Technology Q&A

by Stanley Zarowin

Make your own toolbar menus…The Save All and Close All mystery… How not to shut down a “frozen” computer…How safe are
password-protected data?…Highlight text vertically down a page…
Word can calculate, too…A better way…Windows shortcuts

MAKE YOUR OWN TOOLBAR MENUS
I use some commands repeatedly, but many of them are not housed on the same toolbar menu—which means I waste lots of time moving my cursor from one end of the toolbar to the other to click on icons I need. Both my very tired mouse and I would appreciate some way to speed this operation.

I assume you’ve thought of the obvious: placing those favorite tools as stand-alone icons right in the toolbar. And I assume you want to avoid having the toolbar (which, when full, expands to accommodate new icons) get so fat and crowded that you can’t easily find the ones you want. So let’s dismiss that idea and instead create a custom menu that contains just your favorite tools. You can do that in any Microsoft application—Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint and Outlook.

Go to the toolbar and click on Tools, Customize and under Categories, select New Menu. Click on it and it will be copied to the Commands box.

Now drag the New Menu icon to where you want it to appear on your toolbar and click on the Modify Selection button. Select Name: New Menu.

Give it a name and press Enter.

Now, to populate your new menu with your favorite commands, once again click on Tools, Customize and under Categories select the command icons you want, one at a time, and drag them to your menu. Finally click on Close.

Consider making several custom menus—each with a set of commands you need for each major activity you undertake.

THE SAVE ALL AND CLOSE ALL MYSTERY
Can you solve a mystery for me? When I have a bunch of Excel files open and I’m ready to save them, I begin by clicking on File. Sometimes a Save All command is in the drop-down list; other times, it’s not. I don’t know what I do—or don’t do—that causes the Save All command to appear. Obviously, since the command is very useful, I’d like to be able to bring it up when I need it.

I must say I’ve never experienced a Save All command in Excel. I have in Word, but that’s another story I’ll get to later. I think you’re confusing Save All with Close All. If you have more than one file open in Excel and you press Shift+File, a Close All command will appear in the drop-down menu (see screenshots below).

If you press File without Shift…

But if you press Shift and File…

After you click on Close All, each file in order asks whether you want to save it (see screenshot below).

What I find mysterious is that, while Excel lacks the Save All function, Word has both Save All and Close All—both of which are evoked by holding down on Shift when clicking on File. I find the Save All command in Word so handy that I customize my File menu, adding the command permanently, a process explained in the above item.

HOW NOT TO SHUT DOWN A “FROZEN” COMPUTER
I know I should buy a new computer, but I’ve been hanging in until Vista comes out, at which time I’ll buy a preloaded machine. In the meantime, my cranky computer sometimes freezes up and I can’t even turn it off. I try clicking the power button on the face of the computer. Nothing. Finally I resort to pulling the plug. Will that harm the computer? Is there a better way?

Yes to both questions. Each time you pull the plug, the sudden, unprogrammed loss of electricity endangers the hard disk. But sometimes pulling the plug is the only way to shut it down—risk or not.

Fortunately, there is another choice that works most of the time: Hold down the power button for several seconds. Most computer power buttons are designed not to react to an accidental or momentary click to disengage the power. You’ve got to click and hold.

HOW SAFE ARE PASSWORD-PROTECTED DATA?
Is a password-protected Word or Excel file really safe from an intruder?

The simple answer is sort of. Let me explain: Windows password-protected files are secure as long as a would-be intruder is not computer literate. If you do a Google search on Word Excel passwords, you’ll quickly come up with a bunch of products designed to crack Windows passwords. So think of the Windows password as, at best, a deterrent.

If you still want to use Windows’ password protection, click on Tools, Options, Security and fill out the form (see screenshot below).

HIGHLIGHT TEXT VERTICALLY DOWN A PAGE
Of course it’s easy to highlight data both horizontally and vertically in Excel. But is there a way to do it in Word? It certainly would be handy.

Yes, you can cut, copy or reformat vertical columns of text. (see screenshot below). Think of the letters in Word as appearing in two dimensions—as a horizontal row (which is how we traditionally think of it) and as a vertical column lined up one above the other. To highlight a vertical column of letters, hold down the Alt key and place your cursor at either the top of the column you want to highlight or the bottom. Then move the cursor in the direction you want the text highlighted. It’s that simple.

WORD CAN CALCULATE, TOO
A colleague told me that Word has a built-in math capability. I looked all over but I can’t find any. Is he pulling my leg?

No, Word can do simple math, but the tools are well-hidden. Did you notice I said tools—not tool. Buried deep in Word are all sorts of wonders. For simple arithmetic, the function is Tools Calculate. It’s certainly not in your toolbar unless the person who used your computer before you was a true Word maven. Click on Tools, Customize, and then, under Categories, click on Tools and go nearly to the end of the Commands menu to find Tools Calculate and drag it up to your toolbar.

To do a calculation just type out the numbers (either horizontally or vertically). While you don’t need to put a plus (+) sign between numbers you’re adding, you need a minus (-) sign for subtractions. So, it can be either:

1 2 3 4 5 -2
Or
1
2
3
4
5
-2

Just highlight the numbers and the answer will appear in the left side of your lower toolbar (see screenshot below).

The sum also is automatically copied onto the Clipboard, so if you need the number simply go to that place and press Ctrl+V (Paste).

I don’t think Word multiples or divides—or at least I can’t figure out how to do it. If a reader knows that it can be done, I’d appreciate the information, which I’ll share in the column.

Word also can do fairly sophisticated calculations via its Table menu. For example, create a table with three spaces and place numbers in the first two spaces (see screenshot below).

If you want to add the numbers in the first and second space, place your cursor in the third, open space, and click on Table. That triggers the following screen in which you can adjust the formula, number format and even paste a function.

Click on OK and the answer, 7, will appear in the third box.

As you can see, Word can do more than just catch a misspelling.

A BETTER WAY
In the July 2006 column (page 83) I suggested a fast way to search multiple worksheets, but Seun Salami, CPA, an audit senior at Deloitte & Touche, Chicago, has a faster way: Instead of highlighting all the tabs (which could be tricky sometimes), just go to Find (Ctrl+F) and click on Options; then, in the Within box, click on the down arrow to Workbook (see screenshot below).

WINDOWS SHORTCUTS
WinKey+D = Minimizes all windows and shows the desktop
WinKey+L = Locks the computer (Windows XP only)
WinKey+Tab = Cycles through the programs shown on the taskbar
WinKey+F = Brings up the Windows Search box
WinKey+E = Opens up Windows Explorer
WinKey+R = Opens the Run dialog box
WinKey+Pause = Opens System Properties

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