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Johanna wants to share her passwords with family members just in case...
Hello good people!! Just wondering which password manager you would consider the best. Have been using LastPass for many years now. As am 78 years old, want to set up an arrangement where family and close friends would also have access to my password manager records. Then when something happens to me, it would make things so much easier for family and/or close friends to access my online accounts and records, etc. LastPass does have a program named simply "Families" which was designed to do this sort of thing. Your guidance/advice in this area would be so very helpful .. as it always, always is in ANY area of our ever-expanding IT universe!! Thanks so much for reading through all this and for your help, Johanna.

Our answer
Hi Johanna. If you're looking for a simple, free solution, it's hard to beat Bitwarden. I have been using it for a year now and I'm slowly replacing LastPass on all PCs and I've installed Bitwarden on my Android phone and tablet. We've written a tutorial to help you switch from LastPass to Bitwarden - including showing you how to export all your passwords, logins, and info, from LastPass to Bitwarden. Unlike LastPass's free version -there are no restrictions on what kinds of devices you can use Bitwarden with. You can use it with Windows computers, Android smartphones, Android tablets, as well as iPhones and iPads. Read our article about Bitwarden here. All you would have to do after you set up Bitwarden is tell the family member(s) where to download Bitwarden (Free) and share the email address you use to log in and your Bitwarden master password which will give them access to all of your logins and password.

If you don't mind paying for LastPass Families allows up to 5 people to share passwords for $4 a month. Read this LastPass page to learn more about LastPass Families.

Both are great password managers, and I've used them both. I still use them both, but personally, after getting used to Bitwarden, I like it better.

We hope this helps you make a wise decision, Johanna.

Gaye wants to know where her Wi-Fi options keep going
Where does my option to connect via Wi-Fi keep going? G'day E.B. & T.C. I use several devices to connect to the Internet at home via my modem using Wi-Fi. Apart from the occasional dropouts, I've never had any issues. The exception these days is with a refurbished Samsung tablet, with windows 10 installed, that I use mainly as an e-reader except when traveling. I don't notice the tablet has disconnected from the Internet of course until I need the connection. When I click on the Network & Internet setting there is no Wi-Fi option to click on to re-connect. I end up clicking on troubleshoot, then Wi-Fi options but get a message saying "we were unable to detect your networking issue, however, we can reset your computer's network configuration for you as a possible resolution." As you would probably know this involves the tablet shutting down and restarting itself 5 minutes after a notification message to that effect. The Wi-Fi option is back after the restart of course, but is there a way to stop it from going AWOL in the first place? Thank you for all you do to keep us safe, connected & organized. Cheers, Gaye.

Our answer
Hi Gaye. In Windows 10, double-clicking on the Wi-Fi icon near the clock should display any available networks.

Did you try simply restarting your tablet to see if it reconnects to Wi-Fi?

And there is one correct way to completely reset Windows networking...here are the correct instructions 

If nothing above works, your wireless network adapter may be going bad and that is what is causing the problem with your Windows 10 tablet. Since you can't easily replace the network adapter in your tablet and assuming your tablet has an unused USB port, you might want to try using an inexpensive USB Wireless Network Adapter -- see this page to learn more.

We hope this helps you, Gaye.

Yasmin is having trouble with a USB flash drive
I have a USB key that when I try to open the drive it says "this file is empty".. When I right-click on it and select "Properties", it shows me that the used space is 6MB of 14GB and that the file system is FAT32' I have scanned the key with Emsisoft and I know there are images there so why can't I access the images that the USB key is supposed to have. Thanks

Our answer
Hi Yasmin. It sounds to me like the USB flash drive is not completely readable, has file system errors, files are hidden, or the drive has errors or is not viable.

Here are some things to try:

1. "Show hidden files, folders, and drives" Open File Explorer, click on View then Options > Folder Options and make sure you have "Show hidden files, folders and drives" selected.

2. Try the USB on a different computer.

3. Run the Hardware & Devices Troubleshooter: Type CMD in the taskbar search, when you see Command Prompt in the search results, click on "Run as administrator". In the administrator command prompt copy/paste (or type) this command exactly as shown.

msdt.exe -id DeviceDiagnostic

And press Enter.

4. Run CHKDSK: Open an administrator command prompt (as in the previous suggestion). Type the following command at the prompt:


CHKDSK <flash drive's drive letter>: /f /r

For instance, if your USB flash drive is listed as drive F you would enter this command:

CHKDSK F: /f /r

Make sure you leave a space after the drive letter and the /f and another space before the slash /r. Then press "Enter".

We hope this helps you diagnose your USB flash drive problem.

Imogene doesn't want Microsoft to decide where to put her saved pictures
Hi again and thanks in advance. I really want to stop Microsoft or whoever, however, my photos are being put into a new folder every day. I want to organize them in families, etc. I imagine it is a setting I don't know about and need help with. Thank you again Blessings, IL

Our answer
Hi Imogene. Windows stores photos by default in the Pictures directory which is a system folder, not a Microsoft folder. You can create folders and save photos anywhere you want them, but if you let Windows automatically save photos it will put them in the pictures directory.

Anytime you save a photo, you will see the option to "Save as" and the option to choose a folder. You can create a folder on the spot by right-clicking in the directory (folder) you want the new subfolder and choosing "New" >"Folder". Or it's much easier to create your subfolders in the directory of your choice beforehand so when saving pictures all you have to do is choose "Save as" and then chose one of the folders you created.

For instance, let's say you want to add a subfolder called "Family Pictures 2022" in the main Pictures folder. Just right-click in the Pictures folder and click "New" >"Folder" and name it "Family Pictures 2022" (without the quotes). You can create as many subfolders as you want. Once you do that you can copy or move photos from the folders they are in, to the folders you created. It's much easier to do this if you have "Copy to/Move to" on your Windows right-click menu (see this page to learn how).

But you're not going to get Windows to put pictures into the special folders you've created because it doesn't know the difference between a photo of a potato salad that goes into your "Cool Recipes" folder from a picture of Aunt Julie at Niagara Falls, NY that you want to go into your "2019 Niagara Falls Family Reunion" folder. Windows doesn't know Aunt Julie from Bill Gates :)

We hope this helps you, Imogene.

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Conrad wants to make Windows 11 File Explorer look like Windows 10 File Explorer using Reg Organizer
Regarding your tip "Make the File Explorer on Windows 11 Look and Work like Windows 10’s File Explorer" ... Where in Reg Organizer do I find that feature? I don't see that specific tweak listed in the Tweaks section. Thank you. Conrad.

Our answer
Hi Conrad. Here's a screenshot to help you. Follow the steps indicated by the blue numbers 1-2-3.



Let us know if you need more help.

For those who are interested in learning more about Reg Organizer... see this page.

Leslie says the taskbar search bar has disappeared (Windows 11)
Hi, TC & Darcy, My search bar has disappeared. How do I get the search box back on the taskbar? Thanks so much once again. Leslie

Our answer
Hi Leslie. Windows 11 doesn't have a search bar but it does have a search icon that serves the same purpose. To show the search icon, do this:

Right-click on your taskbar and click on "Taskbar settings".

The Settings >Personalization >Taskbar dialog will open. Turn the switch next to "Search" to the "On" position.

We hope this helps you, Leslie.

Dave wants our comments on Privacy Badger and BitDefender Anti Tracker
Hi TC & Darcy. I hope you are keeping well. I have had the uBlock Origin extension in my Firefox browser for many years and after having read about it in your last Newsletter I wanted to thank you for recommending it regularly. You guys are honest and what you guys are doing is unique. Thanks again. Please look at the following picture and you will notice it blocked 296 within 5 minutes (approx.). Wish.com is a wonderful site to buy small items and I have used it too. So guys THANK you so much for recommending the uBlock Origin extension. I also have two more extensions, Privacy Badger and BitDefender Anti Tracker. Do you have any comments on these two? Your comments will be much appreciated. Stay well and safe. Kind regards. Dave.

Our answer
Hi Dave. Thanks for your nice comments. First on Wish.com. We agree it is for a good purpose -- however, digging deeper we find this...

Is Wish a Chinese company? The majority of the merchants on Wish are located in China. This means that a good portion of the merchandise being sold is counterfeit. So while the company may be legit, its merchandise may not be... (Source ).

As for your questions regarding Privacy Badger & BitDefender Anti Tracker.

Anti-trackers are a joke. Who's tracking you? Advertisers. So? If you're using uBlock you won't see any advertising. Anti-trackers have been around for many years. Those who promote them promote them, love to play on people's fear of "being tracked". Being "tracked" on the internet means having cookies dropped on your computer that tell advertisers what kinds of things you're interested in. We find it amusing that people will voluntarily - even eagerly - sign up for frequent flyer programs, or their grocery store loyalty or frequent shopper programs, wherein every item they buy is tracked and their interests allow these businesses to show them "targeted advertising". That BitDefender offers an anti-tracker - doesn't surprise me - many of their competitors do. Most browsers have had "anti-tracking" features for a while now - it protects you from "being tracked".

Open Edge, type edge://settings/privacy in the address bar, and press Enter. Click on "Privacy, search, and services" on the left and you'll see these options.

Note what Microsoft Edge says about trackers. Chrome and Firefox have "tracking blockers" too.

As Shakespeare once said (I think), it's much ado about nothing. There are dozens of real threats out there to worry about without worrying about advertising trackers.

As far as Privacy Badger, we've recommended it along with uBlock Origin for many years. For instance, see this Cloudeight article from four years ago.

Well, Dave, we hope our answer was as direct and honest as you've come to expect of us!

Again, thanks for your nice email.
 

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Forbidden File and Folder Names in Windows
Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11

Today, I was working on a tip about the Windows Control Panel and I took a screenshot. We have done a lot of tips about Control Panel and I had used about every variation of the name Control Panel I could think of to name screenshots. Today, I decided to name the two new Control Panel screenshots con and con1. But what to my bloodshot eyes should appear when I tried to name a file con.png?

This:



So – no con do, EB!

Maybe somewhere in my long ago, I knew there were system reserved names that you could not use to name a file or folder, but I sure don’t remember it. This came as a surprise to me – and I’ve been using Windows for twenty-some years. Just goes to show you that no matter how much you think you know, there’s always more to learn. I learned this like we learn a lot of things, by doing and trying things. That’s the best way to learn.

This is just a fun tip. If you have an inquiring mind, you just may want to know that in Windows these are the names that are reserved for Windows use only- so you can’t use any of the following names to name a file or folder in Windows:

con
prn
aux
nul
com1, com2, com3, com4, com5, com6, com7, com8, com9
lpt1, lpt2, lpt3, lpt4, lpt5, lpt6, lpt7, lpt8, lpt9

None of these names are case sensitive, so you can’t get around using the names by using all capital letters… CON is the same as con in Windows. You can substitute a zero for the letter “o” and use the names c0n, c0m1, c0m2, c0m3 … you get the picture!

Wait! I Shouldn't Have Sent That Email!
For Gmail or Outlook.com users

Have You Ever Wished You Hadn't Sent an Email? Have you ever sent an email and as soon as you sent it you wished you could get it back? Maybe you said something in anger that you really didn’t want to send, or you make a mistake and sent the email to the wrong person, or you forgot to spell-check your email before you sent it … you know what we mean.

If you use Gmail or Outlook.com (Hotmail.com), you can recall any email you sent in error. You can choose the amount of time you have to recall your email after you've pressed "Send". Gmail allows you up to 30 seconds to recall your email after you've pressed "Send"; Outlook.com is not so generous, the maximum time there is 10 seconds.

Gmail

Let’s look at Gmail first. Log into your Gmail account, click on Settings (the little gear icon) then click "See all settings" and look for "Undo send". Next to "Send cancellation period”, you can choose from 5, 10, 20, and 30 seconds which is the amount of time you will have to stop an email from being sent after you press “Send”.

One more step. Scroll to the bottom of the settings page and click “Save Changes” to save the changes you just made.  If you did everything correctly, you will now have the number of seconds you chose in Settings to recall an email after you press “Send”.

Outlook.com/Hotmail.com

OK. Let's take a look at Outlook.com. Log in to your Outlook.com account and click on Settings (the little gear icon). Click on “Options”. Under “Mail” then "Compose and reply "and scroll down until you see "Undo send”. Use the slider to choose the time you have to recall an email after you've clicked "Send". You can choose 0, 5, or 10 seconds.

Don’t forget to press “Save” near the top to save the changes you just made.

If you did everything correctly, you will now have the number of seconds you chose in Settings to recall an email after you press “Send”.

The Windows Command that Everyone Should Know
Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11

We’ve been working with and helping Windows users since Windows 98 and we’ve seen almost everything during that time. We have learned that everyone at some time or other has problems with Windows. And we have learned a lot of tricks when it comes to fixing some of these problems. The first two things you should do when you’re having problems with your Windows computer are:

1. Restart your computer

Sounds simple enough, right? Yet sometimes when people are having annoying problems they get frustrated and start searching the internet for a solution. But the first thing you should do if you have problems with your computer is– Reboot.

2. Shut down your computer, wait, and restart

Another simple thing you can do is if you are having problems with your Windows computer. It’s easy to do, it only takes about five minutes, and it just might solve your problem(s). Just power off your PC, wait five minutes and turn it back on- then check to see if your problem(s) are fixed. Many times they will be.

The two “tricks” above are the first two things you should try if you are having issues with your Windows computer

Of course, the two suggestions above won’t fix all Windows problems -heaven knows there are thousands of things that can go wrong with Windows. And they don’t help you there’s a command that every Windows user should know that can resolve many Windows problems.

But we want to tell you about something else you can do – a command you can run that can solve many Windows problems such as an unresponsive or missing Start button, a Settings app that is unresponsive or won’t open, missing taskbar icons, random crashes, and more.

The System File Checker

We recently helped one of our subscribers who, after a Windows update, had problems with Settings > Apps & features opening then closing immediately, he could not type in the taskbar search and was unable to open his Quicken program.

One of the things we had him try was to run the System File Checker command. And after he ran it and it didn’t help, he followed our advice and ran it one more time and everything was back to normal.

Microsoft has improved the System File Checker and it works much better and is much more reliable than it used to be.

To run the System File Checker do this:

Type CMD in the taskbar search. When Command Prompt appears in the search results, click on the “Run as administrator” option.

In the Command Prompt window type SFC /SCANNOW (notice the space after SFC and press Enter. The System File Checker will start checking your computer. Be patient. It can take anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes to complete its scan. You’ll see the progress as a percentage in the SFC window.

When the process completes it will show you what has been done.

You’ll see one of the following:

“Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations.”

“Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them.”

“Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them.”

If the System File Checker displays the first message, your computer has no issues related to system file corruption. The second message is what most users hope to see. If you see “Windows Resource Protection found corrupt files and successfully repaired them” restart your computer and check to see if your problems have been resolved. If they haven’t then we suggest you run the System File Checker again.

If you see the third message, try running the System File Checker again.

There is another outcome that is not mentioned above. Sometimes the System File Checker will freeze during the scan and not complete. If the System File Checker hangs at a certain percentage, we suggest you reboot your computer and try running the System File Checker again. If it hangs again, then SFC will not be able to repair your computer and you’ll need to move on to other things like a DSIM scan (Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool). If you need to run the DSIM scan, this page will help you.

So the command that every Windows user should know is this:

SFC /SCANNOW

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

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Now available: Reg Organizer 9.0

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 9.0. Works great with Windows 10 and Windows 11!

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

Do You Like Websites That Make You Think? Then You’ll Love This Cloudeight Site Pick!

Our Cloudeight site pick today is a difficult one to describe… but if you like websites that make you think and allow you to dig deeper into things you’re interested in, then you’ll love our site pick Big Think.

To introduce you to this Cloudeight site pick, we are going to give you a peek at the topics, articles, videos, and sections you’ll find there.

Big Questions

Will true AI turn against us?
Do we have free will?
Why are there conspiracy theories?
Is religion helping or hurting us?
Are we alone in the universe?
Should we trust science?

Big Thinkers

Michio Kaku
Neil deGrasse Tyson
Michelle Thaller
Zena Hitz
Steven Pinker
Paul Bloom
Ray Kurzweil
Cornel West
Helen Fisher

Sections

Neuropsych
Thinking
Leadership
Smart Skills
High Culture
The Past
The Present
The Future
Life
Health
Hard Science

Video

The Big Think Interview
Your Brain on Money
Playlists
Explore the Library

Columns

Starts With A Bang
The Well
13.8
Strange Maps
The Learning Curve

This site is diverse and covers many different topics, belief systems, ideas, religion, science, artificial intelligence, and a lot more – and while we don’t agree with everything on this site, we can tell you if you visit this site one thing it will do – it will make you think.

Here are some of the articles that were featured on the day we chose this site as our Cloudeight site pick.

The true story behind Carl Sagan’s cult classic, Contact
Why this bishop hopes hell is empty
Mind hack: Revive your focus with this 12-minute exercise
Will AI become an existential threat to humans?
How Earth’s 23.4° tilt makes life beautiful
Is technology melting your memory? Or helping it?
Social media use is a form of dissociation, not addiction
Being awake after midnight might be bad for your brain
We might have Alzheimer’s all wrong
Politics ruins everything, including your memory
Your brain “wakes up” more than 100 times each night. That’s normal — and maybe good

We could go on and on as there are a lot more articles than the few we’ve listed here. But if none of the above pique your interest… well…hmm! What can we say?

When you visit this Cloudeight site pick, you’ll also get the chance to…

“Learn from the world’s greatest thinkers”

Don’t you think it’s time for a website that makes you think? I thought so.

Visit our site pick Big Think right now and start thinking!

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Change the World

When I was in high school and later, college, my friends and I all thought the establishment consisted of a bunch of rich, old, gray-haired men who sat upon velvet thrones and decreed idiotic and senseless decrees to all us peons in the world. We were not going to let that continue once we grew up and took the reigns. We were going to make the world a better place.

We were going to change the world!

Yesterday, on the way to breakfast with an old friend, I stopped at a local gas station/convenience store to pick up a copy of “USA Today”. While I was parking in front of the store, I noticed a dozen or so metal posts – filled with cement – placed strategically between the store and the parking lot to prevent crazed, mentally irregular drivers from intentionally – or unintentionally – driving vehicles into the store and hurting people (and let’s not forget property).

Being that now I’m getting old, these bright-red concrete-filled metal posts reminded me that we failed…

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 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.

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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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 #985
Volume 19 Number 43
August 26, 2022 

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