Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers – 080324
It’s another summer Saturday and it’s 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 – 080324
Robert was upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11
Can you restore my computer to an earlier time? I logged on today and everything was gone. I previously had Windows 10 and it was upgraded to the new Windows (Windows 11).
Our answer
Hi Robert. You cannot use System Restore to restore your computer to an earlier time when you have upgraded (or been upgraded) to a new version of Windows. The only ways you can do this are:
1. If it’s been less than 10 days you can go back to the previous version of Windows.
2. If it’s been more than 10 days, you can try a system reset.
Please see this page if it’s been less than 10 days since you upgraded to a new version of Windows.
The instructions on that page are pretty simple, but if you still need help, please let us know
Benoit wonders if it’s better to leave a computer running all the time or to shut it down daily
I was having a heated discussion with one of my geek friends: Is it better to leave our computers running all the time and just reboot after an update or turn it off daily?
Our answer
Hi Benoit. We have had that discussion ourselves! We both leave our computers running 24/7. The only time we reboot is when it’s necessary – for instance when a Windows update requires it.
If we’re going to be away for a few days, we shut our computers down in case of a storm.
Here is an article we wrote some time ago.
Euan wants to know if Windows 10 has predictive text features like Smartphones
Is there a way to write emails on my computer that will automatically show up the words that are similar to the suggested ones that I am looking for as it does with Predictive Text? Just similar to what it does with mobile phones? Many thanks to you and good wishes.
Our answer
Hi Euan. Windows 10 offers a predictive text feature. Whether or not it works with your email program depends on the email program.
Here’s how to enable text prediction in Windows 10.
I hope this helps you, Euan.
—–
Euan wrote back, “It works! Many, many thanks. Euan.”
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Ron wants to know if a program called Hacker Alert is any good.
Hi guys. Have you ever heard of Hacker Alert? Any opinions on it? This email is from our internet provider. We already have Emsisoft. Thanks, Ron
Our answer
Hi Ron. Don’t waste your money. This is just a way for your ISP to get more money from you by selling you something you don’t need. If this kind of thing worked, Yahoo, Experian, and some of the biggest companies and government agencies would not be getting hacked.
I remember the banks were talked into getting customers to sign up for Rapport which was supposed to keep them from getting hacked. Heck, the banks were even giving that away free as an additional “service”, kind of like free checking. All it did was cause problems with computers. Darcy and I removed Rapport from dozens of computers- it was not easy to get rid of it either. It sounds like your ISP is trying to make this sound like a great deal – an additional “service’ you can get for only $47.88 a year. My advice: Take that money and buy a nice dinner.
The chance of an individual getting hacked is one in tens of millions. People get tricked into giving criminals passwords and personal information – or they use easy-to-guess passwords like “password”, “1234567”, “abcdef”, etc. (and we’re not kidding). Individuals don’t get hacked.
Save your money, Ron.
———
Ron wrote back: “Hi, TC. Thank you for the quick and very helpful reply. I was suspicious of what my provider was offering but wanted the opinion of someone in the know. I am glad I checked with you. You guys are great! Thanks, again. Ron.
David wants to know if we still recommend RoboForm
Some years ago, you advocated RoboForm as – among other things – a ‘Log-In’ saver.
I have recently been encountering problems with this and RoboForm help has only really told me to make sure RoboForm was enabled in ‘Edge’ even though my present Browser is Google Chrome.
Are you still promoting RoboForm for saving ‘log-ins’ or do you suggest something different?
Your reply will be greatly appreciated as always!
Our answer
Hi David. Edge and Chrome can use the same extensions – both Chromium browsers. Here is the Google Store page for the free version of RoboForm for Google Chrome.
Darcy still uses RoboForm and it’s one of three password managers we recommend. I use Bitwarden on my newer laptop and LastPass on my older laptop although I’m switching the old laptop to Bitwarden also since I can use the free version of Bitwarden on my tablet and smartphone too.
The three we recommend are…
We hope this helps you, David.
Jim has only two entries on his Windows 10 “Send to” menu
When I right-click a folder or file on my computer, my “send to” link only has the choice of Bluetooth. How do I get more on it?
Our answer
Hi Jim. This problem is usually caused by having two Bluetooth entries in the “Send to” folder. One of them is correct, the other is not. To fix your “Send to” menu problem, you have to delete the one that is not correct.
Open File Explorer and click on “View” at the top. Then click on the arrow under Options (on the far right) and choose “Change folder and search options”. In the Folder Options dialog, click on the “View” tab at the top and make sure “View hidden files, folders, and drives” is selected. If not, select it and click Apply/OK.
Next, navigate to…
C:\Users\<your user name>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
Above… you can see I only have one Bluetooth entry: “Bluetooth device”. But if you have two (one may be called just Bluetooth) it can stop the other entries from showing in the “Send to” list. So, I am just guessing you have two entries with “Bluetooth” in their names. If you do, delete the second one. Restart your computer and your right-click menu should have a lot more items.
Please let me know if this works for you.
—–
Jim wrote back: “Hi TC. It worked! You are awesome. Keep up the good work. Jim”
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Marsha said Bing has hijacked her browser
Thank you, guys, for all the wonderful tips for us oldsters and how to keep things up and running. I do have a question and if anyone has a solution, you most certainly will. Bing has hijacked my browser whenever I open a new tab. I have tried various solutions found in searches including using the Regedit feature. Nothing works! Please help me defeat the Microsoft Overlord! Thank you, Marsha
Our answer
Hi Marsha. I am guessing that you installed something that also installed the BING browser extension. Since you’re using Chrome, I’ll save you some time…
Follow the instructions on this page to reset Chrome – and that will get rid of the Bing hijacker.
—–
Marsha wrote back: “Thank you, thank you, thank you! Your suggestion fixed the hijacked browser. You have defeated the Microsoft Overlord. I bow down to your knowledge. Marsha.”
Roberta gets a list of irrelevant “trending” Google searches in Chrome
Hi! When I search the search bar on Google Chrome, I get a list of what is called trending searches in a drop-down. This just started yesterday. The trending searches in the list are not relevant.
Our answer
Hi Roberta. It sounds like you installed an unwanted extension. So, the best way to fix this is to follow the instructions below:
Reset Chrome and clear its history by following the instructions on this page.
After you reset Chrome, close it and reopen it. You should not see any “trending” because “trending” is not part of Google search on Windows.
——
Roberta wrote back: “Thanks so very much, TC. You two are just awesome GOD BLESS! Roberta.”
Charles just updated Windows and now File Explorer won’t open
I just updated my Windows 10 with the latest updates. Now, when I open Task Manager it won’t stay open. It flashes for a second and then disappears. Help, please.
Our answer
Hi Charles, try this. Power off your computer – shut it completely down. Leave your computer completely powered off for five minutes and then turn it back on.
Now, wait until Windows has completely loaded. After Windows has completely opened, try opening Task Manager. I think you’ll find will stay open for you.
Once you shut down/power off and wait a few minutes, memory is cleared and nagging problems like yours are sometimes solved.
Let me know if you need more help.
———–
Charles wrote back: “You were right! I tried your solution and Task Manager is working perfectly. Thank you very much! Charles.”
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Mildred is getting a new computer and wants to know if she needs a PDF program
Buying a computer is a serious business and I have chosen the one I prefer. Do I need a PDF program such as Adobe or Foxit which is an add-on and pricey? Some government documents (income tax forms and such) come in PDF. Can they be printed off without a PDF file program? Your thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks…Mildred
Our answer
Hi Mildred. You don’t need a PDF program like Adobe or Foxit… you can open and print PDF files with your browser. Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, and most other browsers can open PDF files and do it well. We use our browser to open PDF files. Also, note that Windows 11 comes with Microsoft Edge so if you’re getting a new computer with Windows 11 – you don’t have to download anything to open PDF files.
We hope this helps you, Mildred.
Leora asks about screensavers and wallpaper
I don’t fully understand the difference between screen savers and Wallpaper. I always use wallpaper and change it a lot. What is the purpose of a screen saver?
Gayle does not want to use PayPal
Hi Again. I want to purchase your SeniorPass but I do not want to use PayPal. I just want to use my credit card But when I try to buy a SeniorPass it only gives me the option to use PayPal. Is that my only option?
Our answer
Hi Gale. You don’t have to use PayPal, you can use any credit or debit card. PayPal in that case is just our credit card processor.
When you click the Buy Now button at https://thundercloud.net/direct/2018/senior/ you’ll go to a page with the item name “SeniorPass” and the price – and a big blue “Continue” button. When you click “Continue” you’ll see this…
All you have to do is click “Pay with Debit or Credit Card” and you’ll be able to skip using PayPal and use your credit or debit card. When you do this, PayPal acts only as a credit card processor for us.
We look forward to helping you soon.
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