TCNJ HelpDesk Tech Talk February 2003 Vol 1 Issue 2 |
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Meet SAL: Have you been introduced to SAL yet? No, we’re not talking about a new employee, we’re talking about SAL - Software from Any Location. A great tool offered by Information Technology. What is SAL? SAL (Software from Any Location) is an application launcher that allows faculty, staff, and students to use software programs right from their desktop that were previously only available in the computer labs. What type of software is available through SAL? Campus standard software such as Netscape, Meetingmaker, QWS3270, and Adobe. SAL also has specialized software for different departments. I’m
interested – how do I get SAL? SAL
is only available on -campus. To use SAL, you must be logged into Novell
and running Windows 95, 98, or 2000. |
Stop
SPAM Email! First there was junk mail, next came telemarketers, now there is Spam! Spam can be generally defined as unsolicited email, usually advertising. Not only does it waste your time and clog up your inbox, it is also a nuisance behind the scenes because it eats up network bandwidth. The problem with Spam is that it’s so hard to get rid of! Once your email account is on a mailing list, it is often impossible to get off of it and until anti-spam laws are passed (and enforced), spam will continue...as it has since the beginning of mass market advertising. Here is the good news, Information Technology recently implemented a new update to the RAV antivirus software that will tag possible Spam beside the usual scanning for viruses that RAV normally does.You may see messages with a subject containing "Possible SPAM" followed by a ranking. The rankings are low, medium, high and very-high. Right now the default is only to tag high and very-high messages. It currently won't block them, but simply tags them for your filtering pleasure. Tips to Stop
Getting Spammed: Use our
mail filtering system to filter out unwanted mail. To set up
a mail filter: For more detailed instructions (with pictures!) please go to http:\\managemail.tcnj.edu and click on the PDF for ‘Working With Filters and the Vacation Feature’ under Documentation. Probably the easiest way to deal with Spam is to not let it bother you. Unfortunately, Spam is a cheap way for marketers to reach you and it will probably continue regardless of how many rules you set up. Delete the emails from your inbox without reading them and accept Spam as a fact of computing life. |
Love at
First Byte:
Most of us have a
love/hate relationship with our electronics, but what would we do
without them?!? Perish the thought. This Valentine’s Day, don’t
forget to give a little love back to your computer by keeping it clean
of junk files and viruses - it will reward you with better performance. Delete old or unnecessary files from ‘My Documents’ Delete temporary internet files from both Netscape and Internet Explorer Move files from ‘My Documents’ to your network H: drive to free up space on your hard drive. Keep your virus definitions up-to-date. Nothing hurts a computer more than a nasty virus! Periodically, run a disk defrag on your hard drive. For instructions on how to perform these tips, please click here Tech Term: Operating SystemTechnically Speaking: The operating system is the single most important program that runs on your computer. Every computer must have one to run the basics, such as recognizing input from the keyboard, controlling peripheral devices like your printer, and sending output to the monitor. It is also responsible for the complex “behind the scene” tasks such as keeping track of files and directories on the hard drive.l What We Use on Campus: Last fall Information Technology started upgrading the campus Operating Systems from Windows 98 to Windows 2000. We also have Mac’s on campus that run Mac OS 9. These are all examples of operating systems. |
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Master
the Merge: For more information on mail merge, including detailed instructions with pictures to follow, please visit |
To create a Mail
Merge letter using an Excel Spreadsheet:
1. Open a blank document in MS Word |
6. Select the excel table you
will be using and click OK 7. Click on OK next to mail merge recipients 8. Click on ‘Next’ to begin writing your letter 9. After composing your letter insert your merge fields by clicking on the ‘Insert Mail Merge’ button located on the mail merge toolbar 10. Click on ‘Next’ to preview your letter 11. Click on ‘Merge to printer’ to print your letter or click on ‘Merge to New Document’ to create a new file with all your letters |
Would you like a question answered in next month’s issue? Please forward comments/questions to ohara@tcnj.edu