Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers – 030423
YAY! It’s meteorological spring (at least up here in the northern hemisphere where water flows clockwise down the drain). It may be meteorological spring but astronomical spring is still over two weeks away. And “real” spring won’t show its flowery head around here for at least another month or so. But, I’m a glass-half-full type of guy, and I’m glad January and February have been dumped into the trash heap of junky months.
But yes, it’s Saturday, which means it’s time for another edition of Saturday Bonus Questions & Answers.
Sometimes, the best tips and tricks are hidden in the published questions and answers. And rarely do we post questions and answers on this website. Today, we’re featuring some of the questions and answers from past issues of our InfoAve Weekly newsletters.
These questions & answers were selected at random from past InfoAve Weekly newsletters.
Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers – 030423
Sandy wants to forward emails from Google Gmail to Outlook
How do I forward my Gmail inbox only to my Outlook inbox on my computer? I don’t want to forward to the outlook cloud service, I use Outlook 365 on my computer and would like my Gmail to forward to the account I am using Outlook 365.
Our answer
Hi Sandy. You can’t forward your email in Gmail to an email program, you can only forward it to an email address. If an email address is set up in your email client (in your case Outlook) you can forward your Gmail to any address you have set up in Outlook (or any other email client), this way.
Log in to your Gmail account at https://www.gmail.com/.
Click on the gear icon near the top-right corner then click ‘See all settings”
When “Settings” opens, click on “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” from the menu at the top.
Tick the circle next to “Forward a copy of incoming mail to” then type the address where you want the mail forwarded in the box (see below).
You can forward your mail to more than one email address. If you want to forward it to more than one address, click “Add a forwarding address”.
After you do this, don’t forget to click the “Save Changes” button at the bottom of the settings page.
We hope this helps you, Sandy.
Thelma wants a word processor and a spreadsheet program that doesn’t use the cloud
I am looking for a standalone word processor and spreadsheet application. I don’t want to use the cloud. Is there such a thing?
Our answer
Hi Thelma. Surprisingly, there are quite a few free office programs that include a word processing program and a spreadsheet program – and don’t require you to store anything in the cloud or work in the cloud.
Here are two:
Neither of these office suites requires you to store anything “in the cloud”; they install on your computer and you and you use them locally. They both contain a word processing program and a spreadsheet program (and quite a few more programs.
We hope this helps you, Thelma.
Mike’s got a new printer and tons of new apps
Hi TC and Darcy. I’ve been a follower of yours for a very long time and definitely trust all your advice. Any problems we have, you always seem to offer an answer and guide us through them. I’m hoping you can help with this one.
I recently purchased an Epson ET-2810 EcoTank. I installed it from the included DVD, and all went smoothly, and it’s up and running. My concern is the amount of software that was installed (shown below). I’m getting on in years 70+ and not really tech-minded, I find it a bit confusing on whether to keep all this software installed or uninstall certain ones.
Epson Manuals
Epson Photo+ Tool
Epson Photo+
Epson Printer Connection Checker
Epson ScanSmart
Epson Software Update
Would you know which of these items from this list could I uninstall without affecting the smooth running of the printer? Thanks, Mike.
Our answer
Hi Mike. I (Darcy) have Epson EcoTank too, and while I don’t usually install all included software, I did in this case, except for the photo tool, and then I went back later and uninstalled the manual. I kept the rest. So is a personal choice and none seem to take up much space. I like the updater. EcoTanks seem to need updates here and there. I am on my second one; the first one lasted quite some time. And besides keeping the updater, be sure to keep the ScanSmart tool also.
To uninstall any components you don’t use, such as the photo tool, just go to the Control Panel (type CONTROL in the taskbar search)) > programs > uninstall. All the apps you listed should show up in the list.
Thank you for being with us through the years!
Dennis has his own backup and dislikes OneDrive
New computer, new woes. I like some of the features of Windows 11 but there’s one that drives me crazy and irritates me to no end. OneDrive. Because I disabled it and then, when I learned I could remove it, I did. I don’t need MS backing up everything I do – I have Backblaze for that and they’ve been most helpful when I needed them. Now I get error messages telling me that a particular file I’ve finished can’t be backed up (to OneDrive, I presume). Even though I’ve removed most of its presence from my computer, desktop, etc. are subfolders of it. What would happen if I moved the desktop and made it a direct subfolder of my user name? Could I then remove OneDrive?
Our answer
Hi Dennis, Windows Desktop is a special system folder. If you try to move it you’re going to have a world of trouble. Don’t do it.
OneDrive is a fantastic way to back up your computer. I avoided it for years until Darcy showed me how easy it makes things when you get a new computer. On your new computer, as soon as you log into your OneDrive account. all your files and folders from your user account on your old computer appear on your new computer.
Microsoft does not “back up everything you do”. OneDrive backs up your user folder (Documents, Pictures, Desktop, Music, Video, etc..) not everything you do. And in my opinion, as far as worrying about Microsoft storing my backups, I think I’d trust Microsoft more than a small company whose reputation isn’t likely to be damaged severely by sharing personal info or losing data – it would be an absolute media disaster for Microsoft.
However, it’s prerogative as to what applications you use on your computer. If you remove OneDrive correctly you won’t have the problems you’re having. Here are the correct ways to uninstall, disable, and unlink OneDrive.
We hope this helps you, Dennis.
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David wants to know if ClassicShell works on Windows 11
Greetings. I use the Classic Shell program on my Windows 10 PC to make it look like Windows 7. Will the Classic Shell program work in Windows 11? Thanks!
Our answer
Hi David. Classic Shell is no longer being developed. The Classic Shell project has been taken over by OpenShell, but OpenShell isn’t truly compatible with Windows 11 – from what I’ve read it messes up the taskbar unless you use a customized Start button.
You may be surprised by this, but if you open Windows 11’s Start menu and click on “All apps” you get a list of programs/apps in alphabetical order much like Windows 7’s Start menu. The Windows 11 Start Menu is very customizable and you can move the app icons around in any order you like, and you can add and remove program shortcuts and apps to/from it. It isn’t very hard to master.
If you still want to go back to the Windows 7-start menu, and you don’t mind spending $5.00, you might want to check out StartAllBack for windows 11 which is the Windows 11 version of StartisBack. See this page for pricing and details, and this page to download StartAllBack. The cost is $4.99 but there’s a free trial available, so you can try it free.
We hope this helps you, David.
Jim wants to upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 10
I have an Acer laptop that runs Windows Vista. As you know, Vista no longer gets updates and no longer works. The question that I have is: Can I run Windows 10 on this computer/laptop?
Our answer
Hi Jim. First, you can’t upgrade from Vista to Windows 10 for free. You would need a Windows 10 license and you can no longer buy them (legitimately). We would advise against putting any money into a computer that has to be over 15 years old.
Secondly, I doubt your hardware would support Windows 10. And to us, it wouldn’t be worth spending money to find out.
Finally, to continue to use Vista and go online not only puts you at risk but also puts others at risk since you have not received any security updates and patches in over 5 years. You have probably found you cannot use modern updated browsers which puts you at risk for malware. And your computer could be compromised in many ways including by botnets which, though hidden from you, can turn a computer into part of a network to distribute spam.
Those are our thoughts. We hope this helps you make a wise decision.
Peggy got an email from McAfee but doesn’t use McAfee
I just got an email from McAfee. I have not used McAfee since I bought my first computer 20+ years ago. My email address has changed numerous times since then. How can these people still contact me with an email that has absolutely no basis in truth?
Our answer
Hi Peggy. This is a widespread and popular phishing scam. We have seen it, just as millions of others have. This spam/scam/phishing mail was sent to tens of millions whether they ever used McAfee or not. There’s a similar scam letter going around claiming to be from Norton. These scammer-spammers harvest email addresses from the Web, and buy spam lists created from data obtained from data breaches as well as from companies who share/sell data including email addresses.
So, don’t worry. The email was not from McAfee although it looked like it was. They call emails like the fake email from McAfee “Phishing” emails for a reason – these miscreants send out emails by the tens of millions hoping to catch a few “phish” and make some easy money.
Phishing is a big business – if only a few “phish’ bite, these criminals can make a lot of money. So always be careful with email.
We hope this helps you, Peggy.
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Jean wants to know if Windows 10 and Windows 11 have built-in encryption
A simple question: Do Windows 10 and Windows 11 have built-in encryption and if so how much? I’m just curious.
Our answer
Hi Jean. Windows 10 and Windows 11 Professional have BitLocker (encryption) available, but not turned on by default. It’s quite robust. If you want to learn more about BitLocker, see this Microsoft page.
Windows 10 Home edition and Windows 11 Home edition do not have BitLocker. Most home users use Windows 10 or Windows 11 Home edition and not Windows 10 or Windows 11 Professional.
Those using Windows 10 or Windows 11 Home edition who want to install encryption software can do so, there’s plenty of it out there, some of it free. We don’t currently have any recommendations for 3rd-party encryption software. If you’re interested, see this TechRadar article.
We hope this helps you, Jean.
Mona asks about Ninite
I was chatting with the manager of Open Box, the company that I have been dealing with when purchasing the last two computers in our home. He was telling about a website that they use when recommending a website for free and clean programs to download. I’m interested if you know about this site and your opinion. The website is www.ninite.com. Enjoy your weekend! Mona.
Our answer
Hi Mona. We have covered that site several times and we don’t think highly of it for many reasons. Ten years ago we wrote this about Ninite and since then our opinion hasn’t changed.
We don’t see any advantage to a warehouse approach to software. And you’re depending on the people who run Ninite to screen downloads for malware or PUPs. We prefer to download our software directly from the developer when possible and when that is not possible, we download from our favorite safe download site Snapfiles. Snapfiles separates freeware from trialware and is easy to use and trustworthy. We have been using Snapfiles for over twenty years. And in the rare case where something we need is not available from Snapfiles, our alternative is Major Geeks.
We’ve been around the block a few times and we’ve known about Ninite for over ten years and we still don’t recommend it.
Thanks for thinking of us, Mona.
Bil wants to forward mail from one PC to another
I have had problems with a Virgin Media email account. But I still get lots of emails sent to it.
What I would like to do is set my Virgin Media account on one PC, and when an email comes in I forward it to my new email address on a different PC. I can process these emails using a rule that has to say William in the body, however, not all emails have Willian in the body! I was wondering if there is some other way that doesn’t use the rules process that I can forward all emails irrespective of what is in the body or subject. Regards, Bil.
Our answer
Hi Bil. If you set all your mail accounts up as IMAP, you can receive the same mail on every PC and device. The old method, called POP3, downloads mail to whatever PC it’s set up on – and removes it from the server – so it can only be retrieved once.
IMAP (the modern method) synchronizes the mail on the mail server so that you can check it with as many PCs, smartphones, and tablets as you want, and they all have the same mail, same folders, etc. Essentially it means that looking at your mail on one device is the same as looking at your mail on another device. You can “see”, “read” and “reply” to emails on multiple devices by using IMAP instead of POP3 protocols. This would be the best solution for you.
Here’s an article about the difference between the modern IMAP protocol and the old POP3 protocol.
Here are the IMAP settings for Virgin Media.
We hope this helps you, Bil.
Kenda can’t find Adobe Reader on her PC
I have been a fan for a long time. I tried to download a file only to find no Adobe on my computer. I have spent several hours on this problem without any answers. Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, Kenda H.
Our answer
Hi Kenda. Thanks!
Abode products usually don’t come pre-installed on Windows 10 or Windows 11 PCs. If you’re talking about Adobe Reader, it’s not necessary anymore because you can open PDF files with any modern browser. Windows comes with Microsoft Edge and Edge will have any PDF file so you can read them. You can also open PDF files with Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Brave, and others.’
If you still feel you need Adobe Reader you can get it free here – but be forewarned Adobe will try to install McAfee Security Scan and McAfee Safe Connect, two useless McAfee products basically used to goad you into installing McAfee antivirus. So, if you do decide to get Adobe Reader, be sure to uncheck the McAfee boxes on the page before downloading. And we’ve had people who claimed they’ve unchecked those boxes and still got the McAfee products.
We hope this helps you, Kenda.
Robert wants to make Irfanview the default image viewer on Windows 11
I would like to know if you have a solution to make IrfanView the default viewer in Windows 11. It is not listed in the properties list. You can right-click on a photo and it is an option to view it with IrfanView. I would much appreciate some help.
Our answer
Hi Robert. Open Irfanview, and click on Options > File Associations. Then in the dialog that opens, click “Default Apps”. Although it still says Windows 10, Default apps in Windows 11 will open when you click on the Default Apps button.
Irfanview will be on the list. Click on it. Then you’ll have to choose the file types you want it to open. The basic image file types are BMP, GIF, ICO, JPEG, JPG, PNG, RAW, TIF, TIFF, WBMP, and WEBP. You’ll need to select each by clicking the large plus sign (+) under each file format and then select Irfanview from the list that appears.
It’s not as easy as it is on Windows 10, but you can still set Irfanview as the default image viewer on Windows 11.
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