Paula needs to convert a Word document to a PDF file
I need to change a Microsoft Word document to a PDF file. I am using Windows 10. Do you know how I can do that without too much trouble?

Our answer
Hi Paula. You can convert any file or document to PDF using Windows 10 or Windows 11's Print to PDF feature. See this page for instructions.

Those reading this who are using Windows 11 will be happy to know that those instructions will work in Windows 11 too.  The instructions are virtually the same.

There are also many free online tools you can use to convert Word documents to PDF files. Here's one you can try.

We hope this helps you, Paula.
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Paula wrote back. "I used Print to PDF and it worked like a charm. Thanks so much! Paula L."

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Dana just upgraded to Windows 11. Now some of her programs are missing from the Start menu
I just upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 and now all the programs that I had on Windows 10 are missing from my Start menu. What happened to them? How can I get them back?

Our answer
Hi Dana. The programs you see when you open the Windows 11 Start Menu are not all the programs you have installed. To see all the programs installed, you'll need to click on "All apps". You'll see a complete list of all installed programs in alphabetical order.

You will be happy to know that you can remove, add, and customize the Windows 11 start menu to put the programs you use most on it and remove the ones you seldom or never use.

You can add, remove, or change the order of the icons on the main menu. Just right-click on any icon on the main start menu and you'll see the option to "unpin" (remove) it from the start menu. If you click on All apps and find programs that you want to add to the main start menu, right-click on the item(s) you want to appear on the main Start menu and choose "Pin to Start". You can also change the order of the icons on the main Start menu by right-clicking and dragging the icons (one at a time) to put them in any order you want.

We hope this helps you, Dana. 

 

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How to Transfer Files from Your Old Computer to Your New Computer
A Cloudeight Tutorial for Windows 10 and Windows 11 Users

One of the most frequently asked questions we get is how to move files from an old computer to a new one. So today we are going to do something we should have done long ago and that is create a tutorial showing the best way to transfer files from an old PC to a new one. This tutorial assumes you don't have the older PC backed up.

Before we get started...

Before we get started we want to point out you're going to need an external hard drive to transfer files. You don't need an expensive one. A one TB external drive like this one from Walmart for $50, would work fine. Just don't install the software that comes with it...you don't need it and it will make things more confusing.

Adding "Copy to folder" and "Move to folder" to the context menu on both PCs is going to save you a whole lot of time. You can do that by following these instructions:

For Windows 10 click here. For Windows 11, click here.

Now that we have the preliminaries covered, let's get started on transferring files.

Let's get Started Transferring Your Files

First thing... Make sure your external drive is plugged into your old PC and that "Copy to folder" and "Move to folder" are installed on both computers. If those things are done, then you're ready to start.

All of your files and folders (like Documents, Music, Pictures, etc.) are stored in the Users/Your user name folder on the Windows drive (almost always drive C:). So, the first thing you're going to want to do if you are not sure of your Windows username is to find out what it is. It's very easy to do. Type CMD in the taskbar search and press Enter when you see the Command Prompt appear.

In the Command Prompt type WHOAMI at the prompt...

You'll see your computer name (mine is sydney 33) and your username mine shows as rainc. Keep in mind you might think your username is Frankenstein or Markelrod but your Windows username will only have 5 characters. Frankenstein would be frank and Markelrod would be marke...got it? Good!

Now that you know your exact Windows username, open File Explorer (Windows key + E) look for "This PC" > "Local Disk (C:)" and click on it. In the right column, scroll down until you see a folder called "Users"

Click on the Users folder to open it and find the folder with your Windows username. My Windows username is rainc...

You don't need to open the folder, all you need to do is right-click on it choose "Copy to folder" and choose your external hard drive as the destination. You don't need to create a folder on the external drive. When you copy your user folder to the external drive it will have the same name as it did on your old PC, in my case, that would rainc.

It can take a long time to transfer your user folder depending on how big it is. It may take an hour or more - be patient. 

When it's done unplug your external drive from your old PC and plug it into your new PC. Now move over to your new PC, open File Explorer (Windows key + E) and navigate to the external drive. Find your user folder on the drive and open it. These will be the folders you'll be looking for:

Documents
Downloads
Favorites
Music
Pictures
Videos

This is very important. You must do one folder at a time. Open the Documents folder on the external drive that is plugged into the new PC and open it. Select any one of the files in it and then press CTRL + A to select all the files in that folder. Now right-click on the selected files, choose "Copy to folder" from the context menu, and copy all of the files to the Documents folder on the new PC. 

Do the same with the Downloads, Favorites, Music, Pictures, and Video folders. Use your own judgment here. Everyone is different. Use your own judgment. If you have no videos in the Video folder, skip it. If you don't want to move everything in your Downloads folder, you can skip it. Most of you are going to have a lot of pictures and a lot of music files to copy from the corresponding folders on your external drive.

Never copy the entire folder from the external drive to the folder on your new PC. Always open the folder on the external drive, select all the files in it, and move the files to the corresponding folder on the new PC.

Your Documents, Music, Pictures, etc. folders on your new PC should contain the same files as they did on your old PC. Plus, you still have a backup of all the files and folders from the old PC on your external hard drive.

What to do if Windows Fails to Boot
Windows 10 and Windows 11

Windows 10 users
If you're using Windows 10 see this page to learn your options if Windows 10 fails to boot.

Windows 11 users
What are your options if Windows 11 won’t boot up when you turn on your PC?

After three unsuccessful startups, Windows 11 should automatically boot up into the Windows 10 RE (Recovery Environment). If it doesn’t you can also restart your computer while holding down the Shift key to bring up the boot Options menu.

You can also start Windows Recovery Environment from a Windows 11 installation DVD (which you can make, see this page), or from the recovery partition on a device if that option is available.

If you have problems starting Windows 11 or if you want to do troubleshooting, System Restore, etc., you can open the "Choose an Option" menu manually by restarting your computer while holding down the Shift key.

The initial "Choose An Option" menu allows you to click Continue to start your PC without taking any further action (i.e. restart normally). This is the option to choose if your system automatically booted into Windows RE (Recovery Environment) because of a minor issue that doesn’t need repair.

If you click “Continue” and your computer fails to boot after 2 more attempts, then the next time you see the “Choose an option” dialog, choose the “Troubleshoot” option.

On the next screen, you'll see the option "Reset this PC". This option allows you to choose to reset your PC and keep your personal files. This is the best option to use if your computer won't boot. 

If you can't reset your PC, or if you choose not to do so, click on "Advanced option"  to bring up the "Advanced options menu".

If you choose the "Advanced Options" menu, this is the menu you'll see.

Here are more details on the items shown on the Advanced Options Menu.

Startup Repair
If you choose this option, Windows attempts to diagnose and automatically correct common boot problems. The Startup Repair option starts an automated startup repair procedure. If Windows 10 isn’t starting properly, serious missing or corrupt file errors or a Blue Screen of Death (BSOD), Startup Repair is should be your first troubleshooting step.

Startup Settings
Choosing Startup Settings will restart your computer and bring up the Startup Settings menu. The menu has several special ways to boot Windows 11, including Safe Mode and Safe Mode with networking.  If you’re having problems booting your computer, this is the next option to try if Startup Repair does not fix your boot problems.

Command Prompt
This option opens an administrative command prompt so you can use Windows commands from the Command Prompt.

Uninstall Updates
This option rolls back recent Windows updates. If you think Windows updates caused your problems, this is the option to try.

System Restore
Allows you to choose a restore point created earlier and restore the system configuration.

System Image Recovery
Replaces everything on the computer with a system image. If you don't have a system image, this option won't work.  If you use the System Image Recovery option it will wipe out everything on your computer are return your computer to the state it was in when the system image was created. For most of you, this will not be an option.

If your computer won't boot, don't panic. You have options.

If your PC won’t start, you have options. Now that you know what some of your options are, you will know what to do if you ever have problems booting your Windows 11 PC.

Learn More About Your Browser and What It Says About You
For everyone who browses the web

If you’re reading this, then you already know that one thing all of us have in common, regardless of the operating system we use, is that we all use browsers to… well to browse the web. Right?

As you can see I have at least 4 browsers installed and up-to-date on my computer. I actually have five - but the DuckDuckGo browser displays as an outdated version of Edge.

But how much do you know about your browser? Well, there is a website that will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about your browser- and a lot more.

WhatIsMyBrowser.com will tell you all about your browser...

"What Browser? Help with problems on the internet.

This website - WhatIsMyBrowser.com - tells you what browser and version you have, the type of device you are using, which operating system you're using, and your settings for important things such as JavaScript and Cookies.

When someone is troubleshooting a problem with you, it's very useful for them to know all the technical details about your system - it can narrow down where the problem might be and help ensure that you have all the required software.

This website saves you all the complicated steps to figuring out what versions of software you have, what features you have enabled & whether your web browser is up to date and lets you focus on solving your problem.

If you're missing some important bit of software, we have a whole list of guides which can help you do things like enable javascript, update your web browser or try a different web browser.

Having problems with your computer or phone? You can clear cache or enable cookies in your browser, both of which can help.

If you're curious, you can find out things like the latest version of Chrome or what version of Firefox do I have? "

Here are some screenshots to show you what you can learn from WhatIsMyBrowser.com.

Note that when I wrote this article, I used Google One's VPN so as to disguise my real IP address and location. I am most certainly not from Washington, USA. I am from Earth though. It's not that I don't trust my Cloudeight friends, but there are many evil beings perusing the web looking for prey :)

Not only can you learn a lot about your browser and what your browser tells the world about you, but you can also learn more about browser terms, clearing your cache & history, and a lot more. The "Guides and Tutorials" section has tons of well-written articles that will increase your browser IQ.

If you want to learn more about your browser and what it says about you -, visit WhatIsMyBrowser.com right now! 

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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Penny Fuskmusker – The Witch of 42nd Street

The world has changed so much since I was a kid. I suppose every generation has said that. My grandfather saw the first cars, the first airplanes, the first radios, the first telephones, the first TVs, and the first color TVs, and lived long enough to see a man set foot on the moon. That’s a long, long way from Kitty Hawk.

My life has seen a similar number of amazing events, the internet being one of the most impactful. But newer doesn’t always mean better. I often find myself nostalgically looking back on my childhood. It seems to me that the world’s gotten far too complicated and a bit too mean for me.

I’m going to tell you the story of a woman who lived a couple of blocks away from my grandparent’s house – a house where I spent most of my summers and weekends. I didn’t know her real name. It was a foreign last name that no ethnocentric 12-year-old could pronounce.

My best friend at that time was Richard. He was a poor kid from the other side of the tracks, which is to say he lived about a block away from my grandparents.

Now, my grandparents weren’t wealthy but my grandfather bought a new Ford every year. this made him wealthy in my youthful eyes. I can still remember him taking me car shopping with him every autumn. I don’t know why he shopped, he always bought Fords.

Anyway, Richard lived in a very ramshackle house. The paint was peeling...

Read the rest of this essay here.

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Basic Online Communication

Nothing is more basic than communicating. Communicating online is made more "efficient" by the use of acronyms and internet slang. I learned some of these from EB, she's an acronym KIA. KIA is not a car - well it is- but in this case, it means she's a Know It All.

Keeping up with current cool acronyms will help you look cool when texting or emailing with other cool folks :-)

Here is our "Back to Basics" list of some of the new acronyms and internet slang.

DYOR (Do your own research): This acronym is used to encourage people to learn about something before forming an opinion or taking action. It is often used in the context of cryptocurrency or other financial investments.

FOMO (Fear of missing out): This is a more emphatic version of FOMO, expressing a stronger anxiety or concern about missing out on something.

IRL(In real life): This acronym is used to refer to friends who are met in person, as opposed to online friends.

NGL (Not gonna lie): This acronym is used to preface a statement that may be considered impolite or controversial.

TBH (To be honest): This acronym is used to preface a statement that is meant to be honest and truthful.

WBU (What about you?): This acronym is used to ask someone else's opinion or perspective on something.

OMW (On My Way): This acronym is used to let someone know you're on the way.

YMMV (Your mileage may vary): This acronym is used to indicate that an experience or result may vary from person to person.

YKWIM (You know what I mean?): This acronym is used to ask if someone understands what you are saying.

SMH (Shaking My Head) For example: "I can’t believe you just said that, SMH."

HMU (Hit Me Up). For example: "If you need anything just HMU!"

And just to keep you up-to-date and the coolest, daddy-o, here's some current online slang...

No cap – No lie; I’m not lying. Ex. “Did you get tickets to the concert for real?” “No cap.”

Gucci – Good, cool. Ex. “I got us tickets to the concert.” “Gucci.”

Sus – Suspicious or suspect. Ex. “I got us tickets to the concert that’s sold out.” “That’s sus.”

Sending me – Used to describe something that excites or humors you. Ex. “This new song is sending me!”

Lowkey – Moderately; kind of. Ex. “This new song is lowkey my favorite.

Source for the slang? EB. Nah, those came from SimpleTexting.com :)

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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 #1040
Volume 20 Number 46
September 15, 2023 

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