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. 

Buy One Cloudeight Direct Key and Get One for Just $14!

Our Valentine's Special is underway. Now through February 15, 2022, when you buy one Cloudeight Direct Computer Care repair key - you get a second one for $14! That's just $64 for two Cloudeight Direct Computer Care repair keys - you save $36. You can keep one and give one to a family member or friend, or keep them both. Get more info or get two keys for just $64 here.

Save $14 on a Cloudeight Direct SeniorPass - One full year of computer care & repair!

Or... If you're 55 or older, save $14 on a Cloudeight Direct SeniorPass. You get a full year of computer care & repair for just $85... that's $14 off our regular low price. See this page for more info and/or to get your SeniorPass. 

Robert want to know more about using Gmail to filter spam
I have a question about your tip about using Gmail to block junk from your regular email program today. Does Gmail have to be running(signed in) to work? I have a Gmail account put only sign in to use and then sign out. Thanks!

Our answer
Hi Robert. The article you are referring to shows you how to set up Gmail to check mail from your other email accounts such as y our ISP accounts, as well Hotmail, Outlook.com, Yahoo.com, and other Gmail accounts. The idea is that all your email accounts are checked through Gmail. If you want Gmail to block the spam from your other non-Gmail accounts, you have to be signed in to Gmail and you have to check all your accounts using Gmail.

If you have an account - let's make one up - like MeRobert4@madeupisp.com and you want to have Gmail check that account and block spam - you'll need to check your mail for that account with Gmail. You can't check the other account(s) directly. Gmail becomes the way you check your Gmail and all the accounts you set up for it to check. The only way to use Gmail's spam filtering on your other accounts is to make sure you only check your other accounts through Gmail.

We hope this helps you, Robert.

Stan says he has no taskbar search on his Windows 10 PC
I do not have a Taskbar search bar to input searches or the likes of 'CMD' instructions etc. There is no facility for this in my Windows 10 menus.

Our answer
Hi Stan. You don't need a search bar to use taskbar search. You can use choose to show a Search icon instead. Or you can hide the Taskbar search completely and use the Windows key + S shortcut to launch the search.

If you want to show a search box on your taskbar, right-click your taskbar and choose "Show search box". If you want to show just a search icon (takes up less room) choose "Show search icon". If you don't want either a search box or search icon, you can still use taskbar search using the Windows key + S shortcut.

We hope this helps you, Stan.

Teddie has questions about using libraries on Windows 10
Greetings Darcy and TC! My passion is genealogy. I have my computer folders set up by family surnames in both the Pictures and Documents files because I often have both types of media for any one person or family group. This is getting to be quite a lot of duplication. Is there any reason why I cannot combine Documents AND Pictures in the same folder? Would it be possible to set up a new Main/Library folder just for Genealogy that would show immediately when I open File Explorer, as the Documents/Pictures/Music/Video folders do now? Is there a downside to doing it this way? I have been a fan of yours for decades. --Teddie

Our answer
Hi Teddie. Thanks so much. Libraries are not enabled on Windows 10 by default. To show libraries in Windows 10 File Explorer, select the View tab, and then select Navigation pane > Show libraries.

Libraries do not contain files. Libraries are a collection of shortcuts to the original file or folder locations that are on your local computer or a network drive. The difference between Libraries and User Folders is that user folders are actual folders while Libraries are collections of shortcuts to user folders.

Default Library folders in Windows 10 are Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos. But you can create a folder for pictures and documents (or whatever else you want) and name it whatever you like. Once you've created the folder, right-click it and choose "Include in library". Once you enable Libraries, create a folder, and include it in Libraries, you'll see it listed when you open File Explorer.

We hope this helps you, Teddie.
------
Teddie wrote back: "Thank you, TC. I knew I could count on you! --Teddie."

Chris is looking for a good photo organizer
Can you recommend a good photo organizer? I have thousands of photos and am looking for a program to help sort them out. Thank you for all your help. Chris.

Our answer
Hi Chris. Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 come with a good photo organizer called Windows Photos app... be sure to see our article here.

Also, we reviewed a freeware program called FastStone Image Viewer, which is also an excellent photo organizer. To learn more about FastStone Image Viewer, see our article here.

We think both are good options - and both are free.

We hope this helps you, Chris.

Make a small donation and help us help you!

Bevlee is buying a new computer and wants our advice
I have two PCs - a desktop with Windows 7 and a laptop with Windows 10. The latter I’ve hardly used as I mainly use an iPad. I’m considering buying a new laptop with Windows 11. What requirements like RAM, etc. should I look for?

Our answer
Hi Bevlee. We recommend at least 8 GB of RAM and at least a 256 GB solid state-drive or a 1 terabyte traditional hard drive (HDD). Any processor capable of running Windows 11 (even if the computer comes with Windows 10) will be fine. The screen size is up to you - screen size is a personal choice. We favor laptops over desktops because they are more portable and sometimes less expensive (it's a more competitive market).

Right now, you may get a better deal on a laptop with Windows 10. Just make sure if the computer comes with Windows 10 that it says it's upgradable to Windows 11. There are a lot of laptops on sale right now that come with Windows 10 pre-installed. Many of these are easily upgradable to Windows 11. If saving money is a priority, choose a new Windows 10 laptop that is upgradable to Windows 11. Almost all new(er) Windows 10 computers that are upgradable to Windows 11 will say so on the device or the packaging.

We hope this helps you pick out a new computer, Bevlee.

Patricia wants to know if our InfoAve Daily newsletter is really sent by Feedblitz
HI, Your daily emails are sent through feedblitz.com. A recent email's address was feedblitz.net. Is the latter genuine or just another scam? I've received your bulletins for a number of years and at 91 am still learning! Patricia.

Our answer
Hi Patricia. Thanks for subscribing to our newsletters.

We have been using Feedblitz to send our Daily newsletter since last summer. We covered this several times in our Weekly and Daily emails when we switched from Feedburner (the old newsletter sending service) to Feedblitz.

Here is one of the articles we wrote when we first switched to Feedblitz to send our InfoAve Daily newsletter.

Remember, all the content in our Daily newsletter is written by us (Cloudeight) and it comes directly from the RSS feed from our website at https://thundercloud.net/infoave/new/. Feedblitz is the newsletter sending service we use to deliver the newsletter to you.

But, we're glad you're being careful. It's always good to check if you have suspicions that something isn't right. In this case, though, nothing is amiss.

Will wants to know how to get his email password in case he forgets it
Hi TC it's me again. Is there any way I can get my password for my email in case I need it? I check my email online using Google Chrome.

Our answer
Hi Will. In Chrome, you can view your saved passwords by clicking on the Settings icon (3 vertical dots) in the top-right corner of Chrome. Click on Settings, then click on Autofill from the menu on the left. In the Autofill section, click on Passwords. Under "Saved Passwords", click on the "eye" icon to show the password.

You can also click on the vertical dots to the right of the "eye" icon to copy, edit, or remove the password.

We hope this helps you, Will.

Frank wants to switch word processors and how to switch file associations
Dear T.C. You helped me before. So, once again, I am seeking your invaluable information on a large problem I encountered. I started to write my autobiography using "LibreOffice Writer". This happened after I had written a few pages; the last chapter disappeared all of a sudden. I apparently had clicked the wrong button. No matter what I tried it wasn't possible to restore the missing text, even though I had marked the restore button earlier. In desperation, I returned to my earlier trusted word processor "OpenOffice Writer". Here comes my problem and question; I cannot affect any corrections in the previous chapters. Is there any way that "OpenOffice Writer" can take over, so to speak? I am crossing my fingers hoping that you can be of assistance. With my best wishes, and stay well, Your "Booster", Frank.

Our answer
Hi Frank. Thanks so much for your support.

You can open a word processor file with any word processor as long as it's in a standard format (like Docx, odf, etc.) LibreOffice saves word processor files in ODF formation (Open Document Format) which can be opened with almost any other word processor including MS Word.

OpenOffice can open ODF format. Here's what OpenOffice says...

ODF is an ISO International Standard format for office documents, created in 2006. ODF files have the following file extensions:

*.odt (word processor documents)
*.ods (spreadsheet documents)
*.odp (presentation documents)

So, to open your document with OpenOffice Writer - right-click the document and choose "Open with" and then select OpenOffice... If you see "Always open this type of file with this program" select it.

You can set ODT files to always open with OpenOffice Writer. Here's how...

1. Type DEFAULT APPS in taskbar search.

2. In Default apps, click "Choose default apps by file types:

3. Find .odt in the list of file types, Click on Libre Office and you should see "Open Office as an alternative".

Or you can set Open Office as default for all office-type files this way: Right-click on OpenOffice and select repair. During the repair, you should be offered the opportunity to set OpenOffice as the default.

We hope this helps you, Frank.

Buy One Cloudeight Direct Key and Get One for Just $14!

Our Valentine's Special is underway. Now through February 15, 2022, when you buy one Cloudeight Direct Computer Care repair key - you get a second one for $14! That's just $64 for two Cloudeight Direct Computer Care repair keys - you save $36. You can keep one and give one to a family member or friend, or keep them both. Get more info or get two keys for just $64 here.

Save $14 on a Cloudeight Direct SeniorPass - One full year of computer care & repair!

Or... If you're 55 or older, save $14 on a Cloudeight Direct SeniorPass. You get a full year of computer care & repair for just $85... that's $14 off our regular low price. See this page for more info and/or to get your SeniorPass. 

How to Create  Zip Folders in Windows 10 & Windows 11 Without Using Any 3rd-party Software
Windows 10 and Windows 11

Ever since Windows XP, Windows has had a built-in compression (or zip) utility.  And while all of the images used in this tip were created on Windows 10, this tip also works with  Windows 11 and in much the same way.  While not nearly as full-featured as most third-party compression utilities, such as 7-zip, the Windows compression (zip) utility allows you to create zipped files quickly and easily.

Why would you ever need to create a zip file? What if you have 20 great pictures from your vacation to Italy. And let's say you want to share them with a friend by email. If you were the friend would you rather receive a zip file with 20 pictures in it or an email with 20 pictures attached? Enough said.

You can create a zip file from a folder on your computer without installing any 3rd-party programs and  here’s how:

Chose any folder on your computer. For example, let’s say you have pictures you took last Christmas in a folder in your Pictures folder. You can zip up your Christmas pictures folder this way:

Right-click on the folder you want to zip

Click on “Send to” then choose “Compressed (zipped) folder” from the menu which appears”. That’s it. The zipped file/folder will be created in the same location where the original files/folders are located.

On Windows 11, it's even easier. Just select the files you want to zip and choose "Compress to zip file"...

Below you’ll see I created 3 test folders.  I added some pictures to each folder. Then for this tip, I compressed (zipped) the folder I called Test Folder 3. See? The original folder remains untouched, but all the files in Test Folder 3 are zipped inside the Test Foler3 zipped file.

You can rename your compressed folder the same way you rename any other folder.

Notice above that I renamed Test Folder3.zip to Wallpaper-2018.zip.

And one more thing. If you forgot to add some pictures to the folder before you zipped it, no problem. Here’s how to add additional files to a zipped file.

Just drag and drop any file that you want to add to the zipped file and it will automatically be included in the zip file.

When you drag and drop a file to the zip file, it will be added to the zip file without changing or removing the original file.

Now you know how to create compressed (zip) files in Windows 10 and Windows 11 without using any 3rd-party software!

How to Add a Picture to Your Windows 10 or Windows 11 User Account
Windows 10 and Windows 11

It’s easy to add a picture to your Windows 10 or Windows 11 user account. You can use your smiling face for your account picture, your grandkid, your spouse, your girlfriend, boyfriend, significant other, dog, cat, pet pig, parrot, hamster, your record-breaking pumpkin, tulip, or whatever tickles your fancy. I am sorry for all the geek-speak…

Let’s do it, shall we?

Windows 10

Type YOUR INFO in the taskbar search and press Enter or click it when it appears in the search results.

On the page that opens, look for “Create your picture”. Beneath it, you’ll notice you have two options. You can snap a photo of your beautiful face (or whatever) using your computer’s Webcam, or you can choose a photo already on your computer.

On the page that opens, look for “Create your picture”. Beneath it, you’ll notice you have two options. You can snap a photo of your beautiful face (or whatever) using your computer’s Webcam, or you can choose a photo already on your computer.

As you can see,  for my account picture, I chose a picture of myself when I was thin, young, handsome, and wild – sadly… days long since passed. Sorry ladies… I’ll never be that wild and handsome again!

Windows 11

Type YOUR INFO in the taskbar/Start menu search and press Enter or click it when it appears in the search results. On the page that opens, look for “Take a photo” and then snap a photo of your beautiful face, your cat or dog, or someone else’s face using your computer’s Webcam.  Or you can choose a photo already on your computer.

You can have fun with this too…

And now you know how to set your user account picture on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

You can also use the information in this tip to change your current user account picture.

The Norton Email Scam
All Windows Users

The following question/comment was posted in the comments section of our website by Joann.  Joann received an official-looking email made to look like it came from Norton thanking her for her payment of $399.

Joann wrote…

Please help! I don’t know what to do. I already had presented the problem but it was not accepted because it was determined to be a possible fraud. I have received a “thank you for payment” for $399.00 from renewing a Norton anti-virus, which I’ve never had. I have Emsisoft & have had it for a number of yrs. I will not type in the man’s name because I wonder if that sent up a red flag causing my problem to not be accepted. I have NOT touched anything at all on the “thank you notice” for fear of making a horrendous error. Please help me right away if possible. I’m ever afraid to continue to use my computer at all. Thank you ever so very much. Joann B.

We answered Joann’s plea for help...

Hi Joann. It’s a scam, Joann. Delete the email. This scam has been going around for months. See this article, this one, and this one.

According to Snopes.com…

Since at least 2021, an email scam has targeted victims with the claim that Norton had renewed their annual membership subscriptions. Some of the scam renewal emails mentioned Norton Total Protection, Norton Total All Round Security, Norton 360, Norton 360 Auto Edition, Norton PC Life, Norton Family All Device, and Norton LifeLock. Turns out, a few of these weren’t even real Norton products. We looked into these emails, which are in fact part of a known “phishing” operation aimed at tricking recipients into divulge (sic) private information.

How the Norton Email Scam Works

The phone number listed in some of the Norton scam emails was 760-248-4214. We called the number knowing that the whole thing was a ruse. We were connected to a scammer who may have been located in a foreign call center. The scammer asked for the invoice number in the email.

This is known as a refund scam. The emails claimed that a payment had been successfully processed to renew a Norton subscription. However, this was nothing more than a fake set up for the scam.

The goal for the scammers was for consumers to respond by email or phone to ask for a refund for the supposed Norton product renewal. The scammers eventually would ask for bank account or credit card details, claiming that a refund would be processed. In reality, they would take the financial information and attempt to steal funds…

The more informed you are the less afraid you’ll be and the less the chances are that you’ll become a victim. The articles we linked will help you understand how these kinds of scams work and how to avoid becoming tricked by them.

We hope this helps you, Joann, and others who are unlucky enough to find this scammy email in their inbox.

These kinds of scams can happen to you too. Being informed is the best way to protect yourself from becoming a victim.

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 8.85

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 8.85.

Save $14 on Reg Organizer right now!

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

Imposter Scams

Today’s site pick is — believe it or not – a U.S. government site that is extremely informative and written in plain English – not a single line of techno-speak. And we bet that if you visit this Cloudeight site pick, you’ll come away smarter and more scam-proof than ever before.

There is no end to humankind’s ability to dig deep into the depths of chicanery. But sometimes you have to wonder why some people love to use their intellect to trick and deceive others. But let’s not forget this kind of thing has been going on since the beginning of civilization. To some, there’s no better thing than getting money for nothing no matter how much it hurts others. Lack of conscience and morality seems to be more ubiquitous now than ever before, but maybe it just seems that way because so many kooks are on social media.

I digress. Today’s site pick is the United States Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Imposter Scams website. It’s so well done, I’m surprised. On the FTC’s imposter scams website, you’ll learn about Romance Scams, Grandkids Scams, Social Security Scams, Tech Support Scams, IRS Imposter Scams, Online Dating Scams, Family Emergency Scams, and more.

The FTC’s Imposter Scams website features videos to show you how these types of scams work and how you can avoid becoming a victim. And you know what we have always said – the best way to protect yourself from being a victim of Internet trickery is… being informed. The more informed you are the more quickly you’ll recognize a scam – whether it be an email scam, a social media scam, a website scam, a popup scam, or a telephone scam.

If you want to avoid becoming a victim of one of the thousands of scams on the Internet, our advice is to take some time and learn all you can about some of the most popular scams floating around out there. Being knowledgeable and staying informed can help keep you safe from scammers and charlatans out to get your money or your identity.

You can greatly increase your knowledge of scams,  particularly imposter scams, by visiting this Cloudeight site pick.

A visit to the FTC’s Imposter Scams website will be well worth your time – I tells ya! 

Ben Franklin Was Right - Reprise

Foreword

We wrote the following essay nearly nine years ago. Who would have ever dreamed that we would see our right to privacy go from being seriously threatened in 2013 to virtually being non-existent now? Charles Dickens once wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” and now I’m looking at the Internet the same way – it is the best of things, it is the worst of things.

Between the governments of the world, Facebook, Instagram, Google, Microsoft, TikTok, YouTube, et al., we have virtually lost our right to privacy – and no one seems to care.

And not only this, but social media has given a giant megaphone to careless and crazy people who gleefully spew dangerous and sometimes utterly crazy misinformation to make a lot of money. We have enabled these kooks and crackpots.

Have we all helped create a monster we cannot control and cannot kill? I think, inadvertently, we have. And now we grow more and more powerless to change it. Where will it end? Here is what we wrote on August 5, 2013...

Read the rest of this essay here.

Make a small donation and help us help you!

What does DNS mean? What's it for?

DNS is an acronym for The Domain Name System. DNS is a standard technology for managing the names of Web sites and Internet domains. Domain Name Servers allow you to type in an easy to remember Internet address like thundercloud.net and find it immediately on the Web. So... it takes the easy-to-remember name Thundercloud.net and looks it up in the DNS directory to its corresponding numerical IP address and then displays the page for you. Think of numerical IP addresses as phone numbers. If it were not for DNS servers you'd have to know the "phone number" (numerical IP address) of every site you visit.

Theoretically, the faster the DNS server you use, the faster Web pages will resolve and display. While many other factors affect how fast pages load, the most important is the speed of your Internet connection, DNS technology makes the Web more useable for everyone.

Many DNS servers are supporting the Web. So technically, a DNS server is any computer registered to join the Domain Name System. A DNS server contains and maintains a database of network names and addresses for other Internet hosts.

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.

 

We'd love to hear from you!

If you have comments, questions, a tip, trick, a freeware pick, or just want to tell us off for something, let us know.

If you need to change your newsletter subscription address, please see "Manage your subscription" at the very bottom of your newsletter.

We received hundreds of questions for possible use in IA news. Please keep in mind we cannot answer all general computer questions. We try to personally answer as many as we can. We can only use a few in each week's newsletter, so keep this in mind. If you have a support question about a service or product we sell, please contact us here.

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter! Get computer tips & tricks every night. Our daily newsletter features a computer tip/trick or two every day. We send it out every night around 9 PM Eastern Time (USA). It's short and sweet, easy-to-read, and FREE. Subscribe to our Cloudeight InfoAve Daily Newsletter!



We hope you have enjoyed this issue of Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly. Thanks so much for your support and for being an InfoAve Weekly subscriber.

Have a great weekend... be safe!

Darcy and TC
Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly - Issue #957
Volume 19 Number 15
February 11, 2022 

Not a subscriber? Subscribe to our FREE Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly Newsletter here.



"Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly" newsletter is published by:

Cloudeight Internet LLC
PO Box 73
Middleville, Michigan USA 49333-0073

Read our disclaimer about the tips, tricks, answers, site picks, and freeware picks featured in this newsletter.

Copyright ©2022 by Cloudeight Internet