Productivity Tips

This document features various shortcuts and suggestions for streamlining your work using the technology already at your fingertips. Click a link below for tips within that topic:

General Windows Tips

  • Right-click the Start button to quickly open Windows Explorer (Explore) or to find files (Search).  When using Search, click More Advanced Options to search for files by characteristics such as file type or date modified.  You can even search by a word or phrase in a file.

  • Many people use a mouse's scroll wheel to scroll up and down most applications' documents or web pages. There are a few other ways to get where you're going fast.

    1) Position the mouse cursor somewhere on a page. Press down on the scroll wheel until you see this image Now move your whole mouse up or down. You'll notice how quickly you can scroll through a document. Click the wheel again to release.

    2) Look to the right margin of any window. If you see a slider bar (moveable gray block), hold a left-click on it, while dragging up or down.

    3) In the same right margin, left-click into an empty area between the slider bar and the black up or down arrows. This takes you up or down a page, a section at a time.

  • Add or remove buttons in the Explorer Toolbar.  Open Explorer then right-click anywhere in the Toolbar, then click Customize.  On the left panel you will see buttons available to add.  Select one from the left, then click the Add button. You'll see it immediately in the Toolbar. When finished, click Close.
  • To have My Computer default to Explore view, open My Computer and click:
    Tools > Folder Options. Click the File Types tab. Click (NONE) Folder and then the Advanced button. Choose the explore action and click the Set Default button. Click OK, then Close.
  • ALT+TAB cycles through all the programs you have open. While holding ALT, press TAB until you land on the program you want to use, then release both keys.
  • Side-by-Side Windows: Click the desired Window button on the taskbar.  Then press and hold the Ctrl key and right-click the second window that you want to open. Then click Tile Vertically on the Shortcut menu.  You can also tile horizontally or cascade windows, if you prefer.
  • Double-click an application’s title to quickly maximize it.  The title bar is a larger target than the Windows maximize button, so it might keep you from accidentally clicking the “X” button next to it.

 

          

  Select blocks of consecutive files or scattered files using (CTRL+left click for scattered) or (SHIFT+left click for consecutive). Use in Mozilla, too.  Move or delete whole sections of messages by sorting and selecting in blocks.  CTRL+A selects all files within a folder. You can also Select All and then use the CTRL+left click to uncheck scattered files you do not want selected.

 

  • Let’s say you want to copy 20 of 23 files from one folder to another. Instead of selecting the 20 selectively, using the CTRL+left click key combination, do the opposite. Select only the 3 you don’t want to copy, then click Edit > Invert Selection.

  • To “grab” several adjacent files at once using only your mouse, position your cursor just outside the files you want to encapsulate, then drag the mouse around the set of files you want to copy so they are shaded. Release the click and you’ll see the files have been selected and you can act on them all at once (move, copy, cut, delete, etc.).


          

 

  Right-click program buttons in Taskbar to close programs rather than maximizing and then closing.

 

  • Minimize all programs at once to view the Desktop by clicking the Show Desktop icon in the Taskbar.

      Note: You must have Quick Launch enabled (right click the Taskbar, click Toolbars > Quick Launch).

  • To close several windows at once, hold down the CTRL key while clicking on the Taskbar buttons of each window.  Once you have selected all the windows you want to close, right-click the last button you selected and pick “Close Group”.
  • Add a shortcut to the Taskbar. First, enable Quick Launch in the Taskbar (right click the Taskbar, click Toolbars > Quick Launch). Next, unlock the Taskbar so you are able to resize it and make room for shortcuts (right click the Taskbar, click Lock the Taskbar to remove the checkmark). Finally, drag shortcuts to the Taskbar and release. 
  • Pin frequently used programs to the Start Menu (only available in the Windows XP Start menu, not the Classic Menu).  Click Start > All Programs.  Locate a favorite program, right-click on the program’s icon and select Pin to Start Menu on the shortcut menu. Now that program will always appear at the top of the Start Menu.
  • Avoid saving documents to the desktop.  Make shortcuts to them instead. From Windows Explorer, right click, drag and drop documents to the desktop (make shortcut here option). Or, after selecting the files, right click and select Send to > Desktop (create shortcut).
  • Make shortcuts to commonly used network drives, too!  Click Start > My Computer, then right-click each drive you want to make a shortcut for on the Desktop.  Choose Create Shortcut.  You'll get a pop-up message "Windows cannot create a shortcut here. Do you want the shortcut to be placed on the desktop instead?"  Reply Yes to this message.
  • Hold down the shift key when deleting a file to delete it immediately instead of placing it in the Recycle Bin.  WARNING: Files deleted in this way cannot be restored!

  To calculate how much space is used by files/folders, select all the files and folders (shift click to block, or CTRL click to select one or more non-consecutive files/folders).  Right click on the highlighted area and left click Properties.  Total size will appear in the next window.

  • To arrange the icons on your desktop: Right-click on an empty area of your desktop, choose Line Up Icons to manually arrange, or Arrange Icons (By Name, Type, Size, Date) to automatically arrange the icons.
  • Ever wonder what this key is used for?  You might not know this Windows key serves a useful purpose, when used with other keys. For example:

      displays the Start menu

+M minimizes all open programs at once

Shift++M maximizes them again

+E opens Windows Explorer

+F opens the Find window

+L locks your Windows XP computer

+R invokes the Run command

 

  • When you install new programs, Windows usually adds its program group to the bottom of the Start Menu. To re-alphabetize your Programs list so you can find them faster, click Start > All Programs, then right-click anywhere in the Programs list and choose Sort by Name.

  If you need to print a document, let’s say a Microsoft Word document, there’s no need to launch Word first. Browse your hard drive for the file that you want to print, right-click its icon, and then click Print. This will automatically send the document to your default printer without launching MS-Word.

  • When using Windows Explorer you can type the first letter of a file or folder and Explorer will jump to the first file or folder starting with that letter.  Single left-click on any folder or file, then type a letter to jump ahead.

  • Want to enlarge screen text in programs like Firefox, IE and Microsoft Word? While holding down the CTRL key, scroll your mouse wheel up or down to minimize or maximize text size to your liking.

  • Need to send someone a screen snapshot? Simple! Press the Prnt Scrn on the keyboard (above F keys). This will write the screen contents to memory. Then paste the image (CTRL+V) into an email, a Word document or Microsoft Paint. To copy only the active window, press ALT+Prnt Scrn.

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Email Tips

  •  Feel overloaded by email?  Check out 10 ways to manage your email and reclaim your workday!

            http://www.lehigh.edu/computing/docs/email/manage.htm

   In the Composition window, enter the last name in the To: field to have LDAP search for the email address. If the automatic search isn’t working, make sure your address book settings are correct: For Mozilla Thunderbird, see

v1.5 http://www.lehigh.edu/helpdesk/docs/thunderbird/index.html

v2.0 http://www.lehigh.edu/computing/docs/tb2setup/index.htm#LDAP

 

 

  • You can set your Trash folder to empty on exit. In Mozilla Thunderbird, click Tools > Account Settings (in Mozilla 1.x, click Edit > Mail & Newsgroup Account Settings). Click Server Settings and check the box “Empty Trash on Exit.”  Use care with this setting. There will be no warning prompt on exit!
  • If you do delete a message accidentally, even from the Trash folder, use Edit > Undo Delete Message to restore it. This only works during the current session.  If you close your email program, you cannot use this technique to recover the deleted message(s).
  • If you have a long URL that you want to put in an email message, you can shorten it and still maintain the integrity of the URL.

    Go to the webpage that has the long URL, such as http://www3.lehigh.edu/News/V2news_story.asp?iNewsID=2399&strBack=%2Fabout%2Fnews%2Fdefault%2Easp

    Select and copy the URL, then position the cursor in the body of the message where you want a shorter link to show.  On the Toolbar, click Insert > Link.  Enter text to display for the link, something shortened like Lehigh Parents Weekend article.  Then paste your URL into the "Link Location" field and click OK.  This way, the recipient sees "Lehigh Parents Weekend article " instead of that longer link above.
  • Ever compose a long email with a lot of links and wonder how it might look to the recipient?  Save it to the Drafts folder before sending.  You can go look at it there and see the way it will look after being sent.  This gives you an opportunity to check that the links work, lines wrap properly and so forth, while you still have the composition window open.  To save a message to Drafts while composing, click File > Save as > Draft. 
  • Do people sometimes misunderstand your email address because your User ID has numbers in it? For example, some people mistake a zero for the letter "O", or the number one for letter "L".  You can create an email alias that is more easily understood. Go to the Account Maintenance page and click on Email Alias. Note that you can only have one alias at a time.

 

  • Create folders to organize your email.  Right click “YourUserID@lehigh.edu”, left click New Folder and name it.  Move messages into the folder by (left-click) dragging and dropping, or use the File button.
  • Find messages faster:  Click the headings of your folder contents to sort messages by Subject, Sender, Date, etc.

  • Color-tag messages to locate them at a glance. You can even sort by tags. Instructions for Thunderbird at
    http://www.lehigh.edu/computing/docs/thunderbird20/thunderbirdmail.htm#Labels

  • You can insert a link to a web page in an email just by copying the URL from the location bar in your browser and pasting into the composition window.  It’ll look like plain text to you, but it’ll be a hyperlink for the recipient.
  • Email template setup – Create a new email in the format you wish to save. Click on File > Save As > Template. To send a new email using that template, click on the Template folder under Local Mail, double-click on the template you wish to use. A composition window will appear with your template information present. Address the message and send. The template itself will remain in the templates folder for the next use.

You can also configure your email account to control spam tagging, designate where spam is stored and set retention dates for how long you want spam messages to be kept on the server. Go to the Account Maintenance page and click Configure SPAM tagging.

  • Need to send a file that's too big for email?   Because we have quotas on incoming mailboxes and many external servers have limits on e-mail, try using either of these free drop box services. Instead of sending the attachment directly, you store it on their server and your recipient receives an email with a link that takes them to the file for downloading:

    https://www.yousendit.com/ for transferring large files. YouSendIt.com will send a file up to 100MB for free (more for a fee). Requires you to register before first use.

    http://www.pando.com Requires you install software before first use.

  • Did you know you can obtain spouse or child email account for free?  Go to the LTS Forms page, http://www.lehigh.edu/~ltsforms/, and complete Form #1.

  • Large digital pictures using too much disk quota? Send smaller pictures! First, locate the picture you want to email. Right-click the file, then click Send to > Mail recipient. You'll see a choice to make pictures smaller. Click OK. Your default email program should open, showing the smaller picture attached. Address and send!

  • Create a signature file so that your name, title, phone number, etc. appear at the bottom of all your email messages. Here's how: http://www.lehigh.edu/computing/docs/thunderbird20/thunderbirdmail.htm#Signature

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Browser Tips


  • The first web page that launches when you open a web browser can be any web page of your choosing (doesn’t have to be Lehigh). In Internet Explorer, click Tools > Internet Options, then type a valid URL in the Home Page box, and click OK. In Firefox, click Tools > Options > Main.

  • Firefox has a helpful Find feature. Instead of pressing CTRL+F, as you must do in Internet Explorer, Firefox has an option called "Search for text when I start typing ." This means you can search a web page just by typing a search term. No need to press CTRL+F to begin searching. As soon as it finds a match, it jumps straight to its location on the web page. To turn this feature on, click Tools > Options > Advanced. Check the box next to Search for text when I start typing, then click OK.
  • Pressing the spacebar scrolls down a webpage. Shift+spacebar scrolls up.

  To replace a URL, left click once in the current URL to select the whole site. When all of it is selected (highlighted in blue), begin typing the new URL. No need to backspace to the beginning.

 

  • Quickie URLs: When you want to go to a Lehigh URL, such as http://www.lehigh.edu/portal, or http://www.lehigh.edu/imp, you can just enter the keyword portal or imp in the URL field for quick access. Other quickie URLs: bb or ci for Blackboard, lehigh for the Lehigh Homepage . Note: This only works while on-campus.
  • Don’t get lost in a “Back Button” frenzy!  Right click the Back button or Forward button to see a list of recently accessed web pages for faster access. Or, right-click either for a history of sites visited during the current session.
  • You can categorize Bookmarks.  Click Bookmarks > Organize Bookmarks > File > New Folder.

  Add a button for frequently accessed web pages to the Toolbar. Simply left-click and drag the web page's icon to your toolbar and release.

  • To remove buttons/bookmarks, click Bookmarks > Edit (or Manage) Bookmarks and delete from the Personal (or Bookmarks) Toolbar folder.
  • To run your browser at full screen, press F11. Press it again to return to normal view.

  • Miss the menu bar in Internet Explorer 7? Get it back! Click Tools > Menu Bar

   You can find a person’s email address or name easily by using http://www.lehigh.edu/people. This is helpful if you are looking for a new student or faculty/staff person who may not be in the Campus Phone Directory, or if you have the person’s email address but not his or her name. The “Find a Person” link appears on the main Lehigh web page in the left margin. Or, if you use Mozilla Firefox, add the Lehigh directory to your list of search engines. Get it here: http://www.lehigh.edu/lts/comp/docs/firefox/ldap/

 

  • Internet Explorer tip:  Enable "Inline AutoComplete."  When you type in a URL of a website that you've visited before, you can make IE complete the rest of it to save yourself keystrokes. To enable this feature, click Tools > Internet Options. Click the Advanced tab. Scroll through the Browsing options and check the box for Use inline AutoComplete, near the bottom of the Browsing section.
  • Irritated by in-page advertisements? You can block them in Firefox by installing the AdBlock Plus extension: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1865 Note: There is a conflict between AdBlock Plus and the Java client used by Banner. You will not be able to use AdBlock Plus in Firefox, if that's the browser you use for Banner. Consider using Internet Explorer for Banner, and Firefox for all other web work.

  • Another useful extension is Foxmarks, which sychronizes all your Bookmarks among all the computers where you install it. Get the extension here: http://www.foxmarks.com/ Follow these simple instructions to configure the extension: http://wiki.foxmarks.com/wiki/Foxmarks:_Getting_Started

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LAN Basics

  • Use your H: drive! Everyone has 500MB of storage space.  Files are backed up nightly, scanned for viruses and can be recovered easily if you delete accidentally.  Save often!!!
  • If you have too much data to store on your H: drive, but you want to back up your files, consider putting the data on CD. If you don’t have a CD writer in your computer, see your computing consultant for assistance.  Or, purchase a keychain drive (see http://www.lehigh.edu/helpdesk/faq/qa/keychain.html for more info)

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Virus ,Spyware and Security Tips

 

  • Do not assume that an email is OK if it’s from someone you know.  Many virus authors exploit this assumption and write virus scripts to copy email addresses from your address book so they look like they are legitimate when they are passed to other people.
  • Virus hoaxes are almost as prevalent as viruses themselves.  If you receive an email warning you of a virus outbreak, either check with your computing consultant or search Snopes to see if it's legitimate. Do not forward virus hoaxes.  It needlessly worries others and can possibly cause more harm than good.
  • Lehigh does not send out email from Lehigh Administration Group, Lehigh Support Team, administrator@lehigh.edu, register@lehigh.edu, etc.  These are not valid and often have attachments that contain viruses, so don't open them!  If you have any question about whether something is legitimate, LTS urges you to contact your computing consultant.

   Keep your virus software updated!!  If you use Symantec Antivirus off-campus, visit http://www.lehigh.edu/security/virusupdate.html to learn how to update it at home.  If you use Symantec in your office (as most people do), updates to the software and definition files take place automatically.  The most recent version of antivirus software is always available for download here: https://www.lehigh.edu/security/norton/

 

A Word about Spyware: Spyware is any software that gathers user information through your Internet connection without your knowledge, usually for advertising purposes. Spyware applications are usually bundled as a hidden component of freeware or shareware programs that can be downloaded from the Internet, such as Kazaa, Comet Cursor and Gator. Once installed, spyware monitors user activity on the Internet and can do things such as record your browsing history, create pop-up ads, change your browser home page and even affect your PC’s performance and stability.

  • If you suspect your PC has spyware installed, try any or all of these three recommended products, free for download from the following locations:

 

Spybot Search & Destroy:  http://www.lehigh.edu/computing/docs/spybot/guide.htm

Spysweeper: http://www.spysweeper.com/spyware-remover-download.html

 

Unfortunately, there is not one product that removes all forms of spyware. Try the above tools, one at a time, and continue until all of it is removed.

 

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Calendaring 

  • The campus portal has a calendar feature that is free and comparable to the Oracle Calendar product that Lehigh supports for a fee.
  • You can synchronize data from your campus portal calendar account to any PDA device. Please contact your computing consultant for assistance.
  • The campus portal calendar component supports group calendars that can be established for clubs, teams, committees, and even room reservations.
  • If you have an Oracle Calendar account, you can access it via the Internet at calendar.lehigh.edu

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Home and off-campus computer use

 

  • Some Microsoft software, such as MS-Office, is site-licensed for home use by Lehigh employees.  The software is available for purchase at the Bookstore for a nominal fee of $10. When ordering a home computer, make sure you don’t buy the Office suite.  That’s a savings of over $200. For details, see the Microsoft Software Agreement for Faculty and Staff at http://www.lehigh.edu/computing/software/MSCampus-fs.shtml

You can also use Remote Desktop, which allows you to remotely use your office computer as if you were sitting in front of it. Instructions are available here: http://www.lehigh.edu/lts/comp/docs/remotedesktop/

  • Want to use Mozilla Thunderbird at home? Go here:http://www.lehigh.edu/helpdesk/thunderbird.html and locate the installer for your operating system.. Click either Windows or Mac and save the file to your Desktop. Double-click the file and when asked what kind of email account to create, choose Lehigh University Email Account . Continue on with setup and all of your Lehigh settings will be configured automatically.

 

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MS-Office Tips:
  • Save files faster by adding frequently used drives to the My Places bar. When you save files, the drives will appear on the left-margin of the “Save as” dialog box. See http://www.lehigh.edu/lts/teams/cbe/MyPlacesBar.htm for instructions.

  • Microsoft removed its native PDF printing support from Office 2007 due to legal issues with Adobe.. But you can install the Microsoft "Save as PDF" plug-in here: Save as PDF. (Requires Office validation). Once installed, you'll be able to save a document as a PDF from any Office program.

  • LTS also recommends a free PDF writer that, unlike the network version of Adobe Acrobat Pro, does not have to be run on-campus. Instructions for downloading, installing and using PDF995: http://www.lehigh.edu/computing/docs/PDF995/index.html

  • Customize the Quick Access Toolbar with icons you use the most (Print, Email, New, Open, etc). Click the arrow to show or hide icons.

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MS-Word 2007 Tips:
  • To turn off bullets or automatic numbering, press the backspace key.
  • Instant thesaurus: Select a word in the document and press Shift+F7, or right-click and choose Synonyms
  • Use the F4 key to paste the last thing you typed or the last command you initiated.
  • To copy formatting from one part of a document to another, use the Format Painter icon in the toolbar.  Select text that uses the formatting you want to copy, click the Format Painter icon, then drag your cursor over the text you want to adopt that formatting and release.  Double-click the icon to apply formatting in more than one place. Click the icon once more, or press Esc, to release the command from memory.
  • Right click anywhere in a document for a quick menu of functions related to the feature you are using.  For example, in a table, right click to change text direction or get table properties.
  • Not a fan of Times New Roman? Change your default font! Click the diagonal arrow next to Font in the toolbar.

Click the Font tab and choose the font you want to serve as the default. Click the Default button, then click Yes. Click OK.
  • Double-click on a word to select it for copying; CTRL+click selects a sentence; triple-click to selects a paragraph.
  • Click and drag in the margin to select multiple lines of text or double click in the margin to select a paragraph
  • To select multiple items in your document that are not next to each other: select the first item, hold down the CTRL key, then select additional items.  You can only select multiple items of the same type, such as two or more text selections or two or more graphics selections.
  • To select a vertical block of text (except within a table) press the ALT key and then click and drag
  • CTRL + A, or triple click in a margin selects all the text in the entire document.
  • CTRL + C copies the selected text.
  • CTRL + V pastes the copied text.
  • CTRL + P launches the print command.
  • Shift + F5 returns you to the location of your last edit.
  • CTRL + HOME and CTRL + END takes you to the start or end of documents.
  • Shift + F3 change case of selected text
  • F12 invokes “Save as” dialog box
  • To display text vertically in a text box or table, choose Text Direction from the Format menu

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Portal Tips

 

  • Move your frequently used web page links to the Bookmark channel within the portal so you can access them anytime, anywhere!
  • You can even add a Bookmark that links to your Groups –

    1.  Click on the Groups icon to access "My Groups."

    2.  Right click on the Group name in the left column and select "Copy Shortcut" or "Copy link

          location."

    3.  Click the [+] icon to add a Bookmark and type in the Group Name for Bookmark Title field

         and paste the shortcut you copied in the URL field.

 

  • The portal email channel lists the last 5 emails to arrive in your inbox (so you don’t have to take the extra step of opening your email to see if you have email)
  • Deleting multiple email messages is easy using the checkbox feature.
  • Use the calendar set feature to create consolidated calendars for people or rooms.
  • Create new calendars for room or resource scheduling
  • Add, delete, or change the position of channels using the Content/layout link.
  • Extend the time limit when portal logs you out after inactivity using the My Account link.

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Library and Search Tips

 

  The MyLibrary tab on the Portal is a wealth of information – and can be customized for your specific needs.

 

   Course related library guides – provide a quick way to locate information; use the hot links to more resources

     Books, databases, electronic links to journals, and factual websites that have been evaluated by librarians are available to assist you in doing research. Here are some good starting points:

Research and Finding Guides & Tools: http://www.lehigh.edu/library/guides/findingtools.html

Navigating Information at Lehigh: http://www.lehigh.edu/library/infolit/

  • IE 7 and FireFox 2 both offer new ways to easily use your favorite search engines. You may have used Google or Yahoo search toolbars. Have you ever wished you could search your favorite database from a browser toolbar? Go to http://www.lehigh.edu/helpdesk/docs/ie7/searchplugins.htm to learn how you can customize your browser search box to include many search tools and library databases. NOTE: LIBRARY-SPONSORED LICENSED DATABASES WILL WORK ONLY ON CAMPUS.
  • Use ASA to locate books, journals, e-journals, databases, A-V materials, software, web sites and CD-ROMs. This resource lists all the items in Lehigh Library system and their location. 
  • Use PALCI and LVAIC college for direct borrowing for faculty.  For information contact the Fairchild-Martindale Library Access Services Offices.  The phone number is 610-758-3028.  The URL for the PALCI information is http://palci.library.pitt.edu/~ursa/LEHI_login.html
  • For LVAIC, simply go to the circulation desk of the college library with your Lehigh id.  There, you will answer a few questions and then you will be able borrow books from that library.  Members of LVAIC are Cedar Crest College, DeSales University, Lafayette College, Lehigh University, Moravian College and Muhlenberg College.
  • LiveRef – For assistance with research for a project, click on the LiveRef icon to have a real time chat with a Lehigh librarian. Online Lehigh librarian hours are 8am to 8pm Monday-Thursday, and 8am - 5pm Friday. http://www.Lehigh.EDU/library/onlineref.html
  • Library resource class presentations – contact the librarian assigned to your College.
  • Blackboard - connect library resources to your course.  Use the External Links area and/or include under Course Document area
  • Did you know that faculty, staff, and students can search the full text of The Morning Call from 1996 to the present?  For search tips and techniques, see http://www.lehigh.edu/helpdesk/docs/mcall/mcall.htm You can also add The Morning Call channel to the portal. The channel can be found in the External News category.

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Google Tips

  • By default, Google searches for documents with ALL of the keywords you type in (Boolean AND); the more words you type, the more narrow your search.  To look for documents containing ANY of the words you type (Boolean OR), insert an uppercase OR between the words. The minus sign will exclude a word from the retrieval (Boolean NOT). Google process OR statements first.

Examples:

UN OR United Nations

iraq OR iraqi -war

 

  • To search phrases enter your search with quotes as shown:

"pennsylvania department of transportation"

 

  • Limit by domain (country of origin, type of organization)

To find IBM's British web site, type: IBM site:uk

To find non-profit organizations dealing with student privacy rights, type:

Student privacy site:org

 

  • Weight your search words

    To weight keywords through word order (list important words first), type:

    "food industry" chemical regulation

    To weight words through repetition, repeat important words as shown below:

    napster napster litigation legal lawsuit

  • Use Google's university-specific search to find content on just that school's web site.  For example, to search only Lehigh web pages, go here: http://www.google.com/univ/lehigh

  • Locate images, news items or search online groups, using the links atop the search field:

     
     
  • To find local business in a specific neighborhood, type the business and city or

zip code as shown below:

caterers 18015

  • Have a phone number, but don't know who it belongs to? Type in a 10-digit phone number and if the listing is publicly available, Google returns its associated name and address and a map to the location. NOTE: If you don't want your phone number available for these lookups, Google your own phone number and then click "Phonebook results for...." and then "Request to have your name removed from this list.
 
  • Use Google as a calculator. Enter the calculation you'd like done, for example:

    5+2*2

    ounces in a gallon

    sqrt(-4)

    100 miles in kilometers

     

  • Use Google as a dictionary.  Type define, followed by the word or phrases you want defined:

    • define alabaster

    define fountain of youth

     

  • Limit results to certain file types. To find only PDF files related to IRS Form 1040, type:

    form 1040 filetype:PDF

     

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Telephone/Voice Mail Tips

 

  • Press 3 while listening to a message to skip forward 10 seconds.

  • Press 5 while listening to a message to hear date, time and phone number of caller.
  • Press 1 while listening to rewind 10 seconds
  • Press 2 to pause message

  Press 33 while listening to a message to skip to the end

  • Press the # key to skip a message in your mailbox and go to the next one
  • Press the # # while listening to messages to go directly to saved messages
  • You can dial 86666 and dial a person’s number to leave message directly on their voice mail
  • Forward messages to others by pressing 6 during or after message review and record a message to attach to it
  • You can change your preferences to “rapid prompt” for faster menus. (Press 4-2-3-3 from within voice mail system main menu)
  • You can change your voice mail greeting every day or for an extended period. (Press 4-3-1 for greeting, 4-3-2 for extended absence greeting from within voice mail system main menu)
  • You can set up voice mail distribution lists to send messages to a group of people (Press 4-2-2-1 and follow prompts)

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Blackboard Tips

 

   The Help icon at the top of your Blackboard page contains lots of useful information related to the use of Blackboard at Lehigh including Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s).

   Students are automatically added/dropped from Blackboard courses on a nightly basis throughout the add/drop period. You can add students or TA’s to your course anytime using the Control Panel > Add Users feature.

  • Users can request or copy a course, using the Faculty Only link under Additional Resources on the Blackboard login screen.
  • You can request the removal of old Blackboard courses or the creation of new Blackboard courses at any time. Just click on the Help icon in the upper right corner of your Blackboard page for access to the request forms.

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Where else can I find tips?

 

  • The Help Desk webpage (http://www.lehigh.edu/helpdesk) is one of the best places to find fresh news and information on computing and library topics.
  • LTS offers a searchable knowledge base containing the most common computing and library questions and answers. Visit the Help Desk webpage and click the Search our Knowledge Base link under Help Desk Services.

Send questions, comments or tip suggestions to Kathy Frederick, kmm3@lehigh.edu.

Last updated: March 12, 2009