Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers – 040823
Easter is a time of renewal and rebirth. Regardless of your religion, Easter is a good time to remember that it’s never too late to become a better person, forgive others, and tell someone how much you love them. Our best wishes to you and those you love for a very…
HAPPY EASTER!
And yes, you’re right. It’s Saturday too and as always, it is 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.
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Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers – 040823
Linda is having problems with her HP printer
This is driving me nuts. My HP printer keeps giving a message “Scan to computer not enabled” I go through the long process of the scan doctor fix-it but it does not last. It works for a short time and then I’m right back with the error. Can you help me figure out why and how to permanently enable this? My desktop PC is a Dell. Thanks
Our answer
Hi Linda. You can fool around trying to fix printers piecemeal but it almost always never works or if it does work, it doesn’t last very long. We’ve been around a long time and we’ve gone through dozens of printers – and one thing we’ve learned is this:
If you are consistently having a problem with a printer, the best fix is to completely remove the printer, restart the PC and then reinstall the printer just as you did when you first bought it. It fixes almost any printer problem and it usually fixes it in the long run.
If you don’t have the installation software, you can get it from www.hp.com – all you need is your printer’s model number.
I hope this helps you, Linda.
Eva is getting a strange message in Chrome
First I would like to thank you both for a great site. I have been a long-time user and you have solved many of my computer problems. My question is about my Chrome browser. Why does it say that it is managed by my organization? It’s my personal PC at home and not managed by anyone but me! I have gotten rid of it before but it just keeps coming back. At one time it said it was managed by Yahoo. please help me to permanently get rid of this. Thanks again for your site and your newsletters!
Our answer
Hi Eva. Thanks for your nice comments and your support.
Before you do anything else, try opening Chrome in Incognito mode. Right-click on a Chrome shortcut and choose “New incognito window’ and see if you still get the “managed by your organization” message, if you don’t, then the problem is caused by an extension you installed in Chrome. If you find this is the case then follow the steps on this page https://tinyurl.com/u7j7ltt to reset Chrome. That will disable all installed extensions. Then you can turn them on one by one to find the culprit.
If that doesn’t work, keep on reading.
If you have not set group policies on your computer, then this problem is most likely caused by something you installed (malware, questionable extension, etc.)
There are two ways you can rid of the “Chrome is managed by your organization” message.
Option 1. Edit the registry. Type Regedit in the taskbar search and press Enter when it appears at the top of the search results.
Find the following Registry key.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Google\Chrome
Delete the entire Chrome key by right-clicking on it and then choosing “Delete”.
After you do this you’ll need to restart your computer before you’ll see the changes.
I recommend you create a restore point before editing the registry. To do so type RESTORE in the taskbar search and click on “Create a Restore Point”.
Option 2. Completely remove Chrome from your computer as well as any Chrome folders from App Data. Follow the instructions on this page (the second option under “keep on reading”) to do this. Make sure you follow all the instructions carefully so you don’t lose your bookmarks.
I hope this helps you, Eva.
Jay had files transferred to his new computer and now has duplicates…
I recently purchased a new computer and had data transferred from my old one. The old one had transferred data from an older one on it. How can I find, and get rid of, duplicate files on my new computer?
Our answer
Hi Jay. You can remove duplicate files with programs called “duplicate file finders”. But be careful, most of them are too aggressive and can delete files you don’t want to be deleted. The only duplicate file finder we recommend (and only when used with caution) is called Anti-Twin. We think it’s the best and it’s completely free.
You can read our review and download it by visiting this page.
I hope this helps, Jay.
Margaret wants to open a Word document but doesn’t have MS Office or an Office Program installed
I have Windows 10, but I do not have Microsoft Office. I am unable to open any MS Word files which I have stored on a CD. Is there a free download of Microsoft Office so that I can have Microsoft Word? Thank you.
Our answer
Hi Margaret. You can open Word Documents with WordPad which comes with every version of Windows. You will have to open WordPad first and then browse to the Word documents on the disk.
You can open WordPad by typing WordPad in the taskbar search and clicking on it when it appears in the search results. Or you can open it from the Windows 10 Start menu – it’s in Windows Accessories/WordPad.
I hope this helps you, Margaret
Jim can’t find the Group Policy Editor (GPedit.MSC) on his Windows 10 computer
I have tried several things to get gpedit.MSC working on my Windows 10 Home PC and I’m not having any luck. It works on my other WIn 10 Home machine. I’ve been with you two for a long time and I’m a Booster and an Emsisoft user. And I‘d appreciate any suggestions. I might be listed as jrmowrey@charter.com also. I’ll be needing my Emsisoft renewal before long if I make it. I’m 90 now. Thank you and have a good day.
Our Answer
Hi Jim. Thanks so much for your support and your kind words.
The Group Policy Editor (GPEdit.MSC) is available natively only on Windows 10 Professional and Windows 11 Professional See this Microsoft page.
Group Policy Editor is in Windows 10 Pro (and Windows 11 Pro) because it is designed for businesses and small companies to set group policies across multiple computers. In order to use the Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 Home (and Windows 11 Home) you have to use a Windows hack, like the one we outlined here. to enable the Group Policy Editor on Windows 10 Home and/or Windows 11 Home.
We hope this helps you and answers your question, Jim.
——-
Jim wrote back: “Thanks TC. I had visited a similar web page before and had no luck. But this time I must have done something right and got gpedit.MSC working. This .bat file seemed to be different than the one I was trying before. I’ve saved the link you sent me in my Cloudeight folder in Bookmarks. Thanks again, and give Darcy a big hug. Ole Jim…”
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Our Cloudeight SeniorPass is a great deal. You get unlimited support for one full year from the date you first use your SeniorPass. We can help keep your computer running well, fix all kinds of computer problems, clean up malware, and a whole lot more. Our SeniorPass is like having insurance for your computer. And it’s only $99 for an entire year.
To learn more about our SeniorPass, please see this page.
Margaret asks us to check out a video editor
Hello Darcy and TC. I am hoping you will be able to find the time (I actually have no idea how that could be possible with ALL you do. Crazy!) to check this and decide if it would be a good addition for those working with videos:
https://filmora.wondershare.net/filmora-video-editor.html
Thanks! Margaret
Our answer
Hi Margaret. I have never heard of Filmora Video Editor, but I have heard of Wondershare. So, I took the Flimora installer to VirusTotal and checked it with 71 antivirus/antimalware programs. None of the 71 found any malware, virus, or anything bad in it. You can see the results of the scan here.
Generally, but not always, freeware is the vector of choice for malware bundlers. Filmora Video Editor is not freeware, it’s trialware, and if you want to keep using it you have to pay at least $39.95 per year.
So it looks like it’s a yay for Filmora Video Editor – as long as you realize it’s only free to download and try (trialware). If you want to keep it, it’s not free. They do a good job of downplaying that on the download page.
I hope this helps you!
———-
Margaret wrote back: “Thank you TC. I really thought this was free but for me, this would be closer to $55. per year. Thank you for checking it, though. Good to know it appears to be clean for those who will buy it. Margaret.”
Loretta says Bing has taken over
Bing keeps taking over my Google Chrome. I removed it from the list but still happening. Someone said I should use Reimage to check it out. Please do you have an answer? Thank you, Loretta.
Our answer
Hi Loretta. Bing is a Microsoft search engine. I am guessing you added a Bing toolbar (extension) or some other extension to Chrome that keeps switching your search engine. It could be a search engine hijacker.
Try this:
1. Type CHROME://EXTENSIONS in the Chrome address bar & press “Enter”
2. Disable or remove any extension that contains the word Bing or Search
You can also remove Bing from the list of search engines available in Chrome.
1. Type CHROME://SETTINGS/SEARCH in the Chrome address bar & press “Enter”
2. Make sure your default search engine is set to Google.
3. After you click “Manage search engines, you can remove Bing from the list of available search engines, if you choose to do so.
If the above doesn’t stop Bing, reset Chrome by following the instructions on this page.
Resetting Chromes returns Chrome to its defaults. Keep in mind this does not remove bookmarks. It disables all extensions, clears Chrome history and cache, and restores Chrome to its factory defaults.
Reimage is malware in our opinion. It’s scammy and it can mess up your computer. Our advice is don’t use it. It’s certainly not the miracle cure it claims to be. If you have installed it, we recommend you uninstall it ASAP.
Jean is wondering if a call she got from Amazon is legitimate
Hi, I’m just wondering if a phone call I received at 11.30 pm last night was genuine or a hack because it was just like how the hacks work ie took a while to answer, then said it was a call from Amazon and I just hung up straight away as I do with hackers because I thought this was one and if it was genuine, wouldn’t they have called me again, but they haven’t. Thanks so much for all the help you give members. Kindest regards, Jean.
Our answer
Hi Jean. Thanks for your nice comments.
Amazon, Microsoft, Google, etc. will never call you – the only exception to this would be if you had a problem and had been working with them or in the case of Microsoft you scheduled a call with them. None of these companies would call you out of the blue.
Keep in mind it’s easy for hackers and con artists to change the “Calling From” number to anything they want. This is called “spoofing” and with the right software, it’s easy to do.
Anyone calling you for a legitimate purpose would leave a message if you didn’t answer. And if you don’t have voicemail or an answering machine, they would certainly call you back.
You did the right thing.
Cheryl wants to know if we offer computer care and repair services for business computers
I was wondering if you offer your computer repair keys for a business computer.
Our answer
Hi Cheryl. We can work on any computer, business or personal. There is no difference in charges for personal vs business computers.
Just visit https://thundercloud.net/direct/ to learn more about our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care service.
I hope this answers your question. Thanks for asking.
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Jason’s friend fell for a tech support scam
The Secretary of my Masonic Lodge told the members he contacted a company that he saw an ad for to clean a “virus” out of his computer. They sold him a lifetime plan where they would get into his computer and clean out any virus they found and do this every 3 months for life. It was $699.00.
I told him he not only got ripped off but they probably put a key logger into his computer. Because he just did this a week ago, I told him how to get out of it and told him about Emsisoft. I also just emailed him your latest newsletter to read. Hopefully, he will call me and not only sign up with you but get Emsisoft with you. He may also get a key with you to clean out the program from this other company and look for any key logger that I suspect may be on his computer.
Our answer
Hi Jason. Tell him to contact his credit card company IMMEDIATELY, dispute the charge, and put in a fraud report These are scams, and he could buy a new computer (or even TWO) for what he paid them. The credit card company will always take the side of the consumer.
Thanks for recommending us. And if and when he comes our way and we certainly will do all we can to help him.
Terry wants to know if we’d recommend this tip for password-protecting a folder
Would you recommend this: https://www.ilovefreesoftware.com/07/tutorial/password-protect-folder-windows-10-without-tool.html.
Is it an easy-to-break password?
Our answer
Hi Terry. I never understood why anyone would want to password-protect a folder. If you have folders you want to protect, password-protect your Windows user account and log out when you’re not using your computer. If you have other people using your computer, then separate and create accounts for them.
If you password-protect your Windows user account all you have to do is press Windows Key+ L to lock your computer. Then a password or PIN is required to log back in. That way no one can access any folders.
Sometimes those little “tricks” like password protecting a folder without using any software are just to show that it can be done. But if you don’t trust those who have access to your computer or don’t want people accessing a certain folder, how hard is it to press Windows Key + L whenever you’re not using your computer? Your computer’s locked, and no one can access any files, folders, or anything else on your computer without knowing your PIN or Windows password.
Sidney lost the Windows Photos app on Windows 10 and wants it back
Last night when I went to bed, everything on my computer was working correctly. This morning, after the backup was complete, I tried to open a picture with my default, Photo App. Nothing opened and I got an Error message. I have looked at the menu and programs, and it is not listed. I went to Microsoft to download the program and was told it is already on my computer. I still can’t find it even searching, and still can’t get the photos to open without going to another program. I have downloaded the My Photos App, but I liked the original better. HELP!
Our answer
Hi Sidney. Try re-registering the Photos app.
Perform the following steps in order:
1. Type POWERSHELL in the taskbar search.
2. In search results click on Windows PowerShell and select Run as administrator.
3. Copy & paste the following command into Powershell and press Enter:
Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.Windows.Photos | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}
Let the command run and finish.
4. Close Windows PowerShell.
5. Restart your computer.
Let us know if this helps.
———-
Sidney wrote back: “I got it back!!!! THANK YOU. You are the best ever.“
Ellen wants a free program to open special zip files
I am hoping that you can help me find a free Zip file opener. I can not open some of the zip files that I get for my embroidery projects. Thank you so much… Ellen
Our answer
Hi Ellen. We don’t know what type of compressed files you have, but we can tell you that 7-Zip is a free program that opens almost every kind of compressed (zip ) file including GZ and RAR.
You can download it free from http://www.7-zip.org.
There’s a 32-bit version and a 64-bit version. If you don’t know whether your Windows 10 PC is 32-bit or 64-bit, do this: Type ABOUT in the taskbar search and press Enter. Look under “Device Specifications” and then “System type”.
Jan can’t see all her Chrome extensions
Hi. I have one question which I think more people than I would like a solution to. I prefer using Google Chrome and as you know there is (like Firefox) a possibility to add different extensions. I think I have more than 20 of them installed but I can only see the icons of about 10 of them. There is no more place to show them. Is it possible to add more space so I can see all of them? Time for your magic fingers again? Best regards, Jan
Our answer
Hi, Jan. There is only so much room to show icons for extensions as space is limited by the size of the address bar. You cannot increase the space to show more icons for extensions.
In Chrome if you want to see all your extensions, click on the 3-vertical dots in the top right. From the dropdown menu, click “More tools” then click “Extensions”. All your extensions will appear on that page.
You can also type chrome://extensions in the address bar to open the extensions page which looks like this.
But remember this: Having too many extensions can degrade browser performance and cause problems as each extension uses memory. If Chrome’s performance starts to slow or Chrome stops working correctly, you might want to cut down the number of extensions that are installed. Also, browser extensions are a favorite item for malware makers to bundle with freeware installers. Always be careful and make sure you’re not using a PUP or malware extension.
An Unadvertised Special (Sorta) – Spring Cleaning for Your Computer
We are offering this sort of “unadvertised” special to everyone who visits our Cloudeight InfoAve Website over the Easter weekend. From now through Easter Monday (10 April 2023) you can still take advantage of our very popular and inexpensive Spring Cleanup Special. Get more information here!
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