If you're not getting our InfoAve Daily newsletter, you're missing out on a lot of good stuff!

It's free and it only takes a few seconds to sign up. We'd love to have you with us. Visit this page to sign up for our Cloudeight InfoAve Daily Newsletter. 

Phyllis asks us about TotalAV
I think you probably discussed this before, but I don't remember when...is TotalAV a good program to use on my computer and cell phone? You always give such good advise and I trust what you advice. You have helped me several times and I so appreciate it.
Thank you.

Our answer
Hi Phyllis. TotalAV is a rip-off bordering on a scam. Please read our article "Why You Should Avoid TotalAV" here.

If you're looking for a good antivirus/antimalware you can't do better than our #1 recommendation - Emsisoft. Not only does Emsisoft protect your computer for a very reasonable cost, the Emsisoft team is also always ready to help our mutual customers should they need help with anything. We've been recommending Emsisoft for many years. Please see https://thundercloud.net/Emsisoft for more info and pricing.

Diane wants to know if her computer has died
Did my computer die? I get the following messages on my screen when trying to boot my computer.

- Boot Device Not Found. Please install an operating system on your hard disc  Hard Disc 3F0

My grandson tried the following to no avail. He could not enter open the BIOS menu options to make changes. And he tried a hard reset with no success.

Can you help in any way?

Our answer
Hi Diane. Without being able to access the BIOS or the boot drive, the only way I know how you might be able to boot the computer is using a Windows 10 Installation Disk which is, by default, bootable. If you have another computer with a CD/DVD drive, follow the instructions on this page to make a Windows 10 installation disk. Once you've made it - do this:

Turn on the troublesome computer.
Put the DVD in the drive.
Turn off the computer using the power button/switch.
Wait a few minutes and turn the computer back on - and carefully watch the screen.
You should see "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD..." - press any key on the keyboard.



You then should see "Windows is loading files" and eventually you'll be able to boot the computer from the disk.

Whether or not you'll be able to repair Windows by doing a repair installation following the instructions on this page - or doing a clean install of Windows 10 depends on whether or not the drive is still usable. It may not be.

We hope this helps you, Diane.

Elaine needs an ad blocker
Hi. I have a senior pass. Does this allow me to have you install an ad blocker on my computer? I play a lot of card games and I get fed up with flashing ads on both sides of the page. I would love to get rid of them. Many thanks. Elaine M.

Our answer
Of course, you can use your SeniorPass to have us help you in any way. But installing a browser extension to block ads is so simple and easy you can do it yourself in less than two minutes. To block ads, we recommend uBlock Origin. It is free and there's nothing to set up. Just install the browser extension; it's that simple and easy.

Here are the links for uBlock Origin for the three most popular browsers.

Get uBlock Origin for Chrome here.

Get uBlock Origin for Firefox here.

Get uBlock Origin for Microsoft Edge here.

Just click the appropriate link above and add uBlock Origin to your browser. That's it.

But if you need any help or have any questions, just let us know.

We hope this helps you, Phyllis.

Sue has problems with internet connectivity when using her laptop
I'm having an issue with my laptop and internet. I ran a couple of different speed tests and the results were not too good! I have Xfinity (Boost internet). I ran their speed test and it showed that everything connected was great except the laptop! Then for the last few days, I had to manually connect the laptop to the internet upon startup. Everything else is working great, no other problems. Do you have any suggestions I could try to correct this? You've helped me (and many others!) before, I truly appreciate all you guys do the solve our computer problems. I just sent you a donation, wish it could have been more! Take care and stay healthy! Thanks so much, Sue.

Our answer
Hi Sue. Thank you so much for your donation, your friendship, kind words, and your support.

First, we suggest that you contact your ISP and ask them to check your modem/router. I'm assuming that they'll find no problems since other connected devices are working correctly, but it won't cost you anything to have them check. If the modem and router are functioning well that narrows your problem down to your laptop. It is probably your laptop's wireless card causing your problem. And if it is, there's an easy fix - and an inexpensive fix too. All you need to do is purchase a USB Wi-Fi adapter (it plugs into a USB port).

We have all the info you need in our post about USB Wi-Fi adapters here.

We hope this helps you, Sue.

And thanks again for your support!

Dick says he tried doing a Windows 10 reset but it did not work
Hello you wonderful folks. It’s a beautiful morning and I need your help with a problem with my PC. When I do a reset and select the section that allows me to keep all my files, pictures, etc., it won’t take. After attempting to reset, it tells me that changes can’t be made and it reverts back to the way it was before the reset. It’s possible that I have corrupt files and don’t know it. What would happen if I selected the reset option and went back to the factory settings? Would the same thing happen? Also, I bought the PC with Windows 8 installed by the factory, and I installed Windows 10 myself. If I reset to factory settings will I end up with Windows 8 again or will I end up with Windows 10? Any help you can give me on this problem will be greatly appreciated. I know you are busy bees and we depend on you so much for your expertise. Geez, what would the world be like without Cloudeight? Yikes….

Our answer
Hi Dick. Sometimes a reset just won't work. Did you try both the local and cloud download options? If you didn't try the cloud reset option - try that. Here are the instructions.

If that does not work, then you should try a Windows 10 Repair Installation (see this page). A Windows 10 Repair Installation will keep all your files and all your programs.

If you do a Factory Reset, you'll wipe out everything, programs, files, folders, etc., And your computer will be returned to the state it was in when you purchased it. So, if it had Windows 8 on it when you bought it, it will revert back to Windows 8 if you do a factory reset.

Thanks for your nice comments, Dick!

I hope this answers your questions, but if not, just let us know.

Help Us During our Fall Donation Drive

When you support us with a small gift, you help us continue our mission to keep you informed, separate the truth from the hyperbole, and help you stay safer online. Plus, our computer tips make your computer easier to use.

Did you know that we provide support to thousands of people? Every week we help dozens of people via email at no charge. The questions and answers you see in our newsletters are from the email answers and help we provide to everyone free of charge.

Thanks to your gifts, we do a lot more than provide this free newsletter. We help you recognize online threats, fight for your online privacy, provide you with the knowledge you need to navigate the Web safely, provide you with suggestions for safe, free software and websites, and help you get more out of your PC.

Please Help us keep up the good fight with a small gift.

Interested in helping us with a monthly gift? Visit this page. Help us keep helping you... and helping you to stay safe on the Web.

And you can also help us by printing our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care Flyer and help spread the word about our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care and repair services. Get our ready-to-print flyer here.

Sheryl's Hotmail font is too small
Hello. The font in my inbox in my Outlook (Hotmail) account is so small that I can't read the titles of the emails. Can you help?
Thank you so much! Sheryl.

Our answer
Hi Sheryl. The font size is easy to change, you can make it as large as you want in two seconds. See this page to learn how.

Let us know if that page helped you.
-----
Sheryl wrote back: "This helped, and it was super easy to do! Thanks so much for your help, it is much appreciated! Warmly, Sheryl"

Bernie has seen a huge increase in spam emails
Greetings: I have two things to say.

#1 I converted to Windows 11. It went swimmingly, even easier than getting a haircut. An unexpected result is a sudden increase in speed. I don't ever recall this machine behaving with such speed.

#2 Under the general heading of the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed is the name of the Lord: the amount of crap that comes to my email address is accelerating. A couple of weeks ago, I tried to set up some new filters to cut back on the more repetitive offenders but all that accomplished was an increase in the garbage from the ones I tried to filter out plus several new ones. It takes some minutes every day to individually erase emails. As far as I'm concerned, the G mail filter is a waste of time. My kingdom for a horse that would remove all the crap each day.

Our answer
Hi Bernie. First, thank you so much for your long-time support and friendship.

I've noticed that both of my Windows 11 computers are much faster than Windows 10 - even the five-year-old ASUS. I think this is what most people would experience and that's why I'd advise anyone who has a computer that supports Windows 11 to upgrade.

But spam... oh spam! As far as spam goes, once spammers get your email address, there's virtually no way to stop it.

The only comparison we can make is we used Gmail and we get virtually no spam in the inbox, but quite a bit in the spam folder. We check the spam folder once or twice a week to make sure that no legitimate email was sent there. And thankfully, very little "good" email is ever put into the spam folder. We use Gmail to check mail on our personal accounts because the spam filter is so good. But everyone's experience is different.

I have a personal Gmail account and I'm very careful where I use it. As I said once the wrong spammer gets your email address they'll sell it to other spammers.

The only way you're going to control spam at this stage is to create a new email address (maybe DeaconBernie2@) and tell your contacts you're changing your email address and then be very careful where and how you use that email address.

I'm sorry I do not have a panacea for spam - if I did I wouldn't be sitting here answering email or writing newsletters, I'd be in Tahiti, living on the beach, drinking cocktails with umbrellas in them, and watching the sunset over the pacific, from my waterfront mansion. Alas, I'm sitting on the cusp of winter, in a bland, boring little town, old and broke :)

Pierre says his OE Classic has disappeared
Hi Darcy, TC. I'm an old guy (85) that has a brain that doesn't work too well these days. I have no idea what I touched to screw up my mail server OEClassic but for some reason or another, I'm getting a message... "The item "oeclassic.exe" that this shortcut refers to, has been changed or moved and will no longer work properly" I have a bunch of mail on my other account xxxxx@shaw.ca that will not show up on my original Windows10 mail. I don't know what to do about my OEClassic program.

I would like to uninstall it then reinstall it if that would work but forgot the key no. I would need. What is the right thing to do? Forgot the name of the fellow who looks after the program. This is my new computer I'm dealing with. Thanks, Pierre.

Our answer
Hi Pierre. Are you sure your shortcut is not just broken and OE Classic is still installed? Here's how to check.

In File Explorer, go to C:\program files (x86)\OEClassic. Open that folder. If you see OEClassic.exe (the icon looks like a globe) your OE Classic program is still installed.

If you find OEClassic.exe, the next step is to delete the shortcut that does not work (right-click on it and choose "Delete" or "Unpin from Taskbar" and/or "Unpin from Start").

Go back to C:\program files (x86)\OEClassic and right-click on OEClassic.exe (the icon looks like a globe) and choose Pin to Start and Pin to Taskbar. If you want a shortcut on your desktop too, right-click that icon and choose "Send to > Desktop (create shortcut).

Let us know if this helps you.
------
Pierre wrote back: "Hi TC. Yes, you were right. The OE Classic was still installed. Did what you suggested and everything is back to normal thanks to you! Warm Regards, Pierre"

Don't have a Cloudeight SeniorPass? It's a great deal. Learn more here.

Interested in making an automatic monthly gift? Visit this page. Help us keep helping you... and help you stay safe on the Web. 

Make Sure It’s Broke Before You Spend Time Fixing It
Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11

Here are two quick and easy tips that we are sure you'll use... "maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon. And for the rest of your life…” 

Anyone who uses a computer knows they will have problems from time to time. It’s expected. It’s the nature of the beast. We’re here to remind you that if you start having computer problems, the first thing you should do is make sure there’s something really wrong with your computer before you set sail on a long, time-consuming voyage to fix it.

Here are two things you should always try as soon as you notice something’s not right with your computer:

1. Restart your computer.

As silly and simple as that sounds, restarting your computer can correct a lot of minor temporary errors and put your computer back on track. It won’t work every time, but it’s the first thing you should try if something isn’t right with your computer.

And… if restarting it does not work, we have one more simple thing you should do before you go off searching for help and fixes.

2. Shut down your computer completely and wait a few minutes...

Make sure all power is off and all power lights are off. Wait five minutes and then turn your computer back on. 

You’ll find the second method may be successful if simply restarting your computer doesn’t work.

Now, we’re not here to convince you that these two simple tricks will fix all your problems and assuage all your computer woes – they won’t. But many times restarting your computer or shutting your computer down and waiting for a few minutes before restarting can correct many minor, yet annoying errors. And since it does not take much time or effort to try one or both of these tips, there’s no reason not to give them a try. We’ve seen restarting and shutting down the computer and waiting a few minutes before powering it back on, work many times on our own computers and other folks’ PCs as well.  

And this trick also extends to other electronic devices – tablets, smartphones, streaming devices, etc. Sometimes the best fix is the simplest – just restart the device. It works more often than you think.

Clipboard History: Windows 10 and Windows 11
Windows 10 and Windows 11

Clipboard managers have always been popular and there are dozens of free clipboard managers available. Why are there so many? Because until Windows 10 Version 1809 (October 2018 Update) was released, you could only save one item to your Windows clipboard at a time. It didn’t matter whether it was an image or text, you were limited to one measly item. Period.

So, some smart developers created clipboard managers that allowed you to store and then access many clipboard items saved to the clipboard. Clipboard managers come in handy for those of us who find ourselves typing the same text over and over like…

Best regards,

Phillip P. Example, Esquire
Example, Sample & Example
Attorneys at Law

Who wants to type that stuff over and over? 

Microsoft caught on… finally. In currently supported versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11, all you need to do is turn on Clipboard history and you’ll instantly have access to all the items you’ve copied to your clipboard.

It works just like a clipboard manager but being Microsoft, they can’t just call it a clipboard manager, they call it Clipboard history. Whatever you call it, it works like a Clipboard manager and stores everything you copy and keeps them all meticulously organized… see?

(Above — clipboard history in Windows 10)

Just click on the item you want to paste. 

How to Turn on Clipboard history in Windows 10

But before you can use the new clipboard, you have to turn it on. And how do you turn it on? I’m glad you asked.  

In Windows 10, type Clipboard History in taskbar search & press “Enter” or click “Open”. 

Oh yes… don’t forget to turn the switch under “Clipboard history” to “On”.

How to turn on Clipboard history in Windows 11

1.) Type Clipboard history in taskbar or start menu search & press Enter.

2.) In System > Clipboard, turn the switch to the right of Clipboard history “On”. See?

And in Microsoft’s inimitable way, they just couldn’t leave Clipboard history alone, they had to show a truncated version of the entire text – so you see only the first couple of lines

(Above — Clipboard history in Windows 11.)

Windows 11’s version of Clipboard history works just like Windows 10’s version does. Just click on the text or image you want to copy to the document or email you’re working with.

Using Clipboard history across multiple devices

If you have multiple devices and you have a Microsoft account, you can access your clipboard from your other devices as well.

You can view your entire Clipboard history by pressing Windows key + V.  You can delete single items from the Windows Clipboard history or clear everything at once.

And now, instead of typing something over and over, all you have to do is press Windows key + V and click on the item you want to paste, see?

Sincerely yours,

Darcy Dewey
Dewy, Cheatem, and Howe
Attorneys at Law
1620 Fleeceum Blvd.
Perrysburger, Ohio 44004

Don’t be scratching your head… we’re not really attorneys and either is Darcy Dewy. Is she?

How to Change Your Default Browser in Windows 11... and it ain’t easy folks!
Windows 11

Changing default browsers in Windows 11 is a Microsoft-planned, convoluted mess. They want you to use Microsoft Edge. They don’t want you to use Chrome, Firefox, Brave, Opera, Vivaldi, or anything else.  To keep you using Microsoft Edge, they’ve made changing browsers in Windows 11 a convoluted process.

How to change your default browser in Windows 11

Open Settings > Apps > Default apps and select the browser you want to be your default. In this example, we’re using Google Chrome.

A page called Apps > Default apps > Google Chrome will appear. I’m showing it here as 3 different pages, but when you see it you’ll just keep scrolling down.

The first item you’ll want to change is the file type called “.htm” which is the extension for a web page. Click the rectangle with the arrow (see below)…

You may or may not get a warning that Microsoft Edge is the preferred browser – if you do just click “Switch anyway”. When you click on the square with the arrow,  click on the browser you want to switch to, then click on “OK”.

Because this tip is so long, we've put the entire tip on the web. To read the rest of this tip, please visit this Cloudeight page. 

Want more tips, tricks, and information?

We have thousands of Windows tips, tricks, and more on our InfoAve website.

Subscribe to our free InfoAve Daily newsletter.

Now available: Reg Organizer 8.80

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.

Save $14 on Reg Organizer right now!

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

Searching with You: Will this new search engine be a giant killer?

According to Statcounter, Google commands 91.66% of the search engine market. Here’s the scoreboard for October 2021:

1. Google 91.66%
2. Bing 2.74%
3. Yahoo 1.50%
4. Yandex 0.96%
5. DuckDuckGo 0.60%

But now a new AI-driven, open-source search engine called You.com is launching its initial public beta release. It’s well-funded by private capital firms Sound Ventures, Day One Ventures, Breyer Capital, and others. 

In taking on Google, You.com promises it will “bring more trust, kindness, and facts” to the internet.

More from You.com…

From search to “do engine”
You.com helps you get things done. Get news, check Github, compose a tweet. All in one place. Search one and done.

Your privacy
You.com puts you in control — choose either a personalized or truly private experience. You.com never sells your data to advertisers.

Summarize the web
The world’s first open search engine platform that summarizes the web for users with useful and actionable content.

No ad-targeting
You.com is ad-free right now. We commit to never doing privacy-invading ads but may have private ads in the future…

Why use You.com instead of Google?
You.com summarizes the best parts of the internet for you, without ads and with great privacy. Our AI will help you find the most relevant apps but you are in control and can customize these apps and sources. We believe in bringing more trust, kindness, and facts to the internet.

How do You.com search results compare to Google’s?
Our aim is to make your life easier by summarizing the web for you, eliminating the need to open multiple tabs. We’ll also allow you to define your preferred sources and, whenever possible, show you results from the sources you prefer first — saving you time.

You.com has a FAQ page that answers a lot of common questions – including “How does You.com make money”. If you’re interested in learning more about You.com, check out the FAQ page here.

You.com offers a Private and a Personalized Mode

You.com comes with two operational modes – private mode and personalized mode. Users can easily switch between the two whenever they choose to do so. In private mode, search queries will not be stored on the servers, and clicks will not be recorded.

In “personalized mode”, the user can search even if they don’t create a profile. Users can select their preferred sources and modify the order in which they appear. Data will only be collected on user interactions with that site and not across other sites.

Testing You.com

We installed the You.com “Default search” extension in Microsoft Edge. Edge, in typical Microsoft style immediately turned it off and switch the default search engine to Bing, even though Google was set as default before changing it to You.com.

We’re testing You.com and so far we like it. The search results seem accurate and they are presented in an easy-to-read format. But it’s far too early to say if this is the giant killer its developers hope it will be.

Maybe it’s time someone gave Google a real challenge,

You can try You.com here. 

The Best Computer Care and Repair - Anywhere!

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.

Caring for a Dead Turkey 2021

Dead turkeys make lousy pets.

It's just a week before Thanksgiving. And here in the good, old, US of A, for many people that means it's turkey time. In order to keep you safe this Thanksgiving we wanted to publish this highly useful, eclectic guide, so you'd have all these amazing dead turkey tips in plenty of time for your family's feast!

Did you know that a dead turkey requires more care than a living cat and almost as much care as a living dog?

Cats are pretty good at almost any temperature that people are OK with — whereas dogs are a little more touchy. Dogs seem to do better when it’s cooler. When it’s hot, dogs can get TTS (Tired Tongue Syndrome) and the panting can be especially annoying when you’re trying to watch something on TV. So, if you’re rich - or smart – have air conditioning installed. That way, both you and the dog will be more comfortable. Cats seem to be comfortable regardless, so they’re cheaper to maintain. You can have cats even if you’re too poor for AC. I’m very familiar with cats – I’ve been an observer of cats for years and I can tell you that they spend most of their lives sleeping on something soft.

Dead Turkeys

This brings me to dead turkeys. Did you know that the most popular kind of dead turkey is a dead turkey that's been frozen? Statistics prove this, but I don’t have those stats at hand right now. If you’re really interested you can google it. Anyway, dead turkeys are really quite a bit more trouble than a living cat or dog. As you’ll see, dead turkeys require a lot more fuss — especially frozen dead turkeys. 

Consider this: Did you know that a frozen dead turkey can quickly become a semi-frozen deadly turkey if you’re not careful? According to the USDA...

Read the rest of this essay here.

Our newest Cloudeight Endorsed Email Program - Very Similar to Windows Mail & Outlook Express.

Cloudeight Stationery works great with OE Classic!

Read more about OE Classic here!

Sales of the following products and services help support our newsletters, websites, and free computer help services we provide.

Cloudeight Direct Computer Care: Single Keys, SeniorPass, or Season Tickets - always a great deal. Cloudeight Direct Computer Care is like having PC insurance. Get more information here.

Emsisoft Anti-Malware:  Emsisoft is the only Cloudeight endorsed and recommended Windows security program. It provides users with a complete antivirus, antimalware, anti-ransomware, anti-PUPs solution. We offer single Emsisoft licenses and multi-computer licenses at discount prices. Also, we offer our exclusive Emsisoft with Cloudeight installation & setup. Get more information here.

OE Classic Email program. The email program that is most like Outlook Express. We can even set it up for you. Get more details here.

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.

SeniorPass - One year of Cloudeight Direct Computer Care - unlimited sessions! Get more information here.

Windows 10 Customization: Make Windows 10 look and work the way you want it to. Learn more.

MORE IMPORTANT STUFF!

Your InfoAve Weekly Members' Home Page is located here.

Print our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care Flyer and spread the word about our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care repair services.  Get our ready-to-print flyer here.

Help us Grow! Forward this email newsletter to a friend or family member - and have them sign-up for InfoAve Weekly here!

Get our free daily newsletter! Each evening we send a short newsletter with a tip or trick or a computer-related article - it's short and sweet - and free. Sign-up right now.

We have thousands of Windows tips and tricks and computer articles posted on our Cloudeight InfoAve website. Our site has a great search engine to help you find what you're looking for too! Please visit us today!

Help us by using our Start Page.  It costs nothing, and it helps us a lot.

Print our Cloudeight Direct Flyer and spread the word about our computer repair service! If you want to help us by telling your friends about our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care service, you can download a printable flyer you can hand out or post on bulletin boards, etc. Get the printable PDF Cloudeight Direct Computer Care flyer here.