Microsoft 2010 Tips (a.k.a. "How Can We Help?")

One of the great things about my husband (there are many, I did say "yes" after all) is that when I've had a really bad day, his response is: "How Can I Help?" The first time I heard those four words from him, I immediately recognized how revolutionary they were.

Simple, right? But hearing those words is like being tossed a life preserver when you're overboard in a ferocious storm. "How Can I Help?" is proof that someone is on your side, evidence that at least one person in this world is willing to lighten your load.

And so, let it be known that that shall be the ET Geek Squad Mantra:"How Can We Help?"

Within this past week, I've heard from several fronts that the transition to Microsoft 2010 has not been a seamless one for all. Lots of little questions are popping up: Where's the line spacing function?

I can't get the math notations to work right.  Where is the regular menu bar? How can I make mailing labels?

Therefore, though we're happily known as quasi-Google Apps experts, we are here to help and shall dive into MS 2010 to help where help is needed. "Bring it," the Geeks chant, straightening their glasses. 

Here are a few MS Office 2010 tips and tidbits. We welcome your more specific questions and will do our best to answer them. Just fill out our ET Tech Request form or drop me an email and consider the Geeks "on it." 

So what does 2010 offer? 

New and improved tools,  upgraded templates, better visuals and photo-editing abilities, and cloud and co-authoring features (meaning multiple writers can be work on the same document, presentation, or spreadsheet while saving it remotely, following suit with Google Apps).

What's most noticeably different in a basic Word doc? 

The "Ribbon" at the top, replacing the traditional menu bar, featuring a highly visual menu organized by function into tabs for quick access.

The Geeks believe (or at least this one does) that the Ribbon is just like anything else: it'll take some getting used to, but once you do, you'll save time and have a better result. Change is never easy, but it's how we improve, right? 

But what if I want to bask in those glorious days of olde by using a simple toolbar instead of a Ribbon?  

You can hide the Ribbon and revert to a simple menu bar in any of the following ways:

• Double click one of the Ribbon menu tabs like Home or Insert (the Ribbon will compress up to the tab line; Undo by double clicking again on any tab. A single click to show the menu temporarily.
• Click the arrow in the upper right corner of the application window.
• Use the Keyboard Shortcut Ctrl+F1.

Aside from the loyal and adorable Geek Squad, where can I get general, quick Microsoft 2010 help?

Good News: Microsoft provides a wealth of free, user-friendly materials including trainings, excellent (and printable) cheat sheets, and even e-books to help transition you into the Microsoft 2010 suite:

 
• Cheat Sheet on Migrating from Word 2003 to Word 2010: printable PDF
• Cheat Sheet on Migrating from Powerpoint 2003 to Powerpoint 2010: printable PDF
• Cheat Sheet on Migrating from Excel 2003 to Excel 2010: printable PDF
• Ribbon Hero 2: featuring Clippy! Remember Clippy? (I heart Clippy) He'll lead you through a fun, interactive game to teach you the ins and outs of Ribbon.
• Ebooks for learning the Basics of Microsoft Word, Excel and Powerpoint: Adobe, Nook and Kindle formats. (Say the word if you'd like help getting one on your Nook/ Kindle)
• Word 2010 Online Training Options: Take a Word 2010 class / Hover over a  2003 menu bar to learn how to do those functions in 2010 / or Learn the basics if you're brand new to Microsoft Word. 
• Excel 2010 Online Training:Options: Take an Excel 2010 class / Hover over a  2003 menu bar to learn how to do those functions in 2010 / or Learn the basics if you're brand new to Microsoft Excel.
• Power Point 2010 Online Training: Options: Take a Power Point 2010 class / Hover over a  2003 menu bar to learn how to do those functions in 2010 / or Learn the basics if you're brand new to Microsoft Power Point.

And don't forget to let us know how we can help : )