If you're not getting our InfoAve Daily newsletter, you're missing out on a lot of good stuff!

It's free and it only takes a few seconds to sign up. We'd love to have you with us. Visit this page to sign up for our Cloudeight InfoAve Daily Newsletter.
 

Make a small donation and help us help you!

Interested in making a monthly gift? Visit this page. Help us keep helping you!

Thank you so much for your support! 

Barb's Windows 10 computer is having sleep issues
I am trying to get my computer to go to sleep rather than shutting it down every night. Before the last update, it worked well for me, but now it does not. Any ideas on how I can fix it? I have another much slower computer and it was not messed up with the update as was the main one that I use for most things. I don't understand how this can happen like that. You people are so good at helping fix all these silly things. m I don't know what people who don't follow you make out. I know I would be totally lost. Thanks so much foryour help. Barb.

Our answer
Hi Barb. Thank you. It seems that Windows 10's "Sleep" has never worked the way it should. But anyway... there's no point in putting a computer to sleep unless it's a laptop and you're moving from place to place. Windows 10's sleep is a hybrid of sleep and hibernation and many people report problems with it.

We set our computers to never sleep and to dim the screen after 10 minutes of inactivity. And that puts the computer into an idle state, but not sleep. The monitor/screen uses most of the power so dimming the monitor/screen after so many minutes of not being used is a great way to save power. If you do it our way, you don't have to worry about sleep mode and you still save power. Depending on your monitor or laptop screen it can use 100 to 200 watts, whereas the computer/laptop itself when idle uses only 7 to 15 watts (about the same as or a bit more than a nightlight.).

We actually do practice what we preach. Here is how I have my laptop power settings. I leave my laptop plugged in 99% of the time. This laptop is over 7 years old. I have been settings this way since the early days of Windows 7 and it has never shortened the life of my hard drives or computers.



Assuming you're not using a laptop, right-click on your start button, click Power Options and do this:

Under Screen "Turn off after 10 minutes".
Under "Sleep" set it to "Never".

If it is a laptop, under Screen set it to 5 minutes when on battery and 15 minutes when plugged in.

And under "Power" change it to "PC goes to sleep after 10 minutes" when on battery, and "Never" when it's plugged in.

If you want to try to fix your sleep mode... do this.

Right-click on your start button and choose "Power options". Then change whatever settings you have for sleep to something different. In other words, if you have it set to sleep after 10 minutes, change it to 15 minutes -just make sure it's different. Then restart your computer. Most of the time, just changing the sleep timer works. If this doesn't work, there are more complicated solutions. Let us know if you need more help.

Judy wants to know if this program will speed up her Internet connection
Recently I did a speed test on my laptop using speedtest.org. Anyway, my download was 5.17 Mbps and the upload was .51 Mbps. Not very good but much better than dial-up. The site pointed out a file to download called SG TCPOptimizer 4 which is supposed to provide an intuitive interface for tuning and optimizing Internet connection. I wonder if you know of it and can it make a difference? I don't want to put it on my computer for fear it is Spyware. I value your opinion. Thanks for your time. Judy,

Our answer
Hi Judy. It won't hurt your computer to try it. And it's free. And it may increase your speed but only nominally (maybe a few tenths of Mb). Read this honest review here. But whether you have 5.17 Mbps or 5.5 Mbps, you're not really going to notice a difference. The only way you're going to get noticeably faster speeds is by using an ISP who can provide it.. or paying extra if your ISP offers a "tiered" service.

It is not spyware but I think is more of a psychological fix than one that will make a real difference.

Mike wants to unlock a locked PDF file
I have a locked PDF file and I forgot the password. Is there a safe way to get it open?

Our answer
Hi Mike. I don’t have a locked PDF file to test with this, but Soda PDF has been around for a while.

Go to his page:

https://www.sodapdf.com/unlock-pdf/

And follow the simple instructions. Let me know how well it works for you.
—–
Mike wrote back: “It worked great!  It also me a copy of the file unlocked. Thanks! Mike.” 

Donna has a new ISP and still has connection problems
I got a new ISP last week as I was having problems with my WiFi connection dropping out. With the new one, I have the same problem. For example, I lost my Internet connection 3 times today. I think it must be my computer. Is this something you may be able to look at on my computer? I have a Cloudeight Direct Computer Care key. It is old, I got it back in 2017. Is it still good? Do I need a new computer? Thanks, Donna.

Our answer
Hi Donna. It's probably not a problem with Windows, If you have used two different Internet Service Providers and your connection keeps dropping it is most likely a hardware issue.  It may be your router, your modem, or your wireless adapter.

The first thing you should do is call your ISP and have them check your connection and equipment. Generally, they can do this without coming to your home. They can tell you if it's your router or your modem.

If they don't find any problems then it is most likely your wireless adapter. You can easily replace your computer's wireless adapter for less than $25. See this page to learn more.

And you'll be happy to know that your Cloudeight Direct Computer Care key is good until you use it - it never expires.

We hope this helps you. If you have any more questions, please let us know.

------
Donna wrote back..."Thanks so much. I bought a USB wireless adapter as you recommended in your article. Now my problem is solved. Thanks again, Donna.'

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.

Eddie is considering replacing his PC with a Chromebook
I'm a long-time customer and my Dell all in one bit the dust yesterday. Thinking about getting a Chromebook instead of a PC your thoughts?

Our answer
Hi Eddie. If you have an Android Smartphone you have a close facsimile of a Chromebook. While a Chromebook has a much larger screen and a regular keyboard, you can't multi-task and you are basically locked into the Google metaverse.

If you don't need to multitask and you live with the apps available in the Google Play Store, then you would probably get along with a Chromebook. You can check your email, browse the web, do social networking, etc. but it's quite different than Windows.

So, Eddie, it's a choice that only you can make. A Chromebook is not just like a Windows PC, though.

Sharon has problems with the text cursor and text size in dialog boxes (Windows 10)
I'm not sure how to word this but I see a large I with a top line and bottom line when I type? How do I delete it? It drives me nuts when I am typing. I have tried searching for the answer, to no avail. I know you will have the answer.

Also, why is the text in dialog boxes so small? Can I make the text bigger? Sometimes I have to use a magnifying glass. Thanks as always, Sharon.

Our answer
Hi Sharon. What I think you're describing as a big letter I, is the text cursor. If I'm right, our tutorial here will help you.

Scroll down to the Text cursor section - you'll see how easy it is to make the text cursor just the size and color you want it...or just turn it off if you don't want it at all.

You can make the text bigger in dialog boxes by doing this:

Hold down the Windows key and tap the U key
This opens the Ease of Access Center

Under Display, you'll see "Make text bigger" and under that a slider. Use the slider to make the text as big as you want and then click the "Apply" button. 

We hope this helps you, Sharon.

Rose Ann asks if she can trust LastPass
When I sign in to LastPass it advises me that my Gmail account has been breached. I see the following message:

"Breached? Here's what to do Go to the login page for this site: verifications.io Use the site's forgotten/reset password option Often you'll find this under Account or Login settings on the site. Change your password. Use the LastPass password generator to create a strong, unique password. Cancel or Continue to site"

I was very suspicious but since it was LastPass I clicked the link. That opened a page that was identified as "verifications.io" but a warning came up that advised me that the site wasn't safe. I immediately closed the page. Now when I open my LastPass Security Dashboard the same warning tells me to go to verifications.io to change my Gmail password is there but if I click on it a warning pops up telling me that the site isn't safe and the page doesn't open. This is disconcerting! Can I trust LastPass?

Our answer
Hi Rose Ann. First, verifications.io (or at least was) a safe site. It was breached 3 years ago (in 2019) and at the time was the biggest breach in history. See "Largest Leak in History: Email Data Breach Exposes Over Two Billion Personal Records".

Further, Verifications.io is a company that approves or verifies email addresses for third parties. They ensure that third-party email marketing campaigns are delivered to verified email accounts instead of fake ones.

I think what LastPass is telling you - and I'm only guessing here - is that your email/password was breached along with 2 billion others in the verifications.io data breach. But there's no way of knowing who/what has your password.

The best thing to do is to change your Gmail password - since that's the account and password in question. The safe way to change your Gmail password is to go to https://accounts.google.com/ and click on "Security" on the left. On the security page, click on Password (you'll be asked to sign in to Google again). On the next page, you can enter a new password and save it. You'll use the new password from then on to log into your Gmail / Google account.

To create a new password, you can either use the password generator in LastPass, create one of your own, or use a password generator on the internet like this one.

Once you create a new, strong password, copy the password. Then open Notepad (type NOTEPAD in the taskbar search and press Enter) and paste the new password into Notepad. Leave Notepad open. Then open LastPass remove the current password for your account and copy/paste the new password you created. The reason for the Notepad file is just to be sure you copy & paste correctly since you can see the password in plain text in Notepad. You can delete or save the Notepad file after you've changed the password in LastPass. I suggest you save it until you're sure LastPass has been edited correctly and that you can log into your Google/Gmail account.

We hope this helps you, Rose Ann.

Don't have a Cloudeight SeniorPass? It's a great deal. Learn more here.

Managing Extensions in Chrome
Windows 8x, Windows 10, Windows 11
Google Chrome browser installed

If you are having problems with Chrome, you should first check the extensions you've installed. Some extensions can cause problems with Chrome. If you feel an extension is causing problems with Chrome, you have two easy options: You can disable the extension or you can remove it. Disabling the extension retains the extension, but stops it from running. You can, if you choose re-enable it should you want to do so. If you remove the extension it will be completely removed from Chrome. However, you still have the option to reinstall the extension in the future should you ever want to do that.

First, let’s open extensions in Chrome. Click the 3-vertical dots icon in the top right corner and click “More tools” > “Extensions”…



When the Extensions dialog opens, you’ll see all of your extensions. If you want to disable an extension, look for the on/off switch and slide it to the left (off).

In the screenshot above, all extensions are turned on. You can tell by the switches. Slide the switch to the left and it will turn the extension off – but not remove the extension from Chrome. As you can see by the screenshot below, it’s easy to tell when the extension is turned off. When you slide the switch to the left to turn off an extension, the switch becomes gray and white… as you can see below.



You can turn the extension back on by sliding the switch to the right. When the switch is on it will be colored blue.

If you no longer want an extension and want to remove it from Chrome, just click the “Remove” button. You’ll be asked to confirm that you want to remove the extension. Once you confirm your action the extension will be removed.

So, now you know how to turn extensions on and off, and also how to remove extensions from Chrome. 

Our Top Ten Windows 10 & Windows 11 Windows Key Shortcuts
Windows 10 and Windows 11

Everyone uses their computers in different ways. We’re shortcut fans; anything that saves time is welcome. If you’re not using Windows Key shortcuts you’re missing out. Windows Key shortcuts can save you time, but only if you use them.

We put our heads together this morning to come up with a list of what we think are the ten most valuable and useful Windows Key shortcuts. These are the Windows Key shortcuts we use most often, and we hope you find these shortcuts useful too!

Using Windows Key shortcuts is a great way to save time. Do you use Windows Key shortcuts as much as we do?

Quick Gmail Tip: How to Jump to the Oldest Mail in a Gmail Folder
For everyone with a Gmail account

Did you know that you can jump to the oldest emails in your list of emails in any Gmail folder with just one click?

In your Gmail account. look for “1-100” right above the email list and hover over it until you see a dropdown menu. If you’re viewing your newest you’ll see “Oldest” in the menu. Click “Oldest” to go to the “bottom” (oldest) of your list of emails. It doesn’t matter if you have a few hundred or if you have tens of thousands of emails, once you click “Oldest” you’ll go to the very bottom of the list of ( your oldest) emails.

When you’re viewing your oldest emails and want to jump back to the top ( newest emails), just hover over the email count and click “Newest”.

This method works in any folder (Inbox, Sent, All Mail, etc.) And it works no matter how many emails you have in a folder.

We started one of our Cloudeight Gmail addresses over ten years ago and so far we have saved almost 365,000 emails in the Gmail “All mail” folder. And using this tip we can jump back more than ten years in less than two seconds, see? These are the very first emails we received after we set up this Gmail account.

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

Subscribe to our free InfoAve Daily newsletter.

Now available: Reg Organizer 8.91

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!

\

101 Fun Facts You Never Knew

Guaranteed to Totally Blow Your Mind

When it comes to site picks, we’re kind of picky. Trying to find sites that will appeal to most of our readers is not as easy as you would think. To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln… You can please all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can’t please all of the people all of the time… and he was a pretty intelligent man.  If he lived today he might even say you can never please some of the people even some of the time. I wonder if he would have been a Facebooker – or a Tweeter –or even an Instagrampa?

I’m well off-point now, and I have no slick segues, so here goes.

Our dual site picks today will appeal to everyone who loves to learn new things, who has an inquisitive mind, or loves trivia. If you know everything like our politicians, then you might not care about our site picks this week. But if you, like me, yearn to learn new things, you’ll love these dual Cloudeight Site Picks!

Did you know any of the following?

Three presidents, all Founding Fathers—John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe—died on July 4. Presidents Adams and Jefferson also died the same year, 1826; President Monroe died in 1831. Coincidence?

The tallest man ever recorded was American giant Robert Wadlow (1918–1940), who stood 8 feet 11 inches. Wadlow’s size was the result of abnormally enlarged pituitary gland

The oldest-known living land animal is a tortoise named Jonathan, who is 187 years old. He was born in 1832 and has lived on the island of St. Helena in the Atlantic Ocean since 1882.

All of an adult human’s blood vessels, if laid out end to end, would be about 100,000 miles, so they could encircle the earth four times.

The longest fingernails ever were over 28 feet in total. American Lee Redmond started growing them in 1979 and set the record in 2008. Sadly, she lost her nails in a car crash in 2009.

A mash-up of two words to make a new word (such as breakfast and lunch into brunch, or motel from motor and hotel) is called a portmanteau. In case you’re wondering, the word “portmanteau” itself is not a portmanteau; it’s a compound word that refers to a duel-sided suitcase.

Visitors are not allowed to scatter loved ones’ ashes at Disney World or Disneyland. This is apparently a problem, particularly around the Haunted Mansion attraction.

OK. Enough samples. If you’re not curious to see more by now then I’ve failed. On the other hand, if you are curious then you’ll want to see all 101 Fun Facts. So, my friends, it’s time to  set sail and visit our Site Pick “101 Fun Facts You Never Knew, Guaranteed to Totally Blow Your Mind”

Wait, there’s more!

125 Mind-Blowing Historic Facts & Trivia That Are Almost Too Weird to Be True

If you’re a history buff yearning to learn some amazing facts and weird historic facts and trivia, such as…

Alexander the Great was accidentally buried alive. Scientists believe Alexander suffered from a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barré Syndrome. They believe that when he died he was actually just paralyzed and mentally aware!

The world’s most successful pirate in history was a lady named Ching Shih. She was a prostitute in China until the Commander of the Red Flag Fleet bought and married her. But, her husband considered her his equal and she became an active pirate commander in the fleet.

Famous conqueror, Napoleon Bonaparte, was once attacked by a horde of bunnies! He had requested that a rabbit hunt be arranged for himself and his men. When the rabbits were released from their cages, the bunnies charged toward Bonaparte and his men in an unstoppable onslaught.

Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine. In 1834, it was sold as a cure for an upset stomach by an Ohio physician named John Cook. It wasn’t popularized as a condiment until the late 19th century!

Andrew Jackson had a pet parrot. And he taught his parrot, Polly, to curse like a sailor. There is even one legend that the parrot had to be taken out of Jackson’s funeral for its proclivity for profanity!

During the Victorian period, it was normal to photograph loved ones after they died. People would dress their newly-deceased relatives in their best clothing, and then put them in lifelike poses and photograph them. They did this to preserve one last image of their dead loved one!

Our second site pick today will be of great interest to you. The above excerpts from our second site pick should be enough to whet your appetite for more bizarre historic facts and trivia. If your appetite is “whetted”, visit our second site pick, which is aptly called “125 Mind-Blowing Historic Facts & Trivia That Are Almost Too Weird to Be True” now.

Not bad, eh? Two for the price of none!

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.

Get more information here.

The Helpless Consumer

Is it just me or have big companies intentionally made it hard to get in touch with them if something goes wrong? 1’m going to tell you a true story – a saga -that began in February and looks like it’s going to continue through the summer.

As I said it began in February when I decided to purchase a new toilet from Lowe’s. I carefully went through Lowe’s website, read reviews, and tried to find the best toilet for the money. I’m not a wealthy man, so finding the best bang for the buck is important to me. I’m old and don’t know how many years I have left, but I certainly don’t want to ever have to ever shop for toilets again – it’s no fun.

On February 27, 2022, I ordered a nice American Standard toilet – not the cheapest toilet on the site – but a far cry from the fancy toilets with all the extra doo-dads – like heated seats (although that does sound nice to an old codger like me).

And the saga began…

Read the rest of this essay here.

Make a small donation and help us help you!

If you don't need any of our products or services right now, please help us with a donation. Even the smallest gift is appreciated. Every donation helps us to provide useful information that helps you with your computer as well as helping to keep you safe on the Internet. We offer free help to thousands of people every year... and we offer an honest and inexpensive computer repair service too. We do everything we can to help you with your computer and keep you safe too.

So if you don't need any of our products or services right now, please help us by making a donation right now.

Interested in making a monthly gift? Visit this page. Help us keep helping you!

Thank you so much for your support! 

Things to Remember When Changing Your Email Address

We get a lot of emails informing us of an email address change. Here are a few tips to remember when changing your email address:

1. Don't use your old email address to email your contacts to tell them that you are changing your email address. Use the new one.

2. If you have a PayPal account, be sure you log in to PayPal and add your new email address and remove the old.

3. Most newsletters have a way to change your address and that information can usually be found at or near the bottom of the newsletter.

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, 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.

SeniorPass - One year of Cloudeight Direct Computer Care - unlimited sessions! Get more information here.

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

MORE IMPORTANT STUFF!

Your InfoAve Weekly Members' Home Page is located here.

Print our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care Flyer and spread the word about our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care repair services.  Get our ready-to-print flyer here.

Help us Grow! Forward this email newsletter to a friend or family member - and have them sign-up for InfoAve Weekly here!

Get our free daily newsletter! Each evening we send a short newsletter with a tip or trick or a computer-related article - it's short and sweet - and free. Sign-up right now.

We have thousands of Windows tips and tricks and computer articles posted on our Cloudeight InfoAve website. Our site has a great search engine to help you find what you're looking for too! Please visit us today!

Help us by using our Start Page.  It costs nothing, and it helps us a lot.

Print our Cloudeight Direct Flyer and spread the word about our computer repair service! If you want to help us by telling your friends about our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care service, you can download a printable flyer you can hand out or post on bulletin boards, etc. Get the printable PDF Cloudeight Direct Computer Care flyer here.

We'd love to hear from you!

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

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

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

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



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

Have a great weekend... be safe!

Darcy and TC
Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly - Issue #980
Volume 19 Number 38
July 22, 2022 

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



"Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly" newsletter is published by:

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

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

Copyright ©2022 by Cloudeight Internet