Cloudeight InfoAve Weekly - A weekly computer publication featuring tips, tricks, website & freeware picks, answers to your computer questions and more!

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Uwe is frustrated with Gmail
Hi Folks: How do I get into my Gmail account from my laptop? I went through the motions:

Then they say they will leave a code on my phone, but I don't want my phone involved. Besides, they don't have my phone number.

So I'm going round and round trying to get into Gmail. I hardly use Gmail, and got into the account easily sometime ago. They must have changed how to get in to check the email.

In short, I want to get into my Gmail account without using my phone. I just want to sign in from my laptop. Maybe I used the wrong URL? Please advise.

Norman wants to know how to log in to Microsoft with a new PC
How can you recover your password so you can log into Microsoft with a new pc?

Our answer
Hi Norman. Here is the most direct way to recover that password: Go to the Microsoft Reset Password page. You can do this from any computer or phone.

Enter your email address, phone number, or Skype name associated with the account.

Microsoft will ask how you want to receive your security code (usually via a secondary email or a text message to your phone).

Enter your email address or phone number associated with the account.

Microsoft will ask how you want to receive your security code (usually via a secondary email or a text message to your phone).

Check your phone or backup email for the 6-digit or 7-digit code they sent.

Type that into the reset screen.

Create a New Password: Pick something strong that you’ll remember

Hope this helps you, Norman.

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Sandy wants to know about Winhance
I ran across a link on your home page, which I use religiously on all my browsers, that recommends a free Windows clean-up program called Winhance. It claims to perform many of the optimization tasks built into Windows, but performs some that require a registry tweak or are not available in Windows. I have downloaded the installer, but I will wait for your recommendation before I actually install it.

Our answer
Hi Sandy. Thanks for using our website. We have never recommended Winhance on our home page, newsletters, or anywhere else. You may have seen a 3rd-party advertisement on our site, placed there by Google. Google places ads on our site, but we don't control the ads they place. Their ads are (or should be) clearly identified.

We recommend BleachBit and Windows Storage Spaces for cleaning up computers. BleachBit is free, and Windows Storage Sense comes with Windows 10 and 11.

You can read more about BleachBit here.

I hope this helps you, Sandy.

Sidney says that after the latest Windows Update, Copy to & Move to no longer appear on the context menu

I think my laptop did a Windows 11 update during the night. Things were a little different this morning. My biggest issue is that "Copy to...Move to" disappeared from the right-click menu. I tried reinstalling them without success. I even deleted the file I had used before and downloaded a fresh file from you. I then extracted and went through the installation process, but they do not show in the menu. I wonder if the new update is responsible?

Our answer
Hi Sidney. Because I'm skeptical of Windows Updates, I always delay installing them as long as I can so Microsoft can fix the bugs that seem to infect most updates. After thirty years of using Windows, I've finally learned how not to be a Windows update guinea pig. So I'm still delaying the feature update, so I cannot tell you firsthand if the update broke the Copy to / Move to feature. But it's not uncommon for this to happen - we've had at least 3 different Copy to / Move to registry tweaks over the years. If the update did break the Copy to / Move to feature, then we'll have to work on figuring out a new tweak that will work with whatever Microsoft did to cause the current Copy to / Move to script to stop working.

Did you download the latest version of the Copy to/ Move to script from this page?

If you downloaded the latest version from that page and you still don't see it, then it looks like it is back to the drawing board. We will have to figure out a way to make it work again.

Also, I want to clarify that Windows Updates are very important, and I am not advising skipping them - just delaying them to avoid the early bugs.

Kris says this is the best thing since sliced bread for stopping spam calls
TC & Darcy. Found on my neighbor's chat this morning, a video of a guy who had an idea of stopping SPAM callers. Amazing, it works. This guy was on X 3 days ago. It's an endless loop and works perfectly. I can't do this, as an almost 87-year-old lady with not much knowledge of the computer. You have the skills to do this for yourselves, and maybe invent a program for your followers. Here's the URL https://x.com/i/status/2046937065955426680Thought you'd both really think this is the best thing since sliced bread.

Our answer
Hi Kris. The video, first of all, is clickbait. It's worded to make you click a link. Actually, the video is about automated scripts (revenge bots) that act like a confused, chatty elderly person to keep telemarketers and spammers on the line for as long as possible. It’s designed for "revenge"—wasting the scammer's time so they aren't calling someone else. As you noted, setting this up requires technical skills (like managing a VOIP server). It is not a simple setting you turn on in your phone. While the "revenge" bots are funny to watch on social media, they are for hobbyists. For everyone else, "The Silent Treatment" (not answering and using carrier blocks) is the only way to actually reduce the number of calls over time.

If you answer a spam call—even if you just hang up or use a funny bot—it tells the scammer's computer that your number is "active." This actually leads to more calls in the future. By not answering, your number eventually looks "dead" to their systems.

Also, almost all major carriers (Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile) now have free apps (like Call Filter or Shield) that do a great job of identifying "Scam Likely" calls before the phone even rings.

But for you and most of us, "The Silent Treatment" (not answering and using carrier blocks) is the only way to actually reduce the number of calls over time. You won't miss any important calls. If the call is important, the caller will leave a message, and if the caller is legitimate, you can call them back.

I hope this helps you avoid those spam calls, Kris.

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Cloudeight InfoAve Premium -Tips & Tricks

Back Button Hijacking
Windows 10 / Windows 11

Have you ever been browsing a website, clicked the "Back" button in your browser, and found yourself trapped? Instead of returning to the previous page, the site keeps you stuck, reloads the same page, or forces you to a different, often suspicious, website. If this sounds familiar, you have encountered Back Button Hijacking.

What Exactly Is It?

Back button hijacking is a deceptive technique used by some websites to manipulate your browser history. When you land on a page using this tactic, the site injects multiple "dummy" entries into your browser’s history stack in a fraction of a second. When you click "Back," you aren't going to the previous page; you are just moving to one of the fake, hidden entries the hijacker created.

Why Do They Do It? Money & Keeping You Locked In

The primary goal is user retention (locking you into their pages) and ad revenue. By preventing you from easily leaving, they force more ad views to generate revenue, redirect you to affiliate sites, and attempt to push fake "system updates" or intrusive software downloads.

How to Escape the Trap

If you find yourself stuck in a hijacking loop, try these methods to regain control:

1. The "Right-Click" Shortcut: Instead of clicking the Back button, right-click on it. A menu will appear showing your recent history for that tab. Select the site you were visiting before the current one to jump over all the fake entries at once.

2. Close the Tab: The simplest method. Just click the "X" on the browser tab to close it entirely.

3. Use the History Menu: Open your browser's full History (Ctrl + H) and select a page you know you visited earlier.

How to Stay Safe

While browsers are constantly updated to block this behavior, it is smart to stay proactive.

1. Keep your browser updated to ensure you have the latest security patches.

2. Use a reputable ad-blocking extension, which can often identify and block the scripts responsible for manipulating browser history. We recommend uBlock Origin for Firefox, Edge, and most other browsers, and uBlock Origin Lite for Chrome.

3. Be skeptical of suspicious links found in emails or social media.

Your "Back" button is meant to be a safety net, not a cage.

Be vigilant, keep learning, and browse safely!

Decluttering Your Windows Taskbar
Windows 10 / Windows 11

For some reason, Microsoft thinks it knows what you want on your Taskbar. But does it? NO! It doesn’t. The Windows taskbar is a great place to put the shortcuts for the apps you use most because when you put those shortcuts on your Taskbar, you save time. But if you have a large search bar and a bunch of other icons taking up space on your Taskbar, you have less space available to put shortcuts to the apps you use most on your Taskbar. Windows 11 adds other (for most people) useless icons like “Widgets” and “Task view” to your taskbar by default, too.

So let’s increase the amount of Taskbar space you have to work with. If you’re using Windows 10, jump over to this page for our tutorial on declutterizing your Windows 10 Taskbar.

Maximize the Taskbar Space on Windows 11

First of all, while it’s easy to move the Windows 11 Taskbar so that it’s aligned to the left, like all previous Windows versions, I’ve come to prefer having it centered. But I still don’t like the default clutter. At least in Windows 11, Microsoft removed the Cortana icon, the big search box, and the People icon that were displayed by default on Windows 10. But then they went and spoiled it all by putting a “Chat” icon (trying to convert Zoom users to Microsoft Teams – this was removed in a recent update. There’s also a Widgets icon that I never use (and you probably don’t either)

Maximize the Taskbar Space on Windows 11

First of all, while it’s easy to move the Windows 11 Taskbar so that it’s aligned to the left, like all previous Windows versions, I’ve come to prefer having it centered. But I still don’t like the default clutter. At least in Windows 11, Microsoft removed the Cortana icon, the big search box, and the People icon that were displayed by default on Windows 10. But then they went and spoiled it all by putting a “Chat” icon (trying to convert Zoom users to Microsoft Teams) and a Widgets icon that I never use (and you probably don’t either)

Step #1: Declutterizing the Windows 11 Taskbar

Right-click on an empty space on your Windows 11 Taskbar, and click “Taskbar settings”. The “Personalization > Taskbar” page will open. At the top, you’ll see the “Taskbar items” settings. All you need to do is turn the switches off next to the items you don’t want cluttering up your taskbar.

Step #2: Declutterizing the Windows 11 Taskbar

The next section on the Personalization > Taskbar page is the “Taskbar corner icons” section. This section allows you to turn off icons that are displayed near the right edge of the taskbar (near the clock). If you don’t like Widgets and don’t use the Pen menu or the Touch keyboard, turn them off. For most users, Widgets is on by default. The Touchpad and Pen menus are both off by default.