Category: Uncategorized

Technology Tips – Published January 2018 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

 

First, let me explain what computer networking is. For home use it’s connecting 2 or more computers together in a way that they can share files and printers. Sharing files allows you view or edit files that are on another computer. The computers can be connected either wired (Ethernet cable) or wirelessly. The wireless method that follows is the most popular.

 

Windows 10 makes it easy to accomplish this networking task but one thing you must do is to copy the files you want to share and paste them, depending on the type of file, in special network folders called “Public Documents”, “Public Pictures”, “Public Music”, etc. You can do this on both computers or just one depending on your needs. For example, you may have a Word file in the regular Documents folder in “computer #1” that you want to share on “computer #2”. To  allow access to that file from “computer #2”, you must first copy that file to the “Public Documents” folder on “computer #1”. Networking 2 computers only works across these “Public” folders.

 

To start the sharing process open the File Explorer app, a yellow folder icon located on the Taskbar.  Click the “Documents” folder, locate the file you want to copy, right click it and click “Copy”. Scroll down, if necessary, until you see “Network” at the bottom on the left side. Open the “Network” folder and click “computer #1”. Click “Users”, Click “Public”, click “Public Documents” to open that folder. Right click a blank area of this folder then, in the pop-up menu, click “Paste”. For convenience you can make a Desktop shortcut icon on either computer for access to the “Public” folders.

 

One note is that “computer #1” and “computer #2” are used as examples in this text. Your actual computer names will obviously be different. Also, since this is a home scenario, you can turn off password sharing. Open the Control Panel by typing “co” (no quotes) in the “Type here to search” box at bottom left, click “Network and Sharing Center” or choose “View network status and tasks”, then click “Change advanced sharing settings” at the upper left. Next, across from “All Networks”, click the little down arrow. At the bottom click “Turn off password protected sharing”.

 

Networking will be discussed at our January 16 session at 7 PM upstairs in the Community Center’s Ardmore room. There also will be time to answer any other questions you may have about Windows 10. Also, make sure to visit our website http:\\\\www.hersheysmill.org/ to read about the latest FIOS transition information. Type telecommunications in the Search field at upper right to see past and present information regarding the transition.

Technology Tips – Published December 2017 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

 

I usually write about Windows 10 but I thought I would touch on routers with this article. Also, this content is geared more toward those of you that are “tech savvy”. Previously I have written about routers and have said to turn the power off then on to reestablish Internet connectivity or position them for best signal strength. Now we’ll enter into the internal settings of routers where the QOS setting can be checked or changed as necessary.

 

QOS serves an important service particularly when watching video streaming or movies on the Internet. It’s purpose is to control the router in such a way that movies and the like lack any stutter or other artifacts that may produce unwanted visual/audio effects. For example, you may be watching a movie while someone else in your household is downloading files. Both are important but with QOS turned on the movie gets the appropriate bandwidth from the router to produce a smooth visual presentation. The file downloader will notice no difference.

 

Setting QOS requires you to  open your browser, clear anything out of the address field and type in: 192.168.1.1 and press the Enter key. Comcast uses 10.0.0.1. You should see a sign-in window where you type in your Username and password. Username is typically “admin” (no quotes) and password is the same password you used to first set up the router. Keep in mind that the preceding address number doesn’t work for all routers so you may have to consult your manual or do a Google search for your model router to get the correct address.

 

Once inside the settings area look for QOS. It may be in the Advanced Setup area. Click it to open QOS. Newer routers have an automatic QOS setup feature. First, you may have to run a speed test so the router can set the QOS to match the speed of your Internet provider (Comcast or Verizon). There’s one more setting associated with QOS. It’s called WMM. It’s a subset, if you will, of QOS. Its primary function is to prioritize the same main features of QOS (movies and video streaming) BUT only when you are connected to the router wirelessly. Just make sure it’s turned on. After that is complete, click Apply or Save then logout out of your router settings. The preceding guideline is based on a Netgear Nighthawk router so yours can be different.

 

What does all this buy you? Well, not much if you are just the ordinary web surfer and email user. However, with the proliferation of Internet video streaming, movies and different devices including Internet connected Smart TV’s, the router is playing a more important role.

 

Like your PC, routers can benefit from updates. There is often a button to click to update the router along with a visual reminder message. Security is the watchword.

 

We’ll discuss this subject and demonstrate the basic idea of optimizing your router for video at the PC Club meeting on December 17 at 7 p.m.

Technology Tips – Published November 2017 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

The Reliability Monitor provides a graphical representation of how well your computer is performing. This tool, which has been around since the Windows Vista days, remains mostly hidden in Windows 10. The tool’s greatest strength is to inform you, on a scale of 1 to 10, the level of performance of your computer. One is the lowest and ten is the highest. The graph also reflects the nature of a performance problem against time. If your computer shows a problem that reduces the performance to a five rating, and then that problem is corrected, it may take several days to achieve a higher rating. That’s because time is needed to assure the problem is actually corrected. The Reliability Monitor does not correct any problems it detects. However it will offer a pathway to a possible solution to a problem.

To open the Reliability Monitor type the letters “rel” in the “Type here to search” box in the lower left corner of the screen and press the Enter key. The Reliability Monitor (View reliability history) should open. If you don’t see the “Type here to search” box, right click the Task Bar, move up to Cortana and click “Show search box.

The Reliability Monitor graph will show your performance rating as noted by a thin blue line at the top. On the right failures are shown with a red circle. Warnings are noted by yellow triangles and information by blue circles. On the left edge of the graph you can move back in time up to 1 month. The graph is segmented by days. Below the graph the details show the Source, Summary, Date and Action. Clicking a problem under Action may show either Check for a solution or View technical details.

To keep Reliability Monitor tool handy for investigating problems, right click the blank space just to the right of where it says Reliability Monitor at the top of the graph window. In the menu that appears, click “copy address”. Now go back to your Desktop screen and right click in a blank area and click “Paste shortcut”. You should see a new icon appear for the Reliability Monitor. Click it and the Reliability monitor should open.

Troubleshooting and fixing a problem can be done by typing the letters “co” in the “Type here to search box” to open the Control Panel and then clicking Troubleshooting”. Click “View all” on the upper left to see a list of possible solutions. If you don’t see Troubleshooting change the view in the upper right of the window to “Large icons”.

We will discuss this subject and answer any questions you may have at PC Club meetings held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7 PM upstairs in the Community Center.

Technology Tips – published October 2017 in the Guide and Digest

by Don Trauger – Kennett

By now I’m sure you all have experienced the problem of being unable to connect to the Internet. It means you are not able to browse your favorite web sites or even get your email. Wireless networking or Wi-Fi is common place in our homes and it allows Internet activity to take place, primarily with laptops and tablets. Unfortunately it is more complex behind the scenes than you may realize. I won’t get into specifics here but let’s say many things have to work together correctly to permit a wireless connection. Here are some things you can do to recover from a “no connection” scenario.

On a Windows 10 computer, with a Wi-Fi connection, there is an icon near the clock that shows several white bands in an arc shape from 9 o’clock to 12 o’clock. If you hover the mouse arrow over top of it it should say the name of your household connection followed by “Internet access” This indicates a successful connection to the Internet. The number of white arcs roughly indicates signal strength. Three arcs is optimal, two are satisfactory, and one arc may cause intermittent connectivity problems. If you only have one arc move your computer closer to your modem/router to improve signal strength.

If you have lost your connection the icon goes dark and will show a tiny asterisk at 10 o’clock. Next, click the Internet icon. It should bring up a list that includes your connection name along with a list of your neighbors connections. Now click your home’s listing. In the pop-up window click the box next to “Connect automatically” then click Connect. If all goes well it should say “connected, secured”.Click the mouse again in any unused area to remove the Wi-Fi window. Remember Wi-Fi is a radio type transmitter. You “broadcast” your signal about 300 ft. depending on your home’s construction. The more walls/floors you have between your computer and the modem/router, the weaker the signal. If this does not work – read on.

It may be necessary now to power down your modem/router to allow it to reinitialize on power up. If you have a separate modem and router turn off the power to both so all of the lights are off. Wait about 30 seconds and turn on the modem first (important) and allow the lights to stabilize. Then turn on the router allowing the lights to stabilize. There will be blinking on some lights but the idea here is that the overall pattern should remain constant. Next, try your computer to see if it can connect to the Internet using the previous instructions if necessary.

At this point If you cannot connect, then try another Wi-Fi computer or device. If that doesn’t connect call Comcast or Verizon for help. If the other Wi-Fi computer or device connects to the Internet then the problem is in your computer. Here’s something else to try.

Press the Windows key (4 white panes on the lower left ) of your keyboard. This will show a “gear” just above the “Power” icon on the far left side. Hover the mouse over it and it will show “Settings”. Click it and the Settings window will open. Click “Update & security”. Click “Troubleshoot” on the left side then click “Internet Connections” near the top of the window and click “Run the troubleshooter”. Follow any screen prompts.

One last thing to try is the following: In Windows 10 you can reset your networking by clicking a button. Follow the previous instructions to open “Settings” Click “Network & Internet” then click “Wi-Fi”. Click to turn it on if it’s off. Then click “Status” just above Wi-Fi. Scroll all the way to the bottom and click “Network reset”. Follow any screen prompts to complete the task.

I’ve given you some things to try that should help in resolving Internet connectivity problems. It is not a complete list but it does cover the more common problems encountered with Wi-Fi in Windows 10.

Be sure to attend our PC Club meetings on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7 PM upstairs in the Community Center. We’ll cover this subject and answer any questions you may have.

 

Technology Tips – Published September 2017 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

 

It’s been since December 2013 that I’ve written about Bitdefender Free Antivirus. A lot has changed in this venerable free program. It sports a new interface and it’s updated from the cloud. It’s now compatible with Windows 10 according to their web site information. This has been debated by me and others who have run the older version on Windows 10 without any problems.

 

The new version features on-demand and on-access scanning with powerful scan engines that ensure detection and removal of all malware from viruses, worms and Trojans to ransomware, zero-day exploits, rootkits and spyware.

The “Advanced Threat Detection” uses an innovative technique called behavioral detection to closely monitor your active apps. When it detects anything suspicious, it takes instant action. Bitdefender Free has an “Anti-Phishing” component that blocks websites that masquerade as trustworthy in order to steal financial data such as passwords or credit card numbers. The “Anti-Fraud” module uses an advanced filtering system that warns you whenever you visit websites that may try to scam you such as casinos, porn sites, money loan schemes and others. All this adds up for you to consider replacing your present version (1.0.21.1109) if you have it, and downloading and installing this newest version. You can get it here: https://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/free.html.

Remember to uninstall any other antivirus program before installing Bitdefender Free. To uninstall, click the Start button (lower left corner of the screen) click Settings (2 icons above the Start button) click Apps then click your anti virus program followed by Uninstall. If you don’t see Apps you have an earlier version of Windows 10. Instead, right click the Start button and click Control Panel and click “Uninstall a program” under Programs or Programs and Features. Locate your old anti virus program and uninstall it. NOTE: Bitdefender will uninstall previous versions of Bitdefender Free during the installation of the new version.

After downloadiing, the file will be found in your Downloads folder. Click File Explorer (the yellow folder on the Task Bar at bottom of screen) then open the Downloads folder. Double click “Bitdefender_online.exe” to start the installation. Follow any screen prompts and restart the computer when shown. After the restart, note the Bitdefender icon on the Task Bar that shows a form to log-in to your previous Bitdefender account or create a new one for first time users. You must complete the form to make Bitdefender work properly. Also, after the restart, there should be another Bitdefender icon on the Task Bar. Click to open it and click the Install button. After completing the installation, click the sign-in button. Previous users will be signed in automatically. New users must check their email for an email from Bitdefender that will need to be confirmed for the new account.

Finally, Bitdefender updates automatically but does not scan automatically. You must open the program to do a manual scan. There’s only one other setting to change. Open Bitdefender, click the gear (settings) at the top, click “Account Info” and turn off “Display notifications with special offers”.

We will discuss Bitdefender at our PC Club meeting on September 19 at 7 PM upstairs in the Community Center. There also will be time for any Windows questions too.

Technology Tips – Published August 2017 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

 

I last wrote about your computer’s Privacy settings in the November 2015 issue of the Guide & Digest. Privacy is all about how far Microsoft can legally shop your Internet surfing within Microsoft, or worse, to 3^rd party advertisers.

To protect your privacy I recommend that you turn off  ALL privacy settings in the Privacy category under Settings.

Here’s how:

Click the 4 pane white icon (Start icon) in the lower left corner of your screen. Two icons above the Start icon, click the white gear icon. This is the Settings icon. Next, click Privacy. It will open in the General category. Turn off all the items. Just below, click  “Manage my info that’s stored in the cloud”. This will allow you to to opt out of targeted advertising when using your browser. Turn off “Personalized ads in this browser” and also “Personalized ads wherever I use my Microsoft account”. Do this for each browser you use on your computer.

You can click on “Learn more” in each of the 18 or so categories listed down the left side of  Privacy to see if turning off a privacy setting may impact you. I have all of mine turned off except for “Speech, inking & typing” and I have maintained normal browsing on all websites. I left that on because I occasionally use Cortana – Microsoft’s voice assistant.

Under “Background apps” I recommend that you turn these off. Each app that runs in the background reduces computer performance. Microsoft usually turns all of these on thereby substantially slowing the performance of the computer.

The Privacy settings not only allow you to control what Microsoft and others may see, they can also affect performance as noted in “Background apps”. Next to having a good free anti-virus and anti-malware program installed, privacy becomes a very important issue. Targeted ads can contain malware or unwanted programs so privacy is also a security issue.

This subject will be discussed at our monthly meeting on the 3^rd Tuesday at 7 PM upstairs in the Ardmore room of the Community Center. There’s always time to answer other questions you may have

Technology Tips – Published July 2017 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

 

1. Watching Channel 20 with a Comcast Xfinity X1 Box

2. Block Annoying Robo Calls

 

Viewing Channel 20 with a Xfinity X1 TV set top box remains a problem based on resident input coming in to Channel 20. The following information was printed in the June 2016 issue of the Guide & Digest and has been updated where necessary.

 

Many of you have contacted Channel 20 saying you can’t receive our channel after having Comcast install their newest model, the Xfinity X1 box. Although we are not in position to solve TV problems (that’s best left to Comcast), the fact that our own channel was not viewable got our attention. The difficulty lies in the set up of the X1 box. The problem is that when you input “20” on the remote and press OK you end up watching HSN in HD mode. The following are instructions to change a setting in the X1 box to allow you to view Channel 20.

 

1. Press the Xfinity button on the remote and using the right arrow button, navigate to the “Gear” button at the far right. Press OK.
2. Using the down arrow button, go to Preferences and press OK.
3. Go to General and press OK.
4. Press the down arrow to go to Auto Tune to HD and press OK to turn it off.
5. Press Exit to end.

 

Now you should be able to input “20” on the remote and receive our channel. But hold on – there are other ways to get 20. If you have the voice activated type remote just say “channel 20”. It will take you there instantly. There’s a third way – just enter “18” into the remote then use the channel up button to go to “19”. Press again for Channel 20.

 

The second part of this article only applies to those of you that have Comcast telephone service along with your Comcast Internet and TV service, usually called the Triple Play. Sorry Verizon customers, you are out of luck until June of 2018.

 

Go to https://www.nomorobo.com/. This free service will interact with your incoming phone calls and determine if they are robo calls. If they are, they will be blocked from ringing your phone more than once. If you hear only one ring you’ll know that it was a robo call and Nomorobo is doing its job. Once at the Nomorobo site click the “Get Started Now” button to create your free account. In Step 1, under “Choose your landline carrier”, choose Comcast XFINITY. In Step 2 enter your email address. When you press Next, you will receive further instructions via an email sent to you. In the email message click “Click Here to Setup Nomorobo”. Login into your account to complete the setup. You will also need to get into your Comcast Voice preferences to add the Nomorobo phone number to divert any robo calls. If you encounter any problems you can click Questions on the main Nomorobo screen, then click Nomorobo Setup and choose Comcast. I’ve been using this service for almost 2 years and it blocks virtually all robo calls without interfering with normal calls.

 

 

The PC Club meetings are open to all regardless of computer experience. If you have questions that need to be answered, be sure to attend on the 3^rd Tuesday of each month at 7 PM upstairs in the Community Center.

 

An updated version of this article has been published, see Maintain & Clean up Your Windows (Apr 2018)

Technology Tips – Published May 2017 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

Browser Security – Updated

I have revised and updated the information in this article which was originally published in April of 2016. It contains many links to click and may be best utilized while on your computer. To read and implement the programs mentioned below, click the following link: http:\\\\www.hersheysmill.org//hmc-tv20/diges/. Click on the May 2017 Guide and Digest.

 

In previous articles I have recommended the following security programs: Bitdefender Free Anti-Virus (download it here): https://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/free.html. Malwarebytes free (download it here): https://www.malwarebytes.com/. AdwCleaner (download it here): https://toolslib.net/downloads/viewdownload/1-adwcleaner/. Bitdfender Free comes in 2 flavors. The online version is the newest and is recommended for Windows 10. It appears first when you click the above Bitdefender link. A pop-up window comparing the older free version and a pay-for version may overlay the first window. Actually, both versions work fine on Windows 10. Malwarebytes offers a 14 day premium free trial with the download. After that it reverts back to manual scans and updates if you want to stay with the free version. NOTE: The new version of Malwarebytes (3.0) also contains an anti-virus. It can conflict with other anti-virus programs you may have installed. Remember that you can only have 1 anti-virus program running on your computer. Uninstall any other anti-virus program before installing Malwarebytes (3.0). Alternatively, if you have the older version of Bitdefender, click the white “B” icon on the Taskbar and turn off the Virus Shield while running Malwarebytes (3.0) during the trial period. After the Malwarebytes 14 day trial is over you can turn Bitdefender’s Virus Shield back on.

 

Now, I suggest you take an additional approach to increase security particularly when you browse the Internet. Yes, your anti virus can still protect you when a malicious file is downloaded into your computer. However, anti-virus programs are not currently where most of the malicious action is. For technical reasons hackers can’t make money writing virus code. Their attention has turned to other ways that Malwarebytes and AdwCleaner can detect and remove. There are still viruses out there but not at the same level as previously. The additional approach should now include improving browser (Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer) security.

 

Next, make sure you are using the Chrome browser. If not, get it here: https://www.google.com/chrome/browser/desktop/. Chrome is perceived to be the safest browser. What I suggest is to add 3 free Add-ins. The add-ins are Adblock Plus https://adblockplus.org/, TrafficLight from Bitdefender http://www.bitdefender.com/solutions/trafficlight.html and Disconnect https://disconnect.me/freeprotection. All 3 can be added to Firefox as well as Chrome but Internet Explorer and Microsoft Edge can only accept Adblock Plus.

 

Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit is now contained in Malwarebytes Anti Malware version 3.0. It guards against web sites that may harbor malicious exploits also known as ransomware. Exploit kits are designed by hackers to find and exploit any vulnerabilities in your computer. This program works only when a browser is opened but works on all browsers. However, Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit will only run during the free trial or if you decide you want to have the pay-for version of Malwarebytes Anti-Malware. If you revert back to the free version after the free trial and want Malwarebytes Anti-Exploit you can download it from here: https://downloads.malwarebytes.org/file/mbae_current/. Adblock Plus is an ad blocker. It offers blocking to 3^rd party ad servers that are often compromised by hackers that can infect your computer by putting malicious ads on your computer. It doesn’t block all ads. Some legitimate ads originating from the web site itself will still come through. Traffic light examines the web address you are entering. If it’s malicious it will block the connection to that site. Disconnect blocks tracking cookies that follow your various selections of websites.

 

I recommend only one setting change for Adblock Plus. Click the red Adblock Plus icon in the upper right corner of Chrome, click Options, and uncheck “Allow some non-intrusive advertising”. These 3 tools work only when you open your browser.

 

The PC Club meetings are open to all regardless of computer experience. If you have questions that need to be answered, be sure to attend on the 3^rd Tuesday of each month at 7 PM upstairs in the Community Center. May’s topic will cover Browser Security.

 

Technology Tips – Published March 2017 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

 

 

 

Malwarebytes Anti-Malware has recently introduced a new version of its venerable anti-malware offering. It’s available at malwarebytes.com. Click the Free Download button to download it. It comes with a 14 day free trial of it’s premium features including anti ransomware protection. I recommend to select the free version. More on this shortly. Double click the mb3-setup-consumer file in your Downloads folder to install it. Accept the agreement and continue to select “Next” through the installation. When you get to “Install” click it. Close out the little pop-up window that shows Protection Layers Turned Off. Click “Finish” in the install window. Click “Learn More” or “Close” in the introductory window. You may see a reference to the fact that this new version can replace your anti-virus. I will strongly recommend that you do not consider this. If you have an earlier version of Malwarebytes installed, this new version will take its place.

Although Malwarebytes comes with the 14 day free trial, I recommend that you select the free version. You can hold off for awhile to evaluate whether or not the paid version is right for you. To select the free version click Settings, My Account and click “Deactivate License”.

During the free 14 day trial updates are performed automatically. After that, or if you have deactivated the license, updating Malwarebytes free is manual. Click the up chevron on the Taskbar (Windows 10) and click the blue “M”. Click “Check for Updates”. When Malwarebytes opens, click the circular arrow in Scan Status. To update the program you can also click the Desktop Malwarebytes icon to perform the update as described above. Make sure that the program Updates are “Current” under Scan Status before clicking the Scan Now button to perform a system scan. Scanning should be done weekly or as needed.

Other program options can be found when you click Settings and by clicking the tabs at the top. However, I find that the factory settings are appropriate for most users.

AdwCleaner, another anti-malware product, is a great compliment to Malwarebytes. It’s good to have another asessment tool on your system and it’s also available from Malwarebytes. Click here to download it or copy the link to your browser. https://www.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner/. Double click the download to open it then click Scan. Follow any screen prompts. There is no formal installation.

Please come to the PC Club meetings. We’ll show you how to install and run Malwarebytes and AdwCleaner. Also, there will be time for your general questions. We meet on the 3^rd Tuesday of each month at 7 PM in the Ardmore room of the Community Center.