Looking for a Fully Functional Office Program?

Have you considered purchasing a copy of Microsoft Word, Excel, or maybe the entire suite (Office)? You may have been turned off by the high pricing associated with this type of software. Are you aware that there are several versions of office software available to the public at no charge?

Open Office

One of the leading open-source software suites is provided by Open Office. Open Office features a full suite of software, ranging anywhere from word-processing to spread-sheets and presentations. This office program is free to download and use. For a free program it provides excellent functionality. To download it, visit OpenOffice.Org. and click on the download link provided.

Open Office Functionality

Open Office is very comprehensive and provides a full range of services you would expect from a professional stand-point when purchasing an office suite. Lets take a look at some of the abilities the software has.

1. Word Processing (Writer)

2. Database Creation and Management (Base)

3. Presentations (Impress)

4. Drawing and Charts (Draw)

5. Create and Manage Scientific Equations (Math)

6. Spread Sheets, Manage Finances and Equations (Calc)

With this amazing level of functionality, it is difficult to purchase a typical version of Microsoft Office that provides the same funtionalities but with a insensitive price tag.

Downloading Open Office

1. To download Open Office, click here and click on the download link provided on their site:

2. You will be presented with the download box associated with your Operating System ( you may be prompted to confirm the download).

3. Once the download is complete, you may launch the executable file to start the installation of the office suite:

4. The installation will prompt you with the license agreement etc. and will continue with the installation after these options are selected.

5. Once the installation is complete, you can launch the program to see the features provided:

6. Select any of these Items on the list, they provide you with the functionality of any of services indicated. Thats hard to beat at no charge.

Another Free Office Program

There are other free office programs available to you from different organizations that develop and manage these programs. AbiWord is another example of an office program that is fully functional and completely free. There are others out there but these are two of the bigger names in the field of free office programs.

Just Might be what You’re Looking for

Go ahead and download them and give them a try, you never know, they just might be what you’re looking for.

TrueStarTE

Your TrueStar Technology Expert

Firefox is Very Versatile

Firefox, the browser by Mozilla, is indeed a very versatile creature. If you consider the multiple levels on which you can use Firefox it is quite amazing. Today I would like to cover a couple of the more popular features available. One of the features that I like and find extremely handy, is the “Forecast Fox” Add-on. This feature basically allows you to view the weather for a given location in a few moments by integrating a little weather station if you will, into any of a number of locations in Firefox.

Simple, Easy to Understand Layout

You are presented with a simple layout that features a radar button for an geographically expansive outlook at the weather, followed by the current state of the weather and the current temperature. This is followed by two other panels dictating tomorrow’s and the “day-after’s” forecasts (noted below).

How Do I Install ForecastFox

Adding Forecast Fox to your Mozilla Firefox browser is a simple matter. Follow the instructions below:

1. Visit the Mozilla Add-ons page here (you’ll download the Add-on here).

2. Do a search for “Forecast fox” by typing forecast fox into the search box noted below (I personally like the enhanced version of the software).

3. Click on the version that you like, it will take you to the page dedicated to that version specifically.

4. Click on the “install now” or thus related button.

5. You will be presented with the software installation dialog:

6. Clicking on “Install Now” will let you install the software into your browser:

7. Once the installation is complete, you will have to restart Firefox:

8. After the restart is complete, you will need to tell Firefox to make use of the addon. You may accomplish this by:

1. Clicking on “Tools” in the menu.

2. Next click on Add-ons.

3. Click on “Extensions”.

4. Click on “Enable” under the Forecast fox Add-on:

Installation and Initialization Complete

This should put the dock into your browser. It may be necessary to restart your browser once more. Once the doc is in place, you simply need to tell it where you would like to track the weather. You may accomplish this by right-clicking anywhere on the weather interface and selecting “options”. This will present you with the Options dialog box and allow you to type in your zip code (this allows Forecast fox to track the weather for your location) If you’re putting this on a laptop and you travel frequently to multiple locations, you can add another profile and switch to that profile when you are at that location to have Forecast Fox show the weather for that location specifically:

After you type in your zip code, click on “OK” to close the dialog box. Forecast fox should begin showing the current weather as well as the two-day forecast.

Easy Weather Access

From now on, whenever you want a quick peek at what the clouds overhead are doing, simply point your mouse over the little, green, radar symbol and it will pop-up a little weather map showing cloud conditions in your area.

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Skin? What’s this About Firefox Skin?

Firefox has a skin, believe it or not, Firefox is quite the dermatological agglomeration. When I say Firefox has a skin, I mean that the look and feel of Firefox can be changed to a look and feel with a completely different atmosphere. This can easily be accomplished as is made available to you by the community of Firefox interface developers.

A Plethora of Skins

The amount of skins and styles that are available for your Firefox browser is varied from the simple, cool, and professional, to skins that will make you go hmmm. Take a look here at the types of skins available, you can go simple, bright, large, cool, smooth, modern, old, have a Mac OS look… etc. etc.

How do I Get These Wonderful Skins?

Obtaining skins for Firefox is simple and free… just like the browser they are made for. If you do not have Firefox, you can download it here. If you would like skins for Firefox, you can download them here. Installation is a snap, they take the same path as do the installations that were performed above (the Forecast fox Add-on). Just follow the same instructions choosing instead, whichever skin you would like.

My Computer is Slow
As is probably your experience, your Windows computer worked quite efficiently on the day of purchase. But sometime in the past three to six months, something has taken place that has caused it to slow down significantly.

Startup Items in Windows

There are a number of reasons why your Windows-based computer can slow down. One of the main reasons is “startup programs”. The term “startup programs” by definition, indicates the exact issue at hand. What basically takes place after a number of months of use, (installing and uninstalling programs, getting updates, downloading games and weather-watcher programs) tends to minimize your computer’s efficiency, by leaving a clutter of applications that your computer is needlessly demanded to run.

How it Happens

When you install programs on your computer, some of them will leave an entry/command on your computer that tells that program to startup in the background at the time your computer starts up.

Accessing the Startup Commands

The location of startup commands can be accessed by a utility known as “msconfig”. This utility allows you to disable which programs have the right to startup when you “boot-up” your computer initially. You place a check-mark in a check-box beside the programs that you want to startup in the background, and remove the check-mark for those you wish to remain inactive until you start them manually by clicking on them in your start menu.

To access the msconfig utility in Windows XP and Vista, you must type a command in the “run” dialog box. To access the startup dialog box, complete the following:

1. Click on “Start”.

2. *Click “Run”.

3. Click into the “text box”.

4. Type the Following Command: “msconfig”.

5. Click on “Ok”.

*For Windows Vista, you may click on “Start” then type “run” into the search box to locate the “run” dialog box.

Removing Unnecessary Programs from Startup

Your computer should then bring up the “msconfig” utility. One of the tabs on the utility, typically the last one, will be labeled “startup”. Click on the “startup” tab to view the startup items. Remove the check-mark in the check-boxes for any programs you do not wish to start-up when your computer starts. Please be sure to note that your anti-virus and other important programs may be listed in this list as well. Disabling your anti-virus or other important programs in this list may prove damaging to the long-term security and performance of your computer. If you are not sure what function a particular program provides, do not remove the check-mark.

You Will Need to Restart

After making your changes, click on “OK” and (if you do not have any other programs open) click on “Restart” to restart your computer and apply the changes. Once you have restarted, you will be provided with a prompt that basically indicates that Windows has recognized the changes you have made. If you agree with this statement you may select the “don’t show this to me again” (paraphrase) and click on “OK”.

Conclusion

That should conclude removing programs from startup on a Windows XP or Vista PC. If you discovered many unwanted programs in this list and have un-checked them, you should notice a significant increase in performance.

Your TrueStar Technology Expert

Note: You are responsible for any changes made to these settings at any point during this tutorial. TrueStar Computer Solutions or none of its affiliates shall be held responsible in any way.

You’re Wondering What to do:

So, you have heard all the hype about the new Windows Vista that Microsoft is has put on the market to replace Windows XP. You are at a point where you are seriously considering making a switch and you are wondering if it would be the smart thing to do. I will present this in a very simple, “I’ve been there” sort of a layout.

My Experience with Windows Vista:

My experience with Windows Vista has been one of mixed feelings… sometimes bordering on confusion, to complete irritation. Most of these feeling stem from the trouble-shooting standpoint of the Operating System. If one is to repair problems caused by a malfunction in the Operating System or the hardware it is running on, then one should be presented with the necessary tools and information to aid in it’s repair.

Death to Useful Information:

I have found that in Windows Vista, many of the helpful trouble-shooting utilities and message-box information that was available in Windows XP has been done-away with. Networking in Vista is a primary example of this. If you were to create a network connection to the internet for example, you would find it very difficult to trouble-shoot that connection in specific, should a problem arise. In Windows XP there were simple informative message-boxes that would inform you of specific errors. In Windows Vista, this has largely been replaced by a single utilities that “diagnoses” your issue. This would not be all bad if the utilities was fully functional. The main fault of these utilities however, is that they fail to present the user or IT professional with a desire-able result. If I were to use the networking utility as an example, the results, 98 percent of the time, tend to read something of the following: “Windows could not find anything wrong with this connection” (paraphrase), and provides no hint whatsoever as to what the cause of the problem might be. With more specific information, it would be possible to take the necessary steps to resolve the issue, but when there is an issue and “nothing is wrong” you really have an issue. You will find that this is wide-spread problem in many other instances of trouble-shooting and diagnostics throughout the OS. From this standpoint, it makes the system more time-consuming and thus, costly to repair.

Nice Graphics:

One thing that Microsoft has done with Windows Vista is, graphics. Windows Vista, though very XP-ish in nature, has a new theme known as Areo. This theme presents the user with a transparent (or translucent depending on the application) view of windows and dialog boxes in the Graphical User Interface. Though this may serve to present a more stylish interface, the other prominent issues you will encounter while using the new OS will soon capture the center of your attention.

Should I switch?

Switching to Windows Vista can be a potentially hazardous proposition. I have encountered many a client who has loathed the day they made the choice to switch to Vista. Given the many small yet serious issues that arise when using the Operating System, it is commendable to wait to make a switch until the Operating System is more compatible and has become more stable. An Operating System that refuses to let you connect to your own network, provides no cause as to why such an option is not possible, and still needs much work to become stable, will not stand up when pitted against the proficiency and durability required for business performance. On the other hand, if you are a home-user that likes the new interface and are willing to deal with the numerous frustrations and save often, you may consider it a viable option.

Note: This is not to say that there aren’t many improvements to the new Operating System evironment, and that I myself, look forward to the day when the issues presented in the older OSs are only a bad memory.

Your TrueStar Technology Expert

Setting up E-Mail in Windows Vista. Like most people, I depend heavily on email, and it is one of the first things I tend to configure after purchasing a new OS.

Lets get started:

The New Client:

As you all might know… Microsoft has changed the name of the Windows Vista’s mail client (compared to the XP mail client) to “Windows Mail”. This seems to be kind-of a knock-off of Apple’s “Mail” client. Nevertheless, in order to configure your mail client in Windows Vista, you will need to find the “Windows Mail” Icon on your desktop, or in your newly designed “Start” menu. Once you have located that icon, you may proceed as follows to setup your POP email accounts:

1. Click on the “Windows Mail” Icon.

2. *Click on the “Tools” option in your menu bar.

3. Click on “Accounts” (A dialog box containing the necessary options will appear).

4. Click on the “Add” button.

5. Select “Email Account” (This should be selected by default).

6. Click on “Next”.

7. Type in your Name, Title, or whatever you would like to be displayed as your identity when others receive your emails.

8. Click on “Next” to continue.

9. Type in the email address you would like to send and receive emails from.

10. Click on “Next” to continue.

11. Make sure “POP3″ is selected in the “Incoming e-mail server type” combo-box.

12. Type in your POP and SMTP server in the following text boxes provided (These are typically [POP.whatever your ISP’s domain name is. top-level-domain], and [SMTP.whatever your ISP’s domain is. top-level-domain]).

13. Click on “Next”.

14. Type in your e-mail username in the “E-mail username:” text box. (This is commonly the first part of your email address and not the entire email address. For instance in the email address “test@test.com” “test” (the letters and numbers [characters] before the @ symbol) are your username.

15. Type in your password for your email account in the “Password:” text box.

16. Click on “Next” to continue.

17. If you do not wish to download your emails at this time, put a check-mark in the “Do not download my emial at this time” check box. (You should do this if you need to configure your email account setting to leave a copy of your email on the server etc.).

18. Click on “Finish”.

19. This will complete the setup of your email in the new client.

Note: If you did not put a check-mark in the “Do not download my emails at this time” check-box, your emails will be downloaded after setup.

* At this point, if you have not yet configured a default mail client on your machine, you may be automatically prompted to setup your account… simply jump to the matching number (typically number 7) in the above list for help configuring that specific option.

Your TrueStar Technology Expert.

  Welcome to TrueStar Computer Solutions… “TrueBlog”!

In this blog, we will discuss most anything technologically related… whether it be the latest computer Operating System technology (Linux, Apple, Windows based), computer hardware, third-party software, or whether it be as simple as the latest gadgetry. Drop by and take a peek at what’s going on, and hey, pop us a quick question or pass us a comment! Thanks, and… Enjoy!

Your TrueStar Technology Expert