Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Computer Class Notes 4-28-2020

Watch the video of today’s class
https://tinyurl.com/yan93dw3

Online Class Invitation
The link, meeting ID, and password will stay the same for the Tuesday classes. I will continue to send the invitations but you can reuse them from now on. Feel free to pass them on to others but please do not post them on social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc).

Backing Up To External Drive
I suggest doing a full image backup of each computer once a month or more often. You can pick up an external drive for about $60 that will be 1 or 2 TB in size. That should be sufficient to hold at least six backups. I like to use EaseUS and you can find an article on in here:
https://tinyurl.com/y5zvphmf

Enlarging A Scanned Picture
The general rule of thumb is that you can always make an image smaller but you cannot make it larger. When you scan a picture in with your printer/scanner it will be the same size as the original. I take a picture of the hard copy picture with my cell phone and end up with a much larger image.

Google Photos Free?

Yes, if you select to allow High-Density pictures. Original size pictures will count against your storage allocation. Video files always count against your allocation. Everyone has 15 GB of free space. There is a charge for additional space. So make sure your application on your computer or your cell phone is set to Hight Density.

Download A Picture From Google Photos.
Select the picture and type Shift+D and it will download to your computer

Why a green screen is used?
Green is the go-to because it doesn't match any natural skin tone or hair color, meaning no part of an actor will be edited out through chroma key. When a green costume or prop is essential, a blue screen is often substituted.

Download From Photos For Zoom
Locate the picture you want to use for your Zoom background on your Google Photos cloud. Select the picture by clicking the circle in the upper left to put a checkmark in place. Shift+D will download it to your computer.



Open Zoom. Click picture (maybe just your initials), then click Settings.



Click Virtual Background




Click the plus sign and then click Add Image.

Locate the image you just downloaded and it will be added to your list of images that are available for your background.

Download YouTube Videos
Do not need an app on your computer. Locate the video you want to download. Start it and then pause it. In the address bar add the letter pp after the word youtube and before the period. Press Enter. Choose your desired output and when ready you will have a download button to transfer it to your computer.


APCUG’s FREE 2020 Spring Virtual Technology Conference (VTC36)

https://apcug2.org/

How often does Word automatically save the file?
The default in MS Word is 10 minutes.



File > Options > Save to change it

Maintenance Programs
Since we only run the free maintenance programs once a week or even less, why keep them running in the background taking CPU cycles? After running them and cleaning the junk out, you can uninstall them. Next time you need to run them, just download and install them again. This is reasonable advice for older computers that were upgraded to work with Windows 10 but with most new ones you will not notice the difference. If you are uninstalling you will lose all the modifications you mat have made-what is checked and what is not. Since you are reinstalling to run and then uninstall it may not matter. I leave mine installed and update them before use.

Cool Free Transparent Desktop Clock
The Aero Clock from SoftwareOK. It’s free, available in a portable edition, highly customizable, and because of its aero transparency, it is extremely effective sitting on the desktop.
https://tinyurl.com/ybudlw2g

Live Webcams
Kinda sad, but cool: Webcams showing live shots of famous places around the globe. Kinda sad because they're all empty. Cool because you can see famous places on your computer.
https://www.skylinewebcams.com/

I found this on the Morning Brew which I read mornings. Check it out; it’s free: https://www.morningbrew.com/daily/r/?kid=28910f1b

Live Training Webinars
Zoom experts host free and interactive live training webinars daily. Get up to speed in less than an hour. Please select the time zone that fits best for you when registering for one of our live training webinars.
https://tinyurl.com/tkkbfnx

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Computer Club Class 4-21-2020

It was a busy class with lots of good questions for the 35 members that joined in today on Zoom. We will be back next Tuesday for more of the same. I appreciated the email from Donna with her questions. And the questions others had during the class.

I did video the session and it is available at https://tinyurl.com/yap9ftpc

What happens when you "subscribe" on YouTube?
You can find a Subscribe button under any YouTube video or on a channel's page. Once you subscribe to a channel, any new videos it publishes will show up in your Subscription feed. You may also start getting notifications when a channel you subscribe to publishes new content.

The 15 Best Free PDF Readers of 2020
There are hundreds of PDF readers and some can cost you almost a thousand dollars per year, so we sifted through the internet to find the best free PDF readers that you can download online.
https://tinyurl.com/yd5gx7tn

CCCGC instructions on how to use Reflect
https://tinyurl.com/yazcx9qz for the paper on Reflect

I have been using EaseUS instead of Reflect. I find it easier to use both on making a backup and restoring one. My latest article on EaseUS can be found on Dave’s…
https://tinyurl.com/y5zvphmf for that article

Glary
Why do you advise that we uncheck "automatically check for updates" in Glary?



To save time and not be annoyed. So you do no get the pop up telling you programs need updates and so it is not running in the background. You can open Glary and on the Overview tab click the update button to have it check for you. This one tells me that 11 of my non-Microsoft programs are out of date. Clicking on the button will bring me to a screen to download updates.

The Best Websites For Buying Refurbished Electronics
Many of us tend to buy brand new products. But, is that even necessary? There are online stores that offer refurbished electronics that are often the same (or a bit lower quality) as the brand new one. However, refurbished products are often much cheaper.
https://tinyurl.com/y9uya3ua

Remote Access
How do I get access to help another user? If you are both running Windows 10 it is easy.

If I am giving assistance, I open Quick Assist and click the give assistance button. After entering my Microsoft credentials it generates a six-digit code.



I have the other person on the phone and have they open Quick Assist by tapping Win+Q and typing Quick. Then I have them open Quick Assist from the top of the list that appears above. They enter the code I give them over the phone and press Get Assistance. They agree to give me permission and I have control of their computer.

If either machine is not Windows 10 then they have to use a third party application like TeamViewer.
https://bit.ly/2Vsx9IC for free TeamViewer

Downloads Folder
The default location of all downloaded files and applications in the downloads folder unless you specify another location in your browser. I suggest you move the important files to a better location right away. Downloaded applications and zip files can probably be removed. If you don’t stay on top of it the downloads folder can become quite large. Since our hard drives are so big and fast we really don’t notice it. However, searching takes longer and backups are longer and larger. So it is a good idea to purge it from time to time. I suggest you backup first, then purge. That way if there is a file you need later you can locate it in your backup.

So the simple answer is Yes. It is okay to delete unneeded files from downloads. Remember that anything deleted moves over to the recycle bin and sill stay there until you empty it. Running the maintenance programs will clean it out.

MailChimp
It is a great way to send multiple emails. If you send them using your normal email like Comcast, Yahoo, Gmail, or whatever you can send multiple emails by inserting more than one email address in the TO, CC, or BCC boxes. However, each email service has a maximum number of emails you can send in a month without being considered spamming. Using a free service like MailChimp lets you maintain a database of names and email addresses and when you send using their service everyone gets an individual email. You can even write it now and schedule it to be sent in the future. After it is sent you can check the reporting feature to see how many were actually read and even who read it.

Word Questions
Even though most users today have never used a typewriter or even know what one is, they still get to the end of a line and want to hit the enter key to get to the next line.

Looking at their document, you can't tell there are problems. It prints fine. Everything is lined up. Then they add a word or two in the middle of a paragraph and everything is off. The same will happen if they decide to change the font style or size. Everything is off.

All word processors have a feature called word wrap. As you type and there is not enough room on the line to contain the entire word, you are brought to the beginning of the next line automatically. That is what is happening right now as I type this into my phone using Google Docs.

Non-Breaking Space In Microsoft Word
Ever have a phrase in Word that you do not want to split into another line? Like March 31 should stay together and not have a line ending with March and the new line starting with 31. Or Mr Evans with the Mr on the first line and Evans on the second. And Chapter 3 should be all on the same line. You get the idea.

It is very simple, but unknown by most Word users. Instead of hitting the spacebar at the end of the first item, press Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar. You will not see anything different unless you turn on the Show-Hide button. But if you insert some extra words to the left of the phrase, the whole phrase will move to the next line.

Download from YouTube
Yes, you can download the videos on YouTube to watch them later without internet access.

1. Locate the video on YouTube
2. Locate its URL in the address bar
http://www.youtube.com/xxxxxxxx
3. Add pp after youtube and hit the Enter key
http://www.youtubepp.com/xxxxxxxx
4. On the next page, the URL will already be there. Choose the type and size of the file you desire and click download. It will place it in your download folder.
5. Click Download and the video will be converted and downloaded to your Download folder

Transfer music to iPhone from PC
I have never tried this as I do not listen to music on my iPhone. It seems straight forward. You will need to install iTunes on your computer.

1. Connect your iPhone to PC via matched USB cable.
2. Open iTunes.
3. After that, on the left corner of the interface click the phone icon. ..
4. Import music into iTunes library from the computer by clicking File and then Add File to Library.
5. Now, under Settings tab click Music.

TinyURL
When the URL you are sending to someone is already short there is no reason to use a shortener like TinyURL. But if it is a long one usually taking multiple lines the resulting URL will be much easier especially if they have to type it in from a document and not just click on it from an email.



With TinyURL you simply copy the long URL into the clipboard (Ctrl+C) and then open tinyurl.com. Paste it into the text box and click the Make TinyURL! button. The shortened URL will appear. Simply copy it to the clipboard and paste it into your email, Facebook, a document, etc.





Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Computer Club Online 4-14-2020

We had 35 sign on to our Zoom class this afternoon. There was lots of interaction. Thank you all for keeping your microphone silent unless you have something to ask or respond to. About half did not have video and it is nice to see each other but we understand that some do not have a videocam on a desktop and maybe others were still in their PJs (LOL).

And thanks for the questions by email before the meeting and for Harold being ready with a couple of others. Thanks to George and Donna for getting back to me with some of the answers we needed.



I did record the entire session and posted it on Facebook. You can also click the link here to view it.
https://tinyurl.com/qru6cbe

View Your Saved Passwords
Google Chrome can save and display your passwords. That's convenient, but is it secure?

I demonstrated how to view the passwords you have saved while in Google Chrome. You need your Windows 10 pin or password to access them.
https://tinyurl.com/t5w8skk

Microsoft PowerToys is a set of utilities for power users to tune and streamline their Windows experience for greater productivity. Inspired by the Windows 95 era PowerToys project, this reboot provides power users with ways to squeeze more efficiency out of the Windows 10 shell and customize it for individual workflows. A great overview of the Windows 95 PowerToys can be found here.
https://tinyurl.com/t6tona5

Windows 10’s New PowerToys
The phrase “PowerToys” probably doesn’t send you running to your Windows computer, but just because Microsoft’s little suite of quirky utilities isn’t sexy doesn’t mean that it’s not worth slapping on your system. The company announced earlier this year that it was planning to roll out PowerToys for Windows 10, and the first two are actually pretty useful additions to your everyday life.
https://tinyurl.com/y3pafa24

Bandicam
Record and Capture everything you want to on your PC screen. I have not used this and it does come at a cost. Might be very useful for someone with a need. However, if you open Zoom and choose to record, everything you do is recorded.
https://tinyurl.com/y3fbeqck

Make any program stay on top of other windows
Do you constantly find yourself switching between applications? Isn't it tedious? PinWin might be able to solve this problem. It is an open source application that was written for one purpose: to pin a window so that it stays on top of any other window all the time.

This is great for keeping one screen on top no matter what other screens you open. Now you could just pin the screen to one of the corners but then whatever screen you open next will take a lot less space an be difficult to work with. This program allows the other screen to go full screen with what you have pinned on top.
https://tinyurl.com/y6l9ck6r

Low Power Mode on Your iPhone
We all wish our iPhone or iPad battery would last longer. Luckily, Apple includes a handy feature called Low Power Mode that allows you to squeeze extra life out of your device, and you can launch it quickly from Control Center. Here’s how to set it up.

Androids also have a low power mode. This saves your battery. With either phone turn on Airplane Mode for a quicker charge. Just remember to turn it off when the charge is finished.
https://tinyurl.com/r2ubo9n

Clear Cache and Cookies in Chrome
If you’re trying to fix loading or formatting issues to improve your browsing experience on Google Chrome, clearing your cache and cookies is an excellent place to start. Here’s how and what happens when you delete them.

Good article but if you do the maintenance programs on a regular basis cache and cookies are cleared for you. And they are Malwarebytes, SuperAntiSpyware, GlaryUtilities, and WiseCare 365.
https://tinyurl.com/rd7jq7r



VideoCam
What is George K using on his desktop? Very clear image. Google “Microsoft Lifecam HD 5001” and you will know why it is so sharp $$$

How To Setup Groups In Gmail
This one took some poking around and help from a number of you in the class. It turned out to be very simple. When you add a person to your contact list, you assign them to a group (called labels in gmail).


If they are in your list, locate them and place a checkmark to select them. Then click the arrow-box and choose the existing label (the group to place them in) or create a new one.



When composing a new email, enter the name of the group (the label) and all the names in that list will appear in the To field. There you can remove any you want to exclude from that list for this email.

Transfer Video To Facebook


In Create Post, click Photo/Video and upload the video file. The maximum size for FB is 25mb.

Find Passwords On Computer
We are looking for key codes or passwords that are associated with programs/applications installed on your computer. Like the installation codes for Windows or Office or any other paid-for app.




One that we use at the club is called The Belarc Advisor and it builds a detailed profile of your installed software and hardware, network inventory, missing Microsoft hotfixes, anti-virus status, security benchmarks, and displays the results in your Web browser.
belarc.com

There are others you can download and here is one I have used in the past successfully. PasswdFinder is a neat freeware utility that helps you find your lost passwords. Once installed, it will show you passwords saved by web-browsers, email clients, instant messengers, FTP clients and other programs.
Magicaljellybean.com

Recover forgotten WiFi passwords. This one will locate your WiFi password used on your computer. You need it to set up another access and can’t find it. This will scan your computer and let you know what it is.
https://tinyurl.com/t2mfhho

Can Words Be Wrapped Around Pictures In Email
The simple answer is no. You can type to the right of an embedded picture and add a line if there is room but you cannot have multiple lines

I did the second one by creating a table in Word and then hiding the lines. Then I used Win+Shift+S to snap an image of the screen and paste it to the email. A lot easier to just explain the image under the picture.

Be Careful About Emails Asking For Credentials
Every week I receive at least one email telling me one of my accounts (Bank, Investment, Amazon, etc) is having a problem with my account and unless I click and give them my information and change my password. DO NOT DO IT. This is a scam. ALWAYS call them on the phone to verify. They will never ask for credentials on an email. And the emails will always have your name, not Dear Customer, etc. And never give any of that information over the phone unless you know it is them. Best to call them on the phone using a phone number you have not one in the email.

Templates
Instead of using a blank “piece of paper” for an email are there some fun templates we can use. Like something for Easter or Memorial Day or…?

In Word

Insert tab > Online Pictures > type “templates easter” > Enter



Select one by clicking it then click Insert.

In Libre

Here is a nice video I found to create greeting cards in Libre
https://youtu.be/6TfaNCgiSno



Templates are a different story. In LibreOffice Writer,
Click File > Templates > Open Template

However, you need to have templates loaded onto your computer
https://extensions.libreoffice.org/

Export Bookmarks
The question was simple but finding the solution was a little harder since we had never done this before. The classmate wanted to be able to download all his bookmarks, clean out the ones he no longer needed, and then put the completed list of them back.

The solution was to export the entire list of bookmarks, delete all of them on the browser, and then then, after cleaning up the list, import the cleaned up list back to the browser.



In Google Chrome Ctrl+Shift+O to open the bookmark manager. Then click Export bookmarks.



Choose where to save it on your hard drive and click Save.

Now you can locate it and double-click on it to open it in a browser.

Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Computer Class Notes 4-7-2020

There were 26 of us online using Zoom today. It was great to see/hear all of you and so glad you are all well. Some were on their laptops, others on desktops, and even a cell phone or two. Some had video and others were just using audio.

Here are the items I was planning on touching on and they are followed with a number of other things we discussed today.

Join us next week. We can host up to 100 at a time.

Websites Taken Down From the Web
Websites vanish from the web every day—perhaps abandoned by the creators, banned due to legal problems, or pulled down due to hacking attempts. Wayback Machine is a digital archive of web content, that takes snapshots of a website at regular intervals and makes them available to anyone.
https://github.com/hartator/wayback-machine-downloader
https://web.archive.org/

How to Create a Batch (BAT) File
Batch files are the computer handyman’s way of getting things done. They can automate everyday tasks, shorten the required time to do something, and translate a complex process into something anyone could operate.
https://tinyurl.com/y8aw2huo

Turn Your Screen Off in Windows
Do you know how long it takes until Windows automatically turns off your screen? Unfortunately, Windows 10 does not offer a convenient keyboard shortcut to switch off the display. But we’ll show you the easiest ways to control your screen and turn it off when you want.
https://tinyurl.com/ut6w3xq

Old and Discontinued Software
Upgrading your apps to a newer version can sometimes cause problems. It may not be compatible with older OS, may get bundled with adware and nefarious APIs, and more. You can download an older copy of the app for free from OldVersion and OldApps.
http://www.oldversion.com/
http://www.oldapps.com/

How to Rearrange Windows with Keyboard Shortcuts on Windows 10
Arranging your workspace in Windows 10 can sometimes feel like a tedious process with your mouse. Luckily, you can use many keyboard shortcuts to switch, snap, minimize, maximize, move, or resize windows.
http://tinyurl.com/vwrlxhu

How to Watch Netflix with Your Friends Online
When you’re stuck at home, you miss out on watching Netflix with your friends. But just because you can’t meet in person doesn’t mean you can’t still watch it together. Here’s how you can watch Netflix with your friends online.
https://tinyurl.com/tqnuv2h

Printing Labels
The question was about how to print labels in LibreOffice. That got us into a discussion about Mail Merge. Then Geroge sent me a link to Avery, a maker of labels. It has templates you can download to print labels.


I wrote an article about doing a Mail Merge in MS Word. Here is a link to view that article.
http://rwevans.com/DCT Easy MailMerge.pdf

Word
We discussed the various way to get Word both free and purchase. Also, Office 365 which is $69.95 a year for 1 user and includes 1 TB of space on One Drive. For inexpensive purchase of Office check out Bonanza.com

Keyboard Shortcuts
George sent over the PDF that he has:
http://rwevans.com/Keystroke.pdf



Assigning a Shortcut
Right-click on any shortcut and you can assign keyboard keys to it for quick access.

The Search Bar



The taskbar contains a search box.



You can remove it to make room for more taskbar shortcuts by right-clicking on the taskbar > Search > remove the checkmark for Show search box and then check Hidden.

To open a search box press Win+Q


Screen Brightness
You can adjust the screen brightness in Settings. > Display

Email Deletes
When you delete an email using a web-based email such as Gmail or Yahoo, all the mail is on their server in the cloud. What resides on your computer are the last ones you looked at. If you delete an email from your phone and then go to your PC, that email may still appear because it is in the cache for that browser. Refresh the screen or instruct it to look for new mail and the deleted ones are gone.

The trash folder contains the email you deleted and is purged automatically of anything older than 30 days. What you delete by hand from the trash folder is gone right away. However, the emails still reside in their backup files so don’t think they are totally gone.