Computer Class Notes 8-27-2020

Some Keyboard Shortcuts To Remember

On-screen keyboard   Win+Ctrl+O

Task Manager   Ctrl+Shift+Esc

Magnifier   Win+Plus or Minus, Win+Esc to turn off

Ctrl+Alt+Del Screen   Ctrl+Alt+Del

File Explorer  Win+E

Notifications  Win+A

Run Dialog Box  Win+R

Type Here To Search   Win+Q or Win+S

Minimize Desktop  Win+M

Toggle Minimize   Win+D

Snip Screen  Win+Shift+S

Clipboard History   Win+V

Right-Click Start  Win+X

Project Screen  Win+P

Display Settings  Win+U

Lock Screen  Win+L

Speech Recognition  Win+H

Emoji  Win+Period

Boot Options Menu   Shift+Restart

https://tinyurl.com/KBWinShortcuts 

Put Your Furniture Against the Wall

Coaxial connectors are always in the most inconvenient spot. They stick out from the wall and when you attach the cable to hook it to your TV or Modem it sticks out even more! A right-angle coaxial adapter is all you need to tidy up the area around your modem or TV. Finally, you can push your TV against the wall or hide the unsightly wires in your kitchen!

https://tinyurl.com/y3bkgo33 

And for those 110v cords that stick out

https://tinyurl.com/y4tgj2ll 

Secret Hotkey Opens Windows 10’s New Emoji Picker

Windows 10 has a hidden emoji picker you can use to type emoji in any application, even desktop programs like Google Chrome. It’s accessible by pressing a keyboard shortcut combination.

https://tinyurl.com/y2cssmmu 

Image Eye is a freeware photo viewer

Do you want to browse through your photos using a program that doesn't have a single button or a GUI? Meet Image Eye, the lean image viewer.

https://tinyurl.com/y6lhhvso

Simple Photo Editing Tips

The difference between a good photo and a great one might be the few minutes you spend editing it before you share it. These techniques can quickly boost the quality of your photos.

https://tinyurl.com/y5d5bg4q 

iPhone Clipboard Managers

You’ve probably used the iPhone clipboard more times than you can count for copying and pasting text between apps. And while the built-in clipboard is helpful, it has some limits. Most notably, it can only store one piece of information at a time.

https://tinyurl.com/yb3hw37q 

EaseUS 1-2-3

Yup, it is as easy as 1-2-3. All you need is the EaseUS program installed and an external drive plugged into a USB port. Hopefully, the drive and the port are USB 3.0 (blue usually).

https://tinyurl.com/y4dbcan7

How to save scanned Photomyme photos to your phone

This short guide explains how to save the photo files of your scanned photos to your device or PC. By default, the photos you scan with Photomyne's photo scanner app are saved within the app. If you would like to save them to your device as well, please follow these simple steps.

https://tinyurl.com/y339rklt 

PatchMyPc

Patch My PC can check your system against the current version of Adobe Reader/Acrobat/Flash, Mozilla Firefox, and more. Video tutorials available. Once you run Patch My PC, it will simply show you a list of supported software and then let you know the status. By the way, the app is portable, so no installation is required. Green means it’s okay, red means it needs updating, and black means it’s not installed. The interface is more complex than Ninite which will do the same job except for CCleaner. That one is not included in Ninite so you have to go to ccleaner.com and download it yourself, wade through the screen wanting you to buy it, and keep your eye out for other software it wants you to install (Avast). This is an executable file that does not have to be installed to run. However, you might see a warning from your antivirus.

https://tinyurl.com/y2ufrfj5

Computer Class Notes 8-20-2020

Link to the video of today’s class: https://tinyurl.com/y487s36o 

Some have asked about the cost of joining the weekly classes. The answer is no cost. I am happy to make the classes available. If you really feel moved to send something, click http://tinyurl.com/givetoevans 

How To Save A Lot Of Passwords On My PC

1. When signing in where it says remember me when asks for your password, check the box and when a popup appears asking if you want to save the password, say yes.
   
   

2. Keep a list somewhere. Many have a small spiral notebook where they write down the website name and the username used (often an email address) and the password.
   
   Note: When I write down a password, I write it in all lower case. Then I underline the letters that are to be typed as capitals.
   
   

3. Some keep a word processing or spreadsheet file named something other than passwords. Then keep a list of the above. You can access that file for unremembered use names and passwords. If you use Google DOCS to save that file, it can be easily accessed on your cell phone when you need it away from your home computer.
   
   

4. I use a notebook-like program called Locknote by Steganos. It is free and looks very much the same as the notebook program that comes with Windows. The one difference is that it is saved with a password so nobody that does not have that password can open it. All you have to remember is that one password. Download it here: https://tinyurl.com/z2xc44j
   
   

5. Use a password you cannot forget by using the secret word approach. See my article on that at DCT:
   https://tinyurl.com/y6nvvqz9
   
   

6. You can look at all the passwords you have saved in your browser by typing this into the browser address bar:
   
   Google Chrome chrome://settings/passwords

Brave brave://settings/passwords
Microsoft Edge edge://settings/passwords
Firefox About:logins

7. Then scroll down the list for the name of the website and click the “eye” to the right and enter the password for windows to reveal the password for that site.
   
   

8. In Google Chrome open passwords.google.com
   
   

and then click Export to download all passwords to your computer. 

Old Photo Albums To Google Photos

I have found about 20 to 25 photo albums with maybe 2000 physical personal pictures in it, (primarily vacations) dating back to the 1950's  like to get them on google photos somehow. 

Download Photomyne on your cell phone. And have Google Photos installed as well. 

Using Photomyne you can take a picture of an entire page in the album. It will separate the pictures and even clean them. 

Here is an article I wrote on how to do that. 

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

What About Pictures on CDs?

You do not have to get them off the CDs and into your computer to upload them to Google Photos. 

Open Google Photos in your browser and click the upload button. Then in File Manager locate the images on the CD. Ctrl+A will select them all. Click Open to start the upload. 

Photomyne Question

Should I purchase it? I did not and it works great for me. The images are stored on your phone and will upload to Google Photos for you. Therefore I see no reason to use their cloud storage. 

Directly Link to Text on a Web Page in Chrome

Chrome now lets you create links directly to text on a web page. Chrome’s “scroll to text fragment” feature is a bit complicated to use, but Googler Paul Kinlan made an easy-to-use bookmarklet that lets you take easy advantage of it.

https://tinyurl.com/yc5z7e62 

Try it at http://www.rwevans.com/#:~:text=ONLINE%20Classes

Copy and paste #:~:text= to the end of the URL. Then add the words to jump to with %20 replacing each space. Use this completed URL as your link.

A Freeware File Backup Program

Always back up your important files. You never know when you're going to need to restore them from a backup because disaster struck. Maybe you deleted files by accident, Windows or malware did, your PC was stolen or crashed beyond recovery, or you simply need the files on a different device.

This will automatically backup your data and add changed or new files to it on a schedule you decide.

https://tinyurl.com/y83mcf6u 

A Lightweight Text Editor

TED Notepad is a notepad plain text editor replacement for the Windows operating system. TED Notepad's interface is, well, it's almost like Windows' Notepad. It is in the developer's own words "chrome-less", i.e., there are no toolbars or other visual clutter to confuse users. Instead, all options are categorized across various menus.

https://tinyurl.com/yajcydnz 

What Is Better Than Ad Blocking?

Without a doubt, websites need to have the ability to display ads if they are going to exist. If a site provides you with useful information and you do not want to pay for a subscription, you should allow them to display ads.

https://tinyurl.com/ya9gyqx2 

Sending Anonymous Email Messages

You cannot remain anonymous on the internet. The best you can do is make it hard for people to trace you. To make the best use of procedures and tools that send quasi-anonymous emails, it's helpful to understand a few internet basics. Here's a review of basic network principles and strategies to hide your email's point of origin.

https://tinyurl.com/ufusfze 

This article gets deep into how email goes from A to Z and why you can be found to. But it does point us to how to create an alias address as a throw-away address for Craigslist or to sign up for a download.

What Is an Email Alias?  https://tinyurl.com/y69rocao 

Disposable Email Address Services  https://tinyurl.com/y88o5r4k 

Ever wish you could use an email address that did not cause you to get junk email? Well what you can do is create a Disposable Email Address for those sites you have to give an email address to. You make up the address and use it every time you sign up for something. Then the emails sent to that address will NOT end up in your normal email. 

Yes, you can check the disposable email inbox and see what was sent to you. And it is free.

Check it out at: https://www.mailinator.com/ 

Disposable eMail – Good Defense Against eMail Abuse. And it is from Google. Create your own by just making one up…

http://tinyurl.com/hq9h923  for this article on Daves Computer Tips

Low Cost Internet Service

If you fall into certain a categories you may be able to get your internet service from Comcast for $9.95 a month including the modem. You may also qualify for a low cost computer. 

www.everyoneon.org

Detail Advance Zoom white paper for APCUG on can be requested from Hewie Poplock <hewie@hewie.net>      

Set Default Program To Open Pictures

Win+I to open settings.  > Choose Apps > Choose Default Apps

Scroll down to Photos and choose the app you want to be default

Now when you locate a picture and double-click it will always open in that app

Another method is to right-click on the picture and select the open with selection and choose the one you want it to use. To make it the default, select the bottom option. Then click the one to use. 

Passing Host Controls And Leaving The Meeting

As the host, you can assign the host controls to another user and leave the meeting. This allows the meeting to continue without you, and the assigned user to have host control over the meeting. 

If the original host is a Paid user, the meeting will continue to run for an unlimited time, even if the new host is a free or basic user. If the original host is a Free or Basic user, the meeting will be limited to the 40 minute duration, even if the new host is a paid user.

1. Sign in to the Zoom Desktop Client.

2. Start a meeting as the host.

3. In the host controls, click End. 

4. Click Leave Meeting.

5. Assign someone to be the new host, then click Assign and Leave.

https://tinyurl.com/yafafgo6 

Computer Class Notes 8-13-2020

See the Video at https://tinyurl.com/y47dlkuh

Power Outages
Lately, we have been having momentary power loss. This is not a problem for my laptop but the Internet goes away as [ower to the modem is interrupted. It takes about five minutes for it to come back. This is not good for Zoom, especially if you are the host.


Solution: Obtain a UPS and plug your modem/router into it. Then when the power goes out the UPS continues to supply power to the modem and unless the service provider has gone down, you stay on the Internet!

I plug my modem and router into the battery backup section and my computer and printers and lights into the surge protection. When the power goes off I still have Internet access and the battery on my laptop kicks in. The less using the battery backup the longer the battery will be able to be used.

Search Within A Page
Sometimes I am on the internet and I am looking for ONE WORD (or one person) in a long article.

Open the page. Then Ctrl+F to find a word on that page

Iron-On Printing
Can the printing on special iron-on paper cause printer problems? We did not find that out as nobody had any experience with it. But you can purchase paper that can be printed on and then used to iron on the images to T-shirts, bag, and more.
https://tinyurl.com/y22rvf7s

How to transfer files from one computer to another
I am not sure if the question is about just files or about getting a new computer and moving all your “stuff” from the old to the new one.


Depending on how many files (GBs) I might just copy them to a USB flash drive and then use a sneakernet approach to get them on the other machine.

Last week we talked about how to set up a home network. If both machines are on that network you can easily drag and drop files from one to the other.

If this is indeed about going from an old machine to a new one, I have an article on how to accomplish that at https://davescomputertips.com/how-to-set-up-a-new-computer/

I use a program called Fab’s Autobackup 7. You can find it at https://tinyurl.com/yctzhlck. It backs up all your files and settings to a removable device, then you use its restore function to get them onto your new machine. Without it, I copy all data from the user folders to an external and then copy them to the same folders on the new computer. I am speaking about folders like Documents, Downloads, Desktop, Pictures, etc.

If you have a Microsoft account and are using OneDrive, all your folders and files in OneDrive will be synced for you. Any Google Drive information is in the cloud and you will have access to it and Google Photos on your new machine. When you sign in to your Google account all your shortcuts in Chrome will come over as well.

In every case, what does not come over are the applications that do not come with Windows 10. This includes Microsoft Office. I suggest running, if possible, a program like Belarc Advisor to obtain the license keys for applications you may need to reinstall. Here is a link to its download https://tinyurl.com/y2x8jyf3

One reason I copy the contents of the Downloads folder is the possibility that some of the installation programs for those non-Microsoft apps might be found.

Can’t Delete From Printer Queue
Try opening File Explorer and going to

C:\Windows\system32\spool\PRINTERS

Delete all in that folder but NOT the folder.

Try canceling the job that would not cancel

Burn Music CD’s
How to make CDs from music someone sent me by email.



Try CDBurnerXP downloaded from Ninite
www.ninite.com

Public WiFi is convenient for you … and for scammers
Public WiFi networks are not secure if they don’t require a password to connect to them. It’s safer to use your service provider’s network rather than public WiFi, even if it means incurring charges.



If you have Comcast as your service provider, use xfinitywifi which requires your credentials to log in. This can be used all over the USA where Xfinity is available. However, this is also a public portal and others may be on the same connection.

Always ask staff for the exact name of their establishment’s public WiFi network. This way, you are sure you are connecting to it and not a look-alike.

Limit your activity on public WiFi to activities such as browsing news, sports, and weather. Avoid doing anything that requires a username and password.

Toshiba is Finished With Laptops
Toshiba just sold its Dynabook business to Sharp Corporation, which may or may not mean much for anyone. Still, it's weird to see a company known for quality laptops sort of just give up, right?

How To Uses Snopes To Fact Check
Snopes, formerly known as the Urban Legends Reference Pages, is a fact-checking website. It has been described as a "well-regarded reference for sorting out myths and rumors" on the Internet. It has also been seen as a source for validating and debunking urban legends and similar stories in American popular culture.
www.snopes.com

This and other fact-checking sites can be found listed on:
https://tinyurl.com/yc5kxaxh

How Would One Put A Soundtrack On With A Picture Post On Facebook?
You would have to use a program like Windows 10 Photos to create a “movie” with your soundtrack and the picture(s).

Bye Bye Camera
Get rid of humans in your pictures
https://tinyurl.com/y3r64as2

How to Fix a Slow Context Menu in Windows 10’s File Explorer
Windows 10’s context menu can slow down over time. Third-party programs often install context menu extensions, and badly coded ones can slow things down. Here’s how to fix context menus that open slowly, freeze, or hang when you right-click.
https://tinyurl.com/y2bqkbjn

LibreOffice 7.0 is now available
This is a major new version and as such introduces new features and improvements across the board. One of the main changes of LibreOffice 7.0 is better compatibility with the Microsoft Office formats docx, xlsx and pptx. The new version of the Office suite saves these documents in the native Office 2013/2016/2019 format instead of 2007 compatibility mode; this improves interoperability with Microsoft Office and should reduce display issues or other issues that could arise when saving documents in older versions of LibreOffice.

It is easy to set Libre to default to Microsoft Office formats.

Open LibreOffice and at the first screen, Alt+F12 > Load/Save > General




Choose Text document and then Word 2001-365, then Apply





Do the same for the Spreadsheet and Presentation types of files. Now you can read and write in Microsoft Office format without having to change the file type when saving.
https://tinyurl.com/y2rnotu9

Add an extra toolbar to your desktop
You can quickly run out of space on the taskbar if you're someone who uses many programs or someone who has pinned many to the taskbar. Linkbar is a freeware application that lets you add an extra toolbar to your desktop. It is not a dock, it's sort of like an additional taskbar.

This looks pretty good, but I think I will stick with QuickLaunceh we looked at a couple of classes ago.
https://tinyurl.com/y4qllv54

Disable Resource-Hungry Chrome Extensions
Google Chrome is a resource-intensive browser. You might be used to closing tabs to free up RAM, but extensions run constantly in the background and take a lot of resources. Here’s how to find and disable resource-hungry Chrome extensions.
https://tinyurl.com/y5ut3suj

Hidden Modes in Windows
Did you know that Windows has lots of extra modes that enable extra functionality, help you troubleshoot, or enhance performance for certain tasks? Some of these are hidden, while you may have heard about others but never tried them yourself.
https://tinyurl.com/y6aztcra

Access The Control Panel
Some have a difficult time with change. Perhaps that is you. Microsoft is in the process of doing away with the Control Panel altogether and migrating everything over to the Settings app. Personally, I dread the day when the Control Panel is finally no more. The migration is proving to be a painfully slow process so, hopefully, that fateful day is still a long way off. While Microsoft does not provide an obvious method for quick and easy access to Control Panel, there are multiple ways to access it… here are four of the best. https://tinyurl.com/yxble2gg 

Sidewise for Chrome
Mary showed us an extension for Chrome called Sidewise Tree… I installed it and it works great. It places your tabs in a vertical orientation in a separate narrow window to the side (defaulted left) of the screen. It remembers what your closed tabs were and allows you to see your history of tabs as well.

She also demonstrated Easy Link Preview for Chrome and for Firefox, TabTree, and Simple Link.

Computer Class Notes 8-6-2020

CCleaner FYI
CCleaner has been flagged as a potentially unwanted software by Microsoft Defender recently because of its bundling of other software offers in its installer. While the offered software is legitimate, e.g. Google Chrome and Avast Antivirus may be offered, it may lead to users installing software on their devices that they don't want.

Firefox users who run the CCleaner on their systems may have noticed that extension settings are removed after running the program. The issue affects all recent versions of CCleaner and devices with Firefox 79 or newer installed.

CCleaner is a controversial tool. It is highly popular and widely used by Windows users to clean temporary files, but it may also cause system issues depending on how it is used, and it had its fair share of privacy-related issues in the past.

Edge Warning
Edge browser crashes if you use Google as your default search engine. If you have Google set as the default engine and try to type in the search bar, the browser may crash. The problem is related to “Search Suggestions” and when that API is called, the browser crashing instantly. If you have been experiencing this issue, you can navigate to edge://settings/search and turn off the feature as a workaround.

Webinar vs Podcast
They are both usually free and available for download at any time. The main differences between a webinar and a podcast are: Webinars are multimedia, meaning they contain both audio and video, while podcasts normally include only audio. Webinars are mostly held in real-time, while podcasts are usually pre-recorded.

Also, webinars can be two with applications like Zoom. Or they just be like watching a YouTube teaching video. A podcast is like a talk radio show.

Should We Install All Updates For Glary?
I do because I run Glary often and use it to shut down at might. If you are only using it once a week along with the other maintenance programs suggested (SAS, MB), then use Ninte.com to update all three. Do say yes to updating the database if suggested before running all three of those. Just be careful you do not (when not using the ninite update) download additional programs along with the one you are wanting.

AOL contacts suddenly went out of alphabetical order

Click the down/up arrow to sort by lastname, firstname

How To Find Any Particular Info In An Easy Way
KISS or keep it short and simple. The more you put into the search engine the less your find. Use quotes to group words, use site search to narrow down to one TLD, use - to keep a word out of the search.

Google Tricks That Will Change the Way You Search
Google Search’s learning curve is an odd one. You use it every day, but still, all you know is how to search. But the search engine has plenty of tricks up its sleeve. Here’s an overview of some of the most useful Google search tricks, from basic tips to new features just recently released.
https://tinyurl.com/y6jgbs4s

Show me a way to have the PC save my passwords
When signing on to a website, check the Remember box. When a popup appears asking if it should save the password, click yes.

How to use the print screen on my dell and android cell phone
On your PC, Win+PrtScr will place a .png image file in your Pictures/Screenshots folder

On an Android cell phone:
Open the screen that you want to capture.

Depending on your phone: Press and hold the Power + Volume down buttons at the same time for a few seconds. If that doesn't work, press and hold the Power button for a few seconds. Then tap Screenshot.

At the top of the screen, you'll find Screenshot capture.

I want to talk an email instead of typing
On your cell phone go into your email and press the picture of the microphone at the bottom of your screen. This turns on the speech to text option. Just talk and your words will appear as though you typed them.

Tech For Seniors Recap with From Donna Whalen

National Park picture contest
Here's the link to the National Park Service photo contest
https://tinyurl.com/y32msw8h

Apple Class Action Lawsuit
https://tinyurl.com/y5v4u54y

2G and 3G networks will be shutting down in 2021 and 2022. Be prepared to move to a new 4G or 5G phone if you want to continue your phone service. The smartphones will still work on WiFi but you will not have phone service through your carrier’s cell phone network.

How to navigate tabs in Google Chrome with the keyboard
Most Chromium-based web browsers follow the default design when it comes to displaying tabs in the browser's address bar. The browser reduces the size of tab icons the more tabs you open in the browser but will come to a breaking point eventually.
https://tinyurl.com/y6d35psw

How to Delete a Comment on Facebook
If you've ever faced the panic of posting a comment on Facebook that you didn't mean to post, then you know how important it is to know how to delete a comment on Facebook.
https://tinyurl.com/ybv5cqsv

Enable Extensions Menu



Are too many Chrome extensions cluttering up your toolbar and menu? Google’s working on a solution for that. The new Extensions menu provides a place for all your extensions in one combined toolbar icon. It’s available today behind a flag.
https://tinyurl.com/y2mqgo47

How to Set Default File Drag and Drop Behavior on Windows 10
Windows has two default actions when you drag and drop a file or folder into a new destination in File Explorer: copy or move, depending on the target. However, there’s a hidden Registry hack that lets you change the default behavior in Windows 10.
https://tinyurl.com/y9bk94hq

Kid-Friendly Websites for Free Arts and Crafts Activities for Children
Children need to learn, play, and stay active for well-rounded growth. These free websites for activities, crafts, and arts for kids will ensure they stay occupied while growing their skills and knowledge.
https://tinyurl.com/y5f2932c