Making the most of your PC
Aysë Stenabaugh
Jesters Computers
(5/2020) Technology users are aware of the seemingly endless possibilities the internet brings to our devices but what about when the internet goes out? There are lots of things you can do with your computer even if you don’t have internet access. The next time you find yourself with no internet access or are
experiencing an outage, give one of the following suggestions a try.
Organization – Clearly this Is not the most exciting idea but taking the time to do so can leave you with more time for other fun activities. First, focus on your computer’s desktop, it can be enticing to place files here so you can remember and find them later. After a while you may discover that your desktop has transitioned into a black
hole, making finding anything there a daunting task.
To combat this, move documents and pictures into the documents and pictures folders within your user folder. Any shortcuts (or icons that have an arrow in the corner that point to a program or file that is stored in another location) that are not being used can be deleted or moved into a new folder on your desktop for "unused desktop icons"
or "junk" whichever you personally fancy. Not only will this make your desktop look nicer, but you’ll also find that your computer will load a little bit faster after a restart if it no longer has to load those unused icons.
Easier Accessibility – In Windows 10 there are lots of ways that you can make it easier to find the things you most commonly use. Instead of placing shortcuts on your computer’s desktop, you can try pinning the programs you use most frequently to either your start menu (the menu that appears when you press the windows icon in the bottom
left corner of your screen) or your taskbar (the bar that goes across the bottom of your screen).
To pin an application to either location first locate the program that you wish to pin from your start menu. Next, right click on the application and select "pin to start" or if you would prefer it to be always visible on your taskbar, choose "more" and then "pin to taskbar". If there are specific files that you frequently access in an
application, you can right click on the application which will then display files you recently opened. To always have a recently opened file appear in this list, you can press the pin icon (which looks like a pushpin).
Store your music library – If you still have CD’s and have not yet taken the time to copy them to your computer you should. Ripping your music to your PC can both preserve the integrity of your cd’s and allow you to move that music to other devices. Today, some vehicles are not including a CD drive which means that to listen to your music
your stuck with radio or using another device like an mp3 player or a cell phone. To store your collection on your Windows computer, insert the cd you wish to save then open Windows Media Player (to find it, press the start button then type media and click on Windows Media Player). When your CD is in the drive, you will have the option to "Rip CD" toward the stop
of media player. Once you choose that open you can select which songs you want to "rip" to your computer by clicking on the checkbox beside the songs you want to save or, you can select them all by clicking the checkbox above the list beside the # symbol. By default, your music should be saved in your "My Music" folder separated by each artist and albums' name.
Editing photos – One of the best parts of Windows 10 is how easy it is to edit and organize photos. While we recommend that you organize your photos from file explorer, the photos application can make it really easy to locate photos that contain the same people or subjects. When using the photos app you can create albums to group photos
from different storage places together without ever actually moving the photos.
For example, if you have photos in a folder located on your desktop and also had a photo in your pictures folder, you can create an album within the photos program that will display both photos together even though they are stored in different locations. If you find a photo that you wish to crop or edit you can click on the photo to make
further changes. We strongly recommend that you create a copy of the edited photo unless you’re sure you want to overwrite the original.
If you need help with your computer or would like one-on-one assistance with performing any of the tasks above or more consider reaching out to Jester’s Computer Services at 717-642-6611. At this time we are continuing to offer remote support when internet access is available and we are continuing to accept drop-offs and pick-ups by
appointment only. For more information or free computer tips and tricks including our video tutorials, visit us on the web at www.jesterscomputers.com
