Cloudeight InfoAve Premium
Issue #722
Volume 14  Number 43
August 11, 2017

Dear Friends.

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Buy One Get One Free - Back to School Special

It's hard to believe that it's back to school time already. It seems like summer just started! For a limited time, we're offering you a chance to buy one Cloudeight Direct Computer Care Repair Key and get one FREE. You can keep the both service keys for yourself or share one or both with a family member, friend or student of your choice.

Our Back to School Buy One Get One Free Sale will be available for a limited time.

Get all the details here!



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• Do you have a question or suggestion for our newsletter? Submit it here.

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A comment from Patricia
Just letting everyone know how good David Biggar at Emsisoft is. I had trouble installing three games so got onto David with my problem within hours he replied and told me what to do step by step. I did as told and now the problem is solved.

So any one not using Emsisoft do so quickly as not only does it do the job well but there is help available when needed. Thanks to you Darcy and TC for recommending them to us and all the other advice we get from you both. Patricia

A comment from Patty
Hi, I just wanted to say that I call my laptop "My Time Machine". I sit down to look something up on DuckDuck Go and five minutes later I look at the clock and five or six hours have passed. I live alone and can't see how my mother lived to be 103 years-old and never saw a computer. My computer and my TV are my lifelines and you are wonderful people who make these "golden' years bearable. Thank you for all your terrific advice and service. Hugs and Blessings. Patty

A comment from Doris
A big thank you to TC for working so hard on my computer the other day. His fingers flew over the pages, was hard to keep track of them. After a couple hours he had the job done and it works fine now. Really appreciate all the work you and Darcy do. I'm sure I will be back again.

A comment from Edith
Darcy (and TC before her,) spent a lot of time and effort, recently, sorting out why I couldn't enter my renewal key for Emsisoft Anti-malware. They were also very patient with me (an 82 year old), when I wasn't responding to their emails during the remote control session! They deserve every praise, in so many ways; not forgetting the hilarious interactions between themselves, and with us via Info Ave, which always make my day! Thank you for everything, EB and TC ; you are both pretty special.

A comment from Annie
Once again, a very big THANKS to TC for checking out my desktop pc, which was giving me trouble since doing the Windows 10 Creators Update. All seems to be running well now, thank you! I just do not know what I would do without Darcy and TC. I don't use my PC a great deal, but what I use it for is very important, and without it I would be very isolated. You two are amazing and awesome, and I am very grateful to you, just like many others are. I think I've been following Cloudeight since about 1998 OR 1999, and I have been given so much great information. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! You are both AMAZING!!! Annie in Perth, Western Australia.

A comment from Holly
Today I had my session with TC and he is a wizard with the Mouse. He took my Mouse places I have never taken it and it had quite the ride and made my computer happy again! Think my Mouse is happier with someone who Really Knows how to get things right versus me throwing a fit at it.

As I sat there watching my Mouse dart all over the screen I realized how tremendous both TC and Darcy are and how much we all need more people like them in the entire world! I have been using Cloudeight for 18yrs and would trust no other! So if you are have an unhappy Mouse use their direct computer care service and ALL will be happy again! Holly

Thanks so much to Patricia, Patty, Doris, Edith, Annie, Holly and everyone who has taken time to write to us. And thanks all those who used our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care services . Don't forget! We're offering a Back to School Special right now... you can buy one Cloudeight Direct Computer Care repair/service key - and get one FREE.

Also, a BIG thank you to all who have helped us with your donations and those who have shared our site with friends. THANK YOU! EB & TC.





Hazel is having problems installing Windows 10 Creators Update
Hello. I am trying to upgrade to the Windows 10 Creators Update and keep getting stuck. I managed to get as far as 72% on one occasion and the reason given was my Intel driver was not up to date. I updated this and tried again. This time I only reached 32% and the following message appear

OxC19000101-Ox30018 which appears to be a first boot error on sysprep.

How do I find out how to sort this out. I have looked on line and tried several suggestions but nothing seems to sort this out. My computer is an Acer Aspire Touch screen which I updated from 8.1 to 10 and all the other major updates have worked perfectly. I have tried downloading the Media Installation method but with the same results.

I would be grateful for any help or instructions you can give me. I am fairly computer literate and am happy to try anything you can suggest. Many thanks, Hazel

Our answer
Hi Hazel. Sorry you're having problems with the Creators Update installation.

First, does your PC have NVIDIA Display Drivers? You can find out by right-clicking Start > Device Manager > Display Adapter (click the + sign next to it to expand it).

We've read a lot of info about problems withe NVIDIA display drivers and Windows 10. So, if you have an NVIDIA display adapter, you might want to check NVIDIA's site to see if they have any solutions posted.

If you don't have NVIDIA graphics, or if NVIDIA's site is of no help, try the solution outlined below:

I would suggest that you use the Windows 10 upgrade assistant to upgrade to Windows 10 Creators Update. But first I suggest you:

#1. Uninstall or disable your antivirus (security) software (you will need to re-enable or re-install it after the upgrade). If you choose to uninstall your antivirus software, you'll need to restart your PC before you proceed.

#2. Unplug any external hard drives, printers, USB flash drives, camera cards - i.e. anything connected to your PC other than your keyboard & monitor.

#3. Download and run the Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant from here. Click the button that says "Upgrade this PC now".

Finally, if the update fails again, don't be too concerned. Within the next 60 days, Microsoft will be rolling out the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (or Windows 10 Autumn Creators Update -- depending on where on Earth you reside). Since, this is a major version update, it will update all older versions of Windows 10, including Creators Update.

Let us know if this helped you.



Christine says what happens if Microsoft stops supporting Windows 10
What is a person to do now if they are no longer going to support win 10?

Our answer
Hi Christine. Microsoft is not going to stop supporting Windows 10. Windows 10 is the last numbered/named version of Windows. In the future, people will just refer to it as Windows. And Microsoft is never going to stop supporting Windows... so there is nothing to worry about.



Rea has some questions regarding her taskbar and ads in Windows 10
Hi My Favorite Duo: I couldn’t locate my Friday Mail from the info Ave so I took the liberty of doing it this way and hoping maybe you will answer in Fridays Info Ave.

My desktop is working fine but for some reason which I hope you can tell me, my taskbar icons are showing double rows with arrows pointing forward and backward. It first happened when I pasted the print Scr info and it happened again when I inserted my memory card to save a picture and it also told me it wasn’t working right and to scan it but I ignored it and things were fine. However, it is ok for the most part.

Now, that was puzzling enough for this old broad but then Microsoft covered my screen saying in essence that I should try Microsoft Edge and I could not close it by the x or anyway except manually, what is with that?

If you can’t answer me for one reason or another, chances are that I will leave but I know you guys are busy and I would understand. I read in the newsletter today that you reach someone in South Africa, that is just wonderful and there is Australia, Canada and all over the U.S. What a great job you do, that is one reason why I throw money your way when I get a chance. Keep up the good work! Thanks, Rea

Our answer
Hi Rea. Thanks for your very nice comments.

First you can try putting your mouse cursor over the very top edge of the taskbar and dragging it down with a quick, download motion. It takes a little practice, so you might want to try it a couple times.

But it does sound like you have a few settings that need to be adjusted. Your taskbar can only expand so far horizontally, so it will expand vertically when it runs out of real estate. You'll also have up/down and back/forward arrows to navigate. So, the best way to correct this is to reduce the amount of icons on your taskbar - and that is easy to do. Also, you can also reduce the size of the icons.

Let's get started: Open Settings (Windows Key + I or use the gear icon visible when you click your Start button).

In Settings go to Settings > Personalization > Taskbar and do the following:

Under "Taskbar location on the screen" and "Combine taskbar buttons" made sure it's set to "Always, hide labels". If you don't have it set this way, it will show text labels for every taskbar icons, and it will show an icon for everything. For instance, if you have this set to "Never" it will show separate icons for every window you have open. If you have this set to combine, a program with several open windows will display several icons in the taskbar.

If that doesn't completely fix your problem, and your taskbar is still doubled, use the setting above (in the screenshot above) and also switch to small icons by turning the switch under "Use small icons" to "ON" (see screenshot below):

As for the Edge advertisements (that's what they are) do this: Open Settings > System > Notifications & Actions and disable the “Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows” . This will prevent things like "Try Microsoft Edge - The browser made for Windows 10" and other Microsoft ads from popping up on your screen.

We'll also be featuring a tip showing how to shut down all Windows 10 advertising... so keep reading this newsletter.

Thanks again for your very nice comments and your long-time support, Rea; we both appreciate it very, very much.

Myra wants our opinion on an article she read
This looks interesting, but I want to make sure it is safe. I only trust your judgment!

Our answer
Hi Myra. While we know our opinion on this will not be welcome by those who loved the features in old versions of Windows that are no longer included in Windows 10 - or that have updates in Windows 10 that are not like the original Windows features, we have to be honest.

The problem with most of the things recommended in that article is that they're programs that have been specially modified to work on Windows 10. And the problem with that is, at least most of the time, whenever Windows has a major update, the programs that were modified to work in Windows 10 will stop working. Then users will have to wait until whoever modified the program to work in Windows 10, modifies it again to work in the latest version of Windows. It can be an endless cycle. We have run into this many times with Windows Mail and Windows 7 Games modified for Windows 10.

So, we're not saying that the programs listed in the article are good or bad. We did not test them. But we think users could avoid a lot of hassle by finding compatible replacements for the things they loved in older versions of Windows without using old software modified to work in Windows 10. It's only going to end up causing frustration - at least in our opinion.

The final verdict: Use at your own risk.



Sidney's touchpad was re-enabled after a Windows Update and he cannot disable it again.
After the latest Windows 10 update, my touchpad is enabled and I am unable to disable it when the USB mouse is attached. My cursor keeps changing not only the location, but closes programs I am using, going back to a past program I thought I had closed - especially when on the web. I'm going nuts with this. Please, can you tell me what I need to do? I have a HP Pavilion

Our answer
Hi Sidney. First try visiting the HP computer support site and do a search for anyone else having this issue after upgrading to Windows 10 Creators Update. You may be able to find a simple, quick fix there.

If not, try this. Right-click on your start button, click on Device Manager. Under "Mice and other pointing devices" find your touchpad. Right-click on it and choose Update driver. Use the default settings to search everywhere. It should find the correct driver. If not, you can use Device Manager to uninstall the device and then reinstall it. You may need to contact HP support to find and download the correct software and drivers needed to reinstall the touchpad.

One last thing... drivers should only be updated or rolled-back if you're having a problem with a hardware device - like you are. Don't be tempted to download one of those "Driver updater" programs. Every one of them we've seen is either malware or causes serious problems with PCs; as good as they make them sound, they are really bad medicine.

Let us know if you get your problem solved, Sidney.

[Sidney wrote back: Yes, I got it fixed. I followed some of the suggestions in a HP forum.]



Caroline wants to delete the Upgrade Assistant icon on her desktop
I have an icon on my desktop for windows10 upgrade assistant. Can I remove it since my computer has upgraded to the creators update?

Our answer
Hi Caroline. You sure can. Just right-click and delete it. If, in the future, you ever need to manually update to a new version of Windows 10 you can download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool from which you can create installation media for Windows 10 - or update your PC immediately. So, go ahead and delete the old upgrade assistant.

Holly has a question about CAPTCHAs
I have been a long time subscriber and fan, kudos to you both! My question is about those CAPTCHA things on some web pages. I understand having to type in the words or numbers it shows to prove you're a person. But now I've seen sometimes where you just have to click here to prove you're a human. How does clicking in a box instead of typing in a word or numbers prove you're human? Just wondering. Like the one on this page below, where it says type in any 2 numbers. What's up with that? Holly

Our answer
Hi Holly. Thanks so much. We think you're writing about the new type of CAPTCHAs that use pictures. Let's look at an example:

You may see a box that says "I'm not a robot" and when you click it, it just opens the page or log in you want to access. But sometimes, if you click the box next to "I'm not a robot" you'll see a challenge like the one above that says "Select all images with grass." Then you'll have to click on each picture that has grass in it. 

Unless the CAPTCHA is not working right, sometimes you'll get the challenge and sometimes you won't. As programmers and brainy scientists get further along with artificial intelligence, we'll probably see less and less challenge CAPTCHAs.

So, if you have been lucky enough to click "I'm not a robot" and you have never had to pass a challenge, you're very lucky! You should buy a lottery ticket... (kidding). 

Susan doesn't use her Gmail account much and wants her InfoAve Newsletters sent to her @Rogers.com email address
Even though I have been registered for years, my Info Ave is coming into gmail, which I seldom use. Could you please change the email address to: -----------  @Rogers.com? Thanks.

Our answer
Hi Susan. You are getting them sent to your Rogers.com address as well. Unfortunately Rogers uses Yahoo mail servers. As you may recall, Yahoo had 1.5 billion user accounts hacked in the past year, and in their overreaction to that,  they censor mail and bounce/delete mail they feel you don't need. We see that the latest issue of InfoAve Premium was bounced by Rogers. You will have to contact Rogers and complain, and ask them to whitelist us. Or you can continue getting our newsletters at Gmail also.

Here is the information you'll need for our newsletter in case Rogers decides to cooperate with you:

pr1.netatlantic.com (pr1.netatlantic.com [69.25.194.50]) - this is the IP address and server we use to send from our Lyris-based mail service.

And the address we send the newsletter from is cloudeight-news @  thundercloud.net

Linda lost some installed fonts when she installed Creators Update
Since my Windows 10 updated to the Creator's Update, I have several fonts that aren't showing up. If I go into the font folder, they are there, but if I change to one of those fonts and try to type with that particular font, nothing shows up. Can you tell me what's wrong or what I need to do? Thanks!

Our answer
Hi Linda. We've never heard of anyone losing fonts due to the Creators Update. So, we did some research and we found some instances of users losing some fonts after the update. Most of them were given solutions by the Microsoft "community" that didn't work. So we discussed how we would solve this problem if it happened to us.

If these were fonts that you installed, we suggest you reinstall the fonts that don't show up. After you reinstall them, restart your PC. Be careful: If you search for the fonts online, make sure you check out any sites offering the fonts you need to reinstall.

If the fonts that are missing are Windows fonts that came with Windows 10, you can download a zip file, containing all default fonts that ship with Windows 10. We downloaded the zip file to make sure it was safe and checked out it's contents. You can install any font you are missing by clicking on the font you want to install and then clicking the button labeled "Install" (see the screenshot below):

Let us know if this helps you.

One Year Emsisoft License With FREE Installation & Set-up

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How to Stop Microsoft Advertising in Windows 10
Windows 10 (All versions)

Maybe you've noticed: Windows 10 has a lot of advertising within it. It's not blatant; they are not jumbo-sized, blinking, flashing advertisements. They're more sophisticated, the fit-right-in, kind a looks like part of Windows type of ad. And no, this advertising isn't just because you may have gotten Windows 10 free via the free upgrade offer. If you went out today an bought a copy of Windows 10 for $100 or even Windows 10 Pro for $200, you're still going to see Microsoft advertising in Windows 10. And while you're not going to get rid of all of it, you can disable most of it, and it's pretty easy to do.

Stop Ads (Suggested Apps) From Appearing in your Start Menu

If you use the default hybrid Start menu in Windows 10 - the one with tiles as well as a program list, you will occasionally see "suggested apps" appear.

Sometimes these suggested apps are free, but sometimes they're not. Sometime their products or games from the Windows store which sell for $40, $50 or more. If you're like most people, there's enough advertising on the Web, on the highway, on TV, so you probably don't want Microsoft using your Start menu as a billboard for anything they want you to use or buy.

You can put an end to suggested apps and stop them from showing up in your start menu. Just open Settings > Personalization > Start and turn the switch under “Occasionally show suggestions in Start” to “Off”.



Stop Taskbar Pop-up Ads

Euphemistically, Microsoft calls taskbar pop-up ads "tips, tricks and suggestions". You betcha. You're going to see ads (nags) for Edge. If you have a different browser set as default, you'll see ads for Edge that tell you how to earn free gifts by earning "rewards" points - or you'll see a pop-up saying Edge is the fastest browser and you're stupid not to be using it. Well, not really, they don't say that, but they'll tell you that Edge is the fastest browser and you should be using it! But if you wanted to use it you would use it, so why put up with these taskbar ads nagging you to use Edge or other Microsoft products?

If you want to use non-Microsoft products, that's your business. You don't need Microsoft bugging you with pop-ups. Lucky for you, it's easy to turn them off. Here's how:

Go to Settings > System > Notifications & actions > and turn the switch beneath "Get tips, tricks, and suggestions as you use Windows" to OFF.



Also, in Creators Update, Microsoft added a new ad experience. It's "Show me the Windows welcome experience after updates and occasionally when I sign in to highlight what’s new and suggested”. And it's also in Settings > System > Notifications & actions. See the yellow highlighted area in the screenshot above. To turn these off, just flip the switch under it to "Off".

Microsoft will sometimes show ads on the Lock screen too. And you can shut these off by selecting something other than Spotlight as the background. We kind of like Spotlight since it provides us with some really beautiful wallpaper - such as we made available in this post.

However, if pretty pictures aren't your thing, open Settings > Personalization > Lockscreen and select "Pictures" or "Slideshow" instead of Spotlight (see screenshot below). That will take care of Microsoft's occasional advertising on your Lock screen.





Easy Ways to Create Control Panel Shortcuts on Windows 10 Creators Update
Windows 10 Creators Update (Version 1703)

Microsoft is in the process of phasing out Windows Control Panel and replacing it with the modern “Settings:, but there are still many things that have yet to be migrated from Control Panel to Settings. Before the Creators Update, users were able to easily access Control Panel from the Windows Key + X menu (right-clicking the Windows 10 start button also brings up the Win Key+X menu).