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Margaret wants to stop fake notifications
Thanks for all the information in your newsletter over the years, I've learned a lot...and forgotten some of it! Starting a couple of days ago I have been receiving messages in 'Notifications' that are ringing warning bells! They are supposedly from Norton or McAfee saying to download now or a scan has been done and 5 'bugs' have been found. They have also come from (supposedly) Tim Horton and a couple of other businesses. What they all have in common is the 'Chrome' followed by a few words and 'uk.directhit.com'. The last bit is what rang the most bells! I googled 'uk.directhit' and Google had no information on the site, and they gave reasons why, one reason was that the site prevented Google from reading the site. I use Cloudeight/Emsisoft. Any way to stop these from coming in? Margaret

Our answer
Hi Margaret. These are some of the oldest scams in the book. Fake scans yield tons of viruses and problems, but you can fix them all by spending money to buy something - McAfee, Norton, Uncle Billy's Wizard Fixer, et. al.

As far as how to rid of them... here are two things you can do:

1. Reset your browser - and clear your browser's history (cache) - this will stop any bad extensions you may have installed. After resetting your browser you can turn your good extensions back on. See this page https://www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/a-quick-and-easy-guide-to-resetting-most-popular-browsers/ to learn how to reset Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

2. Install a good ad-blocker - just in case the popups are coming from the web or websites you are visiting. We recommend uBlock Origin or Privacy Badger. You can learn more about uBlock Origin here, and Privacy Badger here.

We hope this helps you, Margaret. If you need anything else, just let us know.
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Margaret wrote back: "Thank you! I reset Chrome and installed uBlock Origin and haven't seen a pop-up since. Margaret."

Linda wants to use our Cloudeight Start Page as her browser's start page
Hi TC and Darcy, I am trying to help you both as much as I can and an easy way seems to be to use your start page. I click on the link and your start page opens but when I sign out and then sign back in my old start page is still there. how to make it my default home page. Thanks, Linda

Our answer
Hi Linda. Thanks so much. Using our Start page helps us, especially if you use the search engine on that page.

You have to set a start page in your browser. Here are the instructions for setting a start (home) page in your browser. Our tutorial covers Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge and Firefox. If you use a different browser, let us know and we'll send you the instructions for the browser you use.

We hope this helps you, Linda.

Bernie asks about bandwidth throttling
In my never-ending quest for speedier internet, I looked at an ad for WiFiBlast. If we had a larger home, it might be of some use but it doesn't appear to be something useful presently. But I was struck by a conversation: "Router throttling, man (a visiting technician said). So, yeah, when you sign up, they give you the speeds you asked for. At. first. But after a while, they throttle the bandwidth in your router." Is there really such a nefarious practice as 'router throttling?' If yes, is there anything I can do to counter it? Blessings, Bernie.

Our answer
Hi Bernie. Bandwidth Throttling is real but it's not as widespread as it once was -- although if you search for it on the Web you'd think every ISP does it all of the time.

I use Spectrum and I watch streaming TV almost exclusively. And streaming TV uses tons of bandwidth and I have never been "throttled". If an ISP throttles your connection you can tell by doing a speed test on any of these sites and if your streaming video or TV starts buffering a lot.

If you want to find out whether your ISP can throttle your bandwidth and under what circumstances they can, the first step is to check your contract with your ISP (if you don’t have it anymore, just ask the ISP for a copy of it). It should state if there are some minimum guaranteed speeds and/or maximum limits of traffic per month (bandwidth throttling).

The more likely reason you became aware of the term "Bandwidth Throttling" is that many of the so-called Internet Speed Boosters use it to sell the speed boosters. In my experience, there are no magic bullets that will increase your Internet speed. If you're buying a 100 Mbps Internet plan from your ISP, the highest speed you'll ever get is around 100 Mbps no matter what you do. Now, if your router is not centrally located, if it's a low end-router, if your modem/router is old, if your wireless card in your computer is old or not functioning correctly, then you may only get 20 or 30 Mbps (or less).

But bandwidth is not necessarily speed and speed is not necessarily bandwidth. Bandwidth is the size of the hose (fire hose, vs. garden hose) and the speed is the water pressure- metaphorically speaking.

If your router is not centrally located you can buy range extenders that can help with that - they don't increase your speed, but they can extend the range of your wireless router. If your equipment is old, you can replace it. If your wireless card is old or not working correctly, there's an easy and cheap fix called a USB WiFi adapter.

But no matter what you do you'll never get your Internet speed higher than the speed your ISP provides. But many people are out there selling devices they claim can do just that... but it's not true.

We hope this helps you, Bernie.

Diane wants to replace LastPass
What program do you recommend to replace LastPass? My brother-in-law is driving me crazy with him forgetting passwords! Help!

Our answer
Hi Diane. We recommend BitWarden for replacing LastPass. Here's a tutorial we wrote on importing LastPass passwords and other data into BitWarden. BitWarden has a free version that I have been using on one of my browsers for about a year. The tutorial also includes info about BitWarden and where to download it.

We hope this helps you, Diane.

Christina wants to know if Windows 11 is more limited than Windows 10
Hi Both. Quick question about the Windows 11 system upgrade from Microsoft – do you recommend upgrading?

I read the specs and they seem to be stopping or limiting a lot of the functionality of Windows 10. It feels like they are taking more control of what a person can do on their computer – or have I misunderstood.

Anyway, do you recommend updating to Windows 11?

Thanks and kind regards, Christina.

Our answer
Hi Christina. Windows 11 does not limit the functionality of Windows 10. The new hardware requirements are not related to features but security and performance. Windows 10 users can safely use Windows 10 until October 14, 2025 - which is about 1300 days from now or 3 years and 6+ months. You can install just as many programs on Windows 11 as you can on Windows 10 - Microsoft does not control what you install. And you can run Android apps (from the Amazon App Store) on Windows 11 too if your PC's hardware supports it.

See our article here about whether or not to upgrade.

I've got both Windows 10 and Windows 11 laptops sitting on my desk and I find myself using Windows 11 more. But until October 14, 2025, is purely a matter of personal choice.

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Tim asks about recovery disks
Hi! I follow you guys religiously and have picked up many useful tips along the way. Thanks for that! Everyone recommends that we back up our PC on a regular basis, make a rescue disk (or whatever)- well here is my question:

I have made a recovery disk, probably from your advice, but is there some program or app or whatever that can check that backup and tell whether it will actually work or not? How can I tell whether it will work when (Horrors) it is needed? (and while I'm at it, how do I know that my backups are really there?- is there a way of checking them?) This has been on my mind for a long time! Have you ever addressed this? Thanks very much for your help and your columns! Faithfully, Tim

Our answer
Hi Tim. Thanks for your nice comments. We are no longer recommending "recovery disks" as Windows 10 and Windows 11 full installation USBs and/or DVDs are more complete and contain recovery options. They're bootable, you can do a repair installation using them (without losing any data on your PC), you can run troubleshooting using them, and, of course, you can do a clean install of Windows using them. Additionally, they are easy to create.

For Windows 10 visit this page and click on "Download tool now". When downloaded, run the tool and select the option to make installation media for another PC.

For Windows 11 visit this page. Under "Create installation media" click "Download now". When downloaded, double-click to start the app and select the option to make installation media.

Once you create the installation media (DVD or USB) if you want to check it, you can boot your computer with it to make sure it is viable.

As far as checking your current recovery disk, you can try booting your computer with it and check what's on it. I don't know of any tools to check its integrity.

We hope this helps you, Tim.

Malcolm has a new PC and has questions about opening files created with MS Office
I have purchased a new ASUS laptop Windows 11. I do not have a Microsoft account. When opening my documents transferred from my old laptop I am being asked to activate Word before Friday 25th March. So I did go through the process of opening up a Microsoft account but still, when opening the documents, it still says "This account does not have Office yet"...BUY !! but for any new documents I'll use Notepad so don't want to buy Office {note these are old Word documents}. Will I be able to view and add to these documents after the 25th without buying MS Office? Many thanks if you could help me.

Our answer
Hi Malcolm. If you do not buy MS Office, the files that were created by or that opened by default with Office won't be deleted from your PC. You don't have to buy Office to read documents created with Office. If you have Word documents you can open them with WordPad (it comes with Windows 8.1, 10, and Windows 11). Just type WORDPAD in the taskbar search.

Also, you can download free Office alternatives that work as well (or almost as well) as MS Office without a fee or charge of any kind. See this page to read more about the alternatives. One of the alternatives is MS Office online.

We hope this helps you, Malcolm.
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Malcolm wrote back: "Hi TC. Many thanks for your quick response. Best Wishes, Malcolm." 

Lynnda wants to know how to manage her Gmail contacts
My contact folder in Gmail is overwhelmingly large. Most of the contacts I no longer need.
I've tried to delete them, but have been unsuccessful. Is there a simplified way to do this?
Thanks, Lynnda.

Our answer
Hi Lynnda. It's easy to delete any contacts in Gmail you don't want. You can select many contacts at one time, just a few at a time - or one at a time.

1. Log in to Gmail
2. Open Contacts

3. Tick the boxes next to the contacts you want to delete.




4. Once you have made your selection, click the 3 vertical dots icon (shown in the screenshot below) to expand a drop-down menu with "Delete" in it. (Menu shown in the screenshot directly above).

We hope this helps you, Lynnda.

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How to Use Microsoft Office Apps Online for Free
A tip for everyone

One of the questions we are most often asked is how to open or create Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files without spending any money. We usually suggest free MS Office substitutes like Open Office or Libre Office. But there's something we don't remind you of very much and that is if you don't need the full suite of MS Office tools, you can access some of its apps online for free -- including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

And all you need to do is go to https://office.com and log in with your Microsoft account. If you don't have a Microsoft account, you can create one for free. For our purposes, a Microsoft account is a Microsoft email address. If you have an @outlook.com, @hotmail.com, @msn.com, @live.com or @live.ca email address you have a Microsoft account. If you don't yet have a Microsoft account go to https://outlook.com/ and get a free @outlook.com or @hotmail.com address.

Once you've logged in to Office.com, just select the app you want to use. You can even save your work in the cloud with OneDrive.

You might be thinking... "Wait... if I can get those MS Office apps for free, why would I pay for MS Office in the first place? These apps have fewer features than the full Office versions, but for most people, they'll get the job done. Another drawback is that they only run in your web browser, so you can't use them when you're not online or on your desktop.

But there are benefits to MS Office (free) too. You can share links to your projects and even collaborate in real-time, similar to Google's G Suite.

For most folks looking to create and/or open Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files, these free apps should work well for you.  

Fine-Tune Your Screen Text with the ClearType Text Tuner
Windows 10 and Windows 11

Does the text on your screen appear faded, gray, and hard to read? Have you ever wished you could make it darker and easier to read?  You can fine-tune text on your monitor or screen using the ClearType Text Tuner.

How to use the ClearType Text Tuner in Windows 10

1.) Type CLEARTYPE in the taskbar search.
2.) Press Enter when you see it appear in the search results – or click Open.

3.) Make sure the box next to “Turn on ClearType” is checked and click “Next”.

4.) You’ll see text same on each of the following five screens. All you have to do is select the text that looks the clearest and easiest to read.

5.) Almost done. Just click Finish to save your changes.

Hopefully, after you’ve completed running the ClearType Text Tuner, your text will look sharper, darker, crisper, and easier to read. 

How to Sort and Organize Windows Folders Just the Way You Want Them
Windows 10 and Windows 11

We are often asked is how to sort folders by date, name, type, and so on.  So, here’s a simple, Windows back-to-basics tip, which will help you organize the content of almost any folder the way you want it organized.

Open any folder and right-click on a blank space in the folder. You will see a menu appear. Click on “Sort by“, and you’ll see another menu appear.

Above – Windows 10. Below – Windows 11.

From that menu, you’ll be able to sort all the items in that folder by Name, Date, Type, Size, and Tags.  And in the unlikely event you need even more choices, click on “More…”

You’ll also find that you can sort the folder contents in ascending or descending order. When sorting files by date, ascending order means the newest files are listed first and the oldest files are listed at the bottom. Descending order places the newest files at the bottom and the oldest files at the top.

You can sort any folder this way by name, date, type, size, and tags and in ascending or descending order.

Let’s do another example. Let’s sort a file alphabetically. We’re going to sort folder content by name. If we choose ascending order, files will be alphabetically sorted from A to Z. If we choose descending order, files will be alphabetically sorted from Z to A. See?

Above: Files sorted by name in ascending order – from A to Z.

Below: Files sorted by name in descending order – from Z to A.

You can sort folder content by “Name”, “Status”. “Date modified”, “Type”, and “Size”.

Above: You can change the order of the folder content by right-clicking inside a folder, choosing “Sort by” and choosing your preference.

If you are sorting numbered files, remember that ascending order puts numbered files in order from the smallest number to the largest number.

And descending order puts numbered files from the largest number to the smallest number.

And remember if you’re sorting by folder content by date, ascending order puts the newest files at the top and the oldest files at the bottom. Descending order does the opposite.

You can use the information in this tip to sort any folder and organize the content of any folder any way you want.

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

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Now available: Reg Organizer 8.91

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 8.91. 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!

Is it Truth or Fiction?

In today’s crazy world of instant communication, social media, and hundreds of sources for “news”, it’s hard to tell what’s truth or fiction. There are many sites you can turn to that can help you sift the sands of truth from the sands of fiction. Some example are, Snopes.com, PolitiFact, and FactChek.org just to name three.

But today our site pick is “Truth or Fiction?” We’ve chosen “Truth or Fiction?” as our site pick today for several reasons. One because it’s one of the lesser-known “truth” sites, and another because of the interesting visual way information is presented. For example:

You can spend hours on this site just browsing through the articles. But if you’re looking for something specific, click on the “Menu” icon near the top-right corner and select “Search” from the drop-down menu.

Before you go exploring our site pick, “Truth or Fiction” we’d like to let the site’s curators tell you a little bit more about the site…

TruthOrFiction.com is a non-partisan website where Internet users can quickly and easily get information about eRumors, fake news, disinformation, warnings, offers, requests for help, myths, hoaxes, virus warnings, and humorous or inspirational stories that are circulated by email.

TruthOrFiction.com is designed to be of value to the ordinary user of the Internet who wants to make sure that a email, post or story contains information, not misinformation.

Our focus tends to be on stories that are the most widely-circulated via social media.

Every story on TruthOrFiction.com has either been personally researched by the TruthOrFiction.com staff or, in some cases, is known to be a classic rumor or urban legend that has stood the test of time. As much as possible, the sources of our information are included in the stories.

So, the next time you need to separate the truth from fiction, fact from fake, information from disinformation, check it out at “Truth or Fiction?”.

The truth shall set you free. Visit “Truth or Fiction?” right now.

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Dumpster Dan

They found him slumped on the park bench and eventually pronounced him dead. It was no big deal that he died, but his dying so publicly caused a lot of discomfort for the many who had dismissed this poor man over the years.

He wasn't supposed to do that. How dare he die right there on the bench where this homeless, retched man used to sleep. Right there where everyone could see him. It was bad enough we had to watch the homeless man wander through the streets, digging in dumpsters, but to die that like?

He was a nobody, a nothing -- he was a part of the town, a part of society no one was supposed to notice. But dead on a park bench, right in the middle of town? It's kind of hard not to take notice of that.

His name was Timothy R. Dufresne. I learned this from the obituary they reluctantly published in the local paper and announced on our local two-bit radio station that no one listens to. The radio station stays afloat only because local businesses have it playing in their places of business- ostensively for background music - but really to make sure the advertisements they're paying for are actually being broadcast.

The obituary revealed...

Read the rest of this essay here.

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What does "in focus" mean?

Sometimes, long after midnight, EB will come stumbling in from her night out or merry-go-rounding on the nightclub circuit. I'll try to show her something important, like the company bank balance, and she can't see it because she can't focus. Well, I agree, there's not much to see but you still have to focus to see a zero.

No, no! We're not talking about EB's glazed eyes. We're talking about computers. When you read a tip that says, click on the window in focus, it means the one you're looking at - the one on top. So, the term "in focus" means the window on top - the active window - the one you're looking at.

The next time you see a tip that tells you to click on the window in focus you'll know what it means.

No EB, I do not know where you put your contacts. My eyes are out of focus.

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