How to set up Windows as a family organizational tool

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Show #41:

• Date: 2005-10-31
• Subject: How to set up Windows as a family organizational tool
• Duration: 33:30
• Format: MP3
• Size: 13,782 kb

Topics Discussed:

• My Comments
• Create the Family Account
• Configure Outlook Calendar, Notes, and Tasks Lists
• Configure the Family Calendar to Open First
• Configure Outlook and Family Folders to Open Automatically at Logon
• Share with Others on Your Local Network

Additional Information:

How to set up Windows as a family organizational tool.

How to set up Windows to organize your family activities with a shared calendar, task lists, and other items.

In the Family account I have a calendar, to-do list, wish list, grocery list, and shared folders filled with data, including spreadsheets of phone numbers and addresses, scanned class schedules, and ongoing grocery and hardware lists.

~~ Create the Family Account.

Creating the family account takes a little more thought than just adding a new account named Family. You should enable Fast User Switching so the account can continue to run in the background. Because the account will be running in the background, make sure you do not install and/or run unnecessary services and programs on that account. Refrain from using the account for anything other than its intended use—a family organization tool.

To create the account and turn on Fast User Switching:

1. Start, Control Panel, User Accounts, Pick a Task, click Create a New Account.
2. In the Name field, type a Name for the New Account - eg: Family, and then click Next.
3. On the Pick an Account Type page, under Pick an Account Type, click Computer Administrator. (After the account is set up - change to User).
4. Click Create Account.
5. On the Pick a Task page, select Change the Way Users Log On or Off.
6. On the Select Logon and Logoff Options page, select both Use the Welcome Screen and Use Fast User Switching.
7. Click Apply Options and close the User Accounts window.

You should now click Start, click Log Off, click Switch User, and log on to the Family account to verify it has been created correctly.

You will notice that no password is required to log on. You may want to change this behavior later if your computer is not physically secure or if anyone other than family members has access to it.

~~ Configure Outlook Calendar, Notes, and Tasks Lists.

1. Start, All Programs, Microsoft Office, Outlook.
2. Click Next to start the Outlook Startup Wizard.
3. On the E-Mail Accounts page, click No when asked to create an e-mail account or connect to an Exchange server. Click Finish.
4. In Outlook, click the Calendar icon and a calendar page for the day opens.

~~ Configure the Family Calendar to Open First.

1. Open Outlook, and on the Tools menu, click Options.
2. On the Other tab, click Advanced Options.
3. Under General Settings, next to the Startup in this folder box, click Browse.
4. In the Select Folder dialog box, select the folder you want to appear when you start Microsoft Outlook. In this case, select Calendar.

~~ Configure Outlook and Family Folders to Open Automatically at Logon.

1. Right-click Start, and then click Properties.
2. In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, click the Start Menu tab.
3. Click Customize.
4. Click the Advanced tab, select the Enable dragging and dropping check box.

A) To set Outlook to open automatically the first time the Family account is accessed after start up:

1. Start, All Programs, Microsoft Office, and right-click and hold Microsoft Office Outlook.
2. Drag the selection to the Startup folder (located in the All Programs menu).
3. Release the mouse button, and then click Copy Here.
4. The icon for Outlook will now be listed in the Startup folder.

~~ Share with Others on Your Local Network.

You can share your calendar on your own network, so it can be accessed by all family members from any networked computer. You can also share the folders you have created to store your important phone numbers, physicians names and address, etc.

The easiest way to share the Calendar is to publish it as a Web page. You will have to republish the information often so it is up to date, and people will not be able to make changes to it from the network.

A) To publish your calendar as a Web page by following these steps:

1. Open Outlook, and then open the family calendar.
2. On the File menu, click Save as Web Page.
3. In the Save as Web Page dialog box, under Duration, configure the Start date and End date. Configure other preferences, including a background graphic, if desired.
4. Under Save As, click Browse, and browse to the location to share the calendar pages and other information. Create a new folder if necessary.
5. Use the mouse and the arrow keys on the computer to place the cursor at the beginning of the file name in File Name. Type http://.
6. Verify that Open Saved Web Page in Browser is selected and that you are connected to the Internet. Then click Save.

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