Saturday, October 29, 2016

Hangouts Summary 10-27-2016

There were five of us this week and I was able to get on with my cell phone for a hot spot and my Chromebook for Hangouts. I did not have anything planned this week--a lot going on her in KY and I am not on the Internet all the time here to poke around. But we did touch on a number of things as we all shared.

One of the members has had a strange event. Windows reset itself back to the way it was on March 15th. All files were also brought back to that date. Because of backups of files in the last few weeks recovery was possible, but the reason for the anomaly is unknown. Anybody have any thoughts? I was at a loss.

Part of that problem was the way to download pictures that had been stored in Google Photos. We were told that they all came down as tiny thumbnails and not as the original files. I logged on to Photos and tried it. Right-clicking on the pictures that show on the screen is not the answer. Those are just thumbnails. You must open the picture by clicking on it or select the group you want to download, then click the three dots in the upper right and chose Download. The original pictures will come down to your computer.

Another member was experiencing slow internet access. He ran speedtest.net and found out that he was only getting 3 mbps instead of the 10mbps he is paying for. He called his provider so they would fix the problem. Good idea to run that once in a while to make sure you are getting what you are paying for. And BTW don’t let the provider sell you on a really fast connection speed. I am getting 5 mbps on my cell phone hot spot and can stream movies without any issues. 6 mbps is plenty fast enough, but they want to sell you 60-75 mbps.

I mentioned what I am using for backup once again. I do a Macrium Reflect image about once a month. And I put all my new photos in Google Photos as I take them on my cell phone. Someday I will upload all my older ones. They are backed up in my image files.

Then I let Mozy.com back up my data folders automatically. When connected to the internet, it looked for any files that have changed or are new and puts a copy in the cloud. The first 2gb are free and you get .25gb more if you use my code (below). If you are using Google Photos there is no need to let Mozy back those folders up. For most home users the free 2.25gb should be plenty to backup the other documents. And for $5.99/mo you can purchase 50gb more space.

Mozy Backup; use code GFBU22 to get the extra .25gb
http://www.mozy.com/free

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Hangout Summary 10-20-2016

The hangout this week was short. I did not have too much to offer and the questions were pretty light. I was on my cell phone the internet connection is spotty and eats up my data pretty quickly. Here are the things we talked a little about. Another hangout next week so get your questions ready…

Cumulative Windows 10 Update installation issues

Some members have been having issues installing the updates from Microsoft after the 1607 update. I am one of those that has a problem. I left if running all day while was out and nothing seemed to be happening. Update 100% done screen. I powered down and restarted. Gave me the same 100% screen, then it finally went to a black screen with a cursor and stayed that way for a long time finally getting me to the login screen. Has been fine ever since. So I guess the magic word is patience.

Comcast new Terabyte Plan

Our cable company has finally done it. They have put a cap on our data usage limiting us to 1tb of bandwidth per month. Go over that in a month and there is a big penalty to pay. They sent me an email telling me what my monthly average has been over the past 3 months. They did say they 99% of users fall ways beneath that 1tb ceiling, so few should have a real concern. So just like the data cap on your cell phone, you will now have on on your cable.

Snipaste Screen Capture Utility

This is another screen capture utility. I have not used it, but there seems to be some nice features. Someone try it out and report back on it, please.
http://www.snipaste.com

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Class Summary 10-6-2016

Good class today with both in house members and hangouts.

HDMI to VGA. The newer laptops do not have a VGA connection to connect an older external monitor or projector. They do have an HDMI port which new devices and your TV has. But what to do with that old monitor you want to connect? Here is a converter that plugs into an HDMI port and allows you to connect that VGA monitor.
http://tinyurl.com/jn4s3zs

Quick Assist is a new way to help someone (or get help) using Windows 10 AU (1607).
http://tinyurl.com/h7xcdrf

Google Photos. We reviewed accessing them at photos.google.com and downloading the app for WIndows so all pictures are automatically uploaded. We looked at editing pictures in google photos and how to “Show facial Recognition” by going to Albums > People > and the click the photo of the person you want to find pictures of.

Giveaway of the day
https://www.giveawayoftheday.com/

How to disable non-system hotkeys on Windows
http://tinyurl.com/hpfkl8h

Boot to safe mode is not as easy as it used to be. If you are logged in you can simply hold the shift key down while clicking Restart. Otherwise it is complicated as this article points out:
http://tinyurl.com/6q6kk9f

How to create a desktop shortcut. It used to be pretty simple. We woul right clicked on a program icon and choose create desktop shortcut. That option is no longer available. Now we can add it to our start menu or our taskbar, but no desktop option. However, if you search under program files or program files (x86) and locate the .exe you can right-click and send a shortcut to the desktop.

Killer keyboard shortcuts to help you master Windows. Many you may already know about, but this is a good article listing some great ones to add to your toolbox,
http://tinyurl.com/jg4rncm

Dropbox is a great free repository for any type of file and a great way to share files with others as well. Like OneDrive you can install it on your PC. Any files you place in your PC dropbox folder will be synced to your dropbox in the cloud. You only get a couple of gb of space, but can purchase 1tb for $99 a year. Here is a link to create your free dropbox:
http://tinyurl.com/b87mha8

There are many other useful links at: http://www.rwevans.com/cccgc/Useful%20Links.htm