Computer Class Notes 6-23-2021

Notes https://tinyurl.com/n4fn4x99

Video https://tinyurl.com/4mcnbs3m

In an article Fran sent today, Microsoft Windows has now dropped to 73% with the Chrome OS and MacOS rising.
https://tinyurl.com/pkjz75db

Microsoft Windows 11 Event TOMORROW
Microsoft will live stream the event starting at 11 a.m. Eastern time on June 24, 2021. Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella and Chief Product Officer Panos Panay will both be presenting at the event. If you can’t tune in at the time of the live stream, you can head to Microsoft’s website and watch it later on your own schedule.
https://tinyurl.com/3f73dt36

Printer Problems
I have been using the same HP Envy 6075 printer and my computer HP Pavilion for about 4 months with no problems. All of a sudden I cannot print wireless or wired.

Here are the steps I take to resolve printer issues:

1. Win+I to open Settings
2. Click Devices > Printers & scanners
3. Locate your printer
4. Click on it > Remove device
5. Turn off computer
6. Plug Printer in with USB
7. Turn the computer back on

Windows should see the printer and reinstall the driver.

One Photo Viewer
This viewer is easy to use and has a clean interface. Free with no ads. Designed to be used as Windows 10 default photo viewer app. One Photo Viewer has many customization options and features such as slideshow, color adjustment, crop, resize, rotate, copy/paste clipboard, and more. All accessible by right-click menu or keyboard shortcuts. It is also touchscreen compatible.
https://tinyurl.com/4aue6vva

Fixdows Is An Open-Source Utility
Many PC users will have at some point, experienced problems while trying to update Windows. And when these errors occur, it can be due to various reasons.
https://tinyurl.com/895bpa6x

How to Add Family Members to Your Microsoft 365 Plan
The Microsoft 365 family plan allows you to get Microsoft Office for up to six people at just $100 per year. Here’s how to add family members to your Microsoft 365 plan.
https://tinyurl.com/xuyv85cp

Highlight A Box Of Text In Word
I am sure you have had an instance where you just wanted to highlight a certain area of text in your document for one reason or another and instead ended up feeling frustrated because you were unable to do so.
https://tinyurl.com/5bs9tysr

How To Show Formatting In Word
I wish I had a nickel for every time someone has lamented how they could always see their formatting in WordPerfect but cannot in Microsoft Word.
https://tinyurl.com/2tjv2fb3

Make Microsoft Edge Show Downloads at the Bottom of the Window
Beginning with version 90, Microsoft Edge now shows downloads at the top of the window instead of the bottom. If you don’t like this, you can place downloads at the window bottom with a shortcut in Windows 10. Here’s how.
https://www.howtogeek.com/729623/how-to-make-microsoft-edge-show-downloads-at-the-bottom-of-the-window/

Image Resizer Utility
Image Resizer is a Windows shell extension for bulk image-resizing. After installing PowerToys, right-click on one or more selected image files in File Explorer, and then select Resize pictures from the menu.
https://tinyurl.com/5ncycz6x

6 Hidden Windows 10 Tools You Should Be Using
Microsoft PowerToys sounds like it should be a new videogame franchise or children’s interactive device. No, Microsoft hasn’t shifted its focus towards kids, but it has given some adults new things to play with inside Windows.
https://tinyurl.com/83t6949w

LibreOffice Impress
How to Insert a Google Photos Album

You cannot import an album from Photos to Impress directly. Open the album in Photos and Shift+D to download the album to your computer. Unzip the compressed folder and then...



Insert > Media > Photo Album

Now locate the picture and select them all. They will each be placed on separate slides. When that is successful you can delete the zip file and the unzipped images.

Convert Foreign Language Page



When you open a webpage in Google Chrome that is not in English, right-click on the page and select Translate to English.

Google Calendar
Can I access my Google Calendar that I have updated on my cell phone on my computer?




Yes, open google chrome. Click the menu button and the the Calendar icon. You must be logged into your Google account.

Top 10 Keyboard Shortcuts In Windows 10
These shortcuts are designed to help you eliminate a mouse click, and accomplish some common tasks in Windows, without clicking through menus.

Win+E: Open File Explorer
Win+L: Lock PC
Win+ (.): Open The emoji picker 🚚
Win+V: Search through clipboard history
Win+I: Open settings
Win+ 1, 2, 3: Launch a Taskbar pinned
Ctrl+Shift while clicking a program icon to run as admin
Win+ Alt+D: Open time and calendar
Win+G: Xbox Game Bar to record screen
Win+Shift+S: Quick Screenshots

https://tinyurl.com/4p5p7y4z

Computer Class Notes 6-16-2021

View the Video https://tinyurl.com/7tt3zcha 
Read the Notes https://tinyurl.com/rtjk2a8p  

Read the article here

Windows 11 Build Leaks
Although Microsoft’s upcoming event is still a few days away, details about the upcoming build of the next version of Windows have already leaked. Also, the screenshot leaks confirm that rumors about the Windows 11 branding are true.
https://tinyurl.com/vyw69yru

Hands-on With Windows 11
If you want to know the biggest thing I’ve noticed in my few hours with Windows 11, it’s all the things that haven’t changed. Start digging in, and you’ll see that everything is mostly the same. The settings panel is the same, and the control panel is too. Because, of course, we still have to deal with both a modern Settings UI and an aging control panel.
https://tinyurl.com/4n3xnnej

Amazon Sidewalk Is Here
Maybe You Should Consider Leaving It On...

If you own an Echo or Ring device and you didn’t know to opt-out, Amazon already turned on its new Sidewalk network feature for you. Look around, and you’ll find plenty of advice on how to opt-out or turn it off as soon as possible. But should you? Like a lot of things, the answer is “it depends.”
https://tinyurl.com/y5gfvjbr

Turn Off News and interest
Right-click on the taskbar, then...



Create A Scratchpad In Chrome
You can give Chrome its own quick-access scratchpad that’ll let you jot down thoughts right within the browser—no extensions required. All you have to do is paste a snippet of code into Chrome’s address bar. Select the code below and Ctrl+C to copy it to the clipboard.

data:text/html;charset=utf-8, <title>Scratchpad</title><style>body {padding: 5%; font-size: 1.5em; font-family: Arial; }"></style><link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://ssl.gstatic.com/docs/documents/images/kix-favicon6.ico"/><body OnLoad='document.body.focus();' contenteditable spellcheck="true" >

Right-click in the address bar and Paste the code, then press enter. Drag the URL to your bookmarks bar for easy access. The scratchpad supports text formatting (Ctrl- or Cmd-B for bold, Ctrl- or Cmd-I for italics, and Ctrl- or Cmd-U for underlining) and even has a built-in spell check feature. Just open it and start typing—and if you want to save your thoughts for later retrieval, hit Ctrl+S.

Useful Things You Didn’t Know Chrome Could Do
Give your internet experience a jolt of fresh energy with these easily overlooked features, options, and shortcuts for Google’s browser.
https://tinyurl.com/5tarbhrx

How to Create an Animated GIF of a PowerPoint Presentation
Want a great way to share your Microsoft PowerPoint slideshow on social media, your company intranet, or a blog? You can create an animated GIF of your PowerPoint presentation and share it with the world.
https://tinyurl.com/2nxf9y42

Find Your Windows Product Key
Do you know what your Windows product key is? Well, you paid for the Windows license. Should you build a new computer, and no longer plan on using the old system, you don't have to pay for the operating system twice, you may be able to activate your old copy of Windows on the new PC.
https://tinyurl.com/ajejuhp8

Or



Win+Q (or Win+R) > type CMD > press Enter

Copy and paste the following

wmic path SoftwareLicensingService get OA3xOriginalProductKey

Press Enter and the product key displays

You can also use a program called Belarc Advisor to give you all the keys on your computer as well as a list of the programs installed and many other facts.




Volts And Amps Combine To Confuse
Can I Use a Charger With the Same Voltage but Different Amperage Rating?

For power supplies or chargers:
The voltage must match.
The amperage must match or exceed that required by the device.
The polarity of the connection must be correct.
The input line voltage (ie: 120v) must be supported but is unrelated to compatibility with the device being charged or powered.
https://tinyurl.com/42u4f525

What’s the Difference

• Between an Email Account, an Email Address, an Email Program, and an Email Service?
• An email service is the company, servers, and software handling your email to route it to its destination.
• An email account is your relationship with an email service, and all the storage, features, and functionality included.
• An email address uniquely identifies your mailbox as provided by your email service.
• An email program is computer software you run to download and manage email on your computer.

https://tinyurl.com/tjt5bs7u

How Should I Back Up My Email?
You should back up your email so that even if your account is lost, you won’t lose any of the data within it. You can use remote fetch with a different online email provider to make a copy, but a more robust solution is to have an email program running on a PC using IMAP to download copies of your mail.
https://tinyurl.com/wr6pcwz2

What Happens If I Go Over My 15 GB
Google comes with 15 GB of free allocated cloud space. This is big enough for most of us, but… Now that Photos uploaded after June 12, 3021 count the available allocated space may diminish quickly. If you are a Gmail user, your emails and their attachments have always counted against that allocation. And if you use Google Drive all files not created with the Google formats (Google Docs, etc) also count.

If you run out of available space (ie: use up that 15 GB), you will not be able to receive any more email or add anything to Google Drive or have your photos automatically upload to Google Photos.



Go tohttps://myaccount.google.com/ to see how much space you have.

I spend $19.99 per year to have 100 GB instead of the free 15 GB.

Every Google Account starts with 15 GB of free storage that’s shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos. If you become a Google One member, your total storage increases to 100 GB, or more, depending on the plan you choose. Google One members also get access to support from Google experts and extra benefits.


Click on Account Storage and then Storage to see where your usage is.

How To Build A Video With Photos
Video Projects can transform a selection of images into a movie-like presentation with audio. It has you drag images onto a window, arrange them as needed, then provide custom narration, transitions, zooms, pans, audio soundtracks, and/or custom auto-generated music, then export the result as an MP4 file.
https://tinyurl.com/2j992h59

=======================================

In addition to my own research, I want to give thanks to Harold, Fran, and Craig at the Club, Ghacks Newsletter, AskLeo, AskWoody, tomshardware, TechConnect, Major Geeks, Lifewire, PCMag Lab Report,and DavesComputerTips.com for the useful ideas we take a look at each week.

Computer Class Notes 6-9-2021

View the Video https://tinyurl.com/xf6cse36
Read the Notes https://tinyurl.com/42jfutup  

Another Browser Shortcut
Pressing the spacebar when on a page scrolls down to the next page. Shift-Spacebar does the reverse.
Ctrl+T opens a new tab and Shift+Ctrl+T reopens the last tab closed.

Microsoft To Reveal Its Next Generation Of Windows On June 24th
Microsoft is planning to detail its “next generation of Windows” at an event later this month. The software giant has started sending invites to the media for a Windows event on June 24th. Both Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and chief product officer Panos Panay will be presenting at the Windows event. Microsoft’s Windows event will start at 11 AM ET / 8 AM PT on June 24th.
https://tinyurl.com/4sferjuv

Google Photos Top Alternatives
Free unlimited photo and video storage from Google? That deal is over, as of June 1. Here are seven options for storing photos if you don't want to pay Google.
https://tinyurl.com/bvtatmzj

Google Photos’ Unlimited Storage Ended
You might be angry that Google is killing off another super handy feature. But there are no free lunches. So what are your options? We’ll address all your questions such as exporting your data and choosing an alternative service in this article.
https://tinyurl.com/hvnzjnax

A Rapid Desktop Search Utility
Everything is a desktop search utility for Windows that can rapidly find files and folders by name.
https://tinyurl.com/24kbaxsp
Download at https://www.voidtools.com/support/everything/

Another Internet TV Station fro Canadians
GlobalTV.com is the online destination for Global Entertainment show information, episodes, web exclusives, and more. The website is home to full episodes of popular shows like Chicago Fire and The Blacklist.
https://www.globaltv.com/

Car thieves have found a new way to steal your vehicle.

Thefts occurred because the owners left their keys in the vehicles. However, there is a new brand of high­ tech thieves who use technology to their advantage.

"The key fob is constantly broadcasting a signal that detects your vehicle once it is close enough to the vehicle, even if the fob is in your home," the video states. "If the key fob is right near" "your front door, or 30 feet or less from the vehicle, a detection device will pinpoint it.

"The vehicle 'thinks' that the key fob is near the vehicle, and it allows the doors to be opened and the vehicle started...Once the vehicle has been stolen, a new fob can be programmed to operate the vehicle," it said.

Thieves Find A High-Tech Way To Steal Vehicles
https://tinyurl.com/cfz8d6hc for the article

A video describing this kind of theft can be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk_fTTlGcMA.

How To Send Multiple Pictures
You can open each picture and then copy/paste it into the body of the email or you can open File Explorer (Win+E) and select the group of pictures to be sent and then drag them to the body of the email.

However, there is a limit to how many MBs you can have attached to an email. For my Yahoo account, it is 30 MBs. With images now coming from our cell phones at 3-4 MBs each that does not allow too many pictures.

A better approach is to use the sharing capability of the various cloud services like Google Photos, OneDrive, Dropbox, and even Snapfish. I demonstrated sharing an album in Google Photos. It sent a link to my album to an email address which allowed the receiver to view and even to download the images.

Sharpen A Picture
We found a website that takes a picture you upload and sharpens it.
https://www3.lunapic.com/editor/

Also irfanview is a program that will sharpen an image on your computer, You can use the link to download it or get it from ninite or patchmypc.

How To Send A Video On Facebook To Someone Else



Click the Share button



Click Copy link

Open your email and compose an email. In the body of the email right-click > paste and the link will appear. When your recipient opens their email they just have to click the link to view the video.

You can also paste the link to a document on your computer to save it for later… or even paste it to your address bar and save it as a bookmark.

How Long Will My SSD Last?




We keep hearing that SSDs and other flash-based drives wear out. Particularly when it comes to SSDs, there are ways you can see how close to wearing out your drive might be.
https://tinyurl.com/mmz7ttu8

Samsung Magician
Another way to see your disk usage
https://tinyurl.com/56s9mvhm


==============================

In addition to my own research, I want to give thanks to Harold, Fran, and Craig at the Club, Ghacks Newsletter, AskLeo, AskWoody, tomshardware, TechConnect, Major Geeks, Lifewire, PCMag Lab Report,and DavesComputerTips.com for the useful ideas we take a look at each week.

Computer Class Notes 6-2-2021

View the video https://tinyurl.com/3mycb3th
Read the notes https://tinyurl.com/3d54v7a9

Demonstrated Taking A Photo Off Google Photos
And editing it, adding a caption, and then emailing it.

Locate the photo in Google Photos. Select it. Shift+D to download it.

1. Open the downloaded picture in Photos to edit it and save a copy
2. Open in Paint to add a caption and save it
3. Open your email app and compose a new message. Add the picture as an attachment.

OR

1. Open the picture in Photos to edit it and save a copy
2. When in Paint, Select All > Copy
3. Open your email app and compose a new message. Paste the picture.

Demonstrated The Concept Of Albums In Google Photos
An album is a great way to organize photos in your photo cloud. Pictures that were not taken on the same date can be gathered with other pictures under the same category or album. The pictures are not moved to the album and the same picture can appear in multiple albums.

On our computer, we create folders and place photos that we want to group together into one named folder. The photos in that folder are not in any other folder and if we drag a photo from one folder to another it moves out of the from folder to the new folder. Folders do not work the same as albums.



I demonstrated using an album approach in Windows by creating a folder and using a right-drag to move pictures into that folder saving them as shortcuts. This is what an album does. When we looked at the contents of that folder we could see the pictures, although they had a shortcut arrow on them. The actual picture was not in the folder, just a shortcut to access the picture. Delete the shortcut and it would not appear in the folder anymore but would still be in the original location.

View and access your recently closed tabs
Did you know that Firefox has a hotkey to reopen a closed tab? Press Ctrl + Shift + T and the tab comes back. This can be a lifesaver, but if you close several tabs, and then realize you need one of them back, that's when it becomes a problem. Works with Chrome and Edge as well.
https://tinyurl.com/434w2j3r

Create Your Own Portable Toolbox
PortableApps is a platform for installing portable applications on a flash drive that you can take with you anywhere. Everything offered by PortableApps is free and safe, from the platform itself to the many portable applications available. Of course, you don’t necessarily need to be traveling around in order for your PortableApps flash drive to be useful — it is just as handy to have at home to use on your own PC. One of the appealing aspects of PortableApps is that it provides portable editions for quite a few software titles that are not otherwise available as portable.
https://tinyurl.com/dn9czhuk

Change Image Dates
Attribute Changer freeware is a powerful Windows Explorer add-on, available at your fingertips whenever you right-click on files and folders in Windows Explorer.
https://tinyurl.com/vm43d9zm

PrivaZer: User Guide And Review
PrivaZer is a superior junk file cleaner and privacy tool that will not only declutter your system and free up space on your hard drive but also enhance privacy via a process of secure deletion.
https://tinyurl.com/2s9a8rth

How to Use Smart Compose in Google Docs
Almost identical to the Text Predictions feature in Microsoft Word is Smart Compose for Google Docs. The feature uses machine learning to provide you with suggestions to help you write your documents quickly. Here’s how it works.
https://tinyurl.com/t3cjd7rr

How to Screenshot on Chromebook
Chromebooks and Chromeboxes are intended to be easy-to-use computers, but that simplicity can lead to confusion. Taking screenshots is one feature that isn’t super well explained, and there are several different ways to do it in Chrome OS. We’ll show you all of them.
https://tinyurl.com/rspnba8f

Recent Email Scams/Spam
Watch out…

• If your name is not on it
• If the sending email address is strange
• If the link address is strange
• If you don’t own the product
• If you are offered something for nothing (no free lunch)

I do NOT even use Norton. This is a scam and I reported it as spam.






Sure I have… strange from address. I spammed it.



I do not think I want to send money to this person. Another scam.






Easy to fall for this one when you have your own website and email. ALWAYS go directly to the site to change your password. They will never send out something like this.




This is not a scam, just spam. I did not ask for this and will NOT unsubscribe because I never subscribed in the first place. I marked it as spam.


Be Mindful Of Cloud Storage
Thoughts from an article in https://www.askwoody.com/newsletter/free-edition-other-apple-privacy-practices/

"When storing files in the cloud, be mindful of the nature and importance of the content. Remember that any server you don’t own is in someone else’s control.

"I still store some content in major cloud storage services such as iCloud and Dropbox, but lately I’ve moved much of my critical content to the smaller, yet well-established, cloud storage provider WebMate. Another name for this is not putting all your eggs into one basket. Do keep in mind that if you use a service outside your country of residence (WebMate is UK-based), privacy policies may be different, and you should understand them in advance.

"For those who wish to be extra cautious, many hard-drive and NAS (Network Attached Storage) solutions are available. You can use them as a “personal cloud.” These can usually be set up for remote access. Of course, this data is not removed from your locality (i.e., your home), so you'll need to adopt some basic "data center skills" such as keeping good backups."

Some ideas Donna picked up at Tech For Seniors:

Krisp Noise Canceling App
Krisp removes background noise and echo from meetings leaving only human voice. Krisp app makes remote workers more professional. Register now! Free to get started. AI-powered app. Trusted by professionals. Acoustic echo removal. Room echo removal.
https://tinyurl.com/atpxz7vz

Create Your Own Lifeline Necklace
Save PDFs with your important medical and other information on a USB flash drive and hand it on a chain around your neck. Any emergency and those assisting can use those files to know about you. You could also make that information available as a QRcode. They could use their cell phone to read the QRcode and access the data. You could also print the QRcode on a wallet-size card and have it in your wallet.

Tech for Seniors is a one-hour show co-hosted by Ron Brown and Hewie Poplock. It is sponsored by the Silvercom Computer and Technology Club @ Silveridge Resort in Mesa. Each week we will answer your questions, talk technology, and have a GREAT time socializing with Zoom technology.

All Episodes of Tech for Seniors
https://tinyurl.com/4k4usjms