Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly

Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly
Issue #877
Volume 17 Number41
July 31, 2020

Dear Friends,

Welcome to Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly Issue #877. Thank you very much for subscribing and for being a part of our Cloudeight family. We appreciate your friendship and support very much!  Please share our newsletters and our Website with your family and all your friends.

We wish you all the best during the global pandemic. Our prayers and good wishes go out to all of you during this difficult time. We are all in this together.

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Help us help you.

Help Us During our Summer 2020 Donation Drive

If you don't need any of our products or services right now, consider helping us with a small donation.

Did you know that we provide support to thousands of people? Every week we help dozens of people via email at no charge. The questions and answers you see in our newsletters are from the email answers and help we provide to everyone free of charge.

Thanks to your gifts, we do a lot more than provide this free newsletter. We help you recognize online threats, fight for your online privacy, provide you with the knowledge you need to navigate the Web safely, provide you with suggestions for safe, free software and websites, and help you get more out of your PC.

Please Help us keep up the good fight with a small gift.

Interested in making an automatic monthly gift? Visit this page. Help us keep helping you... and helping you stay safe on the Web.

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Betty can't make our start page her home page
I am having some problems with Windows 10. I can't seem to make your start page my home page. I use Chrome Thanks for all the great tips over the years. Betty.

Our answer
Hi Betty. Thanks so much! You're in luck. We have a tutorial on setting a home page in the most popular browsers (Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer).

You can read our tutorial here.

Thanks for using our Cloudeight Start Page as your home page!

I hope this helps!

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Sandy wants to open PDF files with Chrome or Edge
It's been a long time and I can't find my notes. I want to associate all PDF's opening with either Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. How do I do that?

Our answer
Hi Sandy. Right-click on any PDF file and choose "Open with" from the context menu that opens and select "Choose another app" Then choose Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (whichever you prefer) and make sure you tick the box next to "Always use this app to open .pdf files" and then click OK. From then on, PDF files will open with the program you selected.

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Sandy wants to open PDF files with Chrome or Edge
It's been a long time and I can't find my notes. I want to associate all PDF's opening with either Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. How do I do that?

Our answer
Hi Sandy. Right-click on any PDF file and choose "Open with" from the context menu that opens and select "Choose another app" Then choose Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (whichever you prefer) and make sure you tick the box next to "Always use this app to open .pdf files" and then click OK. From then on, PDF files will open with the program you selected..

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Cathern wants to know how to get Adobe Flash Player back
I just got the new update from Windows 10 and I play Shockwave games and when I got the update I lost the Adobe Flash Player and I can’t play a lot of the games. What can I do to get a flash player so my games will play? Thank you for any help you can give me.

Our answer
Hi Cathern. Flash will not be available after December 2020, so hopefully your game site will upgrade their games to HTML5 which works without Flash and work in any modern browser. You can play Flash games in Edge and Chrome right now - both have a built-in flash player which will work only until December. Do not try to download Flash Player, there are a zillion scams out there for people who search for 'Flash Player'.

How to Enable Flash in Microsoft Edge


Open Microsoft Edge.
On the top right-hand corner, click the icon.
Click Settings near the bottom of the menu that appears.
Click View advanced settings under the Advanced Settings header.
Toggle Use Adobe Flash Player to On.

How to Enable Flash in Google Chrome

Open Chrome.
Go to the site with the video or game.
To the left of the web address, click Lock or Info (info is circle with an i in it)
At the bottom, click Site Settings.
In the new tab, to the right of "Flash," click the Down arrow. Choose "Allow".
Go back to the site and reload the page by pressing the F5 key on your computer or right-clicking the page and choosing "Reload".

Remember, after December, Flash will not work.

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Cloudeight Direct Computer Care

The Best Computer Care and Repair - Anywhere!

We can fix your computer while you watch. You never have to leave your home. Just sit back, relax, and watch us work. Get PC service from folks you trust at the best prices you'll find anywhere.

Get more information here.

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Sandra L. does not know her username
I do not know my Windows username.

Our answer
Hi Sandra, to find your Windows username, do this:

1. Type CMD in taskbar search and press Enter when you see Command Prompt in the search results.
2. In the Command Prompt window at the prompt type

WHOAMI

(That is WHO AM I but all as one word.)

3. Press Enter

You'll instantly see your computer name followed by a slash and the username you're logged in with.

I hope this helps you.

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Roy wants to know how to get rid of TotalAV
How can I get rid of TotalAV? I don't remember downloading and installing it, but apparently, I did. They got my credit card info and charged me $99.00. A popup keeps coming up, saying to pay for it. I tried removing it, with no success. Can you please advise me as to how to remove this program? Thank you in advance. Roy S.

Our answer
Hi Roy. The very first thing you should do is request a chargeback from your credit card company. TotalAV is a Scam.

You should be able to remove TotalAV by using an uninstaller like Geek Uninstaller. Geek Uninstaller is free. You can get it here.

Our recommended antivirus/antimalware is Emsisoft. If you order Emsisoft with installation, we'll connect to your computer, remove TotalAV and install and set up Emsisoft for you -and include a 1- year license. After the first year a one-year renewal license is $25.

You can get our Emsisoft with installation & removal of TotalAV for $45 here.

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Geraldine asks about BitDefender
Would you tell me about BitDefender? I am currently using Emsisoft, but my hubby says BitDefender is top rated.

Our answer
Hi Geraldine. BitDefender a top-rated antivirus. Emsisoft uses the BitDefender antivirus engine, plus Emsisoft has additional anti-malware components. There are very few viruses around. We have seen actual viruses less than a dozen times in our 20+ years of working with computers. Most all problems are caused by malware, PUPs, scams, ransomware, etc. Emsisoft is not only a top-rated antivirus, it's also a top-rated anti-malware that protects you against a lot more than just viruses.

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Senior Pass + Hotline

Attention Cloudeight SeniorPass Holders! Announcing our new SeniorPass Telephone Hotline Service

Don't have a Cloudeight SeniorPass? It's a great deal. Learn more here.

During this global crisis, we are offering a special telephone hotline service to all SeniorPass holders. There are reports of many COVID19 scams targeting seniors. If you are approached by a scammer or encounter something suspicious, you can use our hotline to discuss your situation with us. We check into it for you and do all we can to help you.

If you currently have a SeniorPass, all you need to do is contact us. Send us your telephone number and a brief message/a> describing your problem and we'll call you back during normal business hours.

If you don't yet have a Cloudeight SeniorPass and you'd like to know more about our SeniorPass,
please see this page.

Please note: Currently, our telephone hotline service is only available to SeniorPass holders in the United States due to international call restrictions.

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Cloudeight InfoAve Premium -Tips & Tricks


Try These Useful Tricks for Google Chrome
Windows 8x, Windows 10 (all versions) and Google Chrome

Google Chrome long ago passed Internet Explorer as the world’s most popular browser. If you use Chrome, we think you’ll find these three tips useful.

1. Show recently viewed pages with a click

Did you know you can show a list of recently visited pages from the current tab? You can. All you have to do is right click on the “Back” button and you’ll see a list of recently visited pages. And as illogical as it sounds, this also works with the “Forward” button too. This works in Firefox too.

2. Drag-a-tab

Did you know that Chrome lets you detach a tab and open it in a new window? It does! All you have to do is drag the tab outside the active window. And you can also add it back to the original windows too. Just drag it back and drop it. You can also rearrange the order of the open tabs on Chrome. This works in Firefox as well.

3. Drag your downloads

When you download a program using Chrome, you will see it on Chrome’s status bar (the bar along the bottom of the browser window). Did you know you can drag that download tab out of Chrome to your desktop or any folder on your computer? Also, you’ll note at the right edge of the download tab (which shows the file name) you’ll see a little down-arrow. If you click that arrow, you’ll get options such as “Show in folder”. “Run”, “Always open files of this type” and “Cancel”.

These tips also work (although not quite as well) in the new Microsoft Edge.

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Check Your Hard Drive(s) Using the WMIC Command
Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 (all versions)

There are several ways you can check your hard drives without downloading 3rd-party apps.

The first way is this:

1. Open File Explorer (Windows Key+ E_
2. In “This PC”, right-click on the drive you want to check
3. Choose “Properties” then click the “Tools” tab.
4. Click the “Check” button under “Error checking.

You can also check your drives using CHKDSK and the Command prompt. See our article here.

And there’s another, lesser-known way, to check your drive(s) and that’s by using the WMIC command. Here’s how:

Open a Command Prompt.

In Windows 10 type CMD in the taskbar search. When “Command Prompt” appears at the top, press Enter.

In the Command Prompt enter the following command exactly as shown (copy & paste works too):

WMIC DISKDRIVE GET MODEL,STATUS

Then press Enter.

Make sure you type the command exactly as it’s shown above, or it won’t work.

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As you can see above, my hard drive is A-OK. You can also see the make and model of the hard drive. If you have an external drive or drives plugged in, the WMIC command will check those as well. 

If you get error messages with error codes, be sure to look them up online. If your drive or drives are not OK, make sure your data is backed up on a working external hard drive. Then check them using one of the methods shown at the beginning of this article.

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Make a Journal Using Nothing but Notepad
Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 (all versions)

Here’s an easy Windows trick that shows you how to create a personal journal using nothing but Notepad. In this crazy year of the pandemic, it might be a good time to start a journal. Who knows what’s going to happen next?

1. Open Notepad (Type Notepad in taskbar search & press Enter)

2. On the very first line of your new Notepad type.LOG. That’s a period then the world LOG in uppercase letter

3. Space down a line or two and type a description of your journal(optional). For mine, I used “Today, July 25, 2020, I am starting a diary. This is the year of the pandemic and who knows what’s yet to come.”

4. Save your Notepad file with a name you’ll recognize… something like MyJournal. You can include the year if you like… I called mine “MyJournal2020”.

5 Every time you open it, the current time and date will be appended automatically, so all you have do is add whatever you like to your journal below the time and date.

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Above, you can see my simple Notepad journal, complete with times and dates.

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Want more tips, tricks, and information?

We have thousands of Windows tips, tricks, and more on our InfoAve web site.

Subscribe to our free InfoAve Daily newsletter.

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Senior Pass + Hotline

Our special annual pass for computer repair for our friends 60 or older. See this page for more information.

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Cloudeight InfoAve Premium -Tips & Tricks

Convert Over 1000 File Types for Free with This Online Tool 

This is the kind of site pick we love. It’s a site pick that will appeal to just about everyone, regardless of the device or devices they use. Converter365 can convert over 1000 file types. So, whether you use Windows, Android, or Apple — or all 3 – Converter365 is a site you’ll want to bookmark.

One of the problems we see a lot is people downloading converters and installing them. Some of them are OK, but some of the are badware. And none of the downloadable converters can converter more than a few file types. When perform your file conversions online, you help keep nasty badware off your computer. And besides, there’s no reason to install something if you really don’t need to? Why gunk up your computer.

Converter365 offers you unlimited file conversions with no wait time in between. And the maximum file size is a generous 200 MB which will cover just about any file you’ll need to convert.

Converter365 can convert files in all of these formats:

  • Archive
  • Audio
  • Document
  • Ebook
  • Image
  • Presentation
  • Spreadsheet
  • Video
  • Vector

If you’ve read enough and you’re ready to convert some files or learn more about this excellent online tool, visit Converter365 here.

Cloudeight Site Pick - Converter365

But if you’re not convinced yet, the site’s developer has a lot more information for you.

The most popular converters
Not all devices have the same operating systems, and not all of them support the same file formats. That’s why sometimes we need to convert our files from one format to another. In case you were wondering, the most popular converters are usually the ones that are changing formats to MP3, PDF, DOC, JPG, HEIC, AAC, PPT, etc. Why? Because those are the files used for many different tools and software on various devices. We could easily say that they are universal, just like our converter. How to get them? Use one of the following links and make your files available on every device.

If you’re not sure, here are all file categories
As you already know, there are different file categories such as audio files, spreadsheets, images, documents, ebooks, vectors, videos, presentations, and archives, and every single one of them has its subcategories. Although MP3, MP4, PPT, JPG, PNG, PDF, DOC, and ZIP are quite familiar, there are more of them to count. Just to be sure you don’t have any dilemmas about file types and categories, we'll mention them once more. (See all 1000+ file types here.

If you ever need to convert file formats, you will certainly want to visit and bookmark Converter365 right now.

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Cloudeight InfoAve Premium - Essays , Rants, etc.

What are Up with Verbs?

We’re all affected by the current coronavirus pandemic – in some way or another. And while I have a million things I could say about the pandemic, politics, masks, social distancing, and all the craziness that has gripped our country, I’d rather divert your attention to something a little less dire — and a whole lot less controversial. It’s something we can all agree on – verbs is for the birds. They is too finicky – too fussy – too uptight.  And  I has never much cared for verbs. I’m an adjective kind of guy.

This morning I came across a quote from one of my favorite authors, Lewis Carroll. I don’t have many favorite authors, but Lewis Carroll is one of them because of his wonderful word play. You’re probably thinking, “What quote?” aren’t you? I will get to that after I submit to you my reasons for my abject hatred of verbs.

Verbs are nasty things. They has a nasty, vile temper. They is always angry and disagreeable and they has to agree or they doesn’t work. What kind of nonsense is that? You can’t say “You done good.” Done do not agree with “you” or “good” – I’m confused about which, but nonetheless, the verb don’t agree. Most verbs doesn’t agree naturally, they needs to be coddled. Why are verbs so disagreeable? Because, they are nasty, arrogant, things, that’s why. I really hates verbs. I can tolerate adverbs, barely. Grammarians and English teachers has saddled us poor, confused goombas...

Read the rest of this "essay" here.

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Reg Organizer: Cloudeight recommended and endorsed.

VERSION 8.50 NOW AVAILABLE!

If you purchased or renewed Reg Organizer through Cloudeight within the last 12 months, you're entitled to a free version upgrade to Reg Organizer 8.43.

Save $14 on Reg Organizer right now!

Reg Organizer - A Swiss Army Knife of Windows Tools - Works Great on Windows 10! 

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Cloudeight InfoAve Premium - Back to Basics

What are PUPs and PUAs?

PUPs are cute little dogs and PUAs are cute little aardvarks - adorable little creatures!

NO! NO! NO! That's not right! PUPs is an acronym for Potentially Unwanted Programs and PUAs is an acronym for Potentially Unwanted Apps. The word programs ain't cool anymore - it's all about apps now. Apps is short for applications and programs are applications too. Who decides this stuff?

The acronyms PUP and PUA are used because everyone is afraid of getting sued for calling a spade a spade. You're not supposed to insult a malware developer by calling his "app" malware. No, no, no! You must call it a PUA or else end up in court. PUP is just an older way of avoiding lawsuits by not calling garbageware what it really is - malware.

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Help us help you.

Help Us During our Summer 2020 Donation Drive

If you don't need any of our products or services right now, consider helping us with a small donation.

When you support us with a small gift, you help us continue our mission to keep you informed, separate the truth from the hyperbole, and help keep you safe online. And our computer tips make your computer easier to use.

Did you know that we provide support to thousands of people? Every week we help dozens of people via email at no charge. The questions and answers you see in our newsletters are from the email answers and help we provide to everyone free of charge.

Thanks to your gifts, we do a lot more than provide this free newsletter. We help you recognize online threats, fight for your online privacy, provide you with the knowledge you need to navigate the Web safely, provide you with suggestions for safe, free software and websites, and help you get more out of your PC.

Please Help us keep up the good fight with a small gift.

Interested in making an automatic monthly gift? Visit this page. Help us keep helping you... and helping you stay safe on the Web.

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Sales of the following products and services help support our newsletters, websites, and free computer help services we provide.

Cloudeight Direct Computer Care: Single Keys, SeniorPass, or Season Tickets - always a great deal. Cloudeight Direct Computer Care is like having PC insurance. Get more information here.

Emsisoft Anti-Malware:  Emsisoft is the only Cloudeight endorsed and recommended Windows security program. It provides users with a complete antivirus, antimalware, anti-ransomware, anti-PUPs solution. We offer single Emsisoft licenses and multi-computer licenses at discount prices. Also, we offer our exclusive Emsisoft with Cloudeight installation & setup. Get more information here.

Thunderbird Email Setup: Thunderbird is a great email program that you can use with your Gmail and Outlook.com (Hotmail) webmail accounts as well as with your Internet provider's email. We'll set it up correctly you. Our set up includes configuring up to 3 email accounts and setting up Thunderbird to use stationery (if desired). Our Thunderbird Email Setup Service is always a great deal. For more information visit this page.

Reg Organizer: Reg Organizer is the Swiss Army Knife of Windows tools. It's far more than just a registry optimizer and cleaner... it's a Windows all-in-one toolkit. Reg Organizer helps you keep your computer in tip-top shape and helps you solve annoying Windows problems. Reg Organizer works great with Windows 10! Get more information about Reg Organizer (and get our special discount prices) here.

SeniorPass - One year of Cloudeight Direct Computer Care - unlimited sessions! Get more information here.

Windows 10 Customization: Make Windows 10 look and work the way you want it to. Learn more.

Your InfoAve Weekly Members' Home Page is located here.

Print our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care Flyer and spread the word about our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care repair services.  Get our ready-to-print flyer here.

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These products and services are recommended and endorsed by Cloudeight:
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We hope you have enjoyed this issue of Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly. Thanks so much for your support and for being an InfoAve Weekly subscriber.

With hope and prayers, may you and your loved ones stay safe and well.

Your friends at Cloudeight,

Darcy and TC
Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly - Issue #877
Volume 17 Number41
July 31, 2020

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