I've had dozens of students notice at some point in typing a paper in Word that as they try to insert a phrase into the paragraph they've already typed, it replaces what they've typed instead of inserting it. The easy solution is that they need to hit the Insert Key on the keyboard to change it from Overstrike to Insert. Then they will be able to insert as needed.

However, did you know there is an easy way to keep this from happening again? Read on!

Now with Word 2000 we have a way to disable the Insert key (instead of using it to toggle to the Overstrike mode) and make it useful for something else. Word lets you program the Insert key to paste (or "insert") the contents of the clipboard--in other words, use the Insert key as a shortcut for the Paste command. Here's how to do it:

• Choose Tools, then Options.
• Click the Edit tab.
• Select "Use the Ins key for Paste."
• Click OK.

Now you won't hear the kids complaining that the computer is eating their words!