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QUESTION:
Sometimes on my Dell PC I receive an e-mail with an
attachment (usually pictures) which I cannot open. The
message, "This file does not have a program
associated with it to perform this action. Create an
association in the Folder Option control panel"
comes up. I cannot figure how to do this. Can you help?
—R.S.,
Burlington, N.C.
ANSWER:
What you need to do is designate the program that will
open the file for you.
In XP,
start by going to the "start" menu and
choosing "Control Panel." Select "Folder
Options" and, in the window that pops up, click on
the tab that reads, "File Types."
In the
box, you'll see every type of file extension imaginable.
Look for the extension on the file you need help with.
(If it's a photo, you're probably looking for jpg or
jpeg.) Clicking on the extension will show you which
program is associated with it and give you the chance to
change it.
If you
can't find the extension, click the "New"
button to add one. First, enter the extension and click
"OK." When it appears in the list of file
extensions, click on it and then click the
"Change" button.
Click to
"select the program from a list," and
Microsoft
will give you a list of options with its recommendations
at the top. If you don't see what you need, you can opt
to have your computer search the Web for appropriate
programs to associate with it.
For
instance, I entered .tif, clicked to change the
associated program and then clicked to select from a
list. The computer's first choice was Photoshop, which
is my first choice, too. I highlighted Photoshop,
clicked "OK" then "Close" and was
done.
There's
also a shortcut for one-time viewing. Just save the file
to your desktop and right-click on it. Choose "Open
with" and pick the program you want to use. It's
quick, but to create a permanent association, you'll
have to do it the longer way.
———
Q: How
can I change the line spacing between sentences when
trying to prepare a letter? Everything is one-and-a-half
lines apart.
—P.V.,
Cary, N.C.
A: In
Microsoft Word, highlight the text and go to
"Format," then "Paragraph." The
third section is for spacing. Click on the drop-down
menu that currently reads "1.5 lines," and
choose single or double, whichever you prefer.
There are
"Before" and "After" boxes to the
left of the line spacing that measure the amount of
space between paragraphs. If you wanted to single-space
your letter but have an extra space or half space
between paragraphs, that's where you'd go to set it
automatically.
———
(Think
you can stump the geeks? Send your high-tech question to
stumpthegeeks@newsobserver.com.
Please include your name, address and daytime phone
number. Individual replies are not given.)
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