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Hello there, friends. It’s the last issue of Bonus Questions & Answers for the summer. Tomorrow, 22 September 2024, autumn begins here in the northern hemisphere. If all that isn’t enough for you, it’s Saturday and time for a new Saturday Bonus Questions & Answers edition.<\/span><\/p>\n Today, as we do every Saturday, 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 Autumn is here and winter won’t be far behind. As the days get shorter, we’re all going to be using our computers more. Let us help you make sure your computer is ready and running well!<\/span><\/p>\n You’ll get all of the above for just $19 for a limited time. This offer is good for a limited time!<\/span><\/p>\n Get more information and\/or get your Awesome Autumn PC Checkup here!<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n *Note: Our Awesome Autumn PC Checkup, Cleanup, and Optimization does not include repairs.<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Satur<\/span>day Bonus Questions and Answers \u2013 092124<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Janice is looking for her favorite program to resize images.<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> Here is Irfanview\u2019s resize dialog. You can see you can set whatever size you want, choose a percentage of the original, choose a preset size, and many more options.<\/span><\/p>\n I hope this helps you, Janice.<\/span> Terry wonders if this is a Microsoft Account scam<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> The messages are usually worded like this\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n Note that the dark background is based on your Windows theme, if you use the light theme these will appear faded and \u201cghostly\u201d. These notifications appear just above the Windows clock and will disappear if you reboot, however, in time, they\u2019ll reappear until you log into your Microsoft account.<\/span><\/p>\n I hope this eases your mind.<\/span><\/p>\n Deberah says someone has her IP address<\/span><\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/span><\/strong><\/span> Your IP address is public, but no one can trace you to your home address with it, all they can tell is what state and city you are from. They cannot tell your name (unless you include it in your email address \u2013 as you\u2019ve done \u2013 and which we highly recommend you do not). Still, they cannot tell what your home address is.<\/span><\/p>\n The only way anyone can use your IP address to find where you live is with a legal warrant issued to your ISP who, subsequent to a warrant gives authorities your full name, home address, phone number, and the server logs showing all of your activity online.<\/span><\/p>\n You\u2019re right, it was a scam and unless you let someone connect to your computer (they would need your consent) they can\u2019t put anything on your computer based on your IP address.<\/span><\/p>\n If you don\u2019t want the general public to be able to see your true IP address, you can use a VPN service. A free browser-based VPN service would be a good cloak. While not as good a shield as a paid VPN service, a free browser-based VPN can stop casual users or crooks looking for easy money from easily obtaining your IP address. And since you use Yahoo Mail, a VPN browser extension would hide your IP address on your emails as well.<\/span><\/p>\n The problem with using a VPN is that when you do online banking, or other financial sites, or government Web sites, a VPN means you won\u2019t be able to log in until you \u201cprove\u201d your identity either via a text message, email, phone call, or some other method. A decent browser-based VPN extension for most browsers is Cyberghost and a good one if you use a Chromium-based browser like Chrome or Edge is Free VPN for Chrome. Another advantage of a browser-based VPN is that you can easily turn it off when doing online banking, credit card, government-related, or other personal transactions and avoid the \u201cprove your identity\u201d challenges you\u2019ll face if you use a VPN on every site.<\/span><\/p>\n If you still decide you want us to look over your computer, just let us know we\u2019ll get you on the schedule as soon as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this eases your mind and helps you understand that IP addresses are public and just about anyone can access them. That doesn\u2019t mean they know who you are, where you live, or what your phone number is. That kind of personal information can only be obtained by a legal warrant issued to your service provider.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n We can fix your Windows computer… check out our low prices here!<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Jean says all images are missing from her email after an update<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/span><\/strong><\/span> I believe Darcy already answered your question about images in our newsletter and your email\u2026 but if you\u2019re using OE Classic, do this:<\/span><\/p>\n 1. Click \u201cTools\u201d on the top toolbar.<\/span><\/p>\n 2. Click \u201cOptions\u201d then click \u201cRead\u201d on the left.<\/span><\/p>\n 3. Make sure the box to the left of \u201cBlock external content in HTML emails (e.g. images, scripts) is not checked.<\/span><\/p>\n 4. And finally click \u201cApply\u201d then \u201cOK\u201d at the bottom of the dialog to save your changes.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this gets you all fixed up, Jean.<\/span> Chris says she has the same computer as her husband, but his computer can run Windows 11, hers cannot.<\/span><\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> Some unsupported computers that have used workarounds to install Windows 11 are now finding they\u2019re not able to get automatic monthly cumulative updates or new version updates when they become available.<\/span><\/p>\n We strongly recommend against forcing Windows 11 on computers that do not natively support it.<\/span><\/p>\n Our advice is to see if your computer is compatible with Windows 11 or not by following the instructions on this page<\/a>. After running the PC Health check, you\u2019ll know for sure if your computer natively supports Windows 11 and, if doesn\u2019t, why it doesn\u2019t. As a general rule, computers older than 4 years old do not natively support Windows 11.<\/span><\/p>\n Windows 10 will be supported by Microsoft through October 14, 2025. That\u2019s over 2 and a half years from now. I have a Windows 11 computer and a Windows 10 computer sitting right next to it. I do not see any great advantages in Windows 11 that would compel me to upgrade the Windows 10 computer to Windows 11 (it doesn\u2019t support Windows 11 natively). The safeguards that make Windows 11 more secure than Windows 10 are defeated if you use workarounds to force the upgrade on computers that don\u2019t support it.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps you make a good decision, Chris.<\/span><\/p>\n Leslie wants to format a hard drive and keep Chrome<\/span><\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/span><\/strong><\/span> So, we suggest that you do a Windows 10 Reset, wipe out everything, and then reinstall Chrome. It takes less than 5 minutes to download and reinstall Chrome. See this page to learn how to do a Windows 10 reset<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Once the reset is done, you can download Chrome from https:\/\/google.com\/chrome\/<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps you, Leslie.<\/span><\/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 Connie wants to add 2 Gmail addresses to her Gmail account<\/span><\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/span><\/strong><\/span> Here\u2019s a screenshot to guide you.<\/span><\/p>\n After you add another account all you have to do is click it and sign in and you\u2019ll have access to both accounts (or all accounts you added) as long as you\u2019re signed into both (or all).<\/span><\/p>\n Hope this helps you, Connie.<\/span><\/p>\n Sandy keeps getting mail from Google that she has web activity turned on<\/span> Our answer<\/span><\/strong><\/span> Android Computer iPhone and iPad click on Computer (see below):<\/span><\/p>\n From that page, you can learn more about what happens when you turn Google Web activity on or off and choose the one that best suits you.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps you, Sandy.<\/span><\/p>\n Darlene is looking for a good safe service to bring all her finances together in one place<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/span><\/strong><\/span> In our opinion, the answer is Intuit Mint. It\u2019s the best free financial service that brings together all your accounts in one place. According to Mint, \u201cMint brings together everything from spending, balances, and budgets to your credit score and more. Access your financial life in one powerful app.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n You can download the Mint app for Android and Apple from this page<\/a>. Or use Mint in your favorite browser in Windows by signing up for a free account here <\/a>and using Mint on the web via your favorite browser.<\/span><\/p>\n We featured Mint several years ago in an answer to a subscriber question, and since then it has been purchased by Intuit (who also owns TurboTax, QuickBooks, Credit Karma, and Mail Chimp).<\/span><\/p>\n
\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2024\/awesome1.png\")
<\/a><\/h2>\nCloudeight Direct Computer Care\u00a0 –\u00a0 Awesome Autumn PC Checkup, Cleanup, & Optimization Sale<\/span><\/a><\/h2>\n
When you order our Awesome Autumn Computer Checkup:<\/span><\/h3>\n
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\nI have, in the past, had an app to resize photos. It would appear on the drop-down menu. I could right-click and a little box appeared with options. Can you tell me what that was and how I can get it and install it? Thank You. Janice.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Janice. There are dozens of image viewers and image resizers, I don\u2019t know which one you were using. We use Irfanview. It\u2019s a great image viewer and it\u2019s great for resizing images. We\u2019ve been recommending and using it for 20 years. Way back since the days of Windows 95. You can read more about Irfanview here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2021\/resize.png\")
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\nJanice wrote back: \u201cHi TC. Thank you for your reply and thank you for the reminder. I did use Irfanview years ago but had completely forgotten about it! \u2026 Anyway, I will download it knowing that, if you suggest it, it is safe. Your recommendations have been my guidelines since I started at the age of 70 learning to use a computer. I learned a lot from you, and I thank you! Now\u2026. off to get Irfanview! Keep up the much-needed good work! Janice.\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
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\nYesterday, while waiting for something to load I noticed a ghost-like text in the bottom right-hand corner of my screen. It seemed to emanate from the Notification icon. I took care of business and then went back to that icon and clicked on it. What opened was a note that informed me I had to confirm my Microsoft Account. That sounded suspicious to me, so I didn\u2019t click the button provided. I signed into my account on my own and was confirmed by Microsoft. Then, I turned off my PC. After twenty minutes I started up again and lo and behold, that ghostly image had disappeared and had not returned. I mention this to you in case it was a scam or something dastardly that you might want to warn your readers about.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Terry. It\u2019s not a scam. I think everyone who\u2019s ever signed into Windows 10 with a Microsoft account has seen that same message. It wants you to confirm your Microsoft credentials \u2013 whether your need to or not and whether you\u2019ve changed your password(s) or not.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2021\/confirmms.png\")
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\nA scam told me my IP address had been hacked and told me to call a phone number which I did not. I need to have you check my laptop security and clean up anything that should not be there.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Deberah. Every time you use your email or browse the web, your IP address is visible to the website, your ISP, and anyone who receives your email. Your IP address based on this email is 74.6.161.144.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI downloaded and installed the latest update this morning. My computer is a mess. Images in your newsletters are missing as well as the picture tutorials. The address bar in Chrome is small but legible. Images and words on the home page are small. These are just some of the things that are messed up. Can I remove that update?<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Jean. You can increase the size of images and text in Chrome (as well as other browsers) easily. See our tip here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2023\/oec.png\")
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\nJean wrote back: \u201cHi TC and Darcy. Thank you so much for your help. It was a quick and easy fix. This is the first time that I can remember having a problem with an upgrade on Win 10. I\u2019ve been fortunate. Thanks again and have a great day\u2026Jean <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI have a computer purchased 9 years ago. It is running quite well on Windows 10. At the same time, I purchased this computer I purchased a second one for my husband. His played up some months ago and he called a technician who came out and restored the computer using Windows 11 and it is now running well. I tried to install Windows 11 on mine but it comes up and tells me that I cannot install Windows 11 as my system is not able to update to the new version. As both computers were purchased at the same time, and are the same, is there any way you can update my computer to Windows 11? Thank you, Chris G.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Chris. There are ways around upgrading computers to Windows 11 that do not, according to Microsoft, support Windows 11. There are dozens of articles out there showing how to defeat all the Microsoft safeguards (that are actually for your security) and install Windows on computers that do not natively support it. Here is one<\/a>. If you follow those instructions you do so at your own risk.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI\u2019m not using my old computer anymore but my husband is. He uses it to surf the internet. How do I reformat the drive to get everything off of it but Google Chrome? I\u2019m lost. Thanks.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Leslie. By reformat you mean \u201cFormat\u201d which means to remove everything on the drive. When you format a drive you can\u2019t pick and choose what is removed \u2013 everything is removed.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nDonate today and help us keep on helping you!<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\nI have two other Gmail addresses in my husband\u2019s name, but I have no idea how to connect those accounts to mine so I can access them. They don\u2019t show up under my Gmail account. One of them only showed up one time and then disappeared. How do I log in to them? Thank you!<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Connie. Log in to your primary account and click on your account picture or initials in the very top-right corner. You\u2019ll see your account listed and if you have another account associated with it you\u2019ll see that too. All you have to do to add a Gmail account is to click on \u201cAdd another account\u201d and follow the instructions on-screen. You\u2019ll need to know the username (Gmail address) and the password for the account you want to add.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2023\/add-gmail.png\")
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\n<\/strong>I keep getting this from Google: \u201cHello Sandy, To protect your privacy, this is a reminder that you have your Web & App Activity setting turned on.\u201d How do I turn it off? And do I need to? I didn\u2019t see a problem. I tried clicking on some of the links it gives but I never could figure out how to turn it off. Thanks for the help again.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Sandy. Go to this Google page<\/a> and right above the instructions to turn Web and app security on or off, you\u2019ll see three choices:<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2023\/webactivity.png\")
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\nYou guys have been so great at bringing us answers for freeware sites for better computing and living. Right off the bat, this may not be in your line of expertise, but one can try\u2026 I have been using a very popular freeware financial computer app that has been wonderful for keeping track of all my banking, but they have stopped downloading my most used account. Others are having similar problems with it so it\u2019s not my 87-year-old brain. Do you have any suggestions for freeware (or cheap) sites that can help track all my finances in one place? Love you two. You\u2019ve been a lifesaver over many years. Darlene.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Darlene. Thanks so much.<\/span><\/p>\n
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