Category: Microsoft Office

Using Formatting Styles in Word 2007

Using Formatting Styles in Word 2007

1X1If 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.

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Track Changes as you Edit in Word

Track Changes as you Edit in Word

1X1Track 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.)

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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.

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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

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Accept or Reject Changes

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

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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

Adjusting Auto-Save in Office 2007

Adjusting Auto-Save in Office 2007

1X1If 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. 

    word-options-button

  • 3. Go to the Save tab. Here you can select an interval time and location for auto-saving your documents.word-auto-save-options2
Patch Tuesday, Software Patches and Updates

Patch Tuesday, Software Patches and Updates

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

Easily Extract Images from a Word Document

Easily Extract Images from a Word Document

Once an image is included in a Word document, it is embedded as part of the file.  If you would like to use an image that is part of a Word document, luckily there is a quick and easy way to extract and save images from Word.  Saving a Word document as a Web page (from Word 2000 on) will separate the text from images as separate files.   

To save your document as a Web page, select (File > Save as) then choose Other Formats.  From the pull-down menu, next to Save as type:, select (Web page *.htm; *.html), then save.  Two components will be saved; a folder, which will contain the image files along with a separate .htm file. Find the image files you’d like to use and you may delete the rest, since you will still have the original Word document.

Microsoft Office Templates for Just about Everything

Microsoft Office Templates for Just about Everything

1X1Why be satisfied with that old PowerPoint, newsletter, fax, or memo design, when you can get an exciting new one for free from Microsoft!  You can find templates for brochures, calendars, greeting cards, labels, memos, invitations…even floorplans, paper folding projects and tournament brackets!

Just go to the templates page of Microsoft Office’s Website and look under “Browse Templates.”

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Click on the category you are interested in and you will get a list of templates with descriptive information, including which application and version of Office the template is compatible with.   Once you find the template you want and click the Download Now button, the template will open in the corresponding Office application.

You can find templates for Microsoft Office for Mac at the MS Office for Mac.