54. How Can I Use Someone Else’s Wireless Broadband?

  First things first: I’m not suggesting you try to use your neighbour’s wireless broadband – at least, not without asking first! This article explains how to join another wireless network such as at a friend's house or in a bar or shopping mall.



When you want to connect to someone else’s wireless broadband, there are two things you need: the name of the wireless network (which is technically known as the network’s ‘SSID’) and the network’s password (sometimes referred to as a ‘network key’ or a ‘security key’). 

If you take your computer to a hotel, library, coffee shop or somewhere else that offers Internet access to its customers, these details may be posted on a wall or the reception desk, or you may have to ask a member of staff for them.

Armed with these two pieces of information, the rest should be plain sailing. That’s the case whether you’re using a laptop or tablet PC with some version of Windows on it, or any other portable device that can connect to wireless networks – some other kind of tablet computer, a smartphone, an e-book reader – you name it. Your device will be able to display a list of all the wireless networks it can detect nearby, one of which should be the one you want to connect to. You select that network, enter its password, and Bob’s your mother's brother.

Here’s a quick run through how this is done in the various versions of Windows:

Windows 8: on the taskbar, click the wireless network icon near the clock. In the panel that appears at the right of the screen, click the name of the network you want to connect to. Tick the box beside Connect automatically and then click the Connect button. Enter the password and click Next. Finally, if this is a network in someone’s home, you could click Yes, turn on sharing and connect to devices. For any other kind of network (or if you’re in any doubt about which to choose), click No, don’t turn on sharing or connect to devices.

Windows 7: on the taskbar, click the wireless network icon near the clock. In the panel that appears, click the name of the network you want to connect to, tick the box beside Connect automatically and click Connect. Enter the password when prompted and click OK. Finally, click Home network if this is a network in someone’s home; for all other networks click Public network.

Windows Vista: on the taskbar, click the wireless network icon near the clock and choose Connect to a network from the little pop-up panel. Click the name of the network you want to connect to, then click the Connect button. In the next dialog, type the password and click Connect, then make sure there are ticks beside Save this network and Start this connection automatically and click Close. Finally, click Home if this is a network in someone’s home; for all other networks, click Public location.

Windows XP: on the taskbar, double-click the wireless network icon. Click the name of the network you want to connect to, then click the Connect button. In the next dialog, type the password and click Connect.

When you’ve done this once, Windows remembers the details of this network and connects to it automatically whenever you’re within range. So, every time you go to your favourite coffee shop which offers Free WiFi, your PC or tablet will recognise the wireless network and connect to it automatically, just as it connects to your own network whenever you’re at home.

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53. Where Is ‘All Programs’ in Windows 8?

In Windows 7, Vista and XP, when you open the Start menu, you initially see a collection of the programs you use most. If you want to use a program that doesn’t appear in this short list, you click on (or hover the mouse over) All Programs and you see all the programs installed on your PC, neatly organised into folders. In Windows 8, however, there’s no Start menu, so there’s no ‘All Programs’ item. So how do you find a list of all your programs?

The equivalent of the Start menu in Windows 8 is the ‘Start screen’ which contains lots of rectangular blocks called ?tiles’. There’s one tile per program, but you won’t find all your programs here. In particular, quite a few of the useful Windows accessories are missing – you won’t see Calculator, WordPad, Notepad, Paint, Character Map, and so on. (See Post 51 on our Blog via the link below).

Fortunately, there is an equivalent to the ‘All Programs’ list of old, and this is where you’ll find those Windows accessories along with all your other programs:

When you’re looking at the Start screen, right-click on any blank space. A bar will appear along the bottom of the screen: when it does, click the All apps button in the bottom-right corner. The layout of the Start screen will change, and now you’ll see all your programs organised into groups with headings. Those headings correspond to the folders you used to see on the Start menu, making it much easier to track down the program you want to use.

Extra Tip If you download and install a very nice, simple to install, free application called “Classic Shell” (Google it) you will be able to set up Windows 8 with the familiar Start Button and menu system. Try it to save a lot of frustration. I use it all the time so have the added features of 8 plus the comfort and familiarity of 7. 

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52. How to safely clean a flat screen monotor

Did you know you can permanently damage your expensive flat screen monitor or television if you clean it the wrong way? It's true. Most importantly, you want to avoid products that contain ammonia, ethyl alcohol, acetone, toluene, ethyl acid, or methyl chloride. These can discolor or dissolve important films on the screen.

There are some fantastic screen cleaners out there, but there's also a simple vinegar and water mixture you can make yourself that works equally as well. Simply mix filtered or distilled water with an equal amount of white vinegar.

Flat screen monitors and televisions, most of which are LCD (including LED-backlit LCD) displays, require special attention when cleaning. Older CRT screens, the kind used in large "tube" monitors and TVs, are glass and can be cleaned in pretty much the same way as you would any other glass in your home or office.

Flat screen monitor and television displays, however, are much more sensitive and are easily scratched and damaged. The same applies to your laptop or tablet screen, and often too to the screen on your smartphone or e-book reader.

Note: Plasma TVs are glass, as are many touch screens, but often also have very sensitive anti-glare coatings applied. I recommend taking the same special care with those types of displays.

Follow the easy steps below to safely clean your flat screen monitor, TV, or other device in just a few minutes.

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: Cleaning a flat screen display, like an LCD TV or monitor, usually takes less than 5 minutes

Here's How:

1. Turn off the device. If the screen is dark, it will be easier to see the areas that are dirty or oily.

2. Use a dry, soft cloth and very gently wipe the screen. A great choice would be the microfiber type of cloth used to clean eyeglass lenses. A dry eraser works good too.

See Tip #1 below for kinds of cloths to avoid.

3. If the dry cloth did not completely remove the dirt or oil, do not press harder in an attempt to scrub it off.



Pushing directly on the screen can often cause pixels to burn out, especially on laptop displays, desktop monitors, and LCD/LED TV screens. This isn't so much an issue on screens designed to be touched, like phones and tablets, but be careful nonetheless.
 
4. If necessary, dampen the cloth with distilled water or with an equal ratio of distilled water to white vinegar.


Many companies also sell small spray bottles of special cleaner for flat screens. Ultra makes a screen cleaning solution called Hydra LCD that people seem to like but honestly, the 50/50 vinegar and water mix is probably just as effective.

See Tip #2 below for types of products to avoid.

5. The plastic edge that surrounds the screen can be cleaned with any multipurpose cleaner but take care to avoid contact with the screen itself.


Tips:
 1. Avoid using paper towels, toilet paper, tissue paper, or something like your shirt to wipe the screen. These non-ultrasoft materials can scratch the display.

2. Avoid cleaning products that contain ammonia (like Windex®), ethyl alcohol (Everclear® or other strong drinking alcohol), toluene (paint solvents), as well as acetone or ethyl acetate (one or the other often used in nail polish remover). These chemicals can react with the materials that the flat screen is made of or coated with, which could permanently discolour the screen or cause other kinds of damage.

3. Never spray liquid directly on to any screen. It could run inside the device and cause damage. Spray onto the cleaning cloth instead.

 

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