Author: Gerry Chevalier

Gerry Chevalier is a retired IT consultant and assistive technology Product Manager. He currently is the co-coordinator of GTT Edmonton, a chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind. GTT (Get Together With Technology) Edmonton is a self-help peer mentoring group of blind and visually impaired people who meet monthly to share their experiences and learn how assistive technologies can help them lead more independent lives.

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, Microsoft Office Searching the Help Database, June 10, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions. The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.
Microsoft Office – Searching the Help Database
When you are in any Office app such as Word, Excel, Power Point, or Outlook you can search that app’s Help database.
• Press F1 to open the Help Search pane.
• Type a topic or question into the search box. For example, in Excel, you might type “how to insert rows” without the quotes.
• As you type your search text, matching search results will appear in a list. You can arrow up and down the list to find the topic that you want, and press Enter.
• Then you can press TAB to find links to more specific information on the selected topic,
• Press Enter to activate the link and open the corresponding Help article which can then be read as a web page.
• Press Shift+F6 to go back to your document pane and F6 from there to return to the Help pane.
That’s it for this tip. Until next Wednesday, happy computing.

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, Microsoft Office Back Stage View, June 3, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions. The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.
Microsoft Office – Document Backstage View
The Backstage view is a useful interface to explore and use for keyboard users.
When you launch Microsoft Office apps such as Excel, Word, or Power Point via a desktop icon or from the Start menu you are placed in the Backstage view. The Backstage view replaces the File menu on older versions of Office. You may also reach the Backstage view by pressing Alt+F. Backstage view has a list of categories that allow you to open or save documents, print documents, export documents to other formats such as PDF or HTML, manipulate the current document’s properties, and more. You select the Backstage category from a list of categories using Up/Down arrows. For each category, there are different controls which you can explore with Tab or Shift+Tab.
For example, the Open category allows you to reopen a document from a list of recent documents or, if you press Down arrow on the Recent tab, you will find other sources for documents such as OneDrive, This PC,and a Browse button. The Browse button will launch the usual Open File Dialogue.
The Info category allows you to protect/unprotect a file, add a security password to a file, or add title or author attributes, add search keywords, and more. Note that adding a document title in the Backstage view is especially useful if you plan to save the document in html format for later inclusion as a web page. The document title will then become the web page title when you save the Word document as an HTML document.
Although the Backstage view is completely Accessible, sometimes it just gets in the way. You may just want to open MS Word and start a new blank document. You can exit the backstage view and return to the document window by pressing Escape. For example, to start a new MS Word document simply launch Word, then press Escape to exit the Backstage view and you will be in a blank document Window. Type your document and then press F12 to save it.
That’s it for this tip. Until next Wednesday, happy computing.

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, Document Backstage View, May 27, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions. The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

Microsoft Office – Document Backstage View

The Backstage view is a useful interface to explore and use for keyboard users.
When you launch Microsoft Office apps such as Excel, Word, or Power Point via a desktop icon or from the Start menu you are placed in the Backstage view. The Backstage view replaces the File menu on older versions of Office. You may also reach the Backstage view by pressing Alt+F. Backstage view has a list of categories that allow you to open or save documents, print documents, export documents to other formats such as PDF or HTML, manipulate the current document’s properties, and more. You select the Backstage category from a list of categories using Up/Down arrows. For each category, there are different controls which you can explore with Tab or Shift+Tab.

For example, the Open category allows you to reopen a document from a list of recent documents or, if you press Down arrow on the Recent tab, you will find other sources for documents such as OneDrive, This PC,and a Browse button. The Browse button will launch the usual Open File Dialogue.

The Info category allows you to protect/unprotect a file, add a security password to a file, or add title or author attributes, add search keywords, and more. Note that adding a document title in the Backstage view is especially useful if you plan to save the document in html format for later inclusion as a web page. The document title will then become the web page title when you save the Word document as an HTML document.

Although the Backstage view is completely Accessible, sometimes it just gets in the way. You may just want to open MS Word and start a new blank document. You can exit the backstage view and return to the document window by pressing Escape. For example, to start a new MS Word document simply launch Word, then press Escape to exit the Backstage view and you will be in a blank document Window. Type your document and then press F12 to save it.

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, Ribbons and the Quick Access Tool Bar, May 20, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions. The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

Microsoft Office – Ribbons and the Quick Access Tool Bar

Navigating the ribbon commands with the keyboard or trying to remember many Key Tip sequences can be frustrating especially for commands that you use frequently. The Quick Access tool bar can mitigate this frustration. You can place frequently used ribbon commands on the Quick Access tool bar where they can be found quickly and easily.

For example, a common command I use in Excel is to auto adjust the column width to fit the cell contents. This command is on the Home ribbon in the cells group and its key tip sequence is:
ALT+H, O, I
This is difficult to remember to say the least. You can add this ribbon command to the Quick Access Tool Bar as follows:
• While in your Excel workbook, press ALT+H, O, I to select the auto adjust column width command or, press Alt+H to open the Home ribbon and then Tab repeatedly to reach the Auto Adjust Column Width command. However, don’t press Enter to activate the command.
• Instead, press the Applications key to open a context menu, and arrow down to find the “Add to Quick Access Tool Bar” and then press Enter.
• This command is now on the Quick Access Tool Bar.
The next time you need to use the command, follow these simpler steps:
• Press Alt to focus on the main ribbon.
• Press up arrow to reach the Quick Access Tool Bar.
• Arrow left or right on the tool bar to find the Auto fit column width function and press Enter. No memorizing of long shortcuts!
• You can add many ribbon commands to the Quick Access Tool Bar in the same manner. You can also find the command using the Alt+Q command search described in the previous tip, and when the command appears in the search results, press the Applications key to find the option to add it to the Quick Access tool bar.
• If you can remember the order of your Quick Access items, then you can activate them more quickly. For example, press ALT+1 to activate the first Quick Access Tool Bar item, press ALT+2 to activate the second item and so on.
• If you decide to remove a command from the Quick Access Tool Bar, just navigate to the command and then press the Applications key to open the context menu. On my computer the Applications key does not open the context menu on the Quick Access Tool Bar but Shift+F10 does. From the context menu select the item, Remove from the Quick Access Tool Bar, and press Enter. You may find it useful to remove some default commands that Microsoft puts on the tool bar, such as Undo, Redo, Save, which already have simple shortcuts namely, Control+Z, Control+Y, and Control+S, so they tend to just clutter the Quick Access tool bar.
Each Office program e.g. Excel, Word, Outlook and Power Point have their own Quick Access Tool bar and the process for adding commands and using the tool bar is the same.

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, Search For Ribbon Commands, May 13, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions. The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

Microsoft Office – Search for Ribbon Commands
Navigating ribbons using the keyboard or trying to remember Key Tip sequences to find a command can be frustrating. There is a way to quickly search for a ribbon command:
• Press Alt+Q which opens the Office “Tell Me What You Want To DO” feature. You will be placed in an edit box.
• Type the name of the command you are searching for. For example, maybe you want to insert a table in a Word document, so you might type, “insert table”. Or maybe you want to Empty the Deleted items folder in Outlook, so you might type, “empty deleted”.
• Press the down arrow to find the list of search results and likely the ribbon command you need will be in the list. Simply press Enter on the command to execute it.
You have just executed the ribbon command you need without having to navigate the ribbon! The Alt+Q search feature works for all the Office programs: Excel. Word, Outlook, and Power Point.

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, Navigating Ribbons Using the Keyboard, May 6, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions. The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

Microsoft Office – Navigating Ribbons Using the Keyboard
In Office apps such as Outlook, Word, Excel, and Power Point as well as certain non-Office apps such as File Explorer and Wordpad the ribbon provides the command functions of the app. Note: If you are a JAWS for Windows user, be sure to disable the JAWS virtual ribbon menu feature. Press JAWS key + V to open quick settings and type “virtual” into the settings search box. Tab once to reach the list of resulting settings and ensure the virtual ribbon menu feature is unchecked. Here is a summary of how to use ribbon commands from the keyboard.
• There is a ribbon bar at the top of the screen containing a list of ribbon tabs. You reach the list of ribbons by pressing the Alt key and then using left/right arrow keys to move across the list to find the ribbon tab you want. As you move across each tab in the list its corresponding ribbon opens below it. If you don’t see the ribbon bar, try pressing Control+F1which is a toggle that expands and collapses the ribbon bar. It is best to leave the ribbon bar expanded so it is visible.
• When you reach the desired ribbon, press Tab to move to the first command in the ribbon. You may need to press Tab 3 times to skip over the Minimize and Help buttons that are attached to the ribbon bar.
• Then press TAB and Shift+Tab to navigate the ribbon commands. IMPORTANT: Do not use arrow keys to navigate ribbon commands because you will miss some commands. Only use Tab and Shift+Tab.
• At any time, you may press Escape to close the ribbon and return to your document.
• Commands are often grouped on the ribbons. You can jump back and forth between the groups with Control+Left or Control+Right arrow keys.
• For commands with a list of radio button choices, use arrow keys to choose the desired button and press Enter to activate it.
• You can navigate grid items with all 4 arrow keys and press Enter when you find the item you need to execute.
• Commands with split buttons have a menu of choices. You can accept the default choice by pressing Enter or you can open the menu of choices with Alt+Down Arrow.
• Commands with a checkbox can be actioned by pressing spacebar.
• Commands may have submenus which can be opened with Enter.
• There are sequences of shortcut keys to reach the ribbon commands, usually 2 to 4 keys in sequence. These key sequences are called Key Tips and are displayed in little boxes beside the ribbon commands. If you use a screen reader, it should announce the key tips as you navigate the ribbon commands. If you can remember the key tip for a given ribbon command, you can repeat the command by pressing that sequence of keys.
• For example, in Word, you may reach the Font dialogue of the Home ribbon by pressing the key tip sequence: Alt+H to open the Home ribbon followed by F and another F.
• Note that ribbons are contextual. For example, in Outlook if you are focused in the body of an email message and press ALT, you will encounter different ribbons than if you pressed ALT while focused in the headers of your email.
• Also, don’t forget to try your Applications key while in your document. It will bring up a context menu that has a subset of ribbon commands so you may not even need to navigate the ribbon if the command you want is on the Applications context menu.
• If you find ribbon navigation somewhat daunting, the next two tips will offer strategies to simplify using the ribbons from the keyboard.

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, Web Browsing – Copying Links, April 22, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions. The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

Web Browsing – Copying Links
Have you ever wanted to paste a link to a web page into an email or document? While you are on the web page press Alt+D to place focus in the address bar of your web browser. The link of your current web page will be highlighted meaning it is auto selected so you can then just press Control+C to copy the link to the clipboard. Now simply go to the text of your email or document and press Control+V to paste the link. Note: If pasting to an email it’s a good idea to press Enter immediately after pasting the link.

That’s it for this tip. Until next Wednesday, happy computing.

Windows From The Keyboard Tips, JAWS Specific Web Browsing Shortcuts, April 15, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions. The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

Web Navigation – Using the Keyboard with JAWS
This blog series is about Windows shortcut keys not specific to screen readers. However, I thought it important to devote this one tip to screen reader navigation on web sites because modern screen readers like JAWS, NVDA, and now Windows Narrator provide so much value added navigation that it is critical that you are aware how you can enhance your web browsing experience if you use a screen reader. the following examples refer to JAWS, but some of the shortcuts will work in NVDA and Windows Narrator screen readers as well.
• While on a web page, regardless of which browser you are using, press the letter H to jump forward from heading to heading at any heading level or Shift+H to jump backwards to the previous heading.
• Press 1 on the number row to jump to a level 1 heading. Press 2 on the number row to jump to a level 2 heading and so on. Many well-organized web pages will use a level 1 heading to begin the main content of the web page. Thus, when the page opens, you can jump directly to the main content simply by pressing 1 on the number row.
• Hold down the JAWS key and press F6 to bring up a list of headings on the web page. Arrow up and down the list of headings or press the first letter of the desired heading. When you find it in the list, just press Enter to position at that heading in the web page.
• Similarly, press the JAWS key + F7 to bring up a list of links on the web page. Arrow up and down the list of links or press the first letter of the desired link. When you find it in the list, just press Enter to activate the link. Note, if you press TAB within the list of links, you will find a “Move to Link” button which will position you on the web page where that link is located rather than activating the link.
• Press Insert+F5 to bring up a list of form fields on a web page. You may then arrow through the fields and press Enter on any field to position to that field on the page. This is a useful way to review all the fields on a form before you fill it out.
• Press B or Shift+B to jump to the next or previous button on the web page.
• Press C or Shift+C to jump to the next or previous combo box drop down on the web page.
• Press E or Shift+E to jump to the next or previous edit box. For example, most web pages have a search edit box to allow you to search the web site and you can reach this edit field by simply pressing the letter e.
• Press L or Shift+L to jump to the next or previous list on the web page.
• Press T or Shift+T to jump forward or backward between tables on the page. Within a table, you may hold down the Control and Alt keys while pressing up, down, left, and right arrows to move among the cells of the table.
• At the top of the table just above the first row, JAWS will announce the number of rows and columns. At this point, you may press F8 to select the entire table and then Control+C to copy the table to the clipboard. You could then paste that table into a Word or Excel document.
Press X or Shift+X to jump to the next or previous check box on the web page.
You may prefix the above shortcuts (B, C, E, L, T, X) with Control+Insert keys to bring up a list of that control. For example, Control+Insert+B will bring up a list of buttons on the page.
• Press Control+F to do a JAWS search but note that this will only search the current page not the entire web site. It is a useful way to position yourself to a location on the page where you know certain text exists.
• Press P or Shift+P to jump to the next or previous paragraph and speak it. P is often more efficient than pressing down arrow to read lines on the page because P will read multiple lines at a time that comprise a paragraph. The equivalent Windows shortcut is Control+Down Arrow.
There are many more JAWS web browsing techniques. Freedom Scientific, the creator of the JAWS screen reader, offers a free self-paced online tutorial called, Surfs Up, to help you effectively surf the web using only the keyboard.

That’s it for this tip. Until next Wednesday, happy computing.

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, Web Browsing Shortcut Keys, April 8, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions.  The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

 

Web Browsing – General Shortcut Keys

When browsing a web site there are several general keyboard shortcuts that work for all browsers.

  • Arrow up and down to read line by line.
  • Press Control+Up and Control+Down to navigate to the previous or next paragraph.
  • Press Control+Home to jump to the top of the web page and Control+End to jump to the bottom.
  • Press Tab and Shift+TAB to jump forward or backward from element to element such as between links or form fields.
  • Press Enter to expand menus or Alt+Down Arrow to open drop down lists.
  • When focused on a link, press Enter or spacebar to open the link which results to jumping somewhere else on the same web page or opening a new web page.
  • Press Alt+Left/Right Arrow to move backward /forward among the web pages in your browsing session.
  • Press Alt to reach the menu of your browser and then arrow among the menu items.
  • Press Control+Enter to open a link in a new browser Tab. Tabs are useful if you need to have multiple pages open at the same time. You move back and forth between open Tabs by pressing Control+Shift+Tab (previous Tab) or Control+Tab (next Tab). For example, suppose you are on the main table of contents for a web based user manual. You want to follow the link to chapter 3 but not close the main table of contents web page. In that case, press Control+Enter instead of Enter on the Chapter 3 link. Chapter 3 will open in a new browser Tab and you will remain in the main web page. To switch to the Chapter 3 Tab, press Control+Tab, and when you want to return to the main page, press Control+Shift+Tab. You may have many TABS open at the same time.
  • Press Control+F4 or Control+W to close a browser Tab when you no longer need it.
  • Press Alt+D to place focus on the current web page address/search bar. When you do this, the web address will automatically be highlighted so you could then do one of 3 things: 1) press Control+C to copy the address to the clipboard, or 2) type another address followed by Enter to open that new web site, or 3) type a search string followed by Enter to search for a new web site.
  • Pres Control+E to perform a web search. This will also place focus on the address bar but, in this case, the current address bar is cleared so you can type a new web search string.
  • While on the address bar, you can press Tab or Shift+Tab as well as F6 or Shift+F6 to move forward and backward between different browser controls. The behavior depends on which browser you are using but feel free to try these shortcuts to learn what is available. You will find items such as a history of web pages you visited, or your list of bookmarks and other tool bar items. Of note in the Google Chrome browser is the button to view site information. If you press Shift+TAB on the address bar you will be focused on the View Site Information button which you can press spacebar to activate. It describes the security level of your web page so that you can be confident the information exchanged between you and the web site is done in a secure manner.
  • This is a good place to discuss security and safe web browsing. In general, when on the address bar you can tell that a web site is secure if its address begins with https where the ‘s’ denotes a secure site. If you are on a web page whose address begins with only http, then be careful about exchanging information with that site. It is not a secure site and may even be masquerading as a company or organization that it is not.

 

That’s it for this tip. Until next Wednesday, happy computing.

Windows From The Keyboard Tips, How to Use the Recycle Bin, April 1, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions.  The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

 

Windows File Explorer – How to Use the Recycle Bin

Have you ever accidentally deleted a file and wanted to get it back? In File Explorer a deleted file is not actually removed from your computer. Rather, the file is moved to the Recycle Bin, so it is possible to restore the file. To restore a deleted file, follow this procedure.

  • Press Windows key + M to go to the desktop.
  • Press R multiple times until you reach the Recycle Bin icon and then press Enter to open the Recycle Bin.
  • You will be placed in a list of deleted files. Likely, your deleted file is in this list unless it was deleted a very long time ago. Also, when you deleted the file, if you pressed Shift+Delete to bypass the Recycle Bin, then the file will have been removed from your computer.
  • You can arrow up and down the list of files to find the file you have deleted. If you know the file name, you may press its first letter multiple times until you reach the desired file. Note that beside each file are details such as the name of the original folder that contained the file and its deletion date. You can read these values with a screen reader by using the right arrow or reading the entire line.
  • When you find the file, press the Applications key.
  • From the resulting context menu, select the Restore item and press Enter. The file will be restored to its original folder on your computer.
  • Press Alt+F4 to close the Recycle Bin.

Sorting the Recycle Bin:

If you have many files in the Recycle Bin, or you cannot remember the name of the file you deleted, it may help to sort the file list as follows.

  • If the current file you are focused on is selected, then unselect it by pressing Control+Spacebar .
  • Press the Applications key.
  • Arrow through the resulting context menu and select the Sort By submenu and press Enter to open it.
  • Arrow through the submenu and choose the sort option you want. For example, you can sort the list of files alphabetically by name, by their original location, by the deletion date, or by the date the file was last modified. You can also choose ascending or descending order.

 

That’s it for this tip. Until next Wednesday, happy computing.

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, File Explorer – Delete File Confirmation, March 25, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions.  The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

 

Windows File Explorer – Delete File Confirmation

When you press Delete to delete a file Windows may or may not ask you to confirm. You can ensure there is a confirmation prompt by doing this:

  • Press Windows key + M to focus on the desktop.
  • Press R multiple times until you are focused on the Recycle Bin icon.
  • Press Alt+Enter to open the Properties of the Recycle Bin.
  • TAB to the check box to Display a Delete confirmation prompt and press the spacebar to activate it.
  • TAB to the OK button and press spacebar to activate it and return to your desktop. You will now be prompted to confirm each time you delete a file. The files you delete will be moved to the recycle bin so you can recover them if you need to. You can selectively bypass moving the deleted file to the recycle bin if you press Shift+Delete when deleting a file.

 

That’s it for this tip. Until next Wednesday, happy computing.

 

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, File Explorer Useful Shortcut Keys, March 18, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions.  The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

 

Windows File Explorer – Useful Shortcut Keys

While browsing folders in Windows file Explorer, these shortcut keys are helpful.

  • F2 will allow you to rename a file. Press F2 while focused on the filename. An edit box opens with the current filename highlighted. Only the filename is highlighted not the filetype. Since Windows replaces highlighted text with typed text, all you need to do is type the new filename and press Enter. The filetype will remain as it was. For example, if you have a file named, John.txt, and you want to rename it to Jane.txt just arrow down to the John.txt in your list of files, Press F2, type, “Jane”, without the quotes, and press Enter.
  • Press Alt+Up Arrow to return to the parent of the folder you are currently in.
  • Press Backspace to return to the previous folder.
  • Press Control+Home to move to the top of the folder.
  • Press Control+End to move to the end of the folder.
  • Press Alt+Enter to open the properties of the file or folder you are focused on.
  • Press Delete to delete the file or folder you are focused on. Depending on the properties of your Recycle Bin, you may or may not be asked to confirm the file deletion.
  • Press Control+C to copy the file or folder to the Windows clipboard. You may then move to another folder and press Control+V to paste a copy of the file or folder into the new folder. Note: A quick way to make a copy of a file is to press Control+C on the desired file and then immediately press Control+V to paste it back. Windows will make a copy of your file in the same folder with “copy” appended to the filename.
  • Press Control+X to cut the file or folder to the Windows clipboard. You may then move to another folder and press Control+V to move the file or folder into the new folder thus deleting it from its original location.
  • Press the Applications key (usually just to the left of the right Control key) to open a context menu for the file or folder you are focused on. Arrow up and down the menu to find other actions you may wish to perform on the file or folder such as printing a file or extracting files from a ZIP folder. If you do not have an Applications key, then Shift+F10 is another way to open the applications context menu.

 

That’s it for this tip. Until next Wednesday, happy computing.

 

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, File Explorer – Searching for Files, March 11, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions.  The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

 

Windows File Explorer – Searching for Documents

Have you ever lost a file? You may remember downloading the file or saving it from an email attachment, but you can’t remember which folder it was saved in. Likely, it is in your Documents folder or one of its subfolders. To search your Documents folder and all its subfolders, open your Documents folder and then press Control+E to open the search edit box. Type one or more words that you believe are in the filename and then press TAB several times to reach the list of files that were found to have your search text in their filename. Arrow down the list to find your file. To  abandon the search and return to your Documents folder from the search results, press the Backspace key. To open the file’s location (folder), press the Applications key to open a context menu. Arrow down the menu and press Enter on the “Open file Location” item. The folder containing your file will be opened.

 

To search your entire computer’s hard drive press Windows key +R to open the run dialogue. Type C:\ to open the root of your hard drive. Then press Control+E to type your search. This will search all the folders in your hard drive. Again, TAB several times to reach the list of search results.

 

That’s it for this tip. Until next Wednesday, happy computing.

GTT Edmonton Meeting Notes, Edmonton Publick Library Accessible Services, March 9, 2020

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting March 9, 2020

 

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held March 9 at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

15 people attended.

Reading Tip: These summary notes apply HTML headings to help navigate the document. With screen readers, you may press the H key to jump forward or Shift H to jump backward from heading to heading. Read the Additional Resources section following the meeting notes to learn about our one on one telephone support, the National monthly teleconference, and the support email list.

 

March Topic –EPL Accessibility

Our guest was Vicky Varga, manager of the Castle Downs Branch of the Edmonton Public Library (EPL). Vicky presented on the topic of Edmonton Public Library accessible services and kindly provided the following extensive notes on these services. If you have any questions not answered in her notes, she is more than willing to get back to you. You can email her at:

vvarga@epl.ca

 

Accessible materials at EPL

Large Print Books, including hardcover and lightweight softcover books. These are available at all Library locations.

DAISY Books are digital talking books used by blind and visually impaired customers and played on a special player. They are different from audiobooks in that the discs are large format and contain an entire book on one disc versus multiple discs as well as a hierarchical structure with marked up text to make navigation easier. Anyone with a library card can request DAISY books online or via a library staff member at any branch.

Descriptive Videos/DVDs (DVS) are movies which describe the visual elements for people who are blind or have low vision. They can be played on any DVD or Blu-ray player. Nowadays, most (if not all) DVDs released in Canada provide this as part of their options. Because of this, we don’t catalogue items separately anymore. The best way to confirm if an item has described video is to go to epl2you and scroll down to where there’s a catalogue link to described video OR search our catalogue for the following: “audio description available”

Assistive technology at EPL

Victor Stratus devices read DAISY disks. The device can also be used to play regular audio books and CDS. Large buttons with high contrast colours.

Victor Stream can have materials (audiobooks, audio magazines, etc.) loaded on to it OR, if connected to the internet, have items pushed directly to it by CELA. The Streams also have internet radio and can have any audio file loaded to them.

EPL has a few of each that can be loaned to customers to provide an opportunity to test the devices to determine if they would be a good fit and to fill the gap while customers acquire their own. If they qualify, CNIB can provide support and grants for purchasing VICTOR devices that will subsidize almost the entire cost.

Home Service:

EPL has provided home delivery since the 1970s!

If you’re unable to come to us at the library for three months or longer, we’ll come to you. We can deliver to your home, extended care facility or seniors’ lodge.

Staff will work with you to select the types of books, movies and/or CDSs you like so we can meet your needs OR you can select what you would like yourself on our website.

You can have a friend or family member pick up materials for you at the library OR we will match you with a carefully screened and trained volunteer who will deliver your items directly to you.

 

 

 

Extended Loans

For customers who can come in, but not too often (i.e. Depend on rides/DATS/weather and/or health often keeps them home)

Loan period is extended to 6 weeks for print items (DVDs remain at 3 weeks).

Talk to a library staff member if you’re interested in extended loans or home service

CELA

The Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) is a national organization that supports public libraries in delivering equitable library service for their patrons with print disabilities.

CELA provides local library access to Canada’s largest collection of alternative format books and online resources for people who have difficulty reading print due to a visual, physical or learning disability.

CELA offers a collection of more than 500,000 books and more for people who have trouble reading print due to a learning, physical or visual disability. The collection includes:

  • Accessible books, magazines, and newspapers
  • Choose preferred format: audio, accessible e-text or braille
  • Full range of subjects, genres, best sellers and award winners for all ages

Access to the CELA collection is restricted to people with print disabilities living in Canada.

A print disability is a learning, physical or visual disability that prevents a person from reading conventional print.

More specifically, a print disability can be a:

  • Learning disability: An impairment relating to comprehension
  • Physical disability: The inability to hold or manipulate a book
  • Visual disability: Severe or total impairment of sight or the inability to focus or move one’s eyes

This definition of print disability is from the Canadian Copyright Act because it is this Act that lets CELA reproduce published materials in alternative formats for its collection. The term used in the Act is “perceptual disability”.

How to read CELA material

Download books to your mobile device and read with an accessible reading app like Dolphin EasyReader. Dolphin EasyReader is a FREE accessible reading app designed for readers with dyslexia, low vision or blindness. It’s what is recommended by CELA, but there are other apps that can be used including some paid apps.

Download or have books downloaded direct to a DAISY player over a wireless connection. Books can be chosen on the CELA website and downloaded to DAISY players, but CELA can  also push books directly to DAISY or Victor Stream devices if they’re connected to the internet.

 

Receive audio (DAISY) or braille by mail. DAISY disks and braille books can also be mailed via Canada Post directly to customers. Braille books and DAISY magazines and newspapers are theirs to keep, but books have a return mail label included and must be shipped back.

Bookshare via CELA

Bookshare is a US-based accessible online library for people with print disabilities. Bookshare offers more than 500,000 titles, including books for all ages, best sellers, and more. The books are available in e-text and e-braille. Audio versions are in synthetic speech.

Bookshare creates its accessible books by automatically converting book files provided by publishers. This automatic process makes large numbers of books available quickly and in a wide variety of accessible formats. However, because humans do not check the books, you may find errors in the synthetic audio or computer-generated braille. In addition, books which rely heavily on illustrations, charts, and graphs may not be usable because this material is generally presented by the publishers as images which cannot be converted automatically.

Proof of Disability: If you wish to access the Bookshare collection, you must provide a proof of disability, as required by Bookshare’s agreements with publishers. CELA manages the proof of disability process and ensures the privacy of your personal information. If you prefer not to submit a proof of disability, you will still have access to the CELA collection.

Signing up for CELA

Visit CELA Registration Page or contact the library for assistance.

What students/individuals need to register:

  • EPL library card
  • You must have a print disability to use CELA services, but proof of disability is not required

CELA Educator Access

If you’re an educator supporting a student with a print disability, receive free access to CELA’s entire collection including Bookshare!

How do you register? Get a free library card from Edmonton Public Library then complete the online Educator Access Program Registration Form: educators.celalibrary.ca/

CELA’s Client Access Support 

CELA’s Client Access Support program is designed for professionals who require access to CELA’s collection in order to assist individuals with print disabilities.

For example, if you work with students (being privately tutored), CNIB clients, residents of seniors’ residences or long-term care facilities, or those whose physical disabilities prevent them from manipulating a traditional book you could be eligible to access CELA’s alternate format collection on behalf of those you support.

 

What does CELA Client Access Support include?

The Client Access Support program provides access to CELA’s physical format collection including books on CD, braille books, descriptive video; our online formats such as downloadable DAISY audio or text; and electronic braille files available at celalibrary.ca.

Bookshare? No… Access to Bookshare is limited to educational institutions and to individuals with print disabilities who are registered for CELA. If you are working with individuals with print disabilities who want access to Bookshare’s online resources, you can assist them in adding the Bookshare membership to their CELA account.

Client Access Support accounts are valid until October 1 of the next year. Accounts approved on or after October 1 will expire on Oct 15 of the following year. CELA will send you a renewal notice.

National Network for Equitable Library Access (NNELS)

NNELS is funded by 8 separate provincial governments and is sustained and run by public libraries. Their goals are:

  1. accessible public library service for everyone;
  2. accessible publishing and distribution so that separate collections like ours are no longer required for access to books and reading.

NNELS is an online public library of 10,000+ titles in accessible formats. The most common formats are DAISY, PDF and e-text.

NNELS not only provides access to existing accessible books, but it also supports the creation of accessible versions of titles.

NNELS is unique in that it works closely with publishers and distributors to promote accessible formats, but it also supports the creation of accessible versions of titles as needed. Sometimes this means supporting local libraries in creating their own accessible versions – Lac La Biche just finished recording an audio version of a local collection of stories. Many Indigenous and locally-written material is not available in an accessible format and NNELS is working to combat this issue

Signing up for NNELS

To register for NNELS, individuals only need to contact the library. Library staff will change their membership to include NNELS.

Your library card number and PIN can then be used to access the NNELS catalogue on their website: http://nnels.ca

 

Next Meeting (Monday April 13 at 7pm)

  • Topic TBA.
  • As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

 

Additional Resources

Telephone Support

Contact our GTT coordinators, Kim Kilpatrick in the East or Albert Ruel in the West to book one on one telephone support.

Kim: 877-304-0968 Ext. 513

Email: GTTProgram@Gmail.com

Albert: 877-304-0968 Ext. 550

Email: albert.GTT@CCBNational.net

 

GTT Blog and Monthly Teleconference

CCB sponsors a national GTT monthly teleconference. You may subscribe to the GTT blog to get email notices of teleconferences, meeting notes from GTT chapters, and other information. To subscribe, activate the Follow link at the bottom of the blog web page to enter your email.

GTT Email Support List

CCB also sponsors a GTT email support list to provide help and support with technology for blind and low vision Canadians.  To subscribe to the email list, send an empty email to:

GTTsupport+subscribe@groups.io

 

GTT Edmonton Overview

  • GTT Edmonton is a chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB).
  • GTT Edmonton promotes a self-help learning experience by holding monthly meetings to assist participants with assistive technology.
  • Each 2 hour meeting consists of a feature technology topic in the first hour and a general tech discussion in the second hour.

[End]

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, File Explorer – Folder Options, March 4, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions.  The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

 

Windows File Explorer – Folder Options

The following are suggested settings for the folder options of your computer’s file system. I believe setting these folder options will make browsing files on your computer safer and easier especially if you do not use a mouse.

  • Begin by opening the Documents folder.
  • Press Control+Spacebar to ensure no files are selected in the Documents folder.
  • Press the Applications key which is beside the right control key on most keyboards. Shift+F10 can also be used if you don’t have an Applications key. Pressing Applications key will open a context menu for the folder.
  • The first item on the menu should be View submenu. Press Right Arrow to open the View submenu and arrow down to the Details item and press Enter if Details is not checked. The details view mode ensures your files are listed in a vertical list with details such as date modified and file size displayed beside each file. The icon view modes are more difficult to use because they are shown in a grid meaning you must arrow in all four directions to browse the files in a folder. For keyboard users, it’s easier to display the files in the vertical details list so you only need to browse in an up/down direction.
  • After you have pressed Enter to check the Details view mode you will be returned to your Documents folder. Press the Applications key to again open the folder context menu.
  • Press Enter to check the Name choice. This causes the files to be listed alphabetically by name.
  • Now press the Windows logo key to open the Windows Start Menu search box and type “folder options” without the quotes in the search box. “File Explorer Folder Options Control Panel” should appear in the search results. Press Enter to open it.
  • TAB through the general and View tabs setting the items of interest. In the General Tab be sure to choose “This PC” as the default place for File Explorer to open. Also, in the Advanced Settings tree view of the View tab be sure the item to “hide known file extensions” is off. You press spacebar to toggle the on/off status. This ensures filetypes such as txt, DOCX, MP3 etc. will appear in your list of files.

 

That’s it for this tip. Until next Wednesday, happy computing.

 

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, Windows Version -How to Find It, February 26, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions.  The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

 

Windows 10 Version – How to Find it

For support issues or just curiosity, you may want to know your exact Windows 10 version and build numbers. To quickly find these values hold down the Windows logo key and press R . This opens the Windows run dialogue with focus in an edit box. Type “Winver” without the quotes and press Enter. Another dialogue opens with the Windows 10 version and build numbers. Press space bar on the OK button to close the dialogue.

 

That’s it for this tip. Until next Wednesday, happy computing.

 

 

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, External Devices – How to Safely Remove, February 19, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions.  The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

 

Windows External Media – How to Safely Remove from the Computer

When you are using external media such as a USB drive or SD memory card, there is a recommended method to safely remove it to prevent corruption of the files on the media.

  • First, use Alt+F4 to close all File Explorer or other apps (e.g. Word, Excel, Notepad etc.) that are using the external media.
  • Then you can log off or shut down your computer after which it is safe to remove the media.
  • If you prefer to remove the media without shutting down your computer, then press Windows key + E to open File Explorer.
  • Arrow down to the drive that contains your external media (E:, F:, G: etc.).
  • Press the Applications key to bring up a context menu for that drive.
  • Arrow down the menu to the Eject item and press Enter to eject the drive. It will not actually pop out of your computer unless it’s a CD/DVD drive, but its file system will be released by Windows.
  • Now it is safe to physically remove the media.
    Note that depending how your computer is set up or how you were using the drive will influence whether the Windows Eject function is required but it’s always safest to shut down or use Eject to prevent any corruption of the media’s file system.

 

That’s it for this tip. Until next Wednesday, happy computing.

 

 

GTT Edmonton Meeting Notes, Fitness Tech, February 10, 2020

Summary Notes

GTT Edmonton Meeting February 10, 2020

 

The most recent meeting of the Get Together with Technology (GTT) Edmonton Chapter was held February10 at 7pm at Ascension Lutheran Church 8405 83 Street in Edmonton.

14 people attended.

Reading Tip: These summary notes apply HTML headings to help navigate the document. With screen readers, you may press the H key to jump forward or Shift H to jump backward from heading to heading. Read the Additional Resources section following the meeting notes to learn about our one on one telephone support, the National monthly teleconference, and the support email list.

 

February Topic –Fitness Tech

Lorne and Russell demonstrated the Apple Watch and other fitness and wellness technologies.

 

Russel Apple Watch Demo

Russell demonstrated some of the health and fitness apps available on his Apple Watch series 4. It is a great tool for helping to keep you motivated to exercise and stay fit. He demoed the Heart Rate App, the ECG App, the Activity App, the Workout App, and the Breathe App.

Heart Rate app

Your Apple Watch monitors your heart rate if you are wearing it. You can check your current heart rate, resting rate, and walking average rate at any time by opening the Heart Rate App. Russell showed an example of his heart rate stats for the day. You can also set the Heart Rate App to notify you if your heart rate goes above a certain rate, for example, 120 BPM, or below a certain rate, for example, 40 BPM after resting for 10 minutes. These rates can be set through the Watch App on the iPhone. The app also keeps track of your heart rate during a workout which you can view in the Workout app, and keeps track of your heart rate while using the Breathe app.

ECG App

The Apple Watch ECG app can help detect atrial fibrillation (AFib, which are irregular heart rhythms, and track this in the health app. Russell gave a demo of how to take an ECG on the Apple Watch. The app warns that the Apple Watch cannot check for signs of a heart attack and suggests that you contact emergency services if you believe you are having a medical emergency.

 

Activity App

The Activity App on the Apple Watch helps you keep track of Moving, Exercise, and Standing. Each of these categories is referred to as a ring. The Moving ring tracks the number of calories you burn in each day by moving. You can set the number of calories you wish to burn each day, and then track how well you are doing throughout the day. The Exercise Ring is set to 30 minutes of brisk exercise. You can track the number of minutes of exercise you have completed at any point in the day. The Standing Ring keeps track of how many times you’ve stood during that day. By default, it prompts you to stand once each hour of the day.

 

Workout App

The Workout App on the Apple Watch can be set to the type of activity you plan to do, for example, indoor or outdoor walk or run, indoor or outdoor cycle, hiking, stair stepper, yoga, etc. You can also choose what you wish to track, for instance, distance, duration, heart rate, total calories burned. Russell opened the Workout app to show some of the different setting choices available.

 

Breathe App

Russell opened the Breathe App on his Apple Watch and showed how you can set the duration of the breathe session, and discussed how you can set the number of times your Apple Watch prompts you to breathe each day through the Watch app on the iPhone. The duration can be set from 1 to 5 minutes. Russell then went through a 1 minute breathe session. When you set the duration and tap on start, VoiceOver prompts you to “Inhale along with the taps you will feel on your wrist and to Exhale between taps”.

 

 

Lorne Webber Demos

 

FitBit

Lorne demonstrated some of the accessible fitness and health tracking features of the Fitbit app, as connected to his Fitbit Charge 2, especially as it compares to those of the Apple Watch.

The Fitbit itself contains little to no accessibility features, especially for totally blind users; excluding a vibration notification when it’s successfully connected to the power and charging, like most phones.

Via the Fitbit app, “silent” vibrating alarms can be set for the Fitbit to alert you with a vibration which won’t stop until you tap the screen or press the side button.

The Fitbit app gives the user access to fitness and health metrics such as Total steps, distance, Flights climbed, total caloric expenditure, current and resting heart rate, daily time spent exercising, and, if you wear it to bed, total time sleeping and a sleep score estimating how restful your sleep was, (i.e., were you technically sleeping but doing lots of tossing and turning in your sleep.

Perhaps the biggest advantage the Fitbit has over the Apple Watch is its Battery life, approx. 5-7 days of 24-hour use, as compared to the 24- 48 hours of most Apple Watches. (with the proviso that the Apple Watch is much more fully featured than the Fitbit; these more powerful features take up much more battery life.

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of the Fitbit is the need to view all of it’s statistics via the Fitbit app. Without the app on a smartphone or Tablet, the device itself, unlike the Apple Watch, is not accessible. Some users point out that the most basic feature of an Apple Watch on your wrist is that it can tell you the time accessibly, which the Fitbit cannot.

 

Polar Heart Rate Strap

Lorne also demonstrated his Polar H7 Heart Rate chest strap which can connect to hundreds of iOS and Android apps to keep track of Heart Rate during exercise. The strap must be next to your skin not worn outside clothing. Lorne was using the Runmeter app which is very accessible and offers hundreds of configurable audio announcements, however many other apps offer comparable functionality such as the WalkMeter app.

 

7-Minute Workout App

Next Lorne demonstrated one of the many guided exercise coaching apps; 7-Minute Workout,

Which has its premise that you can start your fitness journey by just performing a series of 12 body weight exercises in just 7 minutes. The app counts down and notifies you when you need to switch, and what the new exercises are. One Criticism of this app is that if you happen to be unfamiliar with how to perform that exercise, while the app does offer some text based descriptions, the pictures/diagrams built in to the app probably won’t be very helpful for a totally blind user.

Blind Alive Workout Videos with Audio Description

In terms of following along with pictures, diagrams and videos of exercises, Lorne discussed exercise videos, which sighted people will recognize from decades ago. They have been much harder for those with no or very low vision to follow along with, unless they have sighted assistance; now that has changed.

 

Lorne discussed the amazing resource which is the BlindAlive.com website, which hosts Eyes Free Fitness.

(The following quote is taken directly from the BlindAlive.com home page, donations would be welcome and go to support keeping this resource free).

“You just discovered the home of a complete set of the Eyes-Free Fitness® audio exercise programs. All programs are completely free for your downloading pleasure — no strings attached. These programs allow you to stretch, strengthen, condition, and tone your body, all without the benefit of eyesight. All these programs are thoroughly described with extra supplementary audio and text materials, should they be needed.

Mel Scott, who is blind, brought together a team of fitness instructors, musicians, and audio editors in order to provide a variety of exercise programs for people who need or prefer non-visual cues while exercising.”

 

Relaxation/Meditation

Lorne also discussed a number of relaxation and meditation resources, such as the Headspace app

which is one of several accessible guided meditation apps where you get the first lesson for free but then must pay to continue to more advanced material.

Headspace, along with many similar options is also available if you have a Google Home or Amazon Echo smart speaker, just by saying Connect to Headspace, or Open Headspace.

 

Some people prefer to listen to nature sounds or calming music in order to meditate, relax, or unwind from a busy day; your smart speaker can help you with this. just ask it to play types of sounds, such as Ocean sounds, or sleep sounds; sometimes you will have to enable a specific skill such as the Amazon Echo Island Sounds skill, before it will start playing.

If you have a subscription to a streaming music service such as Spotify or Apple Music, you can ask the smart assistant to play “relaxing music, meditative music, yoga music, etc. and it will queue up a corresponding playlist of music to help you relax.

 

Many of the above Meditation/relaxation  resources can also be found for free by searching YouTube for meditation, guided meditation, ASMR, Nature sounds, Meditation music, relaxation music, etc.

 

Next Meeting (Monday March 9 at 7pm)

  • Vicky Varga from Edmonton Public Library will provide an update on accessible library services such as CELA and NNELS.
  • As always, for help with technology bring your devices and/or questions to the meeting.

 

Additional Resources

Telephone Support

Contact our GTT coordinators, Kim Kilpatrick in the East or Albert Ruel in the West to book one on one telephone support.

Kim: 877-304-0968 Ext. 513

Email: GTTProgram@Gmail.com

Albert: 877-304-0968 Ext. 550

Email: albert.GTT@CCBNational.net

 

GTT Blog and Monthly Teleconference

CCB sponsors a national GTT monthly teleconference. You may subscribe to the GTT blog to get email notices of teleconferences, meeting notes from GTT chapters, and other information. To subscribe, activate the Follow link at the bottom of the blog web page to enter your email.

GTT Email Support List

CCB also sponsors a GTT email support list to provide help and support with technology for blind and low vision Canadians.  To subscribe to the email list, send an empty email to:

GTTsupport+subscribe@groups.io

 

GTT Edmonton Overview

  • GTT Edmonton is a chapter of the Canadian Council of the Blind (CCB).
  • GTT Edmonton promotes a self-help learning experience by holding monthly meetings to assist participants with assistive technology.
  • Each 2 hour meeting consists of a feature technology topic in the first hour and a general tech discussion in the second hour.

[End]

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, External Devices and Autoplay Settings, February 12, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions.  The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

 

Windows External Devices and Auto Play Settings

Have you ever inserted a USB flash drive or SD card into your computer and then had some difficulty opening the media? Windows has a feature called Auto Play that determines how external media is handled when it is inserted into the computer. The simplest method I have found is to set Auto Play to just automatically open the media in File Explorer. TO achieve this:

  • Press the Windows logo key to open the Start menu search.
  • Type “Auto Play” without the quotes. Windows search results should bring up the Auto Play Settings choice within System Settings.
  • Press Enter to open the Auto Play Settings window.
  • Make sure “Use Auto Play” is set to, ON.
  • Press TAB to reach the Removable Drive item and press Down Arrow to select the option to “Open Folder to View Files”, and press Enter to select it.
  • Similarly, Press Tab to reach the Memory Card and Down Arrow to select the same option to “Open Folder to View Files”. Now whenever you insert a USB drive or memory card it will be automatically opened for you to view its files.
    • Press Alt+F4 to exit the Auto Play Settings window.

 

That’s it for this tip. Until next Wednesday, happy computing.

 

Windows From the Keyboard Tips, Windows Disk Clean Up, February 5, 2020

Hello. This is Gerry Chevalier from the GTT Edmonton Chapter. This weekly blog provides tips that I find useful as a keyboard user of Windows. The information is for Windows10 and Office 365, although many tips still apply to older versions.  The tips do not require a screen reader unless specifically noted. Thus, the tips apply whether you are a keyboard user or low vision mouse user. Here is this week’s tip.

 

Windows Disk Clean Up

Windows in its normal operation creates many temporary files to do its work. If your computer disk is more than 70% full, or your computer seems to be running slowly, you should consider freeing up space by removing temporary system files or your own files. Follow these steps:

  • Press the Windows logo key to open the Start menu. You will be placed in the search edit box.
  • Type “Disk space” without the quotes. The Windows Storage Settings desktop app should appear in the search results and you should hear it announced with your screen reader.
  • Press Enter to launch the Storage Settings app. The system will display the size of your main disk (C:) and tell you how much space is used and free on the drive. If the dis drive has less than 30% free space this author suggests that you should remove some temporary files. To avoid deleting any files ,you can just press Alt+F4 to close the cleanup app.
  • Otherwise; TAB to the link labelled, Free Up Space Now, and press Enter. A new Window opens where you can TAB to a list of the types of files that may be deleted. If you can’t find the list when you press TAB, wait a moment because Windows must scan your disk drive before it can display the list of file types. The list also shows how much space is occupied by each type of file.
  • Arrow up and down the list and press spacebar to check or uncheck the types of files you wish deleted. At the top of the list ,you will find the total space to be freed up for the file types you select. Unless the files you select take up gigabytes (GB) of space, it won’t help to delete them. If they take only megabytes (MB) or kilobytes (KB) of space, this is insignificant, and you can just press Alt+F4 to exit the app. In that case, you may need to delete your own files to try and free up 30% of disk space. If you still can’t free up 30%, then consider purchasing an external USB drive and move infrequently used files (e.g. photos, audio books, music files) from your main drive to the external drive. Document files don’t occupy much space but photos, audio books, video files, and music files take considerable space.
  • If you do decide to remove temporary system files, then after you have checked all the file types you wish deleted, TAB to the Remove Files button and press spacebar to delete the files.

Press Alt+F4 to exit the Storage Settings app.

That’s it for this tip. Until next Wednesday, happy computing.