Tezzo's Technology Blog

Answer Line forum  - How to enter the copyright symbol (©) without going through menus and the character map. I know two ways to do this. One is easier, but the other will work in just about any Windows program. The easiest way is to simply type  (c) . If you're using Microsoft Word or another Office program, or OpenOffice, the program will convert it to © as soon as you type the second parentheses. There may be other programs that do this, but those are the ones I know. If you're typing in a program that displays (c) as (c), hold down the  ALT  key while you type 0169  on your keyboard's number pad. As soon as you let go of  ALT , © will appear. This won't work with the typewriter number keys--the ones above the QWERTY letter keys. You have to use the numpad--the number keys at the far right end of the keyboard. Depending on what program you're using, NumLock may have to be on. If you're using a laptop's built-in keyboard, check the documentation...

This is an update of a browser extension I last wrote about a couple years back. It's too good not to revisit every so often. Just the other day, this happened: After writing a fairly lengthy post in a browser-based blog tool, I hit the Backspace key to delete something--but because my cursor wasn't inside the text field at the time, Chrome interpreted that as the keyboard shortcut for "back." In other words, back to the previous page. A big chunk of my unsaved work: gone. Crud. Read the solution at:  PCWorld :

It's too bad that the modern UI has proven so contentious, because aside from the eye candy—or eye cancer, depending on your perspective—an abundance of welcome nuts-and-bolts changes makes Windows 8 the hands-down best version of Windows that Microsoft has ever released. But don't despair. Although you can tweak and tuck a few things to almost completely banish the interface formerly known as Metro from your Windows 8 life, you can also try another tactic: not upgrading at all. Many of Windows 8's best under-the-hood improvements can be yours in Windows 7 with the help of a few handy-dandy applications. Having your cake and eating it too has never tasted so sweet. More at: PC World

Does your PC act as though it's about to die? Don't panic! We explain why the most common problems happen and what to do about them.  It's difficult to solve all possible system problems via the written word, as individual situations may vary just enough to make generalized advice problematic. However, if you're looking for some generally useful ideas on why your computer is misbehaving--and some potential fixes for certain common and unpleasant problems you might encounter--look no further than this handy troubleshooting guide to ten all-too-frequent system malfunctions. More at:  PCWorld :

But Google Voice is a pretty cool tool, and it can solve more than a few hassles. Let’s take a look at three GV perks you might not have known about. Have you tried Google Voice? If not, I think I can understand why. It’s one of those services that sounds a little confusing--and perhaps not terribly useful. (Note: I'm assuming that you’ve already signed up for a GV account. If not, just visit google.com/voice and follow the instructions. You'll need to have some sort of Google account already, like, say, Gmail.)" 1. You can use it to send text messages. Why bother pulling out your cell phone and typing on its tiny keyboard every time you want to send a text message? More at: PC World

"A modern PC leads a kind of dual life. On the one hand, it serves as an entertainment center, offering access to games, online videos, and the entire Internet. On the other hand, it acts as a tool for collecting, creating, and storing important information of all kinds. If your computer is lost, busted, or stolen, switching to a new one has little effect on the entertainment side. But unless you've properly protected the personal data on that system, a theft or loss could become a data disaster. How can you head off such a disaster? Here are some hot ideas." More at:  PCMag.com :

Take more control of your Windows 7 system with these quick and easy Registry tweaks. By Marco Chiappetta The Windows Registry is a powerful but confusing component of the Windows operating system. In earlier editions of Windows, editing the Registry was fraught with peril; if the user edited it with the wrong tool or altered a critical key, the result could be an inoperable Windows installation. Windows 7, however, is far more forgiving than its predecessors when it comes to modifying the Registry, if you use the built-in Windows 7 Registry Editor (Regedit)." More at:   PCWorld

Paint.NET’s performance is an interesting topic. There are some areas, such as startup, where Paint.NET is very fast. There are other areas, such as selection manipulation, where it is quite slow, even laughably so in non-pathological situations. If you’ve ever worked with the Magic Wand tool on an image of more than about 4 megapixels, then you probably understand what I’m talking about." More at:  Paint.NET Blog :

"We handle a lot of different topics throughout the year, and our how-to guides come in a wide range of sizes and subjects, but the goal is always the same: to make it easy for you to accomplish something awesome. Here's a look back at our most popular how-to features of 2011." More at:  Mashable