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Thank you TC. I printed your answer and gave it to my husband. He said: 'Thank you, that's what we wanted to know.' I don't do anything till I check with you people. You're the most trustworthy people on the internet-on line-cyber space-Everywhere. Thank you so much. A faithful follower. Sandy.

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Sandy asks us about Telikin
Hello Expert people. My husband got an ad in one of his magazines and was wondering if it's a good one. It's about a computer called Telikin. Says it is for seniors. He is not savvy when it comes to computers. He can turn one on but that's about it. Have you ever heard of this? It doesn't say how much it is, just gives an 800 number to call. But I told hubby I would ask you before he calls. So he is on hold till I hear from you. He trusts you when I say: "I'm asking Cloudeight". Thanks, good people. Sandy.

Our answer
Hi Sandy. Thanks for your kind words. In our opinion, Telikin borders on a scam.

Sharon says she lost the folder list on the left side of her screen
I have lost the list on the left of the screen (downloads docs, etc.). Use to have them on the taskbar - it is gone. Keep up the good work you guys are doing to help all of us. Thanks. Sharon.

Our answer

Hi Sharon. Thanks so much. Try this... Hold down the Windows key and press the e key. It will open File Explorer. While File Explorer is open, look in your taskbar and you will see its icon ( it looks like a folder icon). Click on that icon and choose "Pin to taskbar". Now when you click on that icon you'll see a list of your folders, etc. on the left side of your screen.

Let me know if this helps you, Sharon.
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Sharon wrote back: "Of course it worked. You fixed it. Not the way it was before but I like it better...Thanks! Stay warm up there. Sharon"

John's folders disappeared from his Gmail account
Hello TC. My Gmail account seems to work OK but where are the folders? I am used to seeing the folders but now they're gone.

Our answer

Hi John. Let's see if we can help you get your folders back. To show the folders on Gmail, see the screenshots below:

Once you click that icon you'll see this:

That's how to show folders in Gmail. We hope this helped you, John.

Connie lost her Facebook profiles after clearing her browser history and cache.
On the 12 or 13th of this month, I cleared my history and cache and discovered later that I could not use my recent Facebook profile account. I could only use my very first profile that I had many years ago. Until recently, Facebook let you sign in and pick the profile you wanted to use if you had more than one but they discontinued that choice and I would want to get back my most recent one where I am a member of various groups that I am in contact with almost daily. My main question is--will Windows System Restore take my computer back to the day before? I've tried many times to set up system restore but it doesn't show any backup dates for me to pick from. Also, I have two or 3 other Gmail addresses and I have no idea how to find them and open them. I have 3 Facebook profiles. Every time I created these profiles, I had to use a different email address. Looking forward to your reply. Best regards, Connie.

Our answer

Hi Connie. Facebook does not store your profile(s) in your browser. Clearing your browser's cache does not change your Facebook profile. To help explain this, remember that many people log into their Facebook accounts from different devices - for example, their smartphones, work computers, and home computers. Facebook maintains the profiles, not the browser or device you use.

So whatever is going on there, it is not connected with you clearing your browser's history and cache. I think you're not able to log into your Facebook profiles because you used different email addresses to create them, most likely with each having a separate password. Since you can't access those email addresses you can't access the Facebook profiles you created using them.

And just a reminder about System Restore. System Restore does not restore files, photos, browser cache, music files, etc., it only affects system (Windows) settings and apps/programs installed prior to the restore point and related registry settings.

Facebook maintains your profile(s), not your browser or the device you use to access Facebook.

I think the best way to resolve the issues you're having with your Facebook profiles, is to try to recover the Gmail or email addresses you created them with. If you were logging into these accounts using your browser then perhaps clearing your cache would have cleared the passwords that were automatically filled in for you requiring you to type the password the first time you log in after you cleared the cache.

One thing is for sure: You didn't change anything on Facebook by clearing your browser's cache and System Restore isn't the answer either.

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LeRoy was victimized by a scammer posing as an HP support tech
My HP Office Jet Pro 8130e printer started giving me connection problems 2 days ago, Oct 17. First I was getting "out of paper" when I tried to print a Word document but there was no problem when I wanted a test on it. This morning I removed the printer from my network and reinstalled it and started getting low ink error messages and would not print. Yesterday I contacted HP support and after the individual checked my computer I was told I had many services disabled by a virus and that he would fix it with an annual fee of $149. I did not know what that had to do with my printer. I'm not sure what is going on with my computer. Can you help?

Our answer

Hi LeRoy. You were scammed. You could buy 2 new HP inkjet printers for less than $149. If you paid any money to these tech support scammers call your bank or credit card company and tell them you were scammed they can stop payment and you'll get your money back.

This is one of the oldest tech support scam techniques in the world - connecting to a computer and then finding "dozens" or "hundreds" of viruses or errors then charging you to fix non-existent errors. Please make sure you don't allow people you don't know to connect to your computer and "fix" problems that don't exist.

The way to fix your printer is to uninstall it (correctly) and then download the complete installation package from the official HP website. Restart your computer and then reinstall your printer using the installation software and instructions you downloaded (or using the free "HP Smart" app).

Remember: You have to be extremely careful when searching for "printer drivers" or you'll end up with a list of scammers ready to take your money.

We charge $50 for a complete checkup/cleanup/repair that includes removing malware - you can learn more at https://thundercloud.net/direct/.

And while we don't set up wireless printers we can provide you a simple customized tutorial on how to fix your printer problems - all we need is the make and model of your printer.

Remember, LeRoy: If you paid the scammers any money call your bank or credit card company immediately and report this scam. There's a good chance you'll be able to get your money back if you paid the scammers anything.

Jimmie says our instructions didn't get rid of his lock screen clutter

I followed the instructions to get rid of the clutter on the lock screen by changing the settings in the background to picture and then in the lock screen I unchecked the box for "fun facts, tips, and tricks, etc." and selected picture. However, it only removed the desktop icon "learn more about this picture". The information boxes on the lock screen did not disappear. Is there anything else I can do to get rid of the boxes on my lock screen? Thanks for your help. You guys are the best. Jimmie.

Our answer

Hi Jimmie. Desktop Wallpaper and the Lock screen are two different things - although you may see the same picture on both.+

If you see a message on your desktop that says "Learn more about this picture", that indicates that you're using the Bing wallpaper app or you have your desktop wallpaper set to "Windows spotlight" which automatically displays a new picture on your desktop daily. If you don't want to see that message, change your desktop background to anything other than "Windows Spotlight" or don't use the Bing Wallpaper app. Uninstall it by going to Settings > Apps > Apps & features (Windows 10) or Settings > Apps > Installed apps (Windows 11) and find Bing Wallpaper, then click on it and choose "Uninstall".

Also, in order to remove the ads and other info from the lock screen you must go to Settings > Personalization > Lock screen and in the lock screen background section select Picture or slideshow and not "Windows spotlight", otherwise you cannot remove the clutter from your lock screen. I hope this helps you, Jimmie.

Greg wants our opinion on Windows Recall
Hiya TC and EB. Something that is possibly going to be an issue moving forward. I would be interested in your thoughts on the matter. It is regarding Windows 11 Update 24H2. From everything I have read so far it is installing "Recall" by default with NO option to remove it or even know it's there. Even if you do know it is there accordingly it is Active but not doing anything. There are also reports that 8.6GB of the install temp won't delete. It does make one wonder if in that fact is a cover for Recall doing its work and recording everything on desktop actions etc. even though it is not working as such (as in reporting back).

I have to admit the more Microsoft does the less and less I trust them. Recall is installed and active with no notifications of any sort anywhere. If there is not an underhanded reason for it then why not openly say it is there? But, they have not. It is not in the app list and it is not listed anywhere as installed the only way to make it "inactive" is through DISM. However, I just finished reading somewhere that Microsoft has "disabled" that route of disabling it. I am not sure if this aspect is correct or not I guess won't take long to find out.

If used properly as intended I will have no issue with it. The trouble is what else can it do that do not know about....... is it an automatic backdoor into every Windows 11 PC for law enforcement for example? I would be interested in your thoughts on "Recall". Regards, Greg.

Our answer

Hi Greg. You're right, you can't uninstall Recall, at least not as of now. But it does show an icon in the taskbar when it's taking "snapshots" of your computer activities.

First, for those who don't know what Windows Recall is, it's a "feature" that comes with Windows 11 24H2 that records everything you do on your PC using "snapshots". This feature is supposed to help make it easier to find things on your computer. But again, you're trading security for convenience.

You can turn Windows Recall on or off at any time by going to Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots. You can also pause snapshots temporarily by selecting the Recall icon in the system tray and selecting the pause option,

Now whether or not that will actually stop Recall from recording everything you do on your PC is a matter of trust. Whether Microsoft (or other entities -such as law enforcement) will have access to those snapshots depends on how much you trust Microsoft.

And the 9GB of files you can't delete after the 24H2 update is true. It's a "bug" and Microsoft says they're working on it. You can read more about that here.

What are our feelings about all this? Meh... we've been using Windows since 1996 (almost 30 years) and we've seen it all before. We're sure not going to switch to Apple or Linux at this point in time.

Good questions, Greg!

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Cloudeight InfoAve Premium -Tips & Tricks

How to Change Your Windows User Account Name
Windows 10 / Windows 11

We've had several people ask us how to change their Windows user account name. Some of you may be stuck with a user account with a name like Owner. Unless your name is "Owner" you might want to change it to "Bill" or "Polly" - or "Skippy or whatever your name is or whatever name tickles your fancy.

It's not hard to do... so if you want to change your Windows user account name, here's how.

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" then "OK".

But whoa! 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 corrupting the user account. If you really want a new user account name, create a completely 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. But, to me, this seems like a lot of work especially if you're the only one who's ever going to see it.

All that aside, if you want to change your apparent user name, now you know how to do it.

A Simple Multitasking Trick
Windows 10 / Windows 11

Did you know that in Windows 10 and 11 the Windows key + Tab key shortcut shows all your open programs on your desktop? That’s right! When you use the Windows key + Tab key shortcut, you can see all open programs on your desktop at once.

Let’s take a look…

Above: Windows 10

Windows 11 - Windows Key _ Tab - Cloudeight InfoAve

Above: Windows 11

If you’re using Windows 10 or 11 and you want to see how many programs you have open – just press and hold the Windows Key and tap the Tab key. And you can click on any “thumbnail” and bring that program or app into focus. You can also close any of the programs by clicking on the “X” in the top-right corner of any of those open programs/apps without bringing them into focus… that’s correct, you can close any open program or app from its “thumbnail” on the desktop you see when you use the Windows key + Tab key shortcut.

Use Kiosk Mode to Use Your PC as a Clock & Calendar When It's Idle
Windows 11

Kiosk mode is a Windows feature that limits a device to running a single application or set of applications. It’s also known as Assigned Access or Single App Mode. Kiosk mode is commonly used in public settings, retail environments, and educational institutions.

We’re going to show you how to use Kiosk mode to turn your computer into a clock & calendar when you’re not using it and it’s easy to do.

Open Settings (Windows key + i ) and click on “Accounts” in the left column. In “Accounts” scroll down and click on “Other users”. In “Other users” click on “Set up a kiosk”.