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Showing posts from 2015

Happy 2016

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Hope to see all of you in the coming year.

Adding Avast Password Manager to Firefox

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Adding Avast Password Manager to the Chrome Browser

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Need Help ?

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Got a Problem   Need Help    Want to talk to a real live person            This might help

Bill is feeling Generous - Tis' The Season

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    Hopefully everyone knows that you and I are not on Mr. Gates's charity list and this isn't so much about giving but, if you reply and give all the information request, it will certainly be about taking. Taking you for all they can get.... Be careful, be cautious and, always be vigilant.

Refund Request

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Setting Up a Scheduled Scan in Avast 2016

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Windows 10 - Creating Desktop Shortcuts to Websites Used Frequently

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11-19-2015 Festival Bytes Computer Club

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On Nov. 19, 2015 I was in the Sonoran Desert   I visited the  Festival Bytes Computer Club  and 52 of their Members  attended the afternoon presentation. http://www.festivalbytes.com/presentations.html  

Selecting the Boot time Scan in Avast 2016

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Remove "Scan with Windows Defender"

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Avast Theme for the Chrome Browser

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Avast 2016 - Navigating the New User Interface

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This should make finding your settings in Avast 2016 simple.

Avast AntiVirus Has My Back!

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All you need to get this protection is: https://avast.com

Reliability Monitor

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Avast 2016 is here!

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Get your favorite version at: https://avast.com

Cleaning Up your Favorite Browser

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Skype - Your Way!

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Back to the simple small user interface we always used, residing in the system tray and, without targeted ads.

Google Apps - Great for Work!

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Not Only for Home Use:  

Getting to the Properties Menu Quickly

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Your Google Activity Control

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This is Cyber Security Awareness Month

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Caution! PayPal Phishing e-mail Scam It may look official but, 1. It didn't come from Paypal 2. The link to "Restore" your PayPal account, leads to   which has nothing to do with PayPal. 3. Notice the bad grammar and the spelling and punctuation errors. 4.  PayPal will never,  ever  address you with a generic greeting always with your full registered name. If you're using Avast, it also protects you since it prevents you from getting to the actual Website. PayPal will never ask you via email to click on a link to do anything pertaining to your PayPal account. 

Windows 10 - Bye Bye Control Panel

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Avast 2016 First Beta Release

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Auto Sign-in in Windows 10

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Windows 10 Quick Access - Rearranging Folder Layout

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Quick Access - Your Way

Troubleshooting Help In Windows 10

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When you run into trouble in Windows 10 it's nice to know help is only a few clicks away.

9-23-2015 Senior Phone Scam Alert

I just receive the following phone call: Caller: "Hello Grandpa, this is your Grand Daughter I have laryngitis so I don't sound like myself" Me: "You certainly don't, which Grand Daughter? " Caller: "What do you mean? " Me: "Well, I have several" Caller: "Your Oldest" Me: "Oh, OK" (Suspicious because she should have said her name.) Me: "Is everything OK" Caller: "No" Me: "What's the matter?" CALLER: "I was visiting a friend in Niagara Falls and on my way home, I was involved in a car accident." Me: "Are you OK" Caller: "Yes every one is fine" Me: "And the car" Caller: "The car is fine. This woman came out of nowhere and I hit her but she's OK." Me: "Thank God" Caller: "Yes, but when the cops came, the asked if I was drinking. I told them no but, because I'm taking medicine for my l

Clean Install Avast 2015 R4 Windows 10 build 10547

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There are times when a clean install is best. This was one of those times. I did the install directly after upgrading Windows to the latest Preview Release Build 10547.

Windows 10 Settings Utility

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9-17-2015 Phishing Attempt - Caution!

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If you look at the detailed senders address carefully, you should see this didn't really come from Wells Fargo. The spelling and grammar has gotten much better and more convincing. However, if you hover your mouse over the included "signon" link you'll notice it doesn't go to Wells Fargo: This is a sure sign of a Phishing attempt. Don't be the fool that falls for it. Stay vigilant and be suspicious any time  you receive something like this from your bank or other type of financial institution. Never click on included link. If you aren't sure, take the initiative and, contact your financial institution on your own.

9-11-2001 A Day I Will Never Forget!

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Some of us remember, Some of us never forget.

Windows Edge - Changing the Default Seach from Bing to Google

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Turning Off the Keylogger in Windows 10

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YouTube Tricks

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1. Save a video - add "ss" after "www." and before "youtube". Wait a few seconds and select download Example Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMUm_TOD_1M Download: https://www.ssyoutube.com/watch?v=aMUm_TOD_1M Here's the result: 2. Set a Playback Quality Default Go to: https://www.youtube.com/account_playback Make your selection: 3. YouTube Repeater of Loop Simply insert "repeater" right after " www.youtube " or just before ".com" Single play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMUm_TOD_1M Repeat/loop: https://www.youtuberepeater.com/watch?v=aMUm_TOD_1M To learn or meomrize something, repetition can be very helpful: 4. Shortcut Keys (Commands) Space bar: pause/start Side arrows: fast-forward and rewind Number keys: Will send you to different parts of the video. 1 = 10 percent through the video; 2 = 20 percent; etc. Zero key: Sends you back to the beginning. Tab key: toggle through various vid commands; the Enter key an

Getting Help in Windows 10

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Turn Off Adobe Flash in Windows Edge Browser

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Cleaning Up & Regaining Disk Space After Windows 10 Upgrade

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Once you've gotten used to Windows 10, regain some Disk Space by cleaning up the files and old operating systems that are no longer needed.

Using Common Sense for WiFi Sense in Windows 10

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Connecting to suggested open Hotspots sounds very insecure until you realize, they are the same hotspots you already access. The hotels you stay at, libraries, etc. I always use a VPN anytime I connect to one of these places for added protection.   Allowing all of your friends and contacts access to your Wi-Fi seems like a security risk.  Is it really ? If you think about it, you may think differently. You already allow your friends and family that visit your home access to your Wi-Fi. Wouldn't you do the same for your contacts ? Granting your contacts access doesn't mean they all get to use your Wi-Fi. That would only happen if they were close enough to access your Wi-Fi signal.    What at first glance seems like a request to expose your computer to all sorts of dangers, may not be as  Bad as we thought. Think about it and then make your decision.You can always change it if you later decide differently.

How To Speed Up Windows 10 after the Upgrade

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After the upgrade and because there are so many files to shift around the second run (where defrag kicks in) can take up to an hour Download the SDK web installer from here ( https://www.microsoft.com/click/services/Redirect2.ashx?CR_EAC=300105886 ) Run the installer and select the following: Leave the default location. Windows Performance Toolkit   You must reboot on completion of the install After reboot set aside about 30 – 45 minutes when you will not need the computer When ready start an elevated command prompt : Right click on the Start button (bottom left) and select Command Prompt (Admin) Then copy and paste the following command into the black box : xbootmgr -trace boot -prepSystem -verboseReadyBoot Now your PC will be restarted 6 times. With a two minute pause before the tool runs after the desktop loads. After the second reboot the MS defragmentation program is running and is placing the files into an optimized layout, so that Windows will boot up faster The last Reboots

Windows 10 - What to do when things go Wrong -

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An Image backup to rely on is still the safest recovery. This did work very well on  2 of the systems I had a problem with during upgrade.

Windows 10 Upgrade Icon

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The icon isn't there just to take up space.

Windows 10 - Now What - Change Default Browser

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Once you upgrade to Windows 10, your default browser will be Edge. Changing the Default Browser back to what you used to use isn't hard but,it is new and different.

OneTab for Chrome and Firefox

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An easy way to reduce the memory consumption of Chrome and/or Firefox

Getting Your System Ready for the Windows 10 Upgrade

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If you plan to upgrade, This will help!

7-14-2015 Venture In Computer Club – Show Low AZ

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( Click here to see all the Photos ) It's always a pretty trip from Los Lunas NM to Show Low AZ via US Rt 60. Yesterday I had the pleasure of doing a presentation for the members of the Venture In Computer Club in Show Low AZ. As you can see, they turned out in force (68 Attendees) despite the thunderstorm. The presentation was well received and prompted quite a few questions. I was even able to do some hands on customization for some of the members who already used Avast to make their use of Avast more to their liking. It was a long but very enjoyable day.

7-10-2015 PC Community Computer Users Group (PCC) Hayward, CA

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This evening I had the pleasure of doing a Webinar for the folks of the PC Community Computer Users Group in Hayward CA. I had asked for the attendance and was told 200. I counted about 35. It was a good presentation with many questions which I was happy to answer.

Avast Browser Cleanup

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Hope this makes downloading, installing and using Avast Browser Cleanup easy for everyone.

6-24-2015 Ocean Hills Computer Club - Oceanside CA

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87 Members of the club attended this afternoons lively and interesting presentation. The presentation was followed by an extensive Q&A session. The following are three questions that were submitted in writing before the presentation started. I’ll also include my answers to these questions. 1. Should I have Avast for my Android Smartphone ? If yes, Why ? Short Answer: Yes! Long Answer: There are currently over 33M infected android devices. I'm sure you would prefer not to be one of the 33 Million. Using Avast Mobile Security ( https://www.avast.com/en-us/free-mobile-security) can scan and remove any infections you may currently have and, prevent you from catching new Malware. 2. I like Avast but how can I stop it from asking for an Upgrade ? I just want it to do it's job. Short Answer: Buy one of the paid version and you'll stop the upgrade request for the duration of the license term that you purchased! Long Answer: Select the Silent Gaming Mode option which will pr

Using a Mac or an iPhone Keeps you Safe! (Really ? )

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Safety just because you’re using an Apple product is a myth that needs to be revised. Since the product has become more popular, it’s also become more profitable for those that make their living from infecting Computer, Laptops, Smart Phones and Tablets to infect Apple products. Here is just one example of the ever increasing security flaws which should make all Mac users more suspicious and take security for their devices to heart: http://www.intego.com/mac-security-blog/serious-zero-day-security-flaw-ios-osx-password-theft/ Stay Safe, Be Free. I hope this helps.

6/12/2015 Through 6/14/2015 South West Computer Conference Pomona, CA

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Please Click here to View All the Photos taken at the conference. The follow-up information for the 2 presentations can be obtained at: Security is Everyone's Business: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YvAsiLdJdgjPpgQ1hWg4O6tdsLp8ZFu6uu33mO7rXP4/edit?usp=sharing   So You've Got a New Computer, Now What?: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xxml8Dn44SIlxVmB3CzfvvbXi6_WzStP-SDnB7EaBlY/edit?usp=sharing

6/9/2015 Four Seasons Computer and Technology Group - Beaumont, CA

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Please click here to see all the pictures.

How to remove the “Get Windows 10” Icon from your System Tray

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Click on the Image to enlarge it. Once this is done, you should also hide this update so it doesn't show up the next time you do updates.

What is this now Icon in my System Tray?

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So now that I've got this sitting in the system tray: What else can I do with that Icon Try clicking on it: Now that's more like it: Now, aren't you glad I asked

5-12-2015 LACS – Los Angeles CA

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This evening I'll be doing a Remote Presentation for those attending the meeting of the LACS They meet at 8065 Emerson Ave Los Angeles Ca. If you're in the area, why not joint them. Just tell them Bob G. sent you. Approximately 40 Members and Guests of the Los Angeles Computer Society attended this remote presentation. Even with a few audio glitches, the presentation was well received and was followed by a long Q&A session. Hopefully next year I'll visit LACS in person and let them find out how much nicer a live presentation is. Thanks to Maurice Stephenson and Jim McKnight for their help in making sure the remote event was a success.

4-28-2015 Let’s Compute – Sun City Palm Desert, CA

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Please click here to view all the pictures taken before and during the event.

Clean Install of Avast 2015 R2 Sp1 Build 2015.10.2.2215

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When a clean install is needed, this may help!

3-20-2015 Four Parks Computer Club - Florence AZ

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Please Click here to view all the Photos.

3-19-2015 Happy Trails Computer Club - Surprise AZ

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Please click here to view all the photos. You’ll find the clubs website at: http://cybercoyote.org/weblog/

3-17-2015 Computer Club of Green Valley - Green Valley AZ

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Please click here to view all the photos. You can reach their website at: http://ccgvaz.org/

3-16-2015 Leisure World Computer Club Mesa AZ

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Please click here to view all the photos.

3-14-2015 Prescott Computer Society Prescott, AZ

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Please click here to view all the Photos. Club website: http://prescottcomputersociety.org/

3-11-2015 View Point Computer Club Mesa AZ

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Please click here to view all the photos. You can reach the club at: http://www.vpcc.info/p/about-us.html