Q. How can I alphabetize the programs on my Start Menu, rather than have them appear in random order or in the order in which I installed them?

A. Just click Start > All Programs (or Programs, if you’re using the Classic Start Menu in XP), then point to any item on your Programs menu. Right click and select Sort by Name. This will instantly arrange your programs in alphabetical order.

Q. I’ve heard the term “message thread” several times, but I have no idea what it means. Can you explain it, Mr. M?

A. A message thread is an online exchange of messages, whether by email or in a discussion forum. Proper email ‘netiquette mandates that you keep an ongoing email discussion together in one message. In other words, if you ask me a question and I respond, my response should appear above your question in the email you receive from me, thus providing context for the response, if needed.

If you then reply to my message, your response should appear above our two previous messages to preserve the message “thread,” or the chronology of our discussion. Think of a message thread as a transcript of a discussion. Placing the most-recent message at the top permits a recipient to simply open a message and read the most current message. If the reader needs to review previous messages for additional context, he or she can simply scroll down through the message thread.

Q. When I copy and paste items from documents and Web pages into Microsoft Word, how can I paste them into a new location without the formatting? In other words, sometimes I paste things from a Web page and it brings with it all the graphics, customized fonts, different colors, etc. I just want the plain text.

A. You can instruct Word how to paste text (in what format) by using the Edit > Paste Special command. If you don’t see this command on your Edit menu, click the down arrow at the bottom of the Edit menu to display all options.

If you want to copy text from a Web page or other document, but you don't want to include any special formatting, after selecting (highlighting) the Web-site text, right-click and select Copy, then go to your destination location in Word, click Edit > Paste Special and select the “Unformatted Text” option. Click OK, and the text will be pasted into your Word document as plain text.

Mr. Modem's Sites of the Week:

Liquid Sculpture
An artistic Web site dedicated to photography that captures incredible shapes created by dropping, dripping and splashing water and other liquids. The photographer host has taken more than 20,000 photos of squirts, beads, colored and viscous water, milk, cream, and other liquid forms, the best of which appear on this site.
www.liquidsculpture.com

Lonely Socks
It remains one of the great mysteries of domestic life: How do we manage to lose one sock, whether it’s in the dryer or in the sock drawer? Find your lonely sock an ideal companion at this lighthearted, sock-friendly site. Be sure to visit the Links section where you’ll find lots of additional sock-related Web sites. Who knew?
www.lonelysocks.co.uk

Spider Myths
Created by Ron Crawford, CAS (that’s right, he’s a Certified Arachnid Specialist), here you’ll find a tangled web of spider myths and misperceptions. Pay particular attention to the “House-Spider Myths” section. Trust me, you’ll never have a good night’s sleep again.
http://tinyurl.com/9wvaf

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