Pamela's Computer Help for Seniors Blog

When I was a child my mother constantly reminded me that “there is no such word as can’t.” I therefore grew up thinking that everything was possible if I tried really hard and thought of different ways to complete a project thus making it succeed. With this mindset I went through life using my imagination and over time my skills improved and grew in all ventures on which I embarked.

Although teaching never entered my head this attribute, that my teachers saw in me, became apparent when I became dedicated to the Computer Education of Seniors. With infinite patience I convey to them that they do not need to “be afraid” of their computers or think that they cannot and will not ever be able to operate one. Quiet the contrary! A computer is an easy to understand, friendly unit that can be understood very easily in a very short time if the correct instruction is given.

With my help and the information that I have gathered into an “Easy to Understand How-To” Book “Computer Tips for SENIORS” you will be up and running in a snap!

Contact me anytime for FREE answers to your questions which will arrive in your Inbox within 24 hours if not at once.

Get Started Right Away! I am looking forward to hear from you!

I hope that you are enjoying your Apple iPad as much as I am. I have found so many useful features while using my iPad that I wanted to share them with you.

If you have found some easy features please let me know by replying to my BLOG or click HERE to send me a question. My answer will arrive in your INBOX within 24 hours if not at once.

When you reply to or write a new email with the Apple iPad, it adds a “period” at the end of a sentence if you tap the “spacebar” twice and you do not need to click the “shift” key to create a capital letter at the beginning of a new sentence or paragraph; it appears automatically.

Once you begin to use your iPad and write emails or notes, the iPad recognizes words that you use often and a pop-up appears as you write. If you click the spacebar it enters the suggested word. Spelling suggestions are handled in the same way.

The iPad recognizes email addresses as well and will insert them into your email automatically when you begin to type the first few letters of the address if you have used the email address previously or it is entered in your Address Book.

The iPad can save pictures from your emails in its Picture folder which can then be inserted into emails to send to your friends and family.

It’s easy to delete incoming emails from the “inbox.” Just click “edit” at the top right of the list and either hit “delete all” or mark each email that you need to delete. The iPad will count the emails that you wish to delete – then click “delete.”

Don’t worry if your iPad locks up just hold down the “Home” button and the “Sleep/Wake” button simultaneously. This will cause a “manual reboot” and your iPad will be “unlocked” and ready to use.

If you find that you have too many icons covering your HOME screen and want to consolidate them just hold down one of the icons to make them “wobble” and then drag “like” icons into one of the icons. You will then be given a chance to rename the MAIN ICON which now becomes a folder. An example would be to drag all your “newspaper” icons into one icon and rename the icon “NEWSPAPERS.”

This will reduce the number of icons that appear on your Home page and you will be able to find the icon you are looking for “in a snap.”

It’s that time of year again; the New Year is here and it’s time to make your computer run more efficiently. I know that this may not be an exciting project but please read on, you will be so pleased that your computer is running fast and without problems when you complete the steps below. It does take time and a little patience but in the long run you will benefit and so will your computer.

If you have saved all your Documents in your Document folder now’s the time to consolidate and transfer all the old, unused, documents to an external medium so that it frees up space on your hard drive. If you have a fairly new computer with a 500GB hard drive you may think that this procedure is not necessary but clearing off old files and folders and organizing the files in use can help you locate them much faster.

I make a point of doing my “Computer Spring Cleaning” at the beginning of each year and if you would like to join me in this endeavor read on.

Every time I need to save a file I make sure that it goes in the appropriate folder with a date as the first part of the saved file name so that I can find it easily. In other words, 010111 Letter to Jim or 01-01-11 Letter to Jim.

Make new folders in your “Documents” named for the previous years. Maybe you have documents from 2008, 2009, 2010. If you have not looked through your Document folder for some years gather all your files from previous years and put them in the appropriate folder. You can “highlight” a whole block of files from 2009 and then drag them to the 2009 folder; this saves a great deal of time. Repeat this procedure for all the other years and you will see how “tidy” your “Document” file looks and how easy it will be to find your files when you need them.

Do the same with your “Pictures” folder. If you have saved pictures in your “Documents” folder drag them into your “Picture” folder and then make folders for each occasion i.e. Granddaughter, Holiday in Italy 2009, Visit to the Museum etc.

Delete unwanted files and folders and drag all your old useful files and folders to an external medium i.e. Flash Drive, External Hard Drive, CD or DVD and keep it in a safe place to access at a later time.

Remember to save all future documents in your 2011 Document folder and pictures in your Picture folder. If you think of your computer like a giant filing cabinet it will be easy for you to organize your work.

If you need help with any of the above procedures please click HERE.

I have been asked to explain how to “subscribe” to this Blog which is explained in the steps below. I would advise you to save this BLOG in your Internet Explorer browser because some of my readers have not been able to do so with Firefox. You may also find that ADDONS in Internet Explorer are causing problems so follow the instructions in the November issue of Pamela’s Monthly Review to disable them. You will be surprised how much faster you will be surfing the Internet!

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Standing Room Only!
At our Dec. 9th meeting we were once again witness to the reason that some presenters are unique and deserving of all the praise that can be heaped upon them

Pamela Tabak is the Presenter that I am talking about. Having her as a speaker means that you don’t have to worry about her being prepared or that her presentation will not be well received . No matter what the subject matter is, you know that she has done her homework and that all our members will thoroughly enjoy what she puts before them.

We go back a long time with Pamela. She has been educating and bringing enjoyment to our members with presentations at least once a year since 2004. Her topic this time was “Tips and Tricks”, and we all became privy to some bit of information that was new to us. In addition, all our members are always eager to ask her questions related to problems with their computers. She did not disappoint them with her answers. Pamela relates to seniors in a very remarkable way. In this connection, she is the author of a widely read book entitled “Computer Tips for Seniors” – “How to become a computer wise Grandparent”

With any luck, we will have her back next year.

Lou Strumlauf – President – Huntington Lakes Computer Club – Delray Beach – Florida

Are you having a problem disposing of your old computer or laptop? Here is a solution that has worked really well for me and it will give you pleasure as well as help to save our environment.

Most of my readers know that I am not only dedicated to the computer education of seniors but also dedicated to the preservation of our delicate planet. With the importance of recycling foremost in my mind I thought of an idea that would prevent the pollution that is emitted when computers and CRT monitors are stripped and burned on so called recycling facilities. Your old computer or laptop can become a feature in your home that will display all your treasured photos in a constant slideshow and give you and your family hours of pleasure.

If your old computer is really slow and full of unwanted data you will not mind cleaning it out and bringing your old computer back to the state it was on the day it was purchased. This can be done by using the Recovery Discs that came with your computer when it was purchased.

Once you have decided to purchase a new computer or laptop and get rid of your “old faithful” you will need to transfer all your treasured photos onto an external medium i.e.CD, DVD, Flash Drive or External Drive. You may also wish to save some of the important files and folders that you have created and you can transfer these to the same external medium to be ready when it’s time to transfer them to your new computer or laptop. Of course you may have already made a backup of these files and if so you are ready to begin.

Find all the software that came with your old unit when it was purchased. If you saved the “Recovery Discs” place the first CD in the CD tray of your old computer and turn the computer off. When you turn it on again the CD will prompt you to reformat your hard drive and bring it back to the state it was when it was purchased using the software contained on the Recovery Disc. The procedure is easy. You just need to follow the instructions as they appear on your screen.

Once your computer looks the same as it did when it was purchased it is time to load all your treasured photos into your “born again” computer. Connect the external medium where the photos are stored to your old computer and save them in your “My Pictures” folder in Windows XP or your “Pictures” folder in Windows Vista. This can be done by “dragging” them into the “Pictures” folder one by one or as a group. If you need more information on this procedure please contact me.

When you have transferred all the pictures it’s time to turn on the slideshow; you can add more pictures at anytime to bring your photo album up to date. There is plenty of room on your old computer now that it has been cleaned out. Right click in a space on your desktop; there will be a great deal of space now that your computer is “lean and clean.”

For WINDOWS XP: Click on PROPERTIES and then on SCREENSAVER. Set the SCREENSAVER to MY PICTURES SLIDESHOW and set the WAIT TIME to one minute.
For WINDOWS VISTA: click on PERSONALIZE then SCREENSAVER. Set the SCREENSAVER to PHOTOS and set the WAIT TIME to one minute.

Place your old computer or laptop on a table where the slideshow can be enjoyed by all and turn it on. After one minute the slideshow will begin. No need for an internet connection so it doesn’t even need security software. It’s just a very special PHOTO ALBUM that can be enjoyed 24 hours a day. You will be surprised how many photos you can load in place of all those files and folders that you deleted. It will also be a treasured memory for your family especially if you can add some of the photos of your ancestors and name and date the photos before loading. It will be just like a FAMILY TREE.

When you change your old computer into a PHOTO ALBUM you can feel very satisfied knowing that you not only have added an interesting and enjoyable feature to your home but you have also helped to preserve the health of our delicate planet and all its inhabitants.

From the numerous emails that I receive on a daily basis it is apparent that most computer problems are software related. Hardware rarely fails if computer maintenance and security is taken seriously. Computer problems can also be caused by the lack of organization.

In my opinion no one should ever have software related technical problems with their computer if Computer Maintenance (disk cleanup, error checking and defragmentation), Windows Updates, Spyware and Antivirus software are updated and run regularly.

To begin with; clearing the desktop of all icons except the “Recycle Bin” and clearing the “System Tray” of unnecessary icons can speed up the startup and performance of your computer. The icons that appear on your “System Tray” which is next to the clock in the bottom right hand corner of your screen are programs that are running in the background whilst you are working on your computer. The only programs that you need in this “tray” are your “security program icons” and notification icons i.e. sound icon, internet or wireless connection, etc. Others like Real Player – QuickTime – Picasa and other photo or office programs do not need to be running constantly. If you remove them from the “System Tray” and need to use them you can easily access them from the Program List, Start Menu or Quick Launch bar depending where you have placed them.

Keep your frequently used programs on the “Start Menu” by “pinning” them from the Program List and put the MOST frequently used programs on your “Quick Launch Bar.”

Documents kept in your “My Documents” folder (Windows XP) or “Documents” folder (Windows Vista) and pictures stored in your “My Pictures” folder (Windows XP) or “Pictures” folder (Windows Vista) will be quickly accessible. The folder that you are working on can be placed on the desktop temporarily until your work is completed and then filed away in the appropriate folder as described above.

“Lean and Clean” is my motto and “less certainly is better” when it comes to computer software. Install ONLY the programs that you need and do not duplicate i.e. have more than one photo editing program and stay away from free programs unless you are going to use them.

It’s very tempting to download programs if they are FREE but many of these programs come down from the internet with ‘Spyware” attached to them so it is very important to run your Anti-Spy program every day that you surf the internet. Spy files can steal your identity and compromise your security so be diligent and make sure that you not only have the “Anti-Spy” software but you update and run it regularly.

Don’t wait until a catastrophe occurs! If you have used the above suggestions to arrange your folders, copy your “Documents” and “Pictures” folders onto a “Flash Drive” or another external medium regularly to backup and keep these files safe. If you would like to have a complete backup of your entire hard drive an external hard drive can be purchased and used for this purpose. Remember to detach the external hard drive from the computer and from the power supply after each backup to ensure its safety should a power surge or crash occur. Make sure that you use a powerful Surge Protector to connect all your computer peripherals and it’s a good idea to disconnect it from the power source when you leave for holidays or long periods of time or if there is a pending weather alert.

These simple procedures will ensure that your files and folders are easily found and your computer, regardless of its age, is running as fast as it was the day it was purchased.

If you would like a free detailed tutorial on any of the above procedures please do not hesitate to contact me and I will answer within 24 hours; weather permitting.

Request your free tutorial HERE

I look forward to hearing from you.

It never ceases to amaze me when younger people look at me with surprise when I tell them that I am a Computer Tutor, Technician and Webmaster. They seem to think that because I am a senior and female I could not possibly be part of the “technology age.”

Certainly there were no computers available to me when I was growing up but when they became available I was eager to explore all the possibilities. I then found out that other seniors were starting to use computers but they were not as “technical” or “mechanical” as I and needed help to get started.

Unfortunately their children or grandchildren did not have the time or patience to help them along so they struggled along getting more frustrated every day or giving up altogether. The youth of today does not realize that the computer is a “window to the world” for their parents and grandparents and especially for those who are housebound. If only they realized what a special gift they would be giving if they took the time to show them a few simple tasks like sending emails, receiving and storing pictures, surfing the internet and being able to order their flight tickets online, to name just a few.

Seniors are gathering together in weekly or monthly computer clubs to share experiences and socialize with others who share a common interest. What a great life seniors who use computers, have to look forward to.

Teaching seniors is the most rewarding moment of my day and seniors are learning fast because they are eager to keep in touch with their friends and family through email, video internet phone and instant messaging. Seniors have a new lease on life when they look forward to opening their email each day and I have noticed a great improvement in their memory as well.

Instead of the grandchildren saying “why don’t you know how to do that?” they will be saying “Hey Grandpa, where did you learn to do that?”