Pamela's Computer Help for Seniors Blog

When I was a child my mother constantly reminded me that “there is no such word as can’t.” I therefore grew up thinking that everything was possible if I tried really hard and thought of different ways to complete a project thus making it succeed. With this mindset I went through life using my imagination and over time my skills improved and grew in all ventures on which I embarked.

Although teaching never entered my head this attribute, that my teachers saw in me, became apparent when I became dedicated to the Computer Education of Seniors. With infinite patience I convey to them that they do not need to “be afraid” of their computers or think that they cannot and will not ever be able to operate one. Quiet the contrary! A computer is an easy to understand, friendly unit that can be understood very easily in a very short time if the correct instruction is given.

With my help and the information that I have gathered into an “Easy to Understand How-To” Book “Computer Tips for SENIORS” you will be up and running in a snap!

Contact me anytime for FREE answers to your questions which will arrive in your Inbox within 24 hours if not at once.

Get Started Right Away! I am looking forward to hear from you!

It’s that time of year again; the New Year is here and it’s time to make your computer run more efficiently. I know that this may not be an exciting project but please read on, you will be so pleased that your computer is running fast and without problems when you complete the steps below. It does take time and a little patience but in the long run you will benefit and so will your computer.

If you have saved all your Documents in your Document folder now’s the time to consolidate and transfer all the old, unused, documents to an external medium so that it frees up space on your hard drive. If you have a fairly new computer with a 500GB hard drive you may think that this procedure is not necessary but clearing off old files and folders and organizing the files in use can help you locate them much faster.

I make a point of doing my “Computer Spring Cleaning” at the beginning of each year and if you would like to join me in this endeavor read on.

Every time I need to save a file I make sure that it goes in the appropriate folder with a date as the first part of the saved file name so that I can find it easily. In other words, 010111 Letter to Jim or 01-01-11 Letter to Jim.

Make new folders in your “Documents” named for the previous years. Maybe you have documents from 2008, 2009, 2010. If you have not looked through your Document folder for some years gather all your files from previous years and put them in the appropriate folder. You can “highlight” a whole block of files from 2009 and then drag them to the 2009 folder; this saves a great deal of time. Repeat this procedure for all the other years and you will see how “tidy” your “Document” file looks and how easy it will be to find your files when you need them.

Do the same with your “Pictures” folder. If you have saved pictures in your “Documents” folder drag them into your “Picture” folder and then make folders for each occasion i.e. Granddaughter, Holiday in Italy 2009, Visit to the Museum etc.

Delete unwanted files and folders and drag all your old useful files and folders to an external medium i.e. Flash Drive, External Hard Drive, CD or DVD and keep it in a safe place to access at a later time.

Remember to save all future documents in your 2011 Document folder and pictures in your Picture folder. If you think of your computer like a giant filing cabinet it will be easy for you to organize your work.

If you need help with any of the above procedures please click HERE.

Standing Room Only!
At our Dec. 9th meeting we were once again witness to the reason that some presenters are unique and deserving of all the praise that can be heaped upon them

Pamela Tabak is the Presenter that I am talking about. Having her as a speaker means that you don’t have to worry about her being prepared or that her presentation will not be well received . No matter what the subject matter is, you know that she has done her homework and that all our members will thoroughly enjoy what she puts before them.

We go back a long time with Pamela. She has been educating and bringing enjoyment to our members with presentations at least once a year since 2004. Her topic this time was “Tips and Tricks”, and we all became privy to some bit of information that was new to us. In addition, all our members are always eager to ask her questions related to problems with their computers. She did not disappoint them with her answers. Pamela relates to seniors in a very remarkable way. In this connection, she is the author of a widely read book entitled “Computer Tips for Seniors” – “How to become a computer wise Grandparent”

With any luck, we will have her back next year.

Lou Strumlauf – President – Huntington Lakes Computer Club – Delray Beach – Florida

You Asked and I Listened! Computer users who have been asking me computer related questions in past years have been urging me to compile all the questions, with my illustrated answers into book form. For sometime my daily project has been to collect all this data and now the book is almost ready.

The book is divided into subjects i.e. Microsoft Word, Micorosft Excel, Pictures, System Problems to name just a few. I believe that most frequently asked questions will be answered in this First Edition. As soon as the First Edition is ready the Second Edition will be started. As technology advances there are always new questions to ask so I will always have more information to give computer users world wide.

The biggest challenge that I have had, while writing the book, has been the index. I have tried to make the index “user friendly” so that even a new computer user will be able to find the answer to their questions easily. I am thinking carefully about the phrases that computer users use when searching for answers to their problems and use these phrases to compile the index.

I am also including with the book a laminated “Bookmark Cheat Sheet” that can be kept near the computer for reference, showing everyday shortcuts. I use shortcuts for most of my computer work and want to share these with my readers to make their computing experience more fun and features easier and faster to access.

Keep checking back for more information as I progress. Hopefully it will be ready soon.