Where is that file on my computer? Windows XP

Computer Coaching for Seniors Ottawa Canada

You took several pictures of the Rideau Canal but you don't remember where you saved it on the computer. You only remember it was named img something.

An easy way to find your files on Windows XP is to use the "Search tool". You can find it by clicking the "Start" button and then by clicking on "Search".

Once the "Search" window appears, you can choose which type of file you want to find (i.e. picture, word document) and then type in the name of the file.

For our example, you would search for Pictures and in the "file name edit box" you would enter img.

There is also an "advanced option" that will let you narrow the search to a specific folder. You can also specify whether you want the search to be case sensitive, if you want to search for files of a given size and if you want search for files that were modifed before, after or at a specific date.

OC Transpo Travel Planner to the Rescue

Computer Coaching for Seniors Ottawa Canada

Charlie did not have a very good week. Not only did his harddrive fail, but his car broke down too. The only way Charlie will make it for SuperEx is for him to use the Ottawa Public Transit (OC Transpo).

Luckily, OC Transpo has a travel planner on the web that tells you which buses you need to take to arrive at your destination as well as the duration.

E-Mail: Is it on my Computer?

Computer Coaching for Seniors Ottawa Canada

The doorbell rings and it is Charlie. He is in tears.

"Charlie, what happened?" you ask.

"It is all gone. All my E-Mail... GONE!!!! My harddrive failed!" shouted Charlie

"Didn't you backup?"

"NOOO! Alright, are you happy? I did not backup!!!! Stop tormenting me!!!!!" Charlie furiously replied.

"Charlie, now calm down. You use a browser like Internet Explorer to read your E-Mail, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"I think your E-Mail is safe. It is not stored on your computer!"

There are two ways you can read E-Mail.

One way is to read your E-Mail using your internet browser like Internet Explorer or Safari. In this case, you access your E-Mail on your E-Mail provider's computer. For example, if you use Internet Explorer to read your Hotmail then you are reading it from Hotmail's computer, not your own.

The second way is to read E-Mail using an E-Mail program like Outlook Express or Mail (Apple). In this situation, the E-Mail program (Outlook Express) pulls in or downloads your mail from your E-Mail provider's computer and stores it on your computer. When you read your E-Mail, you are reading it from your computer.

There are exceptions but in general if you know what program you read your E-Mail with, you can determine if your E-Mail is on your computer:

- Internet Explorer or any other browser? E-Mail not on your computer.
- Outlook/Outlook Express? E-Mail on your computer.

Accessibility: Blind / Low Vision Accessible Websites

Computer Coaching for Seniors Ottawa Canada

In the previous blog, we talked about how a lot of websites are designed for people with vision. These websites pose a challenge for people who use screen readers to help them navigate on their computer.

However, there are ways to find websites that are more accessible than others.

One trick is to go to PDAPortal. This is a great starting point because it lists all the PDA-Friendly websites. A PDA is a handheld computer which has a very small screen and limited navigation. It is easier for these devices to view webpages that are simple in structure and therefore a PDA-Friendly webpage is ideal for someone using a screen reader because it will not have excessive links and will most likely be one column.

Another place is Accessible Google. Google just came out with this tool about a week or two ago that ranks search results based on their accessibility. Because this is a relatively new tool, its hard to say how effective the ranking will be. However, it is still worth trying.