For those of you living in balmy climes, we envy you. It has not been above freezing here in two weeks. It has snowed almost every day. I’m tired of using snow blowers. Send us some palm trees and a warm breeze, please \ud83d\ude42 <\/span><\/p>\n And besides my prattling, it’s Saturday and time for yet another edition of Saturday Bonus Questions and Answers. 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 – 011125<\/span> Sandy asks about OneDrive, the Cloud, and browser home pages<\/span><\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/span><\/strong><\/span> OneDrive is a Microsoft product\/service. It backs up your Windows user folder (Documents, Desktop, Pictures, Music, Videos, Favorites, etc.) in the \u201cCloud\u201d. It\u2019s closely tied to your Windows computer. It makes it easy to access all your user folders on any Windows device. You can also install OneDrive on Android devices by downloading the OneDrive app from the Google Play Store and signing into OneDrive using your Microsoft account credentials. You can also install OneDrive on Apple devices such as iPhones or iPads by downloading the OneDrive app from the Apple App Store and signing into your Microsoft account.<\/span><\/p>\n OneDrive comes with 5 GB of free space. You can purchase more space, or if you purchase a Microsoft 365 (Office) subscription you\u2019ll get 1 TB of OneDrive space free. According to Apple, when you set up iCloud, you automatically get 5 GB of free storage. You can use that space for your iCloud backups, photos, videos, documents, and more. If you need more space, you can upgrade to iCloud+.<\/span><\/p>\n We highly recommend OneDrive to back up your Windows computer \u2013 if you have enough storage space \u2013 you can easily access your personal files and folders from any Windows computer \u2013 or if you get a new Windows computer \u2013 once you sign in to OneDrive \u2013 all your personal files show up your new computer.<\/span><\/p>\n As for duplicate home pages in your browser (and thanks for using our start page!) here\u2019s how to fix that.<\/span><\/p>\n In the Edge address bar, type or copy & paste the following:<\/span><\/p>\n edge:\/\/settings\/startHomeNTP<\/span><\/p>\n and press Enter.<\/span><\/p>\n Under \u201cOpen these pages\u201d remove one of the links to https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/start\/ by clicking on the 3 dots to its left and choosing \u201cDelete\u201d from the menu.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps you, Sandy.<\/span><\/p>\n Richard says his new computer won\u2019t allow him to use his Gmail address<\/span><\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/span><\/strong><\/span> We are sorry that we can\u2019t be of more help but this is something you\u2019ll need to investigate by trying to log into your account by going to the Gmail login page at https:\/\/www.gmail.com\/<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Also, if you use an email program on your computer, you may have to reset your Gmail account.<\/span><\/p>\n Debbie wants a good ad blocker but cannot find one on our website<\/span><\/strong><\/span> I\u2019ll also need to set up a spring clean on 2 of my computers. Doing that next. I so appreciate you both!<\/span><\/p>\n Our answer<\/span><\/strong><\/span> The site search on our website is very easy to find. Just visit https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/new\/<\/a> and the search box is near the top right.<\/span><\/p>\n Our number one choice for a free ad blocker is uBlock Origin. You can read our full recommendation here. That article contains download links, too. If you’re using Chrome, we recommend uBlock Origin Lite. See this page.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps you, Debbie. We look forward to \u201cseeing\u201d you soon for your spring clean-up.<\/span><\/p>\n Our Winter Donation Drive is underway!<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n This week we gladly helped dozens of people solve their computer problems by email quickly and free of charge.<\/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<\/strong><\/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! Audrey has major problems with shortcuts I can find no help on the Google website. The only advice offered was to reinstall Chrome, which I am hesitant to do if I can avoid it. So I\u2019m sorry I have to bother you. I\u2019ll be very surprised if you don\u2019t have a simple answer which will make me say, \u201cWhy didn\u2019t I think of that?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Kind regards to you both, Audrey.<\/span><\/p>\n Our answer<\/span><\/strong><\/span> For example, to create a correct shortcut for Chrome, open File Explorer, navigate to your C: drive > Program Files > Google > Application > and right-click on Chrome.exe and choose \u201cSend to\u201d > \u201cDesktop (create shortcut)\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n But first, make sure you delete all the shortcuts that don\u2019t work correctly before you do this.<\/span><\/p>\n After you\u2019ve removed all the incorrect shortcuts to websites on your desktop\u2026 create new ones. To create website shortcuts on the desktop using Chrome, open the page you want to create a shortcut to, click on the 3 dots in the top right corner, and click \u201cMore tools\u201d > \u201cCreate shortcut\u201d. Do this with all the pages you need a correct shortcut for.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure why you\u2019re getting that Google Apps page. But if you do need to uninstall Chrome, make sure you save your bookmarks. Because uninstalling Chrome correctly requires you to also delete a folder in a hidden directory called AppData\\Local. If you decide to remove Chrome and reinstall it, let me know and we\u2019ll help you with that.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps you, Audrey.<\/span> So the ball is back in my court! Maybe I\u2019ll have to stop being lazy and do it the long way.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n We wrote back. to Audrey..<\/strong>.<\/span> Choose > New shortcut.<\/span> (The URL was omitted from this newsletter to save space)<\/span><\/p>\n And paste the entire URL into the \u201clocation\u201d box. Then click \u201cNext\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n Under \u201cType a name for this shortcut\u201d type the name of your bank and click \u201cFinish\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n Now try your bank shortcut.<\/span> Cheryl has questions about Windows 11 security settings<\/span><\/strong><\/span> When I click on Settings, this is what comes up: Do I need to turn any of this on?? The bottom one (Microsoft Vulnerable Driver Blocklist) was on by default.<\/span><\/p>\n Thank you for your time.<\/span><\/p>\n Our answer<\/span><\/strong><\/span> Keep in mind, that Windows 10 had the same settings options, and Core isolation\/memory integrity was turned off by default. So, since Microsoft is supporting Windows 10 until 10\/14\/2025 and since there are hundreds of millions of Windows 10 users, Microsoft may be (again) blathering.<\/span><\/p>\n As I said, my settings are the same as yours and I\u2019m just going to leave them alone.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps you \u2013 or at least gives you some peace of mind, Cheryl.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Cheryl wants to junk two old computers<\/strong><\/span> I have 2 old computers in my closet and I\u2019d really like to get rid of them. Do you have any instructions on how I can clean them before discarding them? I\u2019m pretty sure one has Windows 7 and the other has Windows XP.<\/span><\/p>\n Thank you for your time and everything you do to help others. You\u2019re both angels in my mind. Cheryl<\/span><\/p>\n Our answer<\/strong><\/span> If you\u2019re just going to junk the computers, there is no need to put yourself through the ordeal of using a drive-wiping disk to remove the data from the drive. Simply remove the hard drives from the computers and destroy them \u2013 seriously. Just take them out, and pound them with a hammer.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re thinking of salvaging the PCs & giving them away\u2026I would think the Windows XP computer would be too old to salvage. Windows 7 PC may be upgradeable to Windows 10 \u2013 if it is you could install Windows 10 on it (Free) and follow the instructions on this page<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n There are several places where you can recycle computers\u2026 most BestBuys accept computers for recycling. Just make sure you destroy the data on your hard drive before recycling.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps you, Cheryl.<\/span><\/p>\n We’ve helped hundreds and hundreds of you with your computers since we started our <\/strong> Cloudeight Direct Computer Care Service<\/strong><\/a>! If you’re having computer problems – we CAN help you! <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n We all know that sooner or later our computers are going to start having problems. We can help you with any computer need — from diagnosing and fixing Windows problems – to cleaning up your computer and optimizing it — and more. We can do almost anything you need done and we guarantee our work – you’re either satisfied or we’ll 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 watch us work and chat with us while we do. If you have any computer questions you’d like to ask we’ll be glad to answer them for you.\u00a0 We don’t just fix your computer, we explain what we’re doing and why we’re doing it and we are right there with the entire time. Since we’ve started we’ve helped hundreds of you with your computer problems and we’ve 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 – 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 Judy wants to know what the purpose of the Gmail All Mail folder is Our answer<\/strong><\/span> The \u201cAll Mail\u201d folder (label) stores all the mail you archive. We think of it as a valuable backup folder. Archiving mail from the inbox to the All Mail folder keeps the inbox cleaner and less cluttered while allowing you to save the mail in the All Mail folder. If you are concerned about backing up your email \u2013 the All Mail folder is a great way of doing that. If you don\u2019t care about backing up your email, you can just delete your email instead of archiving it.<\/span><\/p>\n Since Google gives you 15 GB of space, you have plenty of room to back up all your email by archiving it. Then, in the future, if you\u2019re looking for a certain email you can open the All Mail folder and use the Gmail search feature to find the email you\u2019re looking for.<\/span><\/p>\n We hope this helps explain the benefits of Gmail\u2019s All Mail folder.<\/span><\/p>\n Barb is having problems with our Start page<\/strong><\/span> Our answer<\/strong><\/span> We hope this helps you \u2013 and thanks for using our Start page<\/a>!<\/span><\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\nWhat\u2019s the difference between OneDrive and Cloud? I hate both. Next question: When I first got this computer a year or so ago, the first thing I do is put your start page on here. When I did that, somehow, now, every time I start this computer, 2 of your start pages come up. I don\u2019t want to delete one, cause I might delete both. I\u2019m not too whippy when it comes to this machine.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Sandy. You asked about the difference between OneDrive and Cloud \u2013 did you mean iCloud? The term \u201cCloud\u201d is used to refer to storing files \u201cin the Cloud\u201d or storing files on remote web servers. I\u2019m going to assume you mean iCloud. iCloud is an Apple product and service and it\u2019s closely tied to Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, iMac, etc.) It backs up files on your Apple devices to the \u201cCloud\u201d. I believe if you have iCloud installed on Windows it allows you to access photos (and other files) stored in your iCloud account on your Windows computer(s). Since I don\u2019t have any Apple devices, I\u2019ve not used iDrive.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2023\/edge-start.png\")
<\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\nMy new computer will not let me use my old address. It inserts a 2 after my username.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Richard. The computer or device you use to access your email has nothing to do with your email username or password. You should be able to go to https:\/\/www.gmail.com and sign into your Gmail account from any computer, smartphone, or tablet using your username (Gmail address) and password. The device you use does not change your email address or your password. So, this is not a Windows issue or a computer problem.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\nI was thinking I could search your website to find past articles on topics, but can\u2019t find it on your website so I\u2019ll just ask\u2026 what is a good ad blocker that works?<\/span><\/p>\n
\nThanks so much, Debbie. We look forward to doing the spring clean-ups for you.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2023\/c8search.png\")
<\/span><\/p>\n
\n![\"Help](\"https:\/\/www.thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2023\/winterdonate.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nMake a small donation and help us help you!<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/h2>\n
\n<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/span><\/strong>Dear Darcy and TC. I\u2019m frustrated this week! I have desktop shortcuts for things like my bank login page, and others and now I suddenly find they are not opening the target page but instead opening Google Apps \u2013 \u201cC:\\Program Files\\Google\\Chrome\\Application\\chrome_proxy.exe\u201d \u2013profile-directory=Default \u2013app-id= (with a string of 33 lower case letters). The right-click menu has options \u2013 Open as window \/ Start App when you sign in \/ Remove from Chrome Settings \/ Create Shortcuts. Choosing to create shortcuts brings up the box to create shortcuts on the desktop, etc., but I still end up back in Google Apps.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Audrey. I am not sure what is going on. But the easiest way to create a shortcut for a program on your desktop is to go to the installation folder (where the program is installed) and right-click on its exe file then choose \u201cSend to desktop (create shortcut)\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/span>
\nAudrey wrote back: \u201cThank you for your prompt reply, TC. It now seems all shortcuts are working except this particular website. When I click on the shortcut within the Apps page, this message appears \u2013 \u201cXXXX \u2013 Internet Banking Login\u201d is no longer supported. Old versions of Chrome apps won\u2019t open on Windows devices after December 2022. You can check if there\u2019s a new version available.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Audrey. Delete the shortcut you currently have to your bank. Right-click on your desktop (not on an icon).<\/span><\/p>\n
\nAnd where it says \u201cType of the location of the item\u201d copy and paste the URL below:<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\u2014\u2014<\/span>
\nAudrey wrote back\u2026\u201cDear Genius. Thank you for sticking with this. I followed your instructions and it works a treat. We\u2019d have to work hard to stump you! Kindest regards, Audrey. PS I am happy to make a small donation!\u201d<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\nHello again my friends. After the latest Windows 11 update on my PC, I now notice this in my Windows Security notifications.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2023\/cheryl1.png\")
<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2023\/cheryl2.png\")
<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2023\/cheryl3.png\")
<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Cheryl. The settings you have are the settings that I and many others have. This usually happens when you have incompatible drivers in your PC and the only solution to get \u201ccore isolation \u201d back will be to remove the incompatible drivers, before you do so, please keep in mind that removing a driver means, that the device which is associated with the driver will not work, so either accept the risk and ignore the Core isolation Memory Integrity not available error or give it a try. Everything on my computer is running fine and I\u2019m not going to mess with deleting drivers just to turn on Memory integrity.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2023\/isolation.png\")
<\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\nGood morning my good friends!! Hope all is well with you and your families.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Cheryl. Thanks so much!<\/span><\/p>\n
\n![\"Cloudeight](\"https:\/\/thundercloud.net\/infoave\/images\/2014\/directgreen.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n
\n
\n<\/strong>I am trying to teach myself more about what exactly archiving in Gmail does except keep adding to the all mail folder. Dumb question but really don\u2019t know. Judy.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Judy\u2026 the only dumb question is the one that is not asked.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n
\nFor about the last week, I have not been able to get the third column on your home page \u201cTechnology and Internet News\u201d. It is very strange because I can get it on my iPad. Not really a big deal but was just wondering if something weird is going on with my computer. Thank you in advance, you guys are a great help with all you do!<\/span><\/p>\n
\nHi Barb. Thanks! We have optimized our Start page<\/a> so it\u2019s much faster and all three columns work fine and load almost instantly. If you\u2019re not seeing the 3rd column refresh the page (press the F5 button while on the page) and you should see the changes. You may have to refresh the page two or three times before you see the changes if it\u2019s been a long time since you cleared your browser\u2019s cache.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n