TIPS

Has your Recycle Bin icon ever disappeared from your desktop?

Perhaps the icon was in place one night before you went to bed, but in the morning when you started up your computer again, it was long gone. Where did it go? What happened to it? But more importantly, how can you get it back? Well, there are a few things you can try to get your Recycle Bin icon back where it’s supposed to be. So, if you’ve run out of options, give these a try!

In XP, the first thing you can do is right click on your desktop and choose Properties. Once there, hit In the middle of the Desktop Items dialog box, you will see some of the more common desktop icons. Click on the one for the Recycle Bin (it looks like a trash can) and then hit the Restore Default button. Click OK and then go take a look at your desktop. The Recycle Bin icon should be back, but if it’s not, don’t lose hope, because there are a couple other things you can still try!

For the next option, go down to your taskbar and right click in any open space. From the menu that pops up, click on Toolbars, Desktop. The word Desktop will then appear at the end of your taskbar with a double arrow beside it. Right click on those arrows and you will see an option for the Recycle Bin. Next, drag and drop that Recycle Bin icon to your desktop. That should reinstate your icon for you, but if you’re still having trouble, try this. Right click on your taskbar again and go to Toolbars, New Toolbar. There should be an option there for the Recycle Bin as well. In the Desktop Icons dialog box, check the Recycle Bin.

Click Apply and OK and you should be back in business.

Front and Back USB Ports

Most modern PCs have USB ports in the front and back. For best results, use the back ports for hardware such as printers, scanners, keyboards, mice, card readers, or digital camera docks—things you never or rarely unplug.

Save the front USB ports for things you plug in/unplug often like digital cameras, mp3 players, “thumb drives”, etc. This is not only a better way to organize you peripherals, but it also keeps your front ports open for quick hardware switches. w/s 6/1/11

Caring for your flash drive

Most flash drives come with a cover or cap, and it’s always a good idea to keep the cover on when the flash drive isn’t in use. Some have a switch to retract the drive’s head into the unit, and although this is handy (and doesn’t include a cap to lose) it doesn’t do a lot to keep dust and other contaminants from fouling your flash drive’s contacts. If these contacts become damaged or fouled they can cause your flash drive to fail, either partially or catastrophically.

If you are strictly using your flash drive as a backup, it’s a good idea to simply leave your drive in a safe, dry, temperature-controlled environment.

Also, if you’re using your flash drive to back up irreplaceable information (such as family photos), you may want to consider redundancy. If you have photos and videos of your kids on two separate drives, it is almost impossible for both of them to fail at the same time.

MS Excel: Paste Once vs. Paste Multiple Times

If you’re anything like me, you believe that there’s only one option when using the keyboard to paste in MS Excel – Ctrl+V.

While that obviously will paste your copied or cut information as it always has, you do have another option if you’re only looking to paste in one location.

Now you’re wondering why you’d want another option… I mean, what could be easier than Ctrl+V when pasting?

How about just using the Enter key?

Let’s face it, we use the Enter key far more often than the Ctrl key and it doesn’t required any coordination to use a two-key combination. (Believe it or not, for some that just isn’t something that they’re good at).

At this point, allow me to summarize what I just said…

After a copy or cut of a cell’s information, move to the intended paste location and choose a method:

Ctrl + V will let you paste in the current location as well as others one after another.

Enter will paste the information into the current cell and be done with it. The copied cell(s) are released from the selection and you’re ready to proceed.

That’s all there is to it.

Now it’s just a matter of what works best for you.

world start - 11/6/11