JANUARY, 2011 - FILES AND FOLDERS

Every item on your computer -- documents, photos, videos, music, email, programs, etc. -- is made up of one or more files. These files are always grouped in folders and make up your directory. Groups of folders, called sub-folders, are often filed together in another folder -- just like your filing cabinet. This "filing cabinet" on your computer is called a hard drive.

Think of your hard drive as one big file cabinet. You will stash your work in the file cabinet. But you can't just throw documents in willy-nilly. You have to have an organizational structure to your filing system.

Folders provide that organizational structure, just as they do in a file cabinet. First, you will put labeled folders into your cabinet/drive. Each folder will have a name. When you view the contents of a hard drive, folders are normally listed in alphabetical order.

Inside the folder, you will put your documents, which are called Files. In order to be able to find your documents later within an overstuffed folder, you will give each File or document a name.

A file name is made up of two parts: (1) the name of the document and (2) the file extension. You may name a file anything you wish, but it is preferable to name a file something you are likely to remember later.

The second part of a file name is the extension. In the file text.doc, the word text is the file name and the .doc is the extension. A period always separates the two. The extension identifies what kind of a document you have and is determined by the software program in which the file is created.

Some examples of file extensions are:

.doc - Microsoft Word Document

.htm - Web document

.gif - image

.jpg - image

.ppt - PowerPoint Presentation

You can see how this looks on your hard drive in several ways. One way is to use your mouse and right-click on the START button in the lower left corner of your screen and then left-click on "Explore".

What you will see is a tree-like diagram. The left side of Explorer (the folder tree) shows all the folders and the right side shows us the contents of the highlighted folder. The contents of a folder can contain even more sub-folders and individual files.

It is easy to get lost among the pile of folders on most hard disks unless you can actually see the ways the folders are related to each other. The folder tree, located in the left pane, is just such a helpful diagram. The folder tree shows all of the computer's drives and folders in a nested arrangement, plus some special areas like the Control Panel and Recycle Bin.

A small symbol - the plus (+) sign - marks drives and folders which contain other folders. Clicking this symbol expands this branch of the folder tree.

Another symbol - the minus (-) sign - marks something that is already expanded to show its contents. Clicking the symbol will collapse this branch of the folder tree.

DO NOT – EVER – MAKE ANY CHANGES IN THE PROGRAM FILES OR WINDOWS FILES!

THE ONLY FILE THAT IS SAFE TO WORK WITH IS THE "MY DOCUMENTS" FILE – OR ANY OTHER DOCUMENT FOLDER OR FILE THAT YOU CREATE YOURSELF.

CREATING FOLDERS

You can create new folders in the Explorer window. In the folder tree – the left pane - click on the existing folder in which you want to create a NEW folder. For example, click on My Documents (or Documents, if you’re using Vista). In the (My) Documents window, right-click in a blank area. Select New>>Folder.

A new folder will appear in the window. It is named New Folder, but the name is highlighted. You can (AND SHOULD) type a new name for it. To change the name later, right-click the folder and select Rename. Then, enter another name.

If you open (click on) this new folder, there will be nothing inside. You can put the other folders inside it. Technically, they're called subfolders. You can see the hierarchy in the left panel. Subfolders can also contain folders, however, it can be a hassle to navigate through many levels of folders. You can also delete folders by right-clicking on them and then clicking on Delete.

CREATING FILES

In Explorer, you can drag and drop files into the folders, if you’ve already created files. You can also delete files in Explorer. However, files are NEVER created in Explorer. You would do this in a software program by clicking on File>>Save, then navigating to the correct folder in the Save dialog box. When you find your folder, just click Save. Your file will be stored in the appropriate place.

Explorer is called Explorer for a reason. Don't be afraid to browse your hard disk. Look in all your folders, and try all the programs in the Start Menu. Explore! (But, REMEMBER – DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING EXCEPT DOCUMENT FILES!)

December 2010 Tax Software

Tax Software December 2010

There are many software programs available to aid in preparing income tax forms. The three most popular programs are TurboTax, TaxACT and H & R Block at Home. Each offers a some what free version that can be tried online. Some can actually file your taxes on line and others required that you pay to file the tax return. All offer a state tax program that must be purchased.

TurboTax Review

Pros

• Excellent on-screen guidance

• Easy to navigate between sections

• Maximum refund guarantee

• Audit support available

• Checks your likelihood of being audited

• Helpful technical support

• Downloadable products

Cons

• Expensive professional tax support (20 mintues for $29.95)

• Products are on the expensive end

TurboTax is an excellent choice for online tax software. Their products are typically more expensive than those of their competitors, but TurboTax's tax software provides outstanding guidance on a user-friendly interface. They have helpful on-screen tax guidance, in case you have any questions while preparing your taxes.

TurboTax offers technical support for all of their tax products via phone, live chat, email, and their knowledgebase. TurboTax has been in business for 26 years and offers a wide array of tax products, one of which is sure to fit your needs

H&R Block At Home Review

Pros

• Audit support available

• Double checks your return for errors

• Maximum refund guarantee

• Helpful technical support (via phone)

• Automatically saves your return

• Includes live tax support (with Premium, Premium & Business and Best of Both

• Downloadable products available

Cons

• Somewhat difficult to navigate between sections

• No audit meter

• No email support

H&R Block is one of the most well-known brands of tax preparation services. They offer helpful and prompt customer support, as well as live tax advice for an affordable price. Although their onine interface is a bit lacking in user-friendliness, they guarantee accurate calculations and a maximum refund. Overall, they offer reliable tax preparation products and superior support. They have been in business for 46 years and have tax preparation offices in many U.S. cities

TaxACT Review

Pros

• Excellent on-screen guidance

• Easy to navigate between sections

• Double checks your return for errors

• Maximum refund pledge

• Helpful technical support

• Cheap state add-on

• Automatically saves your return

• Downloadable products available

Cons

• Live tax support is only available if you prepay

• Does not look up your employer's ID for you

• The FAQ sections is difficult to navigate

TaxACT is a great option for tax preparation software. TaxACT's line of products are easy to use and offer a well-designed interface, intuitive navigation, and in-depth guidance. These features help you to file your tax return quickly and accurately. TaxACT offers helpful live support through phone & email. The user-friendly system and great customer support, combined with ten years of quality service, make TaxACT a trusted and reliable choice for a tax preparation service.

User Rating:

TurboTax H & R Bloock TaxAct

Ease of Use: 5 Star 4 Star 4 Star

Tax Support: 3 Star 3 Star 3 Star

Tech Support: 4 Star 2 Star 4 Star

Reliability 5 Star 5 Star 5Star