1. Plug in the printer’s power cable and make sure it’s turned on.
2. Connect the included cable (usually a USB cable) from the printer to the computer. Note: The process will be different if you’re using a wireless printer; we’ll talk more about that later on.
3. On your computer, locate the Printer settings. If you’re using a Windows computer, you’ll find these in the Control Panel. If you’re using a Mac, you’ll find them in System Preferences.
4. Look for the option to Add a printer, then follow the instructions that appear.
5. Now it’s time to try printing something! For example, you could try printing this test page. After you click the link, select File > Print from your web browser’s menu, or simply press Ctrl+P on your keyboard (or Command+P if you’re on a Mac).
6. A dialog box will appear. Locate and select the new printer from the list, then click Print.
7. The item will then be printed. But if it doesn’t work, don’t panic! You can try using some of the solutions to common problems below.

Solutions to common problems

• Problem: Nothing happens when you try to print. There are several reasons a printer might not work, even if everything’s connected properly. First, you’ll want to make sure you’ve put paper into the correct tray and there’s no paper stuck inside the printer.
• Problem: The printer has paper and nothing’s stuck, but it still won’t print. If the solutions above don’t work, try canceling the print job from the computer and trying again. Many printers also have a button you can use to restart the current job. If all else fails, try turning the printer off and on again to see if it fixes the problem.
• Problem: The printer works, but the text is very light and difficult to read. If this happens, it probably means your printer requires a new ink cartridge to keep working. The instruction manual included with the printer should note what type of cartridge you’ll need to buy.

Advanced troubleshooting

If you’re still having trouble, you can try to find help for your specific printer. We’ve collected a list of support pages for some of the most common printer brands below:

• Brother
• Canon
• Epson

Another idea would be to run a Google search describing your problem, including the brand and model number. In the example below, we’re searching for canon MX920 not responding.

What about wireless printers?

The convenience of wireless printers has made them increasingly popular in recent years. Without the need to physically connect a printer to your computer, wireless printers make it easy to print from laptops, tablets, and even smartphones.

Wireless printers can also be a little more difficult to set up than traditional USB printers, so we recommend carefully working through the instructions that came with your printer. If you’re still having trouble, try using the tips above to find a solution that’s specific to your printer.

That’s all we’ve got—good luck with your new printer!

The post How to set up a new printer appeared first on Department of Information Technology.

To help protect a computer from viruses, all new versions of Microsoft Windows contain a feature, Windows Defender, which serves as an antivirus program. However, this feature is not much as powerful as an antivirus program.

Install the antivirus program

The installation process of an antivirus program is not different from installing any other application or program. Follow the instructions given below to install an antivirus program on your computer.

1. If you bought antivirus software on a CD or DVD from a store, you must first put the CD or DVD into your computer’s disc drive. However, in any case, you can also get the program set up in your USB drive, like Pen drive. When you install the program, through the install process, a window will open that helps guide you, and the installation process should start automatically.
2. If you did not buy a CD or DVD and instead downloaded an antivirus application from the Internet, you must now locate the downloaded file on your computer. If you downloaded the zip file for the program setup, you are required to unzip the file to access the installation files. Then, find the file that has a name like install.exe, setup.exe, or a similar name, and double-click on that file to start the installation process of the antivirus program. When you install the program, through the install process, a window will open that helps guide you, and the installation process should start automatically.
3. Follow the steps for installing the antivirus program in the installation process window. The recommended options are provided by the install process, which helps the antivirus program to work properly. There is one exception that the install process recommends installing any helpful program for your computer or any toolbar for the Internet browser. Whenever you are installing an antivirus program and if prompted to install other software, in this condition, you need to decline the install of those other programs or uncheck all boxes. Also, the antivirus program does not require any additional software to install and run successfully on the computer.
4. Close out the install window when you have completed the installation process of an antivirus.
5. If you installed the software with a CD or DVD, remove it from the computer’s disc drive.

After following all the above steps, the antivirus program will be installed successfully and ready to use. Restart your computer system; however, it is not required. However, if you restart the computer, any changes to the operating system will be applied appropriately.

Once Installed, Scan for Viruses!

You will need to scan your system for finding threats in your computer after you installed antivirus software. Mainly, three kinds of scan options are provided by most security suites, either manual or automatic. A different depth of inspection is offered by three scan options.

1. Quick Scan: Usually, a quick scan only checks the common areas where are most chances to be infected, and it takes around 10 to 20 minutes. In this mode of the scan, the scanner passes around most of your network that reduces processing power but increases speed; therefore, you need to leave your computer alone at the time it is running. This option is often appropriate for highlighting any problems.
2. Full Scan: If you have quickly scanned your computer, you are still encountering the problem of viruses. Then, you must go for a full scan. The full scan option examines all areas of your computer system to identify if there is no virus; however, it can take more time, even many hours, to complete.
   In a quick scan, the spyware or other complex malware threats may not be obvious. They need an in-depth check to uncover. Although a full scan option is a slow process, it provides surety your system has not any kind of threats.
3. A Scheduled Scan: The schedule scan option provides real-time security for your computer by scanning files for viruses as you use them.

Update the antivirus program after installation

Antivirus applications that come out of the box don’t have the latest spyware and virus definitions and are not up to date. The antivirus software will work improperly and not know about the recently created spyware and viruses, which makes your computer insecure and vulnerable to infection.

It is advised that you update your antivirus application with the most recent virus and spyware definitions after it has been installed on your computer. Your antivirus application will safeguard your computer from all viruses and malware if you maintain it up to date.

The antivirus program, in many cases, checks and installs the current updates automatically If you are offered to pick an antivirus update automatically, choose Yes to update your antivirus application. If it does not urge you to update automatically, you must do it right away.

Enable automatic updates for the antivirus program

Generally, most antivirus applications have the automatic update function activated by default. It is strongly recommended, you must keep your antivirus program up-to-date at all times; therefore, automatic updates feature should be enabled in your antivirus program settings.

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1. When All Else Fails, Reboot

It’s a good rule of thumb to reboot your computer once per week. This flushes system memory, completes windows updates that may have started running, and can lead to better productivity and performance.

2. Use a Secure Password Manager

How much time do you lose trying to remember forgotten passwords? The average person spends 12 days of their life searching for their login credentials. 1Password and Keeper are secure online password managers you can use to manage and store this information. They integrate with your web browser so you can log into websites and other services seamlessly, saving you tons of time guessing or getting locked out of what you need. These tools can also generate secure passwords for you, making your accounts harder to hack.

3. Take a Screenshot

On a PC, right-click the “Start” button, choose “search,” and type “Snipping Tool.” Select “New” and click and drag the cursor over the desired area. Once finished, you can then share or save the snip. On a Mac, Press and hold “Shift+Command+4.” Drag the crosshair to select the area of the screen to capture.

4. Automate Laptop Screen Brightness For Your Tired Eyes

Blue light is known to interfere with our ability to sleep. Windows has an automatic light switcher that allows users to adjust automatically to warmer colors when lighting in the environment changes. To set this, right-click the “Start” button, search “Night Light,” and click on it. Select “Schedule night light” and set whatever hours you like.

5. Quickly Re-Open a Closed Tab in Your Web Browser

If you accidentally close an important tab in your browser, you can easily re-open it by pressing “control + shift + t” on a Windows PC.

6. Search From the Browser Bar

Why waste time opening a new tab and going to Google? Today’s browsers allow you to search directly from the browser bar at the top of the page. Simply input your query into the area where web addresses are typically displayed, and the browser will immediately populate a results page related to your search.

7. Use Quotation Marks

If you’re searching for something in Google but getting bogged down with irrelevant results, consider wrapping your query in quotes. Google will only show results that exactly match whatever you have written in quotes. This makes it much easier to find what you’re looking for and eliminates extraneous search results.

8. Use Google to Find Your Android

When you are signed into your Google account in your web browser on your PC, Google “find my phone.” If using Google Home, you can also say, “Hey Google, find my phone.” This will ring your Android phone. For Apple devices, you can use Find My iPhone on iCloud.com.

9. Set Up Email Filters in Microsoft Outlook

In the Microsoft Outlook ribbon, select “File,” click the “Manage Rules & Alerts” button, and then select “New Rule.” In this menu, you can assign tasks to emails under certain conditions, such as automatically filing emails based on criteria like the sender or specific words in the subject line.

10. Schedule Emails to be Sent Later in Microsoft Outlook 

In Outlook, when you open a new email, click “Options” at the top and click “Delay Delivery.” Under delivery options, you can choose the date/time next to “Do not deliver before.”

11. Set Microsoft Teams Quiet Hours in the Mobile App 

Open the Microsoft Teams app on your phone and click the navigation menu (photo icon) in the top left corner. Click “Notifications,” then click on the bell icon under “Block notifications,” identified as During quiet time. After you click “quiet hours,” you will have the option to turn it on and select your desired quiet hours. There is also a separate option to turn on quiet days, which mutes notifications for a full 24 hours.

12. Mute and Unmute Zoom Meetings With the Space Bar 

When you are called to speak, stop scrambling to click the microphone button. You can press and hold the spacebar to quickly mute and unmute your mic when on a Zoom call.

13. Automate Your Meeting Availability with Calendly

Calendly allows you to schedule meetings with people outside of your organization who may not use the same calendar software as you. Once you set your ideal meeting times and length in the app, you can share a specific Calendly URL. This way, people trying to schedule events with you can find what works best, eliminating the back-and-forth of multiple emails.

14. Keyboard Shortcuts 

• Windows Key + D – Helps you hide or show the desktop at once despite how many tabs and windows are opened on your desktop.
• Spacebar – Scrolls down the page.
• Shift + Spacebar – Scrolls up the page.
• Windows Key + Left/Right Arrow – Allows you to select and work on two windows side by side.
• Alt + Tab – Switches between multiple windows quickly.
• Windows Key + L – Locks your computer in a second. This comes in handy if you’re working on something confidential and someone comes over, and you need privacy quickly.

15. Use Youtube Keyboard Commands 

Keys 0 through 9 skip through the video. Press 5 for 50%, 7 for 70%, etc. The J, K, and L keys also have useful functions. Press J to rewind, K to pause, and L to fast forward. These keys only work in this manner when the video is paused.

16. Expand Your Vocabulary in Documents 

In Office 365, the built-in thesaurus is a handy feature. To avoid repetition when writing content, right-click any word and select “synonyms.” You’ll get a full selection of great alternatives.

17. Texting Hack

When you are at the end of a sentence, all you have to do is tap the space bar twice for a full stop. It will insert a period and automatically capitalize the following letter.

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