FREE resources to learn M$ products...

[zyzzyva57]

1. If you want to see a visual of something then try YouTube, e.g., Word 2007 Margin Setting...
2. M$ Training
3. Moving from Word 2003 to 2007, here is an excellent resource
4. For Excel
5. This is NOT free, but if you want to become certified in something M$, use MeasureUp, Pre-Tests and go over and over the questions, because you want speed for these tests!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The test questions give you visual solutions as well as, of course, the anwers
6. Once a week, run CCleaner (free) to clean out useless files and also with its Tools tab, your registry
7. And also at the site, download its Defragger and run it after you clean out the crap (Crap Cleaner is what CCleaner means) -- M$ DeFragger is lame
8. Then do a Restart to have a super-dooper system
9. To Uninstall a product, use the FREE Revo Uninstaller, because the M$ Uninstaller still leaves certain things in the Registry -- Why trial programs "remembers" you tried the program before or uninstalling/reinstalling an Office program "remembers" the settings you wanted to change with a new install
   
   
   

Feel free to add your own FREE resources or resources worth paying for

Here is a generic solution to a type of question I see often here: an Office product is NO longer working properly

1. Do a restart, yea, that simple
   
2. If this fails, then do a System Restore back to the time things were working correctly -- With Vista: Start > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore...M$ patches, etc, may NOT install correctly, so this could solve the problem -- NOTE, M$ will update so the problem may return, or not, but you now know the problem so you can "Google" a solution...NOTE, too, a System Restore does NOT change your Office files
   

[Matrix]

Many thanks for such a helpful post!

[zyzzyva57]

I forgot another neat Word trick:

Often you want a text document to learn/to practice on

Okay, on a blank page simply type the following:

=rand(2,3)
<Enter>

Note, don't forget the equal sign

The two is the space for the number of paragraphs, while the 3 is the slot for the number of sentences you want

[zyzzyva57]

I have downloaded this with no problem, but here is more details and where to go for the download...

[zyzzyva57]

As I continue on my journey to get MCAS certified in Office products, I find this way useful:

• Bombard yourself with information — Don’t try to slowly digest the material you’re trying to learn; immerse yourself in it. Read it quickly, so that you’re drowned by it. [I use my online Flashcards to build up this point with Excel (as I did when I became certified in Word]--After Excel, I will move to PowerPoint
  
• Identify the key concepts and make them yours — Try to comprehend the Big Picture. Don’t worry about the details. Recognize the broad overview so that you can understand the fundamentals of the subject.
  
• Only memorize what absolutely has to be memorized — Don’t fret over details that can be referenced later. Most subjects have specific facts that you must know. Learn them. But don’t worry about details that can be obtained through reference works when needed.
  
• Get some feedback on your understanding — Find some sort of comprehensive practice exam and take it. You will probably do poorly, but from your results you’ll be able to tell what you learned and what slipped your mind. Try to correct your mistakes as soon as possible.
  
• Bombard yourself with some more information, but from another source — This is the key step. Find some other source — not necessarily another textbook — and use it to glean as much information as possible. Maybe use multiple sources. Try to focus on your weak points after your first reading. [YouTube is amazing with the help it provides]
  
• Get some real-world feedback — Find a community fluent in the knowledge you’ve tried to learn. See how well you fit in. For example, if you’ve tried to learn a language, see how well you can interact with others who speak the smae language. [I read online forums, such as here]

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