One question I am frequently asked is, "What is an FAQ ?" Of course, you say, it’s a Frequently Asked Question! Well, yes, but what's that about?

It's about a gazillion people out there that have questions about their computers and the software they are using. And the "tech support" people at various manufacturers realizing many of the questions they are getting are very nearly the same.

So, if you get to a site on the Internet looking for answers to questions, you often will be directed to look through a list of FAQs first. This saves the tech support people time, and it also will save you some as well! For instance, instead of waiting on the phone for a while for help, you can zip through a list of FAQs and not only find the answer to your question, but maybe even several others that you wondered about as well. Even if you send e-mail questions, it will take, normally, from 24 to 48 hours to get a response and you know very well that you "want an answer NOW!" YES!

So, looking through list of FAQs will often be the closest thing to a "NOW" answer.

Well, as an instructor, I get asked FAQs every day. Here are a few to get the ball rolling:

Q: How can I just print what I want from an Internet site, instead of the whole page?

A: Select (highlight) the area you want to print out. You do this by "wiping " your cursor with your left clicker down from top to bottom. Then, either click on your "print" icon, or click "file" and then "print". When the printing software activates the next screen asking you about such things as what quantity of pages to print and whether to print "all", you select the option "selection", usually by clicking in a small round circle, a radio button. Then click O.K.

This will work in some but not all printing programs. If it does not work in yours, do the following. After highlighting the area you want printed, "copy" and "paste" it to another application like "wordpad" or another word processor. Then you can print in out normally from there. It's OK to minimize the Internet page while you access your word processor, it will be waiting for you when you get back.

If you have another way of doing this that you think I can let people know about, send it to me at the address at the end of this article.

Here's another FAQ:

Q: I don't understand all this business about files and folders and how to make them and organize them. How can I learn about that?

A: The answer for all of you with Windows 98, appears in a program that you have called, "Welcome to Windows", and you access it by clicking on "start" and pointing to "accessories", then "system tools", and then clicking on "Welcome to Windows." When the window opens, in the contents click "Discover Windows 98" then click on the large "2" on the left. Then click "Lessons" in a rectangular button. Then click on the big "2" on the left, now named, "Exploring Files and Folders". Follow the instructions, making sure you have your sound volume turned up. It is a thorough lesson and you will learn what you need to know.

If you don't have Windows 98, you can get lots of information from some of the books available at the library or bookstore. I recommend to any one with a computer that you have a reference book on each software program that you are using frequently. Whether it is "Using Corel Word Perfect" or "Getting Results with Office 97", have it at hand. It will answer most, if not all, your questions. You should also have at least one more general book like "The Complete Idiots guide to PCs" or any other text you find easy to read. There are CD-ROMs with this info on them in class lesson style as well as videos, some of which are available at the public library.

The advantage in having a book is that you can refer to the same section time after time, if you forget. If you ask a friend to show you and you forget it, will you be prepared to ask them again and again?

And lastly,

Q: Is it correct that the Recycle Bin is only a halfway point and that the items you are trying to delete still take up room in your hard drive?

A: Absolutely, it is not out of your hard drive until you click on "Empty Recycle Bin" in the file menu.

You can see this for yourself if you click on "Start" and point to "Programs" and click on "Windows Explorer". Look down the left-hand window and see the Recycle Bin is there, way down near the bottom. If you left click on the icon you will see how much space it is taking (in the bar at the bottom of the window.)