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Happy New Year!



The new year is just hours away; it's both an ending and a beginning.

And it seems like this year flew by - and here we are ready to start a brand new year. This is the last issue of InfoAve Weekly for 2023  This week's InfoAve Weekly newsletter is a review edition. Publishing review editions on major holidays allows us to take time off to share with our families. Plus, it's a great way for us to feature and review some of the best content from previous issues of InfoAve Weekly. Next week, we begin a new year of Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly and we'll start the new year with a brand new edition of InfoAve Weekly!

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 and we look forward to your friendship and support in the new year.

We hope that you also will take some time off during the holidays and make memories with those you love.

Thanks so much for all you do for us. We wish you all a very safe, happy, and healthy new year! May all your dreams come true!

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.

This is your last chance to get a Cloudeight SeniorPass

To provide all our SeniorPass holders exceptional service - we will only be offering our SeniorPasses through 12/31/23. Your last chance to get a Cloudeight SeniorPass is right now during our Christmas sale ... plus you'll save $10. 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.

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!

Get a Cloudeight SeniorPass while you still can and save $10 too!

Remember... we will not be offering SeniorPasses after 12/31/23. Get yours now and save $10!

Our Christmas SeniorPass sale price has been extended through December 31, 2023.

MaryLee has a problem with Microsoft Edge
I've been having trouble updating Edge. I was just going to search Cloudeight for instructions on this and found your article about running SFC and DISM. So I followed instructions; it took about half an hour to get to 8%. Three hours later, it's stuck at 8%. I think I'll have to use my Repair Key, which I purchased when you first made them available.

Our answer
Hi MaryLee. You don't have to use a repair key to fix Edge. All you need to do is reset it.

See this page to learn how to reset Microsoft Edge.

Once you do that, close and reopen Edge. Then type (or copy/paste) this into the Edge address bar...

edge://settings/help

It will tell you if your Edge browser is up to date and if not, give you the option to update it.

DISM/SFC scans are for finding and fixing or replacing Windows system files. If the scans stop when running them, you might want to close all open programs before running them again.

We hope this helps you. MaryLee.

Cheryl wants to know how to switch back to using a password or PIN in Windows 10
Hello my computer guru friends, hope all is well with you and your families. In Issue #962, the question, "Sandi doesn't want to use a password".

Well, I can't remember (nor could I find the instructions on the home page), how to make sure I am asked for my Microsoft sign-in on my Windows 10 computer. Would you please be kind enough to share the instructions with me so I can reset my sign-in option? Thank you kindly, Cheryl L.

Our answer
Hi Cheryl. Thanks so much.

Press the Windows key + R. In the run box type NETPLWIZ and press Enter.

Select the account you want to change.

Tick the box next to "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer".

Whether or not the account has a password or not, click the "Reset password" button and enter a password.

Click Apply/OK.

After you do this, if you would rather use a PIN than a password, type SIGN-IN OPTIONS in the taskbar search press Enter. Then select the PIN option. You can make a simple 4-digit PIN there.

We hope this helps you, Cheryl, 

Emsisoft 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 have been extended through December 31, 2023.

Terry asks if we can make Windows 11 look like Windows 11
Can you make Windows 11 look like Windows 10?

Our answer
Hi Terry. We are not offering a service to make Windows 11 look like Windows 10. One reason is that Windows 11 is a bit less confusing than Windows 10 for most users was when upgrading from Windows 7.

A more important reason is that those who are happy with Windows 10 do not need to upgrade to Windows 11 right now. If you like Windows 10 - stick with it. Microsoft will be updating it and issuing security patches for Windows 10 for another 3 years and almost months until October 14, 2025. Unless you like to stay on the cutting edge of things, there is no urgent reason to upgrade to Windows 11.

With all that being said, for those looking to make Windows 11 look more like Windows 10, we wrote this article some time ago, if interested, please take a look.

We hope this helps you, Terry.

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, 2023, 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 have been extended through December 31, 2023.

Two Easy Ways to Learn More About Your Computer
Windows 10 / Windows 11

You don't need to download third-party programs to learn more about your computer. Here are two quick and easy ways to dig deep into the inner sanctum of your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer and learn all about this mysterious device we all know and love.

The first way

Open a command prompt (type CMD in the taskbar search and press Enter).

At the prompt type

SYSTEMINFO

then press Enter. You’ll see all kinds of information about your PC appear before your eyes. If you don’t know what something is, google it. You’ll learn a lot about your computer that way.

Do you want to know more about the insides of the beast?

The second way

Right-click your Windows 10 Start button and click "Run".

In the Run box type;

MSINFO32 

then press Enter. 

Now, look at your system summary. That’s a lot of useful info. This is the inner workings of my 7-year-old Dell computer that I use instead of my newer computer because it runs so well. And you can see I’m daring enough to be using Microsoft Windows 10 Home Insider Preview. 

That’s a lot of info. But wait there’s more! Besides the System Summary, you can check into your Hardware Resources, Components and Software Environment.  And all without installing one of those system info utilities.

While some of the information you’ll discover will seem a bit technical, even arcane, you have the power to find out more about any of the info you discover about your computer. It’s called a search engine – whether you use Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or some other search engine, looking up things about your computer you don’t understand is a great way to learn more.

And now you know two quick ways to learn more about your computer. Right?

Managing Installed Browser Extensions
Windows 10 and Windows 11 (Chrome, Edge, and Firefox)

Today, we're going to show you a quick and easy way you can find out what browser extensions are installed in your favorite browser. We’ll also show you how to turn extensions on or off – or remove them completely.

If you use Google Chrome…

Type Chrome://Extensions in Chrome’s address bar and press Enter.

When Chrome Extensions opens you can turn any extension on or off – or remove it.

If you use Microsoft Edge…

Type Edge://Extensions in the Edge address bar and press Enter.

When Edge “Installed Extensions” opens, you can turn any extension on or off – or remove it

If you use Firefox…

Type about:addons in the Firefox address bar and press Enter.

When Firefox “Manage Your Extensions” opens you can turn any extension on or off – or remove it completely.

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.

Emsisoft 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 checking 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 have been extended through December 31, 2023.

Recover Deleted Files with Puran

Most Windows users know that when you delete a file it’s not really erased. Windows does a little sleight-of-hand and marks the space occupied by the deleted file as free space – and therefore available for Windows to use. So, even when you empty the recycle bin, nothing is really deleted. A deleted file remains recoverable for quite a while – much to the chagrin of criminals who think deleting files or even formatting a drive is going to keep their clandestine computer activities from the prying eyes of the authorities. But this bane of the criminal works to your benefit should you accidentally delete a file or an entire folder of files. If you act reasonably quickly, almost anything you delete is recoverable. The more time that passes the less chance you have of recovering deleted files.

We found an excellent free file recovery program called “Puran File Recovery”. It can recover deleted files from any storage media including hard drives, external drives, flash drives, camera cards, smartphones, etc.

While not difficult to use, Puran File Recovery has a lot of options and ways to recover files, so we strongly recommend you take a look at the excellent help files that come with Puran File Recovery (just click the ? on the right side of the title bar.

It’s really a great program and it is very robust; it can do almost any type of file recovery you would want or need to do, including recovering data from formatted drives.

Here are a few words from the developer:

Puran File Recovery can be used to recover deleted/lost files/partitions. Files can be recovered from formatted disks too. Almost everything that is detected as a drive by Windows can be scanned irrespective of its file system. Be it Hard Disks, Pen Drives, Memory Cards, Mobile Phones, CDs, DVDs, basically any storage medium.

If none of the below options is selected, a quick scan is performed which simply scans the file system. It is recommended that you go through this scan first and if deleted files are not found, try below options.

Deep Scan Does a quick scan as well as scans entire free space of the selected drive for pre-defined image, video, audio, document etc. file formats. It is a byte by byte scan and hence can take a lot of time.

Full Scan Does a quick scan as well as a deep scan of the Total Space. If the Find Lost Files option is also selected, it scans for lost partitions as well.

Find Lost Files Scans for lost file records. When combined with Full Scan option, it also scans for lost partitions. At times, you may see files that you do not recognize at all, these files are actually random data on your disk falsely detected as files. It is a result of less strict algorithm to get maximum records. Just ignore them.

Scan Custom List When combined with Deep / Full Scan, it scans the selected drive for a user defined format list which you can see by clicking EDIT on the main window. Adding or editing formats is strictly for advanced users only.

Physical Drive If a Physical Drive is selected for scanning, all files irrespective of their deletion status are displayed. Scanning Physical Drive should be the last option.

Preview Window It shows the first 1024 bytes of the selected file in HEX and ASCII format. If it is a valid image file below 10 MB, this window displays the image.

Search You can search for a filename. Use of wildcards ? and * is allowed. For example, if you want to list all files starting with ‘a’, you may search for ‘a*’. * is important if you do not know the exact filename like for searching hellopic.jpg, you can search hello*.jpg and if you know exact filename, you can search hellopic.jpg directly.

In all you should try Quick Scan first, if deleted file is not found, you should go with Deep Scan + Find Lost Files + Scan Custom List and if still not found, go for Full Scan as well.

Puran File Recovery can be used to recover deleted/lost files/partitions. Files can be recovered from formatted disks too. Almost everything that is detected as a drive by Windows can be scanned irrespective of its file system. Be it Hard Disks, Pen Drives, Memory Cards, Mobile Phones, CDs, DVDs, basically any storage medium….

You get 3 options when you click on Recover button.

Just Recover When you click on this option, you are asked to select a destination folder and selected files are simply saved there. If destination folder contains files with same name, new files are renamed and then saved.

Recover With Folder Structure This option will save files with their folder structure intact. This means, if a scanned file path is suppose E:\Trips\Location\MyPhoto.jpg and if we choose to save it to F:\abc then MyPhoto.jpg will be saved in F:\abc\Trips\Location. If Trips and Location folder do not exist, this option will create them.

Recover with Custom Size During Deep Scan, there are times when size of file is not accurately calculated and hence recovery of file becomes difficult. This can be resolved by using this option. This option allows you to specify custom size of the file to be recovered. More details are provided when you click this recovery method.

Partition Recovery When Full Scan and Find Lost Files is selected, multiple partition may be found and file’s path is prefixed with Vol1, Vol2 and so on respectively. When recovering, you can change the default partition association of a file. It is recommended that you go with the one already selected but in a case when you suspect the association, you can try recovering file by associating it with different partitions.

Here are some screenshots from our testing of Puran File Recovery

Above: Locate deleted image files and preview them in Puran File Recovery

Above: Scan any drive connected to your PC including flash drives, camera cards, smartphones, and external drives.

Above: You can search for certain file types – or use wild cards or search by file name.

Above:  Select the file or files you want to recover and click the “Recover” button.

Above: Choose the type of scan you want to perform. You can even create a custom list of file types.

Above: You might be amazed at how many deleted files still exist on your hard drive. Puran File Recovery even tells you the condition of the files.  If they are in good or excellent condition, chances are good those files are recoverable.

While Puran File Recovery is a great free recovery program and the installer is free of 3rd-party programs, malware, and PUPs, for some reason, the developer decided to play games with the download buttons and links. It’s nearly impossible to download the program from the developer’s site without accidentally clicking on an advertisement — which could lead to you installing malware —  or going around in circles trying to avoid clicking the wrong button or link. 

Luckily, SnapFiles saves the day again with an easy-to-find download link, as well as providing an excellent review of the program. So, if you want to read more about Puran File Recovery and easily download it without playing whack-a-mole with download links and buttons, please visit this SnapFiles page.

NOTE: Some readers have had problems with the download link. Here is an alternate link – this one from Major Geeks.

Puran File Recovery works on Windows 10, and Windows 11.

This review was updated on December 27, 2023. 

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Happy New Year from Darcy and TC

Every year at this time, we reflect upon the year that is drawing to a close and look ahead to the new year to come. It’s a time of reflection and a time of hope. It’s a time of renewal as well as change. It’s a beginning and an end. Not one of us knows what the new year will bring – yet we all step into the new year with hope.

So first, we want you to know how thankful we are for your support and your friendship. When we look back on the year that’s nearing its end, we want you to know that we are constantly aware that without your continued support and friendship, we’d not be able to keep our small company going. So, we want you to know how very thankful we are for all of you!

Some of us look back at the year’s end with good memories and happy memories, and others look back upon bad memories and sad memories. But I think most of us look back upon the year that’s drawing to a close with a little bit of each of those.

And it’s natural too, to look ahead with hope and, of course, a little trepidation – since none of us can know what the new year will bring. The new year will no doubt present opportunities and challenges...

Read the rest of this essay here. 

See all our great money-saving Christmas deals on one page!

Our Christmas sale is going on now. You'll save on some of our most popular products and services!

And it's your last chance to get a SeniorPass. Don't miss out! Our Christmas sale only comes once a year...

Visit our Christmas Sale Home Page right now and save!

Our Christmas sale prices have been extended through December 31, 2023.

What is a keylogger?

A keylogger is a man or woman who cuts down trees on keys (also known as cays or islands). Most colleges don't offer courses in keylogging because of environmental concerns, therefore the number of keyloggers has decreased until most people don't know any. Most loggers now log on in the forests of the great U.S. Northwest. They are not called keyloggers, they are simply called loggers or lumberjacks or even lumberjanes.

Seriously...Keystroke loggers, usually installed surreptitiously, can log (record) every keystroke you make on your computer - make it easy for someone using info from a key logger to see everything you have been doing on your computer - as well as gain access to your passwords. Good security software, like Emsisoft, can protect you from keystroke loggers (keyloggers).

Here's an official definition of keylogging from Wikipedia

"Keystroke logging, often referred to as keylogging or keyboard capturing, is the action of recording the keys struck on a keyboard, typically covertly, so that the person using the keyboard is unaware that their actions are being monitored."

I think I like the lumbering on the keys better.

Sales of the following products and services help support our newsletters, websites, and free computer help services we provide.

Cloudeight Direct Computer Care: Single Keys, SeniorPass, or Season Tickets - always a great deal. Cloudeight Direct Computer Care is like having PC insurance. Get more information here.

Emsisoft Anti-Malware:  Emsisoft is the only Cloudeight-endorsed and recommended Windows security program. It provides users with a complete antivirus, antimalware, anti-ransomware, and anti-PUPs solution. We offer single Emsisoft licenses and multi-computer licenses at discount prices. Also, we offer our exclusive Emsisoft with Cloudeight installation & setup. Get more information here.

Reg Organizer: Reg Organizer is the Swiss Army Knife of Windows tools. It's far more than just a registry optimizer and cleaner... it's a Windows all-in-one toolkit. Reg Organizer helps you keep your computer in tip-top shape and helps you solve annoying Windows problems. Reg Organizer works great with Windows 10 and Windows 11! Get more information about Reg Organizer (and get our special discount prices) here.

SeniorPass - One year of Cloudeight Direct Computer Care - unlimited sessions! Get more information here.

Windows 10 Customization: Make Windows 10 look and work the way you want it to. Learn more.

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We hope you have enjoyed this issue of Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly. Thanks so much for your support and for being an InfoAve Weekly subscriber.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year and a great weekend too... be safe!



Darcy & TC
Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly - Issue #1055
Volume 21 Number 9
December 29, 2023 

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