Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers – 071523
July is half-over and summer is flying by. Hope all of you in the northern half of the globe are enjoying the summer. And for our friends living down under, we hope your winter’s been a good one. And, of course, it’s Saturday and time for another edition of our Saturday Bonus Questions & Answers.
Today, as we do every Saturday, 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 – 071523
James wants his browser to open in a large window
Hi. How to make my browser open with a large window instead of a tiny one?
Our answer
Hi James. Open your browser and make the window the size you want it. Then hold down the shift key and while holding it down, click the x in the top-right corner to close the browser window. From then on when you open your browser it will be the size it was when you closed it.
I hope this helps you.
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James wrote back: “Thank you, thank you, thank you! That’s exactly what I wanted to do!”
Mona wants to know how to completely wipe her laptop before giving it away
I have recently purchased a new computer, and the laptop that I had been using will have a new owner soon. I wish to give the laptop to someone who can use it. I have wiped that laptop, keeping Windows 10 on it. I can’t remember how to get my name and MS account off that computer. It seems that I have read an item in your newsletter regarding this procedure, but can’t find it. I would appreciate a link to any information that will help me.
Our answer
Hi Mona. Thanks so much.
Read this Cloudeight article. It explains how to wipe all the data from your hard drive including your name and user accounts. It wipes everything and then reinstalls Windows 10. Whoever you give the computer to, will have to set up their user account just like they would do if it were a new computer.
If you need more help, please let us know.
Jim wants to create a recovery drive for his new computer
I just purchased a new laptop with a 1 TB hard drive but no Optical drive. Should I create a USB recovery drive or a USB boot drive? I have created an ISO image as of today on a USB hard drive but should I also create a boot or recovery USB drive as mentioned above?
Our answer
Hi Jim. Computers that do not have optical drives (CD/DVD drives) have the BIOS set up to boot from bootable flash drives. So you can create a bootable Windows 10 installation flash drive by going to this page:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
On that page click on the button labeled “Download tool now”. You’ll be able to create a Windows 10 installation flash drive using the tool.
We recommend you create a Windows 10 installation flash drive. It has everything a recovery drive has and more and it’s bootable. You can boot your computer from it, use troubleshooting tools, and even do a reset or repair installation using it. And since your computer has no optical drives, its BIOS is already set to boot from a bootable flash drive.
I hope this helps you, Jim.
Roger wants to know how to find the password for his modem/router
Hi, Darcy & TC. I know you answered this question in a previous Cloudeight Weekly newsletter but I can’t find it. Can you please tell us again how to find the password key for a Modem/Router? Cheers, Roger.
Our answer
Hi Roger. If you’re looking to find the password for a modem/router … see our article here.
If you’re looking to find your wireless password … see our article here.
And here’s another tip – anytime you’re looking for something you saw in one of our newsletters, you can usually find it fast by using the search feature on our InfoAve website.
If you need any more help, just let us know.
Bonnie’s text size on her Windows 10 PC suddenly became very tiny
Hi Darcy and TC. It’s me again, bugging you two. How do I change the font size in my control panel and the font size on the start button panel etc.? It’s so small I can barely read it. It all started yesterday I don’t know if it’s something I did or what. But it is tiny! Thanks and God bless, Bonnie
Our answer
Hi Bonnie. Thanks! To fix your tiny font problem, do this…
Press & hold down the Windows key and tap the U key. This opens the Ease of Access Settings app.
Under Display > Make text bigger. Use the slider to make it as big as you need it to be.
Click “Apply” and that’s it.
You may have to restart your computer to see the changes.
—————–
Bonnie wrote back: “Thank you so much. It’s working now. I have no idea what I did wrong, but it had to be me hitting the wrong button and the wrong time. Thanks again, Bonnie.”
Don’t have a Cloudeight SeniorPass? It’s a great deal. Learn more here.
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.
Uwe asks about Microsoft telemetry
Hi folks: Thanks for the tip on Winaero Tweaker. I disabled Windows 10 Telemetry (prevent Windows 10 from Phoning home) since I don’t like Windows spying on me. Is there a risk to Windows’ performance in doing this? Please advise. Thanks. Uwe.
Our answer
Hi Uwe. Remember this, telemetry exists for Microsoft’s benefit and not for yours – at least not directly. They claim they use it to improve Windows and while that may be true, it’s not going to harm your computer to turn telemetry off. And keep in mind that you can always turn it back on if turning it off has an undesired effect on your Windows 10 computer.
Personally, with a billion users, I am not too concerned about what Microsoft collects. It would be a company-wrecking disaster for MS if they were discovered using private info collected by Windows 10 telemetry for anything untoward.
Vari wants to know how to save important emails in Gmail
Hi, I am not sure if this is a suitable question for you both but I thought I would try! I would like to save some very important emails in Gmail and wonder what is the best way to do this. I would like them to be all in one folder and easily accessible. I have never done something like this before so not sure how easy it is or if it is possible. Sorry if this is a very basic question but I have not needed help with this before now so I hope you can help. Many thanks for all your wonderful newsletters and tips. Vari.
Our answer
Hi Vari. Thanks so much for your kind comments!
You can save any label (folder) in Gmail by using Google Takeout. Read our article here.
That article describes how to back up your entire Google account – but you can back up a specified Gmail label (folder) too. All of your Gmail emails are stored in the folder “All mail”.
I hope this helps you!
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Vari wrote back: “Thank you TC. Just what I wanted! I was sure you would have the answer! …
Donna wants to know more about Grammarly
I keep seeing advertisements for Grammarly. Is it a safe website? Can I download it and feel safe?
Our answer
Hi Donna. We use Grammarly every week to help edit the Premium newsletter and every post on our InfoAve site. It’s a great program. The free version works very well; the professional version offers more help and suggestions (passive/active voice, word choice, punctuation). For most people, the free version should be good enough. Just remember, with the free version you will be regularly reminded to buy the pro version – but it’s not too naggy.
Duane has some questions about SeniorPass and Emsisoft
If I sign up for SeniorPass and have Emsisoft installed, does the service clock start for the $99.00 payment on the sign-up date? And what happens with Emsisoft after the initial free three-month license expires? Is there a payment for this software at that point? If so, how much? Also, we have a desktop and a laptop. Would we pay $99.00 for a SeniorPass for each computer? And separate Emsisoft payments, too? My cousin recommends your service highly. Thanks for answering my questions. Duane W.
Our answer
Hi Duane. As to your question about SeniorPass, day one starts with the first repair session you have, and it is good for one full year from the date you first use it.
As for Emsisoft, renewal is $25, but if you plan to use it on 2 or 3 computers, we also offer a multi-PC license for $40 for a one-year renewal.
Don’s new laptop has USB-type C ports
I have a new laptop and it has a USB type C port. What is that to be used for? I only have regular USB gadgets. Will they work in that port, or would I have fireworks if I plugged a regular USB into it? I like so many rely on your advice.
Our answer
Hi Don, thank you. Assuming your new laptop also has a standard USB port for your regular USB devices, you are good to go. USB C ports are faster and many of the new USB devices are using the Type C USB protocol. If you need the extra port, you can buy an adapter so you can use your regular USB devices with the USB C port(s) on your laptop. These adapters are generally around $10 (or less). Here is one I found on Amazon
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David says WinZip is telling him his drivers are outdated
Hi. The Microsoft Update 2 days ago really messed up my printer which I was using at the time. I should not have received an ‘update’ during the day as I had requested them to be done outside of the daytime hours when I am using my computer. I rechecked this setting and sure enough, it had been changed without my knowledge. I reset it again.
Microsoft must have realized it had messed things up as a special update was issued overnight and this morning my printer was back again. I have contacted Epson and downloaded and installed the latest drivers. I keep getting a notice from ‘WinZip File Updater’ that a number of drivers are out of date and I would like to know if you approve of this ‘Updater’ before I proceed. All the Best & Stay safe. David.
Our answer
Hi David. WinZip is malware you need to get rid of it. Never update your drivers unless you’re having problems – and not just with the printer.
If you should ever have problems with your printer after an update or otherwise, unplug your printer, remove your printer from your computer (in Settings > “Bluetooth and devices”) then restart your computer. Next, go to your printer manufacturer’s website and download the installation software for your printer. (Do not search for the software and drivers … go directly to the manufacturer’s website (i.e. hp.com, canon.com, etc.) After you’ve downloaded the installation software for your printer, plug your computer back in and install it the same way you installed it when the printer was new.
Again, never rely on WinZip – it’s worthless software at best and possibly malware at worst. WinZip was a good company until Microsoft changed Windows (beginning with Windows XP) so you could unzip zipped files on Windows without any third-party programs. WinZip took a huge financial hit and decided to follow the useless scammy software path which borders on malware.
We hope this helps you, David.
Sandi says her Windows drive (C:) is full
I’d like to say that you two have gotten me out of several jams and I don’t know where I’d be without you. I have nothing but good things to say about you. So with that said, now I have a bigger problem. ‘ve just noticed that my C: Drive is full. What are my options and can I take care of it myself? Thank you so much for being there for us. Sandi
Our Answer
Thank you, Sandi. Here’s something that might help you.
Open File Explorer and find Drive C then Right-click on it and choose Properties. Let me know how free space it shows. You may have plenty of space and the warning is just an errant message.
After you do that…
Type Disk Cleanup in the taskbar search and press Enter (or click it) when Disk Cleanup appears in the search results.
When Windows Disk Cleanup appears, you’ll see a dialog asking which drive you want to clean up. It will default to C: drive, and that’s fine.
Next, click OK to let it scan your C drive. It will take a few seconds to scan your C: drive. When it’s done it will show you a list of files that you can clean using Disk Cleanup. But don’t worry about that now. Near the bottom of that dialog, you’ll see a button that says “Clean up system files”. Click on that button.
Again, Windows will ask what drive you want to clean up, it will default to “C”. Leave it set to drive C and click OK. Wait a few minutes for Windows to scan your drive. When it’s done you’ll see another dialog. You’ll need to scroll down to see “Previous Windows installation(s)”.
Tick the box next to “Previous Windows installation(s)”, then click OK. Windows Disk Cleanup will begin the process of cleaning up and removing the Windows.old folder. Be patient. This will take some time.
After you do this, go back to File Explorer, find your C Drive, right-click on it, choose “Properties” and see how much free space you have.
We hope this helps you, Sandi.
Nancy’s husband’s desktop is having monitor issues
Hi. Thank you very much for being there for all of us that aren’t as tech knowledgeable as you are. My question is this: My husband’s monitor is going to a black screen for a second or two while looking at any site, we still have audio and the picture comes back after a second or two, no internet connection is lost, and the computer stays on, it’s happening on and off, no specific time, this has been occurring for about two months I would say, now last evening we tried different things that were recommended from a Google search, like, checking cables are connected properly, doing a Windows Update check and we looked for a driver update also for the monitor, we did all these things, but it’s still doing it. It is a Lenovo desktop computer running Windows 10. Is there anything that you could suggest for us to try and fix this problem? I have the same computer and am running Windows 10 also, mine is fine. Thanks in advance, Nancy and Rob.
Our answer
Hi Nancy. Do you have another monitor you can try? Or does the desktop have an HDMI output that will allow you to connect it to a TV? If you can connect the desktop to a different monitor or TV you can then determine if the desktop’s monitor is going bad.
I can’t imagine it would be a driver issue. It Is more likely a video card going bad or the monitor failing. If you try the desktop with a different monitor or TV screen, and you don’t have any problems you’ll know it’s the monitor and not the video card, the PC itself. You can then replace the monitor.
We hope this helps you, Nancy.
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I have just been given an old laptop for my hobby work ,it has been cleaned up but i have a problem . When i try to enter my email address and come to holding down the shift key and pressing the 2 key which should give me the@ sign ,this is what comes up” so i have had to hold down the shift key and press on the itallics key to get the@.How do i change it to what it used to be. look forward to your reply Claude.
Claude we answered you via email since you asked this questions using our web form.