![\"Wishing](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2023\/holiday22big.png\")
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It’s the first Saturday in December and Christmas is just over three weeks away. Before getting my Christmas shopping done today, I did remember that it is Saturday and time for another edition of Saturday Bonus Questions & Answers.<\/span><\/p>\n Sometimes, the best tips and tricks are hidden in the published questions and answers. And rarely do we post questions and answers on this website. Today, we\u2019re featuring some of the questions and answers from past issues of our InfoAve Weekly<\/a> newsletters.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These questions & answers were selected at random from past InfoAve Weekly newsletters.<\/span><\/p>\n Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers – 120322<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Susan asks about Windows Live Essentials for Windows 10<\/strong><\/span> We hope this helps you, Susan.<\/span><\/p>\n Tom has problems finding Gmail’s Spam folder<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> Hope this helps you, Tom.<\/span><\/p>\n Reggie has a problem with Windows 10 File History<\/strong> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> Download this Cloudeight zip file.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Unzip the file. There are two files inside. One is a batch (.bat) file and one is a Visual Basic script (.vbs). You should only need to run the batch file (double-click it to run).<\/span><\/p>\n Here are the complete instructions.<\/span><\/p>\n 1. Unplug the external drive<\/span> If this does not work, then go back and follow the instructions above, only this time double-click on the VBS script (in the zip file) instead of the batch file.<\/span><\/p>\n Let us know if this solves your problem.<\/span> Marilyn says Google Drive is making her computer life miserable<\/strong><\/span> Whenever I open a file now using Open Office, which I’ve used for years, when I close that file, instead of just closing the file, it sends it to Google Drive trash! These are important files. My question is: Can I safely uninstall Google Drive? Thanks so very much; my husband has been a subscriber of yours for years!<\/span><\/p>\n Our answer<\/strong><\/span> You can safely uninstall Google Drive. Type APPS in the taskbar search. When you see “Apps & features” appear in the search results click “Open” (or just press Enter). You’ll see a list of installed apps & programs. Scroll down to find Backup and Sync from Google, which is the “official” name for the Google Drive app. Click on it then click Uninstall and follow the steps to remove it from your computer. <\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps you, Marilyn.<\/span><\/p>\n Our Cloudeight SeniorPass is valid for unlimited computer care & repair for one computer for 365 days \u2013 starting with the first time you use it. The clock does not start ticking until you use your SeniorPass for the first time. A great deal that just got better during our CyberWeek sale!<\/span> Our SeniorPass is on sale now for just $79. Save $20 right now!<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Our Cyberweek prices are good though\u00a0December 5, 2022<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n Rita says the wrong pages open when she starts her browser<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> Our Updated Tutorial on How to Set a Start Page in Your Browser & More \u2013 Cloudeight InfoAve <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n This tutorial shows you how to set a home\/start page in your browser – but you can use it to change or reset your start page as well.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps you, Rita.<\/span> Terry asks about a possible scam and also about buying a new PC<\/strong><\/span> Do you have any idea who this tech firm is and what damage could they do to others not familiar with what I think is their scam technique?<\/span><\/p>\n On a longer quest: With Windows 11 on the way and my PC getting close to a decade old, what should I look for in a laptop? My current machine is an HP Core 2 Media Centre. It runs at 2.6 Hz with a 500+ hard drive. I have added 2 external WD drives of 1 and 3 Tb and upgraded the RAM from 4 to 8 Gb.<\/span><\/p>\n Should whatever I buy have 12 Gb of RAM? A touch screen? How many USB ports? Other ports? What about a CD burner\/player? My modem\/router is 2.4 and 5 Gb and I think that it will last me for quite some time. I email, surf, and edit photos with my current PC. If you need more info, drop me a few lines of inquiry.<\/span><\/p>\n Sorry to take up so much of your valuable time but I don’t want to get stung after the purchase.<\/span><\/p>\n Stay healthy and happy,<\/span><\/p>\n Our answer<\/strong><\/span> The answer to the first question is it’s a scam. No one calls you out of the blue to tell you that you have problems with your computer. That would be like someone pretending to be a doctor calling you to tell you that you have health problems. At the very least, you should block the number. You should also report this scam to your local authorities.<\/span><\/p>\n As for the new laptop, some questions are your personal preference, such as a touch screen, the size of the screen, etc. The minimum requirements would be a 256GB SSD hard drive or 1 TB HDD, 8 GB of RAM, and a decent multi-core processor (i3, i5, i7, AMD Ryzen, etc.). You should also make sure the processor is supported in Windows 11. The full list of supported Intel processors is here.<\/a> And the full list of supported AMD processors is here.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Also, I would suggest at least 4 USB ports (with at least one being a USB 3.0 port). You can use your current external drives with any new computer. <\/span><\/p>\n We hope this answers your questions, Terry.<\/span><\/p>\n Patsy says people are taking pictures of her<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> People receive emails that claim their computer has been hacked and that the scammer has obtained compromising recordings or pictures of them. Some versions of the scam have included the person’s passwords for an online account or may appear to have been sent from the person’s own email address or an email address familiar to them. <\/span><\/p>\n These are sent out by the millions knowing that enough people will fall for it to make the scammer a lot of money.<\/span><\/p>\n Here’s an article we wrote a while ago – it appears this scam is coming back. <\/span><\/p>\n You are a very naughty person and I know all about you!<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n While in rare cases scammers can watch you via your Webcam (if you download and install malware accidentally), you can use a low-tech way of protecting yourself from that scenario by putting a piece of black tape over the lens see this article: <\/span><\/p>\n Let\u2019s Protect Your Webcam<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Google and Facebook would be committing financial suicide invading people’s privacy in this way. Don’t believe everything you read on the web,<\/span><\/p>\n And the spinning circles? Spinning circles (loading icons) generally mean a program is loading, it does not usually indicate anything malicious is going on.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps you, Patsy.<\/span><\/p>\n During our Cloudeig<\/span>ht CyberWeek Sale, when you buy a Cloudeight Direct Computer Care repair key, we’ll give you one FREE. That’s right!\u00a0From now through Monday, December 6, 2022, when you buy one Cloudeight Direct Computer Care repair key for $50, we’ll give you a second one free!<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span> Take advantage of our CyberWeek Buy One Get One free special NOW!<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span> Carla wants a free program to open zip files<\/strong><\/span> And it’s free. You can download it from https:\/\/www.7-zip.org.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n There\u2019s a 32-bit version and a 64-bit version. If you don\u2019t know whether your Windows 10 PC is 32-bit or 64-bit, do this: Type ABOUT in the taskbar search and press Enter. Look under \u201cDevice Specifications\u201d and then \u201cSystem type\u201d.<\/span> Diane needs help and is willing to reinstall Windows if necessary<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> I can get it started for you – but I would not be able to stay connected to your PC through to the conclusion because it Windows Reset disconnects from the internet and then restarts the PC several times during the process. <\/span><\/p>\n Here’s our tutorial on doing a Windows 10 reset… <\/span><\/p>\n How to Reset Windows 10 and Keep All Your Files, Apps, and Programs.<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n If you would feel more comfortable if we started the reset process for you, I’d be glad to help you with it – it only takes a few minutes to start the process.<\/span> Ed wants to know if he should reinstall SuperAntiSpyware<\/strong><\/span> Our answer These days, spyware is grouped with the general category of malware. One of the reasons we recommend Emsisoft is because it replaces things like SuperAntiSpyware, Malwarebytes, etc. So, we recommend that you DO NOT install SuperAntiSpyware. And we would also recommend you uninstall it from the other computer.<\/span><\/p>\n Take advantage of our CyberWeek\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/strong>Se<\/strong><\/span>
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\nQuite a while ago you mentioned a place we could download Windows Live Essentials. Can you tell me the link? Thanks so much, Susan.<\/span>
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\nOur answer<\/strong><\/span>
\nHi Susan. The article we wrote about Windows Live Essentials was written about downloading and installing Windows Photo Gallery and Windows Movie Maker (part of Live Essentials). You can read that article here<\/a>. Remember that Windows Movie Maker and Photo Gallery are no longer supported by Microsoft. But we did test them both on Windows 10 and they worked fine at the time we tested them.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI cannot find any Spam folder in my Gmail account. Help! Thanks in advance, Tom.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Tom.\u00a0 Gmail is the same for everyone and everyone with Gmail has a spam folder. But not everyone has the same folder list – some have more folders than others.\u00a0 If you don’t see the spam folder, click “more” at the bottom of the folder list on the left-hand side after you log in to your Gmail account. Here’s a screenshot to help you.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2021\/more.png\")
\nWhen you click on \u201cMore\u201d you\u2019ll see more folders and items, one of them will be your Gmail Spam folder. See below:<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2021\/more1.png\")
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\nI have been backing up my computer using File History as you recommended and it’s been working great. All of sudden now I’m getting a message that the File History drive has been disconnected. I have unplugged and plugged in my external drive and even tried different USB ports, but I still get the error message. I’m hoping you can help me – I really need my backup to work Thanks, Reggie.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Reggie. We suggest that you reset your Windows File History. We’ve uploaded a couple of files to help make this easy for you – and anyone else who has this problem.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n2. Unzip the file above and double-click on the batch file.<\/span>
\n3. Restart your PC<\/span>
\n4. Plug in your external<\/span>
\n5. Try setting up file history.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nReggie wrote back…” Thanks so much for your help! File History is working perfectly again! Thanks again, Reggie.”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
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\nTwo days ago, I accidentally installed Google Drive on my laptop. It seems to have taken over everything, as I gave it permission to access Desktop and another critical folder! <\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Marilyn, thanks for your long-time support. <\/span><\/p>\n
\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2020\/cmside.png\")
<\/a>Cyberweek Special! Save $20 on a Cloudeight SeniorPass!<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
Having a SeniorPass is just like having insurance for your computer. Our SeniorPass is always affordable, but during our CyberWeek sale, you can get a SeniorPass for just $79. With a Cloudeight SeniorPass you can get help with almost any computer problem whenever you need it and as often as you need it. Plus, our SeniorPass gives you the option of Anytime Support! If you request it, we can set up unattended support for you so all you have to do when you need help is just let us know. We\u2019re here to help you.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI used quickpayportal.com to pay a medical bill and now that site pops up every time I sign on as a start page instead of your Cloudeight start page that I have been using for a long time. How do I get rid of the quick pay site?<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Rita. You’ll need to reset your Start page. Luckily we have a tutorial on how to set a start page on the most popular browsers. Click the link below.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nRita wrote back: “Got it! Thank you so much for helping me once again. Rita”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
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\nHi Friends. I’m curious about a tech firm from far away (I think) that has phoned me several times offering to repair my desktop PC (there’s nothing wrong with it). They maintain I have had several interruptions along my network (how they know this is beyond me) and they would scan my drive and remove all the offenders they found. I don’t know their name but they use a .exe called AnyDesk. I don’t know that app but I do know it would run on my machine and I wasn’t about to have that happen.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Terry. FYI — AnyDesk is remote connection software allowing someone to connect to your computer remotely.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nHow do I find out who is taking pictures of me and my location thru my computer and put a stop to this intrusiveness? I read that Google& Facebook either does it or used to do it. What settings do I need to change? I’ve blocked 3rd parties and done what I thought I should do but the little circles still come up on my screen when I’m working on something.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Patsy. I’m betting you learned that people are taking pictures of you from an email or emails, right? <\/span><\/p>\n
\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2020\/cwside.png\")
<\/a><\/span>Buy One Cloudeight Direct<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Computer Care Repair Key and GET ONE FREE!<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h3>\n
\nWith our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care service, we connect directly to your computer via the Internet to fix your computer problems, remove viruses or malware, optimize your PC, and more. You never have to leave your home or leave your computer with a stranger. You’ll be invited to watch us while we fix your Windows computer. And, we can fix your computer regardless of where you live. Our Cloudeight Direct Service is available worldwide. We offer world-class computer care services from the company you trust.<\/span><\/p>\n
<\/span>This offer is valid through Monday, December 5, 2022<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI am hoping that you can help me find a free Zip file opener. I can not open some of the zip files that I get for my art and embroidery projects. Thank you! Carla<\/span>
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\nOur answer<\/strong><\/span>
\nHi Carla. We don\u2019t know what type of zip files you have, but we can tell you that 7-Zip can open just about any type of compressed (zip ) file there is, including GZ and RAR.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nCarla wrote back: “Thanks so much! That’s exactly what I was looking for. 7-Zip works great! Thanks again! Carla”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
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\nHi TC or Darcy. I noticed a problem in a ‘Word’ type program 4 or 5 days ago, thought it was the program so I switched but I still have the problem. Then, yesterday when I decided to try a System Restore, it told me I have no restore points even though I created one not long ago. And .now, when I plug in my external drive, where I keep my backups, my laptop doesn’t recognize it. I hate to send this off anywhere, so I figured maybe you can help me. If you suggest a re-install of Windows for me, that’s ok. I don’t keep much on here anyway. I download\/save everything to an external drive…so I wouldn’t mind losing what is on here. I’d just have to re-install programs, which isn’t hard. I appreciate any help you can give me!\u00a0 Dianne.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Dianne. If you don’t mind doing a reset that would be the fastest and more certain fix. The only thing you’d lose by doing a reset would be any programs you installed. A reset saves all your files. A reset takes about an hour and it’s easy to do. <\/span><\/p>\n
\n—–<\/span>
\nDianne wrote back: “Thank you, TC! I was able (finally!) to make a flash drive with Windows on it–and did the reset. Had to choose the whole thing…so it will take me a while to add some apps. But it’s all good now! I’m going to post more praise in the NOTH computer group, want everyone to know you helped me figure it out. Dianne.”<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI will be setting up a new computer for my wife since hers died the other day. I was wondering in your opinion, is it worth reinstalling SuperAntiSpyware? I have had the program (lifetime key) on our computers since 2011 and I have had a slight problem with it since my new computer, asking me to upgrade every time I boot my machine, and was not very happy with their customer service to try and remedy the problem, seems they did not want to bother since I paid for it so long ago. We have had Emsisoft for many years and are happy with that program. So I’m not sure about installing SuperAntiSpyware on hers and opening her up to the same annoying popup.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Hi Ed. SuperAntiSpyware used to be one of our recommended programs. But the company that makes it was sold many years ago and SuperAntiSpyware isn’t the same anymore. <\/span><\/p>\n
\nSenior Pass + a One-year Emsisoft Single PC License or Renewal<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span>
Total price $89 – you save $35!<\/strong><\/span>
This offer includes a one-year Cloudeight SeniorPass good for one year of Cloudeight Direct Computer Care & Repair PLUS a one-year single PC Emsisoft license good for one full year of Emsisoft protection. If you’re currently an Emsisoft user, we’ll add one year to your current Emsisoft license. If you’re a new Emsisoft customer, this license can be used for a new Emsisoft subscription.<\/span><\/p>\n