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Windows 10 Action Center (July 2016)

 

Technology Tips – Published July 2016 in the Guide and Digest

by Don Trauger – Kennett

Customize the Action Center of Windows 10


In the following picture of the Action Center, you can quickly and easily adjust your screen brightness, turn Wi-Fi on or off, switch on Quiet Hours (Windows 10’s notification-silencing feature), and more. You can collapse a portion of the Action Center window, and when you do, only four quick actions will be visible. You can choose which four appear here. To open the the Action Center, click the square icon near the clock. It may be all white indicating you have notifications or mostly black with 1 or 2 white lines meaning you have no notifications.

 

Open the Settings app, click System, and then Notifications & actions. Under the Quick actions heading, you’ll notice four boxes, each representing one of the four actions that remain visible at all times. Click the boxes to get a menu that lets you pick and choose which actions will get one of the four available slots.

Toggle notification options

Under the Notifications subheading on the same Settings page, you’ll find a handful of general options that you can toggle on and off:

  • Show me tips about Windows: When this is switched on, Windows 10 will occasionally serve up tips and tricks through its notifications feature. If you aren’t an experienced Windows user, you may find these useful; if you’re more knowledgeable, you may find these annoying.
  • Show app notifications: When turned on, you’ll receive notifications from apps installed on your PC.
  • Show notifications on the lock screen: The lock screen appears before you sign in with your Windows password and before your Desktop screen. If you have setup your PC without the password sign-in option, you will not see the Lock screen.
  • Show alarms, reminders, and incoming VOIP calls on the lock screen: If you’re concerned about privacy, you may want to turn this off, but you may also find it convenient to see your appointment reminders at a glance.
  • Hide notifications while presenting: When turned on, Windows 10 will prevent notifications from appearing onscreen while you’re giving a PowerPoint presentation.

Silence Certain Notifications

Would you rather not get an alert every single time you get an email message? You’ll be happy to know that you can switch off notifications on a per-app basis. While at Settings > System > Notifications & actions, scroll down to the “Show notifications from these apps” subheading.

The Notification & actions portion of the Settings app hides many options and tweaks.

To silence all notifications from a particular app, toggle the switch for that app to the “off” position. If you would like to receive some kinds of notifications from an app—for example,  the notification banners but would rather not have an alert sound play, click the name of the app in question. Next, toggle the settings on the resulting screen as you desire. You can disable or enable notifications to suit your needs.

Clear out notifications

After a while, you might accumulate quite the collection of notifications in your PC’s Action Center. Clearing them out is easy.

Open the Action Center by clicking the Action Center icon in the system tray. From here, you can delete individual notifications, clear out an entire section, or clear the whole thing by clicking Clear all in the upper right of the window.

To delete individual notifications, click the notification you want to get rid of, and click the “X” button that appears. If you would like to clear out an entire section, highlight the section heading, then click the “X” button.

The PC Club meetings are open to all regardless of computer experience. Bring your questions and we’ll try to answer them. Be sure to attend on the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7 PM upstairs in the Community Center. Remember, July 29th 2016 is the last day to get the free Windows 10 upgrade for your Windows 7 or 8.1 PC.

 

Switch off Your Cell Phone! (Sept 2024)

Technology Tips – Published September 2024 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

Turning off your cell phone completely protects it.

Surprisingly, this includes a very basic function that not many people do: switching off the cell phone completely. According to security experts at NSA (National Security Agency), this alone helps to protect the device from hacking attacks. With the power off it will not function and of course it will be protected against malware and also zero-click exploits.

But there is still an issue. If you have not recorded a Voicemail greeting for your Voicemail, then the caller will not hear it and if it’s a malware call, they can seize the phone and take control even if it’s off. If you haven’t recorded a greeting then complete the following steps. First, on Android phones open the Voicemail app. It may be part of the normal phone app Tap the 3 vertical dots at the upper right, then tap Settings. If you see More Options, click that first then tap Settings. In Settings tap Voicemail. Next, tap Advanced Settings and tap Setup. Just enter your complete cell phone number. Lastly, tap the left arrow at the bottom left corner of the screen twice and tap Voicemail Greeting. Tap Record a greeting, then record your greeting. If you already have a greeting, you will see My voicemail greeting with the recorded time in seconds.

Any incoming call, while your phone is off, will be stored with your cell phone provider.  Not only will clean calls be recorded but also potentially malware calls. Keep in mind they are not calling you back as you can only hear their message, if there is one. In any case you need to check the number that called with what is stored in your contacts list. If you don’t see it, search it in Google.

So how often should I turn off my phone?

The simple answer from security experts as to how often a phone should be turned off completely is: at least once a week.

Windows Live Mail

Don Trauger – Kennett

Windows Live Mail is a recently updated free email program from Microsoft similar in function to Outlook Express in Windows XP or Windows Mail in Vista.
The advantages for using a dedicated program such as Windows Live Mail for email are that your emails can reside on your computer not your Internet
provider’s server, there are no ads that can interfere with printing your emails, and a better overall experience. The program features, among other
things, a spelling checker, an appointment calendar, and a very good junk mail (Spam) filter. To download Windows Live Mail for Vista users, copy
this link: http://www.filehippo.com/download_windows_live_mail/ into Internet Explorer’s address field and press Enter. Next, click the green arrow on
the upper right of the web page to download it. For Windows XP users copy the following link into Internet Explorer. http://explore.live.com/windows-live-mail-xp.
Choose English and Click Download Now.

Here’s the detail on how to save the download file. Click Save and save it to your Desktop by selecting Save in: – Desktop at the top of the window. Then
click Save at lower right of window and then click Close. Also, close Internet Explorer after you have downloaded the file. On your Desktop double click
the wlsetup-web.exe file to start the installation. You will then be presented with a window to install other Microsoft programs. Review them closely but
I would only leave a check next to mail and remove the other checks. Next, click the Install button. In the next window uncheck both “Set your search
provider” and “Set your home page” and click Continue then Close. Windows Live ID is not needed. You may now delete the Windows Live Mail setup file
(wlsetup-web.exe) from your Desktop.

For Windows XP click Start go to All Programs and locate Windows Live and move the mouse to the second Windows Live (at right) and right click it. Move
the mouse to Send to, then left click on Desktop (create shortcut). You should now have a new shortcut on your Desktop for Windows Live Mail. For Windows
Vista or Windows 7 just locate Windows Live Mail in the All Programs Menu, right click it, move to Send to, and click on Desktop (create shortcut).
Double click it to open the program. If all went well everything including your address book, settings, and messages will be copied over to the
new Windows Live Mail program from Outlook Express or Windows Mail. There’s no fiddling around to get it to work properly!

Windows Live Mail has some major interface changes from Outlook Express and Windows Mail. First it has a soft color to it and almost a lack of contrast.
Actual messages however are clear and easier to read. For XP users major points are the New button at the far left top replaces the Create mail button,
the Sync button replaces the Send/Receive button, and the address book is now named Contacts.

For XP and Vista users you now have 2 email programs on your computer. How should you handle this scenario? What if you don’t like Windows Live Mail?
First, the important issue is which one should handle the incoming email? Open Outlook Express or Windows Mail and click Tools, Accounts, highlight
your email account, Click Properties, click the Advanced tab, and under Delivery place a check next to “Leave a copy of messages on server”. Click OK
and close any open windows. Do the same thing with Windows Live Mail. With Windows XP click the button on the left next to the question mark on the top
at the far right. Click on “Show menu bar”. Then follow the procedure I previously described. Now both programs will be setup to share incoming messages
in case something should go wrong. After a period of time when you have decided which program will be your choice, you may uncheck the Delivery option
so all your email will be downloaded to your program of choice. You may uninstall Windows Live Mail in Add/Remove programs but you can’t uninstall
Outlook Express or Windows Mail.

For Windows 7, the computer hardware manufacturers should have added Windows Live Essentials components, so Windows Live Mail should already be installed.
Just follow the preceding instructions to configure it if necessary.

To see Windows Live Mail, as well as view other options available in this program, come to our PC Club meeting. We meet the 2nd Tuesday evening of
each month at 7:00 PM upstairs in the Community Center.

Windows 7 Tips and Tweaks

Don Trauger – Kennett

I’ve collected many Windows 7 tips and tweaks that can be performed on a Windows 7 computer. In this article I’ve noted
a few of the easier ones that may interest you. Just remember, they won’t necessarily work on XP or Vista computers.

Minimize multiple windows on your Desktop screen
This tip is a fun one to try. If you frequently run multiple programs simultaneously, your desktop can get extremely cluttered.
This can get annoying if you’re working on one program and want to minimize all the other windows. In previous versions of Windows
you had to minimize them individually. With Windows 7’s “shake” feature, though, you can minimize every window except the one in
which you’re currently working in a single step. Click and hold the title bar of the window you want to keep on the desktop; while
still holding the title bar, shake it quickly back and forth until all of the other windows minimize to the taskbar. Then let go.
To make them return, shake the title bar again.

Add a video link to the Start Menu
The Windows 7 Start Menu includes links to your Pictures and Music folders, but not to your Videos folder. If you watch a lot
of videos and want a link to them on your Start Menu, here’s what you can do:
1. Right-click the Start button and select Properties.
2. On the screen that appears, go to the Start Menu tab and click Customize.
3. In the dialog box that appears, scroll to the bottom, look for the Videos section, select “Display as a link,” and click OK and then OK.

Show all your drives in Windows Explorer
Depending on your system settings, when you go to Computer in Windows Explorer, you may be in for a shock you may not see all your
drives such as memory card readers if those drives are empty. If this disconcerts you, there’s a simple way for you to see them
even if there’s nothing there:
1. Launch Windows Explorer and press the Alt button to reveal the top menu.
2. Select Tools –> Folder Options and click the View tab.
3. Under “Advanced settings,” uncheck the box next to “Hide empty drives in the Computer folder.” Click OK. The drives will now always be visible.

Take control of the taskbar notification area
The notification area, at the far right of the taskbar, shows system messages and alerts, and displays the icons of programs
and services that typically run in the background, such as Windows 7’s wireless service. But what determines when, how and which
icons show up there seems one of Windows’ great mysteries.
There’s a simple way to find out, and better yet, to customize it.
1. Right-click the taskbar, select Properties, and from the dialog box in the notification area section, click Customize.
2. For each application, select from the drop-down box whether you want the icon and notifications to always be displayed,
to never be displayed or to have an icon appear only when there’s a notification of some kind. Click OK when you’re done.

Rearrange taskbar icons
It’s easy to rearrange the icons across the bottom of the screen simply drag an icon to where you want it to live. You can also add icons to the taskbar by dragging them from an application, and delete the icons by highlighting them and pressing the Delete key.


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 Hershey’s Mill Community Center.

LibreOffice (Apr 2019)

Technology Tips – Published April 2019 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

 

Back in 2011 a project to circumvent Microsoft’s Office program was made available for PC users at no charge. Called LibreOffice it was a very usable program that easily did most of the same things that Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel performed. The following year another program called OpenOffice entered the field. It was based on the same programming code so it had many of the same features. However, in the last year or so, OpenOffice has lagged behind LibreOffice in updates to its program. If you still use OpenOffice I recommend uninstalling it and downloading and installing LibreOffice. Get it here: https://www.libreoffice.org/download/download/

 

Look for it in your Downloads folder then double click it to install it. Choose the Typical installation and follow any screen prompts.

 

LibreOffice is faster and the text appears a little sharper on the screen. Because it’s free you don’t have to pay for MS Office. If you are thinking of buying a new computer, you don’t have to buy MS Office 365’s installed and annoying subscription program. This marketing item comes on most new computers.

 

LibreOffice installs easily and runs without glitches. When you open It, all the functions are listed on the left. Writer mimics Word and Calc mimics Excel. When you open a function you will see many icons at the top. Simply hover the mouse arrow over them to see what they do.

 

Two settings need to be changed in the program. The default file saving format for Writer and Calc is different from Microsoft’s. Microsoft uses .DOC or in their newer format .DOCX. You need to change the default file format so you can save your created documents in the Microsoft format so other email recipients can read your LibreOffice attachments. Microsoft Word or Excel users will then be able to open and read your documents.

 

After you have installed LibreOffice click Tools at the top. In the menu, click Options and click the + sign next to Load/Save then click General. Under “Default File Format and ODF Settings” and across from “Document type:” click the little down arrow to select “Text document”. Just below and across from the “Always save as: click the down arrow and select “Word 2007-2019 (*.docx). Click Apply. Now, go back to the “Document type:” and click the down arrow to select “Spreadsheet”. Across from “Always save as: click the down arrow and select “Excel 2007-2019 (*.XLSX). Click Apply then click OK to complete the process. You can “X” out of the Options window. That’s it!

 

I feel confident this program will fulfill your Microsoft Office needs.

 

We will cover LibreOffice installation and show you how to proceed on setting the proper file format settings. The PC Club meets every 3rd Tuesday at 7 PM upstairs in the Community Center. Due to pending Community Center construction we may be relocated. Watch the TV Bulletin Board, Channel 1971, for updated information.

Maintain & Clean up Your Windows (Apr 2018)

Technology Tips – Published April 2018 in the Guide and Digest

By Don Trauger – Kennett

                             Maintain & Clean up Your Windows 7, 8 & 10 PC                                                                                    

 

I’ve written various articles about how to clean up unneeded, junk or temporary files that have been used and left discarded on the hard drive of your computer. This article updates the previous one from June 2017.

 

After months of  build up, neglecting cleanup chores will make the computer unstable and run more slowly. I often wonder how many people buy a new computer because theirs is running poorly. Had they done the required maintenance maybe they wouldn’t have needed a new one. As a side note, installing and configuring a new computer already qualifies it for a cleanup. That’s because there are many hundreds of files used only once to get the new computer up and running.

 

Generally I recommend that you do the maintenance once a month. I recommend that you download the free CCleaner program from https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download.  You’ll find it in your Downloads folder as ccsetupxxx.exe (x any number). Double click the download file to install CCleaner. Uncheck any optional software offers then click Install. Close the next window that says Run CCleaner and also the window that pops up redirecting you back to Piriform. The installation will place an icon on your Desktop screen. Double click it to open CCleaner and click the Run Cleaner button. After cleaning is complete click the Registry button, then click the Scan for Issues button. After this completes click the Fix selected issues button. This free download program provides a fast, easy and safe way to clean your computer.There is a built-in monitor in CCleaner that pops up a reminder window when the computer has accumulated too much junk. Very handy. However, there’s more about cleaning up your computer so read on and if you have a laptop be sure it’s plugged into your battery charger before starting the cleaning and defragging.

 

Windows includes a built-in disk file cleaner that also removes unneeded files. The trouble is it just doesn’t clean as well as CCleaner. Let’s look at Windows 7 first. Click the orb in the lower left corner of the Desktop screen, then click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, then click Disk Cleanup. The program should start by calculating how much space it can free. After it completes, a new window will open showing many items that can be cleaned. Click the empty box next to an item so it appears with a check. Do this for all items scrolling down as needed. Make sure all items are checked. This is a safe procedure as nothing that is needed or wanted will be deleted. At the top of the window click the More Options tab. Under System Restore and Shadow Copies, click Clean up. In the pop-up window click the Delete button. Click the OK button in the Disk Cleanup window then click Delete Files in the pop-up window. Remember all this is safe to do! This may take awhile. After the window disappears (there is no formal notification) the tool has done its job. Next, repeat the procedure for navigating to Disk Cleanup but this time click Disk Defragmenter. When the Disk Defragmenter window opens click the Defragment disk button. Under the Progress column you will see Pass 1,2,3 etc. After it stops click the Defragment disk button again for another go around. Ideally most computers will stop at pass 5 when fully defragmented. Plus or minus a pass (6 or 4) is fine too.

 

Next is the procedure for Windows 8/8.1 and Windows 10. Type the letters “co” (no quotes) in the Search field next to the 4 pane window icon in the lower left corner then click Control Panel at the top. When the Control Panel opens, click Administrative Tools. If you don’t see it, click Category view in the upper right and change it to Large icons. When Administrative Tools opens click Disk Cleanup. Click OK in the pop-up window. As in Windows 7, check all items then click Clean up system files. Click OK again. Next, in the pop-up window, make sure all items are checked then click the More Options tab. Click the Clean up button under System Restore and Shadow Copies and click Delete in the pop-up window. Click OK and click Delete Files in the pop-up window. Finish by clicking OK then click Delete Files. If you can’t find Disk Cleanup after opening it, look for it on the Task bar at the bottom of the Desktop window. Click it to make the window visible. As in Windows 7 this procedure is safe for Windows 8 and 10 too. It may also take awhile. To Defrag a Windows 8 and 10 computer click on Defragment and Optimize Drives in Administrative Tools. When the window opens, click the Optimize button. Again about 5  passes is the norm so repeat as necessary.

 

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

Browser Changes

Changes in Your Browser. If you are not familiar with the term “browser”, it’s simply the computer program that allows you to connect to different web sites. Popular names are Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome. Internet Explorer is on every PC because it’s part of the Microsoft operating system whether it’s an XP, Vista, or Windows 7 type computer.

 

            When you click the Desktop icon that represents one of the previously mentioned programs, it should take you to your “Home” page. Your home page is simply the web site that you have designated to connect to when you click the icon. However, that’s not always the case. Due to the installation of Toolbars or even a virus infection, your home page can be redirected to another site. This other site may download unwanted advertising, or, in the worst scenario, it may deliver malware. Malware is a term used to describe all types of viruses, Trojans, worms, etc.

 

            Toolbars are often installed without the user being fully aware that it’s happening. Often bundled with the other programs and program updates, they can be installed quietly. When you click your browser icon all of a sudden you may not see your familiar home page. You may also see something new near the top of your browser. It’s called a Toolbar. Popular Toolbars are Google, Yahoo, ALOT, Ask, and MyWebSearch. None of these Toolbars are malicious; however they may connect to unknown 3rd party sites of dubious safety.

 

            There are 3 steps that should be taken to insure that they are removed. First uninstall the Toolbar. Next scan your computer for malware and finally restore your home page.

 

            To remove Toolbars, go to the Control Panel; click Programs & Features (Vista & Windows 7), highlight (click) the Toolbar and click Uninstall. XP users click Add/Remove programs in the Control Panel. Reboot the computer and do a full scan with Malwarebytes and Avast. If you have other security programs, use those but I highly recommend Malwarebytes in this case. If anything is detected, reboot the computer and repeat the full scan.

 

            To restore your home page using Internet Explorer, again open the Control Panel, click Internet Options, highlight the present unwanted entry, if necessary, and type the correct address for your desired site. Click Apply and OK the window. That should restore your home page. If you use Firefox click Tools, Options, and insert the correct address for your home page and OK the window. If you use Chrome, open it and click the wrench in the upper right corner, Click Settings. Under “On startup” choose “Open a specific page or set of pages”, then click “Set pages”, highlight the unwanted address and click the “X” to the right. Type in your correct home page address and OK the window/s. In all cases, after making your changes, close then reopen your browser to see if you have the desired home page.

 

            Remember, our PC Computer Club is open to all residents. There is no formal membership or experience required. Your questions and problems will be addressed at the meeting. We meet the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7:00 PM in the Ardmore room of the Community Center.

Don Trauger – Kennett 

Laptop Battery – Extend Your Usage (July 2023)

Technology Tips – Published July 2023 in the Guide and Digest

by Don Trauger – Kennett

 

As your laptop computer ages, so does the battery. Where you once got 3-4 hours or more out of one charge, in several years you may be down to one hour or less. In fact you may start to notice it after a year or two. Each time you recharge the battery it takes a small bite out of the life expectancy of the battery.

 

Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 have ways to extend the operational charge of the battery so you can get your work done while it’s not plugged in. First, for Windows 10 on the Windows taskbar, clicking the battery icon opens what we know as the power slider. Here you can trade lower performance for extended battery life. Simply click the slider and drag it to the left side to extend the useful charge. However, Microsoft decided that this convenient feature was too easy to get to (imho) so they moved it into Settings for Windows 11.  Hold down the Windows button (the 4 pane window button) and press the X key. In the menu, click Settings, go to System , click Power & Battery, then scroll down to Power mode. On the right is an options button. Here you should see several options, Best performance, Balanced and Best power efficiency. Click the button and choose the one that works for you.

 

Another feature in this Power section, is that you can control when the computer sleeps. Adjust it for your needs. Scroll down to Battery and click Battery Saver to set the battery at a higher level above 20% that turns on the Battery saver earlier to help extend the existing charge during your unplugged session. Also, make sure Lower screen brightness when using battery saver is turned on.

 

There’s also another factor in extending your battery’s charge. The Internet connection draws considerable power from the battery. If you are working on a document or just using a program that does not require immediate Internet connectivity, consider choosing airplane mode. Again, this is available when you click the battery icon.

 

Another tip to improve overall battery life is not to leave the computer plugged in forever without doing a discharge down to 10 – 20% once every month or so. Unplug it and use it until you get a message that the battery is running low then. plug it back in. This helps in restoring battery chemistry.

Paoli Hospital Auxiliary

Paoli Hospital Auxiliary

Our members are active leaders in volunteering, fundraising and enthusiastic supporters of Paoli Hospital, the Auxiliary and the Community. Through the years, proceeds from our fundraisers and businesses have supported the Maternity and Nursery expansion, the new Pavilion Campaign, the Cancer Center, Breast Health Center, as well as other important hospital programs and individual hospital department needs. To date, the Auxiliary has contributed $10 million to Paoli Hospital.

The Paoli Hospital Auxiliary’s current pledge is to support Paoli Hospital in the establishment of a new $10 million dollar Neurointerventional Lab & Program. With this lab, Paoli Hospital will be equipped to provide the most advanced, live-saving stroke care to our region, delivering a new standard of care for stroke patients.

We typically meet in the HM Community Center on the second Thursday of the month from September to June at 9:30 (no meetings January and February). Each meeting begins with a social gathering followed by a guest speaker/presentation followed by a business meeting.

“To support our hospital is our primary aim
To have FUN and FUNDRAISE can be one and the same”

 

Set Your Router’s QOS (Quality of Service) (Dec 2017)

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.