Using ADO in Access 2000

To use a Microsoft Access 2000 database and ADO you have to add the correct references in your Visual Basic project. To add the references to your Visual Basic project follow the instruction's below.

Open a project. 
From the Project menu, click References.
From the list, select Microsoft ActiveX Data Objects 2.1 Library.
From the list, select Microsoft ADO Ext. 2.1 for DDL and Security. 
From the list, select Microsoft Jet and Replication Objects 2.1 Library. 
Click OK. 
This should let you now use an Access 2000 database with an ADODC control. However Data form Wizard will still face problems!

Load Outlook Faster

If you're tired of waiting the Outlook Express to start up, there's a way to make it faster. Open the RegEdit and navigate to the next path:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\[nr of id]\Software\Microsoft\Outlook Express\[vers]
Then create a new DWORD value called NoSplash, and assign the value 1. Remember to take a backup of the Registry before doing this! For more information on how to backup your registry,

The Best Computer Tips and Tricks: Microsoft Office 2003

Edit Outlook E-mails with Word

Want to use Word to handle viewing and composing rich e-mail messages to send via Outlook? You can view inbound mail using Word by opening Outlook, clicking Tools > Options, and then selecting the Mail Format tab. Click the box next to "Use Microsoft Word 2003 to read Rich Text e-mail messages." Click the box above it to use Word to edit your e-mail messages. If you just want to use Word to create a single e-mail message, go to Actions > New Mail Message Using and then decide if you want to compose in an HTML or Word document (or even Excel spreadsheet) format.

Auto Recover in Excel

Don't let all your number-crunching go down the virtual drain if your system crashes. Tell Excel's AutoRecover feature to save your file automatically and at regular intervals by going to Tools > Customize and selecting the Save tab. Under Settings, check the box next to "Save AutoRecover info every . . ." and then select how often you want the information saved (anywhere from every minute to every 120 minutes). You can also change the AutoRecover save location.

Simplify Hyperlinks

If you hate having to hit the Ctrl key along with clicking on a hyperlink when you want to go to a Web site listed in a Word document, you can save yourself the extra keystroke by heading to Tools > Options and selecting the Edit tab. Then uncheck the box that says "Use CTRL + click to follow hyperlink."

Change from 1st to 1st

Not everyone wants a superscript when they type in "1st" or other ordinal numbers. If that includes you, select Format > AutoFormat and click the Options button. Under the "AutoFormat as You Type" tab, uncheck the box next to "Ordinals (1st) with superscript" that's in the section labeled "Replace as you type." The same section allows you to stop Word from automatically replacing Web and e-mail addresses with hyperlinks.

Configure Auto Correct

You can program Auto Correct to automatically change text to the format you prefer. If you use copyright and trademark symbols often, head to Tools > AutoCorrect Options > AutoCorrect tab, then highlight the text that Word will automatically convert to the symbol (like "(tm)" for "™"). You will see the text you select pop up in the blank fields under the "Replace" and "With" headings, below "Replace text as you type" (the box next to it is checked by default). Now, any time you input that selected text, Word will instantly change it to the related symbol.

The Best Computer Tips and Tricks: Microsoft Office 2007

View Documents as Drafts

One thing that annoys us about Word 2007 is that it doesn't automatically let you open a document in Draft view (which was the Normal view in earlier versions of Word). To enable this, click the Office button > Word Options > Advanced > General. Then click the box next to "Allow opening a document in Draft View."

Display Formatting Marks

Some people can live without Word's marks for spaces and paragraphs, but for those Word 2007 users who can't, go to the Office button > Word Options > Display. Then, under "Always show these formatting marks on the screen," check the box for spaces, paragraph marks, and more.

Show Page Breaks in Excel

Printing an Excel spreadsheet can be a hassle, but you don't need to go to Print Preview in order to see where a page breaks. Click the Office button, then under Excel Options, click Advanced. Under "Display options for this worksheet" click the box next to "Show page breaks."

Check Your Style

First, Word could check your spelling, and then your grammar; now it can even critique your writing style. If you're concerned about things like wordiness and improper use of the passive voice, have Word 2007 check for them. Click the Office button > Word Options > Proofing. Under Writing Style, select Grammar & Style from the dropdown. If there are particular areas you don't Word to scrutinize, click the adjacent Settings button and then uncheck the appropriate boxes.

Change Your Presentation's Resolution

With larger wide-screen displays becoming the PC-viewing norm, you might not want your PowerPoint presentation to go online formatted for an old-school 800x600 resolution. To bump up your presentation's optimal screen size, click the Office button > PowerPoint Options > Advanced. Under the General area, click Web Options, select the Pictures tab, and choose the screen size you want.

Revert to Old Office File Formats

The latest version of Office "grants" users new default file extensions that aren't compatible with previous versions; you're forced to download and install a plug-in. But if you want to make the old Office file formats your default ones, click Office, and then Options for the specific program you're in. Select Save in the left-hand column, and then under "Save documents," choose the old Office file extension from the pull-down menu next to "Save files in this format."