Automate Microsoft Update! Configure It Once And Forget About It!

Microsoft works constantly to release updates to Windows and other Microsoft products, including Office. At Microsoft Update, you can find and install all these updates not just the critical ones. Often, these updates will improve your computer's performance.

You can make life easier by automating Microsoft Update so your computer downloads and installs all the updates without you having to worry about them.

To automate Microsoft Update:
1. In your Start menu, click Control Panel.
2. In the Automatic Updates dialog box, check the Automatic (Recommended) check box. You can define the time of day when your computer checks for updates. If the computer finds any updates, it will download and install them automatically for you.
3. Click OK.

Gary Chambers

Install The Handwriting Recognition Engine In Windows XP!

If you recently purchased a new computer, the Microsoft handwriting recognition engine might have been installed by the computer manufacturer. No further installation is necessary. If you installed Microsoft Office XP, or if you purchased a new computer with it installed, the handwriting recognition engine is included but might not be installed. Follow the instructions below to install it.

Important:
- Handwriting recognition engines are language-specific. The first five Microsoft engines that are available are Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean. Engines for other languages will become available.

To determine if the handwriting recognition engine is installed.
1. Open Regional and Language Options in Control Panel.
2. On the Languages tab, under Text services and input languages, click Details.
3. Under Installed services, click Add.

If Handwriting recognition is available as an option, the handwriting recognition engine is installed. If it is not available, the engine is not installed.

To install handwriting recognition if Microsoft Office XP is installed
1. Open Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.
2. Click Change or Remove Programs, click Microsoft Office XP, and then click Change.
3. Click Add or Remove Features, and then click Next.
4. Under Features to install, double-click Office Shared Features.
5. Double-click Alternative User Input, click the box next to Handwriting, and then click Run from My Computer.
6. Click Update.

Side Notes:
- To open Regional and Language Options, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Regional and Language Options.
- To open Add or Remove Programs, click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Add or Remove Programs.
- For East Asian languages, the handwriting recognition engine is installed automatically with Microsoft Office XP.
- For more detailed information about using handwriting recognition, click the Help button on the Language bar.

Gary Chambers

Remove Temporary Files Once A Week With Disk Cleanup!

Your computer can pick up and store temporary files when you're looking at Web pages and even when you're working on files in programs, such as Microsoft Office Word. Over time, these files will slow your computer's performance. You can use the Windows Disk Cleanup screen to rid your computer of these deadbeat files.

To run Disk Cleanup:

1. In your Start menu, click My Computer.
2. In the My Computer dialog box, right-click on the drive you wish to check for errors (for most of us this will be the C: drive, unless you have multiple drives on your computer), and click Properties.
3. In the Properties dialog box, click Disk Cleanup.
4. Disk Cleanup will calculate how much space you can free up on your hard drive. After its scan, the Disk Cleanup dialog box reports a list of files you can remove from your computer. This scan can take a while depending on how many files you have lying around on your computer.
5. After the scan is complete, in the Disk Cleanup dialog box, click View Files to see what Disk Cleanup will throw out once you give it the go ahead. You can check and uncheck boxes to define what you wish to keep or discard. When you're ready, click OK.
6. You can also select the More Options tab within the Disk Cleanup screen to look for software programs you don't use much anymore. You then have the choice to remove these unused programs.

Gary Chambers