Microsoft Office

bThis is the first community prototype from Office Labs. Community prototypes are projects Microsoft employees work on in their spare time. Speed Launch’s goal is to let you get to the stuff you use faster and with less frustration.

Why do I need Speed Launch?
Work faster and with less frustration. Speed Launch gives you lightning quick access to all the documents, files, and websites you use often. In the past when you used something a lot you might have created a desktop shortcut, added it to your IE favorites, or placed it on your quick launch bar. Speed Launch allows you to create centralized shortcuts to all the stuff you need and allows you to access them effortlessly.

What is Speed Launch?
Speed Launch is an application launcher that extends the functionality and usability of Microsoft Windows. With Speed Launch, users can select their own words to open frequently used websites, documents, and applications. The most compelling feature of Speed launch is the use of a drag and drop interaction model to make this advanced functionality more intuitive to novice computer users.

How is it used? How does it work with Windows?
Speed Launch is a downloadable program available at www.officelabs.com. After you’ve download Speed Launch, simply drag the file, document, or website url onto the Speed Launch bull’s-eye to create a Speed Launch shortcut. From then on, any time you need to access that file, document, or website, just hit “Windows+C”, type the shortcut name, and what you need will immediately appear.

Is there a shortcut key to open the launcher?
Yes. Use “Windows+C”.

How do I use Speed Launch to open multiple things?
Drag the first item on to the bull’s-eye and give it a name. Next, drag the second item on to the bull’s-eye and give it the same name. When you do this, Speed Launch will give you the option to replace or merge the two items, choose merge. Now, hit “Windows+C” and type the name. Speed Launch will open both items.

Is there a limit to how many items a single Speed Launch shortcut can open?
Not that we know of

I notice that Speed Launch comes with some shortcuts that allow me to search websites. How do I use them?
Speed Launch comes preloaded with a few useful fucntions. For example, to search Wikipedia just type “Wikipedia Search” and hit enter. Next, type what you want to search for in the new window and hit enter. Speed Launch will open the related Wikipedia page.

Cool! Can I create my own “functions”?
Yes… but it’s a little tricky. You can watch the video below for a walk through (and some good music). In short, go to the results page (e.g., search for the information you are looking for) and, if the search term appears in the URL, you can drag it on to the bullseye to create a function. Name it with a period (e.g., “MySearch.”) which tells Speed Launch you want a function, and follow the prompts. We will make this easier in the future, but our current focus is in making the basics as easy as possible.

Low-cost and no-cost survival tactics require a “business-as-usual mindset.”

According to Rieva Lesonsky, former editor of Entrepreneur and blogger for Microsoft Office Live Small Business (http://smallbusiness.officelive.com), entrepreneurs can use this time to cut back in certain areas and strategically invest in other areas, such as marketing. “It may seem counterintuitive, but increased marketing and sales activity can be an effective way to bolster your business and weather economic storms,” Lesonsky said. “In fact, marketing is a key component to your small business’ survival.”

So what should current and aspiring entrepreneurs do during these tough times? Lesonsky offers the following advice:

• Keep overhead low. Entrepreneurs should take a hard look at their expenses and scale back on nonessentials. Some big cost-cutting areas include business travel, labor and rent. For example: Entrepreneurs can try videoconferencing instead of traveling to a meeting; consider forgoing pricey office space and work from home instead; and re-examine their staffing plan to ensure they have the right amount of coverage for their current level of business, keeping overtime costs to a minimum.

• Make noise. In this economy, competitors are likely cutting back on marketing spending too. This provides an opportunity for entrepreneurs to get their marketing message out in a potentially less cluttered environment, and possibly at a better rate too. In addition to traditional forms of advertising, entrepreneurs can take advantage of low-cost digital marketing tactics, such as creating a blog, building an audience with Twitter, staying on top of their ratings through online review sites such as Yelp, and creating company pages on social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn.

• Have a strong online presence. Increasingly, consumers are using the Web to find businesses of all sizes, so it’s really crucial that small businesses be visible online in order to compete. Today, there are a number of low- or no-cost options to help entrepreneurs establish a professional Web presence without the expense of hiring a designer or Web master. Microsoft Office Live Small Business (http://smallbusiness.officelive.com) provides entrepreneurs with a free Web site and hosting, a custom domain name and business e-mail free for the first year, low-cost e-commerce and online marketing tools, and free business management tools.

• “Hire” customers. Entrepreneurs can turn satisfied customers into a word-of-mouth referral engine for their business. They can consider offering referral fees or free services to encourage customers to refer new clients. Entrepreneurs can also ask customers to provide testimonials that can be showcased on the company Web site and marketing materials.

• Always negotiate. Entrepreneurs should keep in mind that everything is negotiable. When other businesses are cutting back, entrepreneurs are in a better position to negotiate for lower rates, better ad placements, lower telephone rate plans or other discounts such as on office supplies.

These and other small-business tips from Lesonsky can be found on the Office Live Small Business blog at http://www.myofficelivecommunity.com.

What’s that thing on your to-do list that just stays there? That task you know needs to get done, but it’s just out of your comfort zone or just nags at you.

Or perhaps you want to provide your services for some $$$ to those folks who need some help.

It could be something small like:

Translate a letter
Copyedit that report
Research a company
Re-design your stationary
Update a Web site
Something else……?

With Microsoft’s new Task Market, you can find folks who would be happy to take those assignments on.

How Task Market Works :

Poster: Post a Task
It’s free! Describe your task by filling out a simple form.

Solver: Get Started
Create a profile to describe what you can do. Subscribe to e-mail alerts to get notified when new tasks are posted.

Poster: Find a Match
Review profiles of interested freelancers and give your favorites permission to match with you. The first one to commit starts work.

Solver: Find a Match
When you’re found an interesting task, request the poster’s permission to learn more and work on it. When you want to commit, “Take the task” to begin work.

Poster: Review Solutions
Communicate privately to collaborate on solutions. Pay only when you’re satisfied.

Solver: Solve the Task
Upload solutions and discuss them privately with the poster.

Poster: Make Payment
Pay your Task Solver via PayPal, the most trusted name in web transactions.

Solver: Get Paid
Set up a PayPal Business Account and get paid when the poster accepts your solution.

About Task Market
Microsoft Task Market connects small businesses with skilled freelancers for marketing and other document help such as graphic design, writing and editing, document translation, and creating or enhancing presentations and spreadsheets. By focusing on tasks accomplished using applications such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Power Point and Access, Task Market makes it quicker and easier for small businesses to get their task done.
Task Market is a “tech preview”, which means the site is in its infancy and still evolving. If you have feedback or suggestions, we would love to hear what you have to say. Send us an e-mail with your thoughts!

Microsoft Task Market Tech Preview does not charge to use the site. Posting a task is free. Task Market also does not charge freelancers who solve tasks; however, PayPal does charge a fee for transactions to their Business Accounts. When you receive money through the Task Market site, you may be subject to PayPal’s fee.

Registration Information
Creating an account on Task Market allows you to post tasks, solve tasks, create a public profile, and subscribe to e-mail notifications to find out about newly-posted tasks. Registering is free and easy, and requires signing into the site with a Live ID account. You will also be asked to choose a username and supply an e-mail address to receive task updates.

From Mike Tholfsen

Lately a lot of you have said you really like OneNote but don’t see any reason to use it beyond its tablet ink capabilities… so I sat down with Mike Tholfsen (who from now on we’ll refer to as the OneNote Ninja) who talked about his dream of “OneNote Next-Gen Learning” and got some cool demos of the stellar features that you don’t even need a tablet for but are must-haves for students today.

So if you take a lot of notes or ever do research, you’ll drool over the search features he shows. Ever had to work with other people before on a team or class project? Then collaboration is your ticket. Fall asleep in class too much and think you’re missing out on important things? Then recording a lecture may save your butt… and Mike shows you how.

Note to those of you who have never seen or heard of OneNote: you may want to read up a bit about it or check out the training before you watch this because we skip over the newbie stuff and dive right into the fun… Ninjas don’t mess around!

OneNote 2007 Toolkit for Teachers video

Most of these videos cover OneNote 2007 features, but one of them is targeted specifically for the OneNote 2007 Toolkit for Teachers notebook. This video is about 8 minutes long and walks through each section of the notebook briefly and explains its purpose. I encourage people to take a look and watch: VIDEO: OneNote2007 Toolkit for Teachers

I’ll be adding more even more education-specific videos in the future, as well as more basic OneNote feature videos. I encourage you to check out any or all of the videos and hopefully they will help you out with some aspects of OneNote that you’re curious about.

Here is the link to easily see the list of all 14 videos:

OneNote 2007 Teacher Toolkit
OneNote & Outlook integration - tasks, meetings, contacts and email
OneNote Search
Using Page Templates in OneNote
OneNote and Tags
Print to OneNote
Save OneNote as web page, PDF or Word document
OneNote audio recording and linked notes
OneNote Drawing Tools
Side Notes in OneNote
Creating a table of contents in OneNote
Tools Options settings in OneNote
Password protect files in OneNote
Backup with OneNote

Check out Siblings over on fellow blog “Sympathy Pain”.

From Susan Stainsby, Start the year off right with tips from a teacher and some great resources to help you get started.

what are the five most important things a parent can do to prepare their child for a successful school year:

Tip 1: Read
“It’s one of the best ways to keep a child’s mind sharp when he or she is not in school,” says Catlyn.

One activity that I enjoy doing with my kids is spending an afternoon at our local library or bookstore. Both of my kids were really excited to get their own library cards, too.

If you are looking for some great book ideas to fill out your kid’s reading list, here are some great resources:

2008 Notable Children’s Books, American Library Association (ALA)
Best Books for Young Adults 2008, Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)
Booklists for every age and interest, National Education Association (NEA)
Also, be sure to check out Nancy Pearl’s list of favorite authors, inspire your kids with Book Crush, or join the Book Lust online communities.

Tip 2: Make sure your child gets enough sleep
Sleep experts from the National Sleep Foundation say that kids need their rest to perform well at school. Follow their practical tips for setting your kids’ back-to-school sleep clocks at least two weeks before the school year begins.

“So many students come back to school — and sometimes remain this way throughout the school year! — on the same sleep schedule they had during the summer,” Catlyn says.

Tip 3: Emphasize the positive
“Kids pick up on your attitude,” Catlyn explains. “If you complain about shopping for back-to-school clothes and supplies, they’ll pick up on it. If you speak negatively about your child’s teacher, they will start the year thinking negatively about him or her.”

For me, part of the fun of parenting is trying to figure out what excites my kids. I want them to understand that learning isn’t a “job” that ends on a graduation day; it’s something that we all do every day for life and it is enjoyable!

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Start working immediately with the results-oriented features in Office Access 2007:

Prebuilt solutions.

The new Getting Started screen includes a variety of prebuilt database solutions. Use these applications right out of the box to track contacts, events, issues, assets, tasks, and more — or treat them like templates, and enhance and refine them to accommodate the kind of information you want to track or the way in which you want to track it. As other application templates become available from Microsoft Office Online, they will be advertised in the Getting Started screen.
Office Fluent user interface. Office Access 2007 has been updated with a fresh look that makes it easier to create, modify, and work with tracking applications (Access database solutions).

The Office Fluent user interface (UI)

is context-sensitive and optimized for efficiency and discoverability. From the nearly 1,000 available commands, the Fluent UI displays only those relevant to the task you are performing at any given moment. In addition, the tabbed windows view and a new status bar, scroll bars, and title bar give applications built on Office Access 2007 a very modern look.

Improved navigation.

The new Navigation Pane provides a comprehensive view of tables, forms, queries, and reports. You can even create custom groups to organize and see all the forms and reports related to a single table.

Quickly create tables.

Office Access 2007 makes it easier to work directly within a datasheet to create and customize tables. Enter information into a data cell — just as you do in Microsoft Office Excel. When you enter a new value, Office Access 2007 automatically adds a new field and detects the data type (for example, date, number, or text). You can even paste Excel tables into a new datasheet, and Office Access 2007 will build all the fields and recognize the data types automatically.

How do you use Office Access 2007?

Browse Encouraging Health.

Microsoft took into account extensive usability data and recent advancements in hardware and software, the team has delivered the most significant update to the Microsoft Office user interface in more than a decade. The result of these efforts is the Microsoft Office Fluent user interface — a user interface that makes it easier for people to get more out of Microsoft Office applications so they can deliver better results faster.

In previous releases of Microsoft Office applications, people used a system of menus, toolbars, task panes, and dialog boxes to get their work done. This system worked well when the applications had a limited number of commands. Now that the programs do so much more, the menus and toolbars system does not work as well. Too many program features are too hard for many users to find. For this reason, the overriding design goal for the Office Fluent user interface is to make it easier for people to find and use the full range of features these applications provide. In addition, we wanted to preserve an uncluttered workspace that reduces distraction for users so they can spend more time and energy focused on their work. With these goals in mind, we developed a results-oriented approach that makes it much easier to produce great results using the 2007 Microsoft Office applications.

While the overall look of the redesigned applications is new, early testing indicates that people quickly feel at home in the Office Fluent user interface and rapidly become accustomed to the new way these applications work. The ease with which people use the Office Fluent interface is due to the simplicity of the interface features:

The Ribbon
In the Office Fluent UI the traditional menus and toolbars have been replaced by the Ribbon — a device that presents commands organized into a set of tabs. The tabs on the Ribbon display the commands that are most relevant for each of the task areas in the applications. For example, in Office Word 2007, the tabs group commands for activities such as inserting objects like pictures and tables, doing page layout, working with references, doing mailings, and reviewing. The Home tab provides easy access to the most frequently used commands. Office Excel 2007 has a similar set of tabs that make sense for spreadsheet work including tabs for working with formulas, managing data, and reviewing. These tabs simplify accessing application features because they organize the commands in a way that corresponds directly to the tasks people perform in these applications.

The Microsoft Office button
Many of the most valuable features in previous versions of Microsoft Office were not about the document authoring experience at all. Instead, they were about all the things you can do with a document: share it, protect it, print it, publish it, and send it. In spite of that, previous releases of the Microsoft Office applications lacked a single central location where a user can see all of these capabilities in one place. File-level features were mixed in with authoring features.

The Office Fluent user interface brings together the capabilities of the Microsoft Office system into a single entry point in the UI: the Microsoft Office Button. This offers two major advantages. First, it helps users find these valuable features. Second, it simplifies the core authoring scenarios by allowing the Ribbon to focus on creating great documents.

Check out Pop Culture Buzz.

Received these 25 tweaks in my inbox a few weeks ago. I haven’t done all of them and I cannot vouch for their safety. Just a little disclaimer, fyi. If you know of more tweaks, feel free to let us know.

1. Remove Unused Programs. Start/ Control Panel/ Add Remove Programs/ Remove/ Yes. If you are not using a program then get rid of it. If you don’t know what it is, enter it in Google and find out.

2. Clean your Desktop. After removing programs you no longer use, get rid of trash files, folders, and lost icons on your desktop. Put them where they belong. I bet many can go in the trash. Some might be left over from programs you just removed. If that is the case, just right click/Delete

3. Clear Browser Cookies And Files. Internet Explorer, Open Internet Explorer/ Tools/ Options/ General/ Delete Cookies, files, Clear History. Firefox, Open Firefox/ Tools/ Privacy/ Check, Accept cookies/ Keep Until I close Foxfire/ Check, Always clear my private data when I close Firefox.

To make short work of all cookies, browsing history, and downloads, use a program like “Erase” to assure there will be no traceable information left behind.

4. Remove Temporary Files. Start/ All Programs/ Accessories/ System Tools/ Disk Cleanup/Check all items/ OK/ Yes. If you have more than one drive connected, be sure to run the Disk Cleanup for it also.

5. Use a registry cleaner. Although the PC Pitstop Optimize program will clean some files from your registry it is also a strong Optimization program and not strictly a registry cleaner. Right now what’s needed is a thorough cleaning. There are many registry cleaners and none of them get all of the broken registry files. That can be a good thing because if you use a program that removes needed files you will be in trouble. One program that I’ve used for a long time with no problems is RegScrubXP. Another good thing about this program is that it’s free. Give it a whirl.

6. Remove Unused Windows Components. Start/ Control Panel/ Add Remove Programs/ Add Remove Windows Components/ uncheck the box of what you want removed/Next/ OK. Just like old programs, there are XP components that most people never use. For me I never use Indexing or MSN Explorer.

7. Defrag your hard drives. Even if all you use is the default Windows defrag program, defrag your hard drive. Start/ All Programs/ Accessories/ System Tools/ Disk Defragmenter/ Defrag/ OK. Whether Windows thinks you need to defrag has nothing to do with it. It’s always a good idea to defrag after installing and uninstalling programs, applications, and games. If you want to not only defrag your drives but set them to operate at maximum efficiency, then use the Disk MD program. Disk MD will defrag your hard drives and configure the files for easy access.

8. Update all your drivers from the manufacturers site. Sometimes this can be an easy task, but mostly it requires some searching to find the correct driver. Because all hardware is different, I can’t direct you from here. What I can do is direct you to Driver Alert. Download the free scan to see a list of drivers that need updating. If you decide to buy the program it will direct you to the correct download location.

9. Clean out your Start-up programs using msconfig..Start/run/type “msconfig” without the quotes/startup/uncheck any program that does not need to start with Windows/Apply/OK/Reboot. This will remove the resource wasters that open each time you boot Windows. Do not use msconfig to turn off system processes and services.

10. Modify System Restore. Start/Help and Support/Undo Changes/System Restore Settings/Turn off System Restore/OK. If you are going for the fastest system you can achieve, just turn System Restore off. I do. If you are wanting to keep it as a backup safety feature then at least reduce the amount of space that is being set aside for this feature. PC Pitstop has suggested reducing this waste of expensive hard drive space for some time now. I suggest something in the 1300MB to 1500MB range. The % this represents will vary with the size of your hard drive. Start/Help and Support/Undo Changes/System Restore Settings/Disk Space Usage/Move the slider to correct position/OK. Keep in mind that while I don’t use System Restore, I do use Acronis True Image Home for creating backups. It’s as easy as clicking “Clone”. I create new clones at least every week.

11. Delete your old Emails. Start/Outlook Express (or email client)/Inbox/Inbox/Delete all unwanted emails/Deleted items/Right click each deleted item/Delete them permanently. Emails can waste space at an alarming rate. If you don’t need them, get rid of them.

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Free up disk space
By freeing disk space, you can improve the performance of your computer. The Disk Cleanup tool helps you free up space on your hard disk. The utility identifies files that you can safely delete, and then enables you to choose whether you want to delete some or all of the identified files.

1. Use Disk Cleanup to:

• Remove temporary Internet files.

• Remove downloaded program files (such as Microsoft ActiveX controls and Java applets).

• Empty the Recycle Bin.

• Remove Windows temporary files.

• Remove optional Windows components that you don’t use.

• Remove installed programs that you no longer use.

2. Speed up access to data
Disk fragmentation slows the overall performance of your system. When files are fragmented, the computer must search the hard disk when the file is opened to piece it back together. The response time can be significantly longer.

Disk Defragmenter is a Windows utility that consolidates fragmented files and folders on your computer’s hard disk so that each occupies a single space on the disk. With your files stored neatly end-to-end, without fragmentation, reading and writing to the disk speeds up.

When to run Disk Defragmenter
In addition to running Disk Defragmenter at regular intervals—monthly is optimal—there are other times you should run it too, such as when:

• You add a large number of files.

• Your free disk space totals 15 percent or less.

• You install new programs or a new version of Windows.

3. Detect and repair disk errors
In addition to running Disk Cleanup and Disk Defragmenter to optimize the performance of your computer, you can check the integrity of the files stored on your hard disk by running the Error Checking utility.

As you use your hard drive, it can develop bad sectors. Bad sectors slow down hard disk performance and sometimes make data writing (such as file saving) difficult, or even impossible. The Error Checking utility scans the hard drive for bad sectors, and scans for file system errors to see whether certain files or folders are misplaced.

If you use your computer daily, you should run this utility once a week to help prevent data loss.

4. Protect your computer against spyware

Spyware collects personal information without letting you know and without asking for permission. From the Web sites you visit to usernames and passwords, spyware can put you and your confidential information at risk. In addition to privacy concerns, spyware can hamper your computer’s performance. To combat spyware, you might want to consider using Microsoft Windows Defender, which is included in Windows Vista, and is available as a free download for Microsoft XP SP2. Alternatively, there are other free anti-spyware software programs available.

5. Learn all about ReadyBoost
If you’re using Windows Vista, you can use ReadyBoost to speed up your system. A new concept in adding memory to a system, it allows you to use non-volatile flash memory—like a USB flash drive or a memory card—to improve performance without having to add additional memory.

Join the fun about World of Warcraft over on Got 2 WoW.

Further to reference guide, this is the interactive guide from Microsoft.

When you click the link below, the interactive guide will start. Once you’re there, rest the mouse pointer over an Outlook 2003 menu or button to learn its new location in Outlook 2007. To see an animation of the location of the command or button in Outlook 2007, just click it.

Start the guide

Notes

• This guide requires Adobe Flash Player 7.0 or later.
• This guide covers the most popular commands from Outlook 2003. For the complete list of command equivalents, see Reference: Locations of Outlook 2003 commands in Outlook 2007.
• The e-mail commands shown for Outlook 2003 are the ones you see when you’re using Microsoft Word as your e-mail editor. If you’re not sure which e-mail editor you’re using or how to tell, see Demo: Do more with Word as your e-mail editor.