Winter is just around the corner. Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away, and we’re all being bombarded by random “Black Friday” sales everywhere. Gotta love marketing! And yes, it is Saturday, and <\/span>it’s time for another edition of Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers.<\/span><\/p>\n 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\u2019re featuring some of the questions and answers from past issues of our\u00a0InfoAve 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 – 111123<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Dianne cannot see thumbnails only icons. <\/strong><\/span> I have a new Lenovo Yoga which I love, but the online help couldn\u2019t seem to help other than to suggest doing a backup on an external drive then they would do a clean reset. Of course, I\u2019m running to you before I do anything! Thanks as always, Dianne<\/span><\/p>\n Our answer<\/strong><\/span> Let us know if this helps you, Dianne.<\/span><\/p>\n Mario keeps getting an annoying BSOD<\/strong><\/span> <\/span>Our answer.<\/strong><\/span> Daniel wants to know the best free substitutes for MS Office<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> On that page, you\u2019ll find three (and a half) free, excellent replacements for Microsoft Office. One of those should be just what you\u2019re looking for.<\/span><\/p>\n Sharon wants to know what she can do to her PC so it can run Windows 11<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> If TPM is showing missing or disabled your computer won\u2019t be able to run Windows 11. Generally, a computer that is older than 4 years will not run Windows 11.<\/span><\/p>\n Windows 11 only supports 8th-generation processors (CPUs) and newer. Yours is a 4th generation processor -although it\u2019s a good one.<\/span><\/p>\n Our advice is not to worry about it right now. Windows 10 is good for almost 3 years yet and will be updated and supported until Oct. 14, 2025. And Microsoft is starting to loosen some restrictions already \u2014 and Windows 11 is still months away. And you won\u2019t be forced to upgrade to Windows 11.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps you, Sharon.<\/span><\/p>\n Ann\u2019s friend said her HP printer won\u2019t work without Adobe Flash<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> If you need more help (or if she needs more help), let us know.<\/span><\/p>\n Please consider making a small donation and help us keep helping you!<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Sharon read our article on freeware and wants to know about Privacy Badger<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> Richard has an old 1TB HDD (Hard Drive) and wants to use it in other ways I know this is a \u201cTall Order\u201d but you two friends might know how to do it; or can direct me to a site that would explain it. Is it all possible that you can do it through one of your programs??? I would certainly be willing to support you two \u2013 as I have in the past \u2013 by purchasing that program. Though I started on computers when they were first birthed, (my first computer was MS-Dos) at almost 85 yrs. old, I think I\u2019ve forgotten more than I knew.<\/span><\/p>\n Please advise \u2013 I highly respect your advice and direction. Retired Pastor and former dBase programmer, Rich.<\/span><\/p>\n Our answer<\/strong><\/span> You can buy an external enclosure (case) for your HDD that essentially makes a USB external hard drive out of it. Once you do that, you can use Windows Disk Management to remove the partition (combine them into one partition) however, if you\u2019ve never used Windows Disk Management before you\u2019d find it easier to use a partition manager like MiniTool\u2019s Partition Wizard (Free)<\/a>. Partition Wizard makes it easy to create partitions or combine partitions.<\/span><\/p>\n Here\u2019s an excellent tutorial <\/a>on how to make an external hard drive from an HDD. You can do it in about 10 minutes. All you need to buy is an external case which you can buy from any computer store, Amazon, or other online computer supply stores. These cases include a power supply, an interface adapter, and a method of mounting an HDD (either 3.5-inch or 2.5-inch). Here\u2019s an external case for about $23 from Amazon<\/a> that supports both 2.5 and 3.5-inch HDDs).<\/span><\/p>\n If this does not answer all your questions, it should at least narrow the field for you and get you headed in the right direction. Let us know if you need more help.<\/span><\/p>\n Gordon has a warning for all computer users<\/strong><\/span> Our answer (comments)<\/strong><\/span> Again, thanks for sharing your experience. Let\u2019s hope that it helps others be more careful when clicking links in email \u2013 even if that email looks familiar (from banks, stores, financial institutions, and governmental entities). If you\u2019re not positive, these kinds of counterfeit emails can be vectors for malware, scams, identity theft, and ransomware.<\/span><\/p>\n We gladly help everyone who writes every day by answering their questions and helping to solve their computer problems. Please help us continue to do that!<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n If you don’t need any of our products or services right now, please help us with a donation. Even the smallest gift is appreciated. Every donation helps us to provide useful information that helps you with your computer as well as helps us to keep you safe on the Internet. We offer free help to thousands of people every year… and we offer an honest and inexpensive computer repair service too. We do everything we can to help you with your computer and keep you safe too.<\/span><\/p>\n So if you don’t need any of our products or services right now, please help us by donating right now<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Interested in making a monthly gift? Visit this page<\/strong><\/a>. Help us keep helping you!<\/span><\/p>\n Thank you so much for your support!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Jeanne wants to know our opinion of the Vivaldi browser<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> Vivaldi, along with Brave, Opera, Iridium, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, etc. are all built using the Chromium browser engine. So, you can be sure that Vivaldi will perform well. But I can\u2019t tell you if you will like it or not. So, try it \u2013 it won\u2019t hurt anything. You can install as many browsers as you want, just make sure you make your favorite browser your default. Then you can use the other installed browsers whenever you want. I use Chrome most of the time, but I also use Firefox and Edge, plus have three or four other browsers installed as well.<\/span><\/p>\n It won\u2019t hurt anything to try Vivaldi and test it for yourself. It\u2019s free and it is safe. You can download Vivaldi here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Doug has questions about a large System Volume Information file on one of his external drives<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> We hope this helps you, Doug.<\/span><\/p>\n Thomas is helping a friend who lost his Microsoft account password<\/strong><\/span> Our Answer<\/strong><\/span> If he has a Microsoft account such as @outlook.com or @hotmail.com etc. he can reset his password. He can\u2019t find his password using a PIN though. Here\u2019s a Microsoft page with all the details about resetting a Microsoft account password. <\/a>That page explains all the ways and steps to take to reset a lost password.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps you help your friend, Thomas!<\/span><\/p>\n Delores doesn\u2019t use Skype and wants to get rid of it<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> 1. Open settings Click on Apps.<\/span><\/p>\n 2. In Apps, under \u201dApps & features\u201d find Skype.<\/span><\/p>\n 3. Click on Skype and you\u2019ll see the uninstall button Appear.<\/span><\/p>\n 4. Click on the Uninstall button. (See screenshot below)<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s all there is to uninstalling Skype.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps you, Delores.<\/span><\/p>\n Don\u2019t have a Cloudeight SeniorPass? It\u2019s a great deal. Learn more here.<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Our Cloudeight SeniorPass is a great deal. You get unlimited support for one full year from the date you first use your SeniorPass. We can help keep your computer running well, fix all kinds of computer problems, clean up malware, and a whole lot more. Our SeniorPass is like having insurance for your computer. And it\u2019s only $99 for an entire year.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nThanks in advance for giving my little frustration with photos in Windows 10. Recently, something changed in my laptop so that when I want to upload pictures, many of the pictures show just the general picture icon vs. a thumbnail of the actual picture. It\u2019s just annoying not to see what picture I\u2019m uploading; having to open the picture file first rather than simply uploading.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Dianne. Thanks so much. Type FOLDER OPTIONS in the taskbar search. When you see \u201cFile Explorer Options\u201d in the search results, press Enter or click \u201cOpen\u201d. In the Folder Options dialog, click on the \u201cView\u201d tab at the top and make sure that \u201cAlways show icons, never thumbnails\u201d is unchecked (OFF). Then click the \u201cApply to Folders\u201d button and click \u201cApply\/OK\u201d (at the bottom).<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2021\/noicons.png\")
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\nRestart your computer. If you still don\u2019t see thumbnails, run Microsoft’s File & Folder troubleshooter. See this page for more info.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI keep getting an annoying Blue screen that says \u201cStop code system service exemption. Automatic restart\u201d. What\u2019s going on?<\/p>\n
\nHi Mario. Blue screens and almost always caused by driver issues. If you have a driver updater program installed, you need to uninstall it. You can also try the Windows Blue Screen troubleshooter to diagnose the problem. To do this, please read our article here.<\/a> I don\u2019t have enough information to give you more detailed help. If you have a Cloudeight Direct Computer Care key \u2013 we can look at your computer and see if we can find the problem. If you don\u2019t have one, and you want us to look at your PC… you can get one here.<\/strong> <\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
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\nWhat is the best free substitute for Microsoft Office?<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Daniel. We have three-and-a-half suggestions for you. See our article here.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI ran the WhyNotWin11 download and the TPM Version is shown to be missing\/disabled. I have no idea what that is. Also, the only other thing is CPU Compatibility is shown to be not currently listed as compatible. My CPU is an Intel(R) Core (TM) i7-4770 CPU @ 3.40GHz 3.40 GHz. Is there anything I can or need to do to be compatible whenever I choose to go to Windows 11? Thank you so much. You two are the only ones I trust with my computer.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Sharon. Thanks so much. TPM (Trusted Platform Module) is a chip on the computer motherboard that makes the computer more secure. Windows 11 requires TPM 2.0.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nThis is for a friend. She has a Windows HP Windows 10 computer and uses an HP Printer. She said her printer would not work without Adobe Flash Player. What is the simplest way to fix this? She knows nothing about computers other than to use one and I\u2019m too far away to help her.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Ann. HP Printers (or any other brand of printer) do not need Adobe Flash player to work. If her printer is not working, it\u2019s not because of the demise of Adobe Flash Player. It\u2019s because it\u2019s not set up correctly. The best way to fix it is to get her printer model and go to the www.hp.com<\/a> website, look up her model of printer, and then download the software for it. Before she sets up her computer again, she\u2019ll need to remove the current printer from Windows by going to Settings > Devices > Printers and scanners, clicking on the HP printer she wants to re-install and she\u2019ll see a \u201cRemove device\u201d button appear. She should click on that. Then restart her computer and set up the printer exactly as she did when she first got it.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI read your article about freeware. Can Privacy Badger be used when I have Emsisoft installed? I love Emsisoft and will not change it. Thanks, Sharon.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Sharon. Privacy Badger is not an antivirus or antimalware, it\u2019s a popup blocker and privacy enhancer. So, Emsisoft and Privacy Badger don\u2019t do the same things, and they complement each other.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>Good Morning my two longtime friends. If I have an HDD from another computer (2Tb) and want to clear all partitions on that HDD I can put it into my Desktop (second bay) to use as a backup of my \u201cSystem\u201d and File History. Or put it into an external HDD enclosure so that I could either a) use it as a backup for 3 computers \u2013 My wife\u2019s desktop, my desktop, and my laptop. or b) put it on my router \u2013 perhaps with a network path \u2013 so that all three computers can be saved without having to move it between them.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Rich, thanks for your nice comments. You have many different questions here and I\u2019m not certain exactly what you\u2019re trying to do. So, I\u2019m just going to guess and do the Cloudeight thing and give you the simplest, easiest answer.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nSCAM \u2013 on my wife\u2019s computer. She received a message on her cell called a \u201cconfirmation of charges\u201d ($299.08), so we went to her computer and her Gmail account. There we saw the email in its entirety. The charge was from Sam Server for the purchase of McAfee security software. My wife\u2019s name was listed in the CCs. The odd thing about this was the only contact information to SAM, was a 5xx phone prefix to call for questions. The first calls we made were to her credit card companies, who reported no charges on her account. Next, we sent copies of the email to their sites that collected suspicious documents. Then we deleted the email from her devices. We are certain that this was an introduction to a ransomware threat. I thought you might like an example to share. Thank you for all you do \u2013 you are unique.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Gordon. Thanks for sending this. We cannot emphasize enough or often enough that ransomware and identity theft do not happen because a hacker sneaks onto your computer; ninety-nine percent of the time they happen because someone clicks a link in a spam or scam email.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n![\"Help](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2017\/goodfight2017.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nMake a small donation and help us help you!<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n
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\nWhat is your opinion of the Vivaldi browser? Thank you for your time.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Jeanne. Quite a while ago we recommended the Vivaldi browser<\/a>. It has several new features now, but if you\u2019re asking if it\u2019s safe or not \u2013 yes, it is safe.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI have a 1 terabyte drive that is not a system drive. It says that the system volume information occupies almost 300 Gigabytes of space. I have two other Terabyte drives that have system volume information that is in the Kilobyte range. Can this be reduced?<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Doug. System Volume Information is used, among other things, to store Windows restore points and Volume Shadow Copies which can take up a lot of space. But you say it is not a system drive. and I do not know what you are (or were) using it for. If you were using it for System Restore, you can turn off System Restore for that drive or reduce the space allowed for System Restore points if you\u2019re still using that drive for that purpose. Better yet, you can also clean up old System Restore points, Volume Shadow Copies, and other old Windows files by following the instructions in our tutorial here.<\/a> The tutorial was written for cleaning up drive C:\\ (Windows drive) but you can use it to clean up any drive.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI\u2019ve been subscribing to your newsletter for several years, thank you for all you do. your help is greatly appreciated. my question is I\u2019m trying to help a friend who is trying to bypass the password requirement for logging into his computer. The problem is he does not know his Microsoft account password, although he does know his PIN. Is there a way to find his Microsoft account password with just his PIN without resetting his password? Thank you for all you do your help is greatly appreciated. God bless, Thomas.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Thomas. Thanks for your nice comments and your support.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI don\u2019t like Skype and don\u2019t use it. I have tried to get rid of Skype, but I can\u2019t find a way to do it. Is there any way I can remove Skype from my computer?<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Delores. It\u2019s easy to remove Skype from Windows 10. And while you cannot remove all Microsoft (Store) apps, this way, you can remove Skype.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2021\/skype.png\")
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