Help With Computer Challenges

This month, the Employee Learning and Innovation Center (ELIC) column is featuring these I-can-breathe-easier-now answers to tough computer questions.  Replies have been supplied by the Computer Services Department support staff.

Question:  Help!  I copied some text from a web site and pasted it into a new Word document. But suddenly the pages, margins and other stuff changed.  That wouldn’t be so bad, except now I can’t get the original configuration back.  Is this text possessed?

Answer:  Don’t panic and nope, no need to call an exorcist either!  The problem is caused by “borrowing” from the web.  In simple terms, whenever you copy anything from a web site, you also capture a hidden code (known as HTML – short for Hyper Text Markup Language) along with the text.  These codes can dictate everything from font size and color to placement of pictures and text. 

Fortunately, the solution is simple.  When pasting onto Word, go first to the word menu bar.  Select File from the menu, then under File, click on Paste Special.  At the Paste Special dialog box, select Unformatted Text, then click OK.  The text will now be pasted onto Word without formatting, which allows the freedom to modify at will.

Question:  My class roster/grade sheet is in Excel.  To insure confidentiality, I’ve given every student an ID code.  However, when the code starts with zeros (such as 00246), Excel conveniently “loses” those zeros (becoming 246).  Why?

Answer:  Excel can be a tricky beast.  For one thing, it is only capable of displaying two types of data in a spreadsheet – numbers or text.  Based on the very first keystroke, Excel will decide whether an entry is one or the other.  When your first keystroke is a number, Excel correctly assumes you are entering a number.  But if that number begins with a zero, Excel will drop what it thinks are needless leading zeros.  To make Excel understand your intention, make that first keystroke an apostrophe (‘) – Excel will then treat whatever follows as text.  (And when that text is displayed, that apostrophe will be hidden.)  Therefore, typing an apostrophe first, followed by 0-0-2-4-6 will read 00246.

Other computer related issues?  Dial ext. 3248, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., for friendly and knowledgeable tech support.  Or, visit ELIC (6900 building) on Mondays from 9 to 11:30 a.m. or Thursdays from 1:45 to 4:15 p.m. to work with someone