Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers – 082424
In my neck of the woods, the kids are returning to school, and football season is almost here. And, of course, it’s another Saturday and it’s time for a new edition of Saturday Bonus Questions & Answers.
Today, as we do every Saturday, 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.
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Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers – 082424
Once again I need your reliable advice. After putting our home-based business to rest we no longer have a fax and really didn’t see a need for one…until now. Can you recommend a trusted free fax from my computer? I have found, iFax, and CocoFax that do not charge. Have you heard of them? As always, I have learned to go to the best for advice before jumping into something. Thank you and have a blessed day.<
Our answer
Hi Dotty. I had to do some digging & research for you since I don’t ever use fax services. I’m not a Fax expert. I looked at Cocofax, and it seems OK but it’s not free. See this page. iFax does offer five free pages per month.
- HelloFax is a newer fax provider that offers a user-friendly interface and competitive pricing. It offers a free plan (five faxes per month). It also offers 256-bit encryption and mobile faxing.
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- GeniusFax is a pay-as-you-go fax provider that offers 256-bit encryption, mobile faxing, and other features. Current pricing is 19 cents a page.
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Dotty wrote back…“Thank you for all your help. You are always there to help. I chose to go with FaxBurner. I’ll give it a try. Thanks again… Dotty”
I have difficulty with my laptop connecting to the internet. If a USB wifi adaptor bypasses my laptop wireless adapter and connects automatically I need to get one. But I have no idea which one to purchase — a 2.4 USB, 3. USB — 600- Mbps – 12 or 1500 Mbps?All that tells me nothing. My laptop (HP Elite Windows 10) is an older one and I have no idea what I should get that would be strong enough to get me on the internet when I start the computer. I’m tired of having to go to the Internet access site and work it until it connects. If it says connected, the laptop is not on the internet. If it says disconnected, the laptop is on the internet. What do I need to look for in a USB Wi-Fi adapter?
Our answer
Hi Patsy, Don’t worry about the numbers. What you want is fast enough and plug-and-play (no need to download drivers). So, I have a plug-and-play ($9) USB Wi-Fi adapter on the computer I’m using right now and I’m getting speeds of 425 Mbps of the 500 Mbps promised by my ISP. Your speed will depend on the Internet speed provided by your ISP.
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Patsy wrote back…”Thank you for the quick response and the valuable info. Patsy”
Marty wants to know the best way to uninstall (remove) a printer
Hi Darcy and TC. My dad turned me on to you folks many years ago before he passed.
I’m indebted to you for all I’ve learned from reading your articles and replies to others over these many years. I feel like you’re “family”, in the way you relate to us and help us.
My question is: what is “the best way” to uninstall a printer? I know from Googling it, that there are several ways, but some are more thorough and work better. I recently had to remove a printer that I purchased but was unhappy with and needed to return – and I started with “settings”>” printers and scanners” and ended up choosing “remove” when I selected it. When I restarted my PC, it reappeared again and I had to take a different route, first by removing some software it had installed along with the drivers for the printer. I bought another printer but am gun-shy now, and wanted your advice on how best to remove it should I need to. Please feel free to streamline my question should you decide to post it in the Saturday Q&A newsletter. Thanks for all your help down through the years, you’re “the best of the best”. -Marty
Our answer
Hi Marty. Thanks for your nice comments we enjoyed working with your dad and were sad to hear of his passing.
Scroll down and click the Print Server properties link.
Click on the “Drivers” tap at the top.
———-
Marty wrote back…“Thank you so much, TC!!! – and thank you for your kind words about my dad, that meant a lot. My screen layout may be slightly different than yours (I’m running Win10 V 22H2) and instead of “scrolling down” on the Printers & scanners page, I found the link for “Print server properties” off to the right side under “Related settings” – but everything else was just as your instructions and screenshots said. Again, thank you so much for such a speedy reply. You’ve taken a weight off my mind, one less thing to worry about. You truly mean a lot to all of us. Have a blessed day. Marty.”
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Sam wants to save our articles with images in MS Word but the images don’t show up
I have been receiving your weekly InfoAve newsletter since day one. Many articles I wish to save in a file, so I copy and paste the article into Word. Most times there are wonderful illustrations of what to do, but they don’t show up. All I can copy is a blank square and a little icon on the top left-hand corner. Is there any way that I can copy and save these articles and include the illustrations? Thank you to two of my favorite people.
Our answer
Hi Sam. Thanks for your very nice comments.
The images in our newsletter are stored on a web server. For you to use them in a local file (like a Word.doc), save the images to your hard drive and then insert them into the document. You can save any image from our newsletters by right-clicking the image and choosing “Save image as” or “Save picture as” (depending on the browser you use) then save the images to a folder on your computer. We suggest you create a folder to store them in so you’ll always remember where they are.
Also, almost all of our articles are archived on our website… and the site has a great search engine so it’s easy to find what you’re looking for.
We hope this helps you, Sam.
Michelle wants to know if we have archives for those using older versions of Windows
Does your site have archives for information and answers for people who are still using Windows 7? I have been getting your newsletters for many years although I lost all your info when I changed laptops and computers. I cannot seem to find archives on the site. Can you help me, please? Thank you so much, Michelle
Our answer
Hi Michelle. We do not have an archive section. But of all, our tips and tricks for all Windows versions (since 2011) including Windows 7 are available on our website at https://thundercloud.net/infoave/new/.
Our site search engine works great. If you type Windows 7 in the search box you’ll find all tips mentioning Windows 7. Or you can make more specific searches by typing in things like “Windows 7 start menu” (without the quotes).
We hope this helps you, Michelle.
Patsy doesn’t like MS Edge and has other issues with browsers
I want to get rid of Microsoft Edge. I’ve had it as my browser for two years and have had nothing but problems. Recently I went back to a restore point to get rid of a hijacker. After doing that it would not save my passwords even though I had saved them in Edge. I had to reset the password every time I went into an account. Then it would not accept a reset password. It started to make me answer security questions. It took my responses a few times but then started not accepting them and I couldn’t get into my accounts. I’ve been through so much trying to get this straightened out that I can’t say which accounts did what but some brought up incorrect phone numbers to call, and I can’t even remember everything that has happened. I do know that frequently after Microsoft Edge updates it changes my passwords and will not accept my present password. I don’t know if it goes back to an old password or what it does but this has happened frequently ever since I started using Microsoft Edge.
I need your help changing my default program and getting rid of Edge. I Have Google Chrome as well but do not want it as my default browser. I did not want to download anything else until I had these problems taken care of.
I hope I have explained my problems so you can understand them as I do not know and cannot remember Computer terms.
Our answer
Hi Patsy. First, you can’t get rid of Edge. It’s part of Windows, so it cannot be uninstalled. Windows 10 allows you to repair or reset Microsoft Edge (see this page) but that will not remove it.
You don’t have to use Edge. You can download and install any other browser you want and use it as your default browser. Once a browser is set as default it will open when you click on links in email and on the web and Windows 10 makes it very easy to set a default browser. And you must choose a default browser, otherwise, Windows will keep MS Edge as your default browser.
I’m not sure why you don’t want Google Chrome as your default browser. You must choose another browser, otherwise, Microsoft Edge will continue to be your default browser. So, if you don’t like MS Edge, you will need to choose a different browser to be your default. You can only choose a default browser if it is installed on your computer.
If you don’t want Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome as your default browser, I suggest you download and install Firefox and set it as your default browser. You can download Firefox (free) from here.
Once you have installed Firefox, here is how to set a default browser in Windows 10.
Right-click your Start button.
Click on Settings.
In Settings click on Apps.
Click on Default apps
Click on Microsoft Edge under “Web browser” to open a list of alternate browsers installed on your PC.
Once you click on an alternate browser, Windows will try to convince you to stick with Edge, but you can ignore it.
If you don’t like MS Edge, Chrome, or Firefox, you can choose any other browser you like – here are 7 other browsers you can try.
Once you’ve installed another browser you can import passwords, settings, history, etc. from Microsoft Edge. The method for doing this varies by browser, if you let us know what browser you chose, we can help you with that if you find you need help.
We hope this helps you, Patsy.
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John lost his shortcut to Windows Disk Cleanup
I downloaded the Windows 11 update KB5020044 on 12-2-22. As a result, I can no longer access Disk Cleanup from the search bar. It just asks to download a disk cleanup app. I’m not sure if I should do this. What do you suggest? My old brain doesn’t work quite like it used to. Thanks for any help, John.
Our answer
Hi John. You can create a shortcut to Windows Disk Cleanup in Windows 10 or Windows 11 this way.
Right-click on your desktop
Click “New” then “Shortcut”
In “Type the location of the item” type CLEANMGR.EXE
Then click “Next”.
Under “Type the name for this shortcut’ type Disk Cleanup (or whatever you want to call it)
Click “Finish”.
Now, look at your desktop and find the shortcut you just created. Right-click on it and choose “Pin to taskbar”.
We hope this helps you, John.
Robert is changing from HDD to SSD and has some questions
I’m changing from hard drives to SSD drives. Could you comment in your newsletter on what not to run or do with an SSD drive such as maintaining an SSD drive running DISM/SFC?
Our answer
Hi Robert. For those not familiar with the terminology – SSDs are Solid State Drives; HDDs are standard hard drives. OK on to your questions.
DISM/SFC are Windows scans, not hard drive scans. They are scans that can repair corrupted or missing Windows files.
There is nothing you can’t do with an SSD drive that you can do with an HDD except defragmenting. Windows 10 automatically defrags HDD but uses TRIM on SSD.
You can run SFC, DISM, CHKDSK /Scan, CHKDSK /F, etc. on both SSDs and HDDs. But if you’re using SSDs, never download a 3rd-party disk defragmenter. Otherwise, no worries!
Tricia wants to know if searching from our Start page helps us
I have your Start page as my browser’s home page. Do you get some remuneration each time I go to your Start page and use the search on that page to find something? If so, let me know, and I will use it a lot more. Tricia.
Our answer
Hi Tricia. We get a small amount from Google each time someone searches our Start page at https://thundercloud.net/start/.
And, Tricia, thank you so much for using our Start page and for using it to search from too!
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Shirley might be a victim of a phishing scam
I have bought Emsisoft from you, but I need to know if I need something like LifeLock. I have renewed Emsisoft. But someone from my local Home Depot put my Social Security number on the Dark Web. I had protection provided by Home Depot for two years, but last year I got all my credit cards hacked and even my PayPal account. Should I buy LifeLock?
Many thanks for years of great info and help. Blessing to you, Shirley.
Our answer
Hi Shirley. Thank you for your nice comments.
It sounds like you have been the victim of phishing emails and you’ve given criminals your personal information. No software program can prevent you from falling for a phishing scam. Lifelock has been sued a least a half-dozen times for false advertising.
The only advice I can give you is don’t click links in emails if you’re not sure who sent them – and NEVER click any links in emails that ask you to change your password or change your personal information.
See this page to learn how to avoid falling for phishing scams.
Remember you have to be careful with links in email because no software programs, antivirus, or antimalware — no software at all — can protect you from clicking a link and giving your information to criminals. So, don’t spend your money on LifeLock – it’s expensive and their advertising isn’t all true.
Just be very careful with email and don’t click links if you’re not sure who sent the email. And remember, criminals can make any email look like it came from Home Depot, your bank, a credit card company, etc.
You might also want to consider freezing your credit. See this page.
We hope this helps you, Shirley. If you need anything else, please let us know.
Sandy asks about “Safely Remove Hardware”
While downloading Lock Hunter, something you recommended, they advertised for USB Safely Removed. I was wondering if this is okay to download. I know that you are supposed to be able to remove USBs, external drives, etc. with Windows 10, but quite frankly, I don’t trust it. I know of a few people who had an issue when they didn’t stop and remove their USB drive. The external drives have no way to stop or eject them.
Our answer
Hi Sandy. Since you are using Windows 10, you don’t need to use “Safely remove hardware” at all. You can safely unplug external devices, such as hard drives, thumb drives, etc. without doing anything – just unplug them. So, the answer is, no – don’t download that program.
Here is our article on why you no longer need to use “Safely remove hardware” if you’re using Windows 10.
One more thing… when we recommend a program, we are recommending only the program we specifically mention, for instance, “LockHunter”. Whatever else might appear on the LockHunter site may or may not be safe. Typically, freeware developers may have dozens of programs listed on their sites – but always we only recommend the ones we specifically mention. So, the “good by association” theory is not something you should ever assume.
Betty wants to know who to contact about her online privacy
From your post on the recent COMB data breach, I, unfortunately, found that my primary email account was included. I’m guessing this had to do with my info being affected by a 2017 Equifax security breach.
Even though I had updated my passwords not that long ago using LastPass, I thought it would be best to update the passwords or change the email addresses. Because I had 5 pages of personal/business accounts this took a lot of time, so I decided it might be a good idea to delete online accounts that I no longer needed. However, I found that you can’t always change an email login ID within the website, and it takes tenacity to get some online accounts deleted. I even had a couple of well-known companies say they couldn’t delete my account. (I’ve come up with a couple of workarounds that should take care of these nagging issues.)
Frankly, I’m not happy with the effort it has taken to make changes and deletions or the fact that some companies seem to think they own a customer’s personal data (unless you live in CA, the UK, or the EU).
Anyway, my question is… Do you have any suggestions about what organizations, etc. one might contact to address data privacy? Or do you know if any current efforts are being made to improve U.S. data privacy laws? Ordinarily, I’d contact a state legislator or congressman, but I’m now living in Florida.
Sorry for the long message.
Our answer
Hi Betty. I wish there were someone you could contact about privacy, but right now the USA has no centralized privacy policy or agency like Europe and Australia do. You would need to contact each company you deal with and address your privacy concerns.
Some sites promise to help you with your privacy concerns, but I’m not sure I’d trust them. And even if they are trustworthy, you’d be bringing another party into the privacy fray.
If you just want someone who champions privacy rights as well as personal rights, the Electronic Freedom Foundation is a foundation you may want to look into. You can visit them here.
I’m sorry I don’t have a really good answer to your question. Our (United States) government and its representatives should have taken action long as far as privacy rights go. Personally, I don’t even assume I have any privacy at all on the web and conduct myself accordingly.
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