Tutorial Archives - The Thomas Stories

December 6, 2018

How to create a Windows 10 install disk? (USB/DVD)

Thomas has messed up his Windows installation and wants to give his computer a full restart. He wants to delete everything and install Windows 10 from scratch. But, how can it be done? It doesn’t work properly if he tries to re-install Windows from Windows. So, how can he create a Windows 10 install disk with USB or DVD that he can run upon booting, in which he can decide to format his hard-drive and give it all a fresh start?

Thomas didn’t have to look for a long time in order to find a solution to the problem. What he needs is an empty DVD or an empty USB stick. He can then go to the download site for the Windows Media Creation tool. There he can download and start the little application he downloaded. In this, he will get two options. Either he will install Windows over again, or he can create a bootable disk from which he can install Windows.

creating windows 10 media — *Thomas is creating his Windows 10 installation disk*

Thomas chooses the bootable disk option, plugs his Pendrive into the USB port on his computer, and it starts working.

The entire process of creating the bootable USB drive that will install Windows 10 to his computer takes about 20 minutes. Once he is finished, he restarts his computer and he is eagerly waiting for his brand new Windows installation to be ready and set to go.

Hopefully, you will be able to create your own boot-disk from which you can install Windows 10 using these instructions.

Should you have a comment or a question, write them down beneath!

October 16, 2018October 8, 2018

Change language of Skype

Thomas just used a computer on which Skype was installed, but the application was running in a different language. How can he change the language of Skype?

Thomas likes to use Skype. He doesn’t only use it to send SMS messages, but he also uses it to keep in contact with colleagues and people he works with across the globe.

But, how can Thomas change the language of the Skype application?

Change Skype language

First, you have to click the three dots in the upper left corner of Skype, and then choose the first option (in English, Settings).

settings skype

Now you will see a new menu open, and here you have to choose General. If Skype is in a language you do not understand, the General option should be the second option from the top.

Once you have clicked the General option, choose the third option in the new window which should be the language option.

Choose General - Languages, to change language in Skype — Choose General – Languages, to change language in Skype

Once this is done, you will be presented with a list of all the languages available in Skype. Since these are presented in their own languages, you can simply scroll on until you find the language you are interested in.

Thomas has now been able to change the Skype language to English, and he is very happy. And that is why he has created this little article so that you can change the language of the Skype installation you are about to use as well.

Should you have any comments or questions, use the comment field!

October 14, 2018October 12, 2018

How to take a screenvideo of your computer activity?

Thomas has often made screenshots showing pictures of his computer screen with the PrtScr (Print Screen) button. But, is there a way for Thomas to make a screen video, that is, record a video showing his continuous activities on the computer which he can later broadcast on portals like YouTube?

If you follow The Thomas Stories on YouTube, you have probably seen that Thomas often create explainer videos and tutorials. But, sometimes it would be better to actually record what Thomas does on his computer instead of just posting screenshots and other pictures. How can it be done?

screencast your computer

Record your computer activity (create a screen video)

Unfortunately, there is no super-easy way to create a video of your computer activity that can be recorded and used for other purposes. There is no button you can press, and then automatically the recording will start.

In order to record the activity on your computer, you will need a third-party application, and Thomas has found one that he loves – Screencast o Matic.

This is a super-easy application that will let him record his monitor activity. He can record the full screen, or he can choose only to record a smaller window of the screen. He can use a microphone to record his voice while recording, or he can only record the activity on the screen. If he wants to, he can even record his own face and place it in the corner of the screen, so people can both see Thomas’ face, and his computer activity at the same time.

There is a free version of Screencast O Matic, but since it includes a watermark, Thomas purchased the Deluxe plan which only cost him 1,5USD per month.

Thomas can now record his computer monitor activity

Thomas can now record what he is doing on his computer, and it makes it much easier for him to create tutorials and explainer videos in which he shows what he is actually doing to solve different problems!

October 8, 2018October 8, 2018

How to send SMS with Skype?

A brand new version of Skype is out. How can I send SMS with Skype?

Thomas has used Skype to send his private SMS messages for a long time. But, then during spring 2018, a new version of Skype was released which had no support for this. It could be done, but it was very advanced and he first had to call the number, cancel the call, and only then he could send an SMS to the recipient.

But, a new version of Skype was released in the start of October 2018, and in this, it was much easier to send SMS. But, how can it be done?

This is how Thomas sends his SMS messages with Skype

Thomas first opens the Skype application, and he clicks the “Use Dialpad” button. Take a look at the screenshot beneath to see which button that is.

How to send SMS with Skype? Use the Dialpad!

You can use the voice call button, but it is much better to use the dialpad, next to the search skype field. Once you have clicked the dialpad, enter the number to which you want to send the SMS.

When you have typed the number, click the SEND SMS button in the lower left corner of the screen. Take a look at the image above to see which button it is.

Once you have clicked the Send SMS logo, you can start typing the message, and once you are ready to send, click enter.

You have now sent an SMS with Skype. Do not forget that you need to add Skype credit to your account in order to send SMS’s with Skype.

Thomas is happy because he doesn’t like typing SMS’s on his cell phone because it takes so much time. That is the reason why he rather writes messages with Skype, and that is why he is very happy right now.

Has Thomas been able to help you out as well? Please write a comment and let Thomas know!

October 5, 2018

How to create my own Powtoon template?

Thomas is using Powtoon to create videos and explainers for YouTube. He is quite fond of the tool, and he uses it frequently. But, he has been looking for a way to create his very own template for a long time.

When Thomas creates a YouTube video, he often includes his “traditional” intro. And, once he is finished explaining whatever he wants to, he often includes a last screen showing information about his website, and a reminder to follow him on YouTube. But, Thomas is sad that he has to create all these “permanent” sites over and over again. He spent some time looking for a way to create a template or a standard slide that can easily be added to any new movie, but he didn’t find one. But, then he suddenly bumped into the function!

Thomas finds out how to create standard slides/templates with Powtoon!

It was almost by a coincidence that Thomas discovered how he could save slides, and thus have a list of popular slides he uses frequently, which he can easily add to any Powtoon presentation he decides to create.

This is how it is done!

Create the Powtoon slide you want to save

Once it has been created, click the three dots in the right corner of the slide. Here you can decide to duplicate it, add a slide below, and then – Save this slide to ‘My Scenes’. This is what you have been looking for.

Now it is saved, and the next time you want to use it, simply click ‘Scenes’ in the right corner of Powtoon, and select the saved slide from ‘My Scenes.‘ It wasn’t that hard, was it? So now you can start saving your favorite scenes/slides and use them as templates, and easily add them to any new presentation you decide to create using Powtoon!

Find your saved Powtoon scenes and use them quickly

Are you happy? Thomas is very happy, and now he is even more eager to create new explainer-videos using Powtoon!

If you have tried this and it worked, please write a comment to say thanks. Should you have a question, write it down and Thomas will do his best to help you out!

October 3, 2018October 1, 2018

How to clean up a .CSV file by splitting data into columns?

Thomas just downloaded a list from Bittrex showing him his latest trades on the platform. It is a CSV file. But, as he opens the file it is a complete mess. All the data is stored in one single column, making it impossible to read and get the overview he wanted to get.

Thomas doesn’t like the CSV file, and wonders if there is an easy way to make sure that the data is divided into different columns. Or is CSV a completely useless format? Since so many people use it, there has got to be a way to create order in the mess.

How can Thomas create order in this messy CSV file?

Thomas finds a way to fix the mess in the CSV file

After looking around and trying different methods, Thomas has found one he is satisfied with and that he likes. It is quite easy. Want to find out how Thomas cleans up the mess in the CSV file? Take a look at the video beneath, or read the further instructions beneath the video.

First of all, Thomas creates a brand new Microsoft Excel file.
He then clicks the Data text in the Menu and chooses From Text.
He finds the CSV file he is interested in and opens it.
Now he has to set the import settings.
The data in the CSV file is mostly separated by comma or semi-colon. Find out which is used in your file, and set this to be the divider in the import settings.
He then sets text-qualifier to NONE.
After this, he clicks Finish and OK, and the data from the CSV file has been beautifully imported to his excel file.

If you had trouble following the steps above, watch the video to see it step-by-step!

Hopefully, you will be able to enjoy the data from your CSV file just like Thomas is at the moment.

Should you have trouble or maybe a question, please write a comment, and Thomas will do his uttermost to help you out!

September 29, 2018September 27, 2018

How to submit an URL to Google in the new Google Search Console?

Thomas had a fantastic system for adding URL’s to Google and to make Google index them in the old Google Search Console. But, recently Google forced him to use the new Search Console, and he had to find a new way to submit his articles and posts to Google. How is it done?

Luckily, things are even easier in the new version of Google Search Console. Probably, you do not even need the help of Thomas to fix it, but in case you wonder how to make Google index your sites and articles quickly, this is what you need to do.

Submit an URL to Google in the new Search Console

First of all, you need to add your domain to your Google profile in Google Search Console. That is the first, and most important step. Once this is done, follow the instructions in the video beneath, or do as follows.

Press URL inspection in the menu on the left. You will then simply be taken to the “search bar” at the top of the page. Add your URL to this bar, and it will start asking Google what it knows about the URL. If it has been indexed already, you will get a message about that. If it hasn’t been indexed, you can ask Google to index it.

Once you have finished the index request, you will see a message looking something like this.

Your indexing request has been sent to Google

That was it, Thomas has fixed it, and you can submit your URL’s to Google in the new Search Console as well.

It is important to submit quality, and if you do, Google will normally index your article within a few minutes. If you submit spam, it probably won’t get indexed at all.

Have you enjoyed this little tutorial from The Thomas Stories? Give it a like, an upvote, and share it with people who might find it useful!

September 27, 2018September 27, 2018

How to find out if Google has indexed your website?

Thomas has created an article and would like to know if Google has indexed it already, or if he needs to manually submit it for indexing. Is there an easy way to discover if Google has indexed your website or not?

One of the most annoying things on earth is to have a fantastic product, but nobody knows about it, and thus the success keeps its distance. And, Thomas is afraid that all his brilliant articles will fail to succeed, at least if people cannot find them in Google. But, how can Thomas find out if Google has actually indexed his articles or not? Is there an easy way to find out?

Has Google indexed my website?

It is very easy to find out if Google has indexed your website or your articles? Here are two methods you can use easily.

Ask Google

This is probably the easiest and quickest version. All you need to do is to visit www.google.com and to search for the address/article/website you are curious about.

search google — Enter the exact address in Google and press search.

If your site has been indexed, you will find it in the search results. If you cannot find any content, then it hasn’t been indexed yet.

Visit Google Search Console and do an URL inspection

Make sure to register your website in the Google Search Console. Once it is registered, use the URL inspection tool and search for the address you would like to know more about.

If the article has been indexed, you will see something like this.

The URL is on Google and has been indexed

If the article hasn’t been indexed, the Search Console will tell you so, and it will also offer to index it so that it can be found in the search results.

Thomas now knows that Google has indexed his article

Thomas has discovered that Google has in fact indexed all his articles, and he is happy to see that Google is quick to index his new content.

Has Google indexed your content as well? Did this article help you? Make sure to bookmark the site, and to follow The Thomas Stories on your favorite social media sites.

September 25, 2018September 21, 2018

How to change YouTube privacy settings?

Thomas recently discovered how to make sure YouTube doesn’t tweet about it whenever he likes a movie on YouTube. But, he isn’t completely satisfied. He wants to make sure all his information about subscriptions, liked videos, and playlists are kept private on YouTube. How can it be done?

It is okay not to tweet about it whenever he likes a video, but in fact, Thomas doesn’t want anyone to know about it when he clicks the like button on YouTube. What can he do to keep all his activity, all his subscriptions, and all his playlists private? It is quite easy, and this is what Thomas does.

Thomas changes his YouTube privacy settings

Luckily, it is very easy to change the YouTube privacy settings, so Thomas finds out how it is done at once.

He has to enter Settings on YouTube (with his account).
Then he selects History and Privacy from the menu on the left side.
He can now see a menu in which he can set his privacy settings, deciding whether he wants his subscriptions, his liked videos, and his playlists to be public or private.

This is everything that needs to be done in order for your YouTube activities to be kept secret (or public). It wasn’t hard at all, and it took Thomas less than 30 seconds to fix it.

Thomas can now sit back and relax, and he doesn’t have to worry about his activities on YouTube, because it is all private anyway. Would you like to see a YouTube video showing these steps on how to modify your privacy settings on YouTube? Click the link and see how Thomas does it!

Have you liked this video? Make sure to follow The Thomas Stories on Facebook, Twitter, Steemit, and of course, on YouTube.

September 23, 2018September 21, 2018

Stop YouTube from tweeting about liked videos!

Thomas likes to encourage people, and on YouTube, he likes to press the “thumbs up” or like button whenever he sees something he likes.

But, recently he discovered that Youtube automatically tweets with his Twitter account whenever he likes a video on Youtube. It doesn’t really matter, but he doesn’t want to spam his Twitter followers and his own Twitter feed with a new tweet whenever he likes a video. That would be simply too much.

So, what can Thomas do to make YouTube stop tweeting whenever he likes a video on Youtube?

Stopping Youtube from tweeting about video likes

As Thomas looks on his Twitter feed, he can see a post like this.

YouTube has automatically tweeted about a movie Thomas liked

Thomas doesn’t want Youtube to tweet about movies he likes anymore, and to fix it, this is what he does.

He goes to the YouTube Settings.
He selects Connected Apps.
Under “Share your public activity on Twitter” he controls what content he wants to share to Youtube.

Thomas selects connected apps on YouTube settings

Thomas selects when he wants Youtube to post a tweet to his Twitter account

That was it. Thomas has fixed the problem, and from now (based on the settings on the image above), YouTube will only post to his Twitter account whenever Thomas uploads a new video.

Also, Thomas spends a few minutes to delete older tweets about movies he has liked. He doesn’t want them in his Twitter feed at all!