tips · Page 10 of 11 · 4 Corner IT

Computer Tip of the Day: Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word has been a staple writing program for business and home computer users for years. It is often the first program grade school children learn to use in computer class. However, even if you have used Word for many years, there are tricks that even the most seasoned Microsoft Word users may not know. Below are computer tips of the day for Microsoft Word.

Filler Text: What may seem useless at first can be a great tool for any Microsoft Word user. You can start by typing “=lorem(p,l)”. The “p” is for paragraphs and the “l” is for lines, so you would replace those with your desired amounts for paragraphs and lines. What this command does is it fills your desired paragraphs and lines with randomized Latin filler text. This filler text can be useful for people who need to create templates for newspapers or articles. It can also be useful for those who want to see how long their paper or document will be.

Shift and F5: Using shift with F5 is a fundamental trick that any Microsoft Word user needs to know. What this combination does, is it allows you to shuffle back to your last edits. Additionally, this keyboard shortcut can be useful when reopening a saved document. By pressing shift and F5 after reopening a document, you can go back to the area in the document that you were most previously editing.

If you have any questions or want to learn more tips about Microsoft Word or other computer related subjects, make sure to contact us.

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Optimize Your WiFi Connection – Computer Tip of the Day

These days, portability is king. WiFi has allowed devices to be mobile and connected. It also brings several headaches when it doesn’t work or when the signal strength is weak. Luckily, there is something you can do to optimize your WiFi without spending a dime.

Router Placement

Your router broadcasts WiFi signals in a spherical field. To get the most coverage, place your router closest to the center of the area you want to cover. Avoid placing it behind walls and floors as this will weaken signal. Thick layers of concrete, metal, or stone will also hinder WiFi signal strength.

Update Drivers and Firmware

Download and install firmware for your routers from the router manufacturer’s website or through the control panel for your router. Keeping up to date will ensure that your router has all the latest software and is free of all known bugs and performance issues. Likewise, be sure your wireless card drivers on your PCs are up to date.

Choose the Right Channels

WiFi can be slowed by other networks communicating on the same channel. When your device connects to a wireless network, it is automatically set to “listen” to the channel of that network. Your computer also “hears” noise from all other networks broadcasting WiFi on that channel. Most WiFi operates on a 2.4GHz band. Within this frequency, there are three available channels to operate on (1, 6, 11). You’ll want to choose the band with the least amount of traffic from other networks. You can use an app like WiFi Analyzer for Android to scan networks and determine what channel they are operating on.

Upgrading your network infrastructure can be as simple as adding a single range extender and soon you will see huge performance increases. Contact us to see how we make your WiFi perform it’s best.

Computer Tip of the Day: Upgrading to Windows 10

Microsoft updates are the most annoying updates on the market. However, there comes a time when you have to bite the bullet and upgrade in order to keep abreast of industry standards.

This computer tip of the day lets you know how to upgrade to Windows 10.

Upgrade While it is Free.

July 29, 2016 is the final day that Microsoft will offer the Windows 10 upgrade for free to those offices running Windows 7 Service Pack 1 or Windows 8.1 Update. Make sure that you are upgrading to Pro or Enterprise and that you include the Windows Update for Business.

Turn Off the Keylogger.

You may have heard that Windows 10 comes defaulted to a keylogger that transmits all of your activity back to Microsoft. Here is the link to turn off that creepy option for good.

Decide Whether You Need Azure Active Directory.

Azure Active Directory is a relatively decent option for businesses that have already transitioned into the cloud. Its implementation gives you access to thousands of SaaS applications in the cloud such as Concur, DropBox, Office365 and Salesforce.com.

However, you may not need Azure Active Directory if you are not transmitting data through the cloud. Implementation when you are not using the cloud in this capacity can complicate the user interface needlessly, slowing down your office productivity and basically putting a bunch of junk in the way of basic operations.

Please contact us for IT support in Fort Lauderdale and Miami. We pride ourselves on taking care of your ideas and supporting your business with a sturdy infrastructure.

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Computer Tip of the Day: Choosing a Brand for Your Small Business

In order to create an effective digital business network for a small company, you must decide on a brand for the office. The computer tip of the day is how to effectively choose a brand that will create an effective network for you.

Choosing an OS

There is now very little difference between the two major operating systems, Windows and the Apple Mac OS. Choose whichever platform supports the software that your critical employees use, and make sure that you buy computers for the same operating system for all departments.

If you are in the tech industry, you may benefit from the Linux system, but only if you have in-house staff with in-depth computer knowledge.

Investing in Mobility

If you want your employees to move with your data, you will need to invest in a mobile platform that connects to your office network. Ensure that the OS on your mobile devices matches the brand for your stationary computers.

CPU vs GPU Power

You will spend much more money upgrading your CPU power than you will GPU power; however, GPU upgrades can give you up to 1000 times the efficiency of a CPU power up.

No matter which OS you choose, make sure that you have computers that are modern enough to upgrade through their GPU. You will pay more upfront, but you will save tens of thousands of dollars later.

Please feel free to contact us for your IT support. Focus your efforts where they need to be while we focus on protecting your hard work.

Also Check Out Our Cabling Services!

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Absolute and Relative Cell References in Excel

Microsoft Excel is one of the most powerful computing tools available to a business person, regardless of the context in which they work, be it a home office, small business or trans-national corporation. Among the many tools available in Excel, absolute and relative cell references are one of the more often over-looked and misunderstood.

Your computer tip of the day is what they are and how to use them both:

A relative cell reference is generated automatically by excel whenever you attempt to insert a cell reference in a formula. They are distinctive by the combination of letters and numbers that appear in the formula and the highlight produced on the cell being referenced. Relative references have great power: as you copy and paste the formula left, right, up or down in your workbook, the formula updates to match its’ new position in the document and recalculate based on how far it moved in both directions. This in incredibly powerful for summing columns, or concatenating text strings in rows, for example.

Absolute cell references are different. You have to create them manually, by inserting a dollar sign in front of each portion of a relative cell reference. Yes, you can have partially absolute and partially relative cell references in the same place. An absolute cell reference will always find the exact cell specified, no matter where or how you copy the formula within the spreadsheet. This is an incredibly powerful tool if you need to apply things like a fixed percentage across a range of values, but that percentage needs to be the same for every value. You could simply specify that percentage at the top of the column, and then fill down the absolute reference formula in the same column.

Here are some examples:

Relative cell reference: “B32”, “D17”, “G4”
Absolute cell reference: “$B32”, “D$17”, “$G$4

Absolute and relative cell references are another powerful tool you can use to make Excel work easier for you. Contact us to learn more.