Microsoft KB Archive/141778

= OFF: How to Find Technical Information About Office Products =

Article ID: 141778

Article Last Modified on 6/29/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Office 98 for Macintosh
 * Microsoft Office 95 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Office 3.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Office 4.0 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Office 4.2 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Office 4.3 Standard Edition
 * Microsoft Office 3.0 for Macintosh
 * Microsoft Office 4.0 for Macintosh
 * Microsoft Office 4.21 for Macintosh
 * Microsoft Office 97 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q141778



SUMMARY
When you use Microsoft Office products, you may have questions regarding how to perform a task or how to troubleshoot a problem. This article discusses resources that you can use to find answers to your questions.

The following resources contain useful product information:


 * The Knowledge Base
 * The Office Program Help files
 * The Office Assistant
 * The Answer Wizard
 * Sample files
 * The "Getting Results with Microsoft Office for Windows 95" manual



MORE INFORMATION
THE KNOWLEDGE BASE

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When to Use the Knowledge Base --

The Microsoft Knowledge Base includes thousands of articles that answer common questions about using any Microsoft product. The articles contain technical information regarding a wide variety of basic- and advanced- level product issues and problems. The variety of content available makes the Knowledge Base an excellent resource for topics of any level of complexity.

How to Access the Knowledge Base

The Knowledge Base is available on the World Wide Web and on The Microsoft Network. You can also access the Knowledge Base if you purchase a Microsoft TechNet subscription. Microsoft Knowledge Base on the World Wide Web --

To access the Microsoft Knowledge Base on the World Wide Web:

1. Connect to the Microsoft Personal Online Support site at the following Internet address:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx

NOTE: If you've never visited this site before, you will be required to register.

2. In the My Question Is About box, select All Products.

3. Type your question in the question box.

4. Click Find (next to the My Question Is box).

This search will return from one to several article titles. The Article ID appears in the upper-left corner of the article. You can see the Article ID only after you click to view the article.

6. Click the title of the article to view it.

NOTE: Because the Microsoft web site is regularly updated, the site address may change without notice. If this occurs, link to the Microsoft home page at the following address:

http://www.microsoft.com

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: Q129725 TITLE    : Obtaining Knowledge Base Articles on the World Wide Web How to Find Information in the Knowledge Base -

There are thousands of articles in the Knowledge Base. To find information without looking at every article, you can search for a list of articles that are related to your topic. To query for articles, decide on the search criteria, type the search words in the appropriate text box and then initiate the search.

You can use the following search criteria:

- Keywords

- Boolean operators such as NOT, AND or OR

- Descriptive words you think may be in the article

- The Q number (identification number) of the article

Using Keywords to Search for Information in the Knowledge Base --

Keywords are used to categorize all articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base and to make information easier to find. Microsoft Office, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Access, and Word articles contain some additional product- specific keywords. The product keywords are called KBSubcategory keywords.

Listed below are several useful words to use when performing searches for information regarding Office.

Keywords:

kbtool    For articles discussing Microsoft Query, add-ins, ToolPak functions, spelling checker, function wizard, chart wizard

kbprg     For articles discussing programming issues (macros or              Visual Basic procedures)

kbcode    For articles that contain sample Visual Basic code

kbmacro   For articles that contain Microsoft Excel version 4.0 macro code

kbbuglist For articles that contain the program's official kbfixlist published bug/fix list or are listed in the program's              bug/fix list

kbsetup   Setup and installation

kbusage   Description of product features or functionality

KBSubcategory Keywords:

Major Topic Minor Topic                           KBSubcategory -

Office Font Assistant                       fontasst

Article applies only to Office for the Macintosh                        offmac

Article applies only to Office for Windows                              offwin

Disk contents/directory for Microsoft Office                               offdir

Interoperability between Office products                             officeinterop

Office Assistant                     offasst

Microsoft Office for Windows setup   offwinsetup

Microsoft Office for the Macintosh setup                                offmacsetup

Microsoft Binder                     offbinder

Internet                             offweb

Interoperability                     offinterop

Help                                 offhelp

Microsoft Office Resource Kit        offork

Network Install Wizard               offniw

Web Find Fast                        offwebfind

Microsoft Office Personal Web Server offpws

Microsoft Office Service Pack        offsrvpak

Microsoft Office Value Pack          offvalpak

Microsoft Office Small Business Pack offbundle

Microsoft Office Shortcut Bar        offosb   Microsoft PowerPoint:

At this time, Microsoft PowerPoint articles do not contain product-specific keywords.

Performing a Query on the Microsoft World Wide Web Site ---

1. Connect to the Knowledge Base.

2. To jump to the Knowledge Base interface that is specific to a product, select a Microsoft product or technology in the list and click Next.

NOTE: The Query interface on the Web is subject to change. For example, the name of the button to click may be changed.

3. Type the search words in the appropriate text box.

4. Click Begin Search.

Using Boolean Operators to Search for Information in the Knowledge Base ---

Boolean is an adjective that describes a symbolic relationship, as in that implied by the logical operators AND, OR, and NOT. Use the following Boolean operators to qualify your search:

- AND (logical conjunction)

- OR (logical inclusion)

- XOR (exclusive or)

- NOT (logical negation)

MICROSOFT HELP FILES

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Help allows you to search for a usage topic, to browse through a list of topics, or to search for specific words and phrases instead of topics.

When to Use Help

Use Help to find more information regarding a specific topic or to browse the topics and get a better idea of what information is available. You can also use context-sensitive Help to view information that pertains to the task at hand.

How to Access Help --

The Help files must be installed in order for you to access them. If Help is not installed on the system, run the Setup program again and click Add/Remove to install the files.

Microsoft Office 97 Programs:

To access Help, click "Contents and Index" on the Help menu.

Microsoft Office 7.0 Programs:

To access help, double-click Help on the Standard toolbar, or click Microsoft  Help Topics on the Help menu, where is  the name of the program you are using.

Another component of Help is the TipWizard. While you are working, the TipWizard gives you tips about more efficient ways to accomplish the tasks you are doing, and it suggests related and new features. The TipWizard also gives you a Tip of the Day each time you start a Microsoft Office program. To access TipWizard, click the TipWizard button on the Standard toolbar.

If you are switching from Lotus 1-2-3 to Microsoft Excel, click Lotus 1- 2- 3 Help on the Help menu for commands that provide information to make it easier for you to switch to Microsoft Excel.

How to Find Information in Help ---

To search for information regarding a specific topic, start Help, click Index, type the description of the Help topic, click Display, and double- click the topic you want to display.

To browse through a list of Help topics, start Help, click the Contents tab, select an item to view and click Open.

To get context-sensitive Help, press the F1 key or click Help in the dialog box while the dialog box is open.

THE OFFICE ASSISTANT

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The Office Assistant, which is available in all Microsoft Office 97 programs, can answer your questions, offer tips, and provide help for a variety of features that pertain to the Office program you are using. The Office Assistant is shared by all of the Office programs. Any options you change, such as the type of tips that appear in the Office Assistant, affect the Office Assistant in all the Office programs.

How to Access the Office Assistant --

To access the Office Assistant, click Microsoft Help on the Help menu, where is the name of the Office 97 program you are using, click Office Assistant on the Standard toolbar, or press F1.

THE ANSWER WIZARD (available only in Office 7.0)

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The Answer Wizard allows you to type, in your own words, a description of the task at hand. When you type a question or a topic, the Answer Wizard lists Help topics that can assist you with your task. For example if you type "Tell me how to print more than one document at a time" and click Search, the Answer Wizard will display several Help topics including a topic that explains how to print several files at once.

When to Use the Answer Wizard -

The Answer Wizard is especially useful if you are a new user and you do not know what the exact names of certain commands or tasks are. The Answer Wizard is also useful if you need to go directly to information that helps you to complete the task at hand.

How to Access the Answer Wizard ---

The Help files must be installed in order for you to access the Answer Wizard. If Help is not installed, run the Setup program again and click Add/Remove to install the files.

To access the Answer Wizard, double-click the Help button, or click Answer Wizard on the Help menu.

How to Find Information in the Answer Wizard

First, in Help, click the Answer Wizard tab, then type a question in your own words, and click Search. Answer Wizard then lists Help topics that can assist you in your task.

To go directly to information that helps you to complete the specific task, double-click a topic listed under "How Do I."

To understand the task better, double-click a topic listed under "Tell Me About."

To type in a new question once you have searched for a topic, click Help Topics.

SAMPLE FILES

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Sample files for Microsoft Office are examples that you can use to help you create and enhance your own work. The sample files must be installed in order for you to access them. If they are not installed, run the Setup program again and click Add/Remove to install the files.

Where the Sample Files Are Located --

The sample files are installed to the default locations listed in this section. Note that the folder names will be different if you did not pick the default locations during Setup.

Access sample file:

\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Samples folder

Northwind.mdb Orders.mdb Solutions.mdb

Microsoft Excel sample files:

\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Examples folder

Samples.xls

\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Examples\Solver folder

Solvsamp.xls

THE OFFICE MANUAL

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The "Getting Results with Microsoft Office for Windows 95" manual has been redesigned to help you find the information you need to complete your tasks quickly.

How to Find Information in the Manual -

The easiest way to find information in the manual is to look in the Contents at the front of the book for the title that pertains to the task at hand. The Contents lists broad categories that describe functional uses of Office programs.

If you do not find a topic in the Contents, flip to the back of the book and look in the Index. If you are not sure what the task is called, take a guess as to the name of the task or feature, find the word, and turn to the page referenced in the Index.

If you are unable to find any pertinent information, broaden your criteria and look for words in the index that relate to the broader topic.

Additional query words: 3.00 4.00 4.2.1 4.20 4.30 7.00 8.00 97 off97

Keywords: kbhowto KB141778

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