A. There is, and it’s fast and simple. I’ll show you how to dynamically link the Excel spreadsheet to your Word document so that when you make any change in the spreadsheet it instantly and automatically will appear in the document. Caveat: Both the spreadsheet and the document must be in the same folder (subdivision).

Begin by highlighting the range of cells (A1 to D4) you want displayed in the document and copy it (Ctrl+C).

Now go to the Word document, place your cursor where you want the copied cells to go and click on Edit, Paste Special. When the Paste Special dialog box opens, select the radio button labeled Paste link, click on Microsoft Excel Worksheet Object and on OK.

Now any changes you make in the worksheet (from A1 to D4) also will appear in the Word document.

A. Oddly, although Microsoft lets you print a watermark in Word, it offers no solution in Excel. However, there is a way to do it, and while it takes several steps, it’s not too difficult. (To learn how to do it in Word, see the December 2003 Technology Q&A column.)

Begin by opening the WordArt toolbar in Excel (View, Toolbar, WordArt) and then click on the left-most icon (a right-leaning A) that reads Insert WordArt when you pass your cursor over it.

That opens a selection of styles in the WordArt Gallery. Pick a style and click on OK.

Replace the word WordArt and type the text of your watermark—for example, DRAFT. Click on OK.

If you want the word to be in another color or you want it to be somewhat transparent—that is, less color dense so the underlying data on the spreadsheet will show through—right-click directly inside that text and click on Format WordArt.

The Format WordArt screen that appears defaults to the Colors and Lines tab and the color defaults to black.

You can play with the various formatting options offered in the screen, but I would suggest the following: Set Transparency to at least 70% and click on No Fill and then on OK. Finally, right-click anywhere in the watermark text, and from the shortcut menu that appears, select Order and Send to Back.

You now have a watermark, and you can adjust its size by clicking in it and with your mouse pulling on the corner boxes that appear. You also can move its location on the spreadsheet, again with your mouse.

A. Yes, Word has a nonbreaking command. When typing someone’s name, for example, Stanley Zarowin, first type Stanley and then press Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar and type Zarowin. You can do that for as many words as you wish. That will ensure the words you select always remain on one line.

A. Yes, you can fully customize it. When you evoke Explorer, click on View in the toolbar and then click on Choose Details. That brings up this screen:

Notice all the options—from Name to Product Version (click on the down arrow to see the rest of the list). Put a check next to the details you want displayed. For most folders I check just four details: Name, Size, Date Modified and Date Created. You can customize each folder. Notice, too, you can rearrange how the details line up on the screen by adjusting the Move Up and Move Down buttons.

A. There is such a place, and it’s right at your fingertips. Click on Tools, AutoCorrect Options and then on the AutoFormat tab, evoking this screen:

Remove the check in the box next to Internet and network paths with hyperlinks. Now, if you want Word to create a hyperlink, just type the address, highlight it and click on the Hyperlink icon (it looks like a map of the world with a chain at the bottom). And if you want to cancel that choice, highlight the link, right-click and click on Remove Hyperlink.

BACK UP OUTLOOK’S HUMONGOUS .PST FILE
Q. I’ll concede that Outlook is a cool tool in Microsoft Office for handling tons of e-mails, contact addresses, calendaring and task reminders. But oh that .pst file! I can’t understand why Microsoft designed Outlook in such a way that it stores all that diverse information in one giant, vulnerable file without a way to separate, say, the calendar information from the e-mail data or the addresses from the tasks. And to make matters worse, that file grows so large over time that it becomes difficult to back up and to store in a safe place. I know the .pst file is too important not to back up regularly, but it’s so hard to do. Any suggestions?

A. Your concerns are valid, and that message has finally gotten through to Microsoft—or at least part of the message has. After all these years, the company has made available a little program that automatically backs up the .pst file each time you close Outlook.

For those of you who are shaking your heads and asking, What’s a .pst file, and why should I care? lend an ear because this is important. Just as the names of all Word files end with the .doc extension (for example, stanley.doc.) and Excel files end with .xls (stanley.xls), so Outlook’s data files end with .pst. And since it is tucked inside a folder most users rarely, if ever, access, this ever-growing .pst file never gets a second thought—until the computer crashes or somehow the Outlook data get scrambled. Then the users wish they had heard of the .pst file and had taken the time to back it up. That’s why it’s important to know about the .pst file.

Before I tell you about this new Microsoft program and how to get it (it’s free), I want to share two related tips: how to keep the .pst file at a reasonable size and where you safely and conveniently can store the backup file.

First, keep the file lean: If you decide you must keep all your old e-mails and their attachments for years and years, that’s your judgment call, but recognize that such a strategy means the file will grow to an enormous size. Not only is a very large file hard to back up, but Outlook, burdened by its sheer size, will eventually slow to a crawl. However, you can keep the file to a manageable size and still store your old e-mails by archiving the older parts of the file. To do that open Tools in Outlook and click on Options, the Other tab and AutoArchive.

You even can program Outlook to automatically archive your older data on a schedule of your choice—every few days or even every few months. That will make a significant difference in the size of the .pst file. However, don’t fail to back up the archive file, too.

Second, use remote storage drives: Storing backups on your computer’s hard drive is like putting your emergency savings in a wallet you carry every day. If you lose your wallet, you’ve not only lost your spending money, but your emergency money, too.

So I recommend storing your backup on a different, remote drive. For about $100 you can buy a separate hard drive no bigger than a paperback book that holds 80 gigabytes or more. And what makes such remote drives even more attractive is that they are portable. They attach to a computer via ultrafast USB (universal serial bus). Just plug in the drive, and the plug-and-play feature on your computer will recognize it immediately and assign it a drive letter, which puts you in business instantly with loads of storage space. That’s a small investment—in time and money—for such peace of mind.

Now, to download that neat little Outlook backup program I was telling you about, go to www.microsoft.com, click on Downloads and do a keyword search for Outlook 2003 Add-in Personal Folders Backup. The actual file name is bfbackup.exe and it takes just a few minutes to download.

STANLEY ZAROWIN, a former JofA senior editor, is now a contributing editor to the magazine. His e-mail address is zarowin@mindspring.com.