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Wilma is having trouble with Yahoo Mail in Firefox
Dear TC/Darcy. I'm having trouble accessing my Yahoo Mail account since installing the latest version of Firefox. When I try to open any links, pictures, or even emails, I receive an error message: "GAH, YOUR TAB JUST CRASHED." Attempting to restore the tab has been unsuccessful, and the error message continues to appear. Could you please assist me in resolving this issue? Thank you, Wilma.

Our answer
Hi Wilma. I'm not an expert with Yahoo Mail. I have a Yahoo Mail account for testing but don't use it much. However, I do know Firefox well and when I look at Yahoo Mail with Firefox it looks the same as it does in Chrome and Edge. I can read messages and can see images; I don't have any problems with Yahoo in Firefox.

So, The first thing to do is try accessing Yahoo Mail with a different browser. Every Windows 10/11 PC has Edge. So try accessing Yahoo Mail with Edge.,

Just type mail.yahoo.com into the address bar in Edge and press Enter. Then sign in with your Yahoo email address and password. If you don't have any problems with Yahoo Mail on Edge, then you know the problem is Firefox. If Yahoo works in Edge but not Firefox, then you can reset Firefox by following the instructions on this page. And that should fix any problems with Firefox.

I hope this helps you, Wilma. If you have any more questions, just let me know.

Donald asks about discounted versions of MS Office and creating a Gmail shortcut
Recently you had information where one could buy older versions of Office and I wrote done the address but when I wanted to use it I could not find it. If you still have that information I would like it.

Also, I have been trying to put Gmail on my Windows 10 taskbar but every time I try I am unable to get it done. I have tried a search and they tell me to click on more tolls and it is there. I can't find it there so I am going to ask the ones that I know will have the answer. Thank you, Donald.

Our Answer
Hi Donald. We have never advertised or promoted discounted versions of Microsoft Office. We have recommended against purchasing older versions of MS Office at a discount because they come with a Volume license which is not specifically legal for an individual user. Volume licenses are meant for companies with many employees, but not for individuals.

Although it is not likely, Microsoft could terminate any volume licenses applied to personal, single-user accounts and, therefore would never advertise any discounted MS Office version. We have recommended MS 365 (the new name for MS Office) personal subscriptions for $6.99/month or $69.99 a year. This way you are always using the latest MS 365/MS Office version. This is the only version of MS Office (MS 365) we have ever recommended. We have recommended several free MS Office substitutes which you can read about them here.

You can no longer add a Gmail shortcut to your taskbar the old way as Google has removed the "Create shortcut" option from Settings > More tools. The only way to do it now is to go to www.gmail.com and drag the address bar icon to your Desktop to create a Gmail shortcut. Once you do this, you can right-click on the Gmail shortcut on your desktop and choose "Pin to Start". Once Gmail is on your Start Menu, you can right-click it and choose "More" and then "Pin to Taskbar". Hope this helps you, Donald.

Leslie asks about SVG files and Anchor tags
The first one is how to convert an SVG to a PNG. I googled it, and there are a ton of sites that purport to do it. I want to know your recommendation for a safe, good site. I want to be able to open it in PaintShop Pro.

The second question is about the Anchor command. There is one I can use in my email (Gmail &Thunderbird). I read about it on the web and saw a comment that it wasn't good to use in email. Thank you, Leslie.

Our answer
Hi Leslie. Using a web app (website) to convert svg to png is, for the most part safe, since you're not exchanging any sensitive data. Here are two safe sites you can use to convert SVG to PNG for free:

https://www.canva.com/features/svg-to-png-converter/

https://svgconverter.com/svg-to-png

If you don't want to do that, you can download a free program called GIMP. GIMP can convert SVG files to PNG. You can get GIMP here.

About Anchors: Anchors are HTML tags, not commands. An anchor is an HTML element that directs a link to open at a certain section of a page. If you have a very long web page with many sections, you can use an anchor tag in a hyperlink to open a certain section of a web page and not open the page at the top (beginning) as a normal link would. For instance, if you have 15 items on a page and you want to link to item number 7 you would use an anchor tag to open the page directly to item 7. The link would look like https://thundecloud.net/infovave/15_tips#7. Note that the link does not work, it is an example only; there is no page on our site with that name.

I am not sure why or how you'd use an anchor in email. I suppose you could if it were an HTML mail and you had access to edit the email's HTML code. So, remember that an anchor is a tag, not a command. If you want more information on the anchor tag see this page.

Hope this helps, Leslie.

Jean has a couple of questions: One about scrollbars and one about 0patch for Windows 10

I have a couple of questions. My scroll bar has started to whiz up to the top or down to the bottom at times when I try to raise or lower it. What is the problem? Sometimes I can stop it. Sometimes I can't. I would like to keep Windows 10 as long as possible. If I install 0Patch as we near the Windows 10 end-of-support date in October, can I still keep Emsisoft running? Thanks, Jean.

Our answer

Hi Jean. First, on the question about scrollbars: Are you using a desktop or laptop? How old is your mouse? The scrollbar issue sounds more like a touchpad or mouse issue than a Window problem.

As far as 0patch goes, you can wait until October 14, 2025, to install it. Microsoft has said it will support Windows 10 through 10/14/25.

As far as we know Emsisoft will continue to work on Windows 10 but we do not know for how long after Microsoft support ends., But we can tell you that Emsisoft worked on Windows 7 for a few years after Microsoft ended support for Windows 7, My best guess is that Emsisoft will keep working for at least a couple of years after Windows 10 support ends.

Hope this helps you, Jean.

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Richard wants to remove the bloatware from his new PC

I just bought a new computer and of course, it has all sorts of junk programs. A long time ago I heard of a program that would delete them Do you know about that?

Our answer
Hi Richard. PC Decrapifier was discontinued in 2023. You can find its former homepage here. While scripts exist for removing unwanted software, we don't recommend them due to potential risks.

Our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care service can optimize and clean up a new PC, but it's not specifically designed for "decrapifying" in the same way PC Decrapifier did.

Most new computers come with minimal bloatware these days, likely due to past negative publicity. Common exceptions are McAfee and Norton antivirus, which can usually be uninstalled using Norton's uninstaller or McAfee's removal tool.

Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) like Dell, HP, and Lenovo often include their own software. However, this is generally not trialware or resource-intensive, and therefore not typically considered true bloatware. Most of these OEM apps can be safely uninstalled individually without affecting system performance.

I'm not sure where you purchased your computer or the brand, but Best Buy is known to install Geek Squad apps, which is, in my opinion, bloatware.

Unfortunately, Richard, there's no direct replacement for PC Decrapifier software.

Jerry asks us about SpeedFan
Hi TC, I have a question about a program I like, called "SpeedFan 4.52." What do you think of it? That has been on all my computers for a long time. All good here, another 70-degree day here today! Jerry.

Our answer
Hi Jerry. We wrote an article recommending SpeedFan 4.52 back in 2012 but to this very day, SpeedFan is still version 4.52. The developer has updated the page to indicate it works on Windows 10, and it also works on Windows 11.

It's still a great program for people who want to keep an eye on their computer's voltage, fan speeds, and/or internal temps.

Just so you know how good you have it there... It's 25 degrees here (wind chill 16) with snow showers and snow on the ground. Can you send some 70-degree weather to my location here in the frigid Great Lakes Region of the USA?

Thanks, Jerry!

Fran wants to know how to resize images she imported from her camera
When I load pictures from my camera to my computer they are too big. How do I make them smaller?

Our answer
Hi Fran. There are literally dozens of programs that will help you resize images but none easier than the Image Resizer in the Windows Power Toys app.

First, read our article on Windows PowerToys (by Microsoft) here and install PowerToys from the link in the article. Then, once you've installed PowerToys follow the steps below.

How to resize images with PowerToys

Once PowerToys is running on your PC, you can use it within File Explorer.

Open File Explorer.
Select the images you want to resize.
Right-click over your selection.
Select Resize pictures.
Select the size that you'd like to create.
Choose additional options using the checkboxes within the Image Resizer & Select Resize.

At the bottom of the Image Resizer, there are options to "Make pictures smaller but not larger," "Resize the original picture (don't create copies)," and "Ignore the orientation of pictures." You can choose to turn each option on or off by checking or unchecking its corresponding box. If you click Settings at the bottom of the Image Resizer, you can also change the default sizes. It's very easy to use too!

Hope this helps you, Fran.

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Cloudeight InfoAve Premium -Tips & Tricks

Access Your Other Email Accounts Using Your Gmail Account
For all Windows Gmail users

Did you know you can receive email from up to five of your other email accounts with one Gmail account? You can also send from your Gmail account using your other account(s) as the “Reply to” address.

You can. And it makes a lot of sense for a lot of you who have multiple accounts. If this sounds like a good plan to you, here’s how to get started.

1. Log in to your Gmail account, and click on Settings (it looks like a little gear in the top right corner of Gmail). Then click “See all settings”.

Setting up other email accounts in Gmail - Cloudeight InfoAve

2. In Mail settings click on “Accounts and Import”. Next, click “Import mail and contacts”.

Setting up other email accounts in Gmail - Cloudeight InfoAve

Gmail makes it an easy 2-step process to configure a POP3 mail account. In the first step, Gmail asks you for the email address you want to add. In the next step, you’ll be asked for the password and the server address for the account. All this information is already available from your ISP or your email program. Your ISP will have the server settings for your account Or just check account settings in your email program.

Once you’ve added the required information, click Add Account and Gmail will attempt to retrieve messages from the account you added. If everything is set up correctly, messages from your other account will appear in your Gmail account. You’ll be able to reply to them using that account’s address or with your Gmail account address.

Besides setting up your ISP mail account(s) in Gmail, you can also set up Gmail to retrieve messages from Outlook.com (@hotmail.com, @outlook.com, @msn.com, @live.com, @live.ca) or Yahoo Mail. All you need are the server settings (available from Outlook.com and Yahoo Mail).

If you check your other email accounts through Gmail, all your emails from all your accounts will be stored on Gmail. If you get a new computer smartphone or tablet, all your email will be in one place and you’ll never lose any email.

4 Mouse and Keyboard Tricks for You
Windows 10 / Windows 11

Here are four seldom-used mouse and keyboard tricks that can save you time.

1. Use your mouse wheel to close a browser tab.

You can do it, yes you can. Most of us use the mouse wheel to scroll pages and other common mouse wheel stuff. But if you press down on your mouse wheel you’ll notice it depresses just a bit. Well, did you know that just a bit is enough to allow you to close a browser tab (among other things)? Try it and see. Position your mouse pointer in the middle of a browser tab and press down on the control wheel. See?

2. Use the Shift key + the right mouse button to extend the Context Menu.

When you right-click on the desktop document icon, you will see a context menu. But did you know there’s another context menu called the extended context menu? To see the extended context menu, just press and hold the Shift key and then right-click on an icon to open the extended context menu. Here’s an example from Windows 11.

In the screenshot below, on the left, you can see the standard Windows 11 context menu, but by using the Shift key and the right mouse button you can open the extended context menu. See?

Cloudeight InfoAve

3. Use the Shift key to select text.

Most of you know that you can select files and folders by holding the Shift key and clicking on the first and then the last file/folder. But this also applies to selecting text in documents like MS Word docs as well as text files (and Web pages).

All you have to do is click on the first character in the text you want to copy, then hold down the Shift key and point to the last character you want to copy. All the text between the first click and the last click is selected. Now just press CTRL + C to copy the selected text and CTRL+V to paste it wherever you want…like a Word doc, an email, or a text file.

You can practice the tip above right here. Just click on the Y at the beginning of this paragraph, then hold down the Shift key and click on the period at the end of this sentence.

Cloudeight InfoAve

4. Maximize any program window with a double-click.

Instead of fumbling around looking for the maximize button between the – and the X in the top-right corner of most program and file windows, just double-click anywhere on the title bar (or top bar) to maximize or minimize the window.

The title bar or top bar in Firefox (also referred to as the menu bar.

The top bar or title bar (Microsoft Edge)

The top bar or title bar (Google Chrome)

The title bar (OE Classic)

Cloudeight InfoAve
The title bar (Microsoft Word)

That’s enough, you get the idea. You can maximize or minimize a program window by double-clicking on the title bar, menu bar, or top bar.

How to Find Out If You’re Getting the Internet Speed You’re Paying For
For Everyone

There are dozens of ways to check your Internet connection speed. You should check your Internet speed occasionally to ensure you’re getting the speed for which you’re paying good money. And if you’re not, you should find out from your ISP (Internet Service Provider), why not.

So let’s get started with a few reliable ways you can find out what your Internet download speeds are (as this is what you’ll want to know, not so much your upload speed).

You can check your Internet download speed easily. If you use Google Chrome or Firefox with Google as your default search engine, just type SPEEDTEST in the address bar and press Enter. You’ll see some information and a “Run Speed Test” button.

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Google's Internet Speed Test (Cloudeight InfoAve)

Now, my ISP once told me that this particular test was not very accurate, but I think that’s because it didn’t say what my ISP wanted it to say at the time. They recommended the Ookla Speed Test at https://speedtest.net/.

Speedtest (Cloudeight InfoAve )

And then we discovered another test … FAST! It’s owned by Netflix. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? We don’t know, but one thing is for sure, it’s a quick way to find your Internet download speed.

If you are looking to check your Internet speed quickly without any webpage clutter, you won’t find any cleaner, quicker way than by visiting Fast.com.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, right? Anyway, we’ll show you:

Cloudeight InfoAve Premium

What can I say? I can certainly read that. While we are only showing my download speed, it’s what most of us want to see when we want to know how fast our connection is. But, if you want to see more details like your upload speed, no problem. Just click “Show more info”.

You’ll see my download speed is 590 Mbps according to FAST.com.

MBPS vs. Mbps

And just for the record, Mbps is not the same as MBps. Mbps is “Megabits per second” not “Megabytes per second”. So, what’s the difference? We are thrilled you asked!

A Megabit is 1/8 as big as a Megabyte. This means that to download a 1 MB file in 1 second you would need a download speed of 8 Mbps. Mbps means megabits per second – not megabytes per second.

All speed test sites show your internet speed as “megabits per second” not “Megabytes per second.”

As you can see from the screenshots shown here, you can get vastly different results depending on the speed testing site you use. We recommend you use two or three different sites and use the average of them to certain your true internet speed.

Having fun? Then wait… there’s more!

If you are having fun testing your internet speed (bless your heart) here are some other sites you can visit to check your speed or lack thereof…

Xfinity
https://speedtest.xfinity.com/

Speakeasy (love the name!)
https://www.speakeasy.net/speedtest/

Speakeasy -stop in for a drink! Cloudeight InfoAve

Google Fiber
https://fiber.google.com/speedtest/

Google Fiber Speedtest - Cloudeight InfoAve

And there are dozens more – if you’re having fun with this, search “SPEEDTEST SITES”./p>

Wait, What is jitter?

OK, now you’re wondering what the heck is jitter. You’d think, especially in Speakeasy it would be a dance like the Jitterbug, but you’d be wrong. According to Speedtest…”Jitter: Also called Packet Delay Variation (PDV), jitter frequency is a measure of the variability in ping over time. Jitter is not usually noticeable when reading text, but when streaming and gaming a high jitter can result in buffering and other interruptions…”

So what is considered a high jitter? Well, we are so glad you asked because not being gamers, we didn’t know but Dialpad does. “Jitter is measured in milliseconds (ms), and ideally, an acceptable jitter level should stay below 30 ms. Anything higher than 30, and you may start to see issues with audio or video quality.”

Why it’s important you have an idea of what your download speed is.

You can see, in all the screenshots we’ve shown you in this article, that my internet speed (generally my download speed), based on several different testing sites is somewhere between 421 Mbps and 590 Mbps. So I know that I am averaging close to the 500 Mbps internet speed that I’m paying for.

Are you getting the internet download speed you’re paying for?

If you’re not sure what speed you’re paying for, check with your Internet Service Provider to find out.

In this article, we showed you several FAST ways you can make sure that you’re getting the speed you’re paying for.

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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Cloudeight InfoAve Premium -Tips & Tricks

We’re Getting Old

We’re all getting old. I was going to use EB as an example for this article, but one shouldn’t pick on his elders. So, we’ll leave EB out of this.

When my dad was in his 80’s when I asked him how he was doing he would say, “I’m still breathing. It beats the alternative.” I’m not exactly sure how he knew what the alternative was or what it offered, but I’m not oft inclined to engage in philosophical or religious discourse.

Anyway, all of us are getting old. But I’m sure you never realized how old you’re really getting.

In this example, I’m using Humphrey Elliot. A completely imaginary guy I conjured up from Humphrey Bogart and Elliot from the movie “ET”, which, by the way, is not the past tense of “eat”.

When you go to our site pick, “You’re getting old“, you’ll be given a choice of doing the calculations for yourself or a friend. For your amusement, my imaginary friend Humphrey Elliot will be our guinea pig.

Note the birthdate is “everywhere-else-in-the-world-but-the-USA” style. That is, it is Day/Month/Year and not Month/Day/Year.

Now with all that out of the way…

I know, for a fact, that Humphrey was born on 22 JUNE 1950. So, I input his birthdate and click “Go”… and away we go!