PC Doctor September 28, 2010
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Dear PC Doctor:
On my new laptop I thought I had purchased it with Word but now it is asking me for a 25 digit key code. I can’t find anything with that number on it. What should I do?
Fred
Dear Fred:
Most new computers come with a trial version of Word, not the full version. That is why they are so inexpensive these days. I think if you look carefully at your paperwork you will see this is the case. It’s a matter of the ‘fine print’ where the box said ‘Word’ but then if you look carefully in small print it says ‘trial’.
So unfortunately your only option if you want Word is to purchase it which will give you the key code and software you need.
Another option would be to use the free open source software called Open Office which is very similar to Word. Just go to www.openoffice.org and download it.
PC Doctor
Dear PC Doctor:
I’m new to email and people send me messages with things like : ) or :-P. What the heck are those for?
Steve
Dear Steve:
Well, those are called emoticons or smileys and they imply an emotion that you can’t convey in writing. For example if I said to you ‘The weather is great here : ( ..’ That little : ( symbol means a frown. So I have a way to tell you that I am being kind of sarcastic, that in fact it is NOT great. You know, sort of like saying ‘We haven’t had enough snow this winter’ with a frown which can easily be interpreted in a face to face conversation. Some emoticons are supposed to look like faces when you look at them sideways. Others are not, for example
Emailers also use abbreviations and acronyms to shorten the amount of typing they have to do. These are shortened forms of sayings or small sentences. Common examples are: LOL (laughing out loud), ROFL (rolling on floor, laughing), AFAIK (for as far as I know), IMHO (in my humble opinion), WB (welcome back), WTG (way to go!), BRB (be right back) and L8R (later). Check out www.pb.org/emoticon.html for additional ones.
PC Doctor
Until next time… happy computing!