Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly


Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly
Issue #1002
Volume 20 Number 8
December 23, 2022

Dear Friends,

We wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas!

Welcome to Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly Issue #1002. Thank you very much for subscribing and for being a part of our Cloudeight family. We appreciate your friendship and support very much!  Please share our newsletters and our website with your friends and family.

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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. 

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Merry Christmas

Christmastime is a time of reflection. A time to look back and remember the good times and not-so-good times of the year that's almost past. It's a time to be thankful for the gifts we receive every day, from our friends, from our families, and God, regardless of what our religion may be. Christmas is a time to forgive and to remember those less fortunate. And to remember that the greatest give we can ever give or receive, is the gift of love.

It's been our pleasure to have you in our Cloudeight family this year. We are thankful for you and for the help and support you always give us. We are very fortunate to have had you with us this year and we look forward to your friendship in the coming year.

This week's and next week's InfoAve Weekly newsletters will be review editions. Publishing review editions on major holidays gives us time to share with our families. Plus, it's a great way for us to feature and review some of the best content from previous InfoAve Weekly newsletters.

We hope that you will also take some time during the Holidays to make some wonderful memories too.

We are thankful for every one of you. Thanks so much for all you do for us. Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! God bless us, everyone!

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Cloudeight 2022 Christmas DealsBuy a Cloudeight SeniorPass at regular price and get Reg Organizer free! Save $25

Our Cloudeight SeniorPass is valid for unlimited computer care & repair for one computer for 365 days - starting with the first time you use it. The clock does not start ticking until you use your SeniorPass for the first time. A great deal that just got better during our Christmas sale! When you purchase a SeniorPass at the regular price we'll give you a lifetime license for Registry Organizer free That's a $25 value!

Having a SeniorPass is just like having insurance for your computer. With a Cloudeight SeniorPass you can get help with almost any computer problem whenever you need it and as often as you need it. Plus, our SeniorPass gives you the option of Anytime Support! If you request it, we can set up unattended support for you so all you have to do when you need help is just let us know. We're here to help you. PLUS...during our Christmas Sale when you purchase our SeniorPass we'll give you a lifetime license for Reg Organizer FREE!

Buy a SeniorPass & get Reg Orgnaizer freeBuy a Cloudeight SeniorPass at regular price and get a Reg Organizer free! Save $25

Get more details and/or get your Cloudeight SeniorPass + Reg Organizer here.

Our Christmas Sale prices are good through December 27, 2022.

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Kathleen wants to know how to find her Windows 10 Product Key
How do I find my product key? Can You Help? I know it was just a tip from you and of course...I can't find it. Thank you! Kathleen.

Our answer
Hi Kathleen. You really don't need a product key with Windows 10 - even if you reinstall Windows 10. Your product key is embedded in your BIOS. So, unless you changed your computer's motherboard, you'll probably never need a key.

That being said, read our article here - you'll find 2 ways you can find your Windows 10 Product Key.

Hope this helps you and also answers your question.
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Kathleen wrote back: "Thank You! I did find it...the tip from you. It was right where I left it... Confused smile. Everything cleared up...well, not my brain. I swear I have never been the brightest bulb but as I am shaking hands with 80...my light is getting dimmer and dimmer. Thank You again...you two are the absolute best. Kathleen"

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Sandi wants to know what's up with her D:\ drive.
I have a question for you. This is a fairly new computer and I clicked on "computer", and right-clicked on "Recovery Image-Drive D", it shows 1.90 GB Free space. 13.6 GB Used space, Capacity 15.5 GB. Why is this so full when Drive C only has 61.3 Used Space with a capacity of 853 GB? Would it help to compress the drive? I am a novice when it comes to this stuff and I don't want to mess up the files. Please advise on what I should do. I appreciate your advice and help. Sandi B.

Our Answer
Hi Sandi. Do not touch your D:\ drive. It's called a recovery partition or recovery drive. If you ever needed to reset your computer back to its factory state, you'd need this partition. The partition is created from space from your C:\ drive - and the partition is just big enough to hold all the files necessary (including Windows) to return your computer to its factory state.

So just leave it be -- and hope you never need it.

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Erica wants to know if hackers can watch you with your own Webcam.
I've read several articles that say that webcams can be activated by hackers and used to look at things in your house. Is this true? Can hackers turn on my webcam and watch me and look at things in my room?

Our answer
Hi Erica. Not only is it true that webcams can be activated remotely, but it's also happened many times and even some famous people have had their privacy invaded. There are several ways this can happen, but it usually happens when the victim is tricked into clicking a link in an email and downloading spyware/malware onto the computer thus giving the attacker control over the computer's webcam. It can be activated without the user's knowledge. Sometimes the cam can be activated without the "webcam active" light being on.

It's not likely to happen if a user has good antivirus / antimalware installed. However, no software is 100% foolproof. We've written articles about this before, and we recommend putting a tiny piece of electrician's tape (opaque) over the camera lens. If you're concerned about the tape's sticky substance harming your lens you can put a small piece of paper between the tape and the lens.

This is not something that happens very often. But it's important to know it's not a hoax, it probably happens more than we like to think. And remember to always make sure you're protected. We just want you to know that while it is possible someone could spy on you using your webcam, it's not very likely. It just makes good sense to understand the risks and always use the best safe computing practices.

Covering the lens is a good option but having a good antimalware/antivirus program like Emsisoft installed is essential.

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Roy wants to change his user account name in Windows 10
My Lenovo computer, now 7 years old, was originally "set up" by a computer shop and it runs fine. However, when I check the Command prompt and type WHOAMI, I get "C:\Users\User". TC or EB, how can I get my name shown in place of "user"? Thanks in advance, Roy

Our answer
Hi Roy. Here is how to change your user account name

1. Type NETPLWIZ in the taskbar search and press Enter when it appears in the search results.

2. Click on the account you want to change

3. Click on "Properties"

4. A dialog will open with the current username highlighted. Click Delete and type in a new name.

5. Click "Apply" "OK".

But... keep in mind this does not change the folder locations. For instance, Pictures will still be located at C:\Users\User\Pictures and Documents will still be at C:\Users\User\Documents, etc. Changing the username does not change the user folder locations. If you try to change those locations, you risk losing data and a corrupt user account. If you really want a new user account name, create a new user account with the name you want and then copy all the data from all your user folders (Documents, Desktop, Pictures, Videos, Music, etc.) to the user folders in your new account. This seems to me to be a lot of work especially if you're the only one who's ever going to see it.

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Cloudeight 2022 Christmas DealsEmsisoft With Free Installation and Setup by Cloudeight.

Here's your chance to get Emsisoft award-winning anti-malware and antivirus protection plus free installation and configuration by Cloudeight Direct. This special offer includes a one-year single PC license for Emsisoft Anti-Malware/Antivirus, complete removal of your current antivirus software and installation and configuration of your Emsisoft Anti-Malware and antivirus program by Cloudeight Direct Computer Care.

Our regular price for Emsisoft with Cloudeight Installation is $45 With our Christmas Special, you can get Emsisoft plus FREE Cloudeight Installation and setup for just $29. You save $16 and you'll have the peace of mind of knowing your computer is protected by Emsisoft's world-class protection and that it's installed and set up correctly Get more information and/or buy Emsisoft with free Cloudeight Installation for just $29 here.

Our Emsisoft + Free Installation and set-up is a great deal. Take advantage of our Christmas sale and protect your computer with Emsisoft - the same security software we use on all our business and personal computers.  This special offer of Emsisoft with free installation and set-up and a one-year Emsisoft license for just $29 is available only for a very short time.

This offer applies to single-PC Emsisoft licenses only.

GET YOURS NOW!

Our Christmas Sale prices are good through December 27, 2022. 

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Pat wants to convert image files from PNG to JPG format
What is the safest app to use for converting PNG to JPG on a PC? I just took a picture with my phone, sent it to my computer and then did what I wanted to do. I did see apps that you could use, but you two have taught me well...I did it the hard way. Any suggestions greatly appreciated...

Our answer
Hi Pat. Our old standby "IrfanView" does a lot of things. First, it's much faster at opening picture files than Windows Photo Gallery or "Photos" in Windows 10. Plus it allows you to change from one format to another simply by opening the picture or graphic and then saving it in whatever format you want.

For example, you have a photo called MyChristmasCat.png. You want to save it as a jpg file. Just open MyChristmasCat.png with IrfanView and save it as MyChristmasCat.jpg. You can name it anything you want  like ThisIsNotADog.jpg - you get the idea. You'll have both the jpg format and the png format - so when you convert the file it does not change the original. You can also save it in other formats (like bmp, tif, png, and more).

IrfanView even allows you to do some minor photo effects and enhancements - plus it can open some audio and video formats too. We have IrfanView set as the default image viewer on our Windows 10 and Windows 11 computers. It has been our default image viewer since Windows 98 -- wow that was 24 years ago.

The quickest and safest place to download IrfanView is from SnapFiles...here.  

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Janice wants a program to do images, edges, frames, and fades. etc.
Hello! Can you recommend a safe free program for putting edges on graphics? Fade-out , frames, etc... Thanks, Janice.

Our answer
Hi Janice. There is a website that can do amazing things with image edges including solid borders, stylized borders, faded borders frames and all kinds of other photo effects - all without installing anything. It works great, it's free, and may soon be a Cloudeight site pick.

It's called Lunapic and you can check it out here. When you first land on the page, click on "Borders" at the top and you'll see a drop-down menu with all the border options available. And with each option, you'll see a sample of what that option looks like.

You can do a lot of other stuff too... I played around only with the border & text effects and here are just a few examples

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Merry Christmas
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There are thousands of things you can do with your images on that site. All you have to do is upload the image you want to work with and use the tools to create whatever effects you want. There are tutorials to help and you'll always see a preview of the effect before you apply it.

Play around with it for a while, we think you'll find it does just about anything you'll want to do with an image. And it's free and you don't have to give them an email address.

Please let us know what you think.
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Janice wrote back: "Hey! Thanks! You guys know everything! Glad I know you! J."

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Andrea wants our suggestions for moving files from an old PC to a new one
Hello! Thanks for all the great advice thru the years. I am going to be buying a new pc (yay!) and am worried about moving files. I've seen migration programs on the web and wondered if you recommend any of them? I am probably mid-range as far as technical knowledge but they seem a little complicated. I do back up my current pc but am worried that it's possible I'm not backing up everything I should and/or backing up stuff that I don't need or want to move over. What to do?

Our answer
Hi Andrea. Thanks!

We do not recommend any of the file/app mover programs. While it may seem the easiest way, it can end up in mess. While they may work for some, those kinds of programs don't work for all and if you're one of the ones it doesn't work for you'll spend more time cleaning up a mess than you would have spent if you just transferred your files and folders and reinstalled the programs you want.

This tip I learned from Darcy: The easiest, fastest, and most reliable way to move from one PC to another is if you have MS Office and have One Drive with 1 TB of space. If you do then all you have to do is open One Drive on the new computer (it comes with all new Windows computers) and sign in with your One Drive (Microsoft account) username and password. As soon as you do -all your documents, pictures, music, desktop icons, contacts, and more are on your new PC.

If you don't have One Drive with the 1 TB storage (the free version only stores 5GB of data) then the next easiest way is to use an external hard drive (1TB or larger) and copy your entire user folder (C:\Users\Your user name) to the external drive. Once you've done that, unplug the external from your old PC and plug it into the new PC.

Open the users/your user name folder on the external drive. You'll see there are many folders in it. Do not move the entire folder to your new PC. Instead open the following folders - one at a time - and copy the contents to the corresponding folder on your new computer.

Documents
Music
Desktop
Pictures
Favorites
Videos

For example, open the C:\users\your user name\documents folder on the external drive and open the documents folder on your new PC. Select all the items in the documents folder on the external drive and copy them to the Documents folder on the new PC. You can easily copy all files in a folder by selecting a file to highlight it, then using the shortcut CTRL+A to select all files and folders in a directory.

After you do the Documents folder, do the same with the remaining folders one at a time. And all of this will be a lot easier if you install "Copy To / Move to" on your right-click menu on both PCs. See our tutorial here.

After you do this, then you can install any programs you want (Chrome, Firefox, email programs, etc.) on your new computer. It's a lot better to reinstall the programs you like than to try to copy programs from the old PC to the new one. Almost all programs have dependencies like registry entries, start menu entries, dynamic link libraries (DLLs) and more that have to be transferred or the program won't work correctly. So it's far better, in our opinion, to reinstall the programs you want on the new computer.

And of course. we're here to help if you have questions or need more help.

Congrats on getting a new computer!
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Andrea wrote back: "Thank you so very much, TC! My instincts told me to do it the way you described above but when you start researching on the web they're very good at convincing you that you want to do it with a program and cross your fingers. As I had said, there is stuff on my current PC that I'm not sure I'd want to take the chance of transferring over anyway so your instructions will work great for me. Thank you for being there for all of us... Hope you and Darcy have a great day! Andrea."


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Cloudeight 2022 Christmas DealsBuy One Cloudeight Direct Computer Care Repair Key and GET ONE FREE!

During our Cloudeight Christmas Sale, when you buy a Cloudeight Direct Computer Care repair key, we'll give you one FREE. That's right! From now through December 27, 2022, when you buy one Cloudeight Direct Computer Care repair key for $50, we'll give you a second one free!.

With our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care service, we connect directly to your computer via the Internet to fix your computer problems, remove viruses or malware, optimize your PC and more. You never have to leave your home or leave your computer with a stranger. You'll be invited to watch us while we fix your Windows computer. And, we can fix your computer regardless of where you live. Our Cloudeight Direct Service is available worldwide. We offer world-class computer care services from the company you trust.

Take advantage of our Christmas Buy One Get One free special NOW!

Our Christmas Sale prices are good through December 27, 2022.

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Cloudeight InfoAve Premium -Tips & Tricks

A Quick Way to Clean the Windows Temp Folder
Windows 10 and Windows 11

If you’ve never cleared your Windows temp folder, it probably contains dozens or even hundreds of useless files. 

Here’s a quick way to see how many files have accumulated in your Windows Temp folder

Right-click on the Start button and click “Run”.

In the Run box type %temp%

Windows 10 tips by Cloudeight

You’ll see the contents of the Windows Temp folder,

Windows 10 tips by Cloudeight

If you want to clean up the Temp folder, hold down the CTRL key and tap the “A” key to select all the files in the Temp folder.

Windows 10 tips by Cloudeight

Once all the files are selected, tap the Delete key. Some of the files in the Temp folder may be in use by programs running on your computer and therefore can’t be deleted. If you see a message that a file can’t be deleted because it’s in use, just skip that file.

As you can see from the screenshots, before cleaning I had 93 files & folders in the Windows 10 Temp folder, after cleaning there were 8 files & folders.

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Will this improve your computer’s performance, probably not, although it could. Think of it as good housekeeping. There’s no sense in keeping useless files and folders, right? 

Now you know how to do a little computer housekeeping you may not have known before. 

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How Old is Your Windows PC?
Windows 10 and Windows 11

There’s a lot of confusion about Windows 11. We have had quite a few people asking us if there’s a way to find out when their computers were manufactured. 

Generally, computers older than four years will not run Windows 11, but things could change. And yes, we know that there are workarounds posted all over the web. We’re not recommending any of them at this point.

So how old is your computer?

Whether you are using Windows 10 or Windows 11, if you want to know when your computer was manufactured, here is an easy way to find out 

Type MSINFO32 in the taskbar search to open “System information” and look for BIOS Version/date:

Cloudeight InfoAve Windows Tips

The BIOS Version/date shows the date your computer was manufactured. In the screenshot above, you can see one of the laptops I'm using is ten years old. It is running the current version of Windows 10 (Windows 10 version 21H1).  And below, my cheap ALLDOCUBE PC (Windows 11) is now just over thirteen months old. It is still an infant!

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Please Note: There are always exceptions. If you changed your motherboard battery or flashed (updated) your BIOS, the date shown may not be the date your computer was manufactured.

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Navigate the Windows 10 or Windows 11 Start Menu Quickly
Windows 10 and Windows 11

The Windows 10 and Windows 11 (all apps) Start menu lists programs in alphabetical order. If you're like us and have a lot of programs installed, rather than scrolling the entire menu to find a program, you might prefer a faster  to find what you're looking for.

Windows 10

Open the Windows 10 Start menu. You'll notice the menu is sectionalized from # to Z.

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Click on any letter and you'll see this:

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When you click on the # or letter, that section will open. For instance, clicking on "W" will take you directly to the "W" section of your Start menu where all the apps and programs on your computer that begin with the letter W are located. And in case you're wondering what that clock-like thing is at the top, if you click it, it will show you any programs you've recently installed.

Windows 11

Open the Windows 11 Start menu and click on "All apps".

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Now, you'll see a menu that is set up exactly like the Windows 10 Start menu. And it works the same way - just click the # or letter to go to that section of the Start menu.

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And it works the same as Windows 10.

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And don't forget, you can use the Taskbar/Start menu search to find programs quickly too, Just type the name of the program in the search. 

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Want more tips, tricks, and information?

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

Subscribe to our free InfoAve Daily newsletter. 

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Cloudeight 2022 Christmas DealsEmsisoft One-Year Renewal with Cloudeight Direct PC Checkup just $29!

During our Christmas Sale when you renew a single PC Emsisoft license, we'll add 365 days to your current license, PLUS we will give you a Cloudeight Direct Computer Care Checkup key that you can use to schedule a computer checkup whenever you like - you can use it anytime. Our checkup includes checking your hard drive, checking your Windows services and startups, as well as check your browser add-ons and extensions, your installed programs and doing a deep scan to check for hidden problems. The free PC checkup applies to one PC only.

This special Christmas offer includes a one-year renewal license for Emsisoft Anti-Malware/Antivirus and a Cloudeight Direct Computer Care checkup key. The Cloudeight Direct checkup key never expires - it's good until you use it. You can use it any time your computer needs a checkup.

Our regular price for a one-year Emsisoft renewal is $25. You get the Cloudeight Direct Computer Checkup key plus a one-year Emsisoft renewal all for $29!.

NOTE: This offer applies to Emsisoft Single PC license renewals only.

Learn more and/or get your deal here.

Our Christmas Sale prices are good through December 27, 2022. 

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Cloudeight InfoAve Premium -Tips & Tricks   

Our Famous Three (and a half) Great Christmas Sites

At this festive time of year, EB and TC like to do festive things, like reminding everyone that Christmas is coming. It seems each year, Christmas comes and goes so quickly. So, before Christmas has come and gone, we’d like to (hopefully) add to your Christmas joy by sharing some unique and fun Christmas websites. You’ll want to bookmark one or more of these sites if you have kids or grandkids, or if you’re like us, kids at heart.

These sites are not listed in any particular order – so the first one listed is not necessarily the best and so forth and so on.

Without boring you to tears, I am going to get started now.


NORAD Tracks Santa

InfoAve by Cloudeight

If you have kids or grandkids, or if you still believe in Santa Claus, as I do, then you’ll want to visit this site on Christmas Eve.

Dear Santa,

All I want for Christmas is for EB to quit flogging me.

Your fan,

TC

OK seriously – this is from the NORAD site by the official NORAD people, who you don’t want to mess with because they have their fingers on the buttons that launch nukes. Don’t write and criticize them.

For over 60 years “…NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s flight.

The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.

In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, which then took on the tradition of tracking Santa…

Visit NORAD Tracks Santa.


WhyChristmas?com

InfoAve by Cloudeight

We would write an intro for this site, but since the developer of the site is so verbose, we’re just going to let him entertain you.

“About WhyChristmas?com

WhyChristmas?com is one of the largest Christmas information sites on the web and answers your Christmas questions! It was launched in November 2000 by me, James Cooper a Christmas loving web designer from the UK

I’d always loved Christmas (yes, I’m a very big kid!) and had wondered about the ‘whys’ of Christmas; such as why do we have Santa/Father Christmas, why we have Christmas Trees and send Christmas Cards to each other?!

The site was originally created for some friends who were teachers in a local school. Knowing that I was a web designer, they came to me complaining that they couldn’t find a site that was child friendly and “wasn’t trying to sell the kids something”! So with the help of ‘Bruce the Spruce’ (the site’s Christmas Tree logo!) I made a little site for them to use with their classes.

The site has always had a ‘no ads’ policy (although I’ve had plenty of offers!). As the site has become more and more popular the hosting costs have also increased! If you really like the site, you can help to keep the site online.

As a Christian, the most important part of Christmas to me is the Christmas Story, when we remember and celebrate that Jesus was born in Bethlehem 2000 years ago.

I’m also an all round ‘Christmas Nut’ listening to Christmas Carols and songs throughout the year! And to really get me into the Christmas spirit, I have to watch ‘The Muppets Christmas Carol’! Through researching and creating the site, I’ve also become a Christmasologist…”

It’s a fun site for adults and kids – get on your sleigh and hitch up your reindeer and…

Head on over to WhyChristmas?com.


Northpole.com

InfoAve by Cloudeight

I love it! Another verbose developer! I’m on a roll – and so are you. Here to tell you all about Northpole.com is the developer himself…

“About Northpole.com

Northpole.com celebrates the holidays with dozens of activities for children and families. A child-safe, award-winning holiday site, northpole.com promotes a traditional look at Santa’s Secret Village at the North Pole, but with high-tech, creative features to keep children and adults entertained—all for free.

The northpole.com site premiered in 1996 and has been delighting children ever since. Its creators wanted to provide a family-oriented, traditional Christmas site for children and their families to enjoy, and showcase it as a site steeped in both tradition and technology. As a result, visitors enjoy animation using Adobe Flash, JavaScript, Webmail, and conversation simulators using artificial intelligence—all on Web pages richly illustrated with hundreds of original, detailed, hand-drawn artwork.

The site opens with a panoramic view of Santa’s Secret Village?, the fanciful home of Santa, his elves, and reindeer. Visitors click on different ‘buildings’ to enter, leading to a variety of activities or stories. Buildings include Santa’s Mailroom, Santa’s Workshop, Gift Shop, Craft Cottage, Elf Clubhouse, Santa’s Reindeer Barn, Santa’s Den, Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen, North pole Weather Station, Elf Pal Academy, and Toy Shop.

Letters to Santa arrive by the thousands each day during the holiday season and are processed in Santa’s Mailroom. There, children have a quick, secure, and certain means to write Santa AND get a free, keepsake-quality reply letter within days. In Santa’s Workshop, children can read short creative stories about elves and toys. In the Reindeer Barn, the stories are about Raymond the playful reindeer. All stories on northpole.com are original, and many offer a gentle and upbeat lesson for children. Personalized, original stories await children in Santa’s Den and are created by the child (or parent) answering a few short questions, such as the child’s first name, hometown, and a favorite activity. These answers are woven into the story to personalize it for the child, and pages can be printed out as a keepsake or gift.

After discovering that teachers were using the site in classrooms to teach computer skills, reading, and writing, site creators added the Elf Pal Academy, offering mind-challenging games, puzzles, mazes, math riddles, an interactive coloring book, even Santa’s favorite Rubik’s cube. A favorite is the Good Deeds Calendar that children can print and record their good behavior for Santa.

Need a special recipe for the holidays? Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen has thousands! Also, at northpole.com there’s ElfChat?, animated holiday postcards, and an ‘elf-run’ weather station that gives updated North Pole weather reports.

While December brings the largest numbers of visitors, the site receives millions of visits year-round. What began as a venture into Internet technology has grown into a truly happy holiday tradition for many families all over the world. Whether it’s tradition wrapped in technology, or technology wrapped in tradition, a visit to northpole.com is a holiday gift…

Let’s put on our coats, hats, boots, and scarves and head to the Northpole, shall we?


Eightball & Thundercloud’s Christmas Graphics

InfoAve by Cloudeight

It is with bittersweet emotions that we mention the site that started it all. From our rise to the top as the biggest stationery site on the web and one of the top 500 websites in the world to the demise of stationery with the introduction of Windows 7 to our current incarnation – geared to helping people all over the world with their Windows computers. In our 25 years working on the Internet, we’ve seen the web grow and change so much - and not always for the good.

There’s a lot of innocence and naiveté in our first collaborative effort. Looking back, it looks so simple and out-of-date. And whenever we revisit our first Web site, it brings tears and smiles. You’ll notice the midi (music) that used to play in the background does not play in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or other modern browsers. However, you’ll see that it downloads the small music file in the background. They are all beautiful Christmas midis. 

Looking back is bittersweet. It hardly seems like it’s been 25 years since we built our first Web site.

Hop in Darcy and TC’s time machine, and let’s go back to where it all began. 

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Cloudeight InfoAve Premium - Essays , Rants, etc.

The True Spirit of Christmas

“So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians Chapter 13

Winter has arrived ahead of schedule this year. Tonight, I look out my window and see softly falling flakes of snow drifting in the dim light of the old lamppost in my front yard. How many times I’ve looked out and seen this same winterscape I cannot count. I wonder how many times I’ve looked at nearly the same scene and gone about whatever business seemed important to me at the time. And how many times I’ve never really seen anything at all as life passed by me; and I never really saw anything. At all.

But tonight I’m feeling wistful and pensive. Not sad. Just thoughtful. I guess life is flowing by faster than I ever imagined it would. I suppose none of us when we’re young can imagine the value of time.

Seasons come and go so quickly now. And here it is Christmas Eve.  And, it really feels strange to think that Christmas is here already… again...

Read the rest of this essay here. 

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What are PUPs and PUAs?

PUPs are cute little dogs and PUAs are cute little aardvarks - adorable little creatures!

NO! NO! NO! That's not right! PUPs is an acronym for Potentially Unwanted Programs and PUAs is an acronym for Potentially Unwanted Apps. The word programs ain't cool anymore - it's all about apps now. Apps is short for applications and programs are applications too. Who decides this stuff?

The acronyms PUP and PUA are used because everyone is afraid of getting sued for calling a spade a spade. You're not supposed to insult a malware developer by calling his "app" malware. No, no, no! You must call it a PUA or else end up in court. PUP is just an older way of avoiding lawsuits by not calling garbageware what it really is - malware.

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Merry Christmas from Darcy & TC, Cloudeight

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Merry Christmas!
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Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly - Issue #1002
Volume 20 Number 8
December 23, 2022 

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