Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers – 020125

By | February 1, 2025

 

 

Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers – 020125

Our first Bonus Questions and Answers for February. Winter is crawling along like a tree sloth. We must endure! Anyway, it’s Saturday and time for another edition of Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers.

Sometimes the best tips and tricks are hidden in the questions and answers we publish. And rarely do we post questions and answers on this website. Today, we’re featuring some of the questions and answers from past issues of our InfoAve Weekly newsletters. 

These questions & answers were selected at random from past InfoAve Weekly newsletters.


Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers – 020125


Daniel wants to know how to add Trusted sites in uBlock Origin
I have been using uBlock Origin for a long time now…since I first read about it in your newsletters. I wonder if you can tell me how to add Trusted Sites in uBlock Origin  Could you please help? Thank you. Daniel.

Our answer
Hi Daniel. If you want to exempt a website from ad filtering – in other words, you want to support a site by allowing advertising on that site -it’s easy to do. Right-click on the uBlock Origin icon on your browser’s toolbar, click on Options, then click on the “Trusted sites” tab.

Cloudeight InfoAve

Type your trusted site’s URL (minus the http:// or https:// or www) into the Trusted site dialog, as in the screenshot above. As you can see, I’ve added thundercloud.net to the Trusted sites list. Once you have added the site, don’t forget to click “Apply changes.”
We hope this helps you, Daniel.


Jane has a question about saving emails
Hi, I have another question. So, glad you are always here to help. I have been saving your daily emails on a flash drive every day. I went to open one and it was a bunch of things in a column. I could not make out anything. I opened the other ones I had saved, and they were all like that. When I saved one, I opened it and clicked on save as to the flash drive. Can you tell me what I did wrong or how to save them to a flash drive? Is there any hope to recover the ones I have already saved? Again, thank you for all the help you have given me in the past. I truly appreciate all the help. You, always answer very quickly. Many thanks again. Have a great day!

Our answer
Hi Jane. It depends on how you read them. Do you read them with an Email program? If so, what program? Many programs save the files as EML files and you can store them on a flash drive, but it would be inconvenient since they’re small (under 60KB for the Weekly and only a few KB for the Daily newsletters). It would take about 200 newsletters to make 1 Megabyte and 20,000 to make one gigabyte.

Since you use Gmail, all the newsletters we send are already stored in Gmail in the “All Mail” folder. You can create a special folder on Gmail (Label) on Gmail and move all the emails to that folder.

If you really want to save them to a flash drive, you could convert them to PDF files which you can easily do in Windows 10 or Windows 11 using the print-to-PDF feature. Once you save them as PDF files you can open them with a browser and all the pictures and links will work. You can learn how to use Print to PDF by following our tutorial here. It only takes a few seconds to one.

Finally, almost everything in our newsletters is or has been published on our website. You can print anything on our site to a PDF file just by clicking the Print Friendly button you’ll see at the top of every article.

We hope this answers your questions, but if not, just let us know.ear browsing history in Microsoft Edge


Connie’s sister can’t get rid of Norton
My sister bought an antivirus for her computer. She removed Norton but it seems to be still there, is there any way to remove it completely? Thanks for any help you might give.

Our answer
Hi Connie. Sadly, you cannot completely install Norton without using the Norton removal tool. Norton knows that the average computer user is going to try to uninstall Norton using Control Panel > Programs > Uninstall a program. However, if you do that, it leaves parts of Norton behind, sometimes including a part to remind you that Norton is no longer protecting your computer – even though another antivirus may be.

You can download the Norton Removal tool here. Run it and follow the instructions on the screen when doing the removal,

We hope this helps you, Connie.


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Dianne wants to know how to download files from Amazon Drive
Hello to you both – I have photos kept on Amazon Drive. I received an email from them saying that as of December there will no longer be any backup service. OK – all well & good, but I have no idea how to move those photos from Amazon to One Drive cloud. I suspect a simple way exists, but it is eluding me. So – help, please. Kind regards – Dianne Adams.

Our answer
Hi Dianne. Here’s how to download files from Amazon Drive to your PC.

1. Go to Amazon Drive and log in to your account.

2. Select any files, folders, albums, photos, or videos you want to download. *Note: You can select up to 1,000 files or up to 5 GB total at a time)

3. Click Download on the top bar.

4. The files you selected will be downloaded to your computer’s default download location (usually “Downloads”).

We hope this helps you, Dianne.
———
Dianne wrote back: “Hello TC. I knew there was a simple solution, but I was so wound up about saving my 101 photos of my cat and my family, that the simple solution eluded me. Thank you so much for your endless patience and excellent work. Kind regards – Dianne.”


Cathy wants her daily desktop wallpaper back
Hi there. Since I upgraded my Windows 10 computer to Windows 11,  my Bing wallpaper is gone. I really miss seeing the new wallpaper every day. How can get this back on my computer? Thanks for your help. I really enjoy your daily and weekly newsletters.

Our answer
Hi Cathy. Thanks for your nice comments.  Here’s the article we wrote about the Bing wallpaper app. It contains a download link and other information. The Bing Wallpaper app works on Windows 10 and Windows 11. 

We hope this helps you, Cathy. 


Rhonda wants to know if she can install programs on an external hard drive
Hello again Darcy and TC. Will programs run satisfactorily if installed on an external drive? I am using Windows 10, My C is solid state 250 GB and is very nearly full causing my computer to run slow and for Windows and office programs to often become unresponsive. All documents, Outlook files, etc. are on the much larger D internal hard drive. Thanks for your news, information, and help. Regards, Rhonda

Our answer
Hi Rhonda, Generally programs will run slower on an external drive. You should move files off your SSD that don’t have to run (Pictures,, documents, etc.) You can move those entire folders to your external drive but you need to do that correctly and then leave the external plugged in all the time or you’ll get error messages.

You don’t say how much space you have left on your internal hard drive “D” but that would be a viable option for moving some files and folders too, as well as for installing programs. Even if your D drive is an HDD (standard hard drive) programs installed on it will run much faster than those installed on an external hard drive that is connected to your computer by a USB cable. So the best way to go is to move 10 or 20 GB of Pictures and Documents to your D drive or an external drive.

I doubt your 250 GB SSD is almost full due to the programs you’ve installed. It’s most likely getting full because your Pictures and Documents folders have many GB of files in them Also, your download folder might be another good place to look to see how the space is being used. Most of the files in the Download folder can be deleted since many of them are installers that were downloaded when you first downloaded the software. Once the software is installed, you don’t need the installer anymore.

Also, clearing your temporary files might just save you a few GBs.

Type STORAGE in the taskbar search. When you see Storage settings appear press Enter. I have a 250 GB SSD on my Windows 11 computer, I have 54 GB of installed apps, 37GB reserved for Windows, 2.6 GB of Temporary Files, 7 GB in Pictures, and 16 GB in Documents, but still have 87.3 GB free. Some folks store a lot more pictures on their computer than I do. I have over 50 GB of photos on OneDrive and Google Photos.

And don’t forget a 250GB SSD does not have 250 GB of space available to begin with, it has about 237 GB.

Clearing your temporary files, deleting program installers for programs you’ve already installed (Downloads folder), and moving most of your pictures and documents to your internal drive D or an external drive would probably increase your SSD free space enough to boost performance.

In the future, assuming you have space available on your internal D drive, you could install programs on it. I don’t recommend you start installing programs on an external drive. Keep in mind that non-responsive programs are more likely to be caused by too many programs starting with Windows and/or not enough RAM (Memory) or too high CPU usage or Disk Activity caused by a process or processes running in the background. You can check to see which process or processes are using up too much RAM, CPU, or Disk activity (not Disk space) by using Task Manager. See this article to get started.

We hope this helps you, Rhonda.


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Martin wants to know if we’ve ever written an article comparing password managers
Thank you so much TC, you’ve opened my eyes to several scenarios that I never thought of. Especially what would happen if my PC became unusable – that would certainly create problems with passwords stored only locally.Combine that with the nightmare of having to take your PC somewhere to be repaired. While there may be some workarounds, I think you made your point – go with one of the 3 that you suggested.

I have a vague recollection that you have an article that compared them to help us make the best choice for our particular situations. If that’s true, could you send me the link?

Also, as an afterthought, I know your repair services cover a lot – but there may still be some instances where a PC  has to be brought in for repairs. While there are probably many honest places to go to, maybe one day you could write an article about what we should/could do “before” handing our  PC to a relative stranger, be it a company or individual, to best protect the sensitive data that we wouldn’t want to fall into the wrong hands.

Thanks again for your great in-depth reply to my question – you’re the best!

Our answer
Hi Martin. Thanks for your nice comments. We’ve never written an article comparing the three password managers we recommend. We recommend all three equally. 

Bitwarden seems to be the best if you’re looking for a free password manager that can be used on Windows PCs and smartphones. LastPass only allows you to use LastPass free on one type of device (for example 2 Windows PCs). You cannot use the free version on multiple types of devices (i.e. smartphones, PCs, and tablets). If you want your LastPass on multiple kinds of devices you’ll need to pay for it. It’s not expensive. RoboForm (free) can only be used on a single device.
 

As you’ll see Bitwarden offers a free plan for unlimited passwords and unlimited devices. So, if you’re looking for a free password manager you can use on all your devices, then Bitwarden is your best choice.

All 3 are safe to use and secure – as long as you remember your master password is the decrypt key for your passwords. So make your master password a strong one to ensure your passwords are secure.

As for writing an article about how to find a trustworthy PC repair shop, that’s a tall order. There a many honest mom-and-pop repair shops and many that are not honest. It would be impossible for us to recommend or evaluate the thousands of local repair shops. And we sure don’t recommend Best Buy (Geek Squad). One of the best things about remote repair services like our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care Service is that you never have to take your computer anywhere or leave it anywhere – your PC never leaves your sight – and you can watch us while we work and ask questions.

We hope this helps you, Martin.


Dee created the clock screen saver but can’t stop it from spinning.
I was able to create the clock screensaver by following the instructions in your article. But it spins. Is there a way to stop it from spinning? Dee.

Our answer
Hi Dee. Type Screen Saver in the taskbar search  & press Enter when you see Change Screen Saver appear.

Click on “Settings”…

In the Motion section, next to “Rotation Type” click the small down arrow, select “None”, and then press OK at the top. 

After you click OK, you’ll see the Screen Saver dialog again. Click “Apply” / “OK” to save your settings. 
———
Dee wrote back: “Thanks so much. I followed your instructions and now the clock is fine Thanks, Dee.”Cloudeight InfoAve Premium

Bernie wants to know what happens when he chooses “Copy to”
From time to time, I like to block and copy things in your newsletter so that I can find them and study them later. Alas, when I do block them, all I can seem to get is a “copy to” command. That’s fine but where does it go? I’ve hunted all the likely places so it must be in a sliver of the hard drive I can’t find. Blessings, Bernie.

Our answer
Hi Bernie. I don’t understand what you mean by Block & copy. Do you mean select and copy? When I select text/images from our newsletter and right-click the selected text/images, I don’t get a “Copy to” I only get “Copy”. That is what you should get. You should not get “Copy to”. You can do the same thing by selecting a portion of the newsletter and using the shortcut CTRL + C. You can’t use Copy to / Move to copy something in emails, newsletters, or web pages, you can only use Copy to / Move to for files or folders on your computer.

When you select parts of a newsletter and then copy it, it is saved on the Windows Clipboard until you paste it somewhere (like in a Word document or email). The shortcut to paste something you’ve copied is CTRL + V.

We hope this helps you, Bernie.
———-
Bernie wrote back: “Yes, I should have said select and copy not Copy to. I should only have said Copy. A good day is when one learns something new. Clipboard. I never knew it existed. So that’s where the elusive Copy command takes my stuff.”


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Sharon H. asks about ad blockers and permissions
I just read your answer to a question about adblockers and you told the lady about uBlock-a free adblocker program. You said you also used it. When I went to download the program the download box popped up, stating “Add “uBlock-free adblocker”? It can: Read and change all your data on all websites” I did not download the program because of this statement. Please advise. Sharon H.

Our answer
Hi Sharon. The extension requires the ability to “Read and change all your data on the websites you visit”. But it needs this permission because, when you try to save content, the extension must be able to access the current web page and view its data. Almost every extension that interacts with websites does the same thing including password managers like RoboForm, LastPass, and BitWarden. We use it and we recommend uBlock Origin; it has a great reputation.

It’s good you are being cautious. However, we have been recommending and using uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger (which also require the same permissions) for many years. There is nothing nefarious going on, the extensions need those permissions to be able to read site data to protect you from bad links, redirects, drive-by downloads, ads, popup ads, etc.

Still, if you don’t feel comfortable about installing it, it’s your computer and you are the one who has to decide. We recommend uBlock Origin and Privacy Badger and will continue to do so.


Linda wants to use our Cloudeight Start Page as her browser’s start page
Hi TC and Darcy, I am trying to help you both as much as I can and an easy way seems to be to use your start page. I click on the link and your start page opens but when I sign out and then sign back in my old start page is still there. how to make it my default home page. Thanks, Linda

Our answer
Hi Linda. Thanks so much. Using our Start page helps us, especially if you use the search engine on that page.

You have to set a start page in your browser. Here are the instructions for setting a start (home) page in your browser. Our tutorial covers Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and Firefox. If you use a different browser, let us know and we’ll send you the instructions for the browser you use.

We hope this helps you, Linda.


Margaret wants to stop fake notifications
Thanks for all the information in your newsletter over the years, I’ve learned a lot…and forgotten some of it! Starting a couple of days ago I have been receiving messages in ‘Notifications’ that are ringing warning bells! They are supposedly from Norton or McAfee saying to download now or a scan has been done and 5 ‘bugs’ have been found. They have also come from (supposedly) Tim Horton’s and a couple of other businesses. What they all have in common is the ‘Chrome’ followed by a few words and ‘uk.directhit.com’. The last bit is what rang the most bells! I googled ‘uk.directhit’ and Google had no information on the site, and they gave reasons why, one reason was that the site prevented Google from reading the site. I use Cloudeight/Emsisoft. Are there any ways to stop these from coming in? Margaret

Our answer
Hi Margaret. These are some of the oldest scams in the book. Fake scans yield tons of viruses and problems, but you can fix them all by spending money to buy something – McAfee, Norton, Uncle Billy’s Wizard Fixer, et. al.

As far as how to rid of them… here are two things you can do:

1. Reset your browser – and clear your browser’s history (cache) – this will stop any bad extensions you may have installed. After resetting your browser you can turn your good extensions back on. See this page https://www.thundercloud.net/infoave/new/a-quick-and-easy-guide-to-resetting-most-popular-browsers/ to learn how to reset Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge.

2. Install a good ad-blocker – just in case the popups are coming from the web or websites you are visiting. We recommend uBlock Origin or Privacy Badger. You can learn more about uBlock Origin here, and Privacy Badger here.

We hope this helps you, Margaret. If you need anything else, just let us know.
———
Margaret wrote back: “Thank you! I reset Chrome and installed uBlock Origin and haven’t seen a pop-up since. Margaret.”


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