Computer Class Notes 12-24-2020

View the class at: https://tinyurl.com/yazhgxk7 





Messenger Rooms
Facebook Messenger Rooms, also known as Messenger Rooms, is a video conferencing feature of Facebook Messenger. It allows users to add up to 50 people at a time. Messenger Rooms does not require a Facebook account. (from Wikipedia)
https://www.messenger.com/rooms

Send or Share
The choices in Facebook as to SEND or SHARE has to do with the settings. As I understand it, in settings, change so only friends can see what you post and then the available options for others will be to SEND and not SHARE.

How to Pause Updates on Windows 10
Windows 10 automatically downloads and installs updates as they become available. To stop this, you can “pause” updates for up to 35 days in just a few clicks—even on Windows 10 Home. Here’s what you need to know about pausing Windows Update.
https://tinyurl.com/yayagk3s

14 Ways to Make Windows 10 Faster and Improve Performance
It's not hard to make Windows 10 faster. Here are several methods to improve the speed and performance of Windows 10.
https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/windows-10-faster-performance/

Chrome Startup Setting



Type this in the address bar of Chrome

chrome://settings/onStartup

Or open Menu (three dots) > Settings > On startup

Create encrypted documents with Crypto Notepad
Storing sensitive data in plain text documents is never a good idea. You never know what could happen if it falls in the wrong hands. Crypto Notepad is a text editor that can encrypt your documents, and protect them from unauthorized access.
https://tinyurl.com/y3gwd673

SafeHouse Explorer
One password to open each safehouse safe. You create the safes.
SafeHouse Explorer is a software that requires less storage space than most programs in the category Security software. It's very heavily used in some countries such as Brazil, United Kingdom, and United States.Since we added this program to our catalog in 2011, it has already reached 30,036 downloads, and last week it achieved 4 downloads.SafeHouse Explorer is available for users with the operating system Windows 2000 and previous versions, and you can get it in English. Its current version is 3.01 and was updated on 6/27/201
https://safehouse-explorer.en.softonic.com/

Scan multiple photos at once with AutoSplitter photo scanning software
This multiple photo scanning software will automatically crop your scan of several images. Place as many photos on your flatbed scanner as you can fit and scan - this software will automatically detect individual photos from the scan and will divide the image. Photos will be straightened and saved into separate image files. Scan all your family photos quickly. Multiple baseball cards, postcards, and other rectangular prints can also be scanned efficiently at once.
https://tinyurl.com/yyh2yhhp

Your PHONE is an awesome WEBCAM!
iVCam turns your Phone/Pad into an HD webcam for Windows PC, which has much better quality than most webcams and is compatible with all webcam-enabled applications. Replace your USB webcam or integrated webcam now with your Phone/Pad! It’s also a perfect baby monitor, spy-cam, security camera, and pet-cam.
Download the software https://tinyurl.com/y3ace5hj
Connect vis USB https://tinyurl.com/yyhcerds
Use with Zoom https://tinyurl.com/y6yuwcvx
Video explaining how to set up and use https://youtu.be/SNEYrWH3sME 

Handypad Is A Freeware Text Editor
HandyPad is a freeware offline text editor that autosaves the content of the document as you type. It has a very minimal design with the interface just having an editor pane and a menu bar. To start using HandyPad, just type the text in the editor pane.
https://tinyurl.com/y76cj78l



Anotepad
aNotepad is exactly the way a notepad should be. It’s fast, hassle-free and has a built-in rich text editor for more advanced formatting needs. It’s completely free and even allows you to create an account just in case you’d like to save your notes or keep them private on the cloud.
https://anotepad.com/

Stop The Indexing Of Files To Search
This is useful on older computers to stop indexing and speed up your computer by not running this in the background.

Win+E to open File Explorer > This PC



Right-click



Click Properties



Uncheck “Allow files on…” to stop indexing

File Explorer Navigation Pane Missing



Click the View tab



Click Navigation pane



Click “Navigation pane”

The Navigation pane appears to the left of the Frequent folders list

Computer Class Notes 12-17-2020

Watch Video here: https://tinyurl.com/y8fokkq7



A QR code is a type of matrix barcode first designed in 1994 for the automotive industry in Japan. To read the contents of a QR code you need to have a QR reader app on your cell phone.



A barcode is a machine-readable optical label that contains information about the item to which it is attached. Like with the QR co.de, you need an app on your cell phone to read the barcode. The Sam’s Club and the Walmart apps each include bar code readers.

IrfanView
IrfanView is an image viewer, editor, organizer, and converter program for Microsoft Windows. It can also play video and audio files and has some image creation and painting capabilities. This is a freeware image editor and viewer. I have used it to display a series of pictures as a looping slideshow. You can use it to resize those large pictures as well. It has many features including editing your image by cutting, enhancing the color, converting to B&W, and more. Even a way to resize one or a group of images. It is available on the Ninite list of programs.

Paint To Add Captions
You can use IrfanView to add captions to a picture. However, I find the simplest way is to use Microsoft Paint.

Win+R > Paint

Use the A in the Tools group. Draw a box where you would like to see a caption and type away. You can change the font, size, and color.



I like to increase the size of the background (the white box) so I have an area below the image and use it to show the caption.

Some Windows 10 updates will soon be force installed
Later this month, Microsoft will begin to forcibly install Windows 10 updates on devices running certain outdated versions of the operating system. In light of the fact, Windows 10 version 1903 has already reached the end of service, the remaining users will be automatically updated to version 1909, whether they like it or not.
https://tinyurl.com/y42ogxaw

How to Use the Built-In Stocks Feature in Microsoft Excel
If you need stock market data for your spreadsheet, you can save time and get up-to-date information with the built-in Stocks data type in Microsoft Excel. Here’s how to populate your sheet with details like ticker symbols, market caps, previous close, and more.
https://tinyurl.com/y4g2n2nz


Stock Connector add in to Excel
Stock Connector lets you link stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, currencies, and cryptocurrencies to cells in your spreadsheets and refreshes them automatically.
https://tinyurl.com/y8puf325

Extract an Icon from a Windows EXE File
Sometimes you’re working on a project and need access to a high-quality version of a Windows 10 application icon, but you can’t find one on the internet. Luckily, a free utility called IconViewer makes it easy to extract a high-quality icon from an application’s EXE file. Here’s how.
https://tinyurl.com/y5wg9bfg 

Windows PowerToys

• PowerToys for Windows 10 includes the following utilities:
• Color Picker is a tool for HEX and RGB color identification.
• FancyZones creates a window manager that makes it easier to build complex window layouts.
• File Explorer Preview adds Scalable Vector Graphics and Markdown previews to File Explorer.
• Image Resizer puts an image-resizing option into the File Explorer context menus.
• Keyboard Manager adds options for remapping keys and shortcuts.
• PowerRename is a tool for bulk file renaming in File Explorer via search-and-replace or regular expressions.
• PowerToys Run is a powerful search tool. Use it to find folders, files, applications, and other items.
• Shortcut Guide pops up an overlay screen of Windows-key shortcuts for as long as the Winkey is pressed and held.

https://tinyurl.com/yykw2yd3

About Passwords
On my iPhone, all I have to do is ask Siri to “Show me my passwords” and a list of all saved passwords appears after I answer the security question.

In Google Chrome, on my Android phone, or my computer, I open the menu (three dots) and select Settings > Passwords to view a list of saved passwords

Computer Class Notes 12-10-2020

View video here: https://tinyurl.com/yxqt9ns5

Faxing
How do I fax from My HP ENVY Printer if it doesn't have a Phone Line Connection?

I have always use jConnect which has joined forces with eFax - the world leader in online faxing! Here is what you get:

• A local or toll-free fax number to suit your needs
• Convenient sending and receiving of faxes online or via email
• The ability to sign your faxes digitally using a free mobile app

https://www.jconnect.com/

Here is another Free Fax Service. In the free plan, you can send up to 10 pages. If you are planning on sending more pages, the rate can be as low as $0.03 per extra page.
FAX.PLUS plans

Find Text Inside
Office Search is a specialized open-source search tool for Microsoft Windows devices that are designed to find text that you specify in Office and text documents.
https://tinyurl.com/yyxmkb8q



Win+E > Click a folder > View > Options > Change… > Search
And place a checkmark next to Always search...

What is Meet Now in Windows 10
If you are running a recent version of Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system, you may have noticed the new Meet Now taskbar icon that the company added in October 2020 ...
https://tinyurl.com/yysl8p7u

Can Websites See Your Physical Location?
If you really want to hide your physical location from a website, you can use a VPN (a virtual private network) Or, for additional privacy at the cost of speed, use Tor. When you access a website through a VPN, you connect directly to the VPN server, and the VPN server connects to the website on your behalf. It functions as a middleman, passing traffic back and forth.
https://tinyurl.com/y3f52l55

Why Aren’t Viruses a Problem on Chrome OS?
Chrome OS has a reputation for being virus-proof. Google likes to boast about how secure its operating system is compared to others. Are Chromebooks really immune to viruses, though? And, if so, how do they achieve this? Allow us to explain.
https://tinyurl.com/y278wj8c

The New Windows Terminal
Microsoft’s new Windows Terminal is finally stable. Windows finally has a more modern terminal environment including features like tabs, split panes, multiple session types, and settings that let you configure everything from keyboard shortcuts to animated GIF backgrounds.
https://tinyurl.com/yag6btow

ShareMouse
With ShareMouse you can share your mouse and keyboard between two computers and easily transfer files. ShareMouse not only works between Windows 10 computers but also between Microsoft Windows 10 and/or Apple macOS 10.13-10.15 and can be used with up to 9 computers. You can copy files from one to the other using drag and drop. Simply put, you control two (or more with the paid version) with one keyboard/mouse and can copy between computers.

"ShareMouse Free" is free-of-charge to all users except Power and Professional Users. The demo version allows you to use all features free for 30 minutes. After that the free version only allows you to use your keyboard/mouse to control two computers. Restart for an additional free 30 minutes of the demo.

• A minimum of two computers is required.
• Each computer must have its own monitor.
• All computers must be connected to the local network.

Pricing https://www.sharemouse.com/shop/
Good video here https://youtu.be/veKYkc_u7hc
Download here https://tinyurl.com/y2yd2auu

Chromebooks Are Better Than Windows Laptops
Despite all the growth they’ve made in the last few years, Chromebooks still get a bad rap or are often thought of as “just a browser.” That couldn’t be further from the truth, especially now. In fact, there are several ways that Chromebooks are actually better than Windows laptops for many users.
https://tinyurl.com/yxuuhjog

Print From Cannon Tablet
Download the print Service app for the printer manufacturer
Then you should have the capability to print

Printing Using Canon Print Service

• Make sure the printer is on
• Load paper
• Perform operation for printing in the application. The operation procedure varies depending on the application
• Select “printer” in the application
• Specify the number of copies, paper size, and other settings as needed
• Start printing

Cheap Ink

https://tinyurl.com/y3wphhga

Creating A Christmas Card
I demonstrated how to create a simple eCard using Google Docs. Using Google Seach we located potential images and chose one to use. Then I searched for “greetings” and found this one https://tinyurl.com/yxuvce9o which has many simple greetings to use.

Then we added a simple salutation and using Shift+Win+S to select the entire card area and created an image file to be used to email, post on Facebook, text, etc.

Computer Class Notes 12-3-2020

View video of the class https://tinyurl.com/yxgqqqsu

Useful Windows Stuff Evans December 2020 Presentation

VPN?
Please outline what is and what are the advantages of a Virtual Private Network and how to get one.

If you really want to hide your physical location from a website, you can use a VPN (virtual private network) Or, for additional privacy at the cost of speed, use Tor.

When you access a website through a VPN, you connect directly to the VPN server, and the VPN server connects to the website on your behalf. It functions as a middleman, passing traffic back and forth.

Tech For Seniors (A recap from Donna)

1. Microsoft revenue was $38 billion last quarter, mostly from web-based platforms. Windows usage has steadily dropped in the last five years. Europeans are moving to Linux. And something coming up which may affect Windows is the new Macbook Air.

2. A former hacker known as Mudge has been hired as Twitters' new head of security. He has been used often to hack into systems to prove their vulnerabilities with Microsoft being one of his largest clients.

3. Tik Toc has added more parental controls. Previously guardians could just set time limits, content, and chat use, now they can also limit the comments on their children's posts and can turn off the search function for certain contents and hashtags.

4. High-end laptops now come with facial recognition.

5. The Brave browser is fast and blocks tracking.

6. Driveandlisten.herokuapp.com and you can see yourself driving through another country and listen to the local music

7. PC magazine has voted Audacity the best free software of 2020. (Hewie demonstrated the use of Audacity).

Entertain Your Brain
MindBounce is where you come if you have an appetite for the smart, the fun, or the weird. Whether you’re into history, science, literature, language, tech, or sports, you’ll find it all here in the form of feature articles, trivia questions, and fun facts.
https://www.mindbounce.com/

Should You Ditch Streaming?
Streaming video was supposed to save us from the wicked grasp of cable TV. But as prices rise and streaming selections fall, it’s getting hard to justify the frustrating, expensive streaming experience that comes along with being a cord cutter. People subscribed to services like YouTube TV could actually save money and get more channels with a cable subscription. But is going back really worth it?
https://tinyurl.com/y3vetawy

Chrome 87 launches
Google published Chrome 87 Stable to the public on November 17, 2020. The new version of the company's Chrome web browser is a security and feature update. The update is available already, and while Google rolls it out over time, users on the desktop may run a manual check for updates to get it right away.
https://tinyurl.com/y2tqrlvg

Master Windows 10’s Alt+Tab Switcher
Alt+Tab lets you switch between open windows, but there’s more to it than that. The Alt+Tab switcher has other useful-but-hidden keyboard shortcuts. These tips apply to both Windows 10 and 7.
https://tinyurl.com/y5emwjtx

The MultCloud service is like an online version of Windows Explorer and provides access to multiple cloud storage services in one place. It eliminates the need to visit multiple websites or install several client apps to access all of your files. If you want to copy files from Google Drive to Dropbox, or from OneDrive to Amazon S3, or you just like the idea of browsing all of your accounts in a single browser tab, MultCloud lets you do it.
https://www.multcloud.com/

PosterMyWall simplifies graphic design for marketers and businesses. Easily create stunning promotional flyers, posters, social media graphics, and videos. It is free to use their site and to create an account. They offer free basic quality image downloads. You only pay if you need a high-resolution file of your design. ... PosterMyWall's easy to use online editor lets anyone customize thousands of beautiful image and video templates in our gallery.
https://www.postermywall.com/

Printing Emails
We demonstrated 3 ways to print an email.

Open the email

1. Click the printer icon or tap the P key on the keyboard
The content of the email will print

2. Ctrl+P brings up the print dialog box and everything on the screen will
Be printed

3. Select the portion you want to print. Then Ctrl+P and choose the print selection option. Only what you have selected will print.

Adobe

Edge

When printing a PDF be sure to scroll down in the settings window in Adobe and “shrink oversized pages” or in Edge “Fit to printable area”

Delete From Desktop
The question asked was “If I delete something from my desktop is it still on my computer?” The answer was yes and no!

If it is a shortcut it will have an arrow and when deleted will not delete anything but the icon on the desktop. The data accessed with the shortcut will still remain on the hard drive.

If it is not a shortcut (no arrow) then it is the data and it will be removed from the desktop and therefore the hard drive completely.

Run Defender
Windows 10 Defender is running in the background all the time as long as you have not installed some other anti-virus application.


To access Defender to run a quick scan: Win+I > Update & Security > Windows Security > OpenWindows Security > Quick scan

Computer Non-Class Notes 11-26-2020

We could not meet on Zoom today. I am in western Kentucky and enjoying the company of friends that moved here from Florida a couple of years ago. I trust you all have had a great day.

REMEMBER to come into the office if you are in town and cast your vote on December 1st from 10 am until 2 pm. Then get on Zoom for the December General Meeting. There will be a basic class at 5, my intermediate class at 6, and a presentation at 7, and the meeting itself with the results of the election.

Here are some interesting articles for you to look over and send me questions about for next week’s class on December 3rd.

Monitor Your Connection
Have a slow connection or not having a consistent one? This app will track your connection and make issues behind the scene obvious. You can keep a log to show your provider the issues and hopefully convince them to fix it.

Easily check if your Internet connection is stable or loses too many packages. Monitor failures of your Internet connection. Know the start, end, and duration time of every connection failure.
https://www.pingstatus.net/en.html

Older Geeks
This site looks like a safe place to find new apps. Check it out and let me know what you think.

We are a software download site without ads, fake download buttons, or "crapware".
https://www.oldergeeks.com/

Forward an Email as an Attachment in Gmail
I did not know how to do this and it works great. No more copy and paste or forwarding an email to someone else. Just create a new one and attach the emails you want them to be able to view.

Instead of forwarding several emails individually, you can send them all at once as attachments. With Gmail, you don’t even have to save the emails to your computer to do it–there’s a built-in option just for you.
https://tinyurl.com/yxcjztqg

How To Add Captions In Word
This is a good approach to adding words to an image in Word. I have always just typed the “caption” under the image and centered the image and the words under it. Give this approach a try.

There are many instances when one would wish to add a caption to a document in Microsoft Word. I specifically like to add captions when I am creating a manual or when I am doing a tutorial. I feel that we all learn in different ways and that includes reading and seeing, so I like to include screenshots.
https://tinyurl.com/y5ndyzry

Set Program Windows To Stay On Top
Every time you open a new app it opens on top of everything else on your screen. This app allows you to force a screen to stay on top while you work on another app.

Sticking a window to stay on top is a great way to multitask. You can watch videos while you work, use multiple programs at the same time, or keep important information always visible on the screen
https://tinyurl.com/y4zjdobf

Free Microsoft Office in Windows 10? Sort Of
Office 365 is free with Windows 10 for 30 days. After that, you have to purchase it for $70 a year. In addition to Office, you get 1 TB of OneDrive space. Using Office.com you can use the online versions of Office at no charge. Your files are saved in the OneDrive cloud. You get 5 GB of free space with your Microsoft Account.

Microsoft Office appears in every new install of Windows 10, but is it really "included"? Yes and no. No. But then again, yes. In fact, there’s a free version for anyone, on any version of Windows — or indeed, almost any operating system
https://tinyurl.com/y5kqn7wn

Resize Images Using Paint 3D on Windows 10
Paint 3D is the updated version of MSPaint. It does all that Paint does and much more. This resize feature is one of many. Let’s give it a try.

If you need to perform a simple task like resizing an image on your Windows 10 PC, you don’t need to use software with a steep learning curve like Photoshop. You can do it using Microsoft Paint 3D. Here’s how it’s done.
https://tinyurl.com/y3n5vkxm

Computer Class Notes 11-19-2020

View the class at https://tinyurl.com/y4z8dkoy

How To Edit A PDF
We talked about this on 9-3-2020. Here are those notes:

Tools to Edit a PDF File
You don't give a PDF file a second thought, but this file format can be tricky too. Sure, every browser can open a PDF these days---but do you know how to edit PDF files? Keep reading to learn how to edit a PDF on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, and Linux.
https://tinyurl.com/yxhxjm8e



SmallPDF.com lets you edit a PDF or convert a PDF into something else

Microsoft Word can also open a PDF for editing but not very well and not with the online version of Word

• How To Find Previous Class Notes
• In your browser, Ctrl+L to jump to the address bar
• Backspace key to clear it
• Type your search followed by site:dickevanstraining.blogspot.com
• Press the Enter key

The notes found on the blog containing your search words will be displayed. Use Ctrl+F to search on the blog page to drill down into the notes.

More On Google Photos
They are STILL free. A change is coming as of June 1, 2021, whereby all high definition photos added will count against your free 15 GB allocated to anyone having a Google account. All pictures in your Google cloud up until that date will still NOT count against your 15 GB, only the new additions. If your average picture size is 3 MB then you have enough room for over 5,000 pictures in that 15 GB.

A Question Came Up About Albums
How do I move images from one album I created to another new album? It also looks like if I have images in the albums that they are still all in "Photos file". Am I correct in this? When I do delete a photo in the photo file does this photo stay in the album?

An album does NOT contain any pictures. All pictures are in one “box”. They are not sorted or organized in any way. When you create an album you are organizing how you want to view some of the items in the “box”. They remain in the “box”. Only a reference or a pointer as to where to find them in the “box” is in the folder. When you access the folder, the pictures you have put in the album are found in the “box” and shown to you. They are never taken out of the “box”. So, if you delete a picture from the “box”, it is gone from the cloud and will not show in any album you had it in. And, yes, you can reference the same picture in multiple albums. If you delete a picture in an album, it does not delete it from another album, or from the “box”. If you delete it from the “box”, it deletes from any album that referenced it.

Address List and Mailing Labels


MyMailList claims to be the best selling mail list management software for the last 20 years. With this software, you will be able to use hundreds of professional templates to design your mail or email that you will get nowhere else. Also, you will be able to print out custom labels, postcards, and envelopes with logos and graphics using the simple interface. Get started today with your copy of MyMailList & Address Book.

I have used an older copy of this software and it is easy to use and prints labels directly from the address list. No need for merging with Word or Excel. However, it does have a one-time price of $30.

Here is a Free address list app:



Efficient Address Book Free is a professional free address database software program designed for personal and business use. It helps to note the phone numbers, website addresses, country, company name, addresses, email addresses, city, fax, and mobile of your partners and contacts.

I have not tried this one and hope one of you will download it and let us know how easy it is to use. The reviews are good. And I wonder how the data can be used to print labels.

Unique Lorem Ipsum Generators
Lorem Ipsum is placeholder text used in publishing and web design so that designers can see how a page will look. It’s usually a form of nonsense Latin, but here are 10 generators that make the text more interesting.
https://tinyurl.com/y3ed3599

In Microsoft Word, just type =rand(p,s) on a new line and placeholder text will be generated for you where p stands for the number of paragraphs and s for the number of sentences.

If you want Lorem Ipsum text, use =lorem(p,s).=

If you want The Quick Brown Fox, use =rand. old(p,s).

How Do I Delete Files From OneDrive, but Not My Computer?
There are two basic approaches to deleting files from OneDrive online cloud storage while still keeping copies for yourself. Which you want depends on whether or not you want to continue to use OneDrive at all.
https://tinyurl.com/y3a9y7n3

Is a Periodic Password Change a Good Thing?
There’s no reason to change your password periodically only because time has passed. Most password-based hacks have little to do with age and more to do with bad passwords, phishing attacks, and/or keystroke loggers. For the best security, use good password hygiene to begin with. Change your password if you hear of a breach or something else that affects your account.
https://tinyurl.com/nr35g2z

What about Windows 10 backup?
Backups should be easy. File backups in the form of file history can be if you remember to set it up. The image backup function – a cornerstone of a comprehensive backup strategy in my opinion – is so well-hidden it might as well not exist.
https://tinyurl.com/y4dsmjt5

Avoiding or Fixing Software Rot in Windows 10
Software rot is the slow degradation of your computer's performance for no apparent reason. I'll review why it happens, how to prevent it, and how to recover.
https://tinyurl.com/yxmw88oq

This is a very good article pointing out a number of ways to avoid issues. However, issues will arise and that is why we suggest continuous weekly maintenance and image backups.

Windows 10 File History
File History is a good thing, and I encourage you to turn it on if you haven’t already.



Some of your files will start getting backed up periodically.

Which files? Well, apparently any files you have stored in Windows Libraries (which typically includes your Camera Roll, Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos folders), your desktop, your Windows Contacts, and your Favorites.

How often? Every hour.

As I said, it’s a good thing. For the data files you have stored in areas covered by File History, it’s another layer of protection.

But it is no substitute for a complete back-up system, and sadly, that’s what Microsoft, originally at least, set out for it to be.

I have a 64 GB flash drive set as my File History drive and it filled up very quickly so I think a better approach is an external hard drive. But it works very well keeping a history of what is on and is changed on the system drive.

If you want your computer to run as well as when you brought it home from the store, I suggest a new hard drive and a fresh load of the latest Windows 10.

Before you pull the old hard drive, run Belarc Advisor to have a list of all the software you have installed and the software key codes for the OS and Microsoft Office, etc.

Use the old hard drive as an external drive to copy all your data to the new drive. Then install any additional apps from your installation media or download them from the web. I leave many of the downloaded installation software in my downloads folder so I would just have to install them from the external drive. And use Ninite and/or PatchMyPC to install other software.

Another approach is to use the Recovery option in Windows to Reset this PC. Before doing this I strongly suggest making an image backup with EaseUS or Macrium.

Win+I to open the Settings window.
Click Update & Security, then Recovery.

You can reset it keeping all your programs and file or have it remove them and reinstall Windows 10.

Restore Points
A chrome extension somehow changed my search engine. This is where having a restore point is very helpful


Simple go to Settings (Win+I) and type “restore” then choose to Create a restore point.



Click Create to set a restore point. I suggest doing this prior to running the maintenance programs once a week. This will give you a point in time to return to if issues come up.


Click System Restore to locate previously created restore points to take you back in time to where everything was working fine.

Click Next to view the restore points available



Choose one and click Next to back your computer up to that point in time.

Computer Class Notes 11-12-2020

Video of the Class: https://tinyurl.com/y5bg3c63

APCUG Photo Contest


This photo taken by one of our own CCCGC members won second place in the 2020 APCUG Digital Photo Contest. It was taken at Reagan International Airport showing the effect of Covid.
https://tinyurl.com/y3nfqyaa

Mail Forwarding
Starting January 1, 2021, Yahoo Mail will stop forwarding emails to any account. The emails remain in the Yahoo inbox and can be accessed from there, but the option to have these emails forwarded automatically will not be available anymore at that point
https://tinyurl.com/y4zt8sgh

Most of us have multiple email addresses. I have Comcast for my Internet provider and therefore I have an email address @comcast.net. Other than Comcast nobody knows that email address. I have set my Comcast email so it auto forwards to my Yahoo email. This way all my emails can be seen in one place. And if I chose to switch to a different provider they would assign me their email address and I would forward those emails to yahoo as well so all my email would be on yahoo still.

Using yahoo I can also add additional email addresses without having to forward them. However, they would not be merged together and I would have to open them independently. Windows 10 Outlook, the envelope icon, works the same way. You can add multiple email accounts and see them in that one app.

Split, merge, rotate pages in a PDF
Viewing a PDF document is easy, you likely use your web browser or a standalone tool for it. But splitting or merging pages from PDFs is slightly complicated, as many viewers don't support that functionality.
https://tinyurl.com/y2a45fd7

Remember you can “print” anything as a PDF simply by choosing the printer called “Microsoft Print to PDF”

Google Sheets Search
“I was in a Dr's office...needed a password.....opened my Google Drive on my phone....opened my EXCEL sheet.....forgot how I titled it.....I could NOT find a SEARCH to find a specific word INSIDE the excel sheet?”

Android

Use find and replace in a spreadsheet
On your Android phone or tablet, open a spreadsheet in the Google Sheets app.
Tap More More Find and replace.
Type the word you want to find.
Tap Search
To see every time the word is used, in the top right, tap the arrows.
To replace the word, tap Replace with.
Type the replacement and tap Replace or Replace all.
To return to the spreadsheet, tap Done

iPhone

Use find and replace in a spreadsheet
On your iPhone or iPad, open a spreadsheet in the Google Sheets app.
Tap More … > and then Find and replace.
Type the word you want to find.
Tap Search.
To see every time the word is used, in the top right, tap the arrows.
To replace the word, tap Replace with.
To replace a single word, tap Replace.
To replace every time the word is used, tap All.
To return to the spreadsheet, tap Close .

Print Address Labels


What is the best way to create address labels for Christmas cards?

Create a database of all your names and addresses using a spreadsheet app such as Google Sheets. Then purchase premade address labels and use that spreadsheet to generate labels.

Print Labels from Google Sheets
Google Sheets can be a helpful tool for pulling information into consistent printed labels. However, Google Sheets doesn’t include the capability to print labels. Instead, you can add this functionality with the free “Create & print labels” add-on from Labelmaker. The add-on pulls information from a Google Sheets spreadsheet, formats it, and exports it as a ready-to-print Google Docs document. Once created, you can print the label documents the same way you’d print any other document.
https://tinyurl.com/y5a2m4dw

How To Create Mailing Labels In Word
Learn how to create your own mailing labels using Microsoft Word’s built-in tools.
https://tinyurl.com/y46uk6hl

How to Print Address Labels Using LibreCalc
While labels can be complicated, all the configuration tasks can be broken down into a manageable list of small, easily digestible pieces. And that's exactly what this guide is going to do.
https://tinyurl.com/y6p8pe73

Add Folder Shortcuts to the Start Menu’s Left Sidebar
The Windows 10 Start menu includes a handy list of shortcuts to common locations (such as Pictures, Downloads, Settings) in a tiny sidebar. Using Settings, you can customize which shortcuts appear there. Here’s how to do it.
https://tinyurl.com/yxlqenc8

Hyperloop
Hyperloop travel has been a pipe dream (pun intended) ever since Elon Musk proposed the travel alternative in a whitepaper in 2013. Imagine the vacuum tubes at a bank, only with people in them traveling hundreds of miles per hour. Now in the biggest step forward for the idea yet, Virgin Hyperloop just completed a test launch with actual human passengers in the pod.
https://youtu.be/xKvbSboQ5_g

Today, Google Photos is the home for more than 4 trillion photos and videos, including yours, and a remarkable 28 billion new photos and videos are uploaded every week. In order to welcome even more of your memories and build Google Photos for the future, we are announcing a change to our storage policy.

Starting June 1, 2021, all new photos and videos backed up in High quality will count toward the free 15 GB of storage that comes with your Google Account or any additional storage you may have purchased, the same way other Google services like Google Drive and Gmail already do.

All photos and videos you back up in High quality before June 1, 2021 are exempt from this change and will not count toward your Google Account storage. This includes all of your existing content uploaded in High quality.


Key Finder
This key finder smart tracker would be a thoughtful gift for your friends, families, elderly who are also misplacing their keys or phone, it will help them save many troubles. Also as your best travel buddy for peace of mind. Happiness is when you found something you lost! Audio notifications if you leave without your stuff. It's more than a Bluetooth tracker. It's the joy of life.
https://tinyurl.com/yype6x37 another https://tinyurl.com/yyhemtv6

Download any Windows 10 version ISO
When you use Microsoft's official Media Creation Tool, it is the latest version of Windows 10 that you get when you use it to download a Windows 10 ISO image to the system or make a USB device bootable using the operating system. While that is often the desired version to get, it may sometimes be necessary to get an earlier version of Windows 10.
https://tinyurl.com/y4fn7986

When you have more than one computer it is a lot faster to upload them all with one download of the upgrade. And it gives you the means to troubleshoot an issue by booting from the installation media when booting from the hard drive does not work.

Use Your Smartphone as Your Webcam
Elgato, a Corsair brand known for its content creation equipment, recently acquired a smartphone video app EpocCam. The app lets you turn your iPhone or iPad into a wireless high-definition webcam for your macOS or Windows computer. It works seamlessly with popular apps like Google Meet, Skype, OBS Studio, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom for streaming, chatting, and recording.
https://tinyurl.com/y2sumk2w

This is an easy install and works great with zoom. Zoom just see the cell phone as a camera.

Auto Hide Desktop Icons
AutoHideDesktopIcons allows automatic hiding and showing features for your desktop icons, including an adjustable timer and arbitrary activation options.
https://tinyurl.com/y6s8sy3u

Hiding them on your own is a simple right-click on the desktop. This app will auto hide them for you an FHA's a number of options.


How To Open Window SysMenu With Hotkey
https://tinyurl.com/y6thnmu9

Microsoft Defender Wins Top AV Rating
For the second time in a row Microsoft Defender, the antivirus software built into Windows 10, has ranked among the highest in lab tests performed by AV-Test. For those who may not be aware, AV-Test is a highly regarded independent organization based in Germany that evaluates and rates antivirus products.
https://tinyurl.com/y5reyh8x

Defender is my choice. All the others add more behind the scenes background processing.
How To Send Text Messages From Your Chromebook

Chrome OS offers a handful of ways to keep your Chromebook and Android phone in sync. One of its features allows you to access your SMS inbox and respond to texts from your Chromebook.
https://tinyurl.com/y57ejq9o

With this app you don't have to type on that tiny keyboard to answer text messages. 

Keep The Contents Of Two Directories In Sync With Syncfolders

If you constantly transfer files to and from a computer to a USB Flash drive, external storage, or a remote location, you may know that it can be a boring task. … Might be good for automatic backups of your data files/folders.
https://tinyurl.com/y283k8s3

Computer Class Notes 11-5-2020

Video: https://tinyurl.com/y5ga842b   

PixBim Question
I downloaded PixBim and colorized a B&W photo. I would like to print the colorized version but did not have any options to save or print. Is there a way to print the colorized version?

Take a screen print and save it. This is where I use shift+win+s to open the snipping tool and draw a box around the new picture then paste it into the paint program and print it.

Here are the class notes from 9-10-2020…

Colorize Black and White Photos
We downloaded and installed PixBim. It uses AI to automatically take a B&W image and add color to it.



Just open the original and watch it do its magic. Pretty neat. The resulting picture will have a watermark if you are using the free version.



At the home screen (pixbim.com) scroll down to locate the link to download the free version. It is a 699MB file so it will take a few minutes to download and a few more to install. Then it is pretty straightforward. Open a B&W image and it will do its work.

And a new feature to do the same with Photomyne:

Magical B&W photo and video colorization. A Photomyne-developed colorization process that breathes new life into B&W photos and videos!
https://tinyurl.com/yxh6gkzb

From Donna What is Your Password?



Send And Receive Money With Zelle
Zelle is a fast, safe, easy, and contact-free way to send and receive money with friends, family, and others you trust. You can receive money directly into your bank account in minutes.
https://www.zellepay.com/

Enable and Use Vertical Tabs in Microsoft Edge
Microsoft Edge now has vertical tabs, which can be a great tool on modern widescreen displays. Here’s how to get a vertical tab sidebar in the Chromium-based version of Microsoft Edge. This feature is coming in January 2021
https://tinyurl.com/y594czf9

How to Open the Classic “System” Control Panel
Microsoft says the classic “System” properties Control Panel has been removed from Windows 10. As of the October 2020 Update (20H2), there’s no way to access it—or is there? Here’s a hidden command that opens the System Control Panel.
https://tinyurl.com/y6f5n26f

Helpful Windows 10 Tools
Windows 10 offers many other power tools for enthusiasts—if you know where to find them. Some are older, yet still obscure. Others are relatively new, added during the twice-annual major upgrades Microsoft’s been pushing out since Windows 10 launched over five long years ago (though most recent feature upgrades, like the October 2020 Update, tend to be minor). But all 10 of these little-used tricks and tools can help hardened PC users save time or eliminate headaches
https://tinyurl.com/y5p5sqhu

Choose A Custom Color For Your Start Menu
Starting with the October 2020 update, Windows 10 now defaults to a light theme that takes away accent colors from your taskbar and the Start menu. If you’d like to select a custom color for your Start menu, there’s an easy way to pick it in Settings. Here’s how.
https://tinyurl.com/y2cjn7qf

Understand Windows 10 Update Names and Numbers
Windows 10 has a lot of overlapping version numbers and names. For example, the October 2020 Update is also called 20H2, version 2009, and build 19042. It often seems like different teams at Microsoft are speaking different languages. Here’s how to decode Microsoft’s jargon.
https://tinyurl.com/y4tuvkpt

Public Records Encyclopedia
Learn all about any address, person, or company in the US without leaving your couch. ClustrMaps.com makes finding information in the United States easier than ever.
https://clustrmaps.com/

Computer Class Notes 10-29-2020

Class Video: https://tinyurl.com/y3vtsz3o

Google Search

Photomyne Question
Q. When I transfer the photo from Photomyne to Google Photos, I need to transfer either 2 to 6 photos at one time (only options) which does become one file on Google Photo! Is there any way to separate these photos into individual photos? Right now I always have two photos in one picture on Google Photo?

A. Save them to your phone and your Google Photos app will upload them individually to Google Photos.

https://davescomputertips.com/how-to-scan-old-photo-albums-with-photomyne/

How do I find out how many pictures I have in Google Photos?



On the "Dashboard" https://myaccount.google.com/dashboard under "Photos" you should see these numbers, but they are not exact.

There is no limit to the number of pictures you can upload to your Google Cloud as long as you are uploading them as High Definition and not Original.

The ZOOM Song - Brady Bunch Parody



Emotet disguised as Microsoft update
https://tinyurl.com/y4bz5obv

Make Any Web Page Print Friendly & PDF
PrintFriendly cleans and formats web pages for a perfect print experience. PrintFriendly removes ads, navigation, and web page junk, so you save paper and ink when you print. It's free and easy to use. Perfect to use at home, the office, or whenever you need to print a web page. Found in chrome web store

https://www.printfriendly.com/

If You’re On Version 1909 Or 2004, Don’t Click That Link.
From an article in Computerworld https://tinyurl.com/y5ftd6fl

Both Home and Pro users running Windows 10 version 1909 or 2004 will eventually see a Windows Update notice (Start > Settings > Update & Security) like the one in the screenshot below, except it will say that Windows 10 version 20H2 (instead of version 2004) is ready to be downloaded and installed.



If you want to avoid installing Windows 10 version 20H2, don’t click the Download and install link.

What’s New in Windows 10’s October 2020 Update?
This update, also known as the 20H2, is focused on bug and performance fixes, but it has some larger changes—like the removal of the System Control Panel.
https://tinyurl.com/y4k3f72t

The 4 Best Chromebooks
Chromebooks have some key advantages over other laptops, and there are some great options out there if you’re looking to treat someone to a ChromeOS device this holiday season. But there’s no need to spend tons time of time pouring over specs pages and feature lists to find the right model—we already did that for you.
https://tinyurl.com/y48vm4jg

Animate Your Wallpaper
Are you bored with your desktop background? Let's add some life to it. AutoWall is a simple program that allows you to use animated GIFs and videos as your wallpaper.
https://tinyurl.com/yxnt7suj

Postcards
When was the last time you sent a postcard? In this time of isolation, this is a great way to reach out to family and friends. And the stamp is only 35 cents. On the front, you can print a picture of you, them, or anything you like. A quick note on the back and drop it in the mail.
Article https://tinyurl.com/yyex3qry

Download my Template for Google Docs here
https://tinyurl.com/yy4tjmaj

A Freeware System Monitoring Tool
System monitors are handy programs if you want to know if your computer is using a lot of memory, CPU, or other resources. The Windows Task Manager serves the purpose rather well, though it can be a bit confusing for the average user. Advanced system tools like the Resource Monitor require even more expertise.
https://tinyurl.com/yygtxx6k

Windows Tips



Click the start button



Scroll down to The “T” section and choose Tips



Enter your search word or click Explore what’s new...

USB C Adaptor



For USB to the new C for you PC https://tinyurl.com/y553xa89



and the deal Mary spoke of for adapting your old chargers to the new C connector on your cell phone https://tinyurl.com/y5plylyu