PERFORM A FIND AND REPLACE ACROSS MULTIPLE FILES AND DIRECTORIES
I frequently use the Find and Replace function (Ctrl+F for Find, Ctrl+H for Replace) in Word, but it only works with the file I am working on at the time. I can’t, for example, upgrade in one fell swoop someone’s address or other information that may be situated in many different files and even in several different directories. Is there some way to do that?

Unfortunately that very useful function is not built into XP or Vista. (Are you getting the message, Microsoft?) But there are a handful of third-party programs and macros that can perform such a function. You can locate them by googling this search term: find and replace software. Most of the products are available for a fee—many with the option of a free time-limited sample. But a few are shareware, which means they are free for downloading. I’ve tested several. The one that meets my needs because it’s fast and, most important, it’s easy to use, is a freeware macro written by Funduc Software (www.funduc.com).

Once you download and install it (just follow the on-screen instructions), all you need to do each time you want to use it is to open the Funduc doc file, which contains the macro. Place the file in some convenient folder, or, better yet, put it on your desktop for near-instant access.

Caveat: You don’t want the macro loaded automatically in every Word file you open or you won’t be able to open Word’s native Find and Replace.

Since your computer is probably set to a security default that warns you when a macro—which can be a dangerous virus—is seeking to load, this Security Warning screen will appear:

Click on Enable Macros and the Funduc macro will then display a screen that resembles your native Windows Find and Replace function but with powerful extra tools (see screenshot below).

As you can see in the screenshot, you can search multiple files and subdirectories and command the macro to match the case of the target words. In this example, I commanded the macro to search for the word Stanley and replace it with Stan in any Word (doc) file that contains the word Stanley in the c:\a\journal\tech q-a directory. If I subsequently place a check in the Search Subdirectories box, the macro will extend the search to all the tech q-a subdirectories.

Doing the same job manually would have taken me hours because I would have had to sift through several hundred files.

RESCUE A DROWNED OR SOAKED CELL PHONE, LAPTOP OR KEYBOARD
My cell phone was in my shirt pocket and when I leaned over a sink full of soapy water it slipped out and SPLASH!—one drowned cell phone. I’ve had to replace it, but I wonder: Was there anything I could have done to save it?

Yes, there are quick actions that might have saved it. The advice I’ll suggest applies not only to drowned cell phones but to laptops and keyboards that get drenched by spilled coffee or soda. But before I reveal the resuscitation secrets, I want to remind you of the obvious: Back up! Back up! Back up! It can’t be said too often. Your data are too valuable to be casual about it. And backups are a lot easier than trying to reconstruct lost data.

Now to the rescue steps: It’s important that you act fast. Keyboards are the most resilient to spills. Unplug it from the computer, drain the spill, and use either distilled water or denatured alcohol to flush out the coffee or soda residue. Alcohol is best—it evaporates quickly and leaves no traces. Use a pressure air can to blast out any accumulated crumbs from those doughnut snacks.

Cell phones and laptops are the most vulnerable. Pull the battery and any snap-in circuit cards (and be certain a laptop is unplugged from the wall). Drain it the best you can. If it was drenched in clean water, you can try several moisture-collecting techniques: Pack it in a container of uncooked rice, which absorbs water, or an airtight bag with silica packs, available from most camera shops. A hair dryer, set on low, works, too. If the liquid is coffee or soda, you need to wash out the residue with distilled water or alcohol.

Advice: If you must snack at the computer, use a wide-bottom coffee cup, which takes more than just a little nudge to tip over.

YOUR COMPUTER’S COOKIES CAN AFFECT COST OF AIR TRAVEL
I use my computer to search for the best airfares and some of my colleagues swear that the best time to search is Tuesday after midnight because that’s when the airlines release their best fares. Is there any truth to that?

Based on my unscientific testing, I’d say it’s another cocktail-talk legend. But there’s no doubt that, with a little effort, your computer can pin down significant airfare bargains. But first you have to understand how the system works.

Like most businesses, airlines are eager to get new customers even if it means it will cost them a bit more to lure one from another airline. So many of their Web sites are designed to ferret out new arrivals. To do that, their Web sites are programmed to check your computer’s cookies to see if you’ve been there before. If you’re new—that is, you have no stored cookies from that airline—the program is designed to tempt you with a good price in the hope you’ll buy now and be back in the future.

In order to outfox the airline, you’ve got to be sure they don’t spot your cookie when you cruise to their site. The only sure way is to remove it from your computer. It’s easy enough to do. In Internet Explorer, click on Tools, Internet Options, Delete Cookies. In Firefox, click on Tools, Clear Private Data, then check the Cookies box and finally on Clear Private Data Now.

YOU DELETED THE FILE, BUT IT’S NOT REALLY GONE
As I understand it, even though I delete a file, it’s still in my computer, right? First it goes into the Recycle Bin. And I’m told that even when I delete it there, some high-tech wise guy can “rescue” it from the trash can. So how do I really get rid of a sensitive file?

That’s right, Windows doesn’t really delete a file. All it does is remove its name so it cannot be accessed with conventional Microsoft tools, and in time, as space on your hard drive runs low, new files get written over the old code. Notice that I said conventional tools. The wise guys have toolkits with unconventional tools that can read just about any file you thought you had erased.

The solution: Get an unconventional tool that erases. However, the tools don’t really erase. Instead, they encode the data of the “deleted” file so it can’t be translated. Many such tools are on the market, with prices that run from free to hundreds of dollars. While the free programs lack the sophisticated bells and whistles of the expensive programs, they meet the basic needs of most users—that is they make the files unreadable. The one I use, called Eraser (www.heidi.ie/eraser), is free. It’s accessed directly from Windows Explorer, so, as the screenshot below shows, all you need to do to “erase” a file for good is click on Erase and the file you want is secretly encoded and untranslatable.

But be careful. Once you wipe a file, it’s gone forever, which is why Eraser gives you a chance to reconsider the action before you click OK.

Be assured that just because it’s free, it’s no wimp. If you click on Options on the Confirm Erasing screen, you can see the program’s levels of available encoding security. The US DoD listed in the menu refers to the security levels established by the Department of Defense.

SHORTCUTS
F1: Displays Help for the active object or the window as a whole.
Windows logo key or Ctrl+ESC: Opens the Start menu situated on the taskbar.
Ctrl+Alt+Delete: Opens the Close Program dialog box, which contains a list of applications and these command buttons: End Task, Shut Down and Cancel.
Shift+Delete: Immediately deletes the selected item(s) without moving them to the Recycle Bin.
Windows logo key+E: Opens Windows Explorer.
Windows logo key+M: Minimizes open windows.
Windows logo key+F: Opens Find All Files dialog box.
Shift+F10 or the right mouse click: Opens the shortcut menu for the active item (selected text, a toolbar button, a taskbar button, etc.).
Shift: If you hold down the key while you insert a CD-ROM, it bypasses the AutoPlay feature.

Stanley Zarowin is a contributing editor to the JofA. His e-mail address is stanley.joatech@gmail.com.