I won't install Xfinity's EasySolve!

After the incredible nightmare from installing Xfinity's last online tool, Constant Guard, I will not be installing this. My Constant Guard post is still one of the highest viewed posts each day, and has the largest number of negative comments of all posts here on digital-qa.blogspot.com.

Be wary of Comcast's new EasySolve!

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Change Word Default Template to Single Space

I don't know why Word 2007 has 1.5 spacing between lines as the default. Weird.

Anyway, change the template this way.

See snapshot below and do this:

1- While on the Home tab, click the Line Spacing icon in the top ribbon. Click Line Spacing Options.
2- Change to 0.
3- Change to Single.
4- Click Default.

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How to stop a Word from Auto-correcting in Microsoft Excel or Word

I do this in Excel here, but you can do it from within Word too.

To remove a word from Microsoft Office auto-correct: Click the OFFICE BUTTON in the upper left corner > EXCEL OPTIONS (see screen shot below) > PROOFING > AUTO-CORRECT OPTIONS. You just need to do that in one application (Word or Excel) for it to carry over to all apps.

Finally HSA doesn't become HAS.

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TrueSuite Crashes Chrome - So Remove TrueSuite

Truesuite kept crashing Google Chrome, so I uninstalled it. You can too. Click Start, type Truesuite in the search box, click Uninstall AuthenTec TrueSuite. The TrueSuite fingerprint features weren't worth Chrome crashing constantly. Chrome won.

Later, I'll likely try to figure out how to get Truesuite to work with Chrome, if possible.

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How to Opt-out of Mail, eMail, Telemarketing

Unsolicited Mail, Telemarketing and Email: Where to Go to “Just Say No”

All of the below is from the ftc.gov website and is simply copied here for safekeeping. Source: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt063.sht

Tired of having your mailbox crammed with unsolicited mail, including preapproved credit card applications? Fed up with getting telemarketing calls just as you're sitting down to dinner? Fuming that your email inbox is chock-full of unsolicited advertising? The good news is that you can cut down on the number of unsolicited mailings, calls, and emails you receive by learning where to go to "just say no."

Consumer Reporting Companies 

If you decide that you don't want to receive prescreened offers of credit and insurance, you have two choices: You can opt out of receiving them for five years or opt out of receiving them permanently. 

To opt out for five years: Call toll-free 1-888-5-OPT-OUT (1-888-567-8688) or visit www.optoutprescreen.com. The phone number and website are operated by the major consumer reporting companies.

To opt out permanently: You may begin the permanent Opt-Out process online at www.optoutprescreen.com. To complete your request, you must return the signed Permanent Opt-Out Election form, which will be provided after you initiate your online request. 

When you call or visit the website, you'll be asked to provide certain personal information, including your home telephone number, name, Social Security number, and date of birth. The information you provide is confidential and will be used only to process your request to opt out.

If you don't have access to the Internet, you may send a written request to permanently opt out to each of the major consumer reporting companies. Make sure your request includes your home telephone number, name, Social Security number, and date of birth.

Experian
Opt Out
P.O. Box 919
Allen, TX 75013

TransUnion
Name Removal Option
P.O. Box 505
Woodlyn, PA 19094

Equifax, Inc.
Options
P.O. Box 740123
Atlanta, GA 30374

Innovis Consumer Assistance
P.O. Box 495
Pittsburgh, PA 15230

Direct Marketers

Telemarketing

The federal government's National Do Not Call Registry is a free, easy way to reduce the telemarketing calls you get at home. To register your phone number or to get information about the registry, visit www.donotcall.gov, or call 1-888-382-1222 from the phone number you want to register. You will get fewer telemarketing calls within 31 days of registering your number. Telephone numbers on the registry will only be removed when they are disconnected and reassigned, or when you choose to remove a number from the registry.

Mail

The Direct Marketing Association's (DMA) Mail Preference Service (MPS) lets you opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial mail from many national companies for five years. When you register with this service, your name will be put on a "delete" file and made available to direct-mail marketers and organizations. This will reduce most of your unsolicited mail. However, your registration will not stop mailings from organizations that do not use the DMA's Mail Preference Service. To register with DMA's Mail Preference Service, go towww.dmachoice.org, or mail your request with a $1 processing fee to:

DMAchoice
Direct Marketing Association
P.O. Box 643
Carmel, NY 10512

Email

The DMA also has an Email Preference Service (eMPS) to help you reduce unsolicited commercial emails. To opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial email from DMA members, visit www.dmachoice.org. Registration is free and good for six years. 

Department of Motor Vehicles

The Drivers Privacy Protection Act allows states to distribute personal information only to law enforcement officials, courts, government agencies, private investigators, insurance underwriters, and similar businesses — but not for direct marketing and other uses.

If You Have a Complaint

The FTC works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or get free information on consumer issues, visit ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. Watch a video, How to File a Complaint, at ftc.gov/video to learn more. The FTC enters consumer complaints into the Consumer Sentinel Network, a secure online database and investigative tool used by hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

Deauthorize a Computer to Play iTunes Store Purchases

UPDATE 5/18/2012:

You can now deauthorize all computers associated with an iTunes account (but you can only do that once/year). Here's how:

To deauthorize all computers associated with your Apple ID

If you need to authorize your new computer and are unable due to already having five authorized computers, you can deauthorize all computers by doing the following:

1. Click iTunes Store on the left side of iTunes.
2. If you're not signed in to the store, click the Account button, then enter your account name and password.
3. Click the Account button again (your Apple ID appears on the button), enter your password, and then click View Account.
4. In the Account Information window, click Deauthorize All.

Note: You may only use this feature once per year. The Deauthorize All button will not appear if you have fewer than two authorized computers. If you need assistance on using this feature, please contact iTunes Store support via email (http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/store/).

To authorize a computer using your Apple ID

1. Open iTunes
2. From the Store menu, choose Authorize This Computer. (In earlier versions of iTunes, access this option from the Advanced menu).
3. When prompted, enter your Apple ID and password, then click Authorize.

Source: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1420

PREVIOUS INFO 7/17/2011:

You must either deauthorize the computer before you no longer own it (or can't use it...) or wait until after you have 5 authorized computers assigned and then need to assign a new one.

Per iTunes support:

Authorize a computer to play iTunes Store purchases

To play many purchases from the iTunes Store, you must authorize your computer using your Apple ID and password. (Authorization helps protect the copyrights of the purchased items.)

You can have up to five authorized computers (Macintosh, Windows, or both) at a time. To play a purchased item on a sixth computer, you need to deauthorize another one. An iPod, iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV doesn’t count as a computer.

You can authorize or deauthorize a computer at any time. Be sure to deauthorize a computer before you sell it or give it away.

Hide

Here are ways to authorize or deauthorize a computer:

• To authorize a computer to play iTunes Store purchases, choose Store > Authorize Computer.
• To deauthorize a computer, choose Store > Deauthorize Computer.
• To deauthorize a computer to play spoken programs purchased from the Audible website, choose Advanced > Deauthorize Audible Account.
• If you forgot to deauthorize a computer you no longer own, and you have five authorized computers, you can deauthorize all your authorized computers at once. You can use this method once a year.
  Choose Store > View My Account, and click Deauthorize All. If you don’t see this option, it’s because you don’t have five authorized computers.

If you have trouble deauthorizing a computer, visit the iTunes Store Authorization FAQ website.

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Outlook Default for Window Alerts

What were the defaults for the Desktop Alert Settings in Outlook?

Duration (How long should the Desktop Alert appear?) = 7 seconds
Transparency (How transparent should the Desktop Alert be?) = 20% transparent

This option is under Advanced E-mail Options (Tools, Options, Preferences, E-mail Options, Advanced E-mail Options): Display a New Mail Desktop Alert (default Inbox only).

Can not send GoDaddy Email from iPhone

After trying multiple solutions, this worked.

First I deleted the account on my iPhone so I could 'start over'. This link, Godaddy: iPhone - Setting up Email, takes you to clear instructions to add a GoDaddy email address screenshot by screenshot (Click the big green button, "Screen-by-Screen"). However, after doing the above, I still get a message that says email can't be sent, and "do I want to turn off SSL?" Just for now, select 'yes'. Outgoing email will now work. But then DO turn SSL back on. Here's how:

GoDaddy: Enabling Email with SSL on Your iPhone
Note the instructions say "6. Tap save" but there is no Save that I can see. Simply back out of the screen and the changes should have stayed. You can go back into the Advanced section again to see that the changes stayed if you want. Mine did.

The site says you may need to start your iPhone for the changes to take effect. I did not have to do that.

And don't you love how GoDaddy has a survey button at the bottom of each support post that invites you to rate the article, but the only option is "This was helpful". Geez. Says a lot about GoDaddy.

For the iPad, be sure:
Incoming Mail Server port and Outgoing Mail Server port is set to one of the below (see under "Email Server Settings" further below)!! I use SSL, and you should too.

You can also download the GoDaddy email App which works as a standalone app, but I like to get my email within my email client.

More Info:
iPhone settings per GoDaddy site (while I was logged into their email client):

Email Server Settings:

Server	Standard Ports	Your Open Ports
Incoming server (POP3): pop.secureserver.net	110, 995 (SSL)	110, 995 (SSL)
Outgoing server (SMTP): smtpout.secureserver.net	80, 3535, 25, 465 (SSL)	80, 3535, 25, 465 (SSL)

More Links from GoDaddy:

• Download the Outlook setup tool
• Setup Email in Outlook
• Setup Email on iPhone
• Setup Email on Android
• Setting up other Email Programs

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Opt your self out of sites that Track you

http://abine.com/optouts.php

How to delete yourself from the Internet | How To - CNET

How to delete yourself from the Internet | How To - CNET

LinkedIn - Keep your Changes Private

Great Linkedin tips from brucebixler:

The 8 Things You Do Wrong On LinkedIn - Forbes:

Another fix for #8 You Change your profile from top to bottom. If you go to your privacy settings on your LinkedIn profile you can change your activity settings:

By selecting this option, your activity updates will be shared in your activity feed.

Let people know when you change your profile, make recommendations, or follow companies
Note: You may want to turn this option off if you’re looking for a job and don’t want your present employer to see that you’re updating your profile.

and the second setting is

Your activity feed displays actions you’ve performed on LinkedIn. Select who can see your activity feed.

Set this to “Only You” while making the changes then turn it back on to everyone after you have made the changes.

Excel Axis Title Truncated

If your Excel axis titles are not showing all the characters, the only fix that seems to work is this:

Pad the end of the title by adding additional "non-breaking space characters": Simply click ALT + 0160 (on the numeric keypad). Works perfectly!

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