Some useful keyboard shortcuts

Windows-D - Minimizes all open windows so you can see the desktop. A second tap restores them. = WinM
Windows-F - Launches Windows' search tool (remember "F" for "find").
Windows-E - Opens Windows Explorer (the file-management tool, not the browser).

Word: Ctrlz - undo

Turn Vista sleep button into power button

Just learned a little technology trick from the following post by Rick Broida: how to turn Vista sleep button into power button. then you don't have to mouse over to another menu and choose Shut Down from a list of half a dozen options. You can click the power button. Here is how to do it:
1. Open the Control Panel and go to Power Options.
2. Click Change plan settings for your selected power plan.
3. Click Change advanced power settings.
4. Expand Power buttons and lid.
5. Expand Start menu power button.
6. Change the setting from Sleep to Shut down.
7. Click OK.

5 sites you can get tech help for free

You can get tech help from these sites, actually not only tech questions, you can ask or search all kinds of questions from the sites. TechGuy; Protonic; Ask Me Help Desk; Help and Yahoo Questions and Answers. All require to register to post or reply questions.

How to Insert YouTube Videos in PowerPoint Presentations

Written by Amit Agarwal How to Insert YouTube Videos in PowerPoint Presentations introduced several ways to insert YouTube videos into PowerPoint presentations. Handy!

TinyURL.com

Tired of sending or receiving long(and then broken)URLs in emails and you have to copy & paste into a browser and maybe not working? Use Tinyurl.com. It makes a long URL much shorter and "never expires". You can add it to your browser's toolbar. I tried, it works!

How to delete data from hard drive

Deleting a file doesn't actually remove the data from a computer. To ensure your drive doesn't contain any personal data before you give it away or sell it, you need to reformat the hard drive or use digital shredding software if you want to completely eliminate all traces of data. When it comes to data stored on your computer, deleting files doesn't actually remove the data. File information is kept in a directory so that the operating system can find it. Until that region is overwritten, the old data can be retrieved, in fact that's how you can recover lost data.
Macs come with data wiping tools built into their systems. To securely delete a folder or file, all you need to do is move it to the trash can and from the Finder menu select 'Secure Empty Trash'.
Windows: Data Wiping by Selected File/Folder.Eraser is a free, open source program that works with Windows 95, 98, ME, NT, 2000, XP, Vista, Windows 2003 Server and even DOS. It uses carefully selected patterns to overwrite your hard drive several times and lets you select single files, entire folders or the entire drive to be wiped clean. Download and install the program, then select the files/folders/drives that you want deleted, and the method of deletion, you can run Eraser. read the article for more methods.

Tech Tips for the Basic Computer User

Tech Tips for the Basic Computer User-from New york Times. many people assumed every computer user knew some tech basics, but turn out that common knowledge is not the same as universal knowledge. Here are some:
* You can double-click a word to highlight it in any document, e-mail or Web page.
* You can tap the Space bar to scroll down on a Web page one screenful. Add the Shift key to scroll back up.
* You can use Google to do math for you. Just type the equation, like 23*7+15/3=, and hit Enter.
* Google is also a units-of-measurement and currency converter. Type “teaspoons in 1.3 gallons,” for example, or “euros in 17 dollars.” Click Search to see the answer.
* You can open the Start menu by tapping the key with the Windows logo on it. You can switch from one open program to the next by pressing Alt+Tab (Windows) or Command-Tab (Mac).
* You don’t have to type “http://www” into your Web browser. Just type the remainder: “nytimes.com” or “dilbert.com,” for example. (In the Safari browser, you can even leave off the “.com” part.)
* Whatever technology you buy today will be obsolete soon, but you can avoid heartache by learning the cycles. New iPods come out every September. New digital cameras come out in February and October. Information from LibrarianInBlack.