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Sharon K. wants to know where to get Windows 11
Is Windows 11 free to download? And if so, how do I do it? I have an HP computer with Windows 10.

Our answer
Hi Sharon, You can upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11 (providing your PC's hardware supports it) by going to this page.

Before you try to upgrade, go to this page and make sure your PC can run Windows 11; not all Windows 10 computers can.

We hope this helps you, Sharon.

Jimmie has a friend who is locked out of their PC
I have a good friend that has an HP Pavilion laptop. They stopped using it due to poor internet service from their satellite provider (they live in a rural area). After about a year the pandemic came along, and they loaned it to their grandchildren to use for remote learning.

Fast forward to the present. They now have fiber internet and when they started to use it again, they can't get past the login screen. Apparently, someone changed the password for Windows, and no one can remember the password. I have searched your site and have been unable to find any info to help them. Naturally, they didn't create a disc or thumb drive to reset it prior to loaning it out.

So, the question is there anything that can be done to reset/change the login password without a disc or thumb drive? Thank you in advance for any information or assistance you can give. You have helped me on several occasions, and I hope you can help me help them.

Thanks for being there. Jimmie

Our answer
Hi Jimmie, if they used a Microsoft account to sign in originally, and they have access to an internet-connected device, they can reset their password online. See this page.

There are password recovery tools you can buy for $30 to $50. Here's one.

The only other way we know of they'll be able to access their computer is by doing a factory reset. The only way to do this without a Windows installation disk is to do a factory reset. This will return the laptop to the state it was in the day it was purchased. Meaning if it came with Windows 7, it would reset to Windows 7 but Windows 10 is still a free upgrade. It will also wipe all the data from the machine so you'll be starting from scratch. See this page to learn how to reset an HP laptop.

If the laptop came Windows 10 then it will have Windows 10 after the reset. If it had Windows 7 (purchased before July 2015) visit this page and update to Windows 10 free.

Doing a factory reset will allow you to create a user account and password/PIN and it will be like setting up a new computer.

We hope this helps you, Jimmie.

Carol wants to make Gmail her default email program on Windows
Hi; Hope you can help me with something. I do not use Thunderbird anymore and do not use my RoadRunner email address anymore. I use only Gmail.

The way my computer is set up, and I want to send something email, the email comes up either the RR or Thundercloud accounts and I cannot send email.

What do I need to do to make GMAIL my default? If you can send me instructions I can do it myself.

Our answer
Hi Carol. You cannot make Gmail your default easily unless you use Chrome and make a lot of changes in Windows. If you use Google Chrome and want to try setting up Gmail as your default see this tutorial.

You can also make a dedicated shortcut on your desktop and your taskbar for Gmail - that will open your Gmail account without having to open another browser window. For instructions on how to do that, see our tutorial here.

We hope these suggestions help you, Carol.

Dawn says she signs out of Windows a different way than we showed in our tip last week.
"How to sign out of Windows 10 and 11" When I sign out I just use Control, Alt, Delete and I have my option right there along with 3 others. Just an FYI.

Our answer
Hi Dawn. As always, with Windows, there is always more than one way to accomplish the same things. You can sign out of Windows 10 or Windows 11 at least 3 ways. The way you described, the way we described, and going to your desktop and pressing ALT+F4 to bring up the shutdown menu.



And there you go. And you can also use the Command Prompt to sign out of Windows too, but it's not easy.

Your response is a good one, we can use your reply in our newsletters to remind everyone that is almost always more than one way to accomplish the same thing in Windows. It will also let people know how you sign out of Windows - maybe they'll prefer your way!

Craig wants to view Photo Gallery and Movie Maker files on his new PC
Can I view my pictures and movies made with Photo Gallery and Movie Maker on my new computer.? The new computer runs Windows 10 but it does not include Photo Gallery and Movie Maker. They have replaced Photo Gallery and Movie Maker with new programs.

Our answer
Hi Craig, You can open any image file created with Photo Gallery with any image viewer or editor, including Photos on Windows 10. Additionally, you can use Photo Gallery and/or Movie Maker to open Photo Gallery and Movie Maker files on Windows 10 (or Windows 11).

You can install Photo Gallery and Movie Maker on Windows 10 and Windows 11 by following the instructions (carefully) on this page.

Please note, I installed both Movie Maker and Photo Gallery on Windows 10 previously, but I just now tried them both on Windows 11and I'm happy to say they both work on Windows 11 too.

We hope this helps you, Craig.

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Jane has a question about saving emails
Hi, I have another question. So, glad you are always here to help. I have been saving your daily emails on a flash drive every day. I went to open one and it was a bunch of things in a column. I could not make out anything. I open other ones I had saved, and they are all like that. When I saved one, I opened it and clicked on save as to the flash drive. Can you tell me what I did wrong or how to save them to a flash drive? Is there any hope to recover the ones I have already saved? Again, thank you for all the help you have given me in the past. I truly appreciate all the help. You, always answer very quickly. Many thanks again. Have a great day!

Our answer
Hi Jane. It depends on how you read them. Do you read them with an Email program? If so, what program. Many programs save the files as EML files and you can store them on a flash drive, but it would be inconvenient since they're small (under 60KB for the Weekly and only a few KB for the Daily newsletters). It would take about 200 newsletters to make 1 Megabyte and 20,000 to make one gigabyte.

Since you use Gmail, all the newsletters we send are already stored in Gmail in the "All Mail" folder. You can create a special folder on Gmail (Label) on Gmail and move all the emails to that folder.

If you really want to save them to a flash drive, you could convert them to PDF files which you can easily do in Windows 10 or Windows 11 using the print to PDF feature. Once you save them as PDF files you can open them with a browser and all the pictures and links will work. You can learn how to use Print to PDF by following our tutorial here. It only takes a few seconds to one.

Finally, almost everything in our newsletters is or has been published on our website. You can print anything on our site to a PDF file just by clicking the Print Friendly button you'll see at the top of every article.

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

Connie's sister can't get rid of Norton
My sister bought an antivirus for her computer. She removed Norton but it seems to be still there, is there any way to remove it completely? Thanks for any help you might give.

Our answer
Hi Connie. Sadly, you cannot completely install Norton without using the Norton removal tool. Norton knows that the average computer user is going to try to uninstall Norton using Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program. However, if you do that, it leaves parts of Norton behind, sometimes including a part to remind you that Norton is no longer protecting your computer - even though another antivirus may be.

You can download the Norton Removal tool here. Run it and follow the instructions on the screen when doing the removal,

We hope this helps you, Connie.

Sharon H. asks about ad blockers and permissions
I just read your answer to a question about adblockers and you told the lady about uBlock-a free adblocker program. You said you also used it. when I went to download the program the download box popped up, stating "Add "uBlock-free adblocker"? It can: Read and change all your data on all websites" I did not download the program because of this statement. Please advise. Sharon H.

Our answer
Hi Sharon. The extension requires the ability to “Read and change all your data on the websites you visit”. But it needs this permission because, when you try to save content, the extension must be able to access the current web page and view its data. Almost every extension that interacts with websites does the same thing including password managers like RoboForm, LastPass, and BitWarden. We use it and we recommend uBlock Origin; it has a great reputation.

It's good you are being cautious. However, we have been recommending and using uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger (which also requires the same permissions) for many years. There is nothing nefarious going on, the extensions need those permissions to be able to read site data to protect you from bad links, redirects, drive-by downloads, ads, popup ads, etc.

Still, if you don't feel comfortable about installing it, it's your computer and you are the one who has to decide. We recommend uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger and will continue to do so.

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. 

How to Create a Guest Account and Why You May Want to
Windows 10 and Windows 11

A Guest Account on Windows is useful when you want or need to share your computer with someone else, but you don’t want them making any changes to your computer, seeing and/or accessing any of your personal information or files, and/or you don't want to grant them permission to install software or change any settings. By default, Windows 10 and Windows 11 do not have the Guest Account enabled. But everything you need to create a guest account is there. And you can use an administrator command prompt and the Net User command to create a guest account on both Windows 10 and Windows 11.

First, we called our guest account “BeMyGuest” – but you can call yours whatever you want (except “Guest” which is reserved for Windows). So, wherever you see “BeMyGuest” in the tutorial below, feel free to substitute whatever name you like for your own guest account

Let’s create a guest account on Windows 10 or Windows 11

1. On Windows 10, press Windows Key + X to open the “power menu” and click “Command Prompt (Admin)”. On Windows 11 type COMMAND in taskbar search, press Enter, and click "Run as administrator"

2. Next we need to add a user account. So,  type in the following command to create a new user. We're going to call the account BeMyGuest in Window 10 and MyGuest in Windows 11. You can name your Guest account whatever you want, except for Guest – Windows reserves that name and you can’t have it!

3. In the command prompt at the prompt > type the following command and press Enter:

NET USER BeMyGuest /ADD /ACTIVE:YES


'Above: Windows 10

In Windows 11 we type at the prompt > NET USER MyGuest /ADD /ACTIVE:YES

Above: Windows 11

If you typed that correctly, you’ll see “The command completed successfully”. If you don’t see that, then make sure you left a space between the account name (in our case BeMyGuest) and the forward-slash /.

4. Now, because this is a guest account we don’t want to assign a password for a guest account. So, enter the following command at the prompt and press Enter:

NET USER BeMyGuest *

Note the space before the asterisk (above).

We don’t want a password for his account so press Enter twice.

It works the same in Windows 11 - so the above applies to Windows 10 and Windows 11 as well.

You'll see your new account in Windows 10 under Settings > Accounts > Other users. Or on Windows 11 at Settings >Accounts > Family and other users.



From now on when you start or restart your computer, or sign out, you’ll see “BeMyGuest”, MyGuest, (or whatever you called your guest account) listed on the login screen at the lower-left corner along with your other accounts. When you have a guest using your computer log out of your account and click on the guest account to log in, no password is required. Your guests will be able to run apps and programs, browse the internet, play music. etc. But they will not be able to change your system settings, see your account files, install or remove programs, or make any changes to your computer. 

The ABCs of XYZ - A Tip for Everyone
Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11

Today we’re going to show you three very handy CTRL key shortcuts that we use every day. And once you see how useful they are, we’re betting that you’ll use them a lot too. Here then, are our ABCs of XYZ.

Z first

One time I was writing an article for the newsletter when suddenly I accidentally deleted a long paragraph. I put a lot of time and work into that paragraph, I tells ya, and I was none too happy when I accidentally deleted it. Luckily I used a favorite old trick I learned long ago and immediately retrieved the paragraph in all its glory. Since then, I’ve used the same trick to bail me out of similar circumstances hundreds of times. And the trick is simple, but one you may not think of if you’re not reminded of it. So today, consider yourself reminded.

If you’re typing an email, an essay, an article, a journal, or whatever and you accidentally delete a word, a sentence, a whole paragraph or several paragraphs, all you have to go to bring it back is to use the CTRL+Z shortcut. CTRL+Z reverses your last action.

And just as useful, you can use CTRL+Z to restore files deleted in error. And, CTRL+Z can reverse more than one action.

Y second

Now that you know what CTRL+Z does, do you know what CTRL+Y does? You don’t? OK, we’ll tell you. CTRL+Y reverses your last Undo. You can reverse more than one action that you’ve undone.

X last

You know CTRL+C copies whatever you’ve selected and CTRL+V pastes whatever you selected using CTRL+C. But what if you want to move a file or a text selection from one place to another? That’s easy. Use CTRL+X to “cut” the selected text or file to “cut” it from where it is, then use CTRL+V to paste it in another location.

An example? OK. Let’s say I have a picture of EB in my “Favorite Pictures” folder. I sure don’t want it there! So, I highlight the photo of EB and press CTRL+X. Then I open my “Monsters of the Id” folder and press CTRL+V to paste it there – where it belongs.

Now you know the ABCs of XYZ. Right? 

How to Copy and Print Info from "About Your PC"
Windows 10 and Windows 11

This tip was created in answer to a question from Rosa who wrote, “I would like to print the info about my computer. But when I go to “About your PC”,  I can’t print it at all.”

So for Rosa and everyone else who would like to print the information shown in “About your PC” on Windows 10 and/or Windows 11, this tip is for you.

Most of the screenshots shown here are from Windows 11, but this tip works in both Windows 11 and Windows 10.

First, you open “About your PC” by typing ABOUT YOUR in the taskbar search. Press Enter or click Open when you see About your PC appears in the search results.

When About your PC opens you’ll see “About” at the top.  The first category you’ll see is “Device specifications” and next to it (or beneath it) you’ll see a “Copy” button.

Above is a screenshot from Windows 11, below is a screenshot from Windows 10.

Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 show “Device specifications” at the top with a “Copy” button that allows you to copy the information shown to the Windows clipboard.

As you scroll down, you’ll see “Windows specifications” (on both Windows 10 and Windows 11) and on Windows 11 you’ll see “Support”.  On both Windows 10 and Windows 11 there is a “Copy” button next to or beneath “Windows specifications” which allows you to copy that information to the Windows clipboard. If you’re using Windows 11 you can also copy information from the “Support” section.

To print the information from any of the categories, you can use Notepad, WordPad, or whatever word processor you have installed. Every Windows 10 and 11 PC has Notepad and WordPad.

For this tip, we’re going to use Notepad.

Whether you’re using Windows 10 or Windows 11, type NOTEPAD in the taskbar search and press Enter when you see Notepad appear in the search results. Press the “Copy” button next to (or beneath) “Device specifications”, then press CTRL+V and paste the text into Notepad.

Next, under or next to “Windows specifications” click the “Copy” button and press CTRL + V to paste the information into Notepad. If you’re using Windows 11 you can press the “Copy” button next to “Support” if you wish, and use CTRL+V to paste the info into your Notepad file.

When you do all of that, you’ll end up with something that looks like this which contains all of the information in “About your PC”:

Then, all you have to do to print your “About your PC” file is to press CTRL + P or use the File menu… “File” > “Print”.

And that’s all there is to printing the information in “About your PC”. 

And if you choose, you can save your Notepad file – just give it a name and save it. 

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

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Now available: Reg Organizer 8.90

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 8.90. Works great with Windows 10 and Windows 11!

Save $14 on Reg Organizer right now!

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

Three New Cloudeight Site Picks You Will Find Useful

OK, folks, today we’re featuring three Cloudeight Site Picks that we think you will find useful. And instead of rambling on and on about each, we’re going to show you a picture and tell you briefly what the site can do for you.

OK, all set?

Small PDF

Small PDF is a website where you can convert, compress, edit, and do just about everything you’ll ever need to do with a PDF file.

This site is fast, easy to use, and there are no apps or programs to download and install.

What more can we say… visit Small PDF and try it for yourself!

Smaller Pictures

If you need to resize images, this site is very useful.  You can compress your images right in your browser… no need to download a program or app or install anything on your PC.

Smaller Pictures shows you a live preview as you resize your image showing you the original size, reduced size, and how much bloat you’re saving.

Nothing to upload, it all happens in your browser. And it also works offline.

Give Smaller Pictures a try here.

BugMeNot

When you visit a site and they want you to log in but you don’t want to take the time to sign up or potentially have to deal with spam, then you might find BugMeNot useful.

If people have shared a website’s login id and passwords on BugMeNot you’ll find it by typing the URL of the site. You’ll also see the chance of success you’ll have logging in with the provided username/password combination.

Remember, you can also sign up using a disposable email address if you’re concerned about your email address being sold or used to spam you. There are dozens of places to get throwaway email addresses, here are two:

https://maildrop.cc/

https://throwawaymail.com/

Visit BugMeNot 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.

My New Fangled Toilet

The older I get, the more I realize that it’s the simple things that make me happiest.

When I was younger – so much younger than today – I was never happy with anything for very long. Loved that new car – for a day or two. Loved those expensive vacations, for a few days after I got home. My life was full of things – new things, expensive things, things I couldn’t afford, always bigger and better things for me… I was a material cad.

I think Mark Twain wisely noted that youth is wasted on the young. That’s so true. Give me my youth back now and I’ll show those youngins how to use it. I would certainly not waste it this time around.

So, anyway, having been a homeowner for a long time, I can tell you that when you’re an old homeowner like me and you’re just hanging on as your life’s sand slides quickly down the hourglass of life. It goes faster and faster like an untethered boat hurtling toward the brink of Niagara Falls. The point? When you’re old like me, the last dang thing you want to do is replace stuff...

Read the rest of this essay here.

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Make sure your recovery information is correct and up-to-date. Double-check it right now!

If you have a Gmail account, Outlook.com account, or any account you can't afford to be locked out of, here's an important reminder for you.

Most accounts where you store email and/or a lot of other information will ask you for a contact phone number and/or a contact email address. We recently worked with a couple of people who were locked out of their accounts because they had inaccurate recovery information. One used an outdated email address as their contact address and the other accidentally transposed two numbers in their telephone number. Because the recovery information was incorrect, neither had any way to recover their account passwords. So, unfortunately, they are still locked out of their accounts.

When you provide personal recovery information, the site you are providing it to is not just doing it to make things more difficult for you, they're doing it to make things difficult for hackers and criminals who want to steal your information.

So, today's Back to Basics tip is this:

Login to your accounts right now, while you're thinking about it, and make sure the recovery information in your accounts is correct. Check to make sure your phone number(s) are current and correct. And make sure the recovery email address is still a working email address and one to which you have access. Taking ten minutes today to check to make sure all your important accounts have the correct recovery information can save you a lot of time and trouble down the road.

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 and Windows 11! 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.

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