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John wants to know about wallpaper and screen savers
I'm new at computers and I don't understand the difference between Screen Savers and Wallpaper. I use wallpaper and change it often. But what is the purpose of a screen saver?

Our answer
Hi John. Great question!

Wallpaper (i.e. Desktop Wallpaper) is a picture you use on your desktop as a background. A screensaver can be set to turn on when your computer has been idle for a while. A screen saver is usually a slideshow of different pictures, designs, and/or animations - some have music as well. A screen saver does not replace your wallpaper.

Back in the early days of computers when CRT monitors were popular, screensavers were necessary to prevent "screen burn-in" - that means that whatever is on your screen for a long time gets burned into the monitor and can't be removed.

Modern computer monitors and screens have high refresh rates so burn-in is no longer a problem. However, many people still like to have a screen saver running when they're not using their computers.

Windows 10 comes with several screen savers. If you want to try one out, type Screensavers in taskbar search, and when "Change Screen Saver" appears, click "Open" or press Enter.

You'll see the Screen Saver Settings dialog. As you can see from the screenshot below, Windows 10 comes with several screen savers as well as the option to use your "Pictures" folder (photos) as a screen saver.

No matter what screen saver you choose, it will not change your desktop wallpaper.

I hope this answers your question, John.



Frank wants to know what we really think of Windows 11
Hi guys. I, for one, appreciate all you guys do for us. I have a question. I see you've been using Windows 11 for a few weeks (or more) and I'd like to know what your opinion of Windows 11 is. I know you'll give us a straight answer. Thanks, Frank.

Our answer
Hi Frank. Thanks so much. Our honest opinion of Windows 11 is - it's really good. Not "great" yet, but really good. It's the most polished new version of Windows ever. We'll be writing an article on our experiences with Windows 11 soon and we'll go into more detail on why we like it. But here is a shortlist of what we like so far.

1. The Start menu - it just makes sense. It makes us wonder why the start menu was not like this a long time ago. Instead of scrolling through a long list of programs listed alphabetically, you can pin 18 programs to the Start menu and switch them around in any order you like.

2. The new icons - they actually look like what they represent.

3. It's faster than Windows 11. It boots faster and it runs faster even on the same hardware that had been running Windows 10. My cheapie laptop running Windows 11 boots up in less than a minute.

4. The Settings menu. It's cleaner, smaller, and easier to use. For instance. Just open Settings and rather than hunting around for the setting you're looking for, just click the drop-down menu icon and choose the setting you're looking for from the menu. You can do this from any place in Settings.

5. Windows Update is more streamlined. You can pause updates, review update history, and get to Advanced settings without hunting all over - or opening Settings full screen.

There are a lot more things we like about Windows 11 than things we don't like. And we have a feeling that over time the things we don't like (for instance the complicated way of setting default programs) will be fixed.

We'll never be happy that Microsoft made a promise it didn't keep- The promise that Windows 10 will be the last version of Windows. But, the world has changed and Microsoft has made Windows 11 the safest Windows 11 ever by using TPM 2.0, VBS (Virtualization-based security), Safe Boot and more. See this page to learn more about those.

David has three problems
I have 3 problems...

1. One of the computers that I use to stream to my TV has had the screen go black on the computer but still feeds the HDMI. I cannot find the instructions to repair this.

2. On this computer, I was getting help from Garmin for my GPS and the tech made all my drop downs and bars extremely small. How do I get them back to what they were before?

3. I cannot find the article on how to be an administrator when it comes to folders. I have the problem that I keep getting the message that I need administrator permission to do whatever it is that I am doing. This includes saving files to my backup drive and I have to save it to my C drive and then move it to the backup drive.

Our answer
Hi David. On the first question. It could be a lot of things including your screen going bad. If the screen on the PC goes bad, you can still use another device (a TV for example) as a screen or to stream video. In other words, the screen going bad does not hinder the output via HDMI or USB.

On the second question. You can change the size of fonts, title bars, menus, etc. by pressing the Windows Key + U to open Ease of Access. In Ease of Access > Display, you'll see several settings. The first two are Make Text Bigger and Make Everything Bigger. Try using the text size slider first before using "Make Everything Bigger". Using Make Everything Bigger incorrectly can end up causing problems with dialog windows (missing OK/Apply/Cancel buttons for example).

And on the final question. I'll need more info as it's normal for some folders to request elevated privileges. It could be your eternal drive is set with incorrect permissions. Here are some things to look at...

1.) Ensure the document is not set with a Read-Only attribute. To verify, right-click the file or folder and check "Properties"

2.) Verify the folder on the external hard drive have the appropriate Security Rights. To verify, right-click the properties of the folder and select the security tab on the Properties dialog box.

3.) Ensure you have Administrator or Username with full control rights checked in the security tab on the property dialog box.

We hope this helps you, David.

JP is getting a new computer and has some questions
Hi Darcy and TC. My old computer (5 years old) is beginning to show signs of dying. I decided to buy a new one according to the specs you had provided for us. 8GB RAM, 64bit, SSD, 3.0 GHz, etc.

Now I have to transfer my "stuff" from the old computer to the new one. I have stored all my photos and files on an external drive and I guess I only need to plug it into the new one to transfer all the data.

But how do I transfer my Google account, calendar events of the past and future, my Google email contacts and Chrome bookmarks to my new computer? Also all my downloads over the past 5 years. I don't want to wipe the old computer clean until I've secured all the data I had on it.

Also, could you kindly direct me to the link where you tell us how to clean an old computer of all personal data? Thanks! It's so nice to have you around. JP

Our answer
Hi JP. Thanks for your nice comments!

You can transfer data from the external drive to your new computer. One word of advice -- if you backed up your Pictures, Documents, Music, etc. folders, when you move them to your new computer, be sure to open the folder on the external drive, select all the contents and then move it to the appropriate folder on your new computer. If you simply move the entire folder you'll end up with a Pictures folder in Pictures. To view the contents you'll have to click on Pictures and then Pictures again...plus new pictures you add on your new computer will go into the default Pictures folder. Then you'll have two pictures folders. It works the same way with Documents, Music, Videos, Desktop, etc.

You can open your downloads folder on your external backup and move the contents to the Downloads folder on your new computer, just as described for Pictures, Documents, Music, folders (etc.) that we already covered.

One of the best things about having a Google account is that it stays the same no matter what computer you're using. You can use it on your phone, your new computer, your old computer, or you wipe your old computer and still use it on your new computer. All you need to remember are your sign-in credentials - your user name and your password. Once you sign into your Google account, your Gmail and all your contacts will be there no matter what device you're logged in with.

It would be best to save your bookmarks to an HTML file on our external drive., just in case. Then when you get your new computer set up, you can open Chrome and import your bookmarks straight from the HTML file you saved on your external drive. Here's our tutorial about saving Chrome bookmarks to a file and how to import them.

And finally, here is our tutorial about wiping a Windows 10 computer before selling it or giving it away.

We hope this helps you, JP. If you need anything else, let us know.

Sandy had a Windows update and now her start menu is messed up
I had a Windows 10 update last night. My Start Menu is all messed up. The programs I pinned are gone. A lot of my programs aren't listed in the Start Menu and I can't open them up. How can I fix it? I went to one of your back articles to download a Troubleshooter and that link no longer works. Thank you for your help.

Our answer
Hi Sandy. I'm assuming the update was cumulative Windows Update and not a version update. If it was a version update i.e. going from Windows 10 version 21H1 to version 21H2 let me know. If it was a regular cumulative update, try the suggestions below.

Try the easiest solution first. Turn your computer off. Make sure the power is off and no lights are on or flashing. Wait at least five minutes and then turn on your computer.

If that does not work you can still download the Windows 10 Start Menu Troubleshooter from this page. It would also help to watch the video on that page.

If the Start Menu Troubleshooter didn't work, try re-registering the Start Menu

Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
Click File and select Run new task.
Type PowerShell into the Run box, and check "Create this task with administrative privileges", then click OK. Now copy the following lines (highlighted)...

Get-appxpackage -all *shellexperience* -packagetype bundle |% {add-appxpackage -register -disabledevelopmentmode ($_.installlocation + “\appxmetadata\appxbundlemanifest.xml”)}

Now paste it into PowerShell and press Enter. Wait for it to finish and then restart your computer.

If that didn't work, open Settings > Update & Security >Windows Update > View update history >Uninstall Updates (for more info see this page). Click on the problematic update and you'll see an "Uninstall" link appear. Click the uninstall link and follow the instructions to remove the update. You'll need to reboot the computer after removing the update.

If all of the above suggestions fail, you can try System Restore. Type RSTRUI in taskbar search and press Enter to open System Restore. Choose a restore date before the date the update was installed.

We hope this helps you, Sandy.

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Jane has a problem with a Hallmark program
Does AVI come with Windows 10? I have the latest version of Windows 10. The Hallmark Card program I have is supposed to send emails and will not. I have to send it to my documents then send it. It's supposed to send a video of the card and also add sound and music. But it doesn't send. It is also supposed to send GFI and doesn't send. The message I get is "Cannot send email". This program is supposed to be for Windows 10. Do you have any idea what the problem is? I have contacted Hallmark tech support and got no satisfaction. I'm wondering if the program really isn't for Windows 10 and they are just saying it is. I know you always do a good job and thank you.

Our answer
Hi Jane. AVI is a video format, like MP3 and WAV. It can be played by many different media players, including Windows Media Player. It doesn't have anything to do with sending or receiving emails.

I think your problem is how you set up your email in the Hallmark program. Since we don't run any Hallmark programs we cannot tell you where to find the email settings, but perhaps the program's Help can - or Hallmark support can.

To send and receive mail with any application you must set up the incoming mail server (IMAP or POP3) and the outgoing mail server (SMTP) correctly. You can get the correct settings from your ISP. Since you're using Gmail - you can find the settings for Gmail here.

We don't know what GFI is. It is definitely not a general computer term -it may be a Hallmark acronym but we don't use Hallmark products so we don't what GFI is with regard to computers.

Check with Hallmark or your program's help files and find out where you change the mail settings. Then use the settings in the article we provided to set up Hallmark's email settings. When given a choice between POP3 and IMAP, choose IMAP.

We hope this helps you, Jane.

Paula wants to know if she should buy a new computer to get Windows 11
Dear Darcy and TC... I've tried the Microsoft tool and it says my computer won't run Windows 11. My computer is five years old and it runs great. Still, a 5 year old computer is getting old, I think. Should I get a new computer so I can have Windows 11 or use this old computer with Windows 10. I trust your opinion.

Our answer
Hi Paula. I (TC) am using a Windows 10 computer that was new in 2012 - so that makes it 9 years old. I have a 5-year-old ASUS on which I installed Windows 11 using a registry hack to bypass the processor and TPM check -- but I don't recommend that for everyone. And I bought a new cheap Windows 10 computer with hardware that supports Windows 11 (TPM 2.0, new processor, etc.) to test Windows 11 so we could write about and do tips, tricks, tutorials, etc. for our readers.

If I were not in the business I'm in, I would not have upgraded the ASUS to Windows 11 nor would I have purchased a new computer. I would have continued to run Windows 10 until closer to its "End-of-Support" date or until my computers started showing signs of dying -whichever came first.

Windows 10 will not only be supported until October 14, 2025, it will be updated as well.

So, we recommend that you continue to use your Windows 10 computer as long as it's running well - at least until closer to the Windows 10 end-of-support date.

Penny says her laptops show vastly different download speeds
I did a speed test on my 2 computers. I used (as you suggested), FAST.COM for testing. Both of my computers are laptops and both are running Windows 10. On one laptop I'm getting 64 Mbps, and on the other, I'm getting 96 Mbps. Both laptops were in the same room at the time I tested the speed. Why would 2 laptops, both running Windows 10, show such a big difference in download speeds? Do you think something is wrong with the slower laptop?

Our answer
Hi Penny, since we don't know how old each laptop is, we can only guess that one laptop is older than the other. They may be different brands with different WiFi adapters. The newer laptop we would expect to be faster than the older laptop since the hardware is newer.

This does not mean that you have a problem with your slower laptop. I have a new Windows 11 laptop sitting right next to my 9-year-old Dell Windows 10 laptop. Notwithstanding the difference in the operating systems, my old computer is showing a download speed of 65 Mbps, while my new laptop, sitting right next to my old one, is showing 130 Mbps. Both are connected to the same network.

We hope this helps you, Penny.

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Easy Mouse Pointers
Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11

Forgive the pun, I couldn’t help it. But we might be able to help you with these easy mouse pointers…err I mean tips and tricks.  For all of you who use a mouse, we put together this comprehensive list of some of our favorite mouse tips and tricks. 

Mouse wheel / Middle button tricks

You can use your mouse wheel as a button. Pressing down on the wheel will act like a third mouse button. This can be used to open a web page in a tab by clicking the wheel on any link and can also be used to close a tab by clicking the wheel on any open tab.

Zoom in and Out on a web page, word document, excel spreadsheet, etc. by holding down the Ctrl key and moving the mouse wheel away from you (up)to zoom in and toward you (down) to zoom out.

You can move forward and backward while browsing the Web by holding down the Shift key and scrolling up and down. Scrolling down goes back and scrolling up goes forward.

And did you know that some mouse wheels can be pushed left or right to also move backward and forward on a web page?

So whether you have a middle button or a scroll wheel on your mouse, you have a middle-click option.

Use the mouse and Shift key to select text

Most of you know that you can select files and folders by holding the Shift key and clicking on the first and then the last file/folder. But this also applies to selecting text in documents like MS Word docs as well as text files (and Web pages).

All you have to do is click on the first character in the text you want to copy, then point to the last character, click and release the shift key. All the text between the first click and the last click is selected. Now just press CTRL + C to copy the selected text and CTRL+P to paste it wherever you want…like a Word doc or an email or a text file.

Maximize any program with a double-click

Instead of fumbling around looking or the maximize button between the – and the X in the top-right corner of program and file windows, just double-click anywhere on the title bar to maximize the window. (The title bar is the topmost part of the program window and usually contains the program name.)

Another Middle-Click Trick 

Now we’re going to show you a middle-click trick we’re sure you’ll use often.

For this example, we’re going to have you open Notepad, so go ahead open Notepad. If you’re using Windows 10 type Notepad in the taskbar search and click on Notepad (Desktop app) when it appears at the top. On any version of Windows, you can open Notepad this way:

Open a run command (Windows Key + R)
Type Notepad in the run box
Press enter

When Notepad is open you’ll see its icon in the taskbar. Now middle-click the Notepad icon – you’ll see that it opens a brand new instance of Notepad. You can do this again and again (don’t get crazy) and each time you middle-click on its taskbar icon a new instance of Notepad will open.

See?

You can see that I have 4 Notepad windows open, I’m working in window #1. By middle-clicking the Notepad icon on my taskbar, I can open as many new Notepad windows as I want. Geeky people call this opening new instances. Take your choice.

If you think your mouse wheel is not a middle click button, try pressing down on it quickly – like you would your left and right mouse buttons. Most of you will find that your mouse’s scroll wheel doubles as a middle mouse button. The mouse I’m using right now is a cheap $15 Wal-Mart wireless mouse – and the wheel doubles as a middle mouse button on this cheap old mouse.

This trick not only works for Notepad but many other programs as well. It will work with any program that lets you open multiple instances. If you have an icon on your taskbar for Chrome, middle-click it – a brand new instance of Chrome will open. Most of you have a File Explorer icon on your taskbar – if you middle-click it, a brand new File Explorer window opens. You do this with a lot of programs- but not all. Some programs allow only one instance to run at a time So try the middle-click trick right now and open multiple instances of programs with just a middle-click.

Empower Yourself with “GodMode”
Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11

It seems with every “newer and better” Windows version, the harder it gets to find the most important settings. Windows 11, like Windows 10, attempts to simplify things using a stylish “Settings” menu, which appears to be trying to cancel out the trusty old Control Panel. But not so fast! The Control Panel still contains a host of important options.

We wish we could rename GodMode to something else, but we can’t as Windows 11 (as of now) will not show the correct icon unless it’s called GodMode. But take heart, GodMode is actually a game mode where the gamer has the power to walk through walls, etc. Anyway, regardless of its name, GodMode empowers you with easy access to every feature of the Control Panel all from a list. Because every item is listed by category, you will find settings you never saw listed in Control Panel before. 

While you can create a shortcut to GodMode anywhere, we think it is best on the desktop since it’s easier to find. GodMode is more than a shortcut, it’s a special “magic” folder.

It’s easy to do. Here’s how to create a shortcut to GodMode on Windows 10 or Windows 11.

1. Create a new folder on your desktop (Right-click on an empty space on your desktop and click “New” then “Folder”.

2. Right-click on the newly created folder, choose “Rename” and rename it – exactly as below.

(We certainly recommend you copy that and then paste it as the folder name.)

3. When you’re done, you’ll have an icon on your desktop that looks like this – yes looks like a Control Panel icon.

And when you click it, you’ll be empowered with every Control Panel setting — right at your fingertips. Here are some screenshots from Windows 11:

And here’s a screenshot from Windows 10…

And there are a lot more settings than we show here. A virtual plethora of settings – all available to you when you empower yourself with GodMode.

Want more tips, tricks, and information?

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Now available: Reg Organizer 8.76

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 8.76.

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

Halloween is coming and soon the ghosts and goblins will be at your door. Or perhaps you’ll be luckier than me and you’ll be invited to EB’s annual Halloween party this year.  Anyway, no matter what your plans are this Halloween season, we’ve got some great free and spooky Halloween fonts for you. 

Hongkiat has compiled a great collection of completely free gothic and Halloween fonts, many of which would work well in any of your Halloween projects. And if you love fonts as much as we do, you’ll want to add some of these to your font collection.

Hongkiat provides you a sample of each font and a link to its free download. We downloaded and tested many of these fonts. We can across one font, called Black Oak -on the second page- has a broken link. If you want to download the Black Oak font, you can get it here.

Hongkiat calls them “Gothic and Horror fonts”, but we call them Halloween fonts.  You can call them whatever you want.

GET OVER 50 FREE FONTS FOR HALLOWEEN HERE.

We used two of the free fonts we downloaded (13th Ghost Write and Spooky Magic) in the image that appears at the top of this page. And here are some other samples of the fonts we downloaded and tested.

GET OVER 50 FREE FONTS FOR HALLOWEEN HERE.

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I’m Lucky

Life is full of surprises and a lot of twists and turns. And I’m old enough to know that life is not fair. So what? I just roll with the punches. Life is not easy, and life is not fair, and anyone young enough to believe that it is, will find out quickly how wrong they are.

Most of us who’ve lived more than a few decades come to grips with the truth. The real facts of life. Life is a learning experience, and you learn to take each day as it comes and do your best.

Some days will float away into the neverlands, others will gnaw and nag you for weeks, months, or years. Some days will turn into beautiful, if fleeting, memories. Those memorable days will be little slices of joy and happiness – moments long ago that will always be living inside my heart.

And sometimes, I guess, we’re all a little bit underappreciative of the good things we have in our lives. Although I’m quite sure that most of us who are working would not count our jobs to be among the best things in our lives.

But I’m here to tell you how thankful I am that I can do what I do and have such a wonderful and meaningful time doing it.

OK. So, what is it I do that I think is so great? It’s nothing extraordinary. I’m not a surgeon saving lives, or an officer of the law preventing a robbery, or a minister or priest saving souls.

No, I’m afraid I don’t do anything so grand as those people do.

But what I do is what I like and enjoy. I get to work with someone (Darcy) who is demanding – and understanding and honest. She is not afraid to coil my gears should I get out of line. She is always there to remind me to do my best.

And I say… good for her!

Twenty-three years ago...

We hope you'll read the rest of this essay here.

A Copy & Paste Tip

How do you copy? Do you copy text and links from right or left or left to right? Did you know if you copy text  from left to right, Windows automatically adds a space at the beginning when you paste it. While that's not a problem most of the time, if you're copying and pasting passwords, user names, a line of code, a registry entry, etc., that extra space at the beginning can cause problems. So, try to get use to copying from right to left and you'll avoid having the extra space at the beginning of the line that Windows adds automatically.

Do you copy, EB? Yep! Copy that!

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Reg Organizer: Reg Organizer is the Swiss Army Knife of Windows tools. It's far more than just a registry optimizer and cleaner... it's a Windows all-in-one toolkit. Reg Organizer helps you keep your computer in tip-top shape and helps you solve annoying Windows problems. Reg Organizer works great with Windows 10! Get more information about Reg Organizer (and get our special discount prices) here.

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