November 9, 2008

Easy parallel columns in Word

  • Date: September 5th, 2008
  • Author: Susan Harkins

Columns cialis dosage 40 mg are easy to create in Word — usually. Newspaper columns flow from top to bottom and then snake around to the top and down to the bottom again. In Word, you just click a button and like magic, you have newspaper columns. On the other hand, parallel columns are a bit more troublesome. These columns are read left to right. You can use tabs, but the guesswork makes these columns awkward to work with. Moving or deleting a column is difficult at best. Displaying the tab characters make the chore easier, but you still have to delete or move items one by one.

Tina Norris Fields, a Michigan colleague, recently shared an easy way to create parallel columns: Use a table and then inhibit the borders. Now, that’s magic!

Use any method you like to create the table. I usually enter the first few rows and then let Word create the table based on the existing items. If you know the dimensions, you can create the table first and then enter data. It doesn’t really matter. Use the AutoFit format and let Word adjust the table as you enter the columnar data.

When you’re done, turn off the table’s borders as follows:

  1. Select the entire table by clicking anywhere inside it. Then, choose Select from the Table menu and choose Table. Or click the double-arrow icon in both Word 2003 and Word 2007.
  2. With the table selected, choose Borders And Shading from the Format menu and click the Borders tab. (In Word 2007, choose Borders And Shading from the Borders And Shading drop-down list in the Paragraph group on the Home tab. This list is also available in the Table Styles group on the Design tab.)
  3. Click the None option under Setting.

Word will gray out the borders on screen. However, Word won’t print the borders, which you can easily confirm by viewing the document in Print Preview.

Using the table structure allows you to easily move or even delete parallel columns.

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10 surprising things about Windows Server 2008

  • Date: September 4th, 2008
  • Author: Justin James

When you take a look at Windows Server 2008, you’ll discover big changes — including some legitimate improvements.  Justin James outlines a few of the unexpected aspects of the new OS, both good and bad.


Windows Server 2003 felt like a refresh of Windows Server 2000. There were few radical changes, and most of the improvements were fairly under the surface. Windows Server 2008, on the other hand, is a full-size helping of “new and improved.” While the overall package is quite good, there are a few surprises, “gotchas,” and hidden delights you will want to know about before deciding if you will be moving to Windows Server 2008 any time soon.

Note: This information is also available as a PDF download.

#1: The 64-bit revolution is not complete

There have been 64-bit editions of Windows Server for years now, and Microsoft has made it quite clear that it wants all of its customers to move to 64-bit operating systems. That does not mean that you can throw away your 32-bit Windows Server 2008 CD, though! Over the last few months, I have been shocked on more than one occasion by the pieces of Microsoft software that not only do not have 64-bit versions, but will not run under a 64-bit OS at all. This list includes Team Foundation Server and ISA Server. If you are planning on moving to 64-bit Windows Server 2008, be prepared to have a 32-bit server or two around, whether it be on physical hardware or in a VM.

#2: Who moved my cheese?

While the UI changes in Windows Server 2008 are not nearly as sweeping as the Aero interface in Vista, it has undergone a dramatic rearrangement and renaming of the various applets around the system. In retrospect, the organization of these items is much more sensible, but that hardly matters when you have years of experience going to a particular area to find something, only to have it suddenly change. Expect to be a bit frustrated in the Control Panel until you get used to it.

#3: Windows Workstation 2008 might catch on

In an odd turn of events, Microsoft has provided the ability to bring the “Vista Desktop Experience” into Windows Server 2008. I doubt that many server administrators were asking for this, but the unusual result is that a number of people are modifying Windows Server 2008 to be as close to a desktop OS as possible. There have always been a few people who use the server edition of Windows as a desktop, but this makes it much easier and friendlier. These home-brewed efforts are generally called “Windows Workstation 2008,” in case you’re interested in trying it out on your own.

#4: Hyper-V is good, but…

Hyper-V was one of the most anticipated features of Windows Server 2008, and it’s surprisingly good, particularly for a version 1 release from Microsoft. It is stable, easy to install and configure, and does not seem to have any major problems. For those of us who have been beaten into the “wait until the third version” or “don’t install until SP1″ mentality, this is a refreshing surprise.

#5: …Hyper-V is limited

Hyper-V, while of high quality, is sorely lacking features. Considering that it was billed as a real alternative to VMWare and other existing solutions, it is a disappointment (to say the least) that it does not seem to include any utilities for importing VMs from products other than Virtual PC and Virtual Server. Even those imports are not workaround-free. Another real surprise here is the lack of a physical-to-virtual conversion utility. Hyper-V may be a good system, but make sure that you fully try it out before you commit to using it.

#6: NT 4 domain migration — it’s not happening

If you have been putting off the painful migration from your NT 4 domain until Windows Server 2008 was released, don’t keep waiting. The older version (3.0) Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT) supports migrations from NT 4, but not to Windows Server 2008. The latest version (3.1) support migrations to Windows Server 2008, but not from NT 4. Either migrate from NT 4 before changing your domain to be a Windows 2008 domain or get your NT 4 domain upgraded first.

#7: The ashtrays are now optional

In prior versions of Windows Server, a lot of applications came installed by default. No one ever uninstalled them because they did not cause any harm, even if you didn’t use them or installed an alternative. Now, even the “throwaway” applications, like Windows Backup, are not installed by default. After installation, you need to add “features” to get the full Windows Server suite of applications. This can be frustrating if you are in a hurry, but the reduced clutter and resource overhead are worth it.

#8: Licensing is bewildering

Continuing a hallowed Microsoft tradition, trying to understand the licensing terms of Windows Server 2008 feels like hammering nails with your forehead. So maybe this isn’t so much a surprise as a gotcha. The Standard Edition makes sense, but when you get into the issues around virtualization in Enterprise and Datacenter Editions, things can be a bit confusing. Depending upon your need for virtual machines and the number of physical CPUs (not CPU cores, thankfully) in your server, Enterprise Edition may be cheaper — or it may be more expensive than Datacenter Edition. One thing to keep in mind is that once you start using virtual machines, you start to like them a lot more that you thought you would. It’s easy to find yourself using a lot more of them than originally expected.

#9: There’s no bloat

Maybe it’s because Vista set expectations of pain, or because hardware has gotten so much cheaper, but Windows Server 2008 does not feel bloated or slow at all. Microsoft has done a pretty good job at minimizing the installed feature set to the bare minimum, and Server Core can take that even further. Depending upon your needs, it can be quite possible to upgrade even older equipment to Windows Server 2008 without needing to beef up the hardware.

#10: Quality beats expectations

Microsoft customers have developed low expectations of quality cialis dosage 20mg over the years, unfortunately, with good reason. While its track record for initial releases, in terms of security holes and bug counts, seems to be improving customers are still howling about Vista. As a result, it has come as a real surprise that the overall reaction to Windows Server 2008 has been muted, to say the least. The horror stories just are not flying around like they were with Vista. Maybe it’s the extra year they spent working on it, or different expectations of the people who work with servers, but Windows Server 2008 has had a pretty warm reception so far. And that speaks a lot to its quality. There is nothing particularly flashy or standout about it. But at the same time, it is a solid, high quality product. And that is exactly what system administrators need.

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ISP bandwidth limits may have unclear impact on telecommuters

  • Date: September 1st, 2008
  • Author: Rick Vanover

On the heels of Comcast’s recent decision to enforce a 250 GB bandwidth limit on residential customers, network administrators may wonder what this means for telecommuters. While a remote site’s network connectivity would be a business category plan, most telecommuters use the residential class service for price reasons or service availability. What is unclear cialis discounts within Comcast’s announcement is how many customers in terms of a percentage would this affect. While the 250 GB limit may sound like a lot, it may not be enough if the household has a large amount of Internet traffic, including the telecommuter. Should other ISPs follow suit with this fair access policy for the bandwidth management, the concern may arise about the ongoing support of telecommuters.

The home network of the telecommuter is something that the enterprise network administrator wants no part of, and further, many steps, such as desktop firewalls and VPN policies, are taken to protect company computing equipment for use in untrusted networks.

The issue with the bandwidth limit policy is what to do with a telecommuter that becomes a victim of this policy? If a business line of service is not available, it may be a good idea to prepare some alternatives or contingency services to residential broadband for the telecommuter. While not ideal, the most readily available alternative is to use wireless broadband services from carriers such as Sprint or Verizon. These services may have bandwidth limits as well, and Verizon’s wireless broadband service is limited to 5 GB per month. Sprint, however, presents a more attractive wireless broadband offering for the enterprise.

Organizations need to be aware of this situation, because they may be a victim of this bandwidth limit if it remains in effect or if other providers make similar terms of service changes. You may have to answer this question: Can you ship me a modem cable?

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Let users view Web pages from within an Access form

  • Date: September 2nd, 2008
  • Author: Mary Ann Richardson

Your users don’t have to waste time bouncing between Access and a Web browser. See how to add a control that lets them browse without ever leaving their form.


Do your users often need to stop and search the Web for data? Make it easier for them by adding a Web browser control to their forms. For example, say your users need to input the latest stock prices of the companies where your clients have placed investments. Follow these steps:

  1. Open the form in Design View.
  2. Click the More Controls button in the Controls toolbox. Scroll down to select Microsoft Web Browser. (In Word 2007, click the Active X button in the Controls group under the Design tab of Forms Design Tools. Scroll down to select Microsoft Web Browser and then click OK.)
  3. Click and drag in your form to create the Web browser control.
  4. Click the Text Box Control tool and then click and drag in your form to create the control.
  5. Click in the text box control label and type Web Address: (Figure A).

Figure A

text box control

  1. Right-click the text box control and select Properties.
  2. Click in the After Update property box and then click the Build button (Figure B).

Figure B

Web control

  1. Type the following code at the prompt:

Private Sub Text17_AfterUpdate() Dim varAddress As String varAddress = Me.Text17 Me!WebBrowser6.Navigate varAddress End Sub

  1. Press Alt + Q.

Now when a user enters a Web address, the Web page displays in the Web browser control window, as shown in Figure C.

Figure C

browse in placecialis discount price in place” width=”500″ height=”170″ />

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Give your Word documents a professional look by adding symbols

  • Date: September 2nd, 2008
  • Author: Mary Ann Richardson

The smallest details often make a big difference in the appearance of your documents. See how the simple trick of adding a couple of special characters can improve your page design.


Just a few quick touches with symbols can spruce up your documents in minutes. For example, say you’ve just formatted the newsletter shown in Figure A.

Figure A

sample doc

You’d like to add something at the end of Article One that tells the reader the article ends there; you would also like to add something to indicate that Article Two continues on the next page. Follow these steps:

  1. Click at the end of Article One.
  1. Go to Insert cialis daily generic | Symbol. (In Word 2007, click the Insert tab and then click Symbol in the Symbols group and select More Symbols.)
  1. Click the Font box drop-down arrow and select Symbol.
  1. Click the symbol in the last row, as shown in Figure B, and then click the Insert button.

Figure B

symbols

  1. Click Close.
  1. Select the symbol you just inserted and change the Font color to dark green.
  1. Click at the end of the last column in the document.
  1. Go to Insert | Symbol. (In Word 2007, click the Insert tab and then click Symbol in the Symbols group and select More Symbols.)
  1. Click the Font box drop-down arrow and select WingDings.
  1. Click the symbol shown in Figure C and then click the Insert button.

Figure C

more symbols

  1. Click Close.
  1. Select the inserted symbol and change the font size to 18 and the Font color to dark green (Figure D).

Figure D

symbol formatting

Note: When you need to use the symbols again, you can find them listed under the most recently used symbols in the Insert Symbol dialog box. In Word 2007, just click Symbol on the Insert tab.

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