InfoAve Premium Bonus Questions & Answers: Part 8

By | November 8, 2019
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InfoAve Premium Bonus Questions & Answers: Part 8

Each week we receive more questions than we can answer in the newsletter due to space restrictions. We try to answer every question we receive. Unfortunately, we just don’t have room to put all the questions and answers in our weekly Premium newsletter. 

So now, each week, we will put some of the questions and answers we had to leave out of or Cloudeight InfoAve Premium newsletter and post them here and share them with our Cloudeight InfoAve Premium subscribers, our InfoAve Daily subscribers and our website visitors also.

Below are just a few of the questions and answers that we didn’t have room in this week’s (November 8, 2019 – Issue #839) InfoAve Premium newsletter.

Thanks so much to all of you who sent us your questions last week. Please keep them coming!


Maria asks about Dashlane and LastPass
I just read that you recommend LastPass. I currently use Dashlane and my subscription is coming up. I pay $59.99 a year for Dashlane premium. They provide us with monthly credit scores. What is the difference between Dashlane and LastPass? If I can get comparable service for free (or less), I would be interested in switching.

Our answer
Hi Maria. As far as the free credit score with Dashlane, they’re not free if you’re paying $60 a year for a password manager. You can get free credit scores included with many major credit cards and you can also get free credit scores (really free) from www.creditkarma.com and Credit Sesame.

When Dashlane was first released, it was a really good password manager, but no better than RoboForm or LastPass. I can’t imagine any password manager working better or that is easier to use than LastPass or RoboForm. As I kept testing Dashlane, I noticed it started using up more and more system resources. A password manager should manage passwords and secure notes and should barely use any system resources.

LastPass (free version) has unlimited password storage, secure notes, etc. And you can use it on multiple devices. If you’re going to use LastPass I recommend that instead of downloading the one-size-fits-all version for all browsers, you download the version specific to the browser(s) you use. RoboForm has a free version but it has some restrictions.

If you use Chrome, download/install LastPass for Chrome here. This version also works in Edge Dev.

If you use Firefox, download/install LastPass for Firefox here.

if you use Internet Explorer, you’ll have to download the one-size-fits-all version you can get at https://www.lastpass.com/

Since you are using Windows 8, you don’t have Microsoft Edge, but for those using Windows 10 and the MS Edge browser, LastPass for Edge is available from the Windows Store – here.

I hope this helps you make a decision – and saves you $60 a year.


Joyce is suspicious of a newsletter that looks like ours
I’ve been getting emails from this site, which at first I opened but have suspicious thoughts now that it is a website imitating yours. The place of origin is not the same as yours at the bottom of the webpage.

Email address says it is sent from noreply+feedproxy@google.com

Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States

Could you please verify this? Thanks so much, Joyce.

Our answer
Hi Joyce. You read our newsletters and heed our advice and that’s good. And it’s good you’re checking up on this.

You can rest easy, Google is the sender for our InfoAve Daily.

noreply+feedproxy@google.com is the return address.

The way our daily news works is kind of unique. Google checks our site at www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/ for any new posts on any given day, and it fi finds any new posts, it sends the posts it gathers out in the form of a summary newsletter that is usually sent to subscribers around 10:00 PM Eastern time — although times are totally at Google’s discretion. Almost every day there’s new content our InfoAve site, so almost every night there’s a daily newsletter 🙂

It’s great to double-check things when you’re not certain.

I hope this helps you. Good job, Joyce.


Barb has a question about the text in Thunderbird email
This question is regarding Thunderbird email. I need to know what I’m doing that causes Thunderbird to switch from normal type to italic when I have not selected any change at all. It would seem that there is another area where this change can be done, and if I could find out where it is, I might have some hope of preventing this unwanted change. I think I must be hitting some key that does it, but where is it? Thanks if you have an answer.

Our answer
Hi Barb. Here’s a quick and simple answer:

CTRL+ I changes any selected text to and from italics. Also, Clicking the “i” icon on the toolbar will change it to and from italics.

Typing next to letters (for example, when replying to someone) will pick up the italics from the preceding text.

You can check in Tools, Options, Display – make sure you don’t have italics listed there.

More text tips: CTRL+ B will make any selected text “Bold”, as will clicking on the B icon on the toolbar. And CTRL + U will underline any selected text – as will clicking on the “U” in the toolbar.

I hope this helps you, Barb.


Bob asks about a BSOD (Blue Screen of Death)
Hi TC & EB. Tonight as I was about to power off my desktop PC it went to a Blue Screen and said it was restarting and what failed was “tcpipsys” with SYSTEM SERVICE EXCEPTION in all caps. It seems to be working okay but should I do something or worry that my PC is on its last legs? Thank you.

Our answer
Hi Robert. If you only get a BSOD (Blue Screen) once in a blue moon you don’t need to worry. It’s usually a hardware fault that won’t occur again. But if you get them frequently such as every day or two, you might have a hardware issue that needs to be fixed.

I think every Windows user has seen a Blue Screen at some time or other. If this is the first one you’ve seen or the first one you’ve seen in a long time, don’t worry about it. Seeing one does not meet your computer is chomping on its last byte.

I hope this eases your mind.
————
Robert wrote back: “Thank you TC for the reply. This is the first Blue Screen I have seen on any of my machines since my original 1995 Gateway model with 562 MB of RAM (powerful eh?) and I have had a few machines since then. You and EB always ease my mind when I see anything of yours online. Thank you again. Robert.”


Carol says she’s not getting our newsletter at her Microsoft (MSN) address
I have not received the last few editions. They are not in my spam folder either so I would like to change my email address to my gmail acct. I am sure you have instructions on how to do this somewhere but I haven’t been able to find it. I would appreciate a quick note on how to do this. Thanks for all you do!

Our answer
Hi Carol. Thanks! We are aware of this and are working with our newsletter service to find out why Microsoft accounts (MSN, Hotmail, Live, Outlook.com) are blocking our newsletter.

Please see this article we sent to our InfoAve Daily subscribers recently.

This is another great reason to subscribe to our Daily newsletter as well. We notified all our Daily subscribers about this yesterday. Our weekly newsletter comes from a different service than our Daily so if you don’t receive one, you will receive the other.

Our daily newsletter is free and it’s very short (one or two articles). You can subscribe here.


Paul has a question about his computer’s sound as well as a question about Emsisoft
I have a strange thing that happens now and then on my desktop (for over a year or two). It doesn’t happen all the time, but on occasion, while I’m playing a game or looking at Youtube, the sound on my computer cuts off. When I restart my computer, the sound comes back and all is well for days or weeks. One time I brought my PC to be examined by a computer place but they couldn’t find anything wrong. Would you guys have any idea why this would happen?

By the way, if I purchase another Emsisoft license now (it doesn’t expire till next week) does the annual license begin on the expiry date, or does it begin on the day I purchase it? Thanks. Paul

Our answer
Hi Paul. Thanks for your support.

FOR YOUR SOUND PROBLEMS

Sound issues require a physical presence to fix. If restarting your computer fixes the problem, it may be a problem with your sound drivers, but I’m guessing. Don’t use Windows device manager to upgrade drivers, it almost always tells you that the best drivers for your device are already installed.

Press Windows Key + R
Type MSINFO32 in the run box
Press Enter

Find out what kind of sound card your computer has and then visit the manufacturer’s site and see if there are any updated drivers ( the date of release should be on the site next to the driver).

Reminder: Never install a driver updater program or you will just exacerbate any hardware issues you have.

EMSISOFT RENEWAL

When you renew Emsisoft we’ll add 365 days to your license regardless of how much time is left on your current license. Let’s say you have 9 days left on your license and you buy a renewal, you’ll have 374 days on your license. If you have 300 days left you’d have 665 days if you renewed.

Thanks for your support, Paul! 


Sandy gets a Blue Screen
My computer keeps popping up a blue page with a sad smiley face that says Unexpected Kernel mode trap, and it stays on that blue page till I shut my computer down manually. I went online and typed that in the parenthesis on google and it popped up this web site to fix it. I don’t dare try to fix it or click on it unless I check with you folks. I don’t trust anyone but you, so just asking you if this is a safe thing to do. Can you help?

Our answer
Hi Sandy. You did the right thing – anyone or any product that promise to easily fix a BSOD (Blue screen) is not being honest. Most often blue screens are caused by hardware issues or incorrect drivers and it can take a lot of work and a lot of time to diagnose.

Everyone who uses Windows will see a blue screen once in a great while, but if you see them regularly something is wrong – mostly like it’s a hardware or driver problem causing the blue screen “Stop” error on your computer.

First, if you have installed a driver updater – intentionally or unintentionally – make sure you uninstall it. The one we see installed most often is the one that comes bundled with a lot of freeware – its called “Driver Support”. Many people don’t even know they have it. If you see anything like that installed, uninstall it.

Then, go to the Microsoft Blue Screen Troubleshooter page and follow the instructions and answer the questions and see if it can determine the cause for your blue screen.

Also, read our article about Blue Screens here.

And if you have any more questions please let me know. Also, let us know if the troubleshooter page and/or our article help you.


Jim misses Picasa and is looking for a replacement
I really miss Picasa and especially its ability to send pictures via email. I have been looking for an alternative ever since Google stopped support for the program. In your experience, have you or can you suggest something that is as easy to use and offers much the same results.

Thank you for considerations.

Our answer
Hi Jim. There are no exact replacements for Picasa, Google Photos is one, but most people don’t like it.

I think the Windows 10 Photos App does a great job of organizing photos and it comes with Windows 10. Is it as good as Picasa? No. Is it better than Google Photos? In my opinion, it is.

Here’s an article we wrote a couple of years ago 

The Windows Photos App has made a lot of improvements since we wrote that, but you’ll see how Windows Photos app can help you organize, collate, and edit your photos.

Please let me know what you think.


Sharon A. is frightened by an email she received
I received this email and knew someone was phishing. I was quite shocked as they have one of my not-very-secure passwords. I’ve never received an email quite like this one and it’s very concerning and actually scary to me. Please give me your take on this. Is it something new going around? How did they get this password? And is there anything I need to do? And by the way, I didn’t click on any links nor do I have a webcam. He’s not getting any of my money either. 🙂 Thanks, guys!

Hey, I know your password is: 544929930#

 

Your computer was infected with my malware, RAT (Remote Administration Tool), your browser wasn’t updated/patched, in such case, it’s enough to just visit some website where my iframe is placed to get automatically infected if you want to find out more – Google: “Drive-by exploits”.

 

My malware gave me full access and control over your computer, meaning, I got access to all your accounts (see password above) and I can see everything on your screen, turn on your camera or microphone and you won’t even notice about it.

 

I collected all your private data and I RECORDED YOU (through your webcam ……

After that, I removed my malware to not leave any traces.

 

Transfer exactly 900$ with the current bitcoin (BTC) price to my bitcoin address.

 

It’s a very good offer, compared to all that horrible xxxx that will happen if I publish … (yada, yada, yada).

Our answer
Hi Sharon. We get about 50 of these a week with part or some of what may be a password and a guess at a user name.

We wrote an article about this back in October. Just about everyone gets these kinds of emails.

Please read our article here.

Make sure you always use strong passwords and that you change the ones that are used for financial transactions every six months -and you have nothing to worry about. The best way to do this is to use a good password manager like LastPass or RoboForm.

If you have any other questions please let us know.


Ron R. wants to know about Internet Explorer
I have used Internet Explorer forever. I never cared about any other until some of the places that I need to look at telling me that they will no longer be supporting Internet Explorer 11. So what to do? I would like to have another browser to use (like Chrome) but I get confused as to do you just get rid of I.E.? Do you bounce back and forth between browsers? Can you help this old guy out? Oh! I have been with you guys so long that I don’t remember whos who.

Our answer
Hi Ron. Thanks for your long-time support. There are still only 2 of us here – the same ones that have always been here. We’re old-timers now.

Now to your question: Browsers are one of the most personal choices people have to make, just like the choice of email programs. However, Internet Explorer is old technology and the Web is changing and sooner or later there will be sites that will no longer work with Internet Explorer 11. When that happens, you’ll have to make a choice.

As of right now, Microsoft is still supporting IE 11 but it will no longer be upgraded.

You can have as many browsers installed on your computer as you wish. You’re not limited to one browser. I have 7 installed on my PC and I use 3 regularly (Chrome, Firefox, Edge Dev). But only one browser can be your default browser. My default is Chrome. Your default browser is the one that opens automatically when you click a link.

You can install Chrome and continue to use IE as your default browser if you want to. You can use and try Chrome by opening it from the shortcut that’s automatically placed on your desktop & start menu when you install it. You can, if you wish, make Chrome your default browser whenever you’re ready by opening Settings > Apps > Default apps > Browser and choosing Chrome.

You can download and install Chrome here. And you don’t have to do anything with Internet Explorer.

If you have any more questions, please let me know.


You made it! Thanks for reading the extra questions and answers!

Smileycons!

3 thoughts on “InfoAve Premium Bonus Questions & Answers: Part 8

  1. Pat Harrison

    Thanks for ALL you do!!! You guys are the BEST!!! What would we do without you???????

    Reply
  2. Pollyann Knox

    11/15/2019
    Good morning to both of you.
    I hope you can help me with my problem. I am going blind ( the drs. say I may stay like I am now or ). I am unable to see the print on anything unless it is dark. For me your print could be a little darker. On Facebook is there anyway the print could be made darker. Some print these days are so small I am unable to read. I love to read and I am one of those that may hit like, but I have read every word. I am 87 years old. Thank you for all the information you give us. Have a great weekend.

    Reply
    1. infoave Post author

      Hi Pollyann. I’m sorry to hear about your vision problems. The text on our site black and the background is white. There is nothing lighter than white or darker than black. Have you tried zooming to make the text larger on Websites? It’s easy to do and making black text bigger makes it look darker too. See our post here to learn how to use your keyboard or keyboard & mouse to zoom text to make it easier to read. You might also want to try accessibility extensions or add-ons for your browser. If you let me know what browser you use, I can help you look for an extension or add-on to help you.

      High contrast may be an option. This would not only affect how Web pages look but also make things on your computer easier to see. Press and hold down the Windows Key + U to open Ease of Access Center on Windows 10. In Ease of Access click on High Contrast in the menu on the left and turn High Contrast on. Then you can fine-tune it exactly as you want it.

      Please let me know if this helps you.

      Reply

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