It’s May and summer is just around the corner. Darcy’s on vacation and TC is running the show. And I’ll do my best to keep things running smoothly. And it’s Saturday and you know what that means! It means it is 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 Please help us to continue to help you with your Windows computer questions and help you to stay safe in the crazy world of the Internet. We need your support – even the smallest gift helps us. Please… help us by making a donation.<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers – 050424<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Rhonda is fed up with Windows File Explorer<\/span><\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> One of the things most people find lacking in File Explorer in Windows 10 (Windows 11 has tabs so you can open as many File Explorer tabs as you want) is the difficulty copying and\/or moving files from one location to another. Having Copy to and Move to on the right-click menu makes copying or moving files easy.<\/span><\/p>\n Since we both use File Explorer and “Copy to” and “Move to” on the right-click context menu we have not tried or tested any of the many File Explorer replacements.<\/span><\/p>\n So, based on a quick search, I found several free alternatives to File Explorer that you can try. Some of the more popular ones are Explorer++, XYplorer, and Free Commander.. All of these programs offer features such as tabbed browsing, custom scripts, customizable fonts and colors, and secondary sortings. You can download them for free and try them out to see which one works best for you. The descriptions are from the respective authors and are not ours.<\/span><\/p>\n File Explorer ++ (Free)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n “Explorer++ is a small and fast file manager for Windows. With tabs, bookmarks, and advanced file operations, it allows you to be much more productive!”<\/span><\/p>\n https:\/\/explorerplusplus.com\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Free Commander<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n “Free Commander is an easy-to-use alternative to the standard Windows file manager. The program helps you with your daily work in Windows. Here you can find all the necessary functions to manage your data…”<\/span><\/p>\n Read more about Free Commander here.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n Q-Dir<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n “Q-Dir (the Quad Explorer) makes your files and folders easy to manage, either installed or as a portable Windows program. Fast and easy access to your hard disks, network folders, USB sticks, floppy disks, and other storage devices. Q-Dir is a great alternative file manager for Windows with an amazing Quadro-View technique…”<\/span><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.q-dir.com\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n XYplorer<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n XYplorer is no longer free. A lifetime license is $34.95. There’s a free trial you can download but if you want to keep using it after the trial has ended you will have to buy a license.<\/span><\/p>\n https:\/\/www.xyplorer.com\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n And assuming you don’t want to pay $35, my first choice would be Explorer++. But again, we had not tested it or any of the File Explorer replacements mentioned here.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps you, Rhonda.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Mindy wants to remove her personal info from a Windows 10 laptop she’s giving away<\/span><\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/span><\/strong><\/span> We hope this helps you, Mindy.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mark’s right-click function on Windows 10 no longer works<\/span><\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/span><\/strong><\/span> 1. Shut down your PC completely (all power lights off)<\/span> If you still have the right-click problem, follow the instructions on this page<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n I hope this helps you, Terry.<\/span> THANK YOU FOR HELPING US!<\/span> Did you know that we provide support to thousands of people? Every week we help dozens of people via email at no charge. The questions and answers you see in our newsletters are from the email answers and help we provide to everyone free of charge.<\/span><\/p>\n Thanks to your gifts, we do more than provide this free newsletter. We help you recognize online threats, fight for your online privacy, help you navigate the Web safely, provide suggestions for safe, free software and websites, and help you get more out of your PC.<\/span><\/p>\n Please Help us keep up the good fight with a small gift.<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Would you be interested in making an automatic monthly gift?\u00a0Visit this page<\/a>. Please help us keep on helping you\u2026 and help us keep you safe on the Web.<\/span><\/p>\n Shari can\u2019t log into her Outlook account<\/strong><\/span> \u201cCorrupted Content Error. <\/em>The site at https:\/\/outlook.live.com\/mail\/?bO=1&sessionId=5236e974-9c49-496d-870c-0547d0dcdb0e has experienced a network protocol violation that cannot be repaired. The page you are trying to view cannot be shown because an error in the data transmission was detected. Please contact the website owners to inform them of this problem\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n (The email I\u2019m using for this email is some red herring whose name I don\u2019t know, but it\u2019s a backup). Thanks, Shari<\/span><\/p>\n Our answer<\/strong><\/span> The correct page to sign in to your Microsoft account (live.com, live.ca, hotmail.com, msn.com, outlook.com) is this:<\/span><\/p>\n https:\/\/outlook.live.com\/owa\/<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Create a shortcut to the Outlook sign-in page and then sign in. Don\u2019t create shortcuts to webmail using the URL displayed after you log in. That link expires and you\u2019ll end up getting error messages.<\/span><\/p>\n Carolyn accidentally synched all her devices\u2026now what?<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> Sign out and turn off sync<\/span><\/p>\n If you turn off sync, you can still see your bookmarks, history, passwords, and other settings on your computer. If you make any changes, they won\u2019t be saved to your Google Account and synced to your other devices.<\/span><\/p>\n So, you\u2019re going to need to turn off Sync and if you want to delete the data that is shared between devices, I\u2019ve included those instructions below. Keep in mind when you do this you\u2019ll be signed out of all Google services (like Gmail) and you\u2019ll have to sign back in on all devices.<\/span><\/p>\n Turn off sync\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014 On your computer, open Chrome.<\/span> How to delete synced info from your Google Account\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n \u2014 On your computer, open Chrome.<\/span> We hope this helps you, Carolyn.<\/span><\/p>\n Cathy\u2019s computer becomes non-responsive I have to shut it down again using the power button. Was there an update that may cause this to happen? It\u2019s been doing this for 2 days now. Is there anything I can do to fix it? I have Windows 10\u2026Thanks, Cathy<\/span><\/p>\n Our answer<\/strong><\/span> It could be Windows corruption. You can try running SFC and DISM scans<\/a> to see if they help.<\/span><\/p>\n It could be you have only 4GB of RAM which is not enough to do extensive multitasking. You should have at least 8GB of RAM. To find how much RAM (memory) you have, type ABOUT in the taskbar search and press Enter when you see \u201cAbout your PC\u201d appear in the search results. Look next to \u201cInstalled RAM\u201d in About Your PC. You can add RAM inexpensively.<\/span><\/p>\n It may be Windows search indexing and SysMain (SuperFetch) services using up too much CPU (processor) or RAM or disk.<\/span><\/p>\n It could be dozens of other things. Sometimes when we work on a PC it takes us a while to diagnose the problem. There is no easy answer.<\/span><\/p>\n I hope something in our answer helps you to pinpoint your problem. Or if you want us to look at it, we\u2019d be happy to. You can buy our repair keys here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ve helped hundreds and hundreds of you with your computers since we started our\u00a0<\/strong>Cloudeight Direct Computer Care Service<\/strong><\/a>! If you\u2019re having computer problems \u2013 we CAN help you!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n We all know that sooner or later our computers will start having problems. We can help you with any computer need \u2014 from diagnosing and fixing Windows problems \u2013 to setting up a wireless network for you \u2013 to safeguarding by creating an image-based backup (the only kind that works when you need it to work) \u2013 to cleaning up your computer and optimizing it \u2014 and more. We can do almost anything you need and guarantee our work \u2013 you\u2019re either satisfied or we\u2019ll refund your money.<\/span><\/p>\n We connect to your computer and fix it while you watch<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n We will connect to your computer via the Internet and fix any problems you may be having. You can\u00a0watch us work and chat with us while we do. If you have any computer questions you\u2019d like to ask we\u2019ll be glad to answer them for you.\u00a0 We don\u2019t just fix your computer, we explain what we\u2019re doing and why we\u2019re doing it and we are right there with the entire time. Since we\u2019ve started we\u2019ve helped hundreds of you with your computer problems and we\u2019ve received dozens of referrals and testimonials from our readers and customers.<\/span><\/p>\n We offer many other computer services too! If you have a problem with your computer \u2013 we can fix it!<\/span><\/p>\n Get more information about Cloudeight Direct Computer Care and or get your repair keys here.<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Mike wants our opinion of a new one-click-fix program<\/strong><\/span> https:\/\/securitysaversonline.com\/free-pc-speed-up-store\/<\/a> (Truncated)<\/span><\/p>\n Our answer<\/strong><\/span> The blog post claims this software is\u2026 \u201cA revolutionary breakthrough for Microsoft Windows PC users has taken the U.S. population by storm as residents rush to claim their free copy, thanks to the huge cleanup benefits for personal laptops & computers\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThanks to expertly trained Microsoft Windows developers at Scanguard, every household in the U.S. now has the chance to supercharge the speed of their entire PC system\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n And we can pretty much assure you this \u201cfree\u201d program isn\u2019t free.\u00a0 This is just another one-click-fix scam is all it is and it comes from Scanguard \u2013 a company we\u2019ve written about before:<\/span><\/p>\n https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/dont-fall-for-the-scanguard-scam\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
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\n![\"Please](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2021\/donate2021.png\")
\nMake a donation today and help us keep on helping you!<\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI am using Windows 10 and I am fed up with Windows Explorer and am looking for an alternative. Web searches suggest XYplorer, what is your suggestion? Many thanks for your newsletter and your great help. Sorry, but our sky is grey today! Rhonda<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Rhonda. I think you mean File Explorer. Windows Explorer in Windows 10 and Windows 11 is the Windows GUI. So, I’ll assume you meant File Explorer. With the addition of “Copy to” and “Move to” to the Windows right-click context menu<\/a>, we find File Explorer sufficient for what we need it for.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI will be getting a new computer soon and I want to give m old laptop away. Do you have any suggestions on how I can remove all my personal data from my old laptop and reinstall Windows so the person I give it two will be able to set it up the way she wants? Thanks, Mindy.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Mindy. Please read our article here<\/a>. It explains how to wipe your hard drive, remove all personal files and information from it, and then reinstall Windows 10 so whoever you give it to can set it up as they would a brand-new computer. If you follow the instructions on that page, none of your personal info, files, programs, documents, pictures, music, etc. will be on the computer nor will any of your info or files be recoverable.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nMy right-click menu on my Windows 10 laptop stopped working and it’s very inconvenient not having a right-click function. I have been using Windows 10 for 5 years and have never had a problem. Can you help me? Thanks, Mark.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Mark. Try this:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n2. Wait for 4 or 5 minutes.<\/span>
\n3. Turn on your computer.<\/span>
\n4. Let Windows 10 load completely.<\/span>
\n5. Try your computer and check to see if you still have problems.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n——-<\/span>
\nMark wrote back: “Wow! Thanks!. It’s hard to believe that just shutting off my computer for a few minutes fixed the problem. You guys rock! Thank you! Mark.”<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nWhen you support us with a small gift, you help us continue our mission to keep you informed, separate the truth from the hyperbole, and help you stay safer online. Plus, our computer tips make your computer easier to use.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nHello again. Trying to get onto my email\/internet (outlook \u2013 live.com \u2013 and incurred the following message. What to do now?<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Shari. It looks like you bookmarked or created a shortcut to the Outlook site AFTER you logged in. When you do that the login expires. So always create a shortcut or bookmark the login page, before you log in.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI accidentally synced all my devices to my desktop computer and I don\u2019t want that. I get too much junk on my desktop that I definitely do not want it on my tablet or cell phone. How can I reverse this?<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Carolyn. You don\u2019t give us much information here. Since you have a Google account, I\u2019m assuming you have Sync turned on. And since (I\u2019m guessing) you have Android devices and you are using your Gmail address (Google account) on those devices as well.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 At the top right, click Profile and then Sync is on.<\/span>
\n\u2014 Click Turn off.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u2014 Go to chrome.google.com\/sync.<\/span>
\n\u2014 Scroll to Clear Data and click it.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>My desktop computer keeps freezing and nothing responds. I can\u2019t even bring up the CTRL+ALT+DELETE to turn it off. Then I have to shut down the computer by using the power button. After I do this it starts working again but when I walk away from the computer and come back later it does not respond.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Cathy. I wish I could give you a simple one-two-three presto answer, but I cannot. This is the kind of thing we work on almost every day with our Cloudeight Direct Computer Care service.<\/a> It could be too many programs running at Windows startup. Open Task Manager, click the Startup tab, and disable as many startup programs as you can. Be careful not to disable your antivirus, sound, and graphics.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2014\/directgreen.png\")
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\nWhat is your opinion of this free software:<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Mike. The long URL you sent is just a referral link for someone trying to make a commission from yet another scammy program from Scanguard. The link is actually https:\/\/securitysaversonline.com\/free-pc-speed-up-store\/<\/a> and it leads to a blog post making all sorts of false and unsubstantiated claims.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2022\/longurl.png\")
<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2022\/scanguard22.png\")
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