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Ron is confusing corrupted files with infected files - we try to clean things up
(This question was submitted to Emsisoft and forwarded to us to answer)

I have some problems that I have not been able to solve and I need help and I do not know who to turn to.

I have Windows 11 with Office 10 (which is now 4 years out of date and not supported.)

I received emails from Cloudeight who recommended that we use Emsisoft which I have been using for some time and have not had any problems with viruses or Malware...

My problem is that on four occasions I have opened a file to find that it is corrupted. When I open it is all code and unreadable. I could have many more files that I have not opened and discovered.

The last file that it happened to I had saved an email that contained details for a Square Dance convention to be held next weekend into a folder and when I opened it was corrupt and unreadable. One of the previous files was a Word file where I added records, dates and details of every medical visit I made. It happened to the medical file and I lost a file that dated back many years lucky I had a backup of this file.

Our answer
Hi Ron. I think you're confusing corrupted files with files infected with malware. While it's conceivable that file corruption can be caused by malware it's not very likely. There are many more likely reasons for files becoming corrupted, mainly due to storage device problems and transfer problems.

A file can become corrupted if it is not completely transferred from one location to another. This could happen due to an interruption during download, copy, or move operation.

 

A sudden power surge or outage during a read or write operation to a file can corrupt it.

 

Physical damage to the storage device where the file is saved or errors on the disk itself can also lead to corruption.

 

The most common cause of file corruption is hard drive errors (or errors on external drives). These errors can be caused by things such as:

Bad sectors: These are areas on the hard drive that are physically damaged and can no longer store data reliably.

Hard drive failure: As hard drives age, they become more prone to failure, leading to data loss and corruption.

Incorrect file system: Errors in the file system (like NTFS) can cause issues with reading and writing files.

 

It is possible - although highly unlikely that file corruption can be caused by malware but it's highly unlikely on a Windows computer protected by Emsisoft (also Microsoft Defender).

 

Here are some sites where you can read more about corrupted files, the main causes, and the possibility of recovering corrupted files.

 

https://www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk/blog/what-is-a-corrupted-file-and-can-my-data-be-recovered-

 

For MS Office Files corruption see this page. 

 

I hope this helps you, Ron.

Uwe wants to know what happens if Windows Search service is stopped

If I stop" Windows Search" will I still be able to search Windows through the Windows search icon? Do I really need Windows Search running in Windows Services? Thanks, Uwe.

Our answer

Hi Uwe. Search will be less inclusive and slower if you turn off Windows Search in Windows Services. but you can still search. We suggest if you're planning on turning off Search you install Everything Search (Free) which is faster and more thorough than Windows Search anyway.

We hope this helps you!

Now available: Reg Organizer 9.40

If you purchased or renewed Reg Organizer through Cloudeight within the last 12 months, you're entitled to a free version upgrade to Reg Organizer 9.31. Works great with Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Save $14 on Reg Organizer right now!

Reg Organizer - A Swiss Army Knife of Windows Tools - Works Great on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

The Truth About the Demise of Our Favorite Ad Blocker, uBlock Origin
For All Google Chrome Users

Many of you have written asking about the coming demise of our favorite ad blocker, uBlock Origin. We are aware that the current version of uBlock Origin will eventually stop working in Chrome. Based on what we know right now it does not appear as if the demise of uBlock Origin is imminent. It looks like it will be several weeks or even months before uBlock Origin stops working in Google Chrome.

It’s also important to note that uBlock Origin will continue to work in other browsers such as Firefox (which is TC’s current default browser). Also, the developer will be offering a stripped-down version of uBlock Origin called uBlock Origin Lite. It may or may not be a viable substitute. But we will test it and other ad blockers and make our recommendation after we’ve finished reviewing and testing other free ad blockers.

Here’s what the developer of uBlock Origin says:

“…uBO Lite (uBOL) is a pared-down version of uBO with a best effort at converting filter lists used by uBO into a Manifest v3-compliant approach, with a focus on reliability and efficiency as has been the case with uBO since first published in June 2014.

However, the focus on reliability and efficiency in a Manifest v3 environment meant having to sacrifice many features beyond those not possible within a Manifest v3 framework.

See the official uBOL FAQ webpage for more details about how uBOL compares to uBO.

Manifest v2 uBO will not be automatically replaced by Manifest v3 uBOL. uBOL is too different from uBO for it to silently replace uBO — you will have to explicitly make a choice as to which extension should replace uBO according to your own prerogatives.

Ultimately whether uBOL is an acceptable alternative to uBO is up to you, it’s not a choice that will be made for you.

Will development of uBO continue?

Yes, there are other browsers which are not deprecating Manifest v2, e.g. Firefox…”

So, over the coming weeks, we’ll be testing other truly free ad blockers (many offer limited free versions) and announce a new recommended ad blocker in our newsletters and on this website after we’ve completed our research and testing.

The technical details

If you’re interested in the technical details, according to Google, the primary reason for uBlock Origin’s impending demise on Google Chrome is the introduction of Manifest V3.

Manifest V3 is a new extension architecture introduced by Google to replace Manifest V2. While designed to enhance security and performance, it imposes significant restrictions on extension capabilities, particularly those that heavily rely on content blocking, like uBlock Origin.

Key limitations of Manifest V3 for ad blockers:

Restricted access to web requests: Ad blockers heavily depend on inspecting and modifying network requests. Manifest V3 severely limits this capability.

Reduced control over content injection: Ad blockers often inject scripts or styles to block ads. Manifest V3 places restrictions on content injection.

Difficulty in creating custom filtering rules: uBlock Origin’s strength lies in its ability to create complex filtering rules. Manifest V3 makes this significantly harder.

Due to these limitations, the developer of uBlock Origin has decided not to adapt the extension to Manifest V3. This means that once Manifest V2 is completely phased out by Chrome, uBlock Origin will cease to function. How long it will take Chrome to completely phase out “Manifest V2” is not known. It may take several weeks or even several months.

So, stay tuned folks. We’ll be testing other ad blockers and we’ll make our recommendations soon. 

How to Change Your Mouse Pointer Size and Color
Windows 10 & Windows 11

A not-so-well-known feature of Windows allows you to customize your mouse pointer size and color. You can make the mouse pointer very small or very large – or any size in between by using a size slider. And you can make your mouse pointer any color you want.

Windows 10

In the Ease of Access > Mouse pointer settings page, you’ll find a slider that lets you make your mouse pointer as big or as small as you like.  And you’ll find an option that allows you to change your mouse pointer color.

Once you click on the “color wheel” option (see above) Windows will display seven color boxes showing you pointer colors you can choose. But if you don’t like any of those colors, just click the plus sign + next to “Pick a custom pointer color” and choose any color you like.

All you need to do to get the “Mouse pointer” settings page is:  Press the Windows Key + U to open the Ease of Access Center. In Ease of Access click on “Mouse pointer” in the menu on the left.

Windows 11

Once you choose a mouse pointer style, you can choose a color by clicking on any of the colored squares. If you don’t like any of the available colors, click on “+ Choose another color” and choose any color you want. And just as in Windows 10,  you’ll find a slider that lets you make your mouse pointer as big or as small as you like.

The fastest way to get to the mouse pointer settings in Windows 11 is by typing “MOUSE POINTER AND TOUCH”(without quotes) in the taskbar search and pressing enter when you see “Mouse pointer and touch” appear in the search results. 

How to Enable the End Task Feature for Taskbar Icons in Windows 11
Windows 11

If you don’t subscribe to our InfoAve Daily Newsletter or use our Start Page you might have missed our weekly feature “Wednesday Newsbytes”. In that post, there was an article showing how Windows 11 users can enable the “End Task” right-click option directly from the program’s taskbar icon.

So here’s the story…

Recently, Microsoft introduced a new Windows 11 hidden feature that gives users an “End Task” option directly from the taskbar. This eliminates the need to open Task Manager to close apps that become non-responsive and saves a great deal of time.

Here’s how to activate the “End task” taskbar icon feature

Open Settings: Press the Windows key + I.

Navigate to System > For developers.

Toggle the End task switch to the On position.

Once enabled, you can right-click on a taskbar icon and select “End task” to close an unresponsive or frozen application.

Having the End task feature available directly from the taskbar icons makes it much faster and easier to close non-responsive (frozen) apps/programs than the old way of opening the Task Manager, finding the app/program in the list of processes, right-clicking on it, and then choosing “End task”.

Note: This feature might not be available in older versions of Windows 11. 

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.

The Best Computer Care and Repair - Anywhere!

We can fix your computer while you watch. You never have to leave your home. Just sit back, relax, and watch us work. Get PC service from folks you trust at the best prices you'll find anywhere.

Get more information here.

Pine Tools – A Treasure Chest of Useful Online Tools

This Cloudeight website pick is a treasure chest of online tools – a toolbox extraordinaire. There are so many tools on the Pine Tools site, that we’re not even going to try to list them all.

To give you some idea of the kinds of online tools you’ll find in this virtual treasure chest of online tools, we submit the following for your perusal:

MATHEMATICS

Calculator
Area calculator
Percentage calculator
Single rule of three direct
Single rule of three inverse…and more.

COLORS

Color picker, tools for modifying or generating colors

Lighten color
Darken color
Change color saturation
Greyscale/desaturate a color
Invert a color…and more.

TEXT AND LISTS

Work with lists and texts, sort, randomize, reverse

Reverse list
List randomizer
Sort list
Add text to each line
Remove extra whitespaces…and more.

NUMBERS

Work with numbers, generate, filter, sort

Generate a list of numbers
Filter numbers
Sort numbers
Minimum and maximum of a list
Average of a list…and more.

DATE AND TIME

Measure time, calculate distance between dates, chronometers

Date/time difference
Add to a date
Subtract from a date
Timer
Stopwatch…and more.

IMAGES

Resize images, crop, optimize, and more

Invert colors
Flip image
Darken image
Lighten image
Change brightness…and more.

RANDOMNESS

Generate random numbers, randomize lists, common distributions

Random number generator
Coin flipper
Dice roller
Gaussian random number generator
Password generator…and more.

PROGRAMMING

Tools for programming and web development

Syntax highlighter
CSS Inliner
JSON formatter
CSS beautifier
HTML beautifier…and more.

FILES

Convert, compress, join or split

Split files
Join files
Base64 encode
Base64 decode
Random file generator…and more.

What more can we say? If looking at the partial list of online tools above does not make your fingers twitch to click and visit Pine Tools, there’s not more we can do.

If you’re looking for one place to find dozens and dozens of useful online tools that can help you do just about anything, visit this Cloudeight Site Pick – Pine Tools. It is an amazing site!