Sandra wants to give her computer to her grandkids
I would like to give my grandkids my old Windows 10 computer since I upgraded to Windows 11.  I don't want to leave any of my history, passwords, programs, etc. on the old computer. What is the easiest and most efficient way to clean the computer? I would like to add OPatch for them.

Our answer
Hi Sandra. Good news, it's really easy to reset Windows 10 and remove all your personal files. When you reset Windows 10 and remove all your personal files, Windows 10 is reinstalled and ready to be set up by anyone you give (or sell) your computer to. I will be just like giving them a brand new computer.

Here are instructions for you. You'll have 2 main options: keep my files (which you don't want) or remove everything (which is what you'll want to choose). I don't think there's any need to deep-clean your drive when you wipe everything, as I doubt your grandkids are going to use forensic software to try to recover data that may still be on your hard drive. Forensic software is expensive :-)

0patch is a good way to make sure your grandkids can keep on using your Windows 10 computer past October 14, 2025.  I understand OPatch plans on releasing updates for Windows 10 for at least five more years. You can read more about OPatch here.

Hope this helps you, Sandra! 

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.

Save $14 on Reg Organizer right now!

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

Two Quick and Easy Ways to Learn More About Your Computer
Windows 10 / Windows 11

Here are two quick and easy ways to dig deep into the inner sanctum of your Windows computer and learn more about the mysterious device we all know and love…the Windows PC.

The first way

Open a command prompt (type CMD in the taskbar search and press Enter when you see Command Prompt appear in the search results).

At the prompt, type

SYSTEMINFO

-- then press Enter.

You’ll see all kinds of information about your PC appear before your eyes. If you don’t know what something is, Google it. You’ll learn a lot about your computer that way.

In the screenshot below, we’ve pointed out some important info about this computer, including the operating system, computer manufacturer, motherboard &BIOS info,  and RAM (memory). A lot more information is available, too.

Do you want to know more about the insides of the beast?

The second way

Right-click your Windows Start button and click “Run”.

In the Run box type;

MSINFO32

Then press Enter.

Now, look at your system summary. You see a whole lot of useful info. This is the inner workings of one of our computers (the infamous ALLDOCUBE).

That’s a lot of info. But wait, there’s more! Besides the System Summary, you can check into your Hardware Resources, Components, and Software Environment… all without installing one of those system info utilities.

While some of the information you’ll discover will seem a bit technical, even arcane, you have the power to find out more about any of the info you discover about your computer. It’s called a search engine – whether you use Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, or whatever your favorite search engine is, looking up things about your computer that you might not understand is a great way to learn more about your Windows PC.

And now you know two quick ways to learn more about your computer. Right?

10 Tips to Help You Prevent Identity Theft
A tip for everyone using the Internet

People pay hundreds of dollars a year to companies that claim they can prevent them from having their identities stolen. But no one can protect your identity but you. These identity theft protection services are all reactive, not proactive, and many times don't live up to their claims. NortonLifeLock, for instance.

Here are ten things you can do to protect your identity and that won't cost you a penny...
h
1.) Keep personal information private. Don't share personal information online or over the phone unless you initiated the contact and know the person or organization on the other end.

2.) Don't click links in text messages unless you're positive you know who sent them. I recently received this scam text: "AlertONLlNEBanking! Call NOW (864) 248 XXXX. We have temporarily frozen your account to prevent FRAUD ID#pn53948ni. This message also contained a link. Don't be a victim. And don't fall for scam calls claiming to be from a government agency like Social Security or the IRS, telling you that you can avoid jail time by sending $500 in pre-paid Visa cards (or similar) to them. This seems obvious, but last year crooks stole over $250 million from victims using the "pre-paid card" scam.

3.) Use Passkeys when available. If not, then use strong passwords and change them regularly. Avoid using easily guessed information like your name or birthdate. Use a password manager like LastPass, BitWarden, or RoboForm to generate and store strong passwords.

4.) Monitor your accounts regularly. Check your bank, credit card, and other accounts regularly to ensure there are no unauthorized transactions. Most credit card companies now offer free account monitoring, so there's no need to pay a company for credit monitoring services.

5.) Watch out for phishing scams. Don't click on links in emails or text messages from unknown sources, and don't give out personal information in response to unsolicited requests. Remember... banks, credit card companies, and government agencies will never tell you to "click here" to fix or change something with your account. They will tell you to log in to your account and verify or check your info. THINK before you CLICK!

6.) Use security software. Use a good, reputable anti-virus/anti-malware on all your computers. We use and recommend Emsisoft Anti-Malware / antivirus.

7.) Don't share personal or sensitive information on social media. Be careful of the information you share on social media... remember that it can be used to answer security questions or steal your identity.

8.) Use two-factor authentication when available. Two-factor authentication adds an extra layer of security by requiring a code or token in addition to your password.

9.) Be careful when using public Wi-Fi. Avoid using public Wi-Fi networks for sensitive transactions, and make sure your device's security settings are enabled. If you must use public Wi-Fi for sensitive transactions, use a browser-based VPN (Virtual Private Network) that you can turn on and off as needed. There are several good free VPN browser extensions available.

10.) If you're going to be away from home for more than a few days, make sure you contact your post office and have them hold your email, or have someone you trust pick up your mail.

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.

THANK YOU FOR HELPING US!

When you support us with a small gift, you help us continue our mission to keep you informed, separate the truth from the hyperbole, and help you stay safer online. Plus, our computer tips make your computer easier to use.

Did you know that we provide support to thousands of people? Every week, we help dozens of people via email at no charge. The questions and answers you see in our newsletters are from the email answers and help we provide to everyone free of charge.

Thanks to your gifts, we do a lot more than provide this free newsletter. We help you recognize online threats, fight for your online privacy, provide you with the knowledge you need to navigate the Web safely, provide you with suggestions for safe, free software and websites, and help you get more out of your PC.

Please help us keep up the good fight with a small gift.

Interested in making an automatic monthly gift? Visit this page. Help us keep helping you... and help us keep you safe on the Web

The Two Download Sites We Trust

When it comes to keeping you safe, steering you away from download sites that thrive on tricking you into downloading parasitical download bundles (are you reading this, CNet – Download.com, and, how about you, Softonic?). Installing software bundles teaming with adware, browser hijackers, backdoors, search engine hijackers, and even worse, is a really good way to not only harm your computer, but a good way to toss away your privacy – and maybe even your sanity. These download bundles contain other software – we call them parasites – that try to trick you into clicking “Yes” or “OK,” thus permitting them to install their garbage on your PC. It’s bad enough playing whack-a-mole with download buttons and links, but it’s really bad if you keep clicking next > next > next when you install software and don’t read the dialogs as they pass by.

One of the best things we can do to keep you safe is to keep you away from download sites that prey upon your trusting nature and count on you being in a hurry when you download and install any software. So today, we’re going to tell you about the only two major download sites we trust.

We download a lot of software, particularly freeware. We have to. We’re always testing new software and trying to find good software to recommend to you.

But these days downloading software, especially freeware, is a bit like playing Russian roulette. There are so many software download installers that try to sneak unwanted 3rd-party junkware and worse, unsuspecting users, that you must be constantly vigilant when you install any software you’ve downloaded – particularly freeware.

But it’s not enough to be vigilant when you install software that you’ve downloaded; you have to be extra careful where you download it from. Unfortunately, the world’s most popular download site (CNet’s Download.com ) has decided to make even more of a crap shoot out of downloading by taking clean freeware and bundling it in its own installer. And the worst download site in the world, Softonics, doubles down on CNet’s game with even worse bundles of garbage (see our article about Softonics here).

So, if you like to download software, we’re going to tell you the two sites from which we generally download – after we make a simple suggestion. Whenever possible, we always try to download from the software developer’s site – the program’s homepage, so to speak. That does not guarantee that we (or you) will always get clean software, but it does give us a better chance than downloading from sites that care more about getting their garbage installed on your computer and making money than they care about you or integrity and/or clean downloads. But no matter where you download, take our advice – and always be careful – even developers who offer clean software sometimes love to play Whack-a-Mole with the download links.

Here they are – in order – our two favorite software download sites:

SnapFiles

Our favorite download site – by far – is SnapFiles. The site’s developer has been around as long as we have – that’s a long time! –  and we’ve come to trust his reviews and his site.  On SnapFiles, programs that may try to install 3rd-party software are noted so you can be watchful when you install. They have a section dedicated to freeware and one dedicated to trialware. If you’re looking for freeware, be sure to browse only in the freeware section on SnapFiles.

Here’s some info from the site owner:

What makes us different from other download sites?

• We download and test EVERY program before listing it.
• We create the screenshots.
• If it’s not working for us, it will not be listed.
• If it appears to be a waste of your time, we won’t list it…

If we have any doubts as to the integrity of the software and/or author, we will not list it.

Unlike most other software download sites, we actually download, install and review every single program before it is listed on the site. We use our years of experience to bring you the products that appear reliable and worth your time. If it’s not working for us, we won’t list it. If it appears to be a waste of your time, we won’t list it…

Adware & Bundle Policy

All products you find at Snapfiles.com are carefully selected and constantly monitored.

Please refer to our Adware policy for additional details.

If you are looking for a trustworthy download site where the reviews are accurate and where software bundles are clearly identified, you’ll want to make a trip to SnapFiles and take a look around – they have a great selection of freeware.

MajorGeeks

Another download site we use occasionally is MajorGeeks. And while we don’t use MajorGeeks nearly as much as SnapFiles, it’s still a good download site and worthy of mention here. MajorGeeks does not do as good a job of notifying users when applications contain bundled software, but the download links are easy to find, and the reviews are generally trustworthy.

Here’s some information from the owners of MajorGeeks:

MajorGeeks is a small, home-based software download site where all the software is handpicked and tested by just two people. We lean heavily towards freeware, but we gladly post high-quality shareware. We do not automate anything, and we reject 95% of submissions. While most websites brag about having hundreds of thousands of software titles to download, we brag about having fewer than 10,000. The intention is to give you a place to go where you can find the top 1% of software, and we try only to add software that we consider to be four stars or better. We have no employees, no offices, and no social life. We live for this stuff and hope you appreciate the difference.

How we test for software:

1: We Google it and look into the software and company reputation. Sometimes we can eliminate a program right here.

2: If it passes step 1 then we need to scan it with multiple virus scanners using VirusTotal, for example.

3: Last is the most important and unique step at MajorGeeks for software we’re comfortable listing. We use VMWare Workstation to test the software safely. We want to see if it does what it promises, is fairly priced if shareware and is worthy of a 4 star or better rating. If we have time we write a mini review with our thoughts and post that first under MajorGeek says. We will also grab screenshots at this point if needed.

Here is a video explaining it better.

If you need further assistance, please visit our Boot Camp for how to use te (sic) website, check out our must have free downloads list or for personal help, stop by our Support Forum and ask for help. We believe you will find our forums friendly to newcomers.

The Software Awards Scam is a classic example that still applies today. A lot of those big websites will do whatever they have to do to get traffic from authors. We have even seen sites offer to remove negative reviews for authors to trade for traffic. Can you imagine? Please, be careful who you trust.

If you’re looking for a trustworthy download site, give MajorGeeks a try.

Never Take Anything for Granted

Life can change in a moment. Your wealth can disappear in the wink of an eye. You can go from poverty-stricken to wealthy in a flash. You can go from healthy to sick in an instant. I know. I found out the hard way that taking things for granted can have profound implications when things go awry.

I spent many happy hours walking through woods, down trails, exploring, and enjoying nature. Every day, almost without fail, I walked. And I enjoyed walking. 

I lived a pain-free life. I took it for granted, sorry to say, one of my best friends, who’s now passed on, was continually afflicted with chronic pain. I commiserated with him and empathized, but I never knew what chronic pain was or how much it could affect a life. It’s one thing to be sympathetic and empathic and another to experience chronic pain.

In that proverbial “twinkling of an eye”, my life changed.  

What's the difference between an app and a program?

An app and a program are both software that can be run on a computer or mobile device, but there are some key differences between the two.

An app is typically a smaller, simpler piece of software that is designed to be run on a mobile device or tablet, such as a smartphone or tablet. Windows apps would be an exception. Apps are usually designed for a specific purpose, such as playing games, checking social media, checking the weather, or managing a calendar, and are available for download through app stores like the App Store, Google Play, or the Microsoft Store.

A program, on the other hand, is a larger, more complex piece of software that is designed to run on a personal computer or laptop. Programs are typically more powerful and versatile than apps and are often used for more advanced tasks such as video editing, graphic design, or programming. Programs are usually downloaded and installed directly from the developer's website or a software download site like SnapFiles or Major Geeks.

But to be honest, most people use call apps, programs and progams, apps. And in the end it doesn't matter whether you call a program and app or and app a program - a rose by any other name you know. As a matter of fact, all programs are applications, and apps is just an abbreviation for application, right?