search box in the upper right corner of the screen is the quickest way to do this)
8. Drag the InstallESD.dmg file into the column on the left side of the Disk Utility window

scroll down for either the bootable Tiger DVD instructions, or the bootable USB/external drive instructions…

To make a bootable Tiger DVD disc after completing numbered steps above:

• In the Disk Utility window, right-click (Control click) on where it says “InstallESD.dmg” and then click “BurnInstallESD.dmg”
• Put in a blank DVD when the new window drops down and click the blue Burn button
• Wait a few minutes and you’re done

To make a bootable Lion disk using a USB flash drive, or an external drive (USB, Firewire, etc.)

• In the Disk Utility window, right-click (Control click) on where it says “InstallESD.dmg” and then click Restore
• A new window will open. From the column on the left in Disk Utility, drag InstallESD.dmg into the top “source” box in the new window
• From your desktop, drag the icon for the external drive you want to back up to (drive recommended to have 4.7GB free at a minimum)
• Click the Restore button, followed by the Erase button (do NOT use a drive with important files or you will lose them at this point!)
• The drive icon will vanish from your desktop and then reappear once the process is completed. May take a few minutes or longer.

By making a bootable Mac OS X Lion disk, you’re protecting yourself and making your life easier.  Please comment below, and feel free to share this video lesson on Facebook, Twitter, and other sites.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

This computer question comes from a student named Edward, who writes:

“Dear sir,
I have followed your comments on here with great interest and find them very helpful.  I have a problem I am trying to sort out first with an Apple iBook. My problem is I cannot download applications, and when I do they will not mount or the image is corrupt?
Yours respectfully.
Edward O’Toole”

Hi Edward,
I’m glad you’re finding my newsletter helpful, and thanks for writing!

I suspect the problem is that you have very out of date software on your iBook. OS X (the “operating system” software for Macs) is currently on version 10.6 — that’s three major versions (and several years) newer than what you have.

New versions add new features, and sometimes things on the Internet rely on those new features to work, which means computers running older software sometimes run into problems like this.

What you might do is ask around and see if you know anybody who could help you put OS X 10.4 (a.k.a. “Tiger”) on your computer. This isn’t the newest version, but your Mac may not be able to run the more recent versions of OS X released after Tiger, but Tiger should be enough to get things working for you.

Whenever possible, you should keep your computer’s software up to date to avoid a variety of problems.

I hope that answer makes sense and helps!

If you found this lesson helpful, you might want to look into the Apple Mac Basics Course or the Microsoft Windows Basics Course — quick, easy step-by-step computer training in Plain English.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

Here is one of my early video lessons (please excuse the video quality) where I use one of my Plain English explanations of computer terms — explaining what a hard drive is and what RAM is, and what they do in your computer.  Many people confuse those two terms with each other, and many people don’t understand either at all.

If this is true for you, it’s not your fault — it’s just never been explained to you in a way that you could relate to. Watch this video and both computer terms will finally make sense, even if you feel like the most basic computer user in the world:

If you need help understanding computer basics and mastering the fundamental computer skills, look no further than my Computer Basics Course, available for either Windows or Apple Mac computers:

Microsoft Windows Basic Computer Skills

or

Apple Mac Basic Computer Skills

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this video lesson I explain the two general methods of backing up your important files, namely incremental backup (a.k.a. versioned backup) and “cloning” backup.

I also give specific suggestions about how to do either one or both to protect the important files on your computer. Failing to back up is perhaps the biggest single computer mistake I see people making, and failing to back up correctly and regularly can lead to the loss of time, money and irreplaceable files, which can have devastating consequences.

Watch and learn how to protect yourself.

This video appears as part of my course on how to back up. To learn more, use one of the following links:

How to Backup – Apple Mac

or

How to Backup – Windows (XP, Vista & 7)

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this video computer lesson I want to share some tips to help you understand how forms work (including order forms, surveys, newsletter signup forms, etc.).  This covers a lot of fundamentals that more basic computer users often need help with, but also includes tips for how you can use your keyboard and mouse together to navigate more easily and save time and effort — using simple steps that even experienced computer users often aren’t aware of!

In the video I use the order form on my website as an example, but the same principles work on most forms you’ll ever have to fill out on a computer — whether you’re talking about a form on a website, or a form in a program stored locally on your computer which has nothing to do with the Internet.

This lesson will be added as part of a new disc in the updated version of the Safe & Easy Internet computer course (both the Windows and the Mac version). The site doesn’t list it yet, but any orders will include the new disc.

(If you’re watching this video lesson on my website, you should see two players below for compatibility reasons. The first should give you a sharper picture & the option of full-screen on a computer, the second is for mobile devices such as the iPod Touch, iPhone & iPad, and for that reason is the version which goes out on the podcast.)

Click the player below for the high quality computer version:

or tap the image below for the version of  the video lesson formatted for mobile devices:

“Discover How to Use the Internet Safely & Easily With Simple,
Step-By-Step Video Lessons”

Wish you had a complete course to make it easier using the Internet,
from finding what you’re looking for when searching online, to tips
to save time and make you safer? Use one of the two links below for
either the Windows version or the Mac version of the Safe & Easy
Internet course:

How to Use the Internet Apple Mac Course

or

How to Use the Internet Windows PC Course

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

Around this time of year people are doing a lot of shopping to buy gifts for others. One of the challenges when buying a gift (or receiving one!) is knowing the right thing to get a person. With some people it’s easy, but for others it can be a real pain to figure out what to get them.

For years I’ve used the wish list on Amazon.com to help people figure out what to get me, and I wish more people would do the same (especially my dad who is really hard to pick presents for!). The great thing about the way the Amazon Wish List works is that by putting a selection of items in the wish list, you can make sure you get something you’d like while gift givers can still feel like they’re picking out a gift for you.

Today I’ve posted a video on how to set up your own wish list — if you have friends or family members who you wish would make your life easier by setting up their own wish list, why not share this lesson with them?

Computer Tip: in the lower right corner of the video player above is a square button which will make the video full screen so you can see the details more easily. To the left of that button is a volume control you can use to make it louder if needed.

“Discover How to Use the Internet Safely & Easily With Simple,
Step-By-Step Video Lessons”

Wish you had a complete course to make it easier using the Internet,
from finding what you’re looking for when searching online, to tips
to save time and make you safer? Use one of the two links below for
either the Windows version or the Mac version of the Safe & Easy
Internet course:

How to Use the Internet Apple Mac Course

or

How to Use the Internet Windows PC Course

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

A reader named David Friedberg writes in with a computer question, asking:

“how do i download emails that have been sent to my Mac using Adobe etc…?

Dave”

Dave,

thanks for the question — you can use the audio player above to listen to my full response, but the basic gist of the answer is this:  any Mac made in the last few years has a built-in program called Preview which should open Adobe PDF (Adobe Reader files) just fine.  You can still go to Adobe.com and download the free Adobe Reader, but Preview should do the trick.

As memory serves, Preview’s PDF capability was included in Mac OS X “Tiger” (version 10.4 in other words) — if your computer is using an older version of OS X, I really recommend upgrading as the older software will leave you “out in the cold” in a lot of ways.

On a Windows PC you also could use Adobe Reader, but honestly I’m not a big fan as Adobe’s software has a lot of security flaws and has some annoying spyware-like tendencies these days.

What I suggest using is Foxit, which you can find by googling “download foxit” — it’s free and lets you read PDF files without some of the problems of Adobe Reader.

I hope that helps.

If you need more help with the basics of using email safely and easily, take a look at my Safe & Easy Email Course which is available for either Windows or Mac computers by using the links below:

Safe & Easy How to Use Email Course for Windows

Safe & Easy How to Use Email Course for Apple Mac

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

A few days ago, I posted an article called Understanding URLs or Web Addresses To Help Be Protected From Phishing Scams which taught you the basics of understanding “URLs” or web addresses, so you could recognize and avoid a common trick used by online scammers to fool people into thinking links in emails were legit.

I strongly recommend reading that article if you haven’t yet, as it contains valuable information to help protect your privacy and security online.

In that article I mentioned an email I’d received which looked like a legitimate email from Amazon.com on the surface, but which was clearly an example of a dangerous phishing scam if you knew what to look for.

Well, as it happens, I recorded a video where you can safely watch as I pick apart the actual scam email I received and listen as I point out all of the warning signs which helped me recognize and avoid this common type of online scam.

I just updated this video and decided to post it here and to my podcast to help you learn how to stay safe online. It clocks in at about 9 minutes long and explains everything in Plain English.

If you’re watching this on my website, you should see two players below for compatibility reasons. The first should give you a sharper picture & the option of full-screen on a computer, the second is for mobile devices such as the iPod Touch, iPhone & iPad, and for that reason is the version which goes out on the podcast.

Click the player below for the high quality computer version:

Tip: in the lower right corner of the video player above is a square button which will make the video full screen so you can see the details more easily. To the left of that button is a volume control you can use to make it louder if needed.

Tap the image below for the mobile version of this video:

If you found this video helpful, imagine how much more benefit you’ll get from hours of quick, easy video lessons like this, explaining computer basics and more in Plain English.

Use the links below to learn more about my quick & easy video lesson CDs.  You can also use the tip I shared in the video above to see the links are legit because they point to pages right here on WorthGodwin.com…

Click for: How to Use Email for Windows PC – Safe & Easy Email Course
or
Click for: How to Use Email for Apple Mac – Safe & Easy Email Course

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

Have you ever been stuck in traffic behind a car with one of those custom license plates like “LUVYZ1″ and you’re scratching your head for a couple of minutes trying to figure out what on Earth it’s supposed to mean?

I was doing that earlier today on my way home and it made me think of a computer tip I thought I’d share with you to make your computer more organized and easier to use.

Back in the day when I first got into computers, the names of files on your computer were a lot like custom car license plates: you had a very limited amount of space to name the file and so you were forced to come up with weird
abbreviations just like you see on license plates.

To this day I still have a few really old Word files which have names such as “MITYLIKE.DOC” where I had to try to describe what the file was in the 8 characters I was given to do so. (If you’re not sure what I mean by “characters”, that’s the term that includes letters, numbers, and punctuation)

If you’re wondering, the above example is a short story I wrote in 1990 or so which was inspired by The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, a classic short story written by James Thurber which also made into a film starring Danny Kaye.

Knowing that, you can see why I named the file MITYLIKE, and can probably also see why I wished I could’ve given it a longer and more descriptive name?

So what does this have to do with make your computer more organized and easier you might be wondering?

Well, something I’ve noticed over the many years I’ve been helping people with their computers is that most people don’t take advantage of the ability to use descriptive file names, and they’re making things harder on themselves as a result.

Now this is no criticism at all if you’re making this computer mistake yourself, but that’s why I’m writing this to help you.

You see, in the 1990s, the maximum length for file names went up a lot from the old 8 character name plus 3 character extension for DOS or Windows PCs, and the 31 character limit older Apple Mac computers had to a total of 255 characters.

(The “extension” is the end part after the dot, such as .DOC which is used to tell the computer what type of file it is, such as a Word DOCument.)

These “long file names” give you the ability to give useful & descriptive file names which can make your life easier when organizing and locating files.

You can name (or rename) a file by clicking once on the name of the file (not the icon!) pausing a moment, then clicking again and you should see the name get highlighted.

Note: this is *not* the same as double-clicking the file name. This is a single click, a short pause, then a second single click with the left button on your mouse.

You can then type in a nice long descriptive file name such as “Unnamed short story inspired by “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.doc”, which I’m sure you’ll agree is much easier to recognize than “MITYLIKE.DOC”!

And don’t worry about counting the letters in the name while you’re typing; your computer won’t let you type any more than you’re allowed.

I also suggest you might put a date or maybe a version number into the file name, especially if you keep different drafts of a document.  If you do this you’ll want to write the date something like 7-7-2011 rather than 7/7/2011 as the / character is not allowed on Windows PCs (and I recommend this for Mac users too to make the name more compatible in case you ever send it to a Windows computer).

One last thing is, as I mentioned above, the extension (such as .doc) is there for a reason and you should leave that part as-is.  Many newer computers will automatically help you avoid accidentally changing that part of the file name, but not all do.

By taking advantage of the long filenames allowed by modern computers, you can help yourself more easily recognize what a file is, and it can help turn up the file you’re looking for if you do a search on your computer for information you’re needing, that photo you want to look at, and so on.

Hopefully these tips will help you get more out of your computer and make your life a little easier. I’ve used these suggestions myself for many years now and and very glad that I did. Really has made my life easier on many occasion.

Remember, if you do need more help with this, I show you step-by-step how to do all of this and much more on my computer basics video lesson CDs.

If you don’t already have these CDs, they are video recordings of the actual screens of the computer where you get to see each click of the mouse and sit back and watch every step while my voice comes from your computer’s speakers, walking you through the entire thing in simple Plain English.

While each easy lesson CD has an hour of material, individual lessons are 30 minutes or less, with most being just 5-15 minutes long so it’s easy to learn at your own pace.

You can find out more on my site and even place a secure order if you want by using one of the following two links:

Fundamental Windows Computer Skills – Training CDs

or

Fundamental Apple Mac Computer Skills – Training CDs

Either way, until next time, take care, and enjoy,

Worth Godwin
Plain English Simplicity For This Complex Modern World

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

This latest computer question & answer comes from Mavis Wood who writes:

“I have PeoplePC news in my Bookmarks, and I read that news every day.  But each category headline has the words “Back to Top” super-imposed on it.  That makes the headline very difficult to read.  My computer geek doesn’t know how to erase that or how to move it up or down so that it isn’t on top of what I want to read.

Also, each time I read a news story and click the “Go Back One Page” arrow, I always end up back at the top. I wish it would come back to where I had been when I clicked on a story I wanted to read. There are always many stories I like to read about at that site.

Thanks so much for your time and patience.

Mavis”

I’ve seen that kind of thing before, where the text is overlapping like that, and it usually means the webpage was not written well for compatibility with whichever web browser you’re using. Sometimes you can fix the problem by making the web browser window wider or more narrow.

If you’re not already using it, I strongly recommend using Mozilla Firefox instead of Internet Explorer.  If you’re using Firefox or any browser which supports “tabbed browsing”, one thing you can do is right-click the headline (control-click for Mac users) you want to read and you’ll see a menu pop up which includes the option “open in new tab” or words to that effect.  Use this to open the headline in a new tab in the same window and then just close the tab when you’re done and you’ll still have the original list open.

Listen to the audio for the more complete version of this computer question & answer lesson.

For step-by-step video lessons on how to use tabbed browsing and a lot more that makes your web browsing experience safer & easier, take a look at my

Basics of How to Use the Internet CDs for Apple Mac

or

Basics of How to use the Internet CDs for Windows

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this audio lesson I’ll be answering a computer question from Gold Club member Peter Proud, who asks:

“Good morning,
Having subscribed to your tutorials I now am having a problem of my own.
I am using windows xp on my laptop and when go to use Internet Explorer get “navigation to webpage was cancelled”.
I can still use Google for the net but would appreciate any advice you can offer to solve this problem. Regards,

Peter”

Well Peter,

It sounds to me as if your Internet connection is working just fine since you’re able to use Google, so my guess is that whatever webpage you are using as your homepage (the first page that opens when you open up your web browser window) is having a problem.  This may resolve itself, or you may need to change your homepage.

On a different but important & related note, I strongly suggest you do not use Internet Explorer for your web browser as it is not the most secure program in the world; you’re much better off using Mozilla Firefox which you can download and install for free from Mozilla.com.

As a side benefit, installing this may fix the problem you’re having too.  One thing to nearly guarantee it will fix it: when you install Firefox, during the setup it will ask you if you want to import your home page from Internet Explorer or use the one provided by Mozilla — if you choose the option to NOT import the one from IE (it’s OK to have the program import/bring over the other stuff such as your bookmarks) it will move you to a new homepage which has the Google search built right in and should avoid the problem you’re writing about.

I hope that makes sense.  Listen to the audio lesson to get the more detailed answer to this computer question.

For easy, step-by-step lessons on using the Web take a look at my

Basics of How to Use the Internet CDs for Apple Mac

or

Basics of How to use the Internet CDs for Windows

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this computer question & answer audio lesson, I’m answering a question sent in by subscriber Patt Davis who writes:

“Hello Worth,
I have been enjoying your advice for some time now and I appreciate the help.

My computer just recently has been hijacked by a so called Windows Security Alert that wants me to purchase their anti-virus software and it will not let me access any other program other than the internet.

No exe programs will run. Not even my magicjack phone. Keep getting a warning pop-up. Has a green sheild with a check in the middle. Keeps looping back to their site for me to purchase it.

Is there anything I can do on my own to stop this? Or will I have to take my hard drive in to have a professional clean it? I do have AVG but of course this virus will not let me run it… any suggestions?

Thank you,
Patt Davis”

This kind of problem is very common these days, and is caused by something called “hijackware”. Listen to this audio computer lesson to hear my suggestions about what to do if your computer is infected, plus tips on how to avoid getting infected in the first place.

Computer security is a complex topic and is an issue not just for Windows computers but also Apple’s Macs, despite what many people think. If you need more help, you’re not alone.

I suggest taking a look at my Safe and Easy Internet course CDs, which are available for either Apple Mac or Windows PC. Both versions include lessons on recognizing and avoiding problems like these, including one lesson which safely lets you see a common example of the tactics used by malicious sites which try to trick you into infecting your computer.

You get to see step-by-step exactly what to look for, and what to do if you encounter a site like that, including the BIG mistake most people make and how to avoid making it yourself. And that’s just one of the dozens of quick, easy lessons you get.

Take a look at one of the two links below, depending on which type of computer you use:

Basics of Using the Internet Safely & Easily for Microsoft Windows PCs

or

Basics of Using the Internet Safely & Easily for Apple Mac OS X

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

I heard from a reader named Phyllis who wrote with the question:

“Could you please tell me why I can’t print from Microsoft Office?”

In this audio computer lesson I answer the question based on what information I’m given. Chances are, this is caused by using a “trail version” of MS Office (which includes the programs Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.). A trial version of Microsoft Office is often included with new computers, but some critical features have been disabled until you pay for it.

Listen to the entire audio computer question and answer lesson to hear what I have to say about this, including a tip on getting a 100% free alternative to Microsoft Office and save hundreds of dollars when you do.

For more help with Microsoft Word, use the links below (one for Windows PCs, the other for Apple Mac)

Learn how to use Microsoft Word course for Windows

or

Learn how to use Microsoft Word course for Apple Mac

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

The intro before the step-by-step part of the video is important for people to watch if they are computer challenged and need the extra help, but if you want, you can jump to the step-by-step part of the video by fast-forwarding to about 3:25 (depending on your Internet connection speed you may need to wait a few moments before you can do this).

Note: this is the Apple Mac version of this lesson.  If you have a Windows computer you’ll want to watch: How to Undo Computer Mistakes in Microsoft Windows.  If you’re getting this via my podcast, you should get both videos automatically.

In the step-by-step part of the lesson I’ll show you an example of how to undo when writing something, which is probably the best-known way to use this simple but powerful computer skill.  I’ll also show you how to use it when working with files and folders, something which can be a real life saver but which so many people don’t know how to do.

In the over a decade and a half I’ve been helping people with their computers, I’ve noticed a pattern that affects the majority of computer users to one degree or another: being afraid of making computer mistakes holds people back from making progress.

I want to help you become more  confident and skilled with your computer so I recorded this video which gives you some words of encouragement, plus I show you a simple technique you can use in the majority of programs to reverse (or “undo”) mistakes you’ve made.

Now while many people are familiar with the undo function of their computer, many more people are not familiar with it. Those who do know about it often don’t know you can use it in as many ways as you can.

Want to learn the fundamental computer skills that make the rest easy? Take a look at my easy video lesson CDs. I have a simple computer course covering exactly those basic skills that empower you with the confidence you deserve:  Basic Apple Mac Skills

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

I’ve recorded a new audio lesson to help warn you about a pretty common email scam which is going around these days. It’s not brand new, but not everybody knows about it so I wanted to post this new computer lesson to help you protect yourself.

I received an email which appeared to be from a newsletter subscriber named John, but I spotted it as a scam as I’ve seen this type of thing before.  It was clearly sent from an email address which had been broken into, and the criminal who did so used the address to try to fool me and everyone else they sent it to into thinking they were the actual owner of the email account.

I’ll post the audio lesson below and then quote the email below that so you can take a look to help you recognize and avoid similar scams in the future:

Here’s the email I received (full name and details removed for privacy) :

“Hello

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

This latest computer question comes from Taj Abed who writes:

“Hello, thanks for information. I want to know about PC safety, please describe it to me. I really need to find out about it.”

This is a kind of general question and there’s just a ton of information I could cover that could help you keep your computer running more securely. What I did was give you four basic steps you can take to help increase your computer’s security.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, but I’ve taken the time to explain everything in Plain English with some comparisons to real-world things which should help it all make more sense to you.

For step-by-step video lessons covering Internet basics as well as safety and security, you might consider my easy video lesson CDs:

Apple Mac How to Internet Skills CDs

or

Windows PC How to Internet Skills CDs

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In my answer I, as usual, don’t just quickly answer Edy’s specific question but give you a complete audio lesson that helps you understand some of the basic differences between a few of the broadband options, and how they contrast in speed to dialup (which may be the only option in many rural areas).

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this computer question & answer audio lesson, I answer a question from “Nitromesupporter”, who asks:

“does having lots of things in your hard drive slow computers too?
my computer is really old, still Intel pentium 4 with 512mb of ram.
the bright side is that its 2.80ghz well its fast for the stuff i do ”

Use the audio player to listen to my answer to this computer question — in it I’ll help you understand in plain English how and why low drive space can slow your computer, and a few tips about how to deal with it if this is true for your computer.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this latest audio lesson I answer a computer question from a subscriber named Frazer Ames who writes:

“Hi Worth,
I just read the article on your website regarding modems and video chat. One of the things I have never understood about computers is this; what exactly is a modem and what does it do? I thought they were an essential part of all computers and had something to do with the speed, but I’ve never really understood.

Thanks in advance

Fraser Ames”

To hear the complete Plain English answer to this computer question, just listen to the lesson using the player below. As usual, I’ll not just give a rushed answer to the question but make sure I explain the computer terms and concepts in a way that will just make sense, regardless of your computer skill level.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In the over fifteen years I’ve been helping people with computers as a professional, I’ve found that a majority of people — even ones who have been using the computer for years — have huge gaps in their basic computer skills and as a result are making using the computer much harder for themselves than it has to be.

One of the basic skills I see people commonly have missed out on learning is how to cut, copy and paste — this is a very simple thing to do and can be such a huge time saver.

To help make computers easy for you, I’ve prepared this Plain English video training which will help you understand what cut, copy and paste mean, and it shows you the steps of how to cut and paste. Watch the video lesson above and you’ll finally know how to do this even if you’re a real basic computer user.

To make this most compatible with not just computers but also with mobile devices like the iPhone, I’m adding the video twice below. The first video has better picture quality and should work best on desktop or laptop computers. If you can’t play the first one, then scroll further down and try the second video which is designed specifically for mobile devices such as the Apple iPhone and iPad.

If you want to learn more, click one of the following two links:

Learn Apple Mac Basics

Learn Windows Computer Basics

Try this second video if the first one doesn’t work for you:

Did this lesson help? I hope it did. You deserve to have the ability to use your computer confidently, and learning the basic skills is the way to empower yourself to do so.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

Scroll down for step-by-step, Plain English video computer lesson on
how to fix your Facebook privacy settings…

If you’ve been a student of mine for a while, you know I am very big on personal privacy and security issues and talk a lot about the importance of being careful about what you say and do online as it creates a permanent record that is shared with absolutely anybody and everybody who has an Internet connection.

I’m sure you’re aware that Facebook is an immensely popular social networking website and hundreds of millions of people use the service. However, what not everyone realizes (or thinks about) is that while the site can be a great way to connect with other people, there is a giant corporation behind it who absolutely does not have your personal interests in mind.

This has become increasingly obvious in recent months as Facebook has been making changes it claims are for your benefit, but these changes show a complete disregard for personal privacy by automatically setting your account to share everything it can with the entire world, while also allowing people you may not even know to not only see this personal information but share it with strangers without your permission.

To make matters worse, Facebook has deliberately made changing these settings to give you more privacy more confusing than they need to — in hopes of taking advantage of lazy or inexperienced computer users.

Well, I don’t think they should be able to take advantage of people in that way, so I’ve posted this step-by-step video lesson which shows you how to fix your Facebook privacy settings so you can protect yourself.  The video is about 14 minutes long and not just shows you the steps, but helps you understand what the different settings mean and how they affect your privacy and security.

Note: to make this video as compatible as possible so the most people can benefit from it (including people who might want to watch from their mobile device such as an iPhone or iPad) the picture quality is not nearly as sharp as I’m able to make it on my lesson CDs, but still contains all of the Facebook privacy settings so you can protect yourself.

I will be posting a follow-up video soon where I show you the steps to fix the brand new threat to your privacy called “Instant Personalization” that Facebook recently introduced as soon as the option shows up in my account so I can record it.

To improve compatibility so the site works for not just computers but mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads, I’ve added the video lesson two different ways. The first video player below should play on pretty much any laptop or desktop computer. The second is designed for iPhone & iPad, but should work on many computers and other devices too.

If you see a video player box directly below, watch the video lesson by using the first player. During playback you can click the square button in the lower right corner of the video to make it full screen:

If you don’t see a video player above this line (or it has an error message in it), then you should be able to use the second player below to watch the lesson:

If you want to learn more about how to safely and easily use the Internet while becoming more confident and skilled, you might want to take a look at my easy computer lesson CDs.  I have a set of easy lesson CDs specifically on the fundamentals of safe & easy web browsing and a lot more, which you can learn more about by clicking one of the two links below.

Windows PC users click for Internet basics lesson CDs for Windows

or

Apple Mac users click for Internet basics lesson CDs for Mac

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this audio computer lesson I teach you two ways you can save a lot of money when buying a Mac, free of the risks of buying used and second-hand equipment that’s not covered by warranty.

Click the player below to listen:

Both of the two options I talk about in the audio lesson above will get you a new computer with full warranty coverage, and eligible for Apple’s extended warranty coverage known as “Applecare”. Applecare extends the length of your computer’s warranty by an additional two years (for a total of 3 years of warranty).

Unlike a third-party warranty a lot of electronics stores try to sell you on, Applecare is direct from the manufacturer and is well worth the money. Any repairs aside from the most minor ones will at least equal the cost of the Applecare, so if one thing goes wrong in the space of three years you’ve at least broken even on your money.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

This latest Plain English computer question and answer (audio lesson below) comes from subscriber Brenda Carr who writes asking:

“Worth, I am considering purchasing my own computer, I am now using a computer at the public library. Best Buy is recommending the Asus, but I have never heard of that brand.  What do you think?”

Well Brenda, this is a good question, and I have a few thoughts. I’ve recorded this audio computer lesson which will share my advice on what type of computer to buy whether you’re thinking of buying your first computer as Brenda is, or planning on your next computer purchase.

I personally think there are two main options for most people; in this lesson I explain what those two options are, why I think they’re the best choice, and how to decide between them. I also throw in a few other simple tips and explanations of computer concepts along the way.

Click the player below to listen:

Apple Mac Basic Computer Skills CDs
or
Windows PC Basic Computer Skills CDs

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this video lesson, I continue from the previous lesson where I explained how a router and modem work in non-technical terms and demonstrate how to hook them together. In this lesson I demonstrate a quick fix to a common Internet problem where you can’t get online (make sure you use the link above to watch the first lesson if you missed it).

Using this tip can help save you a long time waiting on hold, or the expense of hiring a computer tech to come to your house when you could fix the problem yourself in a couple of minutes.

This will not solve all Internet problems, but a majority of the time when you can’t get online (and there’s not a major problem happening at your Internet service provider) this quick fix is all you need.

To improve compatibility so the site works for not just computers but mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads, I’ve added the video lesson two different ways. The first video player below should play on pretty much any laptop or desktop computer. The second is designed for iPhone & iPad, but should work on many computers and other devices too.

If you see the video player box below, watch the video lesson by using the first player. During playback you can click the square button in the lower right corner of the video to make it full screen:

If you don’t see a video player above this line, then you should be able to use the second player below to watch the lesson:

Remember, if you want to empower yourself further with your computer, feel free to take a look at my easy computer training CDs.

Also, if you liked this lesson, please share your thoughts using the comment box a little further down the page.

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

About a day ago, former actor in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Roots, Levar Burton accidentally sent out his personal cell phone number to over 1.6 MILLION people who “follow” him on Twitter.  Having well over a million and a half people who directly are following and reading what he says via Twitter was only the tip of the iceberg, since everything said publicly on any social networking site such as Twitter or Facebook is “indexed” by the search engine and can appear in the search results within moments.

And once it’s out there, it’s there forever.

You don’t have to be a big celebrity to have to be careful about what you post online; we all have to be careful about these things or you could face anything from the hassle of canceling and replacing your phone number (as happened with Burton) to something as serious as burglury of your home or identity theft.

In this new audio lesson I use Plain English to explain how what happened to Levar Burton relates to you, and give you some good advice that can help keep you safe and protect your privacy online.

Use the player below to listen to this audio computer lesson:

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.

In this easy video lesson I answer the questions what is a router and what is a broadband modem in Plain English, while also showing you the steps to hook your router up to your cable or DSL modem so you can get your desktop or laptop computer on the Internet.

Once you see and hear this simple explanation of these computer terms and concepts, you’ll find these important devices we all use these days will make more sense than they did before. 

To improve compatibility so the site works for not just computers but mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads, I’ve added the video lesson two different ways. The first video player below should play on pretty much any laptop or desktop computer. The second is designed for iPhone & iPad, but should work on many computers and other devices too.

If you see a video player box directly below, watch the video lesson by using the first player. During playback you can click the square button in the lower right corner of the video to make it full screen:

If you don’t see a video player above this line (or it has an error message in it), then you should be able to use the second player below to watch the lesson:

If you liked this lesson, you may want to watch the second half where I show you some basic troubleshooting steps which can help fix a common type of Internet problem.  I’ll post this in the next day or two and will add a link to the video at that time.

Update: You can watch the second part of this lesson by clicking the following link:

How to Reset Your Modem & Router to Solve a Common Internet Problem

Audio and video lessons also available via computer training podcast.