ITS Technology Tips

As a new feature in Microsoft Office 2010, you can easily convert your document to a PDF from any Office program (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). In previous versions of MS Office, you needed to have additional software installed to create a PDF. Now when you save your document, PDF is among the file types to choose from:

The PDF format is useful for sharing documents because all of the formatting is preserved and the file is protected from further editing.  Remember to keep your original Word document if you will need to edit it later.

Many Loyolans are now running the 2010 version of the Microsoft Office Suite from their desktops. Loyola traditionally offers technology workshops in January and August through our Training Central program, and starting January 2012 the Office classes – Excel, PowerPoint, and Word – will all feature the 2010 version of these programs. In addition, because the number of people using 2010 has been growing this fall, a special series of free training classes has been added in October and November to help those who have already made the transition. The first two courses – using Word 2010 Effectively and PowerPoint 2010: Bells and Whistles – are scheduled for October 12. For the full list of dates and topics, or to register, visit the ITS Training Courses page.

And if you’re still using Office 2003 or Office 2007 and want to learn more about making the switch to Office 2010, see the August 12 TechTips post.

Odds are you’ve heard something about the campus-wide upgrade to Windows 7.  If not, here’s the short version: By the end of the calendar year, all labs, classrooms, and faculty and staff computers will be running Microsoft’s latest.

But other things are also happening. With the Windows upgrade, we’ll also be moving to the 2010 version of Microsoft’s Office suite. If you are currently using Office 2007, the visual and functional changes coming with Office 2010 should be relatively easy to navigate. For those who are currently using Office 2003, however, the upgrade represents a big jump.

Is there anything I should do to prepare?

We’re glad you asked. If you’re using Office 2003 or 2007, you can sit tight until your department is scheduled for its upgrade to begin using Office 2010. But why wait? Why not upgrade now, on your own, and give yourself a little extra time to learn all the new features?

What’s so different in Office 2010?

The move to Office 2010 will provide many benefits, including stronger formatting features, built-in PDF support, new audio and visual tools in some programs, and a real-time co-authoring tool for document collaboration. The most notable difference for those coming from the 2003 programs is the Microsoft “ribbon,” a visual panel of features that continually displays options previously found through menus and toolbars. This ribbon interface was introduced with the Office 2007 suite, and further enhancements have been made with the Office 2010 programs.

OK, I’ll upgrade now. How do I do it?

It’s easy. Select Loyola Software, Useful Tools, Microsoft Office, Office 2010, and the installation will begin.

There are a few requirements. For instance, you’ll need Windows XP SP3 and 200 MB free space on your C: drive to upgrade. (If the Office 2010 option doesn’t show up when you go to Loyola Software, you may not meet these technical requirements. If that’s the case, please email windows7@luc.edu for information on how to proceed.)

How long does it take?

Installation time varies depending on the speed of your machine, and could take 25-45 minutes. You’ll see a progress bar on screen during the installation, though it may not always look like it’s moving. You’ll be asked to reboot your computer when the process is complete.

What if I need help with the new programs?

Workshops featuring the Office 2010 programs will be available through ITS starting in January. In the meantime, Microsoft offers a bunch of great resources on their support site.  For a few suggestions, visit the About Office 2010 section of our Microsoft Migration Project web pages. (While you’re there you can check out more about the project, including other ways to prepare.)

If you have any questions or problems, please contact the ITS project team at windows7@luc.edu.

Have you ever wondered what that paintbrush icon on your toolbar in any of your Microsoft Office applications actually does? Most likely, you’ve never used it or might be that you’ve not even noticed it. This little paintbrush icon is one of the most underutilized, timesaving features in Microsoft Word. It’s called Format Painter. The Format Painter allows you to copy the formatting from one part of your text to another with a single click. Format includes things such as font, size, font styles (italics, bold, underline), color, effects, shading, borders, indents, bullets, etc. The Format Painter is very helpful in documents that have a variety of different styles used for the text as it eliminates the need to make the changes to the formatting manually, step-by-step, one-by-one.

How to Use the Format Painter in Office 2007

1. Select the word or text with formatting you wish to copy.
2. Click the Format Painter Tool once from the Clipboard on the Home Tab. This will turn the Format Painter ON and copy the formatting of the text you have selected.
3. Move your cursor to the text you wish to apply the new formatting to and click and drag over this text. Click once and you will see the formatting applied on the text.
4. If you want to apply the same formatting more than once, select the text with the formatting you want and double-click Format Painter button. You will then be able to select multiple words, sentences, and paragraphs in different parts of your documents. Click once after each selection.
5. When you are done making all of your formatting selections, hit the ESC key to turn the Format Painter off.

Note: You can also find the Format Painter in PowerPoint and Excel!

If you can’t remember which document you need, Word 2007 allows you to easily preview documents before opening them. After you open Word, go to the Microsoft Icon and select Open.

To enable the preview, click on the icon in the top right hand corner of the window and select Preview from the drop-down menu.

This will open a preview box in the right side of the window. Click on a document to preview it. Once you have found the correct document, click Open.

If you have a Microsoft Word 2007 document that you would like to make read-only or if you would like to add password protection, Word offers a few options to secure your file. Here are a few security features offered in Word:

Encrypt Document: Adding encryption to your document will require that a password be entered to open the document. To encrypt your document, click on the Microsoft Icon > Prepare > Encrypt Document. A dialog box will prompt you to set a password.

Read-only Document: You can set your document to be read-only and additionally set a password to open or modify the document. To access these options, click on the Microsoft Icon > Save As, then in the bottom left corner, click on Tools > General Options.

A dialog box will open and you can choose to make the document read-only and to add a password to open and/or a password to modify. Click OK once you have made changes.

When the file is opened, a dialog box will prompt users to enter the password. Keep in mind that if users open the file as a read-only document, they will be able to edit and save as a new document.

Mark as Final: If you want your file to be read-only, you can also mark the document as final. This will disable editing and typing tools. To do this click on the Microsoft Icon > Prepare > Mark as Final. If you decide to open it later for editing, you can select Mark as Final again to set the document to the normal mode.

Note: If you lose or forget any passwords, they cannot be recovered.

If you want to create a professional looking document, the preset styles in Word 2007 make it easy to choose headings, subheadings, and font themes that are designed to complement one another. Using the Quick Styles feature can help save you time and make your document look more polished.  To get started, go to the Home tab and find the Styles box on the right. In this box, you can choose from a range of styles and color schemes. To apply a style to a section, just highlight your text then click on the style you want.  You can also use the Change Styles button to quickly change style sets, colors and fonts.

Track Changes in Microsoft Word is a helpful feature for viewing and editing revisions while you work in a document. This tool can be incredibly useful when multiple users are editing the same document. Also, if you are a professor, you can use Track Changes to add comments and make revisions to a paper. The author of the document can accept or reject each change once the document is ready to be finalized.   Here are a few steps to get started with Track Changes:

Turn on Track Changes

Under the Review tab, select Track Changes. (For older versions of Word, go to Tools and select Track Changes.)

You can also use a shortcut to turn on and off track changes (CTRL-SHIFT-E).

Add Changes or Comments

• 1.      Turn on Track Changes.
• 2.     Make revisions directly into the document and they will show up in red.
• 3.      Click on the New Comment button to add remarks.

Here is what each displays:
Final Showing Markup: Document with changes
Final: Document including proposed changes
Original Showing Markup: Original document with proposed changes
Original: Document before any editing

Accept or Reject Changes

To accept or reject changes, click on the appropriate button on the top menu.

Or you can right click on the change and a drop-down menu will appear with options to accept or reject.

To learn more visit:

http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/word/HA012186901033.aspx

If you’ve ever lost your work due to a computer freeze or power loss then you know how frustrating it can be.  In Microsoft Office, there is a way to help prevent such a disaster. All you need to do is adjust the auto-save interval time so that you know how often and where your documents will be saved. Here are the steps in Microsoft Word to set up this option; note that the steps are the same for PowerPoint and Excel:

• 1. Click on the Microsoft Logo in the top left corner.
• 2. At the bottom of the screen, select Word Options.

  
  
  

• 3. Go to the Save tab. Here you can select an interval time and location for auto-saving your documents.

In order to keep your computer’s operating system running safely and efficiently, it is important that you regularly install the latest software patches and updates.  In this week’s Tech Tip, the Loyola University Information Security Office provides information and resources to help you keep your software up-to-date.

What is Patch Tuesday?
Patch Tuesday refers to the second Tuesday of each month when Microsoft releases fixes for known issues in its operating systems and other products. These fixes are called patches or updates and are available for free download from the Microsoft website for any legally licensed copy of Microsoft Software.

What do patches do?
After software gets released to the public and it is being used with a greater frequency, people may begin to notice small problems that were not found during testing. Also, old software may have compatibility issues with newer hardware and new software might not run properly on older hardware. After gathering this data, these patches are released to fix these problems.

Why should I care about patches?
Software patches and updates don’t just fix small problems; they can also fix serious security issues within specific software programs. Malicious users can exploit vulnerabilities in software to gain access to part or all of your system. By keeping your software up to date, you are making it harder for someone to gain unauthorized access to your system.

How can I keep my software up to date?
The best way to keep software up to date is to regularly check and install updates from the software company. Microsoft has an update feature built into its operating systems and software which, when turned on, will automatically check with Microsoft for updates. Here at Loyola, computers in the labs, classrooms, as well as faculty/staff desktop PCs, are monitored by network software. Updates are sent to them from a main server once the update has been tested and approved by our Desktop Services team. Students who bring their own computers to campus are required the keep their operating system and antivirus solution up to date. Otherwise, they will not be able to gain access to the Loyola network.

It is also important to keep your other applications up to date. They can have security vulnerabilities that can be exploited by malicious users to gain access to your system. Some applications may have options to turn on automatic updates, but if not, it is important that you check for updates regularly. Here is list of popular software and links to the update site:

Windows:   http://update.microsoft.com
OS X:  http://www.apple.com/support/osfamily
PC Office:  http://office.microsoft.com/officeupdate              
Mac Office:   http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.mspx
iPhone/iPod:  http://www.apple.com/support
Adobe:   http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/new.jsp
Firefox:  http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/upgrade.html
Safari:   http://www.apple.com/safari/download
Opera:  http://www.opera.com/download
Norton:  http://www.symantec.com/norton/downloads/index.jsp
McAfee:  http://www.mcafee.com/us/downloads