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Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly Issue #1036 Volume 20 Number 42 August 18, 2023 Dear Friends, Welcome to Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly Issue #1036. 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. 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.
We gladly help everyone who writes every day by answering their questions and helping to solve their computer problems. Please help us continue to do that! 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 helps us 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!
Randy wants to know how to
defrag his SSD (Solid-State Hard Drive) Our answer Here are some of the reasons why you don't need to defrag an SSD: -- SSDs don't use magnetic platters like hard drives. Instead, they use flash memory, which stores data in cells. Files are stored in contiguous blocks of cells, so there is no need to defragment them. -- Defragging an SSD can actually damage the drive. This is because the process of defragmentation involves moving data around, which can wear out the flash memory cells. -- SSDs are much faster than hard drives, so the performance benefits of defragmentation are negligible. If have concerns about the performance of your SSD, you can optimize it by using the built-in disk optimization tool in Windows. This tool will trim the drive, which frees up space that is no longer being used. Here's how to optimize your SSD using the built-in disk optimization tool in Windows: Type Defragment and Optimize Drives in the taskbar search The disk optimization tool will then optimize the drive. This process may take some time, depending on the size of the drive. Keep in mind that Windows scheduled maintenance is probably already set up to check your drive (s) weekly and optimize as needed...so our advice is just to let Windows handle the optimization of your SSD. We hope this helps you, Randy. Margaret wants to know if
there's a way to see all our freeware and site picks. Also, she
wants to know about Guardio Our Answer
On that page, in the right column, you'll see a sub-heading
called "Categories". Under Categories, you'll see "Select
Category" with a small down arrow to its right. Click on the
down arrow, and from the list of categories, choose
"Freeware picks". All of our site picks and website pick
are listed there from the most recent to the oldest...there
are 167 pages of them. Each page has six freeware or website
picks and near the bottom of the page, you will see the
option to go to the next page. Here are some screenshots to
help you...
And here's what we think of Guardio...
First, Guardio's website has a lot of grammatical errors and
typos. This is a common sign of a scam, as scammers often
rush to create websites without taking the time to proofread
them.
Second, Guardio's claims about its security features are
exaggerated. For example, Guardio claims to be able to "stop
hackers in their tracks" and "protect your data from theft."
However, there is no evidence to support these claims. There
are no one-click wonders that can "stop hackers in their
tracks". If there were, then hackers would not be a major
threat to governments, right?
Third, Guardio's pricing is ridiculously high. For a
one-year subscription, Guardio charges $199.99.
Fourth, Guardio has a very poor reputation online. There are
numerous complaints about Guardio being a scam on websites
like Trustpilot and Reddit.
We would not recommend Guardio to anyone.
We hope this answers all of your questions, Margaret.
Bernie wants to know how
to add "Copy to" and "Move to" to the Windows 11 right-click
menu
Hi Folks. I am slowly recovering from losing my hard drive... As I plod along, I'm making notes of all the things that need to be backed up and how often. I've tried to follow your 5/3/2021 article How to Put "Copy to" and "Move to" Back on your Windows 10 Right Click Menu. I know I had it before but that registry file doesn't seem to do the trick on Windows 11. Is there a later article? Blessings, Bernie.
Our answer
Hi Bernie. It works on Windows 11 too, but you can't see
it on the main right-click menu. You'll only see it if
you click "Show more options" at the bottom of the
context menu.
When you click "Show more options" you'll see the full
right-click menu with "Copy to folder" / "Move to
folder" on the menu.
Or you can save time and press the CTRL key while you
right-click a file or folder and go straight to the full
menu.
And we have updated the "Copy to/Move to" tutorial for
Windows 11.
You can see read that here.
We hope this helps you, Bernie.
Marty wants to know
more about browser-based password managers vs. other
password managers As a long-time subscriber who you’ve personally helped before, I’m hoping you can give your advice/opinion on the password managers that are built-in to many browsers - in my case Firefox. After reading your article, I read a bit about the one in Firefox which I use. I saw that you can set a “master password” that would (should) prevent access to seeing the stored passwords that are ordinarily relatively easy to find and edit. I wasn’t aware of that feature and was fearful about continuing to use that manager and switching instead to one of the three you recommended. But now I’m not sure if that’s necessary. Can you please let me know if the built-in browser password managers are still “2nd best” or just not as safe as those stand-alone ones - and what the difference is? I trust your advice implicitly and will make the switch if that’s the best way to go. You folks are IMHO the only truly reliable and safe place to go to get true and unbiased advice. You’re always looking out for us, and I am very, very grateful for that. We’d be lost without the two of you. Thank you for all that you graciously do. Marty. Our answer
External password managers like Bitwarden, LastPass,
RoboForm, and others are superior to browser-based
password managers, even if they're protected with a
master password. Firefox calls master passwords "Primary
passwords" but a rose by any other name is still a rose.
Password managers, like Bitwarden, store passwords in
the cloud and are protected by a master password (which
serves as a decryption key).
Also, a browser-based password manager, in your case
Firefox, has limited options and settings. Firefox's
primary password protection is only invoked when you
start a new browsing session. Password managers, at
least the ones I'm familiar with, allow you to set a
time out when logged into your password manager for time
intervals from1 one minute to 24 hours. So, you can set
Bitwarden, LastPass, RoboForm, and others to time out
after let's say 5 minutes of inactivity. This way, you
can walk away from your computer knowing that after 5
minutes no one will be able to automatically access any
of your password-protected sites.
With the password manager in Firefox (for example)
passwords are stored on your computer and unlocked by
your "primary password" (Master password) and you remain
logged in as long as you don't end your browsing session
(close your browser). So, if you get up and walk away
from your computer and leave it running anyone can
access your password-protected sites.
And while some folks think that the fact that password
managers which store passwords in the cloud and not as
safe as those that store them on the local PC, it's not
true. Your master password is only known by you. The
password manager never stores your master password in
the cloud or on your PC. It's only stored in your memory
or if you write it down somewhere. Hence, should you
forget your master password, you lose your decryption
key and therefore access to your passwords.
And finally. if you have an external password manager
like Bitwarden, etc. your passwords are stored in the
cloud... meaning if your computer becomes unusable or
your hard drive fails, your passwords are safe in the
cloud and you can access them again by installing
Bitwarden, LastPass, RoboForm, etc. and entering your
username (usually an email address) and your master
password.
In my opinion, password managers like Bitwarden,
RoboForm, and LastPass, are better than the password
managers included with browsers.
We hope this helps you make a wise choice, Marty.
THE ONLY CLOUDEIGHT ENDORSED EMAIL PROGRAM OE Classic is the only Cloudeight Endorsed Email Program - Very Similar to Windows Mail & Outlook Express! If you're looking for an email program that feels familiar and works
much like Windows Mail & Outlook Express, OE Classic might be exactly
what you've been looking for! Lois says all her
Gmail contacts are gone. Our answer You can try this trick to restore contacts that have been deleted within the last 30 days from your Gmail account on your Windows computer. Login to Gmail Click on the 9-dot-square icon near the top-left
Click on "Contacts" in the Apps menu...
In Contacts, click on the gear icon and select "Undo changes". You can only restore back 30 days... you'll have to type 30 in the "Days" field near the bottom. And then click "Undo".
This will restore any contacts deleted within the
last 30 days. It will also delete any contacts added
during the last 30 days. So, if you've added contacts in
the last 30 days, it would be a good idea to export your
contacts to a CSV file before proceeding.
Brenda wants to
wipe her hard drive and reinstall Windows 10 Our answer We hope this helps you, Brenda.
Bill wants to know if he
has a wireless adapter Our answer 1. Type Network Settings in the taskbar search
3. If you see a connection with the label Wi-Fi, you have a Wireless adapter. If you see only one adapter and it says, "Local Area Connection" and you see nothing else, you don't have a wireless adapter. If you see two and one of them say Wi-Fi -- then you do (see screenshot below):
If your computer does not have an internal Wi-Fi adapter -- or your wireless adapter is not working - there's a very inexpensive way to give your desktop (or laptop) wireless capabilities without even opening the case or installing any hardware. All you have to do is buy a USB Wireless Adapter and plug it in. Some USB wireless adapters require you to install the software before they'll work properly. In this case, the software will come with the adapter. You can purchase a USB wireless adapter for $15-$50 at Amazon, Walmart, BestBuy, etc. You don't need a high-end (expensive) USB wireless adapter. An inexpensive USB Wi-Fi adapter should work just fine for you. We can fix your Windows computer... check out our low prices here!
How to Find Out if You
Have Standard Hard Drives (HDDs) or Solid State Drives
(SSDs) Right-click on the Start button. Click “Run”. In the Run box type dfrgui and press Enter.
Look under “Media type”. Hard drives show up as “Hard disk drive(s)” and Solid State Drives (SSDs) show up as "Solid state drive(s)". It will also show the last date the drive was defragged (HDD) or "Retrimmed" (SSD).
How to Use Google
Drive to Share Files Most email services limit the size of attachments you can send by email. For instance, you can only send attachments up to 25 MB using Gmail and 20 MB with Outlook. And with most email services the file types you can send as attachments are restricted. For instance, using Gmail, you can’t send .exe (executable) files or even zipped files with an .exe file inside. But no problem! If you use Gmail, you already have a Google account – and if you have a Google account you have Google Drive. And you can share large files (up to 10 GB) using Google Drive. A short tutorial on sharing files using Google Drive First, if the file you want to share is not already on Google Drive, you’ll need to upload it. 1, Log into Gmail and open Google Drive. Click on the icon that is a square with 9 square dots – it’s in the upper right of the page. See the screenshot below:
2. Click on Drive (see above). 3. When Google Drive opens, click on the blue button labeled “NEW” on the left side, then click “File upload” and a window will open. From there you can navigate to the file on your hard drive that you want to upload to Google Drive.
4. Once your file is uploaded, right-click on it and choose “Share” from the menu.
5. Once you click “Share” click on “Share” again and you’ll see the following dialog (see screenshot below). Type the email address(es) of the person or persons you want to send the file to in the “Add people and groups” field. You can add as many email addresses as you want, (one at a time). Note: You can access more file options by clicking the “gear” icon.
Once you have added the email addresses of the people you want to share your file with, click “Copy link” and a dialog will appear with your recipients, and link to the file you want to share, and a “Send” button. More about this in a second. 6. Other options.
Most of the time you won’t be concerned with changing permissions. But if you need more control, by clicking the gear icon shown above, you can change your preferences. If you want recipients only to view the file you can uncheck “Editors can change permissions and share” and/or “Viewers can see the option to download, print, and copy”.
7. And when you’re all done… When you click “Copy link” in the “Share with people and groups” dialog as we discussed previously…
A dialog will open showing the recipients you added. You can add a personal message if you want.
And when you’re ready to share your file, just click the blue “Send” button. A link to your file will be sent to all recipients you included. Those you’re sharing your file(s) with will receive an email like the one below, complete with a link to click to download or access your shared file.
And yes, you can share with people who do not have a Gmail account. I’m not sure why, but Google will notify you that you’re sharing your file(s) with someone who does not have a Gmail account. But you can share with them anyway. And if you’ve been around the block a few times, you already know that there are many file-sharing sites, some free, that will let you share large files. But if you already use Gmail, then you already have Google Drive – and you have access to a terrific way to share large files — up to ten gigabytes. So, why not use it?
Windows
Troubleshooters: What They Do and Where to Find Them Windows troubleshooters can help you fix some of the most common Windows problems. And while they don’t always work, they’re always worth trying. Windows Troubleshooters are easy to use and they only take a few minutes to run. So, it just makes sense if you’re having problems with your computer and there’s a troubleshooter available related to the problem you’re having to give it a try before moving on to more complicated solutions. How to find Troubleshooters on Windows 10 and Windows 11 So, how do you find all these Windows troubleshooters on your Windows 10 or 11 computer? Just type TROUBLESHOOT in the taskbar search and press Enter.
Here’s a list of some of the Windows 10 and Windows 11 Troubleshooters along with a brief description of each. Internet Connections Playing Audio Printer Windows Update Blue Screen (Windows 10 only) Bluetooth Camera (Windows 11 only) Hardware and Devices (Windows 10 only) Incoming connections Keyboard Network Adapter Power Program Compatibility Troubleshooter Recording Audio Search and Indexing Shared Folders Speech (Windows 10 only) Video Playback Windows Store Apps If you're having problems with your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer, try running the relevant troubleshooters. You may just find they really can help. 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.
Google Fonts for the Font Lover in You! Google Fonts is a library of free and open-source fonts that can be used on websites, apps, and other digital media. The library includes over 1,300 fonts from a variety of designers and publishers. You don’t need a Google account or Gmail account to use Google Fonts. Google Fonts offers several advantages over other font libraries. First, the fonts are all free to use, even for commercial projects. Second, the fonts are all open source, which means that they can be modified and redistributed by anyone. Third, the fonts are hosted by Google, which means that they are always available and up-to-date. Google Fonts is easy to use, We invite you to explore the ways you can see what the font looks like by typing in the text you want to use. You’ll instantly see how the font will look in your project.
Just type in the text you want to use and browse through all the fonts available (over 1300). When you find a font you like, you can download a zip file containing the font by clicking on the font and then clicking on the “Download Family” button. See the screenshot below
You can even use the text editor on the Google Fonts site to type articles and headlines to get an idea of how the fonts you choose will look when you use them.
When you download a font in a zip file, you’ll get all the fonts in the font family (Bold, light, etc.). Just unzip the file and double-click on the font you want to install, It’s that easy. So, if you’re a font lover like me, you’ll want to take some time to view all the fonts and styles available on the Google Fonts website.
Google Fonts – it’s a Cloudeight Site Pick!
Don't have a Cloudeight SeniorPass? It's a great deal. Learn more here. Our Cloudeight SeniorPass is a great deal. You get unlimited support for one full year from the date you first use your SeniorPass. We can help keep your computer running well, fix all kinds of computer problems, clean up malware, and a whole lot more. Our SeniorPass is like having insurance for your computer. And it's only $99 for an entire year.Get your SeniorPass today for just $99. It's just like having insurance for your computer - only better! To learn more about our SeniorPass, please see this page.
When I was growing up, I stayed with my grandparents on the weekends and during my summer vacations from school. Not because I was sent there, but because I loved being with my grandparents. And, when I was 7 or 8, there were no other kids in the neighborhood my age, so my grandfather spent a great deal of time with me. He was my best friend. But on weekdays he was working and so much of the time I had to find things to do by myself. One of my favorite things to do was ride my blue Schwinn bicycle all around the neighborhood. This was at a better time in America, where kids could explore and expand their neighborhoods free from fears of predators and criminals. I rode my bike around down the street and around the blocks surrounding my grandparent’s home. I used to pretend I was the captain of the Cedar Paint ferry boat – at that time, believe it or not, a double-ended steamer named the “G. A.Boeckling”, I made many trips back and forth as the imaginary captain of what we called “The Cedar Point” boat. Safely transporting passengers from The Cedar Point Dock at the foot of Jackson Street in Sandusky to the Cedar Point amusement park... Read the rest of this essay here.
We gladly help everyone who writes every day by answering their questions and helping to solve their computer problems. Please help us continue to do that! 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 helps us 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! Why do I have a Program Files folder and a Program Files(X86) folder? In Windows 64-bit operating systems, there are two program file directories: Program Files Program Files(X86) Programs that are installed to Program Files, by default are 64-bit programs; programs that install to Program Files(X86) by default are 32-bit programs. All programs installed in Program Files are 64-bit programs. All programs you find installed in the Program Files(X86) directory are 32-bit programs. Windows 64-bit operating systems have 32-bit emulation included, called WOW64. This emulator allows Windows 64-bit operating systems to run 32-bit software without a problem. And now you know why you have two Program Files directories (folders).
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