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Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly Issue #1140 Volume 22, Number 43 August 15, 2025 Dear Friends, Welcome to Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly Issue #1140. Thank you for subscribing and for being a part of our Cloudeight family. We appreciate your friendship and support very much! Please share our newsletters and our website with your friends and family. ![]() If you're not getting our InfoAve Daily newsletter, you're missing out on a lot of good stuff! It's free and it only takes a few seconds to sign up. We'd love to have you with us. Visit this page to sign up for our Cloudeight InfoAve Daily Newsletter.
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Eberhard
lost his LastPass master password. Now, it turns out, I am in serious trouble and do need help. After years of enjoying trouble-free use of LastPass to connect securely and reliably to many financial, medical, etc. institutions, I lost my LastPass Master Password (don't know how or why) and am now completely cut off and no longer able to access any of these important sites. I'm sure this issue has been discussed before. I just can't find it in that long list of your helpful articles. So, if you happen to know a way or procedure to allow me to restore my access to LastPass, could you please let me know? I would very much appreciate that.
Our answer
I'm sorry, in this case, we
can't help you directly. One of
the things LastPass tries to
impress upon you when you set up
a LastPass account is "Don't
lose your master password". The
reason? No one else knows your
master password but you.
LastPass does not know your
master password. So, they can't
help you recover it. And neither
can we.
There are several things you can
try, especially if you log in to
LastPass from different devices
or use the same browser with
LastPass most of the time.
LastPass has a page of things
you can do that may help you.
The link to that page is below.
I hope this helps you.
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Debra asks about
RoboForm
Our answer Yes, there are two good reasons to keep RoboForm. Not all sites will switch from passwords to passkeys, at least not in the foreseeable future. Most major sites like Microsoft, Google, Amazon, etc. will all encourage and accept passkeys, but many smaller sites, including some smaller online stores, smaller banks, etc., will not have the resources to invest in the technology required to switch to passkeys. Hopefully, most of those who won't or can't switch away from passwords will allow 2FA with passwords. And another good reason is this: RoboForm fully supports passkeys, allowing you to save and use them across all your devices where RoboForm is installed. This eliminates the need to create and manage passkeys individually on each device. I hope this answers your question, Debra.
Norris asks about the various Microsoft Extended Security Updates payment schemes Our answer
We continue to advise our readers to pay the $30 for one extra year of support or use 0Patch for (approx.) $27/year for up to 5 extra years of support.
Have a great day!
We can fix your Windows computer... check out our low prices here!
Roger says his computer updated to Windows 11 without his knowledge, and now all his settings are gone.
Here is a puzzle for you. My Laptop's internet was turned off and my laptop was turned off. When I started up the next morning; the latest version of Windows 11 was already installed. All my settings were gone, and I can not get them back(does not work with this version). HOW? Our answer
Installing Windows 11 does not change your settings or remove installed programs. I have never heard of Windows 10 spontaneously upgrading to Windows 11 without any user input.
If you mistakenly installed Windows 11, you have 10 days to go back to Windows 10 without losing anything. See this article to learn how.
Hope this helps.
Bonnie wants to recover files she accidentally deleted
Is there any way I can restore things that have been recycled and emptied? I screwed up. I deleted a lot of pictures and other things last week, and I realized I didn't want to do that. If there's any way, would you help me or do it for me? I'm scared!!! I will send you a payment for whatever amount. God's blessings, Bonnie. Our answer
Puran File Recovery is free, and you can read our latest review here.
Other than that, there are professional data recovery services, but they're usually very expensive.
I hope this helps, Bonnie.
----------- Bonnie wrote back: "Thank you so much for your help! I got all my pictures back that I deleted, and I had also emptied the Recycle Bin. Several days later, I realized what I'd done. You kids are something. Please keep up your awesome work. God bless you, Bonnie."
Cathy gets a warning when trying to log into her computer
I am trying to get into my laptop, but I am getting a notification from Windows Security, “WINDOWS DEFENDER SECURITY HAS DISABLED YOUR COMPUTER…”. Seems I have to contact Microsoft Windows Support to have my computer unlocked. I have Emsisoft, and I think I still have a key for repairs. Our answer
If you have any more questions, just let me know.
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Windows 11: It’s Time to Decide The end of the road for Windows 10 is near. With the official support end date of October 14, 2025, now just over two months away, the time for Windows 10 users to decide on their next steps is critical. Microsoft will soon stop providing free security updates for the operating system, leaving any non-upgraded computers vulnerable to new threats. Windows 11 is a free upgrade, but it isn’t an option for all Windows 10 PCs. Many Windows 10 computers don’t meet the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11. Therefore, the first step is to determine if your current machine is capable of the upgrade. Here’s how to check if your computer meets the requirements for Windows 11: Use the PC Health Check app: Microsoft’s free tool, “PC Health Check,” is the easiest way to find out. Visit this Microsoft page to get the PC Health Check app and learn how to use it. If your PC isn’t eligible for a free upgrade, you have a limited time to decide on a course of action to maintain security after the deadline. Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates (ESU) Microsoft offers a paid program called Extended Security Updates (ESU) for users who want to keep their Windows 10 PCs for a little longer. This program provides crucial security updates for one additional year. Cost and Availability: For individual consumers, Microsoft is offering a one-year ESU subscription for a one-time purchase of $30. It’s important to note that this purchase will be tied to your Microsoft account. You also have the option to get the updates for free by syncing your PC settings to the cloud or by using 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points. But let’s be honest, both of these “free” ways to get an ESU subscription will cost you a lot more than $30 in the long run. You’re better off just paying the $30 for one additional year of updates rather than trying to navigate Microsoft’s rabbit hole of options. You can typically enroll in the ESU program through the Windows Update settings on your PC (Your computer may not yet have this option available – it’s rolling out now, and everyone should have this option available in Settings > Windows Update by the end of August 2025. If you have more than one Windows 10 computer, you can cover up to ten Windows 10 computers for one $30 payment. However, you must use the same Microsoft account to sign into any computers you want to cover. If you don’t want to use Microsoft’s ESU or you want to keep using Windows 10 for more than one more year, you can try: Third-Party Patching with 0patch: For those looking for an alternative to Microsoft’s ESU program, services like 0patch provide another solution. 0patch is a micro-patching platform that delivers security patches for unsupported operating systems like Windows 10 after its end-of-life. It works by applying small patches to fix vulnerabilities in memory, providing a security layer without official updates from Microsoft. 0patch offers paid plans that include these essential security patches, with a yearly subscription costing around $27 per year. Per computer, plus tax. This is often a more affordable option for multi-year support. You can read more about 0patch here. With the Windows 10 end-of-life deadline looming, the window for making a decision is closing fast. Whether you choose to upgrade to a new PC, pay for official ESU, or explore a third-party solution like 0patch, taking action now is the only way to ensure your computer remains protected beyond October 14, 2025. Don’t be caught unprepared. ![]() 11 Windows CTRL Key Shortcuts You Should Know We’ve noticed many people still don’t use Ctrl Key shortcuts even though they make computer life much easier. And we know there are a lot of keyboard shortcuts – far more than most people can memorize. And most of them are time savers if you can remember them. Today, we’ve selected 11 CTRL key shortcuts that everyone should know and use, as they will save you time. I use CTRL+Z and CTRL+Y every day. I use CTRL + P whenever I need to print something – it saves me from having to search for the Print button. Well, you know what I mean. Some of these shortcuts, like CTRL + C, CTRL + V, and CTRL + A, are basic Windows shortcuts that most of you know and use a lot. But some of the others listed here are just as useful, and you might want to add them to your memory banks. Here are 11 CTRL key shortcuts you should know CTRL + C CTRL + V CTRL + SHIFT + V CTRL + A To use Ctrl + A to select all text, first make sure that the cursor is in the document where you want to select all the text. Then, press Ctrl + A. All of the text in the document will be selected. To use Ctrl + A to select all objects, first make sure that the cursor is in the document where you want to select all the objects. Then, press Ctrl + A. All of the objects in the document will be selected. CTRL + X CTRL + Z In some applications, such as Microsoft Word, Ctrl + Z can also be used to repeat the last action that you performed. For example, if you typed a word and then pressed Ctrl + Z, the word would be typed again. CTRL + Y CTRL + D In Microsoft Office applications, such as Word and Excel, Ctrl + D is used to duplicate the selected text or object. This means that the text or object will be copied and pasted in the same location. You can also use CTRL + D to get back to your desktop quickly. CTRL + F To use Ctrl + F to find text, first make sure that the cursor is in the document where you want to find the text. Then, press Ctrl + F. The find and replace dialog box will open. In the Find and Replace dialog box, enter the text that you want to find. Then, click on the Find button. The text will be highlighted in the document. CTRL + F2 To use Ctrl + F2 to rename a file, first make sure that the file is selected. Then, press Ctrl + F2. The rename dialog box will open. In the rename dialog box, enter the new name for the file. Then, click on the Rename button. The file will be renamed. To use Ctrl + F2 to rename a folder, first make sure that the folder is selected. Then, press Ctrl + F2. The rename dialog box will open. In the rename dialog box, enter the new name for the folder. Then, click on the Rename button. The folder will be renamed. CTRL + P To use Ctrl + P to print a document, first make sure that the document is open. Then, press Ctrl + P. The print dialog box will open. In the print dialog box, specify the printer, paper size, and other printing options. Then, click on the Print button. The document will be printed. To use Ctrl + P to print a page, first make sure that the page is displayed. Then, press Ctrl + P. The print dialog box will open. In the print dialog box, specify the printer, paper size, and other printing options. Then, click on the Print button. The page will be printed. Refreshing a Web Page Can Be a Game-Changer A few weeks ago, our Start page stopped working correctly. The reason? The service we were using to display the news feeds on the page stopped providing its service. So, we had to find a new service to take the RSS news feed and convert it so it could be displayed on our Start page. Using an RSS to HTML converter ensures the content on our Start page is automatically updated every day and sometimes more often than that. Many of you wrote and said the page was broken – even after we fixed it. The reason those folks were seeing a broken page even though it was fixed is that they were seeing a version of the page stored on their computers in their browser’s cache. Browsers show cached pages stored on your computer, so the pages load faster. So here’s a tip you can use anytime a web page or website looks different than it usually does, or if it does not seem to be working. In these situations, simply refreshing the page can often be the solution. So, what exactly is refreshing a page? When you refresh a page, you’re essentially telling your browser to fetch the latest version of the webpage from the server. This can be helpful for a few reasons: Fixing glitches: Sometimes, websites can experience temporary glitches or errors. Refreshing the page can often resolve these issues and get you back to browsing smoothly. Seeing the latest updates: Websites are constantly being updated with new content, features, or design changes. Refreshing ensures you’re always viewing the most up-to-date version. Clearing the cache: Your browser stores a cache of webpages to speed up loading times. However, sometimes the cache can become outdated or corrupted. Refreshing clears the cache and forces your browser to fetch a fresh copy of the page. How to refresh a page: Most browsers have a refresh button, usually represented by a circular arrow, located near the address bar. If you don’t see a refresh button, you can click the “Reload” option in your browser’s menu. Or you can press the F5 key while you’re on the page or right-click on the page and choose “Refresh” or the Refresh icon on the right-click menu. And Bob P. added, "Ctrl+F5, reloads the page from the server and its contents from the server and doesn’t use local cache at all." So, if pressing F5 doesn't work to correct the page, use CTRL+F5. When a webpage isn’t loading properly, or if a page appears broken, or doesn't look right, try refreshing the page. Also, refresh the page if you want to be sure you are seeing the latest version. Now you know what to do the next time you encounter a problem with a webpage; just give it a quick refresh. It may just solve your problem and save you some time and frustration, too. And thank you so much for using our Start page. ![]() 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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Puran File Recovery: Still the Best Free File Recovery Program for Windows This review was updated on August 14, 2025.. Most Windows users know that when you delete a file, it’s not erased. Windows does a little sleight-of-hand and marks the space occupied by the deleted file as free space – and therefore available for Windows to use. So, even when you empty the recycle bin, nothing is deleted. A deleted file remains recoverable for quite a while, much to the chagrin of criminals who think deleting files or even formatting a drive is going to keep their clandestine computer activities from the prying eyes of the authorities. But this bane of the criminal works to your benefit, should you accidentally delete a file or an entire folder of files. If you act quickly, almost anything you delete is recoverable. The more time that passes, the less chance you have of recovering deleted files. We found an excellent free file recovery program called “Puran File Recovery”. It can recover deleted files from any storage media, including hard drives, external drives, flash drives, camera cards, smartphones, etc. While not difficult to use, Puran File Recovery has a lot of options and ways to recover files, so we strongly recommend you look at the excellent help files that come with Puran File Recovery (just click the ? on the right side of the title bar. It’s a truly great program, and it is very robust; it can perform almost any type of file recovery you may need or want, including recovering data from formatted drives. Here are some screenshots from our testing of Puran File Recovery
While Puran File Recovery is a great free recovery program and the installer is free of third-party programs, malware, and PUPs, for some reason, the developer has made it difficult to find the download link. We searched the site and found it for you. You can download Puran File Recovery from this link. Puran File Recovery works on Windows 10 and Windows 11. This review was updated on August 14, 2025.. Other download links SnapFiles makes it easy to find the download link and provides a nice review of the program as well. So, if you want to read more about Puran File Recovery and easily download it, please visit this SnapFiles page. NOTE: Some readers have had problems with the download link. Here is an alternate link – this one from Major Geeks. Remembering Mike So many times I meant to keep the promise I made to myself and introduce myself to Mike, but I never did.. ![]() ![]() Scammers don't want you to think -- they want you to hurry! Hurrying is a key tactic used by scammers to pressure victims into making impulsive decisions without taking the time to think. This sense of urgency leads people to overlook red flags and act against their better judgment. Some common scam scenarios where urgency is used include:
To protect yourself from these scams, remember to:
Don't fall into the trap of urgency; Think things through and think TWICE before you click. Don't be in a hurry.
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