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This is fairly easy, regardless of the version of Excel that you are using. First, let’s look at how to merge the cells before moving on to how to do so quickly.

Merge and Center Option

The easiest way to merge a series of cells together is to use the Merge and Center icon. First, highlight the cells, such as A1, B1, and C1, and then click the Merge and Center icon on the toolbar. It contains arrows surrounding a lower case ‘a’ similar to this: ←a→. Note that only the data contained in the leftmost cell will be retained, any data in the other cells will be overwritten.

Format Cells Option

You can also use the Format Cells command to merge the highlighted cells. You can reach this command via the Format menu or by right-clicking the highlighted cells and choosing Format Cells. Once the Format Cells dialog box opens, place a checkmark in the Merge Cells option. Faster still, once highlighted, click the Control + 1 key combination.

Tips for Faster Cell Merges

Since you have a specific layout in mind, start with a blank worksheet and set up your first row. Merge your A1, B1, and C1 cells using any of the above methods. In your case, it appears that all of your merge requirements on this first line involve three cells being merged into one, so you can simply copy your newly merged cell and begin pasting it into D and G cells. If you have other requirements, it doesn’t take too long to manually merge this first row to meet your needs.

Once you have the first row merged, apply any additional formatting that you want such as outlines or shading. If you plan on including any formulas that need to be present throughout the worksheet, add those now too.

Applying the Formatting to Additional Rows

Now that the first row is exactly how you want it, simply click on Row 1, making sure to click the actual row marker so that the entire line is highlighted and then click Control + C to copy it. Next, highlight all of the rows below row 1 where you want the formatting applied (again by clicking on the row markers located on the left side of the screen) and use the Control + V key combination to paste the contents of row 1 into these rows, formatting, merging, and all.

Opening an XLS file is easy if you have the correct software installed on your computer.

What is an XLS file?

An XLS file is generated by the Microsoft Excel application. It is a file that is used in the creation of charts and graphics made from rows of numbers. Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program that requires a special program in order to open the files.

Do I need Microsoft Excel in order to open an XLS file?

If you have Microsoft Excel installed on your computer, you can open an XLS file. Fortunately, even if you do not have this application installed on your computer, you can still open the XLS file.

Microsoft Free Excel Viewer

XLS files can still be opened even if you don’t have Microsoft Excel installed on your computer. Microsoft offers a free Excel Viewer that can be used to open XLS files. You can access this viewer by visiting Microsoft’s website. You can also visit this link:

Free Microsoft Excel Viewer to access Excel Viewer directly. This version replaces earlier versions including Excel Viewer and Excel Viewer 2003.

What Can Microsoft Free Excel Viewer Do?

The free Excel Viewer can be used to do quite a bit. The XLS file can be opened, viewed, printed using the newest version of free Excel Viewer. All of the following are possible with this free download:

• Files can be opened with this viewer if they have been created in Excel for Windows (95 and later), Microsoft Office Excel 2007, Microsoft Office Excel 2003, and Microsoft Excel for Macintosh )versions 2.2 and later.)
• Microsoft Excel Viewer can open the following types of files: .XLSx, .XLSm, .XLSb, .xltx, .xltm, .XLS, .xlt, .xlm, and .xlw.
• You can print a portion of the spreadsheet or the entire sheet of data.
• You can view different sections of the worksheet.
• You can switch to different sections of the worksheet.
• You can magnify or reduce different sections of the worksheet.
• You can minimize the ribbon.
• You can work with the data that is contained on the sheet. However, you cannot actually edit or save any changes that you make to the data without actually installing Microsoft Excel.

  MS Publisher

MS Publisher is a software application that can be used to create and customize a variety of materials that can be published in hard copy print or published on a web page. This includes all types of newsletters, brochures, flyers, catalogs, web pages, and more.

The Drop Down Menu

The drop down menu, or list box, is an excellent option for presenting your Web site’s visitors with pre-entered choices. For example, when visitor’s click the control, a list of choices that you have pre-created appear in a drop down list. The text label may be something along the lines of, “What is your favorite color?” By entering several options (such as red, blue, purple, and so on) in the drop down menu, you are presenting acceptable choices while limiting them as well.

Inserting a Drop Down Menu in Microsoft Publisher

First, go to the Objects toolbar and click on the Form Control icon. Choose List Box and go to Data Processing. Look for the “Return data with this label” box and enter your desired list box values.  Go to the Appearance option and make any adjustments as desired.

While we’re at it, let’s take a look at another useful tool in Publisher, the Navigation Bar.

Accessing the Navigation Bar Options

To add a new navigation bar within your web page, you need to follow this set of directions.

1)      Navigate to “Insert” at the top of your page.

2)      Select “Navigation Bar” and click “New.”

3)      A “Design Gallery” dialog box opens. Look through the “Objects by Category” tab and click on the type of navigation bar that you want.

4)      Click “Insert Object.”

5)      A “Create New Navigation Bar” dialog box opens. Type in a name for the navigation bar that you are creating.

6)      Navigate to “Insert Options” and select one of the following tasks:

a)      Click “Insert on every page” to insert your navigation bar on each one of your web pages.

b)      Click “Insert on this page only” to insert your navigation bar on only this one of your web pages.

7)      Navigate to “Automatic Update” and select one of the following tasks:

a)      Select “Update this navigation bar with links to existing pages in this publication” and click on “ok.” This allows each of the web pages to be included in the new navigation bar.

b)      Select “Update this navigation bar with links to existing pages in this publication” and specify the exact pages that you want to be included.

How to Obtain a Free Office Download

Yes, there is another way to get a copy of Microsoft Office on your computer. First, head on over to Microsoft Office Online and download a free 60-day trial version. Microsoft offers several versions of Office 2007 for this two month trial period including: Office Professional 2007, Office Home and Student 2007, Office Standard 2007, and Office Small Business 2007.

Select the version you’re most likely to invest in. For example, while it might be nice to download the fully loaded Pro version, if you have no intention of shelling out the big bucks for programs you’ll never use you’ll save yourself some grief by having the version you really want.

I opted for the Home and Student version when I did this because I really only needed Word and Excel. Compare the different versions and their price tags before you download.

Microsoft Office is huge, so if you don’t have broadband, it could take hours to download.

Using and Activating the Trial Version

Once downloaded, you have 60-days to make up your mind. If you’re set on buying the product like I was, then go ahead and purchase it right away. If you want to explore your options, such as by trying the free OpenOffice.org software, then stick with the trial version and try out both.

The first time you open one of the Office applications, you’ll be prompted to activate it. You’ll need to enter the trial version’s Product Key followed by agreeing to the license terms. At the end of the 60 days, Office will no longer function as normal. You will be able to view and print existing files but you will not be able to create new ones or make changes to existing ones.

Alternatives to Microsoft Office

I mentioned OpenOffice.org as an alternative. This suite is an open source (free) alternative that is giving Microsoft a run for the money. If you’re not sure you want to spend hundreds of dollars on software right now, this is an attractive option. Like the Office suite, this suite has a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation application, and database. You can download the entire suite and begin using it right away, never paying a penny. This download may take a long time as well if you don’t have high speed Internet access.

What to Do if you Have an Office CD

Now, if you have already purchased a copy of Microsoft Office and belatedly realized you had no way of installing it, I believe you can use the product key on the product you just purchased. I saw some incredible deals on Microsoft Office over the Thanksgiving weekend and can imagine snapping up a copy only to bring it home and say, “now what?” If the trial version doesn’t accept it, and it might not as Microsoft has so many controls over their digital rights systems, a call to customer service should straighten it out. Explain your situation and they should be able to help.

Finally, if you have a CD and your laptop can connect to a home or work network, you can access the CD via a shared network drive. You may need to set up a CD-ROM on one of the network computers for sharing. But once set up and connected, you can access the drive through the network, just as if it were a local drive. Let me know if you need details on how to do this and I’ll be glad to go over it for you.  

Troubleshooting a Microsoft Office Problem

Uninstall and Reinstall Office

As complicated as this problem sounds, I am going to suggest a simple solution - remove Microsoft Office completely and then reinstall. It sounds like there was a problem during your removal of programs, but at this point I think that a clean install is the best course of action. First things first though, make sure that you create back up files of all your Office documents before you remove the programs, just in case. Make back up files to a removable device, like a CD or a USB flash drive, and then take the steps below to reinstall your Office suite.

How to Uninstall Office

First, use Windows Add/Remove to delete all the Office programs that are still on your system, the same way that you did to remove the programs that you didn’t want before. To do this, the steps are slightly different for Vista and XP or earlier operating systems. If you are running Vista:

1. Click the Start button, then enter programs and features in the dialog box to open, and select Enter.
2. From the application list that appears, select the 2007 Office listing and then select Uninstall/Change from the toolbar.

For Windows XP and earlier systems:

1. Click the Start button, then Run, and then enter control appwiz.cpl in the dialog box to open, and select Enter.
2. From the application list that appears, select the 2007 Office listing and then select Remove.

Make Sure that the Program is Completely Removed

1. The key to making sure that your uninstall is clean, and that your computer is in good shape for your reinstall, is to completely remove all the registry keys and other residual code that might be stuck on your system. And you might still have problems with bits of applications unless the programs are properly removed. To troubleshoot your uninstall, you should run RegCure at this point to make sure that the program has been completely uninstalled.

Reinstall Office

Now that you have removed the program from your computer, you can reinstall it and, if all goes well, the clean install will solve all your problems. Here is a link to the Microsoft Support Page that details the steps to remove the unwanted Office programs and personally configure your Office Settings.

A look at Globalscape File Express

Overview

Exchanging information is a routine part of most jobs with electronic exchanges extremely common. However, sending large files over e-mail applications is problematic. The sheer size of some files requires excessively long upload and download times. Not only does this impact the individuals involved, it also affects the entire network as bandwidth and resources are required. Because of these concerns, file size restrictions are usually implemented.

However, when employees can’t send required files via their e-mail programs, they often resort to other methods (such as instant messaging, unauthorized third party software, FTP transfers, etc) which can also adversely affect the network or cause additional work for others. Globalscape File Express solves these problems!  

Features

File Express is an ideal solution that offers numerous features to businesses that need a way to manage their e-mail attachments. Among the key features are:

• Microsoft Outlook compatible - Because Microsoft Outlook is the e-mail client of choice for the majority of businesses, compatibility with Outlook means fewer hassles.
• No end user training required - File Express integrates seamlessly and is transparent to the end user.
• Capable of large file transfers - File Express allows the transfer of attachments up to 2 gigabytes large.
• IT control and customization - File Express allows the administrator to control permissions and file access as well as create rules and other controls as needed.
• Tracking and auditing - Files are tracked so that you always know what was transmitted and what was received.

Benefits

File Express allows for the transfer of large files using your existing Microsoft Outlook software. Because employees are often frustrated when their large attachments fail to send, they resort to other methods such as instant messaging or unauthorized third party file transfer applications which can compromise the network. Others may burn the file to DVD or print out huge reports which must be shipped overnight to colleagues and clients - adding unnecessary expenses.

Instead of potentially dangerous or costly workarounds, File Express makes it easy to send large files via e-mail. Now, employees can work productively and exchange the information they need to exchange without the frustration of file size limits.

The IT staff benefits from File Express as well. This product reduces the burden on servers and on personnel who must clean up the problems users create when trying alternative file transfer methods. In addition, auditing and tracking features provide detailed information about the files being sent and received.

How it Works

File Express is a new file transfer offering from Globalscape designed for businesses who need an easy-to-use, IT controllable, file transfer system. Currently, you will need to contact a Globalscape sales representative to learn more about File Express or receive a trial version.

Recommendations

If your team is frustrated by file size restrictions, File Express offers an excellent way to facilitate large file transfers while providing the IT staff with the control and security it needs.

Globalscape products

• Globalscape FileExpress

• Globalscape EFT Server

• Globalscape Secure FTP Server

• Globalscape Wide Area Services

• Globalscape CuteFTP

• Globalscape Continuous Data Protection

• About Globalscape the Company 

Feedback

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