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Rob wants to know how to set up File History so it doesn't run out of space
Hi Guys. I have just switched on File History and would like to know what one does when the external hard drive gets full. Do you have to format and start again or replace it with a new hard drive? Please excuse what most may think is a stupid question. Regards, Rob.

Our answer
Hi Rob. There's no such thing as a stupid question except for a question not asked.

You can set File History to keep files until space is needed so you’ll never run out of space. Under Backup options, under Keep my backups > "Until space is needed".

This option will delete the oldest backups to make room for newer backups.

We hope this helps you, Rob.

Debb wants to know if an email from Google is genuine
I don't know if you still recommend tjhe Thunderbird email program but I am using it (the latest version) and I have my email downloaded to it from Google on a Windows 11 desktop PC. I have gotten an email, supposedly from Google (I say that because I find it is poorly formatted coming from Google ... wish I could send you a screenshot!) saying "On May 30, you may lose access to apps that are using less secure sign-in technology. To help keep your account secure, Google will no longer support the use of third-party apps or devices which ask you to sign in to your Google Account using only your username and password. Instead, you’ll need to sign in using Sign in with Google or other more secure technologies, like OAuth 2.0. What do you need to do? Email software, like Outlook 2016 or earlier, has less secure access to your Gmail. Switch to Office 365, Outlook 2019 or newer, or any other email software where you can sign in using Sign in with Google."

I do not want to pay for those expensive email programs. Honestly, I do not want to pay for one at all, and I hate going to Google online to read my mail. Please advise. I very much appreciate your help. I trust you both so much more than Google! Thanks, Debb.

Our answer
Hi Debb. We don't use or recommend Thunderbird anymore - we're currently using and recommending OE Classic. That being said, we want to help you and we can tell you that the email is genuine and that after May 30, 2022 (according to Google) it will no longer support "less secure apps". Thunderbird is a secure app that already offers (and has offered) OAuth2 for quite some time, so those using Thunderbird should not be affected if the account is already set up using OAuth2. If not you can read how to do that in Thunderbird here. In any case, you won't need to change email programs.

But the mail you received is genuine, poorly formatted as It is (most of Google's emails are not well-formatted).

We hope this helps you, Debb.

Sandi doesn't want to use a password
I have had to start all over again with one of my computers with a clean copy of Windows 10 from the Cloud. You used to have an article a long while ago about how to bypass PINs and passwords etc. and just have the computer come on at the start page. Have you written an article about how to bypass this feature in Windows 10 and 11, and if so, how do I go about doing it? The computer is a home computer and I'm the only one who uses it.

Our answer
Hi Sandi. Windows 10 has changed. Unless you want to create a local account (not easy and local accounts lack some features) you're going to have to some sort of sign-in. We recommend you set up a 4-digit PIN. PINs are easier to remember than passwords and offer some protection. Our feelings are that you should always use at least a PIN. Even if no one else but you has access to your PC. malware and bots can access an unprotected computer. If you have an administrator account on your Windows 10 (or Windows 11) PC and remove the password, you potentially give enhanced access to any malicious apps running on your device. Setting up a PIN is easy and does not require you to enter a username every time you log in.

If you're still interested in no protection for your account without going through the work of creating a local account take a look at Autologon by Microsoft Sysinternals. Once you set it up, as its name suggests, it will automatically log you in.
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Sandi wrote back: "Thank you for answering my question. I'm always learning from your website, and I appreciate all of your information. Please never go away!"

Charles has a six-year-old Cloudeight Direct Computer Care Key and wants to know if it's still good
I purchased a Cloudeight Direct Computer Care key on July 12, 2016, and I've never had to use it thanks to your newsletters and tips and trick. Is my Cloudeight still good or do they expire?

Our answer
Hi Charles. Thanks for the nice comments. Cloudeight Direct Computer Care repair keys never expire. They are good until you use them. We are glad we have helped you keep your computer running well. Thanks again, Charles.

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Debbie is about to throw Chrome to the Curb
I have a question about Google (Chrome) browser. Ever since Google updated its browser, there are many sites I can no longer get into. I'm about ready to pull my hair out! I have changed privacy settings, whitelisted sites and still, I can't access them. I cannot access:

peoplenews.com
facebook.com
...and others.

Is there something else I can do? I'm about to throw Google Chrome to the curb!

Our answer
Hi Debbie. Peoplenews.com is not accessible from any of my browsers (Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or Opera). Either the site no longer exists or it's down. I have no problem going to https://www.facebook.com in Chrome. And we have not noticed any degradation of function in Chrome with any of the recent updates.

We suggest you reset Chrome and clear the cache. it only takes a few minutes and you won't lose your bookmarks or saved passwords. Here is one of our tutorials on resetting Chrome and clearing its cache.

We hope this helps you, Debbie.

Jeanne wants to know how to set up a Gmail account in Outlook
Hi Darcy and TC. Once again, I need your help. I am trying to configure my email so Settings and Mail, but I can't find POP and IMAP. Under Mail is Layout, Compose and reply, Attachments, Rules, Sweep, Junk email, Customize actions, Sync (says "Unable to load these settings"), Message handling, Forwarding, Automatic replies and subscriptions. Please help me so I can get my Gmail set up in Outlook. Thank you very much and God bless you. Jeanne.

Our answer
Hi Jeanne. We don't know what version of Outlook you have. If you have the current version or a recent version you can set up accounts (including Gmail accounts) this way...

Click "File" at the top.

Then click "Info".

Under "Account Information", look for "Account Settings".

When you click Account Settings you will see several items appear... the one you want is at the top.

It says "Add or remove accounts or change existing connection settings".

Click on Account Settings in the drop-down (it is the first one).

The Email accounts dialog will open. Click on Email then "New".

Once you click on New > Email the following dialog will appear. Just type in the email address you want to set up. And click "Connect'.

After you click Connect you'll be asked to type in your email account password. After you enter your password click "Sign in".

Note that if you are setting up a Gmail account when you click "Connect" a Google sign-in page will appear where you'll need to enter your username and password which will then be passed to Outlook.

Outlook can automatically configure Gmail, Outlook.com, Hotmail.com, Yahoo.com, and several others so you don't have to do anything as far as server settings, etc. Outlook automatically set up email accounts as IMAP and this is the way it should be.

Also note, if necessary, you can change existing accounts this way too.

We hope this helps you, Jeanne.

Maggie wants to know how to get a password from Chrome
Hi TC & Darcy. Is there a way to get a password from Chrome? I let Chrome save a password and now I need to get the password for something else and I don't know how. Thanks so much for any help you can give me.

Our answer
Hi Maggie. It's easy to retrieve a password from Chrome. Just to this:

1. Click on the "3 vertical lines" icon at the top right of the browser.
2. Click on "Settings" in the menu that appears.
3. In settings, scroll to the bottom and click on Advanced.
4. In Advanced settings scroll down until you see "Manage passwords". Click on "Manage passwords". Look for "Saved passwords". Click on the "eye" icon to see any password in plain text that you have saved in Chrome.

For extra security, you may have to type in the password or PIN you use to log in to your Windows computer before you will be able to see the password in plain text.

We have a tutorial that has step-by-step instructions on how to manage passwords with Chrome and how to see whatever passwords Chrome has saved.

We hope this helps you, Maggie.

Judy asks about popup blockers and browser extensions in general
Is there a way to get rid of that irritating pop-up ad that pops up every time I check this site?
Also, T.C, you have been telling us that too many extensions can slow your browser.

Our answer
Hi Judy. You can use a good free popup blocker such as uBlock Origin which we wrote about here. It's free and does a great job of blocking ads and popups on most sites.

The phrase "Too many extensions" is relative. I've seen people with 20-25 extensions and that's too many - no matter what. Are 10 too many? That depends. If your browser runs poorly, too many extensions may be the cause. But I cannot give you or anyone a specific number for what would be "too many extensions" because PCs with 8GB (or more) of RAM can handle more browser extensions with 4GB of RAM. As far as extensions go, we recommend everyone have a good password manager and a good ad-blocker if ads bother them. A print extension like Print Friendly can be helpful for those who do a lot of printing from the web.

But we've seen browsers with 2 or 3 ad-blocker, 2 or 3 "money-saving" or "shopping" extensions, 2 or 3 security extensions, a couple "print" extensions, and other miscellaneous (probably) unnecessary extensions. When it comes to extensions common sense should be your guide: you should limit extensions to those you really need and really use.

We hope this helps you, Judy.

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. 

Laptop Users: Don’t Forget the Function Key
Windows 8.1, Windows 10, Windows 11

If you recently purchased a new laptop or received one as a gift this tip will be very helpful to you. And for those of you who’ve been using a laptop for a while, this tip will serve as a reminder to you.

The Function Key (the Fn key) on your laptop’s keyboard adds functionality to your laptop. You will see the function key labeled as the Fn, fn, or FN key. We’re going to refer to it in this article as the Fn key.

Keep in mind that every laptop manufacturer has different Fn key combinations – but some are fairly universal such as the Fn key plus the F2 key toggles your Wi-Fi connection on and off, but some are specific to one brand or another.

First, you’ll want to find your Fn key on your keyboard. Here it is:

You’ll want to check your laptop manufacturer’s website for the Function key combinations for your brand of laptop. Just to show you some of the useful functions the Fn key provides, here’s some that work on one of my laptops. Use this as a guide only - every laptop brand is different.

• Zzz icon (F1): Fn+ F1 Places the Notebook PC in suspend mode (In case you’re wondering: The Zzz key is the icon on the F1 key on some ASUS laptops – the Zzz meaning “sleep”.)
• Radio Tower Icon (F2): Fn+F2 Toggles the internal wireless LAN or Bluetooth (on selected models) ON or OFF with an on screen display. When enabled, the corresponding wireless indicator will light. Windows software settings are necessary to use the wireless LAN or Bluetooth.
• Sun Down Icon (F5): Fn+F5 Decreases the display brightness
• Sun Up Icon (F6): Fn+F6 Increases the display brightness
• LCD Icon (F7): Fn+ F7 Toggles the display panel ON and OFF.
• LCD/Monitor Icons (F8): Toggles between the Laptop's display and an external monitor; NOTE: You must connect an external monitor “before” booting up.
• Crossed-out Touchpad (F9) (on selected models). Fn+F9 Toggles the built-in touchpad LOCKED (disabled) and UNLOCKED (enabled). Locking the touchpad will prevent you from accidentally moving the pointer while typing and is best used with an external pointing device such as a mouse.
• Crossed Speaker Icons (F10): Fn+F10 Toggles the speakers ON and OFF
• Speaker Down Icon (F11): Fn+F11 Decreases the speaker volume
• Speaker Up Icon (F12): Fn+F12 Increases the speaker volume (only in Windows OS)
• Num Lk (Ins): Fn+Num Lock Key Toggles the numeric keypad (number lock) ON and OFF. Allows you to use a larger portion of the keyboard for number entering.
• Scr Lk (Del): Fn+Scroll Lock Key – Toggles the “Scroll Lock” ON and OFF. Allows you to use a larger portion of the keyboard for cell navigation.

While some of these Fn key combinations above may work on your laptop, be sure to check your laptop manufacturer’s website for Fn key combinations for your brand of laptop. Whatever brand of laptop you have, you'll find that Fn Key combinations allow you to add more functionality to your laptop. 

Don't Forget About "About your PC"
Windows 10 and Windows 11

We've told you several ways to get the version of Windows you're using as well as ways to find out if you have 64-bit or 32-bit Windows and how much RAM is installed on your system.

Today, we're going to show you a super-easy way to get a lot of essential information and learn more about your computer1.

In the Windows 10 or Windows 11 taskbar search, type "About" and click on "About your PC" when it appears in the search results.

That's it. When "About your PC" opens you can see from the screenshots below, that you get a lot of great info all in one place! We've highlighted some of the most important information.

1. Processor
2. Installed RAM - This PC has 8 GB of installed RAM but only 7.89 GB is usable -some of it is being used by the display.
3. System type (32-bit or 64-bit) as you can see this PC is 64-bit.
4. Operating System - Windows 10 Home
5. Version 1709 (Fall Creators Update)

Above "About your PC" in Windows 10.

Above - "About your PC" in Windows 11 from my now-infamous $288 ALLDOCUBE laptop - which is still working great by the way.

We get a lot of people asking us how to tell what version of Windows they have, if they have a 32-bit or 64-bit system, or how much RAM they have installed. You can learn all ABOUT your computer by typing ABOUT in the taskbar search!

Move Over Chrome – Edge Has You Beat!

At least when it comes to “Reader mode”

We recently wrote an article about Chrome’s “Reader mode”.  And we thought it was a great feature that makes reading articles on the Web easier on the eyes by giving the reader control over font size, background color, etc. 

Then we decided to look at Microsoft Edge’s Reader mode and we’ve got to say, it leaves Chrome’s Reader mode in the dust.

If you have Windows 11 or Windows 10 you have Microsoft Edge. So, that means most of you have Microsoft Edge even if most of you haven’t yet tried it.  So, Open Microsoft Edge and follow along. 

When you visit a page for which Reader mode is available, you’ll see a book icon with a speaker on it.

When you click on that icon (as shown above close up – and below in a page view)…

You’ll be able to control how the text appears on the page from the font styles and sizes to background colors, line focus, and even a translator. And if you’re a Grammar cop, you can even open Grammar tools to show parts of speech and more. You can also have Edge read the article to you.

In the screenshot below, you can see I’ve chosen a medium-sized Comic Sans font on a black background.

Under “Text preferences” you can choose text size, text spacing, font, column style, and page themes (background and text color).

If you’re a grammar-o-phile or grammar cop, you might find grammar tools useful. You can break words into syllables and show parts of speech. 

And to further refine your reading experience, Edge offers you the option to change reading preferences by choosing Line focus which allows you to focus your reading by highlighting one, three, or five lines at a time. 

Plus you can hover over certain words to see a picture of what the word describes. 

And you can translate the page with the built-in translator.

To see how the “Picture dictionary” works, I hovered over the word “circles” and the cursor turned into a star so I could see what circles look like.

Microsoft Edge’s Reader mode is more advanced and even more useful than Google Chrome’s Reader mode. So, open up Microsoft Edge and give it a try…we tells ya!

And a reminder – Reader mode does not work on every page. If it will not work on a page you will not see the Reader mode (book) icon. 

Want more tips, tricks, and information?

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

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Now available: Reg Organizer 8.87

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 8.87.

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

Need Help? Get a Human!

We featured this website over a year ago and since then it’s gotten even better. Not only that, it’s easy to forget about it unless you need to talk to a human. And just recently I had problems getting a human, I actually had to search for our article about GetHuman because I had forgotten all about it. So let this be a reminder when you need to speak to a human remember GetHuman.

Just about a week ago had a problem with Verizon – and let me tell you – it’s not easy getting a human at Verizon. They do their best to put you on the robot merry-go-round.

And at the same time, I had the Verizon issue,  I had an order from Lowe’s that was damaged in shipment. I needed what I ordered but didn’t want to pay for it twice – you know how that goes. Calling Lowe’s can be a challenge…the robot doesn’t understand humans well… and round and round we go. 

I wanted a human and got a human at both Verizon and Lowe’s thanks to our site pick “Get Human”.

Shortly after my experiences with Verizon and Lowe’s, one of our readers was getting the run around from AT&T concerning his Internet service – and try as he might, he could not get a human. I told him how to get humans on the phone by using Get Human… problem solved.

How many times have you wanted to contact a company by phone or email and after an hour of searching you either couldn’t find a phone number, you were besieged by fake spam ads, popups, false support phone numbers, or just could not find any correct contact information at all!

Yes, lots of hands going up out there.

We all know that big, rich corporations do their best to make it difficult for us little people to contact them. Some (many!) outsource all their support services to people who don’t speak or barely speak English. This is a wonderful way for those companies to avoid the very people who made them successful: You and me.

But not to worry. No rambling from us today. Some of you grammarians already think we’re one of the companies who barely speak (or write) English.  That aside, we’re not going to ramble on about GetHuman. But we will tell you this: If you’re looking for a phone number, email address, or specific contact information for a large company, take it from us – you’ll save a ton of time by starting your quest at GetHuman.

You don’t have to sign up for anything to use GetHuman, however, we’ll let you read what GetHuman has to say about that:

Contributing Stuff

You may visit and run basic searches on the Service without registering, and you do not need to register to view information, data, and content, including posts (generally, “Stuff”) created by us or by other users or provided by third parties. However, you must register with us to generate your questions, comments, responses, data and other posts, other material and information, and associated trademarks and copyrightable works (such data, information, and content, “Your Stuff”). Please refer to our Privacy Policy, incorporated herein by reference, for information about how to register with us and how we protect your personal information.

We do our best to curate the information we receive from others, but we cannot promise that product or service descriptions or other Stuff on this Service is accurate, complete, reliable, current, or error-free. If you are dissatisfied with the Service, please email us at hello@gethuman.com. Your only other remedy (and our sole liability) with respect to any dissatisfaction with the Service, these Terms, or the Privacy Policy is to cease using our Service…

All that that little screed means is this: If all you want to do is find phone numbers, email addresses, and other contact information from big companies that seem to be hiding from you, then GetHuman is the first place you’ll want to look.

Here are a few screenshots to give you a quick preview of GetHuman before we send you on your way.

The All-time Most Popular Phone Numbers

GetHuman also has a directory of thousands of phone numbers listed alphabetically, so it’s a good bet you’re going to find the number you’re looking for.

GetHuman is a site you’ll want to bookmark – or at least commit to memory – we have a feeling we’ll all be using it often! 

Need help? Get a human!

Visit GetHuman at https://www.gethuman.com/

The Best Computer Care and Repair - Anywhere!

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You Gotta Love Daylight Saving Time!

Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead one hour this weekend unless you’re in Arizona or Hawaii or some parts of Canada(?). My Canadian friends can skip to the bottom of us this if you're in a hurry.

Even though I’m an old curmudgeon – and let me emphasize the “OLD” part – I still manage to learn something new every day – this is, I think, nature’s way of replacing some of the dozens of things my aging brain forgets every day.

I learned that calling Daylight Saving Time, “Daylight Savings Time”, with an S is, incorrect. They say it makes me look like an idiot to everyone who knows it’s correctly called Daylight Saving Time. This means, of course, the Grammar Police who always seem to have a warrant out for my arrest. I’ve spent my entire life – well most of it since high school at least- hiding from the Grammar Police.

Lookie here: “Daylight Savings Time is a misspelling, but more common than the correct term. Setting our clocks 1 hour forward in the spring is often referred to as “Daylight Savings Time” even though “Daylight Saving Time” is the correct spelling…” If so inclined, you can check my source here.

I’m so tired of being corrected, I tells ya! So, not wanting to look like an idiot or a fool, any more than I usually do, I’ve called this piece “You Gotta Love Daylight Saving Time!” That should appease those who look for perfection – although I can’t promise anywhere near perfection for what lies just ahead.

Read the rest of this essay here.

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I bought a lifetime license ... now the program wants me to update! What's up with that?

There seems to be a lot of confusion about lifetime licenses. So we're going to try to clear that up. Most of the time when you buy a lifetime license it's good for a particular version of a software program. You can use the program as long as you want - hence the term "lifetime license". The lifetime license usually only applies to the version you purchased and sometimes includes free updates for a period of time. Most lifetime licenses are valid only for one particular version of a program. If the developer releases a new version of the program, users with lifetime licenses to a previous version can usually upgrade to the newer version for a reduced price.

Where the confusion sets in is when people see a new version of a program is released and they get a notification that they can upgrade for a discounted price. They think that a lifetime version means lifetime for any version of the program - most of the time it just means for the version they purchased.

How updates are numbered varies by the developer, but as a general rule to guide you: Generally if you're using version 7.0 of a program, updates change the program version to 7.01 or 7.1. An upgrade, in most cases. would change the version to 8 or 8.0.

To make it simple: Let's say you purchased Emily's Amazing Photo Editor version 7 and you buy a lifetime license. You can go on using Emily's Amazing Photo Editor version 7 for as long as you want. You don't ever have to buy a new license for that version. But if Emily releases Amazing Photo Editor version 8, with amazing new features you just have to have, your lifetime license for version 7 does not entitle you to a free upgrade. Emily will, if she's a smart businesswoman, give you a big discount if you choose to upgrade to version 8... but a lifetime license is not a ticket to ride for version 8, version 9, version 10, or any new version.

Most of the time a lifetime license will include updates to the version for which the license was issued, but more times these updates will have time limits.

So, a lifetime license gives you a license to use a certain version of a software program (or "app") for as long as you want to use it. A lifetime if you want. But a lifetime license does not bind the software developer to provide users with free upgrades to new versions of the program.

There may be times when the version of the software for which you have a lifetime license will no longer work after a major Windows (or whatever operating system you use) update. In this case, it would be up to the developer as to whether or not to provide you with an updated program or not.

Now you know that a lifetime license means a license to use a certain version of a software program as long as you like. This does not preclude the software developer from releasing new and improved versions of his/her programs and charging users who want to upgrade to the newer version. Most smart developers will give current users a discount price should they want to upgrade.

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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.

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