David wants to know about sharing large files using Google Drive
Hi TC. I liked your post in issue #1158 re "How to Share Large Files Using Google Drive," but I would like you to write a post to explain, at the other end, how a recipient accesses the "Shared File". Perhaps for those who have Gmail and for those who don't?

Our answer
Hi David. Google generates a secure link to the file that only gives the person, i.e., recipient(s), access to the file, not to the sender's Google account. Once the file is selected to share, Google will generate a link you can copy and send to the recipient(s). All they have to do is click the link to download the file. The link is secure, and the recipient can't access anything other than the file or files you want to share. If you choose, you can also set an expiration date for the link so that it expires in a day or two... once the expiration date has passed, the link will no longer work.

You can share the link with anyone - they don't need to have a Google account or Gmail to download the file(s).

I hope this answers your questions, David.

Mildred often can't find the mouse cursor on her new PC
Dear TC and EB. I love my new computer, but sometimes that little white mouse arrow just disappears on me! I wiggle the mouse around like crazy, but I can’t find where it’s hiding. Is there an easier way to find that little arrow?

Our answer
Hi Mildred. We know how frustrating losing the mouse cursor can be. Now with the new, high-resolution screens, that little pointer can be harder to find than ever.

Here is a tip that will help you:

Open your Settings (Windows key + I ).

Go to Accessibility (Windows 10) or Ease of Access (Windows 11)

Click on Mouse Pointer.

Look for the "Size" slider. You can slide that to the right to make your cursor (arrow) as big as you want!

Bonus Tip: In those same settings, look for "Additional mouse settings" and find the box that says "Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key." If you turn that on, all you have to do is tap the Ctrl key on your keyboard, and a little circle will ripple around your mouse like the ripples around a duck in a pond!

We hope this helps you, Mildred.

Arthur says his screen is too bright... at night
Hello, you two! I enjoy reading the news on my laptop late at night, but the bright blue light from my monitor really bothers my eyes. My grandson told me there’s a way to adjust it, but now I can't remember his instructions. Can you help an old guy out?

Our Answer
Hi Arthur. Your grandson is correct. There is a way to adjust your screen to tone down that blue light. That bright blue light can actually trick your brain into thinking it’s daytime, which makes it hard to fall asleep later.

Luckily, Windows has a built-in feature called Night Light, and it’s just what you're looking for.

Right-click any empty spot on your Desktop and choose Display Settings.

Look for the switch that says Night Light and toggle it to On.

Click on "Night Light Settings" right below it, and you can use the slider to make the screen varying shades of amber.

You can even set a schedule so it turns on automatically at sunset and off at sunrise. Your eyes just might thank you.

We hope this helps you, Arthur.

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We will connect to your computer via the Internet and fix any problems you may be having. You can  watch us work and chat with us while we do. If you have any computer questions you'd like to ask we'll be glad to answer them for you.  We don't just fix your computer, we explain what we're doing and why we're doing it and we are right there with the entire time. Since we've started we've helped hundreds of you with your computer problems and we've received dozens of referrals and testimonials from our readers and customers.

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Linda hates the location of the Start button on Windows 11
Dear TC and EB. I upgraded to Windows 11, and it's not as bad as I feared. However, one thing I do hate is that the Start button is right in the middle of the taskbar. I’ve been clicking the bottom-left corner for years, and now I keep clicking empty space. Is there a way to move the start button back where it belongs?

Our answer
Hi Linda. When Windows 11 first came out, everyone's first question was: "Why is the Start button in the middle of the screen?" Well, who knows?

The good news is that Microsoft has a quick fix for those of us who like the classic look:

Right-click on any empty spot on your Taskbar and choose Taskbar settings.

Scroll down to the bottom and click on Taskbar behaviors.

Look for Taskbar alignment. It will say "Center"—just click that and change it to Left.

Just like that, your Start button will be back to the left corner where it’s been for the last 30 years. Now you can click away without even looking!

We hope this helps you. Linda. 

Frank's Windows clock is never right
Hello, you two! My computer clock is always about ten minutes behind the actual time. I try to fix it, but it just drifts back. Is my computer's battery running out of steam, or is there a "sync" button I’m missing?

Our answer
Hi Frank. A Windows clock that is seldom right and keeps drifting back can be a real pain. While older computers do have a tiny battery inside (the CMOS battery) that can wear out, usually it's just a matter of Windows forgetting to "call home" to a "Time server" to check the time.

Let’s see if this gets your drifting clock fixed:

Right-click on the Time and Date in the bottom-right corner of your screen.

Choose Adjust date/time.

Look for the button that says "Sync now" under the "Synchronize your clock" section.

Make sure the switch for "Set time automatically" is also turned to On.

Once you click that sync button, Windows will contact a super-accurate atomic clock time server on the internet and fix itself. You should be back on schedule in no time! 

Noreen is sick of all the pop-ups
Every time I turn on my new computer, little boxes pop up in the corner telling me about news, sports, and many other things I never asked for. It feels like my computer is trying to annoy me when I just want to check my email or play a game of Solitaire! Is there a way to stop all those pop-ups? Thanks in advance.

Our answer
Hi Noreen. Those little boxes are called Notifications, and sometimes they can get a bit annoying.

Here is how to take control of them.

Click your Start button and go to Settings (the gear icon).

Click on System, then find Notifications & actions (it might just say Notifications on Windows 11).

You can turn the big switch at the top to Off to stop all of them, or you can scroll down and pick and choose which apps are allowed to "pop up."

If you choose to shut them all off, it won't cause any problems, but it will give you more peace and quiet.

It’s your computer, Noreen—you are in control.

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Let’s Make the Control Panel Easier to Find
Windows 10 / Windows 11

In Windows 11, many important settings remain buried in the Control Panel, yet Microsoft has made the classic Control Panel a bit harder to find in favor of the newer “Settings” app. However, you can still easily pin the Control Panel to your desktop or taskbar to make it easier to open.

Here are two easy ways to put a shortcut to the Control Panel on your desktop:

Method 1: The Official Way

This method uses the built-in Windows settings to add the official system icon to your desktop.

Right-click on any empty space on your desktop and select Personalize.

In the menu that opens, click on Themes.

Scroll down to the “Related settings” section and click on Desktop icon settings.

A small window will pop up. Check the box next to Control Panel.

Click Apply, then click OK. The classic Control Panel icon will now appear on your desktop.

Method 2: The Fastest Way

If you prefer to create a traditional shortcut file that you can move or rename, use this method.

Right-click an empty space on your desktop.

Select New > Shortcut.

In the box that says “Type the location of the item,” type the following exactly:

control.exe

Click Next.

Type “Control Panel” as the name for the shortcut.

Click Finish.

Or even better — pin it to your Taskbar (The best way!)

If your desktop is often cluttered with shortcuts and/or open windows, it might be even more convenient to pin the Control Panel to your Taskbar.

Here’s how to do it.

Type “Control Panel.” (no quotes) in the taskbar search and press Enter.

In the search results, Right-click on Control Panel and select Pin to taskbar.

Let’s Make the Text Larger On Your PC
Windows 10 / Windows 11

Those of you who have been looking for a way to make the text bigger on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC will be happy to know that changing text size is now easier to do.

How to Make the Text Larger (or smaller)

We’ll use screenshots from Windows 11 for this tutorial, but changing the text size in Windows 10 is virtually the same. In Windows 10, the text-size slider is located in a different section of Settings, specifically Ease of Access> Display.

To get started, press and hold down the Windows key and tap the U key. (This shortcut will open Ease of Access on Windows 10 and Accessibility on Windows 11. )

As you move the slider to the right, you’ll see the text size increase. The smallest text size is 100%, and the largest text size you can make your text is 225%. But be cautious, making your text too large can cause problems. When the text gets too large, it might not fit inside a program window or dialog, and you don’t want that.

My normal text size setting is 120%.

Now I’m going to move the slider up to 180%. Notice the text size on the webpage behind the Start menu at 120% (above) versus 180% below. Also, note the text labels on the Start menu at 120% and 180%.

When you change the text size, you must click “Apply” to make the change. When you click apply, you’ll see a blue screen telling you to “Please wait” while the changes are being made. When the blue screen disappears, your news settings have been applied. And they’ll remain that way unless you change the text size settings again.

Keep in mind that not all programs will be affected by this change, but many will. If you’re like me, you’ll have to play with this setting to get the text size that works best for you and the way you use your computer. The nice part about it is that it’s quick and easy to change. So, experiment and see how you can make the text on your computer easier to read.

If you want to make text bigger on web pages and in emails, see our tip here. 

Five Windows Key Shortcuts We Bet You Don’t Know
Windows 10 / Windows 11

There is nothing we like better than a quicker, faster, easier way to do computer things. Today, we’re going to show you five Windows Key Shortcuts we bet you don’t already know.  And if you do, that’s great, this will serve to refresh your memory!  Ready? Set? Go!

1. The Clipboard Time Machine (Win + V)

We all know Ctrl + V pastes the last thing you copied. But what if you copied a link ten minutes ago and then accidentally copied something else?

If you’ve turned Clipboard History on (Settings > System > Clipboard), Win + V opens your Clipboard History. Then you can scroll through a list of the last 25 items you copied (text, links, or images) and pick the one you need. You can even “pin” items you use daily (like a complex email signature) to Clipboard History so they stay there forever.

2. Quick Desktop Peek (Win + ,)

Windows Key + , (Windows key + the comma key) makes all your open windows disappear while you hold the keys. All the windows come back when you release the keys.
As soon as you let go of the keys, your windows snap back to exactly where they were.

3. The Taskbar Speed-Dial (Win + [Number])

Look at the icons pinned to your taskbar at the bottom of the screen. Pressing Windows key + 1 opens the first app on your taskbar, Win + 2 opens the second, and so on.

4. The “Emergency” Black Screen Wake-up (Win + Ctrl + Shift + B)

Every Windows user has experienced that moment where the screen goes black, or the graphics seem to “freeze,” and the mouse won’t move. (Windows key + CTRL+ SHIFT+ B restarts your graphics driver without rebooting your computer. You’ll hear a short beep, and the screen will flicker for a second. This often “unfreezes” a PC that seems like it has crashed, saving you from having to hold down the power button to turn off the PC and lose your work.

5. The Snipping Tool (Win + Shift + S)

Windows key + SHIFT + S instantly dims the screen and lets you draw a box around exactly what you want to capture on your screen. The “snip” is immediately saved to your clipboard. You can then just hit Ctrl + V to paste that specific image into an email, a Word doc, a chat, Microsoft Paint, or any image editor. It’s the fastest way to share something on your screen.

Want more tips, tricks, and information?

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Easy Context Menu: The Easy Way to Take Control of Your Windows Context Menu  

The best things in life are free… And it is often true that the best things in the world of software are free, too! When we found this little freeware gem, we realized it does so many things that it would be impossible to cover them all in one short post, but with the help of the developer, we’re going to try.

A Quick and Easy Context Menu Editor

We were looking for a quick and easy context menu editor to help folks remove all the useless entries on the Windows context menu (right-click menu). If you don’t know what a context menu is, it’s the menu that appears when you right-click a folder or your desktop.

Here’s an example of a context menu…

And Easy Context Menu makes that so amazingly simple to edit your context menu and remove unwanted items, that we can describe it with one screenshot and just a few words:

How to Clean the Right-Click Menu

Everyone who’s been using Windows for a while knows that many programs you download think they’re so important that you need them to create context menu items for them. It’s rarely true. However, after you’ve been using your computer for a while and downloading and installing software, you’ll notice your context menu gets long and full of things you’ll never use.

Easy Context Menu has a context menu cleaner that makes it super easy to remove any unwanted entries from the context menu.

Select an unwanted entry and click the Delete button to remove it from your context menu. It’s that simple.

But wait, there’s more!

(Above – Easy Context Menu lets you add “Copy to” and “Move to” entries to your right-click menu.)

Here’s the developer’s description to tell you more about Easy Context Menu…

Easy Context Menu (ECM) lets you add a variety of useful commands and tweaks to the Desktop, My Computer, Drives, File, and Folder right-click context menus. This enables you to access the most used Windows components quickly and easily. Simply check the box next to the items you wish to add. Once added, just right click and the select the component shortcut to launch it. Easy Context Menu is both portable and freeware.

How to use

Extract the ZIP to the folder of your choice, and then run the program. Select your desired context menu entries by ticking the adjacent checkbox, then click the Apply Changes button.

Easy Context Menu has six main categories and three sub-categories:
1. Desktop Context Menu
2. My Computer Context Menu
2a: Tools
2b: System Tools
2c: Turn Off options
3. Drives Context Menu
4. Folder Context Menu
5. File Context Menu
6. EXE file Context Menu

Found within are all of Sordum’s small tools: Delete Temp Files, Restart Windows Explorer, Show or Hide Hidden Files/Folders, Show or Hide File Extensions, Rebuild Shell Icon Cache, Select All Files, Copy IP address, Reduce Memory, Fix Print Spooler, Take Ownership (which has no UAC problem, and it also works in Windows XP).

You can elect to show or hide the icon for any item by right-clicking on it and selecting “Enable Icon”. Click “Enable Icon” again to toggle it back off.

The same menu allows you to arrange icon positions (Top, Middle or Bottom) or jump directly to the registry key for that item. The “Enable Shift-Click” option sets the item as hidden on the menu until you press the Shift key, which then makes it visible.

Add any program to your context menu

With Easy Context Menu, it is very easy to add any program to your right click menu. To do so:
1. Open the List Editor
2. Drag and drop your desired program into the editor

3. Click the “Save Changes” button and close then List Editor
4. Now you will see the newly added program in ECM’s main window. Just select it and click the Apply Changes button.

For more information about using Easy Context Menu, please visit the developer’s website. It will be worth your time.

Easy Context Menu is freeware. You don’t need to install it, just unzip the file, and click on EcMenu_x64.  Easy Context Menu works on Windows 10 and Windows 11.

The download button is at the bottom of the Easy Context Menu website… here.

The direct download link is here. 

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The Dryer

One might think that I was going to attempt to emulate a Stephen King horror story about a clothes dryer run amuck. Perhaps escaping from its normal confines the dryer set out to eat Manhattan or perhaps terrorize drivers on Route 66. But, I'm sorry to say, nothing so thrilling as that will appear in my little screed today. However if you're getting older you might want to keep reading as there may be some things that hit home.

So, why is this essay called "The Dryer". Well, because it is about a clothes dryer - an American clothes dryer.. I have articles about how our friends in Britain don't like clothes dryers and tend to dry their clothes. That's what Google says, anyway:

"While many British households do own a tumble dryer, they are often viewed as a "last resort" rather than a daily necessity. If you’ve ever noticed "clothes horses" (drying racks) in every UK living room or seen laundry hanging out even in chilly weather, it’s due to a mix of architecture, economics, and a bit of cultural stubbornness. "

Now, keep your cool and don't blow up at me, That's what Google said. I have no idea what's really going on over there, as I have never had the pleasure of visiting Great Britain.

This essay is called The Dryer becasue it's about a clothes dryer...

Read the rest of this essay here. 

Browsers vs. Search Engines

These two terms get swapped all the time, but they are very different tools.

The Browser is the "vehicle" you use to get onto the internet. Examples are Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, or Firefox.

The Search Engine is the "map" or the "library" inside that vehicle. Examples are Google, Bing, or DuckDuckGo.

You open your Browser to go to a Search Engine so you can find a website. It’s like using a car (the browser) to drive to a library (the search engine) to find a specific book (the website).

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Have a great weekend... be safe!

Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly - Issue #1163
Volume 23 Number 14
January 23, 2026 

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