Posted on: Tuesday, July 16, 2002

Q&A

By Kim Komando

Debugging alert can be turned off

Q. Sometimes I get an Internet Explorer error message about debugging an Internet Web page. Why?

A. You might see this message if there is some bad coding on a page. I guess Microsoft wants to let you know. However, this is truly an all-star on the roster of useless things. If you're tired of seeing this message, select Tools in Internet Explorer's menu, then Internet Options. Click the Advanced tab. Select "Disable script debugging." Deselect "Display notification about every script error." Click Apply, OK, and you won't see those error boxes again.

Q. During PowerPoint presentations, can I underline or circle things that are important to the audience?

A. Microsoft PowerPoint has a very handy tool — a virtual annotation pen. You can use it to write on slides during your presentation. To use it, open the presentation. Click View and then, Slide Show. Right-click in the window, highlight Pointer Options and click Pen. To use the Pen, push the left button while moving the mouse. To draw straight vertical or horizontal lines, press Shift while using the Pen. To discard the Pen, press Esc. The Pen's markings disappear when you close the slide.

Q. What does the key with the flag on my keyboard do?

A. That's the Windows Logo key. Press it once and your Start menu opens. Combine the Windows Logo key with another letter to access other shortcuts. Here are some that I use routinely. Press the Windows Logo key and D to minimize all open windows and show the desktop. Press Windows Logo Key and D again to go back to where you were. You can open Windows Explorer by pressing the Windows Logo key and E. Find files or folders on your PC by pressing the Windows Logo key and F. Finally, need help? Press the Windows Logo key and F1. These commands work in Windows 98, Me, XP and 2000.

Q. Recently, you told us how to e-mail a picture within a Microsoft Outlook message. Does America Online have this capability? My mother has trouble with attachments, too.

A. Sharing photos inside an AOL e-mail message is easy. Open a new mail message. From the menu underneath the Subject line, select the camera icon. Choose Insert Picture and browse your hard drive to find the image. Select the image and then Open. Unless you think the recipient will be printing the image, when prompted to resize the image to fit, say Yes.