Information management and technology assurance

When I used Word 2003, I could italicize a whole word by putting the cursor anywhere in the word and then pressing Ctrl+I. But when I do that in Word 2007, nothing happens. What’s up? Word 2007 can do it, but you have to tell it to. Here’s how: Click

There are a handful of people I communicate with by e-mail a half-dozen times a day. Each time I want to send them a note I have to set up a new e-mail and either click for their address or type it in. There has to be a better, faster

I usually enhance my memos with borders—lines and dashes—but it’s a tedious job clicking all those keys. I know I can do it by going to the Format menu and clicking on Borders and Shading, but that’s even more cumbersome. Is there an easier way to do it? Yes, there’s

I can’t tell you how many times I accidentally pressed the Insert (Ins) key and innocently typed over a complex paragraph that I worked on for more than an hour. Thanks for the blessed Ctrl+Z keystrokes, which undid my accidental erasures. Isn’t it about time the Insert key was removed

Ctrl+1: Displays the Format Cells dialog box. Ctrl+2: Applies or removes bold formatting. Ctrl+3: Applies or removes italic formatting. Ctrl+4: Applies or removes underlining. Ctrl+5: Applies or removes strikethrough. Ctrl+6: Alternates between hiding objects, displaying objects and displaying placeholders for objects. Ctrl+7: Displays or hides the Standard toolbar. Ctrl+8: Displays

I know the shortcut for entering a date in Word is Alt+Shift+D, but I don’t know how to change the way the date is displayed. I want the date format to be March 19, 2009, not 3/19/09. You can change the default by clicking on Insert, Date and Time, which

I’ve been told to never, never, ever unplug a USB device, like a memory stick, until the Safely Remove Hardware icon gives the OK. And that’s my problem: Some days the icon is in my toolbar, and other days it’s missing. What’s going on? What can I dop? So what

My computer has only three built-in USB ports, and all are in use. But now I want to plug in several other USB devices, such as a remote hard drive and a memory stick. What are my options? You can buy a component called a hub that contains one male

When I review a client’s numbers in an Excel spreadsheet, I frequently add comments in many of the cells, and many of the comments are the same—such as “Looks Good!” Is there any way I can copy them, in one fell swoop, so I don’t have to type the same

Help! I hid the two top rows of an Excel file, and now I can’t figure out how to get them back because I can’t find a way to access them to reverse the Hide command. I sympathize. There is nothing intuitive about this solution, which works in Excel 2003

Sometimes the font of my newly arrived e-mail is so small I can hardly read it. Is there an easy way to enlarge it? Yes, but the method depends on which e-mail client or browser you use. Here are some of your choices: If you use Outlook 2007: Press the

I’ve had to stop using the automatic numbering system in Word because it drove me crazy. But I really need it. Here’s the thing: Whenever I want to add a second, separate numbered list under the first list, which ends, say, with six items, Word second-guesses me and no matter