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Ask Mr. Modem! – June 2010     
www.MrModem.com   


Regain Cursor Control

Q.  My mouse cursor used to automatically land in the correct spot when I had to click OK or CANCEL or make some other selection, but it doesn’t do that anymore. How can I get that feature working again? It was very handy and saved a lot of mouse maneuvering.


A.  What you're describing is a mouse pointer setting, so go to the Control Panel > Mouse > Pointer Options tab and place a check mark beside “Automatically move pointer to the default button in a dialog box,” followed by Apply > OK. (Windows 7 users, go to Start > Search and type in “Change mouse settings” then click the Pointer Options tab.)

It doesn't work in every instance because there isn't always a default button, but by configuring it in this manner, it will automatically move to the OK (or other) button in many situations. 


Q.  I want to single-space the title page of a Word document, then double-space and line number the rest of document. How can I accomplish that?


A.  Word uses single-spacing by default, so there is nothing you have to do other than type your title page as you normally would. To double-space other text, highlight the data, then click Format > Paragraph and under Spacing, click Double > OK. To add line numbering, click File > Page Setup > Layout tab > Line Numbers button. You'll see the line-numbering options there.


Q.  The time on my computer appears as 24-hour military time. How can I change this to the normal 12-hour display?


A.  You didn't mention what version of Windows you're using, but you should be able to go to the Control Panel and double click the Regional and Language Options icon. On the Regional Options tab, click the Customize button, then the Time tab, followed by the down arrow next to the Time Format box. Select h:mm.ss and click OK twice to save and exit. If you want “AM” or “PM” to appear with the time, use h:mm:ss:tt. (Windows 7 users, click Clock, Language and Region in the Control Panel, then Change the Date, Time or Number Format.)


Q.  I am trying to copy photos from a folder on my hard drive to something called an SD card to use in a digital picture frame. Every time I try, I get an error message that says, “Cannot copy file. The disk is write protected. Remove the write protection or use another disk.” I've used two different SD cards with the same result. What am I doing wrong, Mr. M?


A.  An SD card is a Secure Digital card, which is a flash-memory device widely used in digital cameras, handheld computers, PDAs (personal digital assistants), cell phones, GPS receivers, among other devices. The problem you describe is a fairly common one, and the fix is about as low-tech as you can get: Place a small piece of tape (Scotch tape will do nicely) over the tiny switch on the SD card, then insert it again. It will work fine.


Mr. Modem’s DME (Don’t Miss ‘Em) Sites of the Month


Cooking Light
Your online guide to eating smart, being fit and living well. No, seriously. Here you can search, browse, and review thousands of healthy recipes. The Healthy Life section includes tips on fitness, beauty, travel, nutrition, and maintaining a positive attitude in the absence of sugar. The Community section provides access to topical bulletin boards where you can post your tips and questions or read what other participants have to say.
www.cookinglight.com

How Old is Your Brain?
Don't be alarmed that this site appears in Japanese; consider it part of its charm. Click Start, then wait for the 3, 2, 1 countdown. The objective is to memorize the number positions as they appear on screen, then click the circles in the same positions, moving from the smallest number to the largest number. After ten sequences have been completed, it will reveal how old your brain is. (Pray for double-digits.)
http://tinyurl.com/yvq36y

Airline Seating
If flying today makes you long for the comfort that canned sardines enjoy, the SeatGuru can help. Here you'll find seating diagrams for most aircraft so you can select the best seat possible, along with reviews and rankings of the best and worst seats on most major airlines. Trivia Alert: According to the airline industry, most "air rage" incidents occur when a thoughtless lout slams his or her seat back to a quasi-reclining position. Keep that in mind the next time you're inclined to recline.
www.seatguru.com

U.S. Hospital Finder
Type in your address, city and state, or just your ZIP code, then click Search. The hospitals closest to you will be displayed on a map. Click a hospital for details such as address, phone number, URL, number of beds and services it provides. Information is included on more than 6,000 U.S. hospitals. No registration is required -- for the Web site, not the hospitals.
www.ushospitalfinder.com

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