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Autumn is here. It’s been chilly and autumnal recently, and other trees are showing off their dazzling colors. It’s another October Saturday, and it is time for a new <\/span>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 Please consider giving us a helping hand!<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n If our computer support & help or our tips and tricks have helped you or made your computer life easier or more productive, please help us with a small donation\u00a0 Your gifts allow us to continue to help you.\u00a0 Take a moment and help us if you can.<\/span><\/p>\n Donate today and help us to keep helping you!<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Satur<\/span>day Bonus Questions and Answers \u2013 101924<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Rex asks about Windows 11, UEFI, and processors <\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> Independent of the CPU (processor), Microsoft lists Universal Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) support, TPM 2.0, and Secure Boot capability as hard (mandatory) requirements for Windows 11. Windows 11 won\u2019t work on 32-bit systems \u2013 so PCs with 32-bit architecture won\u2019t be able to run Windows 11.<\/span><\/p>\n But Windows 10 users and seniors who use Windows 10 can relax. Windows 10 will continue to be supported and updated at least until October 14, 2025. So, everyone running Windows 10 now can continue using it safely for at least another 4 (plus) years.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this clears things up a bit more for you.<\/span><\/p>\n Phyllis wants to know about System Restore<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> External drives are generally used for backing up files and data. Since System Restore doesn\u2019t remove personal files or data, there is no correlation between having an external drive and doing a System Restore.<\/span><\/p>\n If you should install a game, program, or malware that causes serious issues with your computer, you could use System Restore to go back to a time before you installed the game, program, or malware \u2013 and it would be like it never happened, providing restore operation was successful. Your personal files and files and folders would not be changed. So, again, there is no correlation between having your personal files\/folders\/data backed up on an external drive and running or not running System Restore.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this answers your question, Phyllis.<\/span><\/p>\n Denton wants to switch from POP3 to IMAP in Microsoft Outlook<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> If you deactivate (i.e., stop checking) your POP3 account in Outlook, the emails you\u2019ve already downloaded should remain in your email client. And they\u2019ll also show up in your \u201cAll Mail\u201d folder in Gmail.<\/span><\/p>\n Remember that IMAP is a mirror of what is on the mail server. Whatever is in your mail folders on www.gmail.com<\/a> will be mirrored in your email client (in your case, Outlook) after you set up the IMAP account. So, if you want to know what folders and email will be in your email program after you set up IMAP, just log in to your Gmail account<\/a> on the Web and check.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n We can fix your Windows computer… check out our low prices here!<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Doug says ZDNet recommends the Brave browser and wants our thoughts Our answer<\/strong><\/span> Well, Enough about all that.<\/span><\/p>\n Brave is based on Chromium as is Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and many other so-called \u201cprivacy\u201d browsers such as Iridium, Epic, and others. Whether Brave is really private or not, depends on how much you trust them to do what they say they will do.<\/span><\/p>\n I really believe that there is no privacy on the web, and I have no expectation of privacy when I\u2019m on the web. Bitcoin was supposed to be the \u201csafe\u201d \u201cuntraceable\u201d way to pay, yet the FBI was able to trace the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline by following the money trail. Brave\u2019s \u201cadvertising\u201d is based on blockchain (cryptocurrency).<\/span><\/p>\n This comes from Brave Software<\/a>\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cBrave Software\u2019s fast, privacy-oriented browser, combined with its blockchain-based digital advertising platform, is reinventing the Web for users, publishers, and advertisers. Users get a private, speedier web experience with much longer battery life, publishers increase their revenue share, and advertisers achieve better conversion. Users can opt into privacy-respecting ads that reward them with the Basic Attention Token (BAT), a frequent flyer-like token they can redeem or use to tip or contribute to publishers and other content creators. The Brave solution is a win-win for everyone who has a stake in the open Web and who is weary of giving up privacy and revenue to the ad-tech intermediaries. Brave currently has over 25 million monthly active users and over 1 million Verified Publishers. Brave Software was co-founded by Brendan Eich, creator of JavaScript and co-founder of Mozilla (Firefox), and Brian Bondy, formerly of Khan Academy and Mozilla\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019ve been testing Brave for quite a while with the thought that I\u2019d make it a freeware pick someday, but after about 8 months, I\u2019m still not sure if I\u2019d recommend it as a \u201cPrivacy\u201d browser. Things like this that show up when you open Brave, concern me\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s top stories in a completely private feed, just for you. Brave News is ad-supported with completely private and anonymized ads matched on your device. Your personal information always stays private, per our privacy policy\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n If Brave is truly private, exactly how would they \u201cmatch\u201d their newsfeed to me and my device? Matching my news to my device would certainly have to include my location as well. I sure don\u2019t want news from Bulgaria or Bolivia.<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, there\u2019s absolutely nothing wrong with Brave as a browser. I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s faster than Google Chrome. It\u2019s probably somewhat more private, but as I said, they\u2019d have to prove that, and proof requires more than just their word. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s \u201cfaster\u201d than Chrome. Chrome runs well on my PC. Microsoft Edge is Darcy\u2019s favorite, and Edge is based on Chromium \u2013 just like Google Chrome. Darcy says Edge runs faster on her PC than Chrome.<\/span><\/p>\n But the browser you use is the one that works best for you. So, go ahead and try Brave and see how you like it \u2013 but don\u2019t assume because ZD Net says it\u2019s faster and more private than Chrome that it really is.<\/span><\/p>\n Brave, Chrome, Edge, Firefox, etc. will all run differently on different systems. And we encourage everyone to install more than two or more browsers. I have six browsers installed on my computer. When you have a choice, eventually you\u2019ll stick with the one that works best for you. For me, that\u2019s Chrome, for Darcy\u2019s that\u2019s Edge, and for you, it might well be Brave.<\/span><\/p>\n Go ahead and try Brave. It won\u2019t hurt anything, and you may like it. You can download it free from here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Greg doesn\u2019t get what Microsoft is trying to do with Windows 11<\/strong><\/span> From what have read so far is that Windows 11 Home will NOT be able to have a local account but must use an outlook.com account as login\u2026 (yes, I know according to reports Win11 Pro will allow local accounts but only after you have first signed in with an outlook.com account. I do not like this and am sure lots of others will not like this either. It should be people\u2019s choice to have a local or otherwise account. Microsoft is dictating this and therefore monitoring what people are or are not doing\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n It is a blatant means of tracking that Microsoft has employed. Yes, I did upgrade to Win10, and to be honest, I do not mind it some things are quirky, but overall it is pretty good. But no local account. I am not sure about Windows 11 and from the screenshots that I\u2019ve seen. I have to say it looks like a Mac layout.<\/span><\/p>\n What happens if the login server goes down for whatever reason or a person\u2019s internet connection goes down or even has no internet? Does that mean no one will be able to log in on their PCs? Or will it then go \u201clocal\u201d? I just do not see the justification for making this a requirement. And for me, at least, it would stop me from ever using Win11. Most of the other things I can handle and accept, but that form of dictatorial control no. What are your thoughts on this? As most talk has been about the requirements to run it but not about the Microsoft account issue. And yes I know can keep using Windows 10 until October 14, 2025, but what about after that?<\/span><\/p>\n Our answer<\/strong><\/span> Secondly, you don\u2019t need a connection to log in with your Microsoft Account. We both use Microsoft accounts on Windows 10, and we can access our computers without a connection. So, it\u2019s not true that you\u2019ll get locked out of your computer when you use a Microsoft account. You will need a connection to set up the account. But in Windows 10 and Windows 11, you don\u2019t even need an outlook.com, Hotmail.com, msn.com, live.com, or live.ca, email address to set up a Microsoft account. You can use Gmail for instance.<\/span><\/p>\n Honestly, if it were not for my job, I would not even worry about Windows 11 or what Microsoft is thinking. I\u2019d just keep using Windows 10 until shortly before the end-of-service date of October 14, 2025. One thing is for sure\u2026 I\u2019m certain Windows 11 will be much different than it is now\u2026and we may be looking at Windows 12 by then.<\/span><\/p>\n Windows 10 will be supported and updated for another year. So you have a lot of time to continue using Windows 10 before you will have to make a decision.<\/span><\/p>\n David thinks his video problems might be BIOS-related<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> The BIOS (Basic Input\/Output System) is a ROM (Read Only Memory) chip found on motherboards that allows you to access and set up your computer system at the most basic level. The BIOS includes instructions on how to load basic computer hardware. It also includes a test referred to as a POST (Power-On Self-Test) that helps verify the computer meets the requirements to boot up properly. If the computer does not pass the POST, you hear a combination of beeps indicating what is malfunctioning in the computer.<\/span><\/p>\n Since you don\u2019t mention hearing any beeps indicating that the BIOS is detecting something wrong, I think it\u2019s your computer\u2019s screen (hardware) and not the BIOS.<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, we cannot fix hardware remotely or replace a computer screen or any other hardware device. The BIOS can only be accessed outside of Windows (before Windows boots) and requires a physical presence. We cannot work on the BIOS remotely; we can only connect to computers where Windows is loaded, and the computer is online.<\/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 Stanley wants to know about bandwidth and connection speed<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> Bandwidth is often mistaken for internet speed. Bandwidth is the volume of information that can be sent over a connection in a measured amount of time. This is usually shown as download speed and upload speed but that is not bandwidth.<\/span><\/p>\n But let\u2019s use water as an example since that was your analogy. The speed of your internet connection is the speed at which data downloads to your device and uploads from your device to servers on the Internet. Bandwidth is the amount (volume) of data your connection can carry before it slows down. Think of bandwidth this way. A garden hose vs. a fire hose. Water flows just as fast through a garden hose as it does through a fire hose (theoretically), but there\u2019s a big difference between the volume of water each can carry. A fire hose has a great deal more \u201cbandwidth\u201d than a garden hose, although the speed of the water flow remains the same with each.<\/span><\/p>\n Bandwidth does not matter so much if you have only one or two devices in your home using your wireless Internet connection\u2026 but if you have several smart TVs, tablets, smartphones, computers, and other Internet-connected devices in your home all using the Internet at the same time, then you\u2019re going to need a lot of bandwidth, or your connection speed will slow considerably. Think of watering a garden vs. putting out a house fire.<\/span><\/p>\n Tammy wants us to recommend a good file recovery program<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> It\u2019s a former Cloudeight freeware pick. You can read more about Puran File Recovery here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n You can use wildcards to find file types \u2013 I found wildcards work exceptionally well. Also, its deep scan feature is supposed to help you to recover data from formatted drives. I have not tested this, but it sounds like a great feature.<\/span><\/p>\n Leslie found an article about people having problems with keyboards that type backward<\/span><\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/span><\/strong><\/span> But I do know, if you’re typing in a browser you can write backwards…<\/span><\/p>\n I will certainly file away the article you sent, just in case someone writes and has a malfunctioning keyboard. Better yet, I’ll put this in the newsletter, so everyone will know! <\/span><\/p>\n Now a<\/span>v<\/strong><\/span>ailable: Reg Organizer 9.40<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n If you purchased or renewed Reg Organizer through Cloudeight within the last 12 months, you\u2019re entitled to a free version upgrade to Reg Organizer 9.40. It works great with Windows 10 and Windows 11!<\/span><\/p>\n Save $14 on Reg Organizer right now!<\/strong><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
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\nHI Darcy & TC. Thanks for the heads-up regarding Windows 11. I have followed a few reports and found that 32-bit PCs and processors without UEFI cannot run Windows 11. I hope they are rumors for the sake of senior PC owners out there. Thanks for your comments. Rex<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Rex. UEFI (and BIOS) have no relationship to the processor or the system type (32-bit\/64-bit). UEFI is expected to eventually replace the basic input\/output system (BIOS) but is compatible with it. Windows will no longer support 32-bit architecture and computer manufacturers are no longer making 32-bit systems.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nHi! I\u2019m sure you commented on this before, but I wasn\u2019t sure where to look for an answer to my question. I have an external hard drive and wanted to know if I should still do a system restore. Thanks for all your help. I really appreciate all the newsletters. Again, thank you.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Phyllis. Thank you. System Restore is a Windows feature that allows you to restore your computer to a previous point in time. Its main use is when you install a program or make a substantial change to Windows that causes serious Windows problems. System Restore does not remove files or data.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI use Gmail as my main email and then forward it to my Microsoft Outlook account. My email is set up for POP and I need to change it to IMAP (as recommended by you guys) How do I do that without losing all my saved emails and make the transition a smooth and uneventful event?<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Denton. You\u2019ll need to set up the Gmail IMAP account in MS Outlook. The server settings for IMAP are completely different than POP3. You can deactivate the POP3 account from Outlook and set up your Gmail account using IMAP. See this Google page for server settings and more information.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n
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\n<\/strong>I just received a ZD net news email, and they are recommending a new browser to replace Chrome called \u201cBrave\u201d @ brave.com. They say it is really fast and secure. What are your thoughts on this?<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Doug. Any time a big company like ZDNet, or PC Magazine, or PC World recommends something, my first thought is what\u2019s in it for them? Brave is well-funded. I take things like this recommendation of Brave with a grain of salt. Because any time a large \u201cFor Profit\u201d company recommends anything I feel that somewhere along the line they\u2019re getting paid. This is not true with smaller sites though. Recommendations from smaller, privately owned sites very seldom are big enough to get \u201cpayoffs\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nHi TC and EB. I know there are lots of things being written about Windows 11 and at the moment the articles seem to be more negative than positive, but we will see. Microsoft is bound to change requirements etc. before the final release. I am not too worried about TPM or the rest of the other issues. The one issue I do not like is no more local accounts.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Greg. First, as you note, you do have another year to continue to use Windows 10. And I really don\u2019t see many amazing features in Windows 11 that would make me want to make the jump to Windows 11. If I weren\u2019t in this business, I might not even consider installing Windows 11 yet. I probably would wait until next summer.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI think something is changing my Bios settings. The computer screen is black but the HDMA to the TV works and I can see the program on the TV. It also has some other things that need tweaking.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi David. I\u2019m not aware of any BIOS settings being a major cause of black screens. If it were the BIOS, you\u2019d not be able to see anything on a TV screen using the HDMI port. The BIOS loads before Windows starts.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nI am rather confused about the difference between bandwidth and speed. I was under the impression that the time taken to get a web page was analogous to a water pipe. The rate of getting a website (water received) was dependent on speed (water pressure) and bandwidth (diameter of the water pipe). However, in your very interesting freeware pick, it seems that speed and bandwidth are the same things. Regards, Stanley.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Stanley. Actually, these were site picks and there were five of them. The Cloudeight Site Picks article was titled \u201cFive Good Internet Speed Testing Sites<\/a>\u201c.\u00a0 We didn\u2019t mention bandwidth at all. I see that one of the sites (at least) claimed to measure bandwidth but I take that with a grain of salt.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nHi. What do you recommend to recover files that were accidentally deleted? I am looking for a freeware program, but I would pay for a file recovery program if there aren\u2019t any good free ones. I love your newsletters and your tips! Thanks, Tammy S.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Tammy. We\u2019ve tested a lot of file recovery programs and my favorite is\u00a0 Puran File Recovery.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nGood morning, TC. I found this article<\/a> about people having problems with their keyboards typing backward. I thought you might find this interesting. Have a great day. Leslie.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Leslie.\u00a0In all the years I’ve been doing this (since 1997) I’ve never seen or heard of anyone with a keyboard that types backward. Not saying it can’t happen but I’ve never heard of it. But, thanks to you, now I have.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2023\/right2left.png-\")
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