Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers – 110924
Time is flying and the Holiday season is just around the corner. And it’s Saturday and time for another edition of Saturday Bonus Questions and 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 – 110924
Carla wants a free program to open 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 art and embroidery projects. Thank you! Carla.
Our answer
Hi Carla. We don’t know what type of zip files you have, but we can tell you that 7-Zip can open just about any type of compressed (zip ) file there is, including GZ and RAR.
And it’s free. You can download it from https://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”.
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Carla wrote back: “Thanks so much! That’s exactly what I was looking for. 7-Zip works great! Thanks again! Carla”
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NOTE: Windows 11 now has native support for RAR files.
Diane needs help and is willing to reinstall Windows if necessary
Hi TC or Darcy. I noticed a problem in a ‘Word’ type program 4 or 5 days ago, thought it was the program so I switched but I still have the problem. Then, yesterday when I decided to try a System Restore, it told me I have no restore points even though I created one not long ago. And .now, when I plug in my external drive, where I keep my backups, my laptop doesn’t recognize it. I hate to send this off anywhere, so I figured maybe you can help me. If you suggest a re-install of Windows for me, that’s ok. I don’t keep much on here anyway. I download/save everything to an external drive…so I wouldn’t mind losing what is on here. I’d just have to re-install programs, which isn’t hard. I appreciate any help you can give me! Dianne.
Our answer
Hi Dianne. If you don’t mind doing a reset that would be the fastest and more certain fix. The only thing you’d lose by doing a reset would be any programs you installed. A reset saves all your files. A reset takes about an hour and it’s easy to do.
I can get it started for you – but I would not be able to stay connected to your PC through to the conclusion because it Windows Reset disconnects from the internet and then restarts the PC several times during the process.
Here’s our tutorial on doing a Windows 10 reset…
How to Reset Windows 10 and Keep All Your Files, Apps, and Programs.
If you would feel more comfortable if we started the reset process for you, I’d be glad to help you with it – it only takes a few minutes to start the process.
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Dianne wrote back: “Thank you, TC! I was able (finally!) to make a flash drive with Windows on it–and did the reset. Had to choose the whole thing…so it will take me a while to add some apps. But it’s all good now! I’m going to post more praise in the NOTH computer group, want everyone to know you helped me figure it out. Dianne.”
Ed wants to know if he should reinstall SuperAntiSpyware
I will be setting up a new computer for my wife since hers died the other day. I was wondering in your opinion, is it worth reinstalling SuperAntiSpyware? I have had the program (lifetime key) on our computers since 2011 and I have had a slight problem with it since my new computer, asking me to upgrade every time I boot my machine, and was not very happy with their customer service to try and remedy the problem, seems they did not want to bother since I paid for it so long ago. We have had Emsisoft for many years and are happy with that program. So I’m not sure about installing SuperAntiSpyware on hers and opening her up to the same annoying popup.
Our answer
Hi Ed. SuperAntiSpyware used to be one of our recommended programs. But the company that makes it was sold many years ago and SuperAntiSpyware isn’t the same anymore.
These days, spyware is grouped with the general category of malware. One of the reasons we recommend Emsisoft is because it replaces things like SuperAntiSpyware, Malwarebytes, etc. So, we recommend that you DO NOT install SuperAntiSpyware. And we would also recommend you uninstall it from the other computer.
We can fix your Windows computer… check out our low prices here!
Diane B. wants to know if Guardio is good to use
I am wondering if you recommend Guardio Chrome Extension. I already use Emsisoft. Would this be a good extension to use? Do you recommend it?
Our answer
Hi Diane. We do not recommend Guardio. Guardio makes promises it cannot possibly keep (like so many other scammy products) and all those “we protect you from everything” type promises that are so typical of scammy products only give users a false sense of security.
Nothing can automatically protect you from everything and anything that tells you it can isn’t being honest. So, while Guardio may not be a scam, it makes promises it cannot possibly keep. Also, Guardio is expensive if you opt for the full version Our advice? Steer clear of it. It borders on being a scam.
We hope this helps you make a good decision, Diane.
Terry has problems opening MS Edge from its taskbar shortcut
After spending weeks experimenting with various email programs, I decided to leave well enough alone and continue with Windows 11 Mail. More recently, I’ve spent a couple of days trying to get my MS Edge browser to behave and open even. Each time I select the icon from the Task Bar I get the following pop-up: I can’t screen cap and post the message here for some reason so I’ll type it:
C:AppDataRoamingMicrosoftInternetExplorerQuickLaunchUserPinnedTaskBarMicrosoftEdgeLink: The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect. Please see the applications event log or use the command line XSXTRACE.EXE tool for more detail.
I’ve tried to figure this out and have attempted a few times with no positive results. So, as usual, I require your help in restoring my MS Edge. Thank you again, Terry.
Our answer
Hi Terry. Here’s the easiest way to fix that.
Unpin the shortcut from your taskbar and create a new one. To unpin the shortcut, right-click on it and choose “Unpin from taskbar”.
Next, open File Explorer (Windows key + E) and navigate to “C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application”. Find the file named msedge.exe and right-click on it. From the menu that opens, click “Show more options”, then click “Pin to taskbar”.
Now try opening Edge by clicking on the new taskbar shortcut (icon).
We hope this solves the problem for you, Terry.
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Tom has problems finding Gmail’s Spam folder
I cannot find any Spam folder in my Gmail account. Help! Thanks in advance, Tom.
Our answer
Hi Tom. Gmail is the same for everyone and everyone with Gmail has a spam folder. But not everyone has the same folder list – some have more folders than others. If you don’t see the spam folder, click “more” at the bottom of the folder list on the left-hand side after you log in to your Gmail account. Here’s a screenshot to help you.
When you click on “More” you’ll see more folders and items, one of them will be your Gmail Spam folder. See below:
Hope this helps you, Tom.
Reggie has a problem with Windows 10 File History
I have been backing up my computer using File History as you recommended and it’s been working great. All of a sudden now I’m getting a message that the File History drive has been disconnected. I have unplugged and plugged in my external drive and even tried different USB ports, but I still get the error message. I’m hoping you can help me – I really need my backup to work Thanks, Reggie.
Our answer
Hi Reggie. We suggest that you reset your Windows File History. We’ve uploaded a couple of files to help make this easy for you – and anyone else who has this problem.
Download this Cloudeight zip file.
Unzip the file. There are two files inside. One is a batch (.bat) file and one is a Visual Basic script (.vbs). You should only need to run the batch file (double-click it to run).
Here are the complete instructions.
1. Unplug the external drive
2. Unzip the file above and double-click on the batch file.
3. Restart your PC
4. Plug in your external
5. Try setting up file history.
If this does not work, then go back and follow the instructions above, only this time double-click on the VBS script (in the zip file) instead of the batch file.
Let us know if this solves your problem.
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Reggie wrote back…” Thanks so much for your help! File History is working perfectly again! Thanks again, Reggie.”
Marilyn says Google Drive is making her computer life miserable
Two days ago, I accidentally installed Google Drive on my laptop. It seems to have taken over everything, as I gave it permission to access Desktop and another critical folder!
Whenever I open a file now using Open Office, which I’ve used for years, when I close that file, instead of just closing the file, it sends it to Google Drive trash! These are important files. My question is: Can I safely uninstall Google Drive? Thanks so very much; my husband has been a subscriber of yours for years!
Our answer
Hi Marilyn, thanks for your long-time support.
You can safely uninstall Google Drive. Type APPS in the taskbar search. When you see “Apps & features” appear in the search results click “Open” (or just press Enter). You’ll see a list of installed apps & programs. Scroll down to find Backup and Sync from Google, which is the “official” name for the Google Drive app. Click on it then click Uninstall and follow the steps to remove it from your computer.
We hope this helps you, Marilyn.
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Save $14 on Reg Organizer right now!
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