Author: Raymond

I am Raymond Oglesby, an Information Technology (IT) specialist with 30 years in the field. I have taught Microsoft Applications and troubleshot computers in 15 countries and many States. My career was focused on mainframes and desktops from application development to implementation. I have written hundreds of programs for various architectures. I decided to start a blog to share my knowledge and experiences with you. I plan on updating this blog at least twice a week about smart phone apps to Windows. Please feel free to leave a Comment or Tweet. I would love to hear from you. Do you have a computer tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the app and version that you are using. To help me out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

How to Switch to the New Facebook Interface

Facebook’s new website interface change is not well known. At some point, it will probably be the new standard. The interface is getting a visual overhaul that almost everyone can access. You can now update to this brand new, less cluttered design with the click of a button. If you don’t like the change, you can easily switch back to the classic interface.

This if for a desktop/laptop, Macs and smartphones supporting Facebook

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Enabling the New Interface

Note! This post relates to a PC, other devices will be similar. If you don’t see the new Facebook option then Facebook has yet to rollout the change to your device.

Fire up your device and log in to your Facebook account.

Next, click on the down arrow in the top-right corner of the interface. Select the Switch To New Facebook option. The page will refresh and the new interface design will load. Refer to below image:

Facebook New 1
Switch to the new Facebook option

A welcome message will appear the first time that you switch to the new Facebook design. Facebook claims that the redesign has faster loading time, cleaner look and bigger text. Additionally, Facebook now includes a dark mode that you can enable whenever you want.

Additionally, this update comes with a user-friendly redesign of the Groups tab and an overhaul of the News Feed. See below image:

Facebook New 2
The Welcome message for the new interface

Simply click the Next button. You will see the following image allowing you to select how yout interface will look.

Facebook New 3
Selecting your interface look

Just click the Get Started button. That’s it, you are all set with the new desktop interface. If you aren’t a fan of the Dark mode, you can switch back to Light whenever you like.

Switching Back to the Classic Interface

Once you’ve enabled the new interface, you can always revert the change from your Facebook account’s front page. Just click on the down arrow in the top-right and then select Switch To Classic Facebook. See following image:

Facebook New 4
Reverting back to the Classic interface

At some point in the future, Facebook may decide to roll out the new design permentally for all platforms. If so, reverting back to the classic interface will no longer be an option.

I Would Like to Hear from You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

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How to Use Spotify with Siri on iPhone

If you’re running iOS 13 or higher, you can directly ask Siri to play your favorite playlist, song or an artist on Spotify. iOS 13+ expands third-party support for Siri which now includes Spotify. This means you can get Apple Music style playback controls with Siri on your iPhone. Here’s how to set it up.

If you already have the Spotify app installed, and you’re logged into your account, all you have to do is start talking to Siri. Say “Play the Beatles on Spotify”.

This is for iPhone or iPad running iOS 13 or above

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Enable Spotify Access to Siri

As this is your first time using Spotify with Siri, it will ask for permission to access your Spotify data. Simpily tap the Yes button. Refer to below image:

Siri and Spotify 1
Giving permission to access Spotify

Spotify will start playing the music you requested. You’ll see a Now Playing widget playback control on the Siri screen.

You can also control the Siri access for Spotify from your iPhone.

  • Open Settings
  • Select Spotify
  • Select Siri & Search. See following image:
Siri and Spotify 2
Accessing Siri and Search

At the bottom of the screen, toggle on the Use with Ask Siri feature to enable Siri access for Spotify. Refer to below image:

Siri and Spotify 3
Toggle on the Use with Ask Siri

Control Spotify on Using Siri

Once Spotify is connected to Siri, you can use it to play any song, album, artist or playlist. You can also get specific about albums and years of release.

Below are some Spotify commands you can use with Siri:

  • Play [song name] on Spotify
  • Play [album name] on Spotify
  • Play [artist name] on Spotify
  • Play on Spotify
  • Play my liked songs on Spotify
  • Shuffle on Spotify
  • Play the latest album by [artist name] on Spotify
  • Play [genre] music on Spotify

Other than these, you can use the standard playback controls in Siri as well. For instance, you can ask Siri to play, pause, skip, repeat, shuffle or go to the previous track. Refer to below image:

Siri and Spotify 4
The playback control

On your iPhone, you can also open Spotify and see what is playing at the bottom of the screen. See below image:

Siri and Spotify 5
Accessing Spotify to see what is playing

The following image is an example of using the Spotify command Play Easy Listening on Spotify:

Siri and Spotify 6
Listening to Easy Listening on Spotify

For now, Siri only supports playback features in Spotify. You can’t use Siri to interact with the app. For instance, you can’t search for something like a song in Spotify using Siri. You also can’t use Siri to add a song to a playlist either.

I Would Like to Hear from You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

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How to Record a Zoom Meeting

Why take notes during a Zoom meeting when you can refer back to a recording of the entire call? Here’s how to record a Zoom meeting, whether you’re the host or not.

Important meetings need good records, and anyone who has taken notes knows that some details can be missed. The best way to preserve a record of a meeting is to have a video recording.

 That goes doubly for remote meetings, where distractions, tech issues and other problems can lead to you missing out on essential information.

If you are using an Enterprise account to host a meeting, you may not be able to record a Zoom meeting unless your IT team has given you permission. Be sure to check with your administrator before the meeting to grant you access if you don’t have it.

If using a PC or Mac, be sure your computer has a microphone and/or camera to use Zoom to its fullest. You may also use your smartphone to record the meeting.

This if for a PC, Macs, iPhone/iPad and Android devices that support Zoom

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Accessing Zoom Settings

First, fire up Zoom and join an active meeting. Then click on your small profile photo in upper right-hand corner. This will open up the dialog options window. See below image:

Zoom Record 1
Zoom dialog Options window

Recording a Zoom Meeting

Next, click on the Settings option. The Settings options will be displayed. The Record video during screen sharing option should be checkmarked. Also, at the top of the screen is the location where your video will be stored upon completion. This folder was created when you installed Zoom. Refer to below image:

Zoom Record 2
Settings options for recording a video

By default, only the meeting host can record the meeting, but it’s easy to grant other participants the ability to do so. The meeting host can do so by clicking on Participants while in a meeting, looking for the More button next to an individual’s name and selecting Allow Record. 

Once in a meeting, those wanting to record only need to click the Record button to start capture, at which point the Record button will change into two buttons: One to Pause the recording and one to Stop recording.

When you’re done recording video, Zoom stores it temporarily in the location mentioned above. The video is encoded into MP4 format once the meeting has ended.

I Would Like to Hear from You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

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How to Add an Excel Watermark to Your Sheet

In Microsoft Excel, you can add a watermark, sort of, to an Excel sheet. How to do this is not intuitive. In Microsoft Word you have templates to chose from such as “Confidential” or “Do Not Copy” for a watermark.

I am going to discuss one method; adding an image background as a watermark. We are going to insert an image which could be a photo or a company logo. Let’s see how to implement this watermark.

This is for Excel for Office 365 Windows and Mac versions. Other versions of Excel will be similar.

Your Excel Sheet

  • Create an Excel spreadsheet or use an existing one. Refer to my newly created sheet (Sheet1) below:
Excel Watermark 1
My Excel sheet
  • Click Insert>Text>Header & Footer
xcel Watermark 3
Inserting a Header in the middle column
  • Select Picture

Select Your Watermark

Select your option for inserting a picture. Refer to following screenshot

Excel Watermark 4
Options for selecting a watermark image
  • Select your image
  • Click Insert
  • You will see &[Picture] in the Header.
Excel Watermark 5
Your Header screen without the watermark being shown

View Your Watermark

  • Tap anywhere outside the Header to see your watermark. Refer to following screenshot for my selection of a logo:
Excel Watermark 8
My Excel sheet with a logo as a watermark

Formatting Your Watermark

To format the image:

  • Tap anywhere outside the Header
  • Click Insert>Text>Header & Footer
  • Select Format Picture. You will see the following screen:
Excel Watermark 9
Resize your watermark

From here you can resize the image

  • Click the Picture tab
  • Select the Color box and change it to the Washout option
  • Click OK. This allows the background image to be less intrusive.
Excel Watermark 10
Using the Washout option

Refer below to my final capture of the watermark screen:

Excel Watermark 11
My final screen with the watermark background dimmed in order to see the cells contents
  • Save your spreadsheet and close or exit Excel

For a Microsoft Word look-a-like watermark, use the WordArt feature in Excel.

I Would Like to Hear from You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help me out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

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Online Conferencing Solutions

In this Coronavirus pandemic, many people are working from home. Our local TV news and weather people have live audio and video streaming from their homes for the daily news broadcast. Working from home has become the new norm.

This will continue after the crisis is over. Instead of going to an office or to a clients location, you will collaborate through an audio and video service.

I researched some web sites for the top call services. They have a similar mix of apps, just in a different order. Some of the web sites have organizations I never heard of. So, I like the ranking from Office Watch. Click here to read their review.

This is for modern web browsers and apps on Apple, Android and Microsoft platforms

Their top seven online call services are as follows:

  1. FaceTime – handles up to 32 people
  2. Skype – up to 50 people
  3. WhatsApp – handles 4 people
  4. Signal – one-on-one calls only
  5. Zoom and Meetings – up to 100 people for the free version; 1000 for their enterprise paid version
  6. Microsoft Teams and Live Events – can handle 4 participates, up to 10,000 for the paid version
  7. Google Hangouts – up to 150 people

I recommend Facetime or Skype for a small busines; Zoom for a medium business; and Zoom Meetings for a large enterprise. Facetime and basic Zoom are free. Click here to read the review of their rankings.

I Would Like to Hear From You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

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What is God Mode for the Windows 10 Control Panel?

Sounds Almighty? God Mode is a special option long available in Windows that gives you quick access to most of the applets and commands from Control Panel. As such, God Mode is a useful time-saver that can spare you from having to hunt through different windows and screens to find the Control Panel command you want.

Since Microsoft no longer offers a convenient shortcut for Control Panel in Windows 10, God Mode can be a fast and easy way to access all of its core commands.

First, lets make sure you’re signed in to your Windows 10 computer with an account that has administrative privileges. By default, your own account should have the necessary rights.

This is for Windows 10 operating system

Checking Administrator Rights

To double-check:

  • Type Settings in the Cortana search bar
  • Click on Settings at the top of screen
  • Select Accounts
  • Select Your Info to make sure your account is designated as Administrator. See the below example:
God Mode Admin Rights
Administrator rights

Setup Folder Shortcut

  • Right click on an empty area of your Desktop/Laptop
  • Select New
  • Select Folder
  • Right click on the New folder and rename it to “GodMode.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}” without the quotes. Its best to copy and past this key into the Rename field. Note! There is a period after the word GodMode. See below image for an example:
God Mode Folder
God Mode folder name
  • Click or double click the icon to run

A window will open with all the accessible commands. The commands are organized by the Control Panel applet. You will see such commands as Administrative Tools, AutoPlay, Backup and Restore, and many more. See below screenshot for an example:

God Mode Commands
God Mode results

Some Tips

You can also Search for keywords using the Search box. Once you have located a command, double click to launch it. If you accidentally click the “X”next to the Search box, the Search will no longer be available.

Its best to leave the icon on the desktop. If you try to rename it, the God Mode may no longer work, especially in Windows 10.

You can click the More options drop down box to present a different view of the listing. In the following example, I have chosen to list the commands with a small icon in front of the command description.

God Mode with Small Icons
Displaying God Mode with small icons

I Would Like to Hear from You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

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How to Setup Contacts in Zoom

Is your business using Zoom for collaboration during the Coronavirus outbreak? Zoom has become a key tool for working at home and a top choice for vittual meetings. Zoom is free for one-on-one calls that last as long as you like. For three or more people, your calls are limited to 40 minutes. Zoom also has a paid version for an enterprise; it can handle 1000 people.There’s also a plan for small and medium businesses that supports up to 300 participates per call..

Click here for a detailed review of Zoom from PCMag Labs

Click here for setup and install of Zoom from Office Watch

Zoom Meeting’s free account is generous. You can host up to 100 people on a call for free and you can see as many as 49 people on an active call in a gallery-style view. There’s no limit on how many meetings you can host. 

So, how do we setup our contacts with coworkers using Zoom? In this post we offer insight on how to do this.

This post is for Windows 7 or greater, iPhone or iPad with iOS 7 or later, Android 4 or greater, Web browsers, Macs and the Zoom app or program

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Before you Begin

Of course, you have already setup the app. Linking to other people in Zoom is necessary before you can call them. A person has to be added to your Zoom contacts list and they have to add you before a call is made.

Zoom contacts are separate from Outlook and other contacts list.

Zoom links people by matching email addresses. Some people have multiple email addresses; for example, personal and work or different ones for different purposes or multiple old email addresses.

Which Email Address to Use?

Before adding a person to your contacts list it’s a good idea to check with them on which email address they use to login to Zoom.

To check, they can click on their Zoom Profile in the top right where their name and address is displayed. Refer to below image:

Zoom Contacts 1
Locate the correct email address

Invite a Contact

To link with someone, in the Zoom app, go to the Contacts section, then click the plus “+ “symbol. See following image:

Zoom Contacts 2
Linking a Zoom contact

Enter the email address of the contact you want to add to Zoom. See below image:

Zoom Contacts 3
Adding a Zoom contact

Then you have two options:

  1. Add Contact – sends a contact request to that person’s Zoom account.
  2. Copy Invitation – copies to your clipboard with web link.  Paste that into an email or instant message.

Refer to below image:

Zoom Contacts 4
Web address for the Zoom contact

There is no need to paste the entire text, change it to suit you. The web link is the important part to pass along. Make sure you include the whole web link; it’s a long link using multiple lines.

Accept a Contact Request

If a participate adds you to their Zoom contact list, you’ll see a pop-up alert. See following image:

Zoom Contacts 5
Pop-up box for a contact request

Or open your Zoom app/web page. Under Contacts look at Contact Requests.  The request will be displayed with options to Accept or Decline. Refer to below image:

Zoom Contacts 6
Accept or Decline a contact request

As you can see above, the Contact Requests you’ve made will also appear with their current status.

What to Do Next?

Now that you’ve linked with someone on Zoom, you can call them (voice, video, text, etc). If someone wants to invite you into a Zoom meeting, give them you Zoom linked email address.

That’s it on setting up your Zoom contacts. Try it out.

I Would Like to Hear from You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help me out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

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How to Create Rolling Credits in PowerPoint

Do you need to give people credit for your PowerPoint presentation? If so, you can add these credits to your final slide by using the scrolling text animation feature. You can use an existing presentation or add this to your next one. In our example, we are using an existing PowerPoint slide show.

This is for PowerPoint for Office 365 Windows and Mac versions. Other versions of PowerPoint will be similar.

Setting Up the Slide

  • Open an existing presentation or create a new one
  • Navigate to the final slide
  • Click the Insert tab
  • Insert a blank text box by clicking the Text Box icon in the Text group. Your cursor will turn into an down arrow. After you click, the cursor changes to a crossbar. Click and drag the cursor to draw the text box. See followin image:
Rolling Credits 1
PowerPoint drawing the text box for the Credits

Entering Your Presentation Credits

  • Enter your credits. The text box will expand, if necessary, as you enter the names.
  • Highlight your entries
  • Select the Home tab
  • Since credits are usually centered, select the Center alignment icon in the Paragraph group. See following screen:
Rolling Credits 2
PowerPoint Credits completed and centered

Adding the Animation Effects

Now lets add the animation to the text box. With the textbox selected:

  • Click the Animations tab
  • Select Add Animation button in the Advanced Animation group. See following image:
Rolling Credits 3
PowerPoint about to add the animations
  • A drop down menu will appear. Scroll to the bottom and select More Entrance effects. The Add Entrance Effect window will be shown. See following image:
Rolling Credits 4
PowerPoint Add Entrance Effect drop down menu

Setting the Credits Animation

  • Scroll down to the Exciting group and select Credits. You will see the credits animation scrolling effect in the background.
  • Click OK to save your changes
Rolling Credits 5
PowerPoint selecting the Credits animation

The rolling credits will be added to your presentation. You may now view your slideshow from the beginning or from the current slide to see the Rolling Credits in action.

Thats it. You are finished.

I Would Like to Hear from You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

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How to Loop a PowerPoint Presentation

At times, you will want to entertain your guests before an event, like at a wedding or a trade show. You’ll want to loop your PowerPoint presentation so your guests aren’t staring at a blank screen. I have included a link to a sample slideshow using the loop feature.

Here is a link to a sample slideshow demonstrating the PowerPoint looping feature. I am using a presentation available from TechRepublic.

Lets examine how this is done.

This is for PowerPoint for Office 365 Windows and Mac versions. Other versions of PowerPoint will be similar.

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Setting Up your Slideshow

First, open your PowerPoint presentation in which you would like to use the loop feature. Once open, navigate to the Set Up group of the Slide Show tab and select the Set Up Slide Show option.

The Set Up Show window will open. Check the box next to Loop continuously until Esc. After selection, click OK. Refer to below image:

Powerpoint Loop 1
Setting the Loop feature

When you play your slideshow, it will loop until you press the “Esc” key. Now we want to set up the presentation for automatic slide transitions.

Applying the Loop Feature

Navigate back to the Set Up group of the Slide Show tab and select the Set Up Slide Show option. There is one option you need to set, the Using Timings, if Present under the Advance Slides group.

Now, under the Show Type group, select Browsed at a kiosk (full screen). The Loop continuously until Esc option will be enabled automatically (we turned it on above) Also, select the Using timings, if present option. Select OK to proceed. See following image:

Powerpoint Loop 2
Setting the kiosk feature

By setting the Browsed at a kiosh (full screen) option, the Forward and Back keys are locked, thus allowing unattended playback without the fear of someone breaking it.

Setting Up Transitions

Now, lets setup the timings of your slides. Click on the Transitions tab and check the box next to After and set the timing for slide transition. In my example, I have the timining set to 10 seconds. If On Mouse Click is enabled, it won’t work because we have previously selected to loop the slideshow until the presenter has pressed the “Esc” key. To finish the loop feature, select the Apply To All option. See following image:

Powerpoint Loop 3

Now when you play your presentation, it will continuously loop until you press the “Esc” key.

Related

How to use the Dim feature in PowerPoint which is demonstrated in Slide 3 of the sample slideshow.

I Would Like to Hear from You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help us out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.

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How to Use FaceTime During the Time of Social Distancing

During our time of social distancing, you can still reach out to your friends or relatives using FaceTime video or audio on your iPhone or iPad.

You can use FaceTime over Wi-Fi or over cellular on iOS 12.1 or later devices. Also, you need an iPhone 6s or later. FaceTime supports up to 32 people simultaneously.

This is for iPhone or iPad

Turn on FaceTime

Open the FaceTime app and sign in with your Apple ID. You can also do this from Settings > FaceTime

If you’re using an iPhone, FaceTime automatically registers your phone number. To also register your email address on your iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > FaceTime > Use your Apple ID for FaceTime and sign in with your Apple ID.

Make a FaceTime Call

To make a FaceTime call, you need the person’s phone number or registered email address. There are a few ways to make a FaceTime call:

  • In the FaceTime app, tap the plus button and type the person’s phone number or email address. Tap the number or address, then tap Audio or Video
  • If you have the person’s phone number or email address saved in your Contacts, you can start typing their name and tap the name when it appears. Then tap Audio or Video
  • You can also start a FaceTime video call from your iPhone during a phone call. Tap the FaceTime icon in the iPhone app to switch to FaceTime.

Now you don’t have to be alone, you can reach out to people using your Apple smart devices.

I Would Like to Hear From You

Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love hearing from you. Do you have a computer or smart device tech question? I will do my best to answer your inquiry. Please mention the device, app and version that you are using. To help me out, you can send screenshots of your data related to your question.