Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers – 120322
It’s the first Saturday in December and Christmas is just over three weeks away. Before getting my Christmas shopping done today, I did remember that it is Saturday and 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 – 120322
Susan asks about Windows Live Essentials for Windows 10
Quite a while ago you mentioned a place we could download Windows Live Essentials. Can you tell me the link? Thanks so much, Susan.
Our answer
Hi Susan. The article we wrote about Windows Live Essentials was written about downloading and installing Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Movie Maker (part of Live Essentials). You can read that article here. Remember that Windows Movie Maker and Photo Gallery are no longer supported by Microsoft. But we did test them both on Windows 10 and they worked fine at the time we tested them.
We hope this helps you, Susan.
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 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.
——
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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Our Cyberweek prices are good though December 5, 2022.
Rita says the wrong pages open when she starts her browser
I used quickpayportal.com to pay a medical bill and now that site pops up every time I sign on as a start page instead of your Cloudeight start page that I have been using for a long time. How do I get rid of the quick pay site?
Our answer
Hi Rita. You’ll need to reset your Start page. Luckily we have a tutorial on how to set a start page on the most popular browsers. Click the link below.
Our Updated Tutorial on How to Set a Start Page in Your Browser & More – Cloudeight InfoAve
This tutorial shows you how to set a home/start page in your browser – but you can use it to change or reset your start page as well.
We hope this helps you, Rita.
——–
Rita wrote back: “Got it! Thank you so much for helping me once again. Rita”
Terry asks about a possible scam and also about buying a new PC
Hi Friends. I’m curious about a tech firm from far away (I think) that has phoned me several times offering to repair my desktop PC (there’s nothing wrong with it). They maintain I have had several interruptions along my network (how they know this is beyond me) and they would scan my drive and remove all the offenders they found. I don’t know their name but they use a .exe called AnyDesk. I don’t know that app but I do know it would run on my machine and I wasn’t about to have that happen.
Do you have any idea who this tech firm is and what damage could they do to others not familiar with what I think is their scam technique?
On a longer quest: With Windows 11 on the way and my PC getting close to a decade old, what should I look for in a laptop? My current machine is an HP Core 2 Media Centre. It runs at 2.6 Hz with a 500+ hard drive. I have added 2 external WD drives of 1 and 3 Tb and upgraded the RAM from 4 to 8 Gb.
Should whatever I buy have 12 Gb of RAM? A touch screen? How many USB ports? Other ports? What about a CD burner/player? My modem/router is 2.4 and 5 Gb and I think that it will last me for quite some time. I email, surf, and edit photos with my current PC. If you need more info, drop me a few lines of inquiry.
Sorry to take up so much of your valuable time but I don’t want to get stung after the purchase.
Stay healthy and happy,
Our answer
Hi Terry. FYI — AnyDesk is remote connection software allowing someone to connect to your computer remotely.
The answer to the first question is it’s a scam. No one calls you out of the blue to tell you that you have problems with your computer. That would be like someone pretending to be a doctor calling you to tell you that you have health problems. At the very least, you should block the number. You should also report this scam to your local authorities.
As for the new laptop, some questions are your personal preference, such as a touch screen, the size of the screen, etc. The minimum requirements would be a 256GB SSD hard drive or 1 TB HDD, 8 GB of RAM, and a decent multi-core processor (i3, i5, i7, AMD Ryzen, etc.). You should also make sure the processor is supported in Windows 11. The full list of supported Intel processors is here. And the full list of supported AMD processors is here.
Also, I would suggest at least 4 USB ports (with at least one being a USB 3.0 port). You can use your current external drives with any new computer.
We hope this answers your questions, Terry.
Patsy says people are taking pictures of her
How do I find out who is taking pictures of me and my location thru my computer and put a stop to this intrusiveness? I read that Google& Facebook either does it or used to do it. What settings do I need to change? I’ve blocked 3rd parties and done what I thought I should do but the little circles still come up on my screen when I’m working on something.
Our answer
Hi Patsy. I’m betting you learned that people are taking pictures of you from an email or emails, right?
People receive emails that claim their computer has been hacked and that the scammer has obtained compromising recordings or pictures of them. Some versions of the scam have included the person’s passwords for an online account or may appear to have been sent from the person’s own email address or an email address familiar to them.
These are sent out by the millions knowing that enough people will fall for it to make the scammer a lot of money.
Here’s an article we wrote a while ago – it appears this scam is coming back.
You are a very naughty person and I know all about you!
While in rare cases scammers can watch you via your Webcam (if you download and install malware accidentally), you can use a low-tech way of protecting yourself from that scenario by putting a piece of black tape over the lens see this article:
Google and Facebook would be committing financial suicide invading people’s privacy in this way. Don’t believe everything you read on the web,
And the spinning circles? Spinning circles (loading icons) generally mean a program is loading, it does not usually indicate anything malicious is going on.
We hope this helps you, Patsy.
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This offer is valid through Monday, December 5, 2022.
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”.
———
Carla wrote back: “Thanks so much! That’s exactly what I was looking for. 7-Zip works great! Thanks again! Carla”
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.
—–
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.
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This offer is valid through Monday, December 5, 2022.
Walter wants to change the name on the Windows log-in screen
Hi. How do I change the name on the Startup screen from “Owner” to another name? We found out how to change the picture in the circle but not the name below it. Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Respectfully, Walter.
Our answer
Hi Walter. You can change the name on the log-in screen by doing this:
Right-click on the Start button and click “RUN”
In the run box type
CONTROL USERPASSWORDS2
then press Enter.
This will open the User Accounts dialog.
Select the account you want to rename and select Properties…
Look next to “Full name”. If it says OWNER there, change it to what you want.
We hope this helps you, Walter.
——-
Walter wrote back: “Hi TC. Your suggestion was excellent and worked like a champ. Thank you ever so much for taking the time to help me with my problem. You guys are the best. Respectfully, Walter.”
Marian has lost the search bar and wants to know how to run System Restore on Windows 10
I have lost the search bar on the bottom left of my laptop taskbar. Can you tell me how to replace it, please?
Also, I recently lost all the saved pictures on my laptop after taking Microsoft’s advice and backing them up to the cloud, so I typed “System restore” into Cortana, and received the following response: “I am sorry I don’t know the answer to that”. I did finally get them back but had thought System Restore would be the quickest and easiest way out of my dilemma. Does this option no longer exist? Thank you for all your tips, tricks, and advice over the years. Fantastic help.
Our answer
Hi Marian, thanks so much. If the search box or search icon isn’t showing on your taskbar, you can still use the taskbar search by holding down the Windows key and tapping the “S” key.
To put the search bar back on your taskbar do this:
1. Right-click on a blank area of your taskbar.
2. From the menu that appears choose “Search”
3. From the slide-out menu that appears choose “Show search box”.
See the screenshot below:
The fastest way to run System Restore is this:
1. Windows key + R and type RSTRUI into the run box and press Enter.
2. Type RESTRUI into the taskbar search and press Enter.
You can also access System Restore from Settings.
Open Settings.
Click on System.
Click on “About” on the left.
Click on System Protection on the right.
We hope this helps you, Marian.
Sandy needs advice on buying a router
I am getting a fiber-optic connection next month and our phone company told us we had to buy our own router. We have 3 computers, but only run 2 at a time, what would you suggest what kind and brand and coverage to get? I don’t want to buy something I can’t use. I’m not into electronics like you experts are. Thank you for your help.
Our answer
Hi Sandy. It depends on how big your house is and how far away from the router your computers will be. Mesh routers are great for big areas of 3000 square feet or larger. Here’s an example of a mesh router that covers 5500 sq. ft. for around $110.
If you don’t need to cover an area that large, then just about any brand-name router will do. Here’s one for around $35 that has a coverage area of 1200 sq. ft. and supports up to 20 devices.
Most routers will handle 10 or more devices.
The above examples are from Amazon, but you can find similar routers and prices at Walmart, BestBuy, Staples, etc. Routers range from $40 to over $300. But don’t be fooled into believing that the more a router costs the better it will work.
We hope this helps you, Sandy.
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Take advantage of our CyberWeek SeniorPass + Emsisoft Multi-PC license deal right now!
This offer is valid through Monday, December 5, 2022.
Lynnda B. has a keyboard problem
My desktop is only a couple of years old. Not having a particular problem, but just in the last few days, my caps lock key will start blinking. It’s intermittent, and otherwise, I’m not having any pc problems. Is this an area of concern? Is there an easy fix for this?
Our answer
Hi Lynnda. It sounds like the key is sticking or the keyboard is not working correctly. Did you try cleaning the area (spaces) around the key and depressing it multiple times quickly to make sure there is no dirt, dust, or something else in/around the caps lock key?
Try cleaning the area around the key and repeatedly pressing the key 5 or 6 times and see if that helps.
If that doesn’t help, try a different keyboard. If your keyboard uses non-rechargeable batteries, try replacing them.
We hope this helps you, Lynnda.
———-
Lynnda wrote back: “Interesting. My wireless keyboard finally just quit working… So, I replaced the batteries, and voila. It works now.”
Jim wants to know where System Restore is in Windows 10
Where is System Restore in Windows 10?
Our answer
Hi Jim. The fastest way to open System Restore is to type System Restore in the Taskbar search and click “Open” or Enter when “Create a restore point” appears in the search results.
You can also go to Settings > System > System protection. System protection is a link in System settings either on the right edge (if you have Settings open full screen) or near the bottom under “Related settings”.
Or you can open System Restore by typing About in the taskbar search and click “System protection” under “Related settings”.
If you want to restore your computer to a previous date you can run System Restore by using the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut. When the run box opens, type RSTRUI in it and click OK or press Enter.
We hope this helps you, Jim.
Dotty has problems at Windows Startup
Hi there. Recently when I first turn on my computer I get the Google Drive sign-in box and every once in a while I get the Adobe
Flash Player box. My Questions are:
Why am I getting these two popups on sign-in?
How do I get rid of them?
Please help. Thanks, I can always depend on you guys for great help. Have a great day and be safe.
Our answer
Hi Dotty. Thanks for your nice comments.
I cannot “see” “your computer so I’m going to give you some basic instructions.
Open Task Manager, click on the Startup tab, and if you see Adobe Flash and/or Google Drive in the list of startups right-click on each and choose disable.
Then, type APPS in the taskbar search and press Enter when you see “Apps & features” appear. In Apps & Features, scroll down the list of installed programs. Find Adobe Flash Player – click on it – then click Uninstall. Do the same with Google drive.
If that doesn’t work, I’d have to take a look at your computer. If you have a Cloudeight Direct Computer Care key we can set up an appointment for me to take a look. If you don’t have a repair key -you can get one at https://thundercloud.net/direct/.
——–
Dotty wrote back: “Thank you TC. As always, you have fixed my problem. (Followed) the instructions as given and all is back to normal.”
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