Technology Q&A.

Show Desktop gets you there without minimizing applications ... Inserting graphics made nice and easy ... Spruce up spreadsheets with color, patterns and background graphics.

Q. Now that I have lots of RAM loaded in my computer I finally can do some serious multitasking. As a result, I keep a bunch of applications open at the same time, so I can switch from one to another as needed. Although it saves me lots of time, it also causes problems because every time I need to get to my desktop I've first got to minimize each application. What a waste: The time I save by keeping applications open I spend minimizing them when I need access to the desktop. Do you have a solution?

A. Yes, and it's a simple one. Many new computers have the Show Desktop icon already installed. It's generally installed in the desktop toolbar, usually in the strip adjacent to the Start button at the bottom of the screen. It looks like this:

To get it on your desktop, do the following: Right click on the Start button, then click on Explore. When it opens, go to the top left side of the screen and click on File, New, Shortcut. In the box that opens, type c:\windows\desktop (assuming the Windows folder is on your c:\ drive). Then click Next, Finish. Now you have the desktop folder in your start menu and you can get directly to your desktop no matter how deeply it's buried.

Q. I'd like to include a screen graphic with my text occasionally. I know there are all sorts of fancy graphic software programs that help do this, but since I don't want it very often, is there a way to do it without buying such an application?

A. Windows contains an application that does this--and it's not much more difficult to use than a third-party product. To begin, locate the button on your keyboard that reads Print Screen SysRq. In the days before Windows, that button actually printed what was on your screen. Not anymore. Now it copies the image on the screen and places it on the clipboard--that temporary storage location you use to copy and move files or data.

You need to know one more thing before learning how to include a graphic with your text. Windows also has a program called Mspaint; you'll find it at c:\program files\accessories. If you plan to use it often, go into Exploring and drag the icon onto your desktop. Otherwise, you can access it by clicking on Start, Program, Accessories, Paint. The icon looks like this:

If you have the image on your screen you want to copy, press Print Screen. Now go into Mspaint and when it opens, select Edit, Paste and the image will appear (see exhibit 1, below). Once there, you can adjust its size and color or even write on top of the image.

[Exhibit 1 ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Finally, to place the image in a Word document, position your cursor where you want the image to appear; go to the toolbar and click on Insert, Picture, From File; then go to its location, highlight it and click on Insert. That's all there is to it.

Q. I'd like to liven up my spreadsheets with interesting graphics, perhaps even a background design. Any ideas?

A. There are several ways to do this. Let's look at the simplest first--creating a pattern or color for some of the cells. Highlight the target cells. Left click and tap on Format. There are two tabs that will give you lots of options: Patterns and Border (see exhibit 2, above).

[Exhibit 2 ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

You can set not only a background color but also add a pattern (see exhibit 3, below) by clicking on the Pattern box, which can give you:

[Exhibit 3 ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

You even can add a graphic that fills the entire background of the spreadsheet like repeated tiles (see exhibit 4, at right).

[Exhibit 4 ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

To create the background, follow these steps: From the Format menu, click on Sheet, then choose Background from the submenu (see exhibit 5, at right).

[Exhibit 5 ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Once you highlight your choice of graphic file, click Insert and the image is imported, filling the background of your worksheet.

Do you have a technology question for this column? Send it to Senior Editor Stanley Zarowin via e-mail at [e-mail] or regular mail at the Journal of Accountancy, Harborside Financial Center, 201 Plaza Three, Jersey City, NJ 07311-3881. We regret that we cannot answer letters individually. Because of the volume of questions the JofA receives, the editors cannot respond to individual requests. If a question asked by a reader is deemed to have sufficiently broad interest, we will answer it in a forthcoming Technology Q&A column.

--The editors