Ever clicked on a link to download a file, maybe from a website, link in an email, Dropbox or somewhere else and then wondered where the file you download went. Whether you are using Windows or a Mac they seem to end up in the same place on that operating system, so if you use Windows or Mac they seem to usually end up in the Downloads folder.
In this video tutorial you will see how to find your files in both Windows and Mac.
I’m sorry if I sound like a broken record but the news is regularly alerting us to threats to steal our information, access our bank accounts or take control of our computers. So what do you do about it?
Well the most recent alert says we have two weeks to sort out our computers or we could be in trouble, it may be less than two weeks depending on when you read this. There is no need to panic but you do need to get on and do the following as soon as you can.
Don’t open attachments to files you are not expecting, especially those that end in .zip. Don’t get curious “I wonder what will happen…”, just don’t open it. Same applies to other files too if you are not expecting something. You should not be opening attachments from tax office, HMRC, couriers or people you don’t know. This is not just for this threat but generally don’t open them.
It’s these attachments that run the software that installs the things hackers need to get to you computer.
I can’t emphasise enough the need for secure passwords. Too many people have passwords that can be easily cracked. Sometimes a bit too easy. Anything that has personal information is prone. See my post about creating a more secure password.
Backup, backup, backup. I really do sound like a broken record with this one. It’s not just getting hacked but your computer breaking, getting damaged or stolen. Backup and do it often and regularly. There are plenty of options to do this automatically. You won’t regret it.
Don’t keep a file with your passwords in it on your computer.
Make sure you have done your updates for software especially Windows updates and updates for other software like your internet browsers, Adobe Flash and Adobe Reader. It is a good idea to update regardless of the news of these cyber attacks. But do make sure all your software is up to date, not just the ones mentioned, they often have important security updates. I’m going to make sure all my software is up to date based on this current threat.
Also make sure your internet security software, virus checkers etc are all up to date too.
If someone calls you to tell you there is a problem with your computer and they can help you, just hang up, this is another scam to access data on your computer. Click here to see my post on that.
You need to scan your computer for this viruses known as GameOver Zeus, GoZeus, P2PZeus and CryptoLocker. Please go this page. Get Safe Online, at the bottom of their page are a number of free tools to scan for these threats and help remove them. There is also other information on that page such as if you have been affected.
Custom functions as you will gave seen from my previous post are really useful, however, you may want to make them available to all of your workbooks or distribute them to other people such as colleagues or classmates.
To do this you need to create an add-in, here is how you do this and install the add-in
Excel has lots of built-in functions that do everything from summing up a column or row of numbers to loan repayments, statistics, engineering, trigonometry and so much more. Every now and again someone asks how they can create their own function as the one they want is either not on the list or they have a formula that they need to use regularly and it would be easier to have a function to call on when they need it. Sometimes it is because the formula they are using is either going to get too complicated or in the case of the IF function limited to the number of conditions it can have.
Custom functions can be made available to work in any workbook you have open or distributed to a group of people like colleagues or classmates.
Here in this video you will see how to create a custom function.
The IF statement is one of the most important concepts to use when programming, it is simply used all the time.
The IF statement helps the program make decisions based on criteria you have set. So it can decided on whether someone passes or fails an exam, what tax bracket they fall into and so on, the options are limitless.
Here is a video using the IF statement in Excel.
If you are getting into macros then you need to know about programming in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) and with that you need to know about variables.
VBA is a great tool for automating so many tasks in Microsoft Office and can seriously speed up how you work and also help reduce errors too.
Variables store information that can be used later in a program whether it be VBA or another programming language and you need to know how they work. The store information such as numbers, dates, strings (text) and objects.
Here is a video tutorial that shows you more and also has an example using Excel, although the applies to all of the Office programs.
It seems we all have to be on the look out for the next online service that’s going to be hacked and get a warning to change out passwords to avoid some nasty person getting into out account. Recently it happened to eBay, a company that I’m sure does its utmost to prevent security attacks. Once again via the news we were told to change our passwords.
I heeded this advice and was using my iPhone when I saw this news and thought better do it now, by the way, do it now not the next time you are using eBay as that may be some time off and your account could be accessed in the meantime.
I thought this would be straightforward, go into the app and find my account settings and there would be an option to change my password. Maybe it is there but after tapping for a few minutes I couldn’t find it. Tried the same using Safari, got the mobile version of the site and even switched to Classic but it kept taking me back to mobile. So it made sense to just do it on my desktop computer.
What happened on my desktop computer when I tried it is that it went through what appeared to be the same process as losing your password and resetting it using the option if you forget it. That makes sense because if someone has hacked your account they could then change your password but if it is emailed to you then that takes that away from them.
So if you are doing it in your iPhone, smartphone, tablet, or even your laptop or desktop just logout if you haven’t done so already and when you login just click in the forgot your password option. There should also be a link on the homepage of eBay but if not then just click the Forgot? link on the sign in page.
Follow the instructions and then it should be safe to shop again.
It’s a good idea to use secure passwords and also change them now and again. There are great apps to help you remember your passwords. Don’t keep them on a piece of paper somewhere where anyone can see it. Click here for one of my blog posts on creating a better password.
If you have been using PowerPoint then you have probably added some animations to bullet points at the very least to add a bit of movement to your presentations. Many of us would like to do something a bit different from time to time and motion paths allow you to do exactly that.
Here is how to use motion paths and custom paths.
If you have a DSLR camera and change the lens on it, one of the advantages of a DSLR, there is a chance you can get dust into the camera that can end up on the sensor. If you get dust on the sensor, well you can guess, it can appear on your images. If you get dust on your lens you can simply clean it off. With a sensor that is a bit trickier. You can do it yourself but if you’re like me you might prefer to get someone to do it for you.
Here is how you can check to see if you have dust on your sensor.
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