HP printers support all kinds of devices, such as tablets and smartphones, so the "Computer not listed" message you're receiving isn't because your notebook is not supported; it's because it's not found on the network. You'll need to install the printer installation software on the notebook and then use HP Smart to help you set it up.

 

I hope this helps you, Margaret.

Yvonne is helping a friend pick out a new computer
I*'m asking this for a friend who wants to buy a new desktop computer. Doesn't need a monitor. Needs his money to purchase the most for his money. What would you recommend?

Our answer
Hi Yvonne. I would not recommend a desktop at all. I would recommend a laptop. It used to be that laptops were underpowered and could not be used for everyday computing. But that was 20 years ago. Laptops are as powerful as desktops and are less expensive. Darcy and I have been running Cloudeight on laptops for more than 15 years.  Here's our guide to buying a new computer, updated in January.

Cheryl is having Windows 11 shutdown problems
Hello, my computer guru friends. I hope all is well with each of you and your families.  I'm hoping you can help me with an issue that keeps popping up when I tell my computer to shut down. Thank you in advance for your assistance. Take care.  Cheryl

Our answer
Hi Cheryl. It's frustrating when your computer prevents you from shutting down normally. The "Task Host Window" and "NetBroadcastEvent Window" messages indicate that certain processes are not closing properly, thus halting the shutdown procedure.  Many different possible causes can make it difficult to pinpoint the cause. So let's make it easier and concentrate on a solution.

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Dear Microsoft: Why Are You Killing Windows 10?
For everyone using Windows

Less than 6 months from today, Microsoft will kill Windows 10. There’s nothing wrong with Windows 10. It’s a great operating system.

But many are going to have to throw away a perfectly good computer because of the Windows 11 hardware requirements. And yes, there’s 0patch and Microsoft’s ESU (Extended Security Updates), but those shouldn’t even be necessary.

We are all getting tired of Microsoft’s planned obsolescence game. It’s time for it to end.

Dear Microsoft…

Let’s have a straightforward conversation about Windows 11. I’ve noticed the annoying and shameless efforts to encourage Windows 10 users to upgrade, from annoying in-OS pop-ups to various notifications pointing toward the upgrade option in settings. However, I have some concerns about the current direction.

My first point concerns the hardware requirements, specifically the Trusted Platform Module 2.0. While this chip offers enhanced security features, its mandatory nature for Windows 11 effectively excludes a significant number of older computers from being able to run Windows 11. Although workarounds exist, they aren’t ideal for the average user.

This hardware incompatibility, coupled with the approaching end-of-life for Windows 10, will cause an increasing volume of electronic waste as many functional PCs will become unable to run the latest supported OS. E-waste is a concern –  a tangible consequence of this upgrade path. More importantly, let’s discuss how users perceive the Windows operating system and how the current strategy could lead to a difficult road ahead for you.

Historically, Windows has evolved. There’s long been a desire among users for a more stable, long-lasting operating system, similar to Apple’s macOS with its continuous, free updates and relatively consistent user interface, free from intrusive advertising.

While I understand that Windows operates in a more diverse hardware ecosystem than Apple’s tightly controlled environment, the presence of ads within Windows is a noticeable difference, and it’s annoying and, I believe, unnecessary.

The cycle of new Windows versions appears to be driven by the financial model that benefits from system manufacturers needing new OS licenses and users eventually purchasing new hardware. Significant architectural changes necessitate leaving older systems behind, the TPM 2.0 requirement is a notable example of this.

However, this approach is outdated and is beginning to show weaknesses.

Windows PCs are no longer the stars of the show. People don’t need a Windows PC to connect to the internet, access their emails, communicate with family and friends, or participate in social media. Windows is no longer the number one operating system. It has fallen far behind Android.

Upgrading to a new operating system can be a considerable undertaking for individuals. For larger organizations, the effort and cost are significantly greater. Despite Microsoft’s push for upgrades, many businesses and public sector entities remain on Windows 10 or older systems.

Reports indicate that a substantial percentage of critical infrastructure, such as healthcare equipment, still relies on outdated and unsupported operating systems. This isn’t necessarily a lack of desire to upgrade, but often a practical limitation due to the substantial expense of replacing entire computer systems and sometimes the connected machinery. Running unsupported OS versions poses significant security and compatibility risks.

Finally, I want to address the increasing amount of non-essential content being integrated into Windows. Features like advertisements, persistent bugs, frequent notifications, and the constant and irritating promotion of Copilot as some kind of long-awaited, magical answer to PC users’ prayers are negatively impacting the user experience. For those of us using Windows 11, as I do on two of my laptops, these elements are becoming increasingly noticeable and irritating.

While I have my reservations about Apple’s hardware, the consistency and ad-free nature of macOS are becoming more appealing for those who can afford Apple computers.

Windows 11 is starting to feel less like a purchased product and more like an operating system as a service that can be altered or have features added without any user control. This trend is concerning.

Even Windows 10, in its dying days, isn’t entirely immune to these changes. I’m almost anticipating its end-of-life in the hope that it will mean a more stable and less intrusive experience on my one remaining Windows 10 computer.

I think most people want a reliable operating system that functions smoothly and doesn’t become outdated in five years.  I believe this is a reasonable expectation.

Those who cannot upgrade to Windows 11 and cannot afford to buy a new computer will either have to take their chances running it without security patches or purchase 0patch or Microsoft ESU. They shouldn’t have to do either.

For those who cannot upgrade but who can afford to buy a new computer, they’re going to have to find a place for that perfectly good old PC, and that’s going to create a lot of unnecessary e-waste.

And we all know that once most of us have upgraded to Windows 11, you’ll introduce Windows 12 and start pushing that on us.

Microsoft, it’s time you finally give us Windows users what we want and stop playing this game with new versions of Windows. Just give us a Windows version that works with security updates that work and don’t break the OS.

Megs, Megabytes, and Megabits
A Tip for everyone who uses the internet

You’ll often see advertisements for providers promoting the fast internet speeds you’ll get if you switch to their services. And all the providers are very careful never to say megabytes or megabits. You’ll notice they’ll say something like you’ll get (up to) 300 Megs per second.

Now, most people would automatically assume that when they advertise 300 Megs per second (download speed), you’ll be downloading at somewhere around 300 megabytes per second. Then the wheels start spinning… people start thinking…”Hmm, I can download a 2 GB movie in less than 10 seconds…t that’s great. Sign me up!”

But wait. There’s something wrong here. You’ll seldom hear or read about an Internet provider offering fast internet speeds in megabytes per second, and you’ll learn why they all (or most) use the term “megs”.

Most of you know what a megabyte is, but not many people know what a megabit is. Internet service providers know this and use the word “megs,” knowing (I think) that most people will assume megs = megabytes.

Now, to explain why providers use megs instead of telling you the real speed they offer… there’s a big difference between megabytes and megabits. And to explain this to you, we’re going to defer to the experts at highspeedinternet.com …

Megabits vs. megabytes: Why it matters

These subtle differences in units make it easy to flub your math when dealing with your internet speed. If you happen to get them mixed up, your calculations will be off. Way off.

For example, let’s say you want to download a 500 MB file, and you have a 100 Mbps internet connection. If you don’t notice the capital B in the file size, you might estimate that this download would take five seconds. However, the units don’t match up. The file size is measured in megabytes, while the connection speed is measured in megabits per second. Since the file size is eight times larger than you originally estimated, it actually takes eight times as long to download—40 seconds.

Now, waiting 35 seconds longer than you expected isn’t too bad, but waiting an extra 35 minutes on a download that was supposed to take only five is more of an inconvenience. This can also be frustrating if you realize you’re paying for an internet connection that gives you a lot less speed than you thought…

So there you go. If your Internet provider offers you 100 megs per second, don’t be fooled into thinking they’re offering you 100 megabytes per second, because they’re really offering you 12.5 megabytes per second.

And remember, too, that MBps means Megabytes per second and Mbps means megabits per second. When providers say 300 megs per second download speeds, they hope you’ll think megabytes per second. But when they use the term “megs”, they’re talking about megabits per second. So that blindingly fast 300 megs they advertise is really 37.5 megabytes per second, still fast, but not nearly as fast as 300 Megabytes per second.

Unless you're married to someone named Megs, megs won’t fool you, because now you know what the term "megs" really means. 

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Anti-Twin Classic: Still the Best Duplicate File Finder

One of the most often-asked questions we receive is how to find and eliminate duplicate files safely. And our answer has been the same for over five years.

After years of trying and rejecting all kinds of duplicate file finders, either because they were distributed with garbageware, bundled with malware, or were too aggressive thus leaving reeling users with tears rolling down their faces because the files that some duplicate file finders found were not dupes at all, there is only one duplicate file finder we recommend. Anti-Twin has not changed since 2010, yet it runs great on Windows 10 and Windows 11. It’s been the best duplicate file finder we’ve tested for over a decade. So if you’re looking for the most accurate duplicate file finder that gives you the best chance of cleaning up duplicate files without risking deleting files that are not true duplicates, then Anti-Twin is for you.

Now, that does not mean you can throw caution to the wind and delete every file that might be a duplicate. You still have to exercise good judgment. But Anti-Twin does a great job of finding duplicate files and then letting you compare the duplicates so you can make an informed decision if the duplicate is really a duplicate and if you want to delete it.

Anti-Twin is the fastest, coolest, most accurate, and safest (when used according to directions and with reasonable care) free duplicate file finder on this side of Mars. I can’t tell you what’s beyond Mars, but I have a feeling I might find out someday if EB’s size 10 boot ever finds my posterior.

Anyway, Anti-Twin Classic is a small (less than one megabyte) program that will find duplicate files in any folder and help you eliminate the mess that duplicates can cause. Anti-Twin compares files in all sorts of ways to ensure the files are duplicated. You sure don’t want to delete Aunt Emily by accident.

But lest I ramble on too long and start being redundant, let’s allow the Anti-Twin’s author, Jörg Rosenthal, to tell you all about his program Anti-Twin:

Anti-Twin first appeared in 2003 and was maintained until 2012. However, the program still runs on current Windows versions such as Windows 10 or 11 and can therefore still be downloaded here.

Anti-Twin Classic

* Byte-by-byte comparison of user-defined files (file content)
* Search for identical or similar file names
* Pixel-based image comparison, e.g. search for similar pictures

Free for private use

Anti-Twin is a small software application which compares files, i.e. it searches for duplicate or similar files on your hard disk drive. All similar or identical files that were found can either be sent to the recycle bin or directly deleted. This will increase the hard disk space on your computer.

Select the option “Compare file content” to compare the entire binary content of the files. This means that the file names are irrelevant. Here, the basic principle is: “Name is but sound and smoke – size matters! And never lose sight of the inner values.”

Anti-Twin is an excellent application to e.g. find and delete duplicate MP3 files in a download folder or to find similar images. Apart from that, Anti-Twin helps you clean up employees’ chaotic file repositories in company networks, e.g. by searching for unnecessary file copies and redundant data back-ups.

Anti-Twin is freeware and can be downloaded from the Download page…. Please also read the instructions and note the warnings.

Anti-Twin works on Windows 10 and Windows 11. We created the screenshots below on Windows 10.

Above: The Anti-Twin Classic program interface. A little dated, but still intuitive.

Above: The default setting in Anti-Twin makes sure suspected duplicates are not deleted without your review. You get the final say… but only if you leave the default setting alone.

Above: Some duplicate images were found in my Pictures folder. Note by clicking on each duplicate I can compare the images, image sizes, and type… and be absolutely certain they’re duplicates.

You can read more about and/or download Anti-Twin Classic from http://www.joerg-rosenthal.com/en/antitwin/. You can download it with an installer, just the executable, or as a zip file. We recommend you download the installer. All files are clean and green – free from any garbage, tricks, or malware. If you want to go directly to the download page, here’s the link:

http://www.joerg-rosenthal.com/en/antitwin/download.html

Oh, and one more thing: Please do as Jörg says and take a moment to read the instructions and the warnings. Anti-Twin is easy enough to use, you’ll be tempted to skip the instructions and that means you’ll be tempted to skip the warnings too but please don’t.

Use Anti-Twin only as directed.

I Still Haven’t Dropped Off

I’m happy to report that I still have not dropped off. I’m not sure if “happy” is the correct word, maybe “relieved” would be more apt.

There are a lot of things about getting old that are difficult. One of the most difficult things is getting used to looking backward. And buying new things when you’re old takes a lot of thought. If you’re 77 and you need a new refrigerator, do you really have to worry about an extended warranty?

And let’s talk about pets. You have to consider that your pets may well outlive you, and who’s going to take care of your cat or dog when you drop off?

Most of us never thought we would be old, and now look at me. Old, withered-up man! Hah! I was young once. I never thought I’d ever be old. I thought 30 was long enough to live when I was 15. My teachers, who were in their 30s and 40s, looked like old shriveled prunes to me when I was in middle school.

Talk about prunes, look at me! Honestly, I would prefer you don’t...

Read the rest of this essay here. 

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Have a great weekend.. be safe!

Darcy & TC
Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly - Issue #1124
Volume 22 Number 27
April 25, 2025 

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