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Sandy wants to switch from Chrome to Edge
I had to laugh at your statement: If you have comments, questions, a tip, trick, a freeware pick, or just want to tell us off for something. I would never tell you off. you people are the best. Anyway- I have a new computer and everything is geared to Chrome. Edge is on that computer but not being used. How can I change it from Chrome to Edge? I want to use your Start page like I have been doing for years. I'm lost without your start page. Thanks for all your help. Sandy

Our answer
Hi Sandy. In Windows 10 just type DEFAULT APPS in the taskbar search and press "Enter" or click "Open" when Default apps appears in the search results. On the "Default apps" page, click Google Chrome under Web browser and a list of other browsers currently installed on your computer will appear. Since Edge is installed on all Windows 10 computers, just click on "Microsoft Edge" to set it as your default browser. That's all there is to it.

Just so you know, you can set our start page as the home (start) page in any browser, including Chrome. See this page to learn how to do that. It shows how to set a start page (or some call "home page") in Firefox, Chrome, and Edge.

We're sure glad you didn't want to tell us off! And thanks for your nice comments, Sandy.
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Sandy wrote back: "...Excellent. I'm all set now. Your information was Perfect. Thank you so much."

Allison says the colors on her PC are all out of whack
All the colors on my Windows 10 computer are all out of whack! The form I'm filling out with my question is black with white text. My desktop is black with bright green icons. Everything is messed up. How can I fix all these garish colors? Help! Thanks, Allison.

Our answer
Hi Allison. Let's see if we can fix things for you.

Try this...

1. Press and hold down the Windows Key and tap the U key to open Settings > Ease of Access.

2. In Settings > Ease of Access click on Color Filters (on the left side)

3. In Color Filters if the switch is turned on, turn it off.

4. Next click on "High contrast" in the menu on the left and make sure the switch is turned off.

That should fix your colors, Allison
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Allison wrote back: "Thank you so much! Everything is back to normal. You guys are great! Thanks again! Allison."

Rita tries to download Edge... now Edge doesn't work correctly
I downloaded Windows Microsoft Edge but still have Internet Explorer on my laptop. I still love Internet Explorer and have been trying to use it until it goes away. But when I click on it, it goes really wacky and it takes a long time for Microsoft Edge to actually boot up. Do I need to delete Internet explorer now to make it work ok, and if so, what is the best way to go about deleting Internet Explorer without messing up the Microsoft Edge that I downloaded.

Our answer
Hi Rita. Microsoft Edge is already installed on Windows 10 and is updated automatically - so I'm not sure why you were trying to download it or where you were trying to download it from - but be careful. Edge is already on your computer.

As far as Internet Explorer goes, on May 19, 2021, Microsoft announced that Internet Explorer will be no longer supported on June 15, 2022, and as part of the transition, IE mode will be available on the new Microsoft Edge which allows the launch of older ActiveX controls and legacy websites until at least 2029. You cannot uninstall Internet Explorer yet. You can only hide it. The easiest thing to do is just delete any shortcuts for Internet Explorer you may have on your taskbar or desktop. To remove the shortcut from your desktop, right-click on it then click "Delete". To remove the Internet Explorer icon from your taskbar (if it's there), right-click on it and choose "Unpin from taskbar".

It's important to remember that using a browser that is not supported and updated puts you at risk and you do so at your own risk. So, don't use Internet Explorer.

If Microsoft Edge is not working correctly for you, you can repair it this way...

1. Right-click on the start button and then click on "Settings"

2. In Settings click on "Apps"

3. In "Apps" click on "Apps & features"

4. On the Apps & features page find Microsoft Edge and click on it. When you click on you'll see a button labeled "Modify" - click on that button and click "Repair". Follow the instructions on the screen.

We hope this helps you, Rita.

Sharon needs Java JRE
I tried to find the answer myself but I knew I should have gone straight to you guys. I have Open Office and I am trying to click on the database, but it says I need Java JRE. I deleted Firefox because I knew it does not work with it (JAVA) so I installed Google Chrome, but still no luck. I need a good database program for free. .I know you have the answer. Thanks again, for all your help. Sharon.

Our answer
Hi Sharon. Just follow the instructions on this page to download and install Java JRE for your Apache Open Office. On that page, look under this heading:

Windows XP/2003/Vista/7/8/10 Quick-Start Guide for Apache OpenOffice 4.x Versions

There you will find this:

To download and install Apache OpenOffice 4.x, follow this checklist:
1. Review the System Requirements for Apache OpenOffice use.
2. Download and install Java JRE if you need the features that are Java dependent.
3. Download Apache OpenOffice 4.x.x
4. Login as administrator (if required).
5. Unpack and install the downloaded Apache OpenOffice 4.x.x files...''

Be sure to visit this page and follow all of the instructions - the above is only a partial list.

We hope this helps, Sharon.

JoAnn wants to know if we recommend VPNs
Hi Darcy or TC. Do you recommend VPNs? And if so, which one would be best to use?
Thank you for your always outstanding advice! JoAnn.

Our answer
Hi JoAnn. No, we don't recommend VPNs for most people. VPNs have their place if you work from home and your employer requires one. But VPNs do not protect you from malware, viruses, identity theft, or any of the other things those who sell VPNs claim. They will protect you from your ISP tracking what you're doing, but then you're trading one devil for another - that is the VPN you use will most likely claim they don't log your activity but you have no way of knowing if that is true or not.

A VPN is also useful if you want to appear to be from another country so you can access web content that may be blocked in your country. For instance, you're in Australia and you want to access a site that is limited to those in the U.S.A.

But generally, no we don't recommend VPNs.

If you want to try a VPN you can install a VPN extension that you can turn on/off. Cyberghost (and others) have extensions for most browsers. Using a browser-based VPN extension allows you to easily turn the VPN on or off. These may or may not be as private as normal Windows-based VPNs, but using a browser-based VPN is a great way to try out a VPN.

We hope this helps you decide.
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JoAnn wrote back: "Wow, that was educational, TC! Thank you ever so much for breaking it down to educate me! As always, you and Darcy are the BEST! Sincerely, JoAnn."

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Carol wants to know what a hard drive looks like
Good Morning, Darcy and TC. I have a silly question. In your Feb. 25th Weekly Newsletter (I'm just getting through the month-old ones) you responded to Cheryl's question about getting rid of old in-the-closet computers.'

"If you're just going to junk the computers, there is no need to put yourself through the ordeal of using a drive wiping disk to remove the data from the drive. Simply remove the hard drives from the computers and destroy them - seriously. Just take them out, and pound them with a hammer."

My question is: What does the hard drive look like? And, how do you take apart a laptop? I have one laptop and one old tower.

If you could send photos or illustrations, I'd be so thankful.

Thanking you for years of help and helpful advice, I am so happy I found Cloudeight. Keep going for many more! Sincerely, Carol.

Our answer
Hi Carol. We can't provide instructions on disassembling laptops and desktops. They're all different. Some computers snap together without any screws and the case can be removed with no tools at all, and some are held together with screws. You just have to remove the screws holding the case together to remove the case. Basically, you remove the case pull out the hard drive, and destroy it. If you're going to junk the computer you don't have to be too careful, right?

Here's a video on how to remove a hard drive from a laptop.

Here's a video on how to remove a hard drive from a desktop.

Both videos show what the hard drive looks like. And they all look similar to this.

Above: A standard HDD

Above: A solid-state hard drive or SSD.

We hope this helps you, Carol.
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Carol wrote back: "As usual, you came through for me again, TC. Many thanks. Stay safe and stay well! Carol."

Jo wants to know if we can recommend a duplicate file finder
Can you provide an update on a free duplicate photo/file finder that is safe to use? Thank you for all the useful, easy to follow PC info which has kept me safe for many years. Kind regards, Jo.

Our answer
Hi Jo. We've been careful about recommending duplicate file finders since we've heard nightmare stories of people trusting these kinds of programs only to find out the files they deleted were not really duplicates. We spend a long time testing this genre of programs a couple of years ago and the only one we found that seemed to work well and cautiously was one called Anti-Twin.

We wrote about it last in 2019 but the program is still viable and works on Windows 10 and Windows 11 (although the site does not show Windows 11, I just tested it on Windows 11 and it works fine.)

You can read our review here https://www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/find-duplicate-files-with-anti-twin/ - our article also has links to download the program.

Best of all, Anti-Twin is free.

We hope this helps you, Jo.

Doris wants to change the name of the administrator account on her computer
My husband bought a new computer with Windows 11 on it. He passed his Windows 10 Computer on to me. I like the one he gave me with Windows 10 on it best anyway. My question is, I have to change all of his information on it now. Administrator name, Log in information, Thunderbird etc. I am having trouble doing this. I really like the emails that I get from you They have helped me so much in the past. I would appreciate any help you can give me. Thank You.

Our answer
Hi Doris. Thanks!

Here is how to the change administrator account name on Windows 10 using the Control Panel.

1. Type Control Panel into the Taskbar search
2. Then click Open or press enter when you see Control Panel
3. Under User Accounts, click on Change account type
4. Select the account you want to rename.
5. Click on Change the account name.
6. Type the new user account name in the box.

Keep in mind when you look in C:\users\ you'll see the old name (whatever name he used) will be there but as far as logging in and the account name you see, it will be whatever you named it. Everything else will remain the same (including Thunderbird). You may need to add your account to Thunderbird if your husband set it up. But that's easy to do and it's also easy to delete other accounts from it too. Thunderbird won't be affected by the account name change - as the account name in C:\Users will not change.

If you want, you can even change the password or PIN if you think it's necessary. If you need to do that, let me know.

We hope this helps you, Doris.

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How to Find Out if You Have Standard Hard Drives (HDDs) or Solid State Drives (SSDs)
Windows 10 and Windows 11

Here is an easy way to find out if you have a standard hard drive (HDD), a solid-state hard drive (SSD), or both.

Right-click on the Windows Start button. Click “Run”. In the Run box type dfrgui and press Enter.

Look under “Media type”. Hard drives show up as “Hard disk drive” and Solid State Drives (SSDs) show up as "Solid state drive".  

How to Reset and Clean up Microsoft Edge
Windows 10 and Windows 11

Microsoft Edge is now more popular than Firefox and ranks number 2 behind Google Chrome.

While I am not a fan of Microsoft browsers, the new Microsoft Edge is the best browser Microsoft has ever released  – in my opinion. The reason? It is built on Chromium – just as Chrome is. What I like the best about the new Edge is that Chrome extensions work with it without a whole lot of fuss.

Since many of you are now using Edge, we’re going to show you how to reset it. Resetting a browser is one of the best ways to fix browser problems like corruption caused by installing bad extensions and/or malware.

How to reset Microsoft Edge

Click on the 3 horizontal 3 dots (icon) on the top right of EDGE, and then click Settings.

From the menu that appears on the left click “Reset settings”.

In the next dialog, click on “Restore settings to their default values” when it appears in the right pane. A dialog will appear labeled “Reset settings”. It contains information about resetting MS Edge and buttons labeled “Reset” and “Cancel”. Click on “Reset”.

It will take a few minutes for MS Edge to reset. When the reset is complete the “Reset settings” dialog will disappear. But you’re not done yet.

Let's clean up Microsoft Edge

Unlike Google Chrome, when you reset Edge it does not remove your browsing history, so you’ll need to do that next.

Type edge://settings/clearBrowserData in the Edge address bar and press Enter.

You can choose a time range from 1 hour to "All time". If you want to clean up your history and cache, choose "All time"

When you have everything the way you want it, click “Clear now”. Edge will clear your browsing history and other selected items for the time range you chose. 

Windows 11 Clipboard History Has Some Cool New Features
Windows 11

Today, we’re going to tell you about Windows 11 Clipboard history and how it’s been improved since the enhanced Clipboard was introduced with Windows 10.

First, if you have not already done so, you’ll need to turn on the enhanced Clipboard, called “Clipboard history” in Windows 11 this way:

Type CLIPBOARD in the Taskbar/Start menu search, click “Open” when you see Clipboard settings appear in the search results. Or just press “Enter”. You can also open Clipboard settings from the Settings menu. Open Settings > System > Clipboard.

When Clipboard settings opens, turn the switch next to Clipboard history “On”. If you log into other devices with the same Microsoft account you can also synchronize Clipboard history across all your devices by turning the switch next to “Sync across your devices” to the “On” position.  You can fine-tune the “Sync across your devices” option by automatically or manually syncing the text you copy.

Finally, before we go on to using Windows 11 Clipboard history, you should know you can clear your Clipboard history here or directly from the Clipboard history app. See the “Clear” button in the screenshot above.

Using Clipboard History in Windows 11

Once you’ve turned Clipboard history on, everything you copy will be placed on the Clipboard. To access your “Clips” just press the Windows key + V.  That’s it. To paste a “Clip” just click on the Clip.

You can also delete individual Clips by clicking on them and clicking on the garbage can icon.  Or clear all your Clips by clicking on the “Clear all” button.

What else can you do with Windows 11 Clipboard history? 

You easily access symbols of all kinds, right from Clipboard history. And they’re broken down into categories: General punctuation, Currency symbols, Latin symbols, Geometric symbols, Math symbols, Supplemental symbols, and  Language Symbols.

To access all symbols, press Windows key + v  to open Clipboard history and click on the Symbols icon at the top.

See?  © ℉ § ¥ № ℗ » « ⟦ % ‱ ⁂ ✓ ¿

Do you like plain or fancy text emoticons? Windows 11 Clipboard history has you more than covered.  Just click on the text smiley at the top.

From :-) to 🙂 to 😉 to these… (❁´◡`❁)  (●’◡’●)  ╰(*°▽°*)╯ Windows 11 Clipboard history has you more than covered.

And wait there are more…

Windows Clipboard history also lets you access GIFS…

And tons of emoticons like these…

If you want to access GIFS and Emoticons Windows 11 in Clipboard history they are right there at the top… see?

Remember, once you turn on Windows 11 Clipboard history, all you need to do to access it is to press the Windows key + v. 

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!

A Treasure Chest of Desktop Wallpaper, Beautiful Pictures, and More! 

We’ve discovered a treasure chest of beautiful desktop wallpaper for Windows users. But you can also use this site if you have Apple or Android devices. Plus there are very beautiful images on this site.  So, you could say, this site has something for everyone.

Not only are there thousands of (mostly) beautiful wallpapers and pictures, there are hundreds of beautiful videos (loops) you can download and/or share. Plus, if you love desktop themes, there’s a great Themes section too.

But no more words, how about some examples… wallpapers first. NOTE: If you’re using Safari or Internet Explorer you won’t be able to see the images on this page. They’re in WebP format. All sample images below have been resized to fit this format. All images on the site are full-sized, high-resolution images.

There are thousands more. All are high-resolution images perfect for any desktop. Peapix also has some great videos and themes too. 

Visit our Cloudeight site pick called Peapix right now. 

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It’s Time to Say Thank You… Again

We started our small business 25 years ago. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been on the Web for such a long time. In terms of technology, 25 years is a very, very long time.

When we started, we were just one of tens of thousands of “mom & pop” sites that were popping up all over the Web. Back in those days, the Web was mostly mom and pops sites like Cloudeight. Why? Because there was no real money to be made on the Internet – the Web was almost entirely free and more of a curiosity than the necessity it has become.

And, sadly, over the years, we have watched many of those mom and pop sites die as the web became, like so many other things in this world, all about the money. The folks that owned the mom and pop sites poured their hearts and souls and love into them and were forced to abandon their dreams and walk away. The trail of tears those folks left behind is long enough to circle the globe many times.

We know all this because we have been around so long and we’ve watched it all happen. We have seen the Internet go from a place where people freely shared ideas and software and friendship to a place driven by money and power.

We have seen the Internet go from a time when the Internet was but a curiosity and used only by a few “nerdy types”, like Darcy & TC...

Read the rest of this essay here.

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What is a keylogger?

A keylogger is a man or woman who cuts down trees on keys (also known as cays or islands). Most colleges don't offer courses in keylogging because of environmental concerns, therefore the number of keyloggers has decreased until most people don't know any. Most loggers now log on in the forests of the great U.S. Northwest. They are not called keyloggers, they are simply called loggers or lumberjacks or even lumberjanes.

Seriously...Keystroke loggers, usually installed surreptitiously, can log (record) every keystroke you make on your computer - make it easy for someone using info from a key logger to see everything you have been doing on your computer - as well as gain access to your passwords. Good security software, like Emsisoft, can protect you from keystroke loggers (keyloggers).

Here's an official definition of keylogging from Wikipedia

"Keystroke logging, often referred to as keylogging or keyboard capturing, is the action of recording the keys struck on a keyboard, typically covertly, so that the person using the keyboard is unaware that their actions are being monitored."

I think I like the lumbering on the keys better.

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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, and 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.

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.

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

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