It’s useful to include some basic information in Access report footers, such as the name of the person who prepared the report. Here’s a simple way to prompt for the user’s name and insert it in the page footer.

Since a report is just a snapshot of a database at a certain date and time, generic cialis review it is helpful to include that information in the report printout. In addition to a time and date stamp, it’s also nice to have the preparer add his or her name to the end each report page. Follow these steps:

1. Click the Text Box control tool and then click and drag in the Page footer section of the report.

1. Select the text in the Label control, type Prepared by:, and format it as desired.

1. Click in the text box and enter the formula below, as shown in Figure A:

=[What is your name?]

Figure A

When you run the report, you’ll see the dialog box shown in Figure B.

Figure B

After the preparer enters his/her name, the report will output with a page footer like the one shown in Figure C.

Figure C

You can make your PowerPoint presentations far more engaging with a little animation sleight of hand. Susan Harkins walks through the process and shares a sample presentation to demonstrate the results.

An easy way to bring a presentation to life is to imply growth or movement. Insert a few AutoShapes, perform a bit of animation magic, and a simple graphic takes on a life of its own. Your message will stick with the audience long after you shut down the system and turn off the lights — and that’s what you’re after. Once you’re familiar with the process, you’ll find unlimited possibilities for adding a bit of life to your presentations.

Note: This information is also available as a PDF download, along with the sample  presentation used to demonstrate this technique.

An overview

The process for simulating growth or movement is simple. You string together a number of frames, similar to the process that creates cartoons. The graphic in each frame changes just enough to suggest growth or movement. Animation properties string the frames together, allowing the graphic to morph from one frame to the next. The simplest animation can require as few as three or four frames. As a general rule, the slower the process, the more frames you need.

Suggesting movement

There are a number of ways to suggest change by using movement to make a point. You could help a flock of birds soar into the sky or send a rocket into space. We’ll work with a much simpler example — we’ll make a frowning face smile!

This example requires three frames: A frowning face, a neutral face, and a smiling face. You could add more to make the change smoother, but three is enough for our purposes and it keeps the example simple and easy to follow. To begin, use AutoShapes to create the frowning face. Specifically, use three circles from Basic Shapes and an arc from Lines. That’s the first frame.

The second and third frames are even simpler. Off to the side (in the same slide) create a straight line and a second arc to fill the neutral frame and the upturned smile frame, respectively. Keep in mind that the size of all three smiles must be relatively the same. The easiest way to create the upturned smile is to copy the frowning smile and rotate it. That way, the smile is the same size as the frown. When creating the neutral frame, you’ll just have to eyeball it.

Once you have created all three frames, as shown in Figure A, you’re ready to animate them. Notice that the second and third frames contain only the parts that move. That won’t always be the case. Sometimes, each frame contains a complete picture, but work with as few pieces as possible when you can.

Figure A

generic cialis professional border=”0″ alt=”frown” title=”frown” width=”500″ height=”425″ />

Use three frames to simulate turning a frown into a smile.

The animation settings determine how PowerPoint displays each frame. In this case, PowerPoint displays the frowning face as a whole picture. As the frown fades, PowerPoint fades to the neutral frame. As the neutral frame fades, PowerPoint displays the upturned smile frame. Complete this animation as follows:

Once you’ve animated each frame, stack them as shown in Figure B. That way, the three smiles fill the same space as the frames fade in and out. Now, save the presentation.

Figure B

 Stack the frames so they seem to occupy the same space.

To preview the animated slide, press [F5]. The effect isn’t visible online so be sure to download the demo presentation for a complete picture.

The first frame (the frown) doesn’t have an Entrance effect, and the last frame (the smile) doesn’t have an Exit effect. That means the frown is present from the beginning — it doesn’t fade in. Similarly, the smile doesn’t fade. You can change both, if it suits your purposes.The fading entrance and exit properties and the speed between those fades simulate movement between the three faces. That movement creates mood. Make sure the mood fulfills or supports your message. You can alter the entrance and exit effects and speeds to customize the general mood of the animation.

The smiling face example uses a combination of With Previous and After Previous settings. There are three possible settings:

• On Click: You must click the slide to start the animation.
• With Previous: Animation begins as the previous item ends.
• With After: Animation begins immediately after the previous item is finished.

Remember, these properties determine how PowerPoint displays and subsequently hides each frame. The frown fades after its animation is complete. The neutral frame fades in as the frown fades out. Each frame repeats this structure. You can change those effects, slow them down, speed them up, and even combine them. You could also move several pieces in each frame. For instance, you could change the shape of the eyes or even let the face wink.

The one problem with this particular example is that PowerPoint can’t replicate a natural smile. That natural process is too smooth. You can add more arcs to make the process smoother, but you can’t truly blend one frame into the next. You can only give the illusion of doing so. Don’t try to imitate life, just allude to it You’re after the sentiment, not a realistic rendition.

Suggesting growth

The technique for implying growth is the same as for movement. Only the essence of the message and the result differ. This time, the example graphic, a red heart, grows a bit, making it seem to pulse.

First, you need the frames. The three hearts shown in Figure C increase in size. Use the instructions from the last example to apply the same animation scheme, except for the speed. Use Medium speed instead of Fast.

Figure C

Animating three different-size hearts suggests a growing and pulsing heart.

After applying the animation settings, stack the hearts in the center of the slide, as shown in Figure D. You can’t tell it, but the two smaller hearts are under the largest heart. To view the animation, press [F5]. The timing is a bit slower this time, but the frames fade into one another as the previous example did. The slower fades seem to give the heart a pulse.

Figure D

Stack the three frames and watch the heart grow.

To life!

Liven up a presentation with a little movement or growth. At first, the process requires some experimentation, but the more you work with animation settings, the more intuitive they will become. Remember, anytime you engage the audience in a fun and meaningful way, you influence those viewers in a positive way.

• Date: December 3rd, 2008
• Author: Mark Kaelin

In information technology and operating system terms, Microsoft Windows XP has been around a very long time. Over the years, TechRepublic has literally written thousands of tips, tweaks, tricks, and hacks in our article, download, and blog pages. One of my favorites is a quick and easy tweak that will change the behavior of Windows Explorer.

The directory/folder metaphor employed by Windows XP to organize files on a hard drive fits well with my natural tendency of hierarchical organization. My thinking pattern follows the general > less general > specific > most specific framework. So there are times when I want to see a particular folder hierarchy laid out before me in Windows Explorer.

This blog post is also available in PDF format in a TechRepublic download.

Tweak the displayed folder

The default display for Windows XP Explorer is to show the My Documents folder with all of its subfolders expanded and ready to be selected (Figure A).

Figure A

The default Windows XP Explorer view

There is nothing wrong with this view, but I don’t always generic cialis prices want to open Windows Explorer in the My Documents folder. I have access to, and the need to use, several different network folders during the course of a day. With a small tweak of the Windows Explorer Properties settings you can change which folder gets displayed and how that display is revealed.

To get to the Windows Explorer Properties dialog box, right-click the Windows Explorer shortcut. You can copy the shortcut in the Start Menu to your Desktop to make it easier to work with. I like to have several Windows Explorer shortcuts in my toolbar for easy access — each going to a different place.

When you right-click and go to Properties and click the Shortcut tab, you should see a screen similar to Figure B.

Figure B

The Windows Explorer Properties dialog box

The key box is the Target box. To change the Windows Explorer shortcut to open a specific folder of your choosing, change the Target box to read:

c:\windows\EXPLORER.EXE /n, /e, X:\Folder of my choosing

For example, the blog posts I write or edit are saved on a network drive (U) in a folder I have dubbed “Working Folder.” The Target box for this shortcut looks like this and the corresponding screenshot is shown in Figure C.

c:\windows\EXPLORER.EXE /n, /e, u:\working folder

Figure C

A new target folder

Now, when I click this Windows Explorer shortcut, I get the screen shown in Figure D.

Figure D

My working folder

Additional tweak

The tweak above shows my Working Folder and all the subfolders under it. But with a small additional tweak, I can get a Windows Explorer view that shows the Working Folder subfolders collapsed (Figure E).

Figure E

Working Folder with subfolders collapsed

This is a cleaner more concise look. To get this behavior, add the /select command to the Target box like this:

c:\windows\EXPLORER.EXE /n, /e, /select, u:\working folder

Your choice

You can apply this tweak to as many folders as you want. You can give them different icons and place them on your desktop or on your toolbar. This small tweak gives you great flexibility in how you interact with Windows XP.

Someone asked

In the attached discussion thread, there was a request for an explanation of the Windows Explorer in-line commands. I found a reference on Microsoft’s Help and Support pages:

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

You can update your combo boxes on the fly with the help of an Access shortcut. generic cialis overnight Mary Ann Richardson explains how it works.

Combo boxes let you type an entry into a field and select the entry again whenever you need it for another record. However, Access runs the query to the combo box only when the form is opened. If you add a new entry to the field, it will not appear in the list until you reopen the form. Fortunately, there’s a quick way to update your combo box without having to open and close the form.

For example, say you are entering data for a number of employees whose zip code is 07056. You enter the code for one employee. Then, when you enter the next one, you find that zip code is not on the list (Figure A).

Figure A

Follow these steps:

1. Press Shift + F9.

This is the Requery shortcut, which takes you back to the first record. When you click on the combo box to update any record, 07056 is now displayed, as shown in Figure B.

Figure B

You can use the Requery key to update any control based on SQL data.

If you read my article 10 things you should do before, during, and after reinstalling Windows you will be aware that I mentioned five ways to get the important updates and the latest Windows service pack and five ways to install the same. While writing the article it became apparent to me that there was a security risk immediately following a reinstall of Windows.

Microsoft recommends that you connect to the Internet to get the important security updates and service pack. But the catch-22 is that your computer is more vulnerable until the security updates are installed. That left me wondering if there was a better way to secure my PC when it was at its most vulnerable — immediately following a clean install.

The best and easiest solution would be to simply download the security updates before a reinstall. This cumulative self-executable security update file simply does not exist on the Microsoft download site. I’ve seen Microsoft security update files available for download at various Web sites, but this is one of the few times that a third-party solution won’t work. You simply can’t trust replacing your core system files to anyone but Microsoft.

So I set out to find a proactive way to secure my computer immediately following an install or reinstall. I detail five ways (Table A) to better secure your computer until all the important security updates can be installed. They range from simple to complex and from less secure to more secure. This document refers specifically to Vista, but the concepts apply to all versions of Windows.

This blog post is also available in PDF format in a TechRepublic download.

Five ways

Table A – The Five Vista Install/Reinstall Security Options

Options three, four, and five offer a more secure way to retrieve SP1 and the important update files. Option five is potentially the most secure and is the most difficult to implement.

Option one

Stand-alone computer users must follow this option. Since the computer will not be connected to a network, there are no online threats to worry about. You will still need to consider the risks involved when running any applications. The service pack, if any, will have to be installed manually.

Option two

This is the standard default option for Windows. Most of you have always used this option to update your PC following an install or reinstall.

If you select this option, you will have to rely solely on Vista’s built-in Windows Firewall and Windows Defender. The security updates you will be downloading fix known security vulnerabilities with Internet Explorer, MS Mail, and Windows Media Player. Until the security updates are installed, you should consider not browsing the Web, reading your e-mails, listening to MP3s, or starting any other applications that connect to the Internet.

Option three

The comments in option two also apply to option three. This option requires you to connect to the Internet to get the latest security updates. Then do a manual install of the latest service pack. By installing SP1 manually you reduce the amount of time you have to be connected to the Internet.

Option four

The comments in option two also apply to option four. Option four is similar to option three but installs the security updates contained in SP1 before having to connect to the Internet. By installing SP1 manually, you also reduce the amount of time you have to be connected to the Internet.

I have tried Option four, and it seemed to work well for me without any major problems, even though it is not Microsoft approved. I was able to experience firsthand some of the problems that can be experienced by manually installing SP1 prior to a Windows Update scan. Be aware that if you choose this option it is possible that any problems may require you to reformat the target partition and reload Windows from scratch again. You can also try manually installing SP1 in safe mode if you experience any problems.

Option five

This option involves configuring a firewall to block all network traffic except traffic to the Windows Update server. Actually implementing this requires advanced knowledge of the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) and the Windows Firewall with Advanced Security MMC snap-in or another third-party firewall that supports application blocking. To be honest, I tried to set up a new inbound rule in Windows Firewall with Advanced Security and gave up after a few hours of fruitless effort.

A good third-party firewall is an alternative option that may provide better security while Windows Update is busy retrieving and installing important updates. In the hands of the right person, a third-party firewall like Comodo Internet Security (CIS) is more secure than Windows Firewall and Defender. And third-party firewalls can solve the transparency problem that Vista’s firewall has.

If you are looking for a firewall for simple everyday protection or for easily creating inbound and outbound network rules, Comodo Internet Security fits the bill and then some. And the full-blown version with anti-virus protection and Defense+ is totally free.

If you do use a third-party firewall like CIS, you will have to understand how to properly configure the firewall and what application alert prompts to allow and which to deny. This is not the level of knowledge you can expect from the average user. Even tech pros can find using such a firewall challenging. You can dial back the settings in Comodo Internet Security but at the cost of reduced security.

How highly is Comodo Internet Security rated? The CNET editors rate it five stars. You can download the 32- and 64-bit versions from the Comodo Web site.

Installing CIS and not running any apps that connect to the Internet should safely secure your computer until all the important security updates are in place. If you want to lock down your network traffic further, it can be done using network rules, but you need to understand some firewall basics first.

Basic firewall theory

There are two ways that personal software-based firewalls fundamentally work. They can start with a solid wall in place, and specific network or application rules can be added that poke holes in the wall. Or they can start as a bare foundation, and specific network or application rules can be put in place to build the wall.

The first technique is used by most of today’s firewalls — and you can see why. If you are using the second type of firewall and you don’t build your firewall rules properly, you can let in uninvited visitors.

By using the first type of firewall you can create network rules to allow inbound/outbound network traffic. By default, a firewall of this type with no network rules will block all inbound and outbound traffic.

Using the second type of firewall you can create network rules to block inbound/outbound network traffic. By default, a firewall of this type with no network rules will allow all inbound and outbound traffic.

Comodo Internet Security implements the first type of firewall strategy. It can block or allow network traffic by:

If you are new to firewalls and network rules, you will almost certainly be confused by in and out network connections and Source and destination computers. It is confusing. First, don’t think in or out. Think inbound connections generic cialis overnight delivery and outbound connections instead.

A good analogy is a telephone call. For an inbound connection call that you receive, the source is the phone making the call and the destination is your phone. For an outbound connection call that you make, the source is your phone and the destination is whomever you are calling.

In this analogy, the phone number is the IP address and the device receiving the call is the port. For example, you could have both a phone and a fax machine using the same phone number. OK, you probably don’t have more than one device, but you get the point. Remember this analogy when setting up your network rules.

Using Comodo Internet Security with Defense+, I developed a method to block applications and sent the script to Comodo for a sanity check. Comodo was kind enough to have their Senior Research Scientist look at my script. He sent me a method that is much better than my solution. It will block all Internet traffic to all applications except Windows Update, and you won’t even have to worry about any pop-up alerts. Here are the relatively simple steps that he sent me.

Make sure that your modem or the Internet cable is not connected to the Internet.

1. Install CIS and restart the computer.
2. Open the Comodo Internet Security status window.
3. Click the Firewall icon at the top of the window.
4. Click the Advanced button in the left pane.
5. Click on the Network Security Policy link (Figure A).

Figure A

The CIS Network Security Policy Application Rules Window looks like this before you add any network rules.

1. Click on the Windows Updater Applications entry and drag and drop it to the top so that it is the FIRST entry in the policy.
2. Click the Add button.
3. Click the Select drop-down button, then click Running Processes followed by System under Windows Operating System, and then click the Select button.
4. Click the Use a Predefined Policy radio button, click the drop-down arrow, and choose Trusted Application. If there is already a rule entry for the system, it can be modified. Click the Apply button.
5. Click the Add button again.
6. Click the Select drop-down button and then click File Groups->All Applications.
7. Click the Use a Predefined Policy radio button, click the drop-down arrow, and select Blocked Application if not already selected. Click the Apply button.
8. Click the Apply button in the Network Security Window.

Be sure that the blocked All Applications rule created in steps 10-12 is the LAST entry. Double-check that the order of the rules in the Network Security Rules Window matches the order in Figure B.

Figure B

This is the CIS Network Security Policy Application Rules Window after we moved the Windows Updater Applications entry, added the trusted System, and blocked All Applications network rules.

Important! After all security updates and the latest service pack are downloaded and installed, the blocked All Applications rule created in the steps 10-12 must be deleted to allow the normal operation of the firewall. Highlight the network rule and use the Remove button to delete it. You can optionally also delete the trusted System rule created in steps 7-9.

You will need to disable Windows Firewall if you are installing a third-party firewall. Please read Installing and Configuring Comodo Internet Security with Defense+ for instructions on how to do this and for more information about how to install CIS.

Partition imaging

As it was so kindly pointed out to me more than once in the forum for the 10 things you should do before, during, and after reinstalling Windows article, an image of the Windows operating system can be made when you have it installed and configured the way you like. There is a legitimate and compelling reason to image your system after an install or reinstall. A system image can be created and used in the future to reinstall Windows with both the latest service pack and all security updates up to the image creation date already in place. And there is a way to do it with freeware — at least for owners of Maxtor or Seagate hard drives.

MaxBlast 5 is freeware application that is essentially Acronis True Image Home lite. The Seagate version is called DiscWizard and is also free to Seagate hard drive owners. You must have a Maxtor or Seagate hard drive installed in your system in order to run MaxBlast 5 or DiscWizard.

For more information about how to create a system image using MaxBlast 5, please read Partition Imaging with MaxBlast 5.

Editor’s Note: According to Stephen Lawton, Senior Director, Strategic Marketing, Acronis Inc., Acronis True Image supports hardware RAID in all of its products and software RAID is OS-dependent. It really depends on how the manufacturer implements software RAID in order to know if it’s supported. The best way to determine if your software RAID is support in Acronis True Image is to boot the system from an Acronis Rescue Disk. See the accompanying discussion thread for more details.

There are two partition images that you should consider creating after a Windows install or reinstall. The first image is an image created after Windows is loaded and you have made all the changes to personalize Windows the way you like it.

The second image should be created after you have downloaded and installed all the important updates and the service pack, if any. You should also consider running an anti-virus scan set to its high or thorough setting prior to imaging. You want to create an image that is Trojan and virus free.

The final word

I thought long and hard about whether I should submit this article for publication. I realize that the security issues discussed here aren’t near the top of most people’s list of concerns and for good reason. It is difficult if not impossible to assess the security risk after an install or reinstall. The Vista installer warns you about additional possible security risks if you do not connect to the Internet to get the latest updates. This is a relatively insignificant issue compared to any possible security risks immediately following a clean install or reinstall of Windows.

There are still a lot of unanswered questions. I doubt if anyone including Microsoft can tell you whether Windows Firewall and Defender is sufficient to protect your computer until all the important security updates are in place. I can tell you that your computer is more vulnerable until the service pack and all the important updates are downloaded and installed.

Neither can I tell you, patient reader, what security option you should choose. Whether to use Windows Firewall and Defender or to install a third-party Firewall like Comodo Internet Security and lock down the network traffic with network security rules, I leave it entirely up to you, depending on the option you feel most comfortable with.