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Tech Tips (from Guide & Digest)

These are the Technology Tips articles published monthly in the Guide and Digest

TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

The Hershey’s Mill Technology Committee is a permanent Committee currently with nine Sub Committees. Sub Committees include Apps, Architectural, Energy, Grants and Research, Information Technology, Internet of Things, Security, Telecommunications, and WebMasters. Check here for articles and answers to Dear Technology Abby questions.

The Technology Committee is charged with looking forward to the future, determining and suggesting appropriate integrations of technologies, as available, to maintain and keep Hershey’s Mill on the leading edge of Active 55+ Communities.

VISION: The Leaders of HM that came before us governed with wisdom. The legacy they created is a 55+ Active Adult Community that has been the Gold Standard of 55+ Communities for decades. Now, it is our turn to imagine the future, think outside the box and create an environment that continues the Gold Standard. The TC’s vision includes immediate recommendations and also a five year rolling plan.

Articles written by Technology Committee Members and Other Articles of Interest

Videos

For Technology Committee videos and other informative videos selected by the Technology Committee go to the Hershey’s Mill YouTube Channel by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfGs6yJ5g8U-j6CwW5IWS_9ESgdAVj2dw

For HMCTV Technology Committee Informative Interviews see https://hmctv.viebit.com/?folder=ALL

Dear Technology Abby Answers Questions

Have you ever wondered about how technology “gadgets” might help your everyday life in Hershey’s Mill? Are your outside lights on 24/7 because you aren’t here to turn them off? Have you ever gone away and forgotten to turn down your heat or A/C or turn off your water? What’s all this stuff about Alexa and would it work for me?

These are just a few of the questions that the Hershey’s Mill Technology Committee will try to answer. In addition to providing some educational programs, and articles in the Monthly Guide, the committee is willing to field your tech questions as related to your home. Computer questions should still go to the Computer committee which meets monthly and publishes a regular article in the Guide.

Send us an email at HMTCDEARTA@gmail.com with your question. Technology Abby will post the answers on the HERSHEYSMILL.ORG website for everyone to see and hopefully learn.

Looking forward to hearing from you, Technology Abby

More

For more information on the Hershey’s Mill Technology Committee please contact: Sherry and Bill Kane, Co-Chairs, HMTC (see your HM Directory for email address).

Windows 10 Personalization (Dec 2015)

Technology Tips – published December 2015 in the Guide and Digest

by Don Trauger – Kennett

 

Personalize Windows 10

 

When you have purchased a new Windows 10 computer or you have chosen to upgrade your Windows 7 or 8 computer you may want to Personalize it . This something to consider after you have configured more important things like your email and home page of your browser.

 

Personalizing your computer is easy. Click the white icon in the lower left corner of the screen then click Settings just above it. When the Settings window opens click Personalization. When it opens you can select a background picture from either Microsoft’s selections or a picture of yours from the Pictures folder. Below, under Choose a fit, “Fill” is probably your best choice.

 

Next, click Colors. I suggest that you turn off “Show color on Start, Taskbar, and Action Center”. The other 2 selections should be turned on.

 

The Lock screen can display either Windows Spotlight, a Picture, or a Slide Show. It’s a screen that will pop up before the login screen. Windows Spotlight allows you to provide feedback about the screen. I saw no effect with the Windows Spotlight setting. Click “on” for fun facts, tips, and tricks although I have seen little if any notifications. Under “Choose an app for detailed status” and “Choose Apps to show quick status” you will supposedly place icons for your selected apps on the Lock screen when you boot. I found that this did not work. It looks like Microsoft has some work to do in the above areas. Scrolling down you will see “Screen timeout settings” and “Screen saver settings”. Click “Screen timeout settings” and choose 5 minutes for battery operation and 10 minutes plugged in. A screen saver setting should not be used for modern computers. I see no purpose to the Lock screen. You can turn it off by going into the Control Panel, click Power Options, click “Choose what the power button does”, then click “Change settings that are currently unavailable”. Scroll down and uncheck Lock and click Save changes.

 

Click Themes then Theme settings and choose one of the Windows default themes or stay with the existing theme in the My Themes space. Avoid the High Contrast Themes.

 

Click Start and I recommend the following to be turned on. “Occasionally show suggestions in Start”, “Show most used apps”, Show recently added apps”, “Show recently opened items in jump lists on Start or the Taskbar”. “Use Start full screen” should be turned off.

 

The last item to personalize is to click on “Choose which folders appear on Start”. These are folders you may frequently use and can be made accessible in the Start Menu. Recommendations are File Explorer (file manager program), Settings, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Music, and possibly others of your choice.

 

One last tweak or Personalization is to bypass the need to log in to your computer. You created a login when you created a Microsoft account. It serves no security purpose other than to keep other family members from using your computer without your knowledge.

To bypass the need to log in, right click the white icon in the lower left corner of the screen then left click Run. Type “netplwiz” (no quotes). Uncheck “Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer”. Click Apply then fill in your password in both fields.

Click OK, then click OK again.

 

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 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7 PM, upstairs in the Community Center. We’ll cover Windows 10 Personalization on Dec. 15.

Windows 10 Reliability Monitor (Nov 2017)

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.

Franklin Village Council Meeting – July 19, 2021

Meeting commenced at 4:02PM

In attendance: Dom Aleardi, Mike Pincus, Jay Harter, Sandy Ogletree, Judy Jurgan and Janet Burgess

Reading of June 14th minutes waived.

President’s Report: The Master Association’s meeting notes are on the internet.

Republic Trash: They are still dropping oil in our village when they collect trash. Dom called Ed Mc Falls and the MA and neither has gotten back to him with any information.  Janet suggested having a rep from Republic come to meet with us at the village. She will send an email asking for an on site meeting with a rep. Republic covers all the villages. After their truck left Franklin they went to Princeton and left oil and green paint on the roadway there.

The lighting on Mill Road from Chandler to Franklin has been out for over 2 weeks. We don’t know if it’s related to the outage of lights from 521 to 526 in Franklin. Ed McFalls notified Janet that the lighting problem on Mill was turned over to Steve Converse who is the MA electrician.  We also have 2 lights that are leaning. That was included in the message Janet sent to Ed.

Dom sent the proposal for the walking trail to Ed McFalls and we have not heard from him. They were in a hurry to get started on the trail but they have not gotten back to us.

Financial: Jay reported that the gutter cleaning charge, $2268, was booked to the wrong account. It should have gone to gutter cleaning.  The $1640 for signage was for moving the sign on Mill Rd. near the North Gate. We had money in the reserve for new signage but I don’t think it will cover for the restoration. We have a $24,000 budget for landscaping and we haven’t spent anything yet but $1000. He had one tree vendor come in with prices: we had another 2 that didn’t show up and one more coming next week. The tree removal may come to over $10K but that still leaves us with money.  Dom said we will have limb-up to do and planting.

HML gave him a price of $5600 for some of the tree removal, those deemed to be the most dangerous. There’s another $1500 to limb up some of the trees and for some other landscaping issues. We’re waiting for Jay’s tree proposals so we can move forward.

Regarding the Capital increase some villages are proposing. If times get a little tough, we’re asking people to put up $5000 before they even buy a house. Janet reported that you can go up to a years worth of quarterly fees. Most villages charge 2 quarters and we charge one. The Mill charge is around $2300.  Everyone thought it was a good idea to raise the Capital increase.  Janet suggested doing it in January. We should send out a notice about the increase. It becomes a negotiable item between seller and buyer.

No one thought it would negatively affect sales. The vote was 4 to 1 for raising the quarterly contribution fee to 2 months effective 1/1/2022.

Architectural: Sandy advised a resident wants to paint her storm door.  Dom looked at the door and it is in bad shape. She was willing to pay Curt to paint it. Curt has done doors in the past and they look nice. As long as the doors are painted professionally, it should be allowed.  The architectural committee will have to insure the architectural request form is within the guidelines and advise the resident if so. Everyone voted in favor of approving.

A resident wants a patio enclosure in a new color that matches the siding. Going forward Architectural will only approve colors that match the siding as close as possible. The deck cannot exceed the property’s metes and bounds. Motion to approve the new color was made and seconded.

The Architectural Committee is considering privacy screens.  Council wants to allow this on a case to case basis. The resident should have samples of the material being used when they present their architectural request.

The Committee is looking at less expensive requirements for windows and doors. If we allow vinyl or composite materials, it would be a lot less expensive. This should determined on a case by case basis which puts the onus on the homeowner to get the information and then the committee can review the architectural request form info to see if it meets quality specs, matches our style and is the proper color.  This item is tabled for further investigation.

When a committee sends a list of things that residents must do and they don’t comply, the issues are sent to council for disposition.

A resident wants to replace the rotted railroad ties along the edge of their patio. It forms a bank and it needs to be replaced.  We should get an estimate on the cost from Curt. If the estimate over $500, Council should review and vote on it.

Landscaping:   We were notified by HML on 2 occasions that many residents have ground cover growing into their shrubs and trees. This will have a negative effect on the shrubs and trees, eventually killing them. A letter will be sent to homeowners who have groundcover growing up to shrubs and trees advising they must remove the groundcover. One unit has ivy growing up onto the garage. They have to cut it back from the shrubs and trees. If they fail to comply by the end of August, we will have HML do it and send them the bill. They will be directed to call Dom Aleardi if they don’t understand this directive.

Welcome committee: Patti George advised 561 went to settlement on 7/15. The new owner is Patricia Uphoffss.  Unit 539 – 2 ladies are moving in. Margaret Dolan and Mary Curran

Pool Committee: The weather has been better for swimming and the exercise classes. The volunteers and the pool company are doing a good job.

Dom requested that anyone sending information to him regarding unit/s should send separate emails for each address since they are stored in different folders.

New Business: Proposal for the spring walkabout: $5600 estimate received for the work HML proposes to do. This is for limbing up trees, removing dead branches, cleaning around the pool, trimming things that are hanging over the roadways.

The tree proposal is for taking down: A White Pine behind 556 and grinding the stump, a Norway spruce located down the first cul de sac from Mill, and a Maple tree on the left side of the Norway spruce should come down but 583 residents are asking us to leave it. HML will only cut down the dead branches. On the other side of the street, 593 has a Spruce tree and the roots are pulling up, creating a water issue for the unit, so we will take that down instead of the Maple at 583. We are waiting for Jay’s tree proposals on all of this work to see if they are comparable to HML’s.

In the fall we will do another walk-around to see what other trees should come down. There is a tree between 596 and 598.  598 would like to have it taken down and will pay 50% of the cost.

Termite Inspection: $4600 – The vendor walked around the village and did not notify anyone they were going to do the inspections. $4600 seems to be exorbitant. They never went into the houses. Moyer always went into the basements before. This time they came around outside, no one knew they were even there. All they did was check around the outside with a screwdriver. Janet said they would only check exteriors and if there was no infestation evidence they would not go inside. Back in 2019 it was made the responsibility of the homeowner to pay for termite inspection if they wanted one.  Then it was decided that the homeowner pays one year and the village the next year.

Signs: The $1600 bill was for Curt to move the sign on Mill Rd further down towards Franklin Way so it was more visible.  Goshen Signs gave Dom a price of $45 each to paint the 4 privacy/speed limit signs for our entrances. The 3 signs denoting the units located in each cul de sac are $45 each to paint, and $85 each for the new section of the signs which will be reflective and more visible.

Work Orders Log: Contractor contacted on 5/6 for weed whacker damage by HML to unit 604. This was fixed. Regarding 550, the flagstone issue, Janet found a mason who will do the work but he is behind in his schedule. He was the only person she found who would do the work. This is a big safety issue. Someone could easily fall off the slab. She will try to get back in touch to see how soon he can get to it.

570 had a grading issue in the rear. Water was getting onto her patio from the roof. Leroy installed a diverter on the roof and the problem appears to be resolved

601 had a roof leak in the bedroom. Leroy said he was caught up so this should have been taken care of. Dom will check.

Insurance:  Three units have not complied with submitting their insurance certificates to CSK.  Letters will be sent advising that they will be fined if the certificates are not received within 10 days of the date of the letter.

Next council meeting 8/9/21

Janet will set up our next meeting at Sullivan House in the dining room.

Meeting adjourned at 5:20PM

 

Solid State Drives (SSDs)-June 2015

                                                                                                                         By Don Trauger – Kennett

 

            A solid-state drive(SSD) (also known as a solid-state disk though it contains no actual disk, nor a drive motor to spin a disk) is a data storage device that uses integrated circuit assemblies as memory to permanently store data.

            SSDs have no moving mechanical components as opposed to the traditional computer hard drive. This distinguishes them from hard drives or floppy disks, which contain spinning disks and electro-mechanical movable read/write heads. Compared with electro-mechanical disks, SSDs are typically more resistant to physical shock, run silently, and are faster in response to system commands. However, while the price of SSDs has continued to decline over time, consumer-grade SSDs are still roughly five to six times more expensive per unit of storage than consumer-grade hard disk drives (HDDs). This is one reason why they have not entered the main stream of “off-the-shelf” consumer computers. Hybrid drives or solid-state hybrid drives (SSHDs) combine the features of SSDs and HDDs in the same unit, containing a large hard disk drive and an SSD cache to improve performance of frequently accessed data. However, they only boost the speed of booting a computer and don’t materially affect the speed of programs. Hybrid drives are not worth the extra cost. SDDs, on the other hand, can be ordered with a new computer as an option from a computer manufacturer.

            Hard drives slowly wear after a period of time. This can affect the reliability. Five to ten years ago a drive could cause problems after just a few years of use. Since then reliability has improved but wear is still a problem. Built-in circuitry will compensate for wear – to a point. The main issue now is that a hard drive is slow in comparison to a SSD. That’s due to its moving parts. SSDs have no moving parts. All operations move electronically making it much faster. The advantage of hard drives is basically in two categories, cost and the amount of storage. However, SSDs are catching up to HDDs in the storage area.

            SSDs are the same size as a laptop hard drive making them ideally suited for replacement. They also can be installed in a Desktop computer but that requires a kit consisting of a mounting tray that goes in the space where the hard drive is located. Replacing a hard drive in a laptop does not require the knowledge of a rocket scientist. It does require a small Phillips head screwdriver to remove a bottom panel of the laptop and the old hard drive.

            Here’s how it’s done. You can order from either TigerDirect.com or Newegg.com. I prefer the SSDs made by Samung. You should order a size that is commensurate for your needs.  A 128 or 256 Gb size should be adequate. What you will receive is the SSD, a software disc, a special cable and instructions. Plug one end of the cable into the laptop’s USB port and the other into the new SSD then turn on the laptop. Next you run the Samsung Data Migration program from the supplied CD disc. This copies (clones) your hard drive to the SSD. I highly recommend that you do your routine maintenance on the hard drive BEFORE you run the copy program. This includes running CCleaner and Disk Cleanup. Defragging is also recommended. This provides a better environment for the process. After the copy process is completed, shut down the laptop and remove the back panel and the hard drive. Using the mounting frame from the old hard drive, plug in the new SSD and secure it in place. Replace the back panel and turn it on. Next install the Magician software. This program optimizes the operation of the SSD. You can expect to see anywhere from 30 – 50% decrease in boot time over the former hard drive. Program speed will also be much quicker.

            To help you with questions about this or any subject, we meet on the second Tuesday of every month at 7 PM, upstairs in the Ardmore room of the Community Center.

Internet Explorer Problems

 By Don Trauger – Kennett 

The Technology Tips article in the January 2014 issue of the Guide & Digest showed how to reset the three most popular browsers. Resetting cares for problems when attempting to browse web sites. However, not all problems can be corrected when using the reset feature.

Browsers are a target for malware when indicated by problems of unwanted pop-up windows, toolbars or redirection to an unknown web site. A reset of a browser won’t correct problems when they are created by malware. If you find that you have 1 or more of the above mentioned problems, then you should perform full scans of your computer with my recommended Malwarebytes and Bitdefender programs. Malwarebytes is especially useful when it comes to removing unwanted programs.

Toolbars may escape Malwarebytes detection because many are considered legitimate add-on programs. In my opinion, any toolbar is a vector for 3rd party intervention into your computer. Toolbars are programs that are installed in a browser and reside at the top of each browser window just below the main address field. Unwanted programs, such as toolbars, are often installed without your knowledge by browsing a site and clicking an ad or other link on the page.To uninstall these pesky add-ons, go to the Control Panel and click Add/Remove Programs in Windows XP or Programs & Features in other Windows versions. Review the list of programs and uninstall anything that says toolbar. There are many different names for toolbars. Highlight the toolbar you want to uninstall then click Remove for XP, or right click the item and click uninstall, or click uninstall at the top of the page for other Windows versions.

After an infection you may have to restore your home page. A home page is described as the page you normally see when you start a browser such as Internet Explorer. If you have scanned your computer for malware and have removed any toolbars, start Internet Explorer and carefully type in the address for your home page. Then press the Enter key on the keyboard. If the page looks normal to you then go to the Control Panel and click Internet Options. When the window opens, highlight anything that appears in the field and press the Delete key on your keyboard. Next, press the Use current button just below the field and click the OK button. This should make a permanent change to Internet Explorer. The other 2 browsers, Firefox and Chrome, were covered in this respect in the January 2014 issue.

To reread the January 2014 issue dealing with resetting Internet Explorer, go to our web site www.hersheysmill.org and move your mouse to Resources > Tech Tips, then click on
Computer Internet & eMail Tips then click on Internet Browser – Solving Problems. Hint: When arriving at our site, scroll down so that the main menu is near the top of the window. This will allow you to read the drop-down menu items easily.

The PC Club meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 7 PM, upstairs in the Ardmore room of the Community Center. We will also try to answer any problems that you may be experiencing.

ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE 101

Don Trauger – Kennett

Antivirus software is essential on any computer that is connected to the internet. While most antivirus software is not
really all that complicated, it certainly can’t hurt to have a clearer understanding of how it works, and what it does for
you behind the scenes to keep your PC clean and safe.

Antivirus software works by checking files, programs, emails and disks for viruses, worms and Trojans, and more recently,
spyware. What it is actually doing is comparing what it finds with a list of known viruses – this list is a virus file or
virus definitions file. The software will unpack files to look at and check them, and it then repacks them if they are safe.
If the files contain viruses they will be destroyed or placed in a quarantine zone. Most antivirus software will also attempt
to repair any files that have been damaged by a virus.

If you have antivirus software, you will (hopefully) keep it updated, or set the program to auto-update. When the update
takes place what it’s actually doing is updating the virus file so it knows what to look for when scanning. This is why the
update is essential – without it the antivirus software won’t be sure what it’s looking at! Some of the best anti-virus
programs also look for the suspicious behavior that’s associated with viruses, so there is some additional protection against
unknown viruses.

Most antivirus software works in the background (i.e. you barely notice it when you’re using your computer). What it’s doing
however is scanning all the activity on your computer. Some anti-virus programs also automatically check downloaded files for
viruses, and virus-check your incoming and outgoing E-mail. When a virus is found, it is often removed automatically, without
interrupting your work.

There are a number of companies that provide software solutions to virus, Trojan, and internet worm attacks. It can be really
confusing when you compare different software packages trying to find the one that is right for you. With that in mind, there
are several very important things that you need to consider when choosing antivirus software:

1) How often and how fast are the virus definitions updated. You want the answer to be “As soon as a new threat is found”.
2) Are the virus definitions updated automatically? You want the answer to be “YES”.
3) Can you configure the software to check for updates every time you go online? You want the answer to be “YES”.
4) Is the software “smart” so that it can find viruses it doesn’t even know about yet? You want the answer to be “YES”.
5) Can it scan incoming and outgoing email automatically? You want the answer to be “YES”
6) Can you configure it once to perform automatic scans of your entire computer on a regular schedule? You want the answer to
be “YES” providing the computer is turned on so the automated scan can perform its task.
7) Does it provide a way to ‘clean out’ any viruses etc. that are found? You want the answer to be “YES”.
8) Are upgrades to the anti-virus program performed automatically, regularly, and at no cost? You want the answer to be “YES”.

Understanding the basics of antivirus software should help you understand why you need it, why you need it kept up to date
and give you some clues about how to check if you are considering updating or changing your anti-virus program. You probably
want something that makes the whole task as easy as possible – that usually means automating almost everything. It’s usually a
good idea to add a bit of personal knowledge to the mix. Knowing what your software does helps you know what you should do!

Please come to our PC club meeting to learn about computer security and also get answers to any of your computer questions.
It starts at 7:00 PM in the Ardmore room upstairs in the Community Center on the second Tuesday of each month.


To get answers to your questions about computers, please come to the PC Club meeting. The computer club
meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in the Community Center.

Setting up a Windows 8.1 Computer

                                                                                  By Don Trauger – Kennett 
      If you have purchased a new Windows 8.1 computer, reading the following will help in the transition from Windows XP To Windows 8.1. If you have held off buying a new computer go to our web site at http:\\\\www.hersheysmill.org/. Move your mouse to Resources > Tech Tips > General Computer/Printer Tips > and click on Buying a New Computer. The article mentions Windows 7 but the information also applies to Windows 8 and 8.1. The information on the web site should help you to decide what to buy. An all-in-one computer (not mentioned in the article) is also a good choice for efficient use of space and minimal cables.

          After unpacking, connecting cables and turning it on, you will be prompted to configure your computer for its first use. The on-screen information is mostly straight forward except for one new item. During the configuration you will be asked to set up a Microsoft account. This is new and is required to proceed with the configuration. Simply use your regular or an alternate email address and password. The following explains how Microsoft would use your email address. When you sign in to your PC or device with a Microsoft account, you can get apps from the Windows Store, back up all your important data and files using free cloud storage, and keep all your favorite stuff—devices, photos, friends, games, settings, music, and so on—up to date and in sync. If this isn’t your preferred way to start operating your new PC you can revert back to what Microsoft calls a Local Account. Converting to a Local Account will allow your computer to start up and optionally present you with a log-on (sign-in) screen.

          Here’s how to convert to a Local Account. Point the mouse to either the extreme upper right or lower right corner of the screen. You should see the “Charms” bar with five icons pop out from the right edge of the screen. Move the mouse to the gear icon which is the bottom one and click it. At the bottom of the right side of the screen click “Change PC settings”. The next window will show various PC settings on the left. Click “Accounts” then click “Your Account”. Click “Disconnect” on the right, type your password, click Next, leave all the fields blank if no password is desired except for your User name field then click Next again. Click “Sign out and finish”.  If you see a rainbow colored screen appear just click it to continue. Click the user name you assigned to continue. Also, remember when you are in Windows 8 full screen mode you must put the mouse in the right hand upper or lower corner to access the Charms bar and click the Windows 8 Start button to get back to the tile interface screen.

          The following change is quite easy and will boot the computer into the familiar Desktop screen mode like Windows XP.

          Locate the Desktop tile on the Windows 8 interface screen and click it. Next, right click a blank spot on the Task bar (the bar at the bottom of the screen) and right click it. Click Properties and click the Navigation tab at the top. Under Start screen click “When I sign in or close all apps on a screen, go to the desktop instead of Start”.

          Of course there’s more to learn, but changing these 2 items will help in transitioning from Windows XP to Windows 8.1.

          The PC Club meets on the second Tuesday of every month at 7 PM upstairs in the Ardmore room of the Community Center to help you with computer problems.

Bocce 2020 – Welcome – from Joe Carrone

Welcome to the kickoff of this year’s bocce league which we are planning to start right after the July 4 holiday weekend. This is the first of several emails you will be receiving, 

 
80 residents (40 teams) have signed up — we will set up 5 groups of 8 teams each (you will be assigned a team number and the group you will be in) — and you will be playing 7 matches over the course of the summer. 
  • Subsequent emails will focus on reserving courts, reporting scores, rules, playoffs and upcoming special events.
  • You will have to follow the covid-related protocols that were previously sent to you (eg mask, gloves, social distancing) 
For detail information on Covid protocols, See: https://hersheysmill.org/hmsg-organization/hmsg-bocce/  
 
We will delay creating and releasing the roster for a few days, because traditionally in the past, several teams have decided at the last minute to drop out. We had to rearrange the groups and send out multiple emails, which got confusing to everybody. So — if you have changed your mind and decided not to play, please email Joe Carrone at trejoe2@gmail.com — by today or tomorrow — we would greatly appreciate it and make our volunteering job much easier.
 
On a positive note, we have modified the ends of courts by cutting out a 3 foot section of the sideboards to allow for easier access to the playing field. This will help greatly in social distancing. Our thanks to Ed McFalls who took our suggestion and made it happen. See pics below.    
 
We would also like to acknowledge all the hard work that John DeVol put in to allow the Bocce Program to return this year. 
Bocce has grown to be one of the most popular activities here in the Mill and we are excited to be part of it. Thank you John
 
Remember our rules — have fun and meet your neighbors (and follow the protocols) 
 
Joe Carrone
610-696-6196