It’s frustrating. Microsoft went and changed to the Ribbon and I still can not find all the commands I want to use. Turns out the one I was looking for, Auto Summarize, is not there at all. Very frustrating.

Usually I just typed “Word 2010 xxxx” where xxxx was the command I was after. Then I found this helpful page at Microsoft’s website:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/support/office-ribbon-find-commands-FX101851541.aspx

That is a long URL. If that link does not work for you just click here.

Midway down the page you will see the “Search Tab Download”. It looks like this on my screen:

After you download and install the Search Tab you will have a new tab on your ribbon. Simply type in the old command and the button will appear for you to click. It is not perfect but it helped me quite a bit. Except the command I was after was not there.

If you have used this or have another method please leave a comment below.

Update November 1, 2012 9:03 PM CST

Earlier today I sent out a link to a helpful Microsoft Office resource. Microsoft had changed some of the destination links and it caused some confusion.

First a big thanks to Bob S. and Mike B. who helped me track this down and test.

Here are the direct links to two different downloads of Microsoft Office Search Commands Tab with instructions on how to install.

This one claims to work with Office 2010 and Office 2007:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=28559

This one is specific to Office 2007:

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=6730

If you are unable to install there for any reason use the Interactive Online Guides:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/learn-where-menu-and-toolbar-commands-are-in-office-2010-and-related-products-HA101794130.aspx#_Toc268688374

With those resources you should be able to find your way around the programs.

Apologies for any confusion earlier.

I have used screen rulers for years. What is a screen ruler? A small graphic ruler that sits on your screen and lets you measure things. Sound pretty boring right? When you start using the ruler you find many uses: checking margins, working with photos, web pages, printing, and lots more. Just lining things up in some applications becomes much easier. Many applications have rulers at the edges but being able to put the ruler anywhere on the screen can often save a lot of time.

My favorite ruler was Cool Ruler but I have not been able to get it running on my 64-bit Windows 7 machine and the company that made it, FabSoft.com, no longer lists it on their website. Here is a video showing the rulers I currently use.

JR Screen Ruler is for Windows:
http://www.spadixbd.com/freetools/jruler.htm

JR Screen Ruler is the ruler I have used the most. It does not let you make tick marks but you can just hang the cursor off the bottom of the ruler and see the measurement. I do find resizing the ruler a little tedious. I have not used the pro version of the tool.

A Ruler for Windows:
http://www.arulerforwindows.com/

A Ruler for Windows allows one tick mark, a center mark, marks for thirds, and even allows you to change the skin. I personally like the classic look of the wooden ruler. Resizing this ruler is a bit tedious as well but not too bad. I did find the buttons a bit small. You can even magnify the screen and the ruler adjusts accordingly. On the whole I like A Ruler for Windows very much.

Working on a Mac? You might take a look at Free Ruler:

http://www.pascal.com/software/freeruler/

I have not used the Macintosh version.

Share your experience with screen rulers in the comments.

Real quick today a really useful tool. And it is free.

This past weekend I was trying to sell some DVD’s from my hobby. To start I wanted to link to the descriptions of the DVD’s. One problem. The website I purchased them from no longer exists. So I turned to a tool I have used and recommended for a long time. The WayBackMachine over at Archive.org. Click here to visit the archive:

http://www.Archive.org/

At Archive.org you will see the WayBackMachine near the top center. Just enter the URL of the page you are researching and a little timeline pops up near the top with a calender lower down. To view past iterations of a website use the timeline to get to a general period then the calendar for a specific day.

The WayBackMachine is extra useful when a website has disappeared or changed ownership.

While you are at Archive.org be sure and take a look around. Lots of fun stuff old and new. For instance I pulled up a Bela Fleck and the Flecktones concert from the Music Hall of the Carnegie Library to listen to while typing this. Many old books, photos, movies, music, and more to look through – all free.

Find something interesting at Archive.org? Share it in the comments below.

It’s frustrating. You receive an email on your smartphone and want to respond immediately. Then the tiny keyboard gets in the way and you end up sending a response that is not up to your usual standard. Do not let this happen to you.

On the TNPC website are a couple of articles on maximizing your email signature. In a nutshell you can put more than just a signature there. Why not setup your basic email template as your signature. Now when you reply on your smartphone you get a nicely formatted email with all the information you include in your normal emails. No more typing apologies for replying from your phone.

You can find my original article here:

http://www.tnpcnewsletter.com/blog/2009/05/24/how-is-your-signature/

That link will take you to some examples of what I am talking about.

Here is something specific to setting this up on a phone. When you are setting up the template I suggest you type it up on your computer then email it to yourself. Open the email on your phone and cut and paste your new template to your signature file. This will have you up and running in just a few minutes. Now every email and reply you send can look like you spent the time on it you deserve.

One other thing I do is create a folder in my email called “Signatures”. File the different templates you create in that folder. Makes switching between templates quick and easy.

Do you have a tip for working email on your phone? Post it in the comments below

It’s frustrating. Something you have used for years stops working. It is not just that the process has changed. Sometimes it becomes more complicated. What am I talking about?

Today someone asked me how to fill in a form inside Microsoft Word 2007. This was not a document formatted as a form. The person who sent it had just put rows of __________ where the answers should go. As you expect typing on the lines caused the formatting to go all wacky. The solution is to press the “Insert” key on the keyboard and “Overtype” the underlines. Except my Insert key was not working.

A bit of quick research revealed that Microsoft decided to override the entire Insert/Overtype process. Why? Nobody knows. We just have to file that under unsolved mysteries.

Here is the way to replace the functionality of your “Insert/Overtype” in your copy of Microsoft Office 2007.

There are actually two changes you will want to make. First right-click on the status bar inside Word 2007. A menu will appear. Locate and click on the word Overtype. It looks like this:

Your status bar will show the word Insert or Overtype depending on which mode you are in. To change between the two all you need to do is click on the word Insert or Overtype. Word will toggle between the two modes each time you click.

Now you have an easy way to toggle Overtype mode but your Insert key still does not work. To enable your Insert key click the Office Button in the top left corner of Word. A menu will appear. Click the Word Options button at the bottom of this menu:

On the left side of the Word Options box chose Advanced. On the right side you should now find a check box labeled Use the Insert key to control overtype mode. Check that box then click OK.

Now the Insert key on your keyboard will toggle between Insert and Overtype.

A lot of work to replace some very basic functionality that has existed since the very earliest use of computers. Thank you very little Microsoft.

A few days ago I sent you a strategy for leveraging your signature file. Do that and you will save time with every email you reply to. If you missed that email I’ve put it on the blog here:

http://www.tnpcnewsletter.com/blog/2009/05/24/how-is-your-signature/

A few people wrote and asked if this only worked with Outlook. Every email program I’m familiar with will let you edit your signature file. I have edited the signature inside Outlook Express, Windows Mail, Outlook, Thunderbird, Pine, Gmail, Kmail, Eudora and several others I’m sure. Those are just the ones I have experience with.

Some email programs let you use multiple signatures with is very nice. Set one for replies and one for new mails. Then make a nice one to use with your friends. If your program does not let you use multiple signatures there is still a solution. I’ll tell you about that in the near future.

Finally here’s a tip that helps me reply to emails quickly. As soon as I see an email that I plan to reply to I hit reply. I mean before even reading it. Then I’ll read and reply at the same time. Before I started doing this I would see a longer email and think “I want to reply to this” but because it was long it would get put off. Now I just hit reply  and answer that email as I go.

If you have tips or comments please leave them below.