Jody Gilbert

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Word tables have a million handy uses, from organizing tabular data to building an attractive page layout. Unfortunately, they don’t always act in predictable ways, and users have to waste time puzzling over dialog box options and toolbar choices. The following list of pointers isn’t intended to provide any sort of in-depth look at how …

The new BitLocker data protection system in Windows Vista provides volume-level encryption you can use to secure PCs and notebooks. These screen shots walk through the process of configuring BitLocker encryption to safeguard your data.

One of the tenets of online content production suggests that the way you present information is as important as the quality of the information itself. This applies to how it looks (legible fonts, nice use of white space, nothing overshadowed by ads or graphics) as well as how it’s packaged–its form factor, as we like …

Balancing columns in a document is not a monumental task, yet there’s a trick to it that few users are aware of. If you find yourself supporting Word users (or simply want to fine-tune your own skills), this is a good technique to know. Learn (and share) the answer to this How do I…? riddle with the help of this graphical walk-through.

Sometimes all you want from a table is a bare-bones grid. But when a document calls for a little more polish and design appeal, put these tricks to work and turn those grids into sharp-looking tables.

I came across a productivity tip the other day, which–on the face of it–sounds entirely reasonable. The suggestion is that instead of getting sidetracked all day long by the arrival of one e-mail message after another, you configure your mail client so that it delivers mail on a restricted schedule. Like every hour or two. …

What is it about electronic equipment that brings out our destructive nature? As these pictures show, some users think annihilating computers is just plain fun.

Adding a page count to your footer can be a nice touch, but not when the count doesn’t reflect the number you want. This field code tweak and Start At adjustment will put you in charge of your page number display.