Introducing….The Notepad!
Alright. So it’s not that exciting at first glance, but this humble text editor has been a part of Microsoft’s environment since 1983 and can still be used for editing web pages, developing software, or just making a shopping list. Today, we are going to look at another, and perhaps overlooked, use of this unassuming program….creating and updating your password. I know this is an issue near and dear to my heart, as I am sure it is to many of you, especially when you have to call tech support at 1:30 am to reset your UKG password and you are told you need to come up with one that has 16 characters and is made up of a combination of upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and special characters. You’ll make it past keying in your date of birth, key in the password you’ve created, then re-key in the new password into the second field. If you have been very careful, you will succeed. If not, you will have to try again. Inevitably, and as we would expect, people get frustrated. So, how do we help ensure that we don’t make a mistake? The notepad. Unlike a password field that immediately hides your password behind those infernal *’s, the Notepad lets you see the characters you type. Then you just have to copy your new password from Notepad, return to the field where you are to put your new one and paste it there. No more mistakes and less frustration, Viola!
While I have focused on the Notepad that is available on our PCs, there are similar programs on our cell phones we can use to do the same thing. With this, for the visual learners like me, here is a link to a little video showing how to use the Notepad: https://youtu.be/fBvo6P9UKs8
Refresher – Refresher – Refresher
Email – Please respond to our emails and text messages sometime it’s our only way to communicate during the day.
Work Orders – Add as much information as possible so that we can address the issue promptly and a contact number or extension on the Work Order.
Calling IT – Try to speak clearly specially when calling the On Call and LEAVE A NUMBER.
Work Order again – Please always submit a work order before you call IT.
Remember Our Emergency On Call Team Member is on call 7 days a week.
Before Calling IT with a PC issue, please reboot your PC, create a work order, then call IT if needed.
We Do Except Bribes – Brownies, home made cookies and Keurig style Colombian Coffee Pods.
Here are some Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts to make your work life a little easier:
Ctrl + Z: Un-does the previous action
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Ctrl + Y: Re-does the previous action
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Shift + Delete: Permanently deletes an item
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Alt + Esc: Cycles through items in the order they were opened
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Ctrl + Right arrow: Moves the cursor to the beginning of the next word
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Windows icon + PrtScn: Takes a screenshot of the whole screen
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Esc or Escape: Stops or leaves the current task, or dismisses a dialog box
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F5: Refreshes the active window
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Ctrl + C: Copies selected text
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Ctrl + X: Cuts selected text
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Ctrl + V: Pastes copied or cut text
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Ctrl + Mouse Wheel Scroll: Increases or decreases the screen
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F11 or Windows logo key + Up arrow: Maximizes the active window
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Windows logo key + Tab: Opens Task View
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Windows logo key + D: Displays and hides the desktop
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Windows logo key + L: Locks the PC
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Alt + Tab: Switches between open apps
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Windows logo key + X: Opens the Quick Link menu
Multi Factor Authentication Woes
It’s the time of year when we are upgrading our mobile devices.
Cashing in on that upgrade offer from our wireless carrier, activating a Christmas gift, replacing a broken device during the holiday festivities.
One thing to consider is keeping your Saratoga Bridges MFA active and in working order. MFA uses your device as a unique key to help identify you as who you say you are when accessing Bridges documents.
When you change your device the Microsoft Authenticator doesn’t recognize the new device you downloaded it on as the unique key you registered. It will ask you to authenticate your new device with the authenticator on the old device and at this point you may not have the old device in your possession.
Don’t worry, though it is inconvenient when you try to log in and the authenticator is giving you confused messages, this is working as expected. This feature of being device specific prevents someone from installing the authenticator on a different device and trying to access Bridges information using your account.
No Need to panic or get frustrated. There are a few different steps you can take to make your new device your new MFA.
1: Call Tech Support! We will be happy to assist you and make the transitions as quickly and painless as possible!
Before setting up your new device (and in general)
2: While in the employee portal you can select the circle in the upper right corner of the browser (will show either your picture or your initials) and gain access to your security info. Here you can add a mobile device as a secondary MFA so when you set up your new device you can get an authentication code sent to your phone via text to authenticate your Microsoft authenticator.
While setting up your new device
3: Log into the Microsoft authenticator on your new device and when given the two-digit code open your old device’s Microsoft authenticator and enter it like you would normally. Now your new device has been authenticated by your old device and is good to use
And when all else fails Call Tech Support!
We are more than happy to assist.
Even if you have made it to work and left every MFA method you set up Call tech support at home. After we confirm your identity, we can be your temporary MFA for the day to let you do what you need to do