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How To Create an Excel Chart in Seconds

Feb 15th, 2010
by The Computer Coach.
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Looking to create a chart/graph in Microsoft Excel 2007 ? Follow the steps below and create your chart in just seconds

1     Create the Chart

1.1    Add data to your sheet

The first thing you must do is to add your data to the spreadsheet like in our example(see Figure 1)

GraphData2007

Figure 1 Enter data


1.2   Select the Chart

Select the data that you wish to appear on the chart by holding down the left mouse button and dragging. Click on the Insert tab on the Ribbon and under the ‘Charts’ section you will see a number of charts(Figure 2).

GraphInRibbon

Figure 2 Chart options on the Ribbon

Clicking on a chart icon will give you a choice of sub charts. Click on the chart you wish to use. You have now created a chart(see Figure 3).

GraphChart2007

Figure 3 The chart

Note: If you click on the ‘Next’ button on the above dialog it is possible for you to configure the chart. Clicking on ‘Finish’ will automatically give you the standard settings.

1.3    Move the Chart

If you wish to move the chart to somewhere else on your sheet left click on the chart with the mouse and drag the sheet to where you want it.

1.4    Configure the Chart

You may wish to configure the Chart after you have created it. For example you may want to include more cells, add a title, change the chart type and so on. To do this simply right click on the chart and select the option you would like.


1.5    Include more cells in the Charts

If you wish to include more cells in the Chart then right click on the chart and select ‘Source data’ from the menu. This will display the currently selected data for this chart and the source data dialog(see Figure 4). Select the data you wish to use and click ‘Ok’ the chart will be updated with the new data.

GraphChangeSourceData

Figure 4 Change source data

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Posted in: Microsoft Office.
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How to Create a Table of Contents in Microsoft Word in Less Than One Minute!!!

Dec 16th, 2009
by The Computer Coach.
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Have you ever suffered serious frustration and wasted much time adding a table of contents to your Word document? Well help is at hand. Follow the steps in this short guide and from now on you will find adding a Table of Contents to be a piece of cake.

(Please note that this guide uses Word version 2007 – for Word 2003 see the bottom of each step).

Step 1 Use the Styles provided

This is where most people run into trouble. If you are adding a header do not manually bold, add numbers, change font size etc. Instead select from one of the existing styles provided by Word. These styles  will be automatically picked up by Word to create your table of contents.  You will find the styles under the Home tab(see screenshot below).

(In Word 2003  Styles are found under “Format” menu and then “Styles and Formatting”.)

2007StylesAndFormatting

Styles and Formatting selection in Word 2007

Step 2 Add Numbering to Your Sections

This step is optional however I think most people prefer to have their sections numbered. Select your entire document(Ctrl A) then under the Home tab select the icon shown in the image below.

From the menu provided select the type of numbering you wish to add to your document. Word will apply this numbering  based on the styles you used in step one.

(In Word 2003  numbering is found under “Format” menu and then “Bullets and Numbering”.)

Numbering your document sections in Word 2007

Numbering your document sections in Word 2007

Step 3 Add the Table of Contents

First select the place in the document where you wish to insert your table of contents. Under the ‘References’ tab select the ‘Table of Contents’ icon as shown in the screenshot below.

From the list provided select the type of table you wish to use – more choices are available under ‘Insert Table of Contents’ from the bottom of the list. When you have made your  selection a new Table of contents will be created.

(In Word 2003  Table of Contents is found under “Insert” menu and then “References” and “Index and Tables”.)

Add Your Table of Contents

Add Your Table of Contents

Step 4 Update Your Table of Contents

You can easily update your  Table of Contents when your document changes. Just right click on the table of contents and select “Update Field”, then ‘Update Entire Field’ and click Ok. Your ‘Table of Contents’ will have been updated to reflect the changes.

(This step is the same in Word 2003.)

Summary

Yes it really is that simple! A Table of Contents can be created in seconds providing you use the styles provided by Word. Once you do this Microsoft Word will do the rest.

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Posted in: Microsoft Office.
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Improve Your Efficiency With These Easy To Use Shortcut Keys

Dec 1st, 2009
by The Computer Coach.
2 comments

Every version of Windows contains shortcut keys that allow you to do common tasks quickly. For example if you want to copy text in Word using the shortcut keys you simply highlight the text, press Ctrl + C to copy and then Ctrl + V to paste. With a bit of practise you will be amazed how much quicker you can perform a cut and paste. This post contains a list of the most commonly used shortcut keys. It is a good idea to start with just one or two and then add more as you become proficient.

For all Microsoft Applications

Ctrl + C     Copy
Ctrl + X    Cut(Move)
Ctrl + V    Paste
Ctrl + A    Select everything in the current page or text box

Ctrl + Z    Undo
Ctrl + Y    Redo

Ctrl + Home     Go to start of Document/File List
Ctrl + End    Go to end of Document/File List

Office Applications like Word, Excel

Ctrl + S    Save file
Ctrl + O    Open file
Ctrl + B    Bold
Ctrl + I    Italic
Ctrl + U    Underline
Ctrl + P    Opens Print Window
F7        Spell check

Windows Key

WK = Windows Key
WK + E    Opens Windows Explorer
WK + F    Open Windows Search
WK + Pause    Open you System details
WK + M    Minimizes all your applications
WK + Shift + M    Maximizes all your applications

Internet Explorer or Firefox

F5        Refreshes browser window
F6        Move cursor to Address bar in Internet Explorer or Firefox
F11        Toggle full screen in browser
Space        Moves down a page in browser
Space + Shift    Moves up a page in browser
Ctrl + T    New tab
Ctrl + W    Close tab

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Posted in: Windows.
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4 Useful Excel Tricks You Can Use Right Now!

Nov 3rd, 2009
by The Computer Coach.
2 comments

1. Get the day of the Week from Date

where cell A1 contains the date 01/12/2009 the formula

= Text(A1,”ddd”) will give Tue

= Text(A1,”dddd”) will give Tuesday

GetWeekDay

2. Count Occurences in a Column

Sometimes you may wish to count the number of occurences of  a number or text in a sequence of cells.

CountInstances

Using our example we see that

=CountIf(A1:A10,5)

will give the number of times the number 5 appears in the cells from A1 to A8. The result is 3.

=CountIf(B1:B8, “Paul”)

will give the number of times ‘Paul’ appears in the cells from B1 to B8. The result  is 4.

3. Use IF to display incorrect values

If you want a spreadsheet to tell you when a value is incorrect you can use the ‘IF’ function.

UsingIF

In our example we compare the value in two cells and if they are equal we display “Correct” otherwise we display “Incorrect”.

1. condition: A2 = B2

2. if condition true: “Correct”

3. if condition false: “Incorrect”

Another example is =IF(A1>=40, “Pass”,”Fail”)

4. Get part of a text field

To take a part of a text field you can use the functions LEFT, RIGHT or MID. In our example below we can get the file extensions by selecting the three rightmost characters.

Right

However for file extensions with just two letters this will not work so we need to be a bit more clever.

The following formula will return only the values after the “.”

=MID(A2,FIND(”.”,A2)+1,3)

where

1. A2 is the text to use

2. Find returns us the position to start – in this case the first character after the “.”

3. The value 3 the is number of characters to return. If there are less characters then it will not cause a problem.

MidFind

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Posted in: Microsoft Office.
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What is Twitter?

Oct 12th, 2009
by The Computer Coach.
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The simplest explanation of Twitter you will ever read

Can you explain Twitter in simple terms?

Twitter is a website that allow users to write messages of 140 characters or less(known as Tweets).  These messages can be read by Twitter users who are following the author.

What does follow mean?

When you join Twitter you choose people to follow. You can find people using the search tool or you can search for them in your mail. When you find a users profile you can click on the follow button and from then on messages from this user will appear in your feed.

What is my feed?

This is all sequential list of all the messages from people you follow. When you log onto Twitter this is your default view.

How does Twitter differ from e-mail?

When you write an e-mail you decide who is going to receive it. When you write a Tweet other people decide if they wish to receive it. They do this by deciding to follow you.

How does Twitter differ from the FaceBook

In Twitter people decide if they wish to follow you without you having to confirm them as a follower. In FaceBook if people wish to receive your updates you have to confirm them as a friend. Also as Twitter only has text(you cannot add photos or videos for example) it is easier to read a lot of updates together whereas having a hundred or more updates per day on your FaceBook would not be practical.

How do I find people to follow?

If you know the name of the person you wish to follow you can search using the ‘Find People’ tool within Twitter. Also on many websites the have a button saying something like ‘Follow us on Twitter’. Clicking on this link will allow you to follow this person.

TwitterHomePageBigger

Can I stop/block people from following me?

Yes. Like FaceBook, Twitter is configurable and you can block specific users or set your account so only your friends can see your messages.

What else can I do in Twitter?

You can send any of your followers a private message only they can see. You can also reply to a tweet from another user. If you do this your reply will be displayed as part of your feed and is visible to everyone.

How do I know if  a users messages will interest me?

You can search for any user and click on their profile to see all their current tweets. You can then judge for yourself if you would like to receive their tweets.

How can I get the most out of Twitter?

If you follow areas of interest to you e.g. celebrities, movie sites, news sites etc. you can get the latest updates as they happen. If you follow your friends you can see what they are up to date on a regular basis. If you have your own business Twitter is a good way of letting your customers know what is currently happening.

Can you suggest some good people to follow?

The following are very popular on Twitter

LanceArmstrong

Jonathan Ross

BBCNews

Wired

TeamTalk

Oprah

TopGear

and of course..
The Computer Coach

What else can I use Twitter for?

Twitter is also a great way of seeing the general reaction to a current topic. For example Derren Brown’s weekly show gets hundreds of tweets when he performs the current trick. You can use search.twitter.com to search a topic and this will show you what everyone is saying. You do not have to be a follower of people to read these tweets.

It sounds so simple. Why is there so much hype about it?

It is the best place to see an instant reaction of a large number of people to any current event. Sometimes news items break on twitter before the news media.  Also many celebrities can use Twitter to easily communicate with all their fans in a way that is only possible very recently.

Yet another reason for the hype is that Oprah set up a Twitter account on her show and this brought Twitter to a lot of people who may not have been aware of Twitter previously.

What do I need to get started on Twitter?

You need a valid email address. Then go to www.Twitter.com and click on the ‘Sign Up Now’ button and follow the On Screen instructions. You will be up and running on Twitter in a matter of seconds.

Have you any tips for starting out on Twitter?

Do not follow too many people at the start. Follow a few people of interest and add more as you get used to Twitter. If you find that some friends(i.e. Twitter speak for people you follow) are tweeting too much then you can easily unfollow them.

Search.Twitter.com is a good place to search for people or topics.

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How To Use FaceBook

Sep 21st, 2009
by The Computer Coach.
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This simple guide explains how to easily get on, use and understand FaceBook.

1. What is FaceBook?

FacebookHeader

FaceBook is a website that allows you to connect and communicate easily with your friends, family and colleagues. You can share you current status,  jokes, news articles, photos, videos and links in one place.

If you have not used FaceBook before then you may not understand the benefits so to illustrate I will give an example – Imagine you are travelling through India and you wanted to let people know where you are. You can send all your friends an email. If someone wished to comment on this email then they would have to reply everyone on the email list and if someone wished to reply to this they would have to send another email to everyone and so on. The problem with this is that many people may not want to receive these emails and may not want you to display their email address to other people.

Using FaceBook to is much less intrusive and easier to manage. You post a comment to your wall and  your friends will see your update when they log into FaceBook. You can also display you photos, website articles, links, videos etc.  The advantage of FaceBook is that you can easily manage all this information and all your communication with your family and friends in one place.

2. Getting started on FaceBook

To get started type www.FaceBook.com into the address bar of your web browser and press the Enter key.

FaceBookAddress

This will bring you to the FaceBook home page.  To join FaceBook you must have a valid email address. If you do not have a valid email address you can easily create one at www.gmail.com.

To join you need to fill in the fields under ‘Sign Up’ – indicated by the red rectangle in the image below. When you have filled in these boxes Click on ‘Sign Up’ and your Facebook account will be created.

facebookstartpage

3. Update Your Profile

You now have a FaceBook account. The first thing to do is to update your profile. You do this by clicking on ‘Profile’ in the the top bar. This allows you to update your profile. You can add as much or as little information as you want to here. If you place your cursor over the image on the left you can add a picture. I recommend adding a picture as otherwise your account looks like it’s not being used. It’s does not have to be a picture of you – some people use sports stars or cartoon characters.

4. Get some Friends

The whole point of the FaceBook experience is to share things with your friends and family. Click on ‘Friends’ in the top toolbar and the click on ‘Find Friends’ from that menu. Follow the onscreen instructions to invite people to become a friend on FaceBook. Remember if you do not want someone to see your updates(e.g. such as your boss) then do not add them as a friend. You can remove them as a friend or block them from seeing you updates but  it is much easier not to add them as a friend in the first place.

5. Find Pages of Interest

Many people become a fan of pages like ‘Bed’. While this might seem humourous it is pointless as you will never receive any updates. Much more interesting is to become a fan of a page that reflects your interests. For example if you  are a fan of films and become a fan of a page like  ‘Rotten Tomatoes’  you will see interesting articles relating to films appearing in your newsfeed. To find a page just type the name into the Search box at the top left or your page and a list of titles will appear. Click on the page to see details and if you like it you can click on ‘Become a Fan’.

6. Viewing content

To view content from your friends and fan pages click on home. Remember if you do not have many friends or pages then you will probably not have many updates to begin with. But these will grow as your friends list grow.

7. ‘Whats on Your Mind?’

facebookMind

In the box at the top of your Home page your will see ‘Whats on your Mind?’. You can type your current status here like ‘Heading to Spain’ or ‘Finishing a great book’. You can also add links to sites, photos, videos. It is important to remember that anything you post here can be seen by all of your friends by default. If you want to say something private to someone then send then a private message. Click on ‘Inbox’ in the top bar and ‘Compose New Message’.

Conclusion

You are now up and running on FaceBook. The experience you have is down to the quality of interaction between you and your friends. An important point to note is that your FaceBook experience is entirely configurable. If you do not want users to see certain items you can change your privacy settings to exclude these items or if  you like can remove the person as a friend. If you are receiving too many updates or requests from one person or application you can easily hide these updates.

Other article that may interest you

7 Simple FaceBook Tips You Can Use Right Now!

7 Simple FaceBook How To’s

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Video – 3 Simple Ways To Find Your File Now!

Sep 20th, 2009
by The Computer Coach.
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This video shows you 3 ways of retrieving any file on Windows Vista in just seconds.

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Posted in: Windows Vista Tips.
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The Computer Coach Contact Details

Sep 18th, 2009
by admin.
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www.TheComputerCoach.ie
Paul@TheComputerCoach.ie
Phone: +353 (0)87 9371504

www.twitter.com\ComputerCoachKK
www.facebook.com\TheComputerCoach

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Posted in: Contact Details.

7 Simple FaceBook Tips You Can Use Right Now!

Sep 14th, 2009
by The Computer Coach.
2 comments

1. How To Filter out People’s Updates

Is your FaceBook newsfeed being swamped by loads of updates by one particular user? Well filtering out their updates is easy. Place the mouse cursor to the right of one of the updates from them and a hide button will appear. Click on this button and you will be given the option to hide this user. Updates from this user will no longer appear in your newsfeed.

If you want to remove the filter then go to the bottom of the page. Click on ‘Edit Options’ on the bar and this will give you a list of users you have filtered out. If you wish to see their updates again click on ‘Add to Newsfeed’ and this users updates will now appear in your newsfeed from now on.

HideUpdate1

Select user you wish to hide updates from

Move cursor to write of update and Hide but will appear

Move cursor to the right of update and Hide but will appear

 
 

2. How To View a list of ‘Pages’ or ‘Groups’ that you are a fan of

Click on Profile and then Info and scroll to the bottom. You will see the ‘Pages’ heading. Click on ‘Show All’ to see a list of all the pages you are a fan of. You will find ‘Groups’ just above ‘Pages’. Click on ‘See all’ to see a list of all the Groups you have joined.

SelectPages

Click Profile and then Info

SelectPages2

Scroll to bottom of Info page you will find Pages

 
 

3. How to Remove yourself as a Fan of a FaceBook page

First of all type the name of the page into your search bar and it should appear in the list. Alternatively you can just click on one of the updates from this page and this will bring you to the actual FaceBook page.  Scroll down the page until you get to the bottom of the left menu bar. Then click on ‘Remove me from Fans’ and this will be removed from your pages.

RemoveMeAsAFan

 
 

4. How to create a Page for your organisation, business etc.

If you wish to create a FaceBook page then go here Here and follow the on screen instructions.

Create a new Page

Create a new Page

 
 

5. How To get your own FaceBook username

First of all what is a username? A username allows you to give your family or friends an easy way to link to your FaceBook page. By placing the username after www.FaceBook.com a person can easily get to your page. E.g.  www.FaceBook.com/TheComputerCoach. Each username is unique so if your name is already taken you cannot use it. To claim your Username go here.

 
 

6. How to stop a person constantly appearing in your Suggestions box

In the right of the ‘Suggestion’ box click on the ‘X’. This will close the entry and that user will not appear again.

StopSuggestion

 
 

7. How To View, Edit or Remove  all Applications you are using

Go to the bar at the bottom of any FaceBook page. Click on ‘Applications’ and towards the bottom of the menu click ‘Edit Applications’.

EditApplications1

You will be brought to a page that displays a list of your applications filtered  by the selection in the ‘Show’ box. You can change the filter in this box to allow you to filter by ‘Authorised’, “Allowed to Post” etc. From here you can go to the application pages, changes settings or remove the application from your profile.

EditApplications2

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How To Remove A Virus In 6 Simple Steps

Sep 5th, 2009
by The Computer Coach.
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One question people ask me all the time is – ‘How do I remove a virus from my Computer’? It is actually a lot easier to do than most people think.

In this guide I will show you how to remove a Virus/Malware/Trojan etc. in just a few simple steps.

Step 1 Disconnect your infected computer from the internet

You do not want to be online when you have malicious software running on you computer so disconnect from the internet straightaway.

Step 2 Restart your computer in safe mode

In safe mode many of the windows options are turned off meaning that the virus is limited to what it can do. For most versions of  Windows you enter safe mode by holding down the F8 key when the computer is rebooting. Then using the arrow keys and the ‘Enter’ key select safe mode.

Step 3 Download, Buy or Borrow up to date Anti-Virus software

If you wish to download the software then remember to download it from a computer that isn’t infected.  Also never download malware/spyware removal application unless you are 100% sure it is from a trusted software supplier as many of these are malicious.

AVG Anti-Virus is a free option that gives protection from malicious software. If you want something more powerful and are willing to pay then AVG Internet Security 8.5 and Kaspersky are two of the best in the market.

Step 4 Install the Anti-Virus software

If you have downloaded the software then copy it to the infected computer and run the installation. If you have the software on disk just insert the disk and this should automatically bring up the installation screen. Follow the on screen instructions to install.

Step 5 Run the Anti-Virus software

When the software has finished installing you can run it. This can take a lot of time depending on the speed of the computer, disk size etc . When the scan is finished follow the instructions to remove the infected files.

Step 6 Restart Windows

When the anti-virus software has removed all the infections you can restart your computer in normal mode. You should now have a virus free computer with up to date virus protection. Remember to download updates for your virus software on a regular basis.

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