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Getting-Along-With-Your-Computer

Did you know?

As XP users we installed programs to do things Windows XP couldn’t do. Did you know that Windows 7 does a lot of those things on its own? This week: Take a screen shot, convert units and calculate.

 

Snipping Tool is actually pretty useful

Sometimes you need a picture of something on your computer screen. Maybe you want to send an error message to a tech and you don’t want to type it out. I’ve been using a program called Gadwin PrintScreen (free version available at the bottom of this page: http://www.gadwin.com/download/) since the old days of Windows 98. But it’s easy to capture an area of your screen and save it as a picture if you are using Windows 7 or even Vista, the forgotten operating system.

The “Snipping Tool” that will let you do the basic things without having to install anything. To access the tool, click on Start | All Programs | Accessories | Snipping Tool, or click on the Start button, type snip into the Search box and select Snipping Tool from the results.

Either method opens up a small window that is the Snipping Tool. Click on New to define the area you want to capture, drag the cursor around the area you want to capture and then let go of the mouse button.

This will open a simple graphics editor. You can use the tools there to draw lines, add highlighting, email the picture, and save it to your hard drive. Click on Options, to change the shape of the area you want to capture, the ink colour, and so on. Give it a try and see how you like it. If you need something more, Gadwin PrintScreen works great on Windows 7 and Vista, too!

 

One calculator rules them all

I’ll be honest with you. It’s hard for me to get really excited about a calculator. But maybe that’s just me. People who do get really excited about calculators are really excited about the calculator built into Windows 7.

In addition to Standard mode, which is just like every calculator you’re ever seen, this one has Programmer, Statistics, and Scientific modes. I can’t make any sense of those, but if you are a programmer, statistician or scientist, apparently these come in very handy.

What is kind of cool is history feature. In Standard and Scientific modes, the calculator keeps track of what you do in a session. It’s like running a tape on a real calculator, except you don’t have to stop and look for more paper just before you solve the problem. Unlike a real tape, though, you can edit the history in the calculator, altering the outcome. And who wouldn’t want the chance to do that?

Calculator for Windows 7 also calculates the difference between two dates, converts units of measurements, and figures out mortgage payments and gas mileage.

Not running Windows 7? I’ve always liked Convert by Josh Madison (http://joshmadison.com/convert-for-windows/) and MoffSoft FreeCalc http://www.moffsoft.com/ for converting and calculating. If you are running Vista, you can download the Windows 7 Calculator from this link: http://www.softpedia.com/get/Science-CAD/Windows7-Calculator.shtml. Be sure to click on the blue “Dowload” arrow, and on any of the ads for other products.

You can learn more about Windows 7 Calculator here: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Using-Calculator-in-windows-7.

30K Club Bikeathon

One last thank you --- I hope --- to all the readers who sponsored me for the 30K Club Bikeathon June 16 (http://bit.ly/catebike). My column deadline is before the event, so as I write this my fingers are crossed that the weather holds and the event goes as planned. I am so grateful to you all for supporting this worthy cause. Many thanks!

 

Do you need help with your computer? I'm here to help you and your home or business computer get along!

 

Cate Eales runs Computer Care Kelowna (http://computercarekelowna.com/) a mobile service helping home users and businesses get along with their computers. To arrange an appointment phone her at 250-764-7043. Cate also welcomes your comments and suggestions. Send email to [email protected].

You can read previous columns here: http://rlis.com/column.htm . If you'd like to subscribe to this column by email, please visit this link: http://www.feedblitz.com/f/f.fbz?Sub=20618 . It's easy, and free. If you'd prefer the RSS Feed, click here: http://rlis.com/rlis.xml.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.



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About the Author

The Technology Shaman, Cate Eales, has been helping people make online computing safe, accessible, and fun for over 30 years.

Cate lives in Kelowna with her husband, Eric. She owns and operates Computer Care Kelowna, a mobile computer business providing on-site service for home and small business customers.

Cate is here to help you and your home or business computer get along.

E-mail Cate at [email protected] with comments, suggestions, or questions.

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The views expressed are strictly those of the author and not necessarily those of Castanet. Castanet does not warrant the contents.

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