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Jim says his Dell PC with Windows 10 won't wake up from Sleep
Hello everyone... I have a Dell desktop computer that does not wake up after being in energy-saving mode. I have to turn it off and wait for a few minutes before restarting. Most of the time, it restarts fine but occasionally when it restarts, it freezes at the hello screen and will proceed to the sign-in screen. So I have to turn it off again and go through the same process. I tried changing the settings to allow the screen saver to run all the time. Unfortunately, this does not make any difference. It freezes and will not wake up to allow me to sign in to Windows. I ran the command prompt for SFC, but there were no issues. I am at a loss as to fix this issue, and I was hoping you could help me. Thanks for all you do for us. It's really appreciated.

Our answer
Hi Jim. Thanks! Sleep mode has been an issue with Windows 10 for some time. We don't even use it on our computers anymore and haven't for years. It's not necessary.

Right-click on the Start button, click on "Power options", and set "Sleep" to never (when plugged in - if using a laptop) and set "Turn off my screen" to "After 10 minutes" (when plugged in if using a laptop). When you set up your computer that way, the screen goes dark after 10 minutes, and the computer idles but does not sleep. When you're ready to use your computer again, just touch a key or move the mouse (or touch the touchpad).

It will use slightly more electricity this way - but the screen is what uses up most of the power and when it dims after 10 minutes it will be the same as if you chose sleep mode.

Another way to fix sleep mode is by doing a Windows reset while keeping your files. However, that's a time-consuming option when it's much easier just to stop using Sleep mode at all.

If you're using a desktop, it may not be a Windows issue at all, it may be an issue with your monitor. If the suggestions above don't help, consider testing your PC with a different monitor. If you don't have another monitor, you can use your flat-screen TV as a monitor - all you need is an HDMI cable to connect your computer to the TV.

June wants to know more about Emsisoft
Does Emsisoft anti-malware work in Australia,? Is it easy to install? I have Norton which doesn’t seem to have a good reputation. Would I have to uninstall Norton before I install Emsisoft? Thank you in advance, June.

Our answer
Hi June. Emsisoft works worldwide. Emsisoft headquarters are in Nelson, NZ, and maintains a worldwide workforce. Emsisoft is a breeze to install, when you purchase Emsisoft from us, we'll send you a link from which you can download Emsisoft that includes your license and configures Emsisoft automatically when you install it. Learn more about and get Emsisoft here.

Yes. You should remove Norton (and cancel your Norton subscription) before installing Emsisoft. To uninstall Norton completely you'll need to download the Norton Removal Tool here.

I hope this helps you, June.

We can fix your Windows computer... check out our low prices here!

David wants to know if we still recommend RoboForm
Some years ago, you advocated RoboForm as - among other things - a 'Log-In' saver. I have recently been encountering problems with this and RoboForm help has only really told me to make sure RoboForm was enabled in 'Edge' even though my present Browser of choice is Google Chrome. Are you still promoting RoboForm for saving 'log-ins' or do you suggest something different? Your reply will be greatly appreciated as always!

Our answer
Hi David. Edge and Chrome can use the same extensions - they are both Chromium browsers. Here is the Google Store page for the free version of RoboForm for Google Chrome.

Darcy still uses RoboForm and it's one of three password managers we recommend. I use Bitwarden on my newer laptop and LastPass on my older laptop although I'm switching the old laptop to Bitwarden also since I can use the free version of Bitwarden on my tablet and smartphone too.

The three we recommend are...

RoboForm
Bitwarden
LastPass

We hope this helps you, David.

Annette wants to copy/move files on Windows 11
Hello. Is there a copy to / move to for Windows 11? I am unable to transfer the files from downloads. Any help you can give I would appreciate. Thank you, Annette.

Our answer
Please take a look at our article here. It's a tutorial on adding "Copy to folder" and "Move to folder" to the right-click menu in Windows 11. You can do it the same way as you did in Windows 10, but it won't show up on the main right-click menu; you have to click on "Show more options".

Cloudeight InfoAve

Cloudeight InfoAve

We hope this helps you, Annette.

Janice can receive emails but cannot send emails
I can receive emails but can not send emails. Can you help me?

Our answer

Hi Janice. Your problem is not your computer or email program, it's your email provider. Since Charter bought out Time-Warner (Roadrunner) and became Spectrum, most of those with rr.com email addresses have had problems. I am one of those who had Roadrunner and a rr.com address and I got fed up with the email problems and now I use Gmail and Outlook.com.

I suggest you switch to a Gmail or Outlook/Hotmail.com address - otherwise, there is a good chance you'll keep having email problems. If you don't want to get a webmail account, your only other option is to reach out to Spectrum and ask them to help you with your SMTP settings (the settings that "Send" email).

You can get a free Gmail account at https://www.gmail.com or a free Hotmail/Outlook.com email account at https://www.outlook.com/.

I'm sorry I don't have a better answer for you, but since this is a Spectrum (RR) email server problem and not a computer problem, the best I can do is give you my best advice, and hope it helps you.

Reg Organizer: Cloudeight recommended and endorsed.

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.

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

Cloudeight InfoAve Premium -Tips & Tricks

Good News! How to Use Windows 10 Safely for an Extra Year for $30 (or less)
Windows 10

Windows 10 will reach its end-of-support date on October 14, 2025. After that date, Windows 10 will no longer receive critical security updates that keep users safe. Using Windows 10 after its end-of-support date is risky.

But the big problem that many Windows 10 users have is that their current computers don’t support Windows 11 so upgrading is impossible. And some Windows 10 users don’t have the money to buy a new Windows 11 computer. And others just don’t want Windows 11.

Whatever the reason, if you want to keep using Windows 10 at least through October 14, 2026, you’ll be happy to learn that Microsoft, for the first time, will be offering Extended Security Updates to home users for $30.

According to a blog post on Microsoft’s Windows Experience Blog written by Microsoft Executive Vice President Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft will offer extended support available for the first time to home (personal) users. He wrote…

“…We understand that some of you may require additional time while moving to a new Windows 11 PC or Copilot+ PC. During this period, you may wish to take steps to help secure your existing PC. As previously announced, we will offer our Extended Security Updates (ESU) program. Enrolled PCs will continue to receive Critical and Important security updates for Windows 10; however, new features, bug fixes and technical support will no longer be available from Microsoft.

“And for the first time ever, we’re introducing an ESU program for personal use as well. The ESU program for consumers will be a one-year option available for $30. Program enrollment will be available closer to the end of support in 2025…

If your computer doesn’t meet the requirements to run Windows 11, if you can’t afford to buy a new computer, or if you just want to keep using Windows 10 because you like it, paying $30 to use Windows 10 safely for an extra year seems like a good choice.

There’s even a way to safely use Windows 10 past its end-of-support date for free.

There’s another way to keep using Windows 10 past its end-of-support date, and that’s using 0patch… there’s even a free version. Read more about 0patch here.

It’s not safe to use Windows 10 past October 14, 2025, without security updates.

Remember: Using Windows 10 past October 14, 2025, without any critical security updates is risky and could leave you and your Windows 10 computer vulnerable.

Driver Updater Programs: Poison for Your Computer
Windows 10 / Windows 11

Most driver updater programs are no better than malware – and many come bundled with malware

Consider this a reminder from your old pals, TC & Darcy…

I don’t know how many times we’ve told you to avoid driver updater programs, but the last time we did was three years ago. I can’t remember what I did three days ago, let alone three years ago. So we are going to remind you that Driver Updaters are poison for your PC.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve helped folks who were having problems with their computers, from Blue Screens of Death to unexplained crashes. But I’ve learned over the years to look for driver updater programs first, because plenty of times folks with BSODs and unexplained, unexpected crashes, had driver updater programs installed.d

Driver updaters often recommend updates for drivers that are already functioning correctly. Installing unnecessary updates can lead to instability, performance issues, or even hardware malfunctions. Installing unnecessary drivers can lead to a range of problems, including system crashes, blue screens of death, and even complete system failure.

So, we want to remind you to check your installed programs for driver updater programs, and if you find one (or more), uninstall it (them) before your computer has big-time problems.

Darcy and I have been using Windows since Windows 3.1 (yes, there was such a thing), and we can’t remember when driver updater programs were necessary.

We can tell you this as well. Driver updaters are popular. They are consistently among the most downloaded programs. And they rank among the most useless (and trouble-causing) programs you can install on your Windows computer.

You don’t need third-party driver updater programs to tell you that you need a new driver. You only need to update a driver (or drivers) when a hardware device (printer, sound card, wireless card, etc.) is not working properly or the manufacturer recommends an update. Installing new drivers just because new drivers are available is unnecessary and many times can be a recipe for disaster.

Windows 10 and 11 are very good at updating drivers when necessary. But should you have a hardware device that is not working properly, you can download the correct driver from the device’s manufacturer’s website. Just make sure you know the version of Windows you’re using and the name, model, and manufacturer of your hardware device. Then go ahead and download and install the correct driver directly from the device manufacturer.

If you’re not having problems with your hardware devices, there’s no reason to update your drivers, even if new drivers become available.

Don’t be tempted to install a driver updater because you think it’s going to make your computer run better, run faster, or it’s going to make it easier for you to keep your drivers updated. Driver updaters are unnecessary and often cause serious problems with your computer. Think of driver updaters as poison for your PC.

Remember these two nuggets of sage advice from both of us:

If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
In the world of computer software, less is more.

Be smart and leave driver updaters alone. And if you find one has sneaked onto your computer via those nefarious software bundles that are all too common — or you were tricked into installing one — uninstall it with much alacrity… we tells ya!

Cloudeight InfoAve

3 Time-Saving Tips
Windows 10 / Windows 11

Tip #1
Let’s say you are filling out a Web form and you make a mistake -you typed in the wrong email address or whatever. Instead of backspacing to remove the incorrect address, put your cursor in the form field and press the CTRL key plus the A key and then the Delete Key. CTRL + A highlights everything in the form field. The Delete key deletes all the highlighted text.

Tip #2
Now, imagine you’re viewing a very long web page and you want to go back to the top. Instead of scrolling all the way back up, press the HOME key. If you want to go to the bottom of the page, instead of scrolling all the way down to the bottom, just press the END key. It’s simple, I tells ya!

Tip #3
OK, last one: Here’s a really easy way to highlight a large block of text. Put your cursor at the top of this tip and left-click. Now, put it at the bottom of this tip and click while holding down the SHIFT key. Pretty cool, huh?

Want more tips, tricks, and information?

We have thousands of Windows tips, tricks, and more on our InfoAve website.

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Cloudeight InfoAve Premium -Tips & Tricks

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!

Cloudeight InfoAve Premium - Essays , Rants, etc.

Three Short Guest Essays

Rarely do we publish essays written by anyone other than Cloudeight. For Memorial Day weekend, we’re making an exception by publishing three short essays by our new friend who writes using the name of G. Petee. We hope you enjoy these essays. If you do, please let us know.

The Great Equalizer
By G. Petee

Death, the great equalizer, is the final frontier that all must face. It is a subject that has plagued the minds of men since the dawn of consciousness. The fear of death and the unknown drives us to seek answers, to try and understand the mysteries of the universe and our place within it. But death remains a formidable foe, one that we cannot hope to defeat or understand completely.

Shakespeare, the master wordsmith, addressed the subject of death time and time again in his works. In Hamlet, the titular character wrestles with the concept of death and what it means to be alive. Hamlet’s musings on the subject are perhaps some of the most famous in literature, and they capture the essence of the human struggle with mortality.

To die, to sleep, to be no more – it is a thought that fills us with dread...

Read all three of these short guest essays here.

How to Copy and Paste

Copy and paste is something that we often mistakenly think every Windows user knows how to do. But, we know that many Windows users still don’t know how to copy and paste.

CCopy & paste is a very basic Windows skill. It’s a real time saver, and it can help prevent common mistakes when trying to type registration keys, email addresses, website URLs, etc. Copy & paste eliminates the potential for errors.

So here’s a simple tutorial on how to copy & paste – probably the single most useful Windows feature ever.

Cloudeight InfoAve Premium

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Cloudeight Direct Computer Care: 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.

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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.

Have a great weekend. Be safe!

Darcy & TC
Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly - Issue #1128
Volume 22, Number 31
May 23, 2025

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