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Welcome to this week's edition of the Computer Kindergarten Newsletter.
Today is Sunday, April 1, 2007
To all our friends, Happy Easter and Happy Passover!
Today is April Fool’s day. Beware all pranksters or jokesters you may know!
In this Issue:
Special Feature: Move Desktop Icons
This Week's Topic: Delete Temporary Internet Files on Browser Exit
Question: Rename Multiple Files
Question: Remove Icon Background
Websites of Interest: Easter; Passover; Palm Sunday; April Fools Day
We will not be publishing this newsletter next weekend so we can celebrate the holidays with our families and friends. See you in two weeks!
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Special Feature: Move Desktop Icons
Question: I have icons on my desktop that I would like to move. Every time I drag them elsewhere, they go back to the left side again. How can I get them to stay put?
Answer:
Your desktop is probably set to Auto Arrange the icons. This means that the icons will always stay on the left side. To be able to move them where you want, you will need to turn off the Auto Arrange setting. Here is how:
Right click on a blank spot on your desktop. In the menu that you now see, point to Arrange Icons By. Another menu will open; you will see that Auto Arrange has a check mark next to it. Left click to remove the check mark. That will turn the setting off and you can now move the icons to any place on your desktop.
If you would like your icons to line up in rows and columns, you can turn on the Align to Grid settings. You can still have the icons anywhere on the desktop; this setting just arranges them neat lines. Here are the steps:
Right click on a blank spot on your desktop. In the menu that you now see, point to Arrange Icons By. If there is no checkmark next to Align to Grid, left click on it to turn on that setting.
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Today's Topic: Delete Temporary Internet Files on Browser Exit
Question: I read that you can set Internet Explorer to delete the temporary internet files each time you close the program. Is this true? That would save me some time when I do my monthly maintenance tasks. Can you explain how to do it?
Answer:
Yes, you can set Internet Explorer options to empty the temporary internet files folder each time you close the program. Here are the steps:
Open Internet Explorer. Click Tools on the menu and then click Internet Options. Click the Advanced tab at the top of the Internet Options window.
In the Settings section, scroll down to the Security section. You will see an option for Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed. Click the checkbox to the left to turn on that setting.
Click the OK button. This will save your settings and close the Internet Options window.
Now, the temporary internet files will be deleted every time you close Internet Explorer.
Visit our newsletter archives to learn more about computer housekeeping tasks that should be done periodically:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/020407.html
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Question: Rename Multiple Files
I take a lot of pictures with my new digital camera. When I put them on my computer, they have a filename which is a sequential combination of letters and numbers. I like to change the filename to a more recognizable one for me, which I know how to do, but it is a very time consuming task. I would like to know if it is possible, since I have so many pictures, to change the filenames of all the pictures in one step.
Answer:
Yes, it is possible. All of the files will be named in sequence using the filename that you choose. For example, beachvacation1, beachvacation2, beachvacation3, etc. Here are the steps:
Open the folder containing files that you want to rename.
Select the files you want to rename. To select all files in a group, click the first file, hold down the Shift key, and click the last file. All files will now be selected.
Click File on the menu, and then click Rename. Type in the new name, and then press Enter on the keyboard.
Visit our newsletter archives for the following articles:
Learn more about filenames:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/021906.html
How to change a filename:
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/121204.html
File Name Characters to Avoid
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/020506.html
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Question: Remove Icon Background
I put a picture on my desktop, which looks very nice. The only problem I have though is that the icons still have the old color around them, under the text. My grandson said that there is a setting to make them blend in with the picture but he could not remember what it was. Can you help me?
Answer:
Yes, you can change a setting to make the icons transparent. Here are the steps:
Click the Start button and open Control Panel. Open System (if you do not see the System icon, click Performance and Maintenance, and then System).
This will open the System Properties window. Click the Advanced tab at the top. In the Performance area, click the Settings button. This will open the Performance Options window.
Click the Visual Effects tab at the top. Click the circle to the left of Custom to select it. In the box below Custom, scroll down to Use drop shadows for icon labels on the Desktop. Click the checkbox to the left to select it.
Click the OK button to close the Performance Options window and again to close the System Properties window.
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Websites of Interest:
Easter
Take a look at our website for many interesting and informative Easter links and fun graphics.
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/easter.html
Passover
Visit our website for links to Passover sites that will explain all about the holiday and celebration.
http://computerkindergarten.com/html/passover.html
Palm Sunday
Today is Palm Sunday, the sixth and last Sunday of Lent and the beginning of Holy Week. To learn more, take a look at this website:
http://www.holidayorigins.com/html/palm_sunday.html
The Catholic Encyclopedia gives the definition of Palm Sunday
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11432b.htm
April Fools Day
What is April Fools Day and how did it begin? See what this website has to say:
http://www.web-holidays.com/aprilfools/articles/a1.htm
Want to play an April Fools practical joke on someone but cannot think of a good one? This site may help with the Web's biggest collection of April Fools Day freebies including practical jokes, pranks, free gag software and more.
http://www.thefreesite.com/Seasonal_Freebies/April_Fools/
Send an April Fools e-card to your friends and family, free at:
http://freewebcards.com/cards/aprilfools/ |
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