Technology Q&A

Technology Q&A

Open Word without a blank document screen…Print a batch of files without evoking multiple commands…The difference between rounding and truncating…Confirm your e-mail message is both received and read…How to clean a dirty mouse…Even better ways.

Key to Instructions

To help readers follow the instructions in this article, we use two different typefaces.

Boldface type is used to identify the names of icons, agendas and URLs.

Sans serif type indicates commands and instructions that users should type into the computer and the names of files.


Q. When I open Word, it automatically evokes a new file (Document1) as a blank document page. That’s fine if I want to start a new document, but more often than not, I just want to open an existing file. Is there a way to stop Word from creating a new, blank document?
A. There sure is. It’s just a matter of changing a Word default. To do that, right-click on the icon that opens Word and then click on Properties. Then skip down to the text line after Target, and using the arrow keys, move to the extreme right end of the line and add a space and then type forward slash n (/n). Click on Apply and OK and now Word will open without a blank page.
Q. Is there a way I can print a whole bunch of files with one command—in other words, without having to do a sequence of Ctrl-P for each file?
A. I don’t know how to do that in Word versions earlier than Word 2000 without writing a macro for it, but in Word 2000 and later, it’s a piece of cake. All you do, either from Exploring or from Word’s Open function, is hold down the Ctrl key and highlight the files you want printed, and then hit the Print command. It’s very convenient.
Q. In Excel, what’s the difference between rounding and truncating?
A. When rounding a number, Excel changes the number displayed in a cell but stores the complete number you entered. So if you entered 345.679 in a Currency-formatted cell, Excel would display $345.68 (rounding up the last digit from 7 to 8). But it would store the full value: 345.679. In fact, you’ll always see that full value in the Formula bar at the top of the screen. The comma and the 2 (,2) after the number indicates the number of decimal places to display. To round down, the formula is =ROUNDDOWN(num,digits). When Excel truncates, it chops off part of the entered number and performs no rounding at all. So if you input 345.679 and format the number for no decimal points, it cuts off the digits after the decimal point. Again, the full stored number appears in the Formula bar. There are many subtleties in using rounding and truncating, so to learn more go to Excel Help.
Q. When I send a message in Outlook, I know I can request a receipt to indicate the message was received, but can I be sure it was read?
A. No, you can’t get a guarantee that it was read, but you can be sure it was at least opened. Before you send the message, click on Options to bring up the Message Options screen. Under Voting and Tracking options, check the box next to Request a delivery receipt for this message or Request a read receipt for this message or both. Notice, too, that you can divert replies to your e-mails that are sent to a third party. Just check the box for Have replies sent to: and fill in the e-mail address. It works great if you want RSVPs to your invitations sent to your assistant instead of back to you.
Q. My mouse is acting up. It feels like it’s rolling over gravel and it seems to skip. Do I have to buy a new one? A. You may need a new one, but in all likelihood all it needs is a good cleaning. After all, it’s probably been traveling many miles and collected loads of dirt. Here’s how to clean a mouse: First, turn off your computer and unplug the mouse from the back of the computer. Turn the mouse upside down so the ball faces you. Press on the ring on the bottom of the mouse housing and twist it until it comes loose. Remove the ball and clean it in warm water with a gentle detergent, drying the ball with a lint-free cloth. Then, with a can of compressed air or a static-safe vacuum cleaner, blow any dust and debris out of the socket where the ball is housed. Clean the rollers inside the housing with a cotton swab and isopropyl alcohol. After everything is dry, set the ball back in the socket by positioning the ring and turning it until it locks into place. The whole cleaning operation should take no more than 10 minutes. While you’re at it, consider replacing the mouse pad; it collects loads of dirt that eventually migrates onto the mouse ball..	Even Better Ways Feedback from Readers: Another way to move or duplicate an Excel formula without the cell references changing (see Technology Q&A, JofA, Oct.01, page 108) is to type an apostrophe (’) in front of the formula. Adding that punctuation transforms the entire cell into a text cell; as a text cell, the reference in the formula will not change when you copy or move it. If you do want it to change later, just delete the apostrophe and it will revert to a regular number value cell. From Lanny D. Levin of the Lanny D. Levin Agency, in Highland Park, Illinois, and Dick Schubert of Denver, Colorado. A faster way to get the calculator icon into the Windows toolbar (see Technology Q&A, JofA, Oct.01) is to click on Start, Programs, Accessories, Calculator, and then right-click and drag the calculator icon to the desktop or the toolbar. From Lanny D. Levin of the Lanny D. Levin Agency in Highland Park, Illinois.

Do you have a technology question for this column? Send it to Senior Editor Stanley Zarowin via e-mail at zarowin@mindspring.com or regular mail at the Journal of Accountancy, Harborside Financial Center, 201 Plaza Three, Jersey City, NJ 07311-3881. We regret that we cannot answer letters individually. If a reader’s question is deemed to have sufficiently broad interest, we will answer it in a forthcoming Technology Q&A column.

—The editors