The McCarty Metro - Kelly On Computers

FEBRUARY KOMPUTER TIP
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As I'm sure most of you know, when working in MS Excel, Ctrl + Home will take you to the upper left corner of your worksheet (cell A1). Do you know where Ctrl + End will land you?

Let's all hope it's not in the bottom most corner of a worksheet! Have you ever scrolled out right or down to find out just how big Excel makes its worksheets? Well, don't bother. Let me tell you, they're huge. Going there would rarely, if ever, be useful.

So, where exactly does Ctrl + End put you?

Why, at a very useful place. Yes, the bottom right corner of your data area. It's a two key quick jump from the beginning to the end!

LIFE AT FRASER
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My name is David, but that sounds old
fashioned... Just call me DVD!

GOOGLE EARTH 4 IS FINALIZED

Are you a Google Earth fanatic? Well, if you are, you aren't alone. Google Earth is one of the coolest programs to come from Google in the last few years. And to top it all off, it just keeps getting better. Awhile back, I told you about the Google Earth 4 beta program. Well, today, I'm here to announce the release of the final version! Yes, that's right. On January 8, 2007, Google Earth 4 was entered into the books as a finalized project. It is now ready for all of you to enjoy, in an even more earthly way! You can read this tip to check out some of the program's new features. If that's not enough information for you to decide if you want to download it or not, check out Google Earth's homepage here. You can download version 4 from that page as well.

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ED NOTE: When you download the new version, make sure yours says version 4.0.2722. If you don't have those last four digits, you won't have a complete download or the full program. Also, Google Earth 4 can be installed right over the top of whatever version you had before, so you don't have to worry about uninstalling anything. Now that you know about this, you better go and check it out. You don't want to miss this one!

YOUR KWESTIONS 'R' ANSWERED

Gotta Kwestion 4 The Puter Guy?

Hey Komputer Guy, Sometimes my computer just freezes up on me. Is there something I can do besides shutting it off to get it working again? -Sheryl

Thanks, Sheryl. I'm glad you asked. I have been getting e-mails about the "frozen computer" syndrome for awhile now. It seems like they never stop coming, because this is such a reoccurring issue. So, I thought it was about time I covered this topic.

Sometimes Windows will get itself all tied into a bunch and there is no choice but to cut the power to your computer and restart it. (Remember though, when you have to force your computer to turn off, you should wait at least 10 seconds before rebooting).

Well, before you do anything too drastic, try pressing the Ctrl + Alt + Del buttons first. Just hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard, then the Alt key and then the Del key, all at the same time.

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If you use the Ctrl + Alt + Del key combination, you'll see a box (it's called the Task Manager) appear that will allow you to choose the offending program (the one that made your computer freeze up) from a list and force it to shut down. In fact, it may even have the words "Not Responding" next to it on this list. Just click the End Task button to shut the individual program down. If you get another box a few seconds later, asking you to wait or end the task, just choose End Task.

Finally, if you notice that your computer just freezes after awhile, especially if it takes about the same amount of time to freeze each time you use it, you may have a problem with overheating.

Make sure the computer has plenty of room to breathe. Place it in a spot where it will have several inches all the way around. This is the minimum, so if you have a place where you can set it that will allow for more space, use that one. If you're blocking your computer's vents, you're asking for trouble.

Also, remember that some computers have vents on the bottom of the case, so if you stick it on a shag carpet, you may be blocking the airflow. If you do suspect that overheating is the problem (and the machine has plenty of ventilation room), check the CPU fan. That may be a good indication of what's going on too.

There you have it. Just a couple of options you can use when your computer decides to be stubborn and freeze up. Yes, it's a pain, but it's good to know there are things you can do to bring it back to life!

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