Ever get tired of searching around your desktop or program menu to find a shortcut to your most-frequently used applications? Maybe you’ve tried Object Dock and Launchy, but neither of those is really working for you. Wouldn’t it just be easier if you could start these apps without having to click on an icon?

Here’s an idea: why not create your own keyboard shortcuts? It might sound a bit technical –  but trust us, it’s easier than you’d think. You’ll end up saving tons of time throughout your workday! Walk through theses steps and click along… you’ll see how simple it is to create quick keyboard shortcuts that will instantly launch your favorite applications!

1. Right click on your desktop shortcut or on any start menu program and choose “Properties” from the menu.
   
2. Under the shortcut tab, click in “Shortcut Key” box.
3. Now, press any key on your keyboard that you want to use in combination with CTRL+ALT.
   In the example below, if you wanted to create keyboard shortcut to open MSN Messenger, you would press 9. Once you click “Apply,” your keyboard shortcut for MSN Messenger will be CTRL+ALT+9.

   

4. Now, press OK button and test your shortcut key.

That’s it! You’re done. Now, time to decide which apps you want to start with which shortcuts… have fun!

Today, you’ll be learning a tip that will revolutionize the way you look at your Outlook Calendar. Instead of dreading the click-and-type sequence you currently use to set a calendar event, you’ll eagerly anticipate using this drag-and-drop shortcut every chance you get!

1. Open Outlook.
2. Go to your Inbox.
3. Click to hi-light the email that you want to turn into a calendar event.
   Hold down the LEFT mouse button, move the cursor to the calendar tab in the lower left hand corner of the Outlook window.

   

4. After the LEFT mouse button is released, a calendar box will immediately pop up. (The subject of your e-mail will be the subject of your calendar event, so if you want it to be called something different — this is your chance to make the change.)
5. The default date and time for this box will need to be updated!
6. Check to verify that all of your information is correct for the event.
7. Click “Save and Close,” and the event will be saved in your calendar.
8. BONUS TIP: Once you’re used to doing this, try hitting the ALT + N to invite attendees!

Pass this time-saving tip along to your co-workers and friends… they’ll thank you for all the time it saves them!

Now that you know how to share your Outlook calendar with your friends and coworkers, it’s time to start scheduling more efficiently. Before you ask your boss for a 30-minute meeting this week, why not check her calendar to see if she has any time available?

(Remember: This feature requires a Microsoft Exchange 2000, 2003, or 2007 account. Most home and personal accounts do not use Exchange.)

You can quickly view another person’s shared default Microsoft Exchange Calendar from the Navigation Pane.

1. Open Calendar and click Open a Shared Calendar.
   
2. Type the name ofa contact whose calendar you want to see in the Name box, or click Name to select a name from the Address Book.
3. Click OK.
4. The shared Calendar appears next to any calendar that is already in the view.
5. After you access a shared Calendar for the first time, the Calendar is added to the Navigation Pane.
6. The next time you want to view the shared Calendar, you can click it in the Navigation Pane.

If the person whose Calendar you want to open has not granted you permission to view it, Outlook will prompt you to ask the person for permission. If you click Yes, a sharing request e-mail message will open automatically. If they approve of this action, you’ll get a notification… so the next time you open your Outlook calendar, you can view theirs, too!

Amazing! Come back again soon for another exciting Outlook tip, brought to you by your friends at Dynamic Edge, Inc.

Looking for an easy way to schedule appointments, coordinate meetings, and plan parties or events? Outlook’s shared calendar function is probably the easiest, most convenient way to get your team, your clients and even your friends (literally) on the same page!

There’s more than one way to start sharing your Outlook calendar. In this post, I’ll show you two, so let’s get started. (Note: you must be connected to Microsoft Exchange Server 2000 or higher to share your outlook calendar.)

To share your default calendar with everyone:

1. Open Calendar.
2. In the Navigation Pane, right-click the default “Calendar” folder. (See below – usually, this is right the under My Calendar heading.)
   
3. Choose Change Sharing Permissions.
4. On the Permissions tab, in the Name box, choose Default, and then select a permission level.
5. Click Apply.

That’s it! Now, all of your contacts that are connected to Exchange can view your calendar!

Next up: Share your Outlook Calendar with specific people.

For some people, granting individual permissions to share your calendar may help minimize scheduling conflicts by allowing you to show only the available time you’re willing to use for appointments and events. This is also a good way to keep your schedule a little more private, while allowing only certain people – for example, key team members – to access your schedule.

Here’s how:

1. In the Navigation Pane, right-click the folder you want to share.
2. Select “Share calendar name.”
   
3. Put the name of the contact you want to share your calendar with in the “To” box.
4. If you want, change the Subject.
5. If you want, you can give your contacts permission to change your calendar items by selecting the”Recipient can add, edit, and delete items in this Calendar” check box.
6. Type a message in the text area if you wish, and send! Click Send.
7. A confirmation dialog box will appear. Review it and click OK.
8. As soon as your contact receives this message, they’ll be able to share your calendar.

Now, you can share your calendar with anyone and everyone you want! Stay tuned, and I”ll show you how to view someone else’s calendar! That’s all for now…

Ttyl, stormie

As promised, the instructions for utilizing AutoCorrect (checks spelling as-you-type) are as here:

1. Open Outlook.
2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
3. Click the Spelling tab, and then click Spelling and AutoCorrection.
4. Select the Check spelling as you type option (make sure there is a green check mark in the box).
5. Stop sending e-mails with misspelled words!

Wait a minute! Are you having Déjà vu all over again? No.
But these steps are exactly the same as they are for Outlook 2007!? Yes, that’s right.
They do that so it’s easy for people to transition from one version to the next when they upgrade.

But what if you run into this?

We can work around the SP3 problem… Here’s how:

1. Click on Tools and select Options.
2. Click the Mail Format tab.
3. Check the box that says “Use Microsoft Office Word 2003 to edit e-mail messages.”
4. And it’ll start working properly again.

Still having trouble, give us a call or contact us here!

Has this ever happened to you?

You’re about to leave the office and you suddenly realize that you forgot to respond to an important e-mail. You’ve only got a few minutes to be out the door, or else you’ll be gridlocked in traffic during the commute home – so you open Outlook, quickly punch out a few lines, and without proofreading, click “send.”

The following day, you check to see that the response has been delivered, and looking at it, you realize – much to your chagrin – not one, but two silly typos. It’s okay. People “mkae” mistakes, and a lot of people are “unsterdanding” when it happens. Spelling mistakes happen to people all the time, but that doesn’t make them any less embarrassing. (Believe me, I know!) Because of the rapid nature of e-mail, it’s even more important that you use the features built into Outlook 2007 to dummy-proof your messages.

AutoCorrect is an amazing tool that will help you eliminate these needless mistakes… faster. Without having to confirm each correction, it automatically adjusts spelling mistakes as you type. For example, if you type “definitely” and then type a space or other punctuation, the AutoCorrect feature will replace the misspelled word with “definitely.” Are you ready to start using AutoCorrect for Outlook? Here’s how:

1. Open Outlook.
2. On the Tools menu, click Options.
3. Click the Spelling tab, and then click Spelling and AutoCorrection.
4. Select the Check spelling as you type option (make sure there is a green check mark in the box).
   .
5. Stop sending e-mails with misspelled words!

You can use AutoCorrect for grammar mistakes, too! Follow the steps above, checking the Check Grammar as you type option, and Outlook will fix grammar mistakes for you as well.
If you’re using Outlook 2003, stay tuned! Directions coming soon…

This week your favorite technology blog will be literally plastered
with posts about (you guessed it) Microsoft Office Outlook.

Check back every day for a new tip, trick, or tutorial
that will help you to become an Outlook Master!

Looking for a better way to keep track of all the login names and passwords you use to access information on a regular basis? At Dynamic Edge, we’ve been using password databases for years, which makes our lives simpler because all the passwords we need are stored in one location.

After serious searching, we’re happy to say that we’ve found a free, open source password manager that you can use to manage your passwords in a secure way — just like us!

On any given day, you probably use a password to log onto the Windows network, another one for your e-mail account, one for your website’s FTP site, and that’s just at work! You’ve also got a password for online banking, one for Facebook, one for LinkedIn, and the list goes on and on… Wouldn’t it be nice if there were something that could helps you to manage all of these passwords in a safe, secure way?

With KeePass, you can put all your passwords in one database, which is locked with one master key or a key file. Now, you only have to remember one password (or select the key file) to unlock your whole database.

Follow these steps to get the portable version of KeePass for free:

1. Download the zip file for Portable KeePass 2.07 here.
2. Unpack it to your favorite location — USB stick, removable hard drive, smartphone, etc.
3. Launch KeePass and choose a Master Password. (See bottom of this posting for a great password strategy!) You may also choose to use a key file for added security.
4. To add passwords, go to Edit and choose to Add Entry, Add Group, or Add Subgroup. (You get the same options by right-clicking on the left side menu.)
5. To retrieve passwords, Login using your Master Password and select the account you need to access.
6. Right-clicking on any of these entries will give you the option to copy the Username or Password. (As well as numerous options including: Add, View or Edit entry, Delete an entry, Open a URL and so on…)
7. Paste the password you’ve copied from KeePass in the appropriate login field, and you’re all set!

About Passwords
KeePass has it’s own Random Password Generator — which is a neat feature if you need to change a password quickly, but you don’t have time to think of a clever password you’ll remember. To use this feature, look under Tools. Passwords generated using the Random Password Generator are truly random — so make sure to save these in your KeePass database (because you will forget them!).

When it comes to passwords, we suggest that you try doing this:
Come up with a phrase, and then convert that phrase into a password. Be sure to use at least 6 uppercase and lowercase letters, as well as numbers and punctuation marks.

Here’s one example.
If my phrase is: My birthday is on the 7th of September!
I could use: “Mbiot7os!” as my password.

Michigan Radio, the University of Michigan’s public radio station, just announced that during their spring fund drive, they were able to drum up $620,000 in pledges, exceeding their goal by nearly 15%.

Why are we reporting this on the Dynamic Edge blog? Because we’re proud to say that at least 2% of that total was collected by DE staff last Wednesday, when a group of us volunteered to answer the phones and take pledges during the drive.

Here’s the story:
What started out as 8 Dynedgers rallying behind our favorite listener supported radio program, degenerated rapidly into a fund-drive smackdown with a $5 buy-in — winner takes all. And the wager? Which volunteer could collect the most pledge dollars during our 3.5 hours of fame.

With the best of intentions, Gordon, Jon, Jason, Keith, Tim, Deb, Andy, Thom and I trickled into the station about 4 p.m. Parking is always hit-or-miss downtown, so most of us opted for the quarter-mile hike from the nearest structure.

When we were finally in our seats, Local Anchor Charity Nebbe and Director of Broadcasting Steve Schram were already “On Air” talking about the drive; and the phones were ringing. For a few of us (the fund-drive first timers) it took a few tries to get our feet wet, but within the first 30 minutes, all bets were on.

Answering the pledge lines was easier than you’d think, and with the competition heating up every time the phone rang time, time flew by! With one hour to go, I began to panic, realizing that I was up against insurmountable odds — Jason, Thom, and Tim had all collected multiple Day Sponsor donations ($1/day for a full year = $365), Deb’s phone was ringing off the hook, and I was trailing at a distant second-to-last! Then, out of nowhere, my phone rang.

“Thanks for calling Michigan Radio, may I take your pledge?” I gulped.
“Sure!” The kind man replied.
“Are you interested in being one of our Day Sponsors?” I pleaded, near desperation.
“Well,” he said (with a very long pause…) “I don’t really think I have anything clever enough to say if I do.” He confessed.
“Oh. Ok.” I exhaled, hopes dashed.
“I think I’d just like to make it an even thousand.” He said nonchalantly.

My face flushed red as I wrote down the dollar amount. Silently, I filled out the remainder of the form — being careful to get the *correct* credit card information — and then turned to Tim with an eager grin. I was back in the game!

It came right down to the last few minutes. Deb, Thom and I were neck-and-neck (and neck). The $1,000 pledge had pushed me just a smidgen ahead of the others. So there we sat, white-knuckled, waiting for the phones to start ringing again. But they didn’t. It was 7:30 — time to wrap it up. We logged out of our phones and cleaned up the table a bit, and then we heard it: one more ring. It was Tim’s phone! Could this be it? Another Day Sponsor would hurl him into the lead…

Throughout the evening, we collected pledges ranging from $4.95 to $1,000. Hundreds of phone calls, many interesting conversations, several Thank-You gifts and 3 hours later, we had collected over $13,500 for Michigan Radio. And when all was said and done, I was still the winner! What a night!

Dynamic Edge would like to thank Michigan Radio for letting us invade the studio and have fun for a night. We’re sorry about the paper airplanes and we promise not to throw any more at the broadcasters as long as we can come back again next year! Bella Ciao provided delicious Manicotti for dinner, so a special thanks to them, too.

If you’re interested in donating to Michigan Radio, click here for more information. I’m sure they would appreciate your support.

Hey Readers! We’ve had a lot of calls today asking about the Conficker worm problem that is threatening to wreck havoc on 9 million-plus PC’s tomorrow (April 1, 2009). We understand the concern and are doing our best to protect ourselves — and we suggest you do the same.

In October, we sent out an e-mail blast alerting all of our contacts that Microsoft had released an urgent security update that was essential for any PC using any version of windows. This patch was designed to protect against the Conficker worm, specifically, as well as similar future attacks. The following directions come straight from Microsoft’s Technet. At this time, we strongly suggest you follow all of these precautions, knowing that we will be here to support you, should this worm prove to be as destructive as the media is presenting it to be. Protecting PCs from Conficker (Directly from Microsoft Technet)

1. Apply the security update associated with MS08-067. (Click Here!)
2. Make sure you are running up-to-date antivirus software from a trusted vendor, such as Microsoft’s Forefront Client Security or Windows Live OneCare. (All of our equipment at DE is protected by Symantec Endpoint Protection or AVG.) DO NOT Google search “antivirus” and download a free trial from anywhere today!
3. Check for updated protections for security software or devices, such as antivirus, network-based intrusion detection systems, or host-based intrusion prevention systems. The Microsoft Active Protection Program (MAPP) provides partners with early access to Microsoft vulnerability information. For a list of partners and links to their active protections, please visit the MAPP Partners page.
4. Isolate legacy systems using the methods outlined in the Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 and Windows 98 Threat Mitigation Guide.
5. Implement strong passwords as outlined in this whitepaper.
6. Disable the AutoPlay feature through the registry or using Group Policies. (See Knowledge Base Article 967715 for more information.)

NOTE: Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 customers must deploy the update associated with Microsoft Knowledge Base Article 967715 to be able to successfully disable the AutoRun feature. Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 customers must deploy the security update associated with Microsoft Security Bulletin MS08-038 to be able to successfully disable the AutoRun feature.

*** Now, before you spend anymore time panicking over whether or not you’ll be affected by Conflicker, make sure you’ve done what you can to protect yourself. If you’re reading this and you’re on our Fixed IT plan, you don’t have to do any of this because your security updates are automatic! We’ve got you covered ;)

We will post new information just as soon as we get it! Stay calm and good luck! ttyl, storm!