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Doug says ZDNet recommends the Brave browser and wants our thoughts on this
I just received a ZD net news email, and they are recommending a new browser to replace Chrome called "Brave" @ brave.com. They say it is really fast and secure. What are your thoughts on this?

Our answer
Hi Doug. Any time a big company like ZDNet, or PC Magazine, or PC World recommends something, my first thought it what's in it for them? Brave is well-funded. I take things like this recommendation of Brave with a grain of salt. Because any time a large "For Profit" company recommends anything my feeling is somewhere along the line they're getting paid. This not true with smaller sites though. Recommendations from smaller, privately owned sites very seldom are big enough to get "pay offs". Enough about all that.

Brave is based on Chromium as is Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome and many other so-called "privacy" browsers such as Iridium, Epic, and the others. Whether Brave is really private or not, depends on how much you trust them to do what they say they will do.

My thoughts are that there is no privacy on the web, and I have no expectation of privacy when I'm on the web. Bitcoin was supposed to be the "safe" "untraceable" way to pay, yet the FBI was able to trace the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline by following the money trail. Brave's "advertising" is based on blockchain (crypto currency).

This comes from Brave Software...

"Brave Software’s fast, privacy-oriented browser, combined with its blockchain-based digital advertising platform, is reinventing the Web for users, publishers, and advertisers. Users get a private, speedier web experience with much longer battery life, publishers increase their revenue share, and advertisers achieve better conversion. Users can opt into privacy-respecting ads that reward them with the Basic Attention Token (BAT), a frequent flyer-like token they can redeem or use to tip or contribute to publishers and other content creators. The Brave solution is a win-win for everyone who has a stake in the open Web and who is weary of giving up privacy and revenue to the ad-tech intermediaries. Brave currently has over 25 million monthly active users and over 1 million Verified Publishers. Brave Software was co-founded by Brendan Eich, creator of JavaScript and co-founder of Mozilla (Firefox), and Brian Bondy, formerly of Khan Academy and Mozilla..."

I've been testing Brave for quite a while with the thought that I'd make it a freeware pick someday, but after about 8 months, I'm still not sure if I'd recommend it as a "Privacy" browser. Things like this that show up when you open Brave, concern me....

"Today's top stories in a completely private feed, just for you. Brave News is ad-supported with completely private and anonymized ads matched on your device. Your personal information always stays private, per our privacy policy..."

If Brave is truly private, exactly how would they "match" their newsfeed to me and my device? Matching my news to my device would certainly have to include my location as well. I sure don't want news from Bulgaria or Bolivia.

Finally, there's absolutely nothing wrong with Brave as a browser. I don't know if it's faster than Google Chrome. It's probably somewhat more private, but as I said, they'd have to prove that, and proof requires more than just their word. I personally don't think it's "faster" than Chrome. Chrome runs well on my PC. Microsoft Edge is Darcy's favorite, and Edge is based on Chromium - just like Google Chrome. Darcy says Edge runs faster on her PC than Chrome.

But the browser you use is the one that works best for you. So, go ahead and try Brave and see how you like it - but don't assume because ZD Net says it's faster and more private than Chrome that it really is.

Brave, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, etc. will all run differently on different systems. And we encourage everyone to install more than two or more browsers. I have six browsers installed on my computer. When you have a choice, eventually you'll stick with the one that works best for you. For me, that's Chrome, for Darcy's that's Edge, and for you it might well be Brave.

Go ahead and try Brave. It won't hurt anything, and you may like it. You can download it free from here.

Greg doesn't get what Microsoft is trying to do with Windows 11
Hi TC and EB. I know there is lots about Win11, at the moment seems to be more negative than good, but we will see. Microsoft is bound to change requirements etc. before final release. I am not too worried about TPM or the rest of the other issues. The one issue I do not like is no more local accounts.

From what have read so far is that Win11 Home will NOT be able to have a local account but must use a outlook.com as login... (yes, I know according to reports Win11 Pro will allow local accounts but only after you have first signed in with a outlook.com account. I do not like this and am sure lots of others will not like this either. It should be people's choice to have a local or otherwise account. Microsoft is dictating this and therefore monitoring what people are or are not doing....

It is a blatant means of tracking that Microsoft has employed. Yes, I did upgrade to Win10 and to be honest I do not mind it some things are quirky, but overall it is pretty good. But no local account.... not sure for Win11 and from the screenshots have seen. I have to say it looks like Mac layout.

What happens if the login server goes down for whatever reason or a persons internet connection goes down or even have no internet? Does that mean no one will be able to login on their PC's? Or will it then go "local"? I just do not see the justification for making this a requirement. And for me, at least, it is one that would stop me from ever using Win11. Most of the other things I can handle and accept, but that form of dictatorial control no. What are your thoughts on this?. As most talk has been about the requirements to run it but not about the Microsoft account issue. And yes I know can keep using Windows 10 until October 14, 2025 but what about after that?

Our answer
Hi Greg. First, as you note, you do have 4 + years to continue to use Windows 10 and in computer terms, that's a long time from now. And I really don't see many amazing features coming in Windows 11 - at least nothing that has been revealed so far - that would make me want to make the jump to Windows 11. If I weren't in this business, I would not even consider installing Windows 11 at this point.

Secondly, you don't need a connection to login with your Microsoft Account. We both use Microsoft accounts on Windows 10, and we can access our computers without a connection. So, it's not true that you'll get locked out of your computer when you use a Microsoft account. You will need a connection to set up the account. But in Windows 10 (not sure about Windows 11) you don't even need an outlook.com, Hotmail.com, msn.com, live.com, live.ca, email address to set up a Microsoft account. You can use Gmail for instance. See this article to learn more about that.

And finally, Windows 11 won't be released for at least three or four more months. Microsoft is already starting to back off on some of the stringent hardware requirements like only supporting 8th generation processors. Now, the word is, Windows 11 will support 7th generation processors. This is a big change and not even a month has passed since Microsoft announced Windows 11. With 3 or 4 more months before Windows 11 is launched, who knows what will happen?

Honestly, if it were not for my job, I would not even worry about Windows 11 or what Microsoft is thinking. I'd just keep using Windows 10 until the end of service date of October 14, 2025, and whatever happens then happens. One thing for sure... by then I'm certain Windows 11 will be much different than it is now.

Windows 10 will be supported and updated for the next 4 years and 3 months. And as we've already said, in terms of computers, that's a long time.

Sandra is ready to toss her computers
I have a six-year-old computer running Windows 10 will all the updates. I have several issues since I have lost confidence in my computer skills after two bad incidents. I have been looking at your services and do not know which one is really right for me. I know I need help as I am ready to toss all my computers out. I am so frustrated. I have been getting your newsletters for years and have learned lots. But not enough to get myself out of a "pickle".

Our answer
Hi Sandra. Thanks for your nice comments and for subscribing to our newsletters.

With our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care service we connect to your computer remotely, clean it up, optimize it, scan for problems, bad extensions, malware, etc., and repair any problems we find.

We offer a single repair key for $50 or an annual repair key for $129 - or if you are over 60 - we offer annual repair key for $99. Our annual repair plans offer unlimited repair sessions for one full year from the date of first use. Please see this page for more details.

If you need more information or have more questions, please let us know.

David thinks his video problems might be BIOS-related
I think something is changing my Bios settings. The computer screen is black but the HDMA to the TV works and I can see the program on the TV. It also has some other things that need tweaking.

Our answer
Hi David. I'm not aware of any BIOS settings being a major cause of black screens. If it were the BIOS, you'd not be able to see anything on a TV screen using the HDMI port. The BIOS loads before Windows starts.

The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is a ROM (Read Only Memory) chip found on motherboards that allows you to access and set up your computer system at the most basic level. The BIOS includes instructions on how to load basic computer hardware. It also includes a test referred to as a POST (Power-On Self-Test) that helps verify the computer meets the requirements to boot up properly. If the computer does not pass the POST, you hear a combination of beeps indicating what is malfunctioning in the computer.

Since you don't mention hearing any beeps indicating that the BIOS is detecting something wrong, I think it's your computer's screen (hardware) and not the BIOS.

Finally, we cannot fix hardware remotely or replace a computer screen or any other hardware device. The BIOS can only be accessed outside of Windows (before Windows boots) and requires a physical presence. We cannot work on the BIOS remotely; we can only connect to computers where Windows is loaded, and the computer is online.

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John's wife's laptop won't update the Windows 10 version
Hi. I'm another one of your long-time followers. My wife's laptop had Windows 10, version 1909. She got a message saying that version 1909 had reached its end (as you mentioned in your newsletter). The messaged indicated that a Windows feature update was ready (Windows 10, version 20H2).

The update gets to 61% and stops, I looked in update history and it shows four failed attempts for version 20H2 - Oxct1900104
It also showed six failed attempts for version 2004 dated from October 2021 to April 4, 2021. I look forward to your reply. John

Our answer
Hi John. Thanks so much. Some older computers have BIOS or hardware issues that prevent Windows from being updated. Windows 10 version 1909 was released in November 2019, so it's going on 2 years old.

Here are two things we suggest you try.

#1. Unplug all external drives and unplug any USB flash drives, camera cards, anything attached to the PC other than the keyboard and mouse. Then go to this page https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 and click on the button labeled "Download tool now" and download the Media Creation Tool. One you download it, start it, and choose "Update this PC now".

#2. If that option fails, get a new 16 GB USB flash drive, and use the Media Creation Tool to create a USB installation drive. Then, remove any devices connected to the computer other than the keyboard and mouse. Insert the Installation USB into the computer, browse to it with File Explorer, and click on "setup.exe". When the Windows installation starts, be sure you choose the upgrade option.

If those two suggestions don't work, then it has to be a hardware or BIOS issue.

We hope this helps you - if not, please let us know.

Linda's getting a new computer and wants help setting it up
I am getting a new computer today... I would like you to log in and take everything off of the computer that I don't need and download and install Emsisoft for me.

Also I would like for you to install OE Classic Email and whatever else you think I should have. Just let me know if I need to buy a SeniorPass or do you charge individually. Please let me know what I need to do in order for you to connect to my computer and help me make the transition...

Thanks again to you both for all you do for us, I don't know what we would do without you!

Our answer
Hi Linda. Thanks for your nice comments.

We can optimize and set up a new computer for best performance and appearance. We can help you transfer files from an external drive to your new computer. That would require a Cloudeight Direct Computer Care Key or a SeniorPass - both are available from this page. A SeniorPass is the best deal since it includes one full year of repair services for just $99. A Cloudeight single repair key is $50.

OE Classic installation and setup is not included in our SeniorPass program and is not covered by a Cloudeight Direct Computer Care Key. You can see the details on this page.

You'll note that you have to purchase the OE Classic email program separately from our setup service. The details are available on that page.

If you have any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Carol can't get rid of Qwant in Firefox
I went into Firefox apps and extensions to remove items I do not use in hopes Fire Fox would work better. I removed the extension named Qwant. Now Qwant keeps showing up as the search engine. Can this be removed? I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling Firefox and the search engine Qwant keeps coming back. I cannot find Qwant anywhere on my computer to uninstall it. Can you please help?

Our answer
Hi Carol. Search engine settings in Firefox are usually controlled by add-ons or extensions. Search engine hijackers would take over search engine settings though. The quickest and easiest way to get rid of intrusive extensions or hijackers is to return Firefox to its default state. The easiest way to do that is to reset (refresh) it.

Please see our tutorial here to learn how to refresh Firefox and return it to its default state without losing your bookmarks or saved passwords. I just updated the instructions on that page, so all the information is current as of today.

We hope this helps you, Carol.

William says his wife's laptop is in trouble
My wife has a Lenovo Laptop running Windows 10 version 20H2. The laptop will now no longer open Google Chrome. It comes up with the error 'Status Checkpoint". At the same time, Emsisoft has an error saying 'Emsisoft browser security has crashed. Click this balloon to reload the extension'. If you click the extension, it returns with the same message a few seconds later! If I click Shift+ Ctrl+N, you get a sort of Chrome screen, then if you try to load a webpage, you get the same error and message that it can't load the page! It suggests restarting the computer or restarting Chrome. I have checked that there are no updates to do. I have switched off the computer and waited for 15 minutes, all to no avail! Another thing: Microsoft Edge won't start at all! Any suggestions would be most helpful.

Our answer
Hi William. It sounds to me like you need to reset that computer. There are a lot of issues there that would be instantly fixed by doing a reset. A reset removes all the programs installed, removes the Windows installation, saves all your personal files and folders, and then reinstalls Windows.

A "cloud" reset takes an hour or two (depending on your connection), but when you're done, you'd have a brand-new installation of Windows and then you could reinstall the programs you wanted - like Chrome, Emsisoft and the others. When you do a reset, Windows leaves a list of programs that were installed on the desktop. You don't have to re-install them all, just the ones you really need is our advice.

Since your computer seems to have corrupted files or some Windows corruption, we suggest you do a cloud reset. We have a step-by-step tutorial for doing a cloud reset - you can read that here.

We're fairly sure once you complete the reset, all will be as it should be. But if you need any more help, let us know.

We can fix your computer while you watch. You never have to leave your home. Just sit back, relax, and watch us work. Get PC service from folks you trust at the best prices you'll find anywhere.

Get or Give Help Using Windows 10 Quick Assist
Windows 10 (all supported versions)

While Windows 10 Quick Assist is a feature of Windows 10 and a quick way to help a friend or get help from a friend. All you need is Windows 10, Quick Assist, and a Microsoft account. Whether you want to give or get help, the first thing you’ll need to do is open Quick Assist. It’s buried in the start menu under Windows Accessories. The fastest way to open Quick Assist is to type QUICK in taskbar search and press Enter when you see Quick Assist appear in the search results.

When Quick Assist opens, you’ll be able to choose “Get assistance” or “Give Assistance”.

In this demo, we’re going to show you how to assist someone. First, you’ll need to sign in with a Microsoft account.

Once you’ve signed in, you’ll see a security code. You can call your friend with this security code or send the security code by email.

The person you’re helping will need to open Quick Assist and enter the six-digit security code.

Once the person you’re helping enters security code they’ll have to allow you to take control of their computer. The person you’re helping will see a small window asking if they want to allow you to control their computer. If they want your help, they’ll need to click “Allow”.

Once the person you’re helping clicks “Allow” you’ll be able to see their desktop on your screen and you’ll be able to control their computer.

Above you can see the Quick Assist window with the remote computer in full view. You can then control the remote computer as you would you own and do whatever you need to do to help a friend in need.

So, now if a friend calls you and asks for help with his or her computer, you can tell them about Quick Assist. You’ll be able to help them just like you were sitting at their computer.

How to Use the Windows Taskkill Command
Windows 8.1 and Window 10 (all supported versions)

Taskkill is a Windows command that has been around since Windows 95. You’ll find it works just fine in Windows 10 too. Taskkill is a command you can use when you want to terminate one or more running processes. And the Taskkill command is especially useful if you find you cannot terminate processes using End Task in Task Manager.

Some processes that are running as an Administrator (Elevated), sometimes cannot be killed by using “End Task” in Task Manager. To kill them, you can use the Taskkill command from an elevated (administrator) command prompt to kill them.

Also, you can use Taskkill to kill any process should you find that process not responding to an “End task” commend in Task Manager.

Type CMD in the taskbar search and click “Run as administrator” when it opens in the search results.

To see a list of running processes, type Tasklist in the command prompt window. A list of running processes and their PID numbers will appear.

The list of running processes may be quite impressive. you can use the following command to create a scrollable list.

In the image above you can see the Notepad’s PID number is 13144. To kill that process using Taskkill, type the command taskkill /f / pid 13144 and then press “Enter”.

Note: PID numbers are not static, they change by instance. In other words, every time you open Notepad it will have a different PID number. Also, each instance of Notepad will have a different PID number.

Let’s use Notepad as an example again. To end all Notepad processes, you’d enter the following command and press Enter.

Keep in mind that closing processes by name will close all running instances of that program. If you have four Notepad windows open, running the Taskkill command will end all Notepad processes.

The Windows Taskkill command has many other useful options that you can use to terminate processes. You can learn all of those options by opening a Command Prompt and typing

Did you know that by using Taskkill you can close all non-responsive processes/apps at once in Windows 10?

IMPORTANT NOTE: The term “Processes” is a general term that refers to apps, programs, tasks, and Windows processes.

All commands must be typed exactly as shown. Spacing is important. Lower & uppercase does not matter.

If you use the taskkill command on a program (process) you’re working with and you haven’t yet saved your work, you’re going to lose it. So be sure to save your work before trying this tip.

Two Useful Google Chrome Tricks
Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 (all supported versions) + Google Chrome installed

1. Group Tabs

Many times, while using your browser, you’ll have several tabs open that are related to each other. Let’s say, for example, you’re searching for high-quality Vitamin D capsules. Google allows you to group related tabs. Keeping related tabs together makes it easier to find the tab you’re looking for. Try it!

Right-click on any tab and you should see “Add tab to group”. When you click on the “Add tab to group, you can name it and choose a color for that group.

Here’s an example. We’re going to group all Cloudeight-related tabs.

1.) Right-click on a tab and choose “Add tab to new group”.

Cloudeight InfoAve Chrome Tips

2.) Give the group a name and assign a color to the group.

Cloudeight InfoAve Chrome Tips

3.) Now that you’ve created and named a group and assigned its color, right-click on the next related tab, click “Add tab to group” and select the group you want to add it to.

Cloudeight InfoAve Chrome Tips

4.) Create as many groups as you want. Grouping related tabs together and assigning them colors, lets you find related tabs at a glance. Below you’ll see I’ve created two groups – one called “Cloudeight”, and one called “MISC.” The colors make it easy to see which tabs are grouped.

Cloudeight InfoAve Chrome Tips

You can even choose to have groups open in a new window. And if you no longer want the group you created, you can remove the group at any time. Also, you can remove any tab from any group by right-clicking on the tab and selecting “Remove from group” from the drop-down menu.

2. Chrome’s Reading List

Did you know that Chrome has a reading list that lets you add pages to a reading list so you can read them (or finish reading them) later? The next time you find an interesting website, web page, or article that you want to read or reference later, just right-click on its tab and select “Add to reading list”.

You can access your reading list by clicking on the Reading List button on Chrome’s secondary toolbar.

In the example below, I found a CISA article about Ransomware I want to read. If don’t have time to read it right now, I can right-click on its tab and select “Add tab to reading list” from the drop-down menu.

Cloudeight InfoAve Chrome Tips

I can access my Reading list any time by clicking the “Reading list” button at the right edge of Chrome’s Bookmarks bar.

Cloudeight InfoAve Chrome Tips

After I’ve read the article or page in my Reading list, I can mark it as “read” or remove it from the list.

Cloudeight InfoAve Chrome Tips

So, the next time you find an article you’d like to read, but don’t have time to read or would just rather read it later, just right-click on its tab and add it to your Chrome Reading list.

Want more tips, tricks, and information?

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Reg Organizer: Cloudeight recommended and endorsed.

Now available: Reg Organizer 8.70

If you purchased or renewed Reg Organizer through Cloudeight within the last 12 months, you're entitled to a free version upgrade to Reg Organizer 8.70.

Save $14 on Reg Organizer right now!

Reg Organizer - A Swiss Army Knife of Windows Tools - Works Great on Windows 10!

Cloudeight InfoAve Premium -Tips & Tricks

Five Excellent Sites to Check Your Internet Speed

If you’ve ever wondered how fast your Internet connection or whether you’re getting the speeds you’re paying for, you need a reliable way to check your Internet connection speed. There are dozens of sites that provide speed tests – but these are five we’ve tested and found to be reliable.

Fast.com

Netflix’s Fast.com is our go-to internet speed checker. It’s quick and clean and gives your download speed quickly. There are no ads, no gimmicks, no flashing lights, just your speed… and if you need it, some detailed info about your upload speed, latency, and more. If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to check your internet connection speed, Fast.com is it.

You can use it from anywhere in the world. And while it’s not designed to test your ISP’s connection speed, the test results we get are comparable to other speed tests without the ads and bells & whistles.

Try it right now.

My speed according to Fast.com:

Speed testing sites... Cloudeight InfoAve

Comcast’s Xfinity xFi speed test

Do you think Comcast would make your speed look slower if you were connecting to it using a competitor’s service? That’s what some think. While it may be designed to save Comcast from getting support calls from customers about their internet speed, we didn’t find any bias in the test results.

The results we got from Comcast’s speed test were consistent with other speed tests we’ve tried. Comcast’s speed test is designed for American users only. If you’re in the USA, try it and see what you think.

My speed according to Comcast/Xfinity:

Internet speed tests, Cloudeight InfoAve

Bandwidth Place

Bandwidth Place provides you with a clean, uncluttered speed test. The site based on HTML5 and not Flash or JavaScript. It nice looking and it’s quite simple to use. It may have ads, but I didn’t see any.

Bandwidth Place can be used by everyone, no matter where they live.

Try it for yourself …. https://www.bandwidthplace.com/

My speed results from Bandwidth Place…

Internet Speed Tests - Cloudeight InfoAve

SpeedOf.me

SpeedOf.me claims to be the most accurate online bandwidth test. I don’t know about that, but it’s fun to watch the graphs move as it shows real-time connection speeds.

SpeedOf.me works no matter where you live. But it does have an ad or two, which I didn’t notice until the speed test was done.

Try it here.

My test results from SpeedOf.me:

Internet speed tests, Cloudeight InfoAve

Ookla Speedtest.net

Ookla’s speed test is the most popular speed testing site. More people use it than any other. And, a while back, we became disillusioned with it because it had so many ads and distractions. But things have changed and now the ads are subdued. Ookla’s speed test is still the most recommended. You can use it from anywhere in the world. You can try it here.

My test results from Ookla’s Speedtest.net.

Internet Speed Tests, Cloudeight InfoAve

You can see that all my test results were similar. In five different speed tests from five different speed testing sites, my results varied only by about 6 Mbps… from 72 to 78.45.

Now you know five places to go when you want to know your Internet speed.

So Long, Gizmo

We started out on the web with a Christmas graphics site. We were so proud of it. I cannot even count the number of hours Darcy and I put into that site. But I can remember when we got all excited one day when we had twenty visitors. It’s still there and the copyright notice at the bottom of the page says 1998 – 2000.

Back in those days, the web was rather arcane. Those of us who used it and spent hours browsing it fell in love with it. The rest of the world didn’t know what they were missing. In fact, one of my best friends called me, sarcastically, “Captain Internet” because I used to rush home from work to get on my computer and browse the internet. I can remember getting up at three in the morning because I couldn’t sleep – I couldn’t wait to see what was new on the web.

When Darcy and I started Cloudeight Stationery back in 2000, we did it because we loved doing it. Just about everything was free on the internet back then. I get tears in my eyes now – just thinking about those days.

Our site grew up with a lot of other small mom-and-pop sites. In fact, that’s just about all the World Wide Web was in those days…