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Tricia wants to move entire paragraphs around in the same document
Hi Darcy and TC 'Please tell me how to move an entire paragraph from one place to another in the same item Thank you, Tricia.

Our answer
Hi Tricia. Do you know how to copy a paragraph using CTRL+C and paste using CTRL+V? That's a basic skill I will assume you know.

In the paragraph below I'm highlighting the entire text by putting my cursor at the beginning of the paragraph. Hold down the shift key and put the cursor at the end of the paragraph and which highlights the paragraph. While it is highlighted, press CTRL+C to copy the selected paragraph. Once you've copied it, you can paste it anywhere you want by using the CTRL+V shortcut...

I've copied and pasted a whole paragraph into this answer using the method above. I can paste it anywhere I want as many times as I want. As you can see I've pasted it below.

Many times I’ve had my use of the English language criticized and my grammar scoffed at by the Grammar Police, but it don’t bother me, I tells ya. All those criticisms just roll off me like water off a duck. I’ve been out of college for more years than some of you have been alive and there’s not much chance of me taking any kind of remedial grammar or English courses. I don’t want to learn how to diagram a sentence! I forgot that nonsense in grade school, and I’ve never used it since. And don’t snivel – diagramming sentences would not improve my grammar or my use –or misuse– of the English language.

You can also drag your mouse over the text you want to copy to highlight it, then right-click on it and select "Copy". After you've copied the paragraph (text) right-click in the spot where you want to paste the paragraph and press CTRL+V to paste it.

If you have questions or need more help, let us know.

Mona asks us about Scanguard
I'm wondering if Scanguard is a good app to add to Chrome? I don't remember adding it intentionally, but It keeps coming up on my screen with warnings that there are 'outstanding browser issues' that need attention. Should I remove it?

Our answer
Hi, Mona. ScanGuard is a scam. You should get rid of it. It will tell you that you're infected then try to sell you something to remove the non-existent "infections".

To learn more about ScanGuard, see our article here.

ScanGuard is not new; it has been scamming people for years.

We hope this helps you, Mona.

Shirley wants to know how to tell if a link is genuine
I received an email it says from Google and it's about compromised passwords.

The link is https://accounts.google.com/signin/v2/challenge/pwd?continue=httpspasswords.google.comcheckupresultsep2rvtNsCn9jYPNOBlgtNK73sGWTZrJVE3A1662511667158&hl=en-GB&sarp=1&scc=1&rart=ANgoxcc7RApwPvanPiqE85xoZDzjU7JRIS5X (link truncated to fit this newsletter).

Our answer
Hi Shirley. It's a good question and you did the right thing by not clicking the link without verifying it. If a link comes in an email from a bank, Social Security, IRS, any financial institution, credit card company, or anything that involves money and your personal accounts - the best thing is to never click links in those kinds of emails.

The email you got from Google does not involve money or changing your passwords etc. But if you're not sure where the link leads, it is better to be safe than sorry. You can tell it's legitimate by looking at the first part of the link which is:

https://accounts.google.com

Nothing past this matters - only the domain name that appears directly before the dot com, dot net, dot org, etc. matters when trying to determine if a link is genuine or not.

Here's an article we wrote to help you tell if a link is genuine.

Robert wants to know what we think of OlderGeeks
What are your takes on a site called Oldergreeks.com Is it a safe site for downloads? Thanks.

Our answer
Hi Robert. OlderGeeks has been around for a long time. While I don't agree with some of the stuff they say or offer (SuperAntiSpyware is outdated and unnecessary; WindowsRepair, a one-click fix scammy program) just to mention two. But they do not add or bundle malware with the downloads. That being said, www.snapfiles.com is a much better download site - at least in my opinion - and I'm not saying everything they offer is great but the opinions expressed there seem to be more in line with our view a lot of the time.

But there's nothing wrong with OlderGeeks as long as you're careful what you download - make sure it's something you really need and not a pie-in-the-sky "this program can fix up your computer with one click" app.

That's our take on OlderGeeks, Robert.

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Ted says his Windows 11 Start menu doesn't look like ours
Hi Folks I have a question. When you show things to do i.e. the Start menu options when I follow your instruction? I don't get the same picture. I almost think it is an administrator issue, however. For instance. in your Sept 9 Issue you show how to change the start menu, I have no such setting as " start Settings" only settings. Can I fix that? If so how? You folks are awesome by the way love your advice and letters. Thanks as always for your help

Our answer
Hi Ted. Thanks! Windows 11 lets you can add or remove programs from the Start menu to make it just the way you want it. Everyone's Start menu is different. You can "pin" or "unpin" almost any program or app to the Windows 11 Start menu. For more detail on that see this Microsoft page.

Remember, in Windows, there is always more than one way to do things. For instance, you can open Settings using the Windows key plus I shortcut, typing Settings in the taskbar search, or using the Windows key + x shortcut to bring up the "alternate" Start menu.

You can open "Start settings" by right-clicking on the Windows 11 Start menu (anywhere but on an icon). You can also open "Start settings" by right-clicking on your desktop, then click on "Personalize" in the context menu, and in "Personalization" click on "Start".

If you want Settings on your Start menu, open your Start menu, and click on "All apps". Then scroll down to "Settings". Right-click on "Settings" and choose "Pin to Start". Alternately, you can remove any program icon from the Start menu by right-clicking on it, and choosing "Unpin from Start".

You can have just about any program or app you want on the Windows 11 Start menu. You can drag the icons around and put them in any order you want.

It's very unlikely that anyone else's Start menu would look like mine.

We hope this answers your questions, Ted.

Jean wonders if app passwords are safe
I got this from support.google.com/websearch... " It looks like you're using AppPasswords to give third-party apps access to your account mjby... To make your account more secure, disable AppPasswords and use "Sign-in with Google" to connect apps with Google."

What am I supposed to do with this? Thanks for your help.

Our answer
Hi Jean. If your email client does not natively support OAUTH2 then you will need to continue to use app passwords. Despite Google's push for OAUTH2, app passwords are more secure than normal passwords. If you want to continue using your email client, and it does not support OAUTH2, you'll need to continue to use app passwords or stop using your email client to check your Gmail account(s).

If you're using OE Classic, OAUTH2 should be working so you should be able to re-set up your Gmail accent using "Sign in with Google".

As for app passwords...

You're taking fewer chances with app passwords than you were using regular passwords or Google's now discontinued "Less secure apps" setting.

I hope this helps you sort things out, but if not, let us know.

Judy has questions about OneDrive and Google Drive
I have both Google Drive and One Drive. I thought the reasons for using cloud services were not only for sharing files but also for saving computer space. After finding out my C drive was running out of space, I discovered that both of the Clouds reside in my User account. Since I wanted the larger cloud for photos, that means it is taking up a lot of space on my hard drive! I guess I'm not getting the point of using clouds. It is easy to just use additional external drives. What am I missing? I've been with you since the early days of Outlook Express on Win 98. I loved using the musical action-e-mail. I have a folder just for all the tips I've learned from you.

Our answer
Hi Judy. Thanks! With OneDrive, you have the option to save files on demand so they are all on OneDrive and not on your computer. When you want to access or open a file it will download immediately and open. Thus you can free up space on your C: drive by choosing this option in OneDrive's settings.

I have this option checked, so all my files are on OneDrive. This not only frees up space on my hard drive, while making all files instantly accessible, but I can also access the file from my other devices.

OneDrive has excellent help and support. So, if you need additional suggestions or help, see this page.

We hope this helps you, Judy.
 

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The taskbar search: A Genuine Time Saver
Windows 10 and Windows 11

It’s a new year and it’s a good time to remind you that the best Windows tips are the ones that are not only easy to do, but that also make your Windows computer easier to use and save you time.

So today we’re reminding you about one of our favorite Windows 10 and Windows 11 time savers: the taskbar search.

We think that the taskbar search is one of the most underrated, most underused, and one of the best time-saving features of Windows 10 and Windows 11. We use it all the time, and you should too. Why? Because it will save you a lot of trouble and a lot of time.

Here are some examples of how the taskbar search can save you time.

If you are using Windows 10 and  looking for System Restore, you can fumble around in Settings and be redirected to System Information/System Protection. But did you know if you type System Restore in the taskbar search, you’ll find it almost as fast as you can type System Restore?

And if you're using Windows 11, you have to make an additional click...

Just by typing “system restore” (no quotes) in the taskbar search, you’ll immediately be able to access System Restore or create a manual restore point.

OK here are some more examples of time-saving things you can do with the taskbar search.

To open Notepad, type note and press enter. To open MS Word (if installed) type word and press enter. To open WordPad, type WordPad and press enter. Open Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Emsisoft, and many other (but not all) programs. Just type the program’s name and press enter.

And you can also run some commands from the taskbar search. Here are some of them:

Type the command (or word) and press Enter. Here are some to try (words to type are bolded):

Cmd (Opens a command prompt. If you need a command prompt with administrator privileges, type cmd in the taskbar search, right-click when “Command Prompt” appears at the top and choose “Run as administrator”.)

winver (tells you the Windows version you’re using

services.msc (Opens Services where you can start, stop and configure other settings for each service. I

control (opens the Control Panel)

cleanmgr (runs Windows disk cleanup app)

default (default app settings)

msinfo32 (opens System information where you can find out almost anything about your computer)

wuapp (check for Windows updates)

power (Power options)

run (run command/run box)

SFC (System File Checker) Note you’ll need to right-click on it when it appears in the search results and run it as administrator.

about (Learn all about your PC)

info (Opens System Information)

calendar (opens Windows 10 calendar app)

weather (opens Windows 10 weather app)

event (opens Windows 10 Event Viewer)

User accounts (Opens user account settings) Windows 10

Users (Opens user account settings)  Windows 11

You can open other programs using the taskbar search such as Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Internet Explorer, Windows 10 Mail App and more. Just type the name of the program you want to run into the taskbar search and press Enter when the program appears at the top to run the program. This does not work with all programs, so you’ll have to experiment a bit with it.

There are a lot of things you can do with the taskbar search and the examples we’ve shown you should be enough for you to see that the taskbar search is a quick way to perform different tasks, launch programs, run commands, and more. Want to open one of your favorite folders using the taskbar search? It’s easy…

Type “documents” (no quotes) to open your Documents folder. (Windows 10 only)

Type “pictures” (no quotes) to open your Pictures folder. (Windows 10 only)

Type “music” (no quotes) to open your Music folder. (Windows 10 only)

Type “downloads” (no quotes) to open your Downloads folder. (Windows 10 only)

And if you type a file path like C:\Windows\System32 and press enter, you’ll go directly to that folder. No more digging around in File Explorer.

If you’re not using the taskbar search, you’re missing a lot. Try some of the things shown in this article. And don’t be afraid to experiment with the taskbar search on your own. We think if you start using it, you’ll keep using it.

Want another tip? If you don't want the taskbar search icon or search box on your taskbar, no problem! Just press Windows key + S and the taskbar search will open like magic.

We use the taskbar search all the time. And you should be using it all the time too, we tells ya!

Battery report

Installed batteries

Recent usage

We Want You to Start Using Windows Key Shortcuts and Here's Why
Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and Windows 11

OK...we've featured Windows key shortcuts several times, but sadly not enough times to convince some of you just how much of a time saver Windows key shortcuts can be.

Casting "Zulu" from my laptop to my Roku 

Just last evening I was using my laptop and I wanted to watch something on TV via my Roku player. I subscribe to a streaming service (which I will not mention here for obvious reasons). When I watch this particular streaming service (I'll call it Zulu for convenience) on my TV I have to watch all of the commercials because I'm too cheap to pay the extra $6.95 a month to buy the ad-free version of "Zulu".

I discovered, however, that if I log into "Zulu" on my laptop and "cast" it from my laptop to my TV, good old uBlock Origin blocks all the ads on "Zulu" and effectively gives me the ad-free version at no extra moolah. Is this cheating? I don't know - it was accidentally discovered, so I think not.

What the heck does this have to do with Windows key shortcuts? A lot actually. I use the Windows key + K shortcut to open the "Cast" dialog in Windows 11 (it works on Windows 10 too). When the Cast dialog opens I can see my 3 Roku players (2 Roku Express and 1 Roku Ultra). 

Using the Windows key + K shortcut opens the "Cast" dialog immediately and saves me from having to type in "Cast" in the Taskbar search or muddle around in Settings to find "Cast to a wireless display".

I use the Windows key + K shortcut just about every day. And not many days pass by that I don't use Windows key + R (Run box), Windows key + I (Settings), Windows key + V to paste from the extended clipboard, Windows key + X to open the Start button right-click menu, Windows key + S to open a search box, and many others.

So consider this a reminder that using Windows key shortcuts can save you a lot of time and the more you use them the more you'll remember them and the more they'll become part of your computer skill set.

What is the Windows key and where can you find it?

We're glad you asked. Some of you are afraid to ask where the Windows key is because you think it's a stupid question. But you know, the only stupid question is the one you don't ask.

The Windows key is on the bottom of the keyboard between the Ctrl key and the Alt key... or if you're using a laptop it is usually between the Fn key and the Alt key. You can find it easily as it's the only key with the Microsoft Windows logo on it.

And when we say, for example, Windows key + R (or Winkey+R), what we mean is that you hold down the Windows key while tapping the "R" key. So, Windows key + means holding down the Windows key while tapping the key after the "+" (plus) sign. To further shorten our Windows key shortcuts we use "Winkey" instead of "Windows key" - but they are exactly the same. Easy peasy, right? 

Here's a list of Windows Key shortcuts for you

Pressing the Windows key (Winkey) by itself opens the Windows Start menu
Winkey + E  Opens File Explorer
Winkey + A  Displays the Action Center
Winkey + D Shows the Desktop
Winkey + G Activates the Xbox game bar to let you record games or take screenshots.
Winkey + H  Opens Microsoft speech services (Dictation)
Winkey + I  Opens the Windows Settings app
Winkey + K Activates the Connect (Cast) feature to stream to wireless displays/audio devices
Winkey + L Locks your computer
Winkey + M  Minimizes all open Windows
Winkey+Ctrl + M  Opens Windows Magnifier
Winkey + R Opens a Run box.
Winkey + S  Opens Search
Winkey + Q  Opens Search or Cortana (Windows 10)
Winkey + U  Opens the Ease of Access center (Accessibility)
Winkey+ PrtScr key Takes a screenshot of your computer screen
Winkey+ Fn + PrtScr key Takes a screenshot of your computer screen (some laptops)
Winkey + X Opens power user features (Same as right-clicking the Windows Start button.)
Winkey + Ctrl + D Creates a new virtual desktop
Winkey + Ctrl + F4 Close virtual desktop
Winkey + Ctrl + Left or Right arrow Switches between virtual desktops
Winkey + Shift + Left or Right arrow Moves apps from one monitor to another.

There are many more but those should be enough to get you started!

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

Subscribe to our free InfoAve Daily newsletter.

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

Do you like to read? Great, we love to read too. And today, we’re going to show you an easy way to find all the 40,000 + free Kindle books in one place.

Since there are over 40,000 free Kindle books, you may think it’s going to be a chore trying to find the kinds of books you like, but Amazon answers the call by breaking down its list of free eBooks into categories and genres so that you can quickly find the kinds of books you like.

Since Amazon constantly changes the books in the “Free” category, if you see something you like, be sure to grab it right away. If you wait, it may not be there the next time you visit the free Kindle books section.

Here are a few things you need to know before you go “shopping” for free Kindle books.

1. Make sure the book you want shows a price of $0.00
2. Make sure it doesn’t say “Prime”. If it does you’ll need an Amazon Prime Membership to get it free.
3. Make sure it doesn’t say “Kindle unlimited”. If it does, you’ll need a Kindle Unlimited membership to get it free.

All that aside, there are over 40,000 truly free Kindle books you can download with no restrictions.

There are 400 pages of free Kindle books to browse through.

Take some time and visit this treasure trove of free Kindle books now… you won’t be disappointed!

What? No Kindle Reader or Kindle Fire? No Problem!

If you don’t have a Kindle reader or Kindle Fire, no problem. You can download the free Kindle app for Windows PC as well as IOS, Android, and Mac. To get your free Kindle app visit this page.

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I Am Killing Time While Time is Killing Me

You don’t have time to read this and I don’t have time to write this. I don’t have time to do anything I want to do because I am too busy doing things I have to do – or too busy doing the things I want to do that I don’t have time to do the things I need to do. It’s all about time.

It seems I’m always killing time, wasting it, and running out of it. Someday I won’t have to worry about time. I’ll have plenty of it – or none of it. Time exists only as long as I am alive to perceive it.

It’s funny… while I’m busy killing time, time is killing me.

I stand on a rocky beach and watch the sun go down. Quietly lapping the sandy shore, the waves of water swirl up on the beach in melting, silver, glassy swells. Staring at them makes me dizzy. I stare at them anyway. The sky, streaked with shades of red, grows darker as the final minutes of the day tick away. Tick, tick, tick, tick.

Another day in my life ends on some deserted and unimportant beach, in this tiny, forgotten, corner of the incomprehensibly vast universe – a universe so vast it hurts to contemplate it. I do it anyway and my head hurts. It’s just a dream, I think – and we always have time to dream, don’t we?

The first rays of morning light jolt me. I get up. I have lots of things to do today. I have so much to do that I really don’t have time to wait for the coffee to brew. I wait anyway. I have some time to kill while the coffee brews. I fiddle with the box of coffee filters – putting it away slowly – anything to kill time

Read the rest of this essay here.

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What is a Run Command?

Sometimes I'll be helping EB with something and she'll ask me to get something. So I do. But I never move fast enough for her. She'll say, "RUN...don't walk!" And that is called the run command.

No! No! No! Windows Run Command is actually a command line where you can enter specific commands thereby impressing your friends and avoiding shortcuts and icons. You can look cool if you press Windows Key + R and type IEXPLORE.EXE and Internet Explorer magically opens. Why your friends will think you've gone geeky! Amaze them even more by typing CALC and hear them gasp in amazement when the Windows calculator opens. Or dazzle them by typing in NOTEPAD and watch their eyes bulge as Notepad mysteriously appears on your screen. Or type Write and press enter and they'll genuflect as WordPad opens.

It can be used for serious stuff too, like running SERVICES.MSC (Windows Services), CLEANMGR (Disk Cleanup), or MSCONFIG (System Configuration Utility - but MSCONFIG isn't so hot on Windows 10 or Windows 11).

In short, the Run Command allows you to, er, um. ah, run commands! Glory be!

PS: Because we're colloquial folks and speak in the vernacular, we often refer to entering a command in the run box. Run command. Run box. You get it, right?

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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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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 #988
Volume 19 Number 46
September 16, 2022 

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