When you go about your day on auto pilot, rarely do you need to change the direction you take to reach your destination. But on occasions when you are forced to take detours—like I have been recently while going to work—you might just find that there are all sorts of ways to reach your destination that you never knew existed.

The other day, I was taking a new detour that the signs said to follow, just to find myself at a closed road with new detour signs pointing me back the way I came. Anyone else ever have a problem with this?

So, geek that I am, I whipped out my handy GPS, typed in the destination, and found my way by turning off-course while the “lady in the box” (as my son calls it)  repeats “You are off route! You please turn at the next street and change directions.” Of course, the only way this is going to work is to constantly click the re-route button or veer off the beaten path enough that the “lady in the box” finds a new way to go so that you can hear the glorious phrase, “You have reached your destination.”

Well, you may experience this same kind of frustration when you arrive at a new PC or laptop computer and find a new version of Windows. You now have to navigate to familiar places in a very unfamiliar Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate or even Starter Edition on a netbook.

Don’t despair! We can narrow down your detours by helping to explain a couple simple routing options that you can use in any of these versions of Windows.

Let’s start with the simplest method first. The search bar. If you happen to know what you’re looking for by name, like Joe’s Pizza, The Museum of Natural History, My proposal for the boss, my new resume, etc…you get the idea! Then all you need to do is press the start button.

Wait! Wait! Stop right there! You might be saying, “What’s that? No start button?”

Oh, that’s right! It’s the large circular button with the Windows logo located in the lower left corner of your screen where the start button used to be. Once you push this magical button (I like that fact that it glows when you hover over it. To me, that’s magic!) you will see a rectangular box that says search. Simply type in part of the name that you are looking for and presto! It will likely show on the list. Now if that isn’t magic then I’m not David Blaine!

If you’re not sure what to look for by name, but keep saying to yourself “I can’t remember…But I will know it when I see it,” then you may wish to explore the Windows Explorer way of searching. Let’s say we were searching for a recipe on Gingerbread Houses or something similar because you might be feeling a need to revisit the fairy tales of your youth. You start by checking in your documents. No good. Then you try your videos. No good either. You start picking through your local C: drive, following the path but never finding it easy to just back up a little and try the alternate path. In the past you might have done this by using your back button or by using the up one level button, over, over, and over again until you couldn’t remember where you started. Why not whip out your magic wand and teleport to a specific place along the path? In Windows 7, your wand is a mouse pointer and your teleporting map is the address bar located at the top of the window you are in. Take two seconds and look at how it has changed. Instead of slashes you now see little arrows. If you click on the word or drive in the address bar it will take you to that folder right away. If you are not sure what lies ahead, click on the arrow to see a quick list of all the folders down that path—like peeking ahead in a choose your own adventure game so that you can control the ending.

Whether you are looking for help from the “lady in the box” or need to follow the bread crumbs, you will be able to jump for joy (or maybe scare your co-workers and family) and repeatedly voice “I have reached my destination!”

Until next time, don’t forget to stop by the blog and check out other useful tips at www.productiveUpodcast.com.

See ya next time!

DigIT and I will be discussing how to use different views when trying to locate files or other items on a computer.

Editor: DigIT, can you explain why this topic recently caught your interest?

DigIT: My regular computer operator (my human friend) was recently complaining that she could not find a file on her computer. I asked her which one and when she told me, I was able to find it immediately. I could not understand why my friend had trouble. She attempted to explain it to me, but I found her reasons confusing; she mentioned a strange character named Waldo that seemed to always be missing.

E: Oh, you’re referring to the Where’s Waldo book series. Those are fun—what don’t you get?

D: Why do you humans like Where’s Waldo?  It seems pointless to me if you do not like looking for things.

E: Well, Where’s Waldo started out for younger children, most of whom would only be playing games or doing learning activities on a computer.  The adults, like your friend, would typically be working; trying to produce things for other people.

D: She told me that finding a file is like looking at a Where’s Waldo picture, without the fun; that finding one file among all the other files should be easier.

E: That’s probably because Where’s Waldo is a game, and finding files is typically thought of as work for us.  Maybe you need to understand that we humans see the two similar tasks as entirely different things.  Work for a human is something we have to do if we want to eat, have a place to live, or have a computer.  Something like Where’s Waldo is for entertainment, something we make a choice about doing, which has an entirely different value scale.

D: That explanation makes it somewhat clearer, although I doubt I will ever understand you humans completely.

E: It works both ways, believe me. So, were you able to offer any suggestions to make files easier to find?

D: I really do not find those Waldo pictures very challenging, and finding files is something I do without even thinking. I recommended that she try eliminating some of the files; even rearranging them might be beneficial.  We discussed displaying the files in a different order, such as sorted by size or date.

E: Oh, yes, the Details view in Windows Explorer can sort items that way. It can be very helpful. But what can you recommend for locating other types of items, like e-mail messages? I often have trouble finding specific messages in my Inbox.

D: In e-mail, there are many ways to arrange items to make it easier to find the one you want, such as sorting by columns. You can also filter out some of the items to give you a smaller group to look at. In Outlook, Search Folders provide an efficient method of filtering messages by using a specific set of criteria.

E: Search Folders are great, and so are the built-in views.

D: I could elaborate further on changing views, but the options depend on which program you are using.  My human friend said she was going to provide some tips for some of the most common software applications.

E: She did, and I’ll be sure to post those on the blog entry for this podcast. Any last words, DigIT?

D: Please try to remember the view options, and the other tools at your disposal, to assist you when searching for specific items. It is unfortunate that most of my family has not mastered the trick of talking to humans. If they could, it would probably make life for you humans much easier, but I am afraid it might also shock many of you.

By the way, here is a trick you can use for solving those Waldo pictures. Just look for the pattern in his shirt, then check for the hat and glasses to find the exact match. But I digress; I will stick to those bits and bytes.

E: Thank you for joining us this week, DigIT. We look forward to speaking with you again in the future to gain more insight on the computer world from your unique perspective.

Here are the tips for this week. You can find links for these in the blog entry for the podcast, at www.productiveUpodcast.com.

• Changing the view in a Windows Explorer folder
• Using different views in Outlook
• Using different views in Lotus Notes
• How to create your own view in Outlook
• How to use the Full Screen Reading view in Word
• Creating and using Custom Views in Excel
• Using the Slide Sorter view in PowerPoint
• Changing the Zoom level in PowerPoint
• Using different message views on a BlackBerry device
• Using different calendar views on a Windows Mobile device

Thanks for listening to our podcast. If you have any recommendations for future episodes, be sure to let us know by writing an iTunes review, or by droppping us a line on Twitter @productiveUcast.

Music courtesy of Clayton & Fulcrum

But it’s a little early to be thinking of summer, isn’t it? So why would I mention this in the middle of February?

Oddly enough, even in the dead of winter, with temperatures in the single digits and several feet of snow piled up around the house, I still love a good ice cream sundae. Especially if it has peanut butter ripples, frozen pieces of candy, or chunks of cookie dough.

Some things are just better when they’re frozen, but a computer is definitely not one of them.

When your computer decides to freeze up or hang, it usually does so at a crucial moment, like when you’ve just spent several hours editing a Word document and haven’t saved it yet.

That feeling of dread sets in. You begin to panic, and then you fear the worst: that all your hard work will be lost.

Sometimes, unfortunately, this is the case. But there are some steps you can take to ensure that your work will be recovered in the event that Word crashes.

If you enable the AutoRecover feature, which is available in several of the Office applications, it will periodically save a backup version of the file you’re working on. Then, if the program quits unexpectedly, it will prompt you with the recovered file the next time you open that program.

There is no guarantee offered with the AutoRecover feature, and at times it will fail to recover your work, so your best bet is still to save frequently when working in a file. You may find it much easier to use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+S to save your work as you’re typing, without your fingers ever leaving the keyboard. If you can get into this habit, you might just find your left hand automatically reaching for those keys without you even realizing it!

When the Deep Freeze sets in, whether it’s Windows, an Office application, or a mobile device, we don’t want you to be left out in the cold. The tips for this week will provide you with a starting point for when it seems like all is lost.

• What’s Frozen? – How to determine whether it is Windows or an application that is frozen
• An Ounce of Prevention for File Loss – How to enable the AutoRecover feature for Microsoft Office applications
• Mittens for Your Computer – How to clear out temporary Internet files, cookies, and browsing history
• Save Your Fingers By Letting Your Fingers Save Your Work – Using a keyboard shortcut to save while working in a file

And since you can also experience crashes on mobile devices, here are a few tips that can help you with BlackBerry and Windows Mobile:

• Just In Case – How to back up your BlackBerry data
• How to Thaw a Frozen BlackBerry – Resetting a frozen BlackBerry device
• Frozen In Your Hand – Resetting a frozen Windows Mobile device

We hope you’re enjoying the podcast and all the tips. If there are any topics you’d like to see covered in a future episode, please let us know in an iTunes review, or leave us a message on Twitter @productiveUcast.

That’s all for this week. Try to stay warm even when your computer is freezing, and we’ll see you next time!

Music courtesy of Clayton & Fulcrum

Well my personal “fix” has to be my iPod Touch. It has become the companion that keeps me warm on those lonely solo commutes to work and when traveling to our office in Cleveland, Ohio.

So what is it about this little device that has me sleeping with it at night and grabbing it before my morning coffee? (Yes, my wife does get jealous and asks why that THING is between our pillows. I usually just tell her “It’s okay, honey, you’re still my number one precious…yes, my precious.”)

Well, it has to be the apps…

Yes, I bought it originally for its most basic functionality—you know, to play music and watch videos on trips—but, WOW, have the apps changed how I go about my day!

Here is a list of the apps I love most and how they shape my day. Let’s start with the apps I use for work:

I use the built-in Voice Memos app when I’m inspired with an idea while I am driving the car into work (and with a brain like mine, if I don’t get the idea written down or recorded, it could be gone by the time I get to work). Once I arrive in the office, I can then get the thought down into a more appropriate location, such as one of my Microsoft OneNote notebooks. But, like anything, you can use this little app for evil, too. For instance, let’s just say some truck driver who cut me off the other day got a nice message left on one of those 800 numbers that ask “How’s my driving?” Ha, as if he didn’t already know. You’ll need an earbud with a mic to use this feature, and not all models come with them.

The iPod Touch also works very well for syncing my e-mail and calender items with the Exchange server at work. With my handy dandy gadget and a little WiFi connection, I can now respond to e-mail and schedule meetings while sitting in other meetings where someone is droning on about some topic that we had covered completely well over an hour ago. (If you’re careful, you can also work in a game of Skee-ball, another great app.)

If you’re really into the social media stuff, then I highly recommend using TweetDeck. Not only is it a free app, but it allows you to manage multiple Twitter accounts. I use it for my personal account and my podcast account. By the way, if you’re enjoying this podcast, you might like to let me act like the Pied Piper and follow me @productiveUcast.

Looking for some way to type without typing? If you’re familiar with Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Nuance also has a free app called Dragon Dictation that transcribes dictation using its online transcription engine. Keep in mind that you’ll want to have a WiFi connection or else it doesn’t work. It helps with this app to speak somewhat like you would if you were, say, visiting in France and didn’t know French so you would try to get the people to understand you by doing things like speaking slowly and enunciating clearly. Also, it doesn’t hurt to be in a quiet location. Although it may not be perfect, it can help and it’s certainly fun to see what your app might really think you’re saying.

If you find yourself traveling and looking for a good way to save on phone calls, find yourself a WiFi spot and turn on the Skype application. I personally have a “Skype Out” and “Skype In” number, so I can place calls to virtually anywhere at a fraction of the cost of what I would pay using a traditional cell phone plan. Keep in mind that some models of the iPod touch don’t come with earbuds that include a microphone, but I picked up iPhone earbuds online that have the mic.

Now, these last few apps can be used both for home or work, but still I find myself using them everyday.

Alarm Clock is a great app and well worth paying for the premium version. This is also another reason it is either in my bed or on the night stand. I have given up my traditional alarm clock for this one. It works wonderfully on a daily basis or, better yet, on business trips. It’s reliable and, more importantly in my case, loud.

If you’re like many people, you’re probably on Facebook. The free Facebook app is really good and keeps getting better. Although you can’t view videos on it, you can see pictures, chat, post status updates, send messages, accept and send friend requests, and receive notifications. It’s always great to be able to stand in your kitchen cooking up bacon and grilled cheese while telling all your friends about it.

And finally, probably my favorite app of all is Air Mouse by RPA Tech. It turns your iPod Touch into a remote mouse and keyboard for your PC and the Mac. Yes, you can use this to control that presentation in PowerPoint or Keynote, but where I get the most use is in the basement of my house. My personal Man Cave. I have my Windows 7 laptop connected to a projector along with my Wii and I use it to control Windows Media Center while using my Netflix instant viewing account and the Hulu Desktop Client. Now I can change my movies and TV shows and still surf the Web on a really large screen. A word of warning: Don’t let your seven year old in on how you “magically” control the computer with the power of your mind. It’s great fun watching my son trying to scroll through Netflix while squinting hard and thinking about the show he wants to see. Hey, the way I see it, I have to pay for him, so I might as well have a little fun before he wises up and stops being my “can you get that for daddy” guy.

Well, that’s it for this week’s podcast. If you like or dislike what you hear, please stop by iTunes and write a review of our podcast, or leave a comment on the blog at www.productiveUpodcast.com.

Until next time… If you squint hard enough, maybe you too can start “He-Man” on Hulu!

Enjoy!

Music courtesy of Clayton & Fulcrum