Wednesday 8th August 2018
Windows UpdatesBrian remarked that there was a fairly big update to his PC system(s) yesterday. This was one of the regular monthly updates which are routinely released on the 2nd Tuesday of each month - known as Patch Tuesday. These updates are important as they fix bugs and correct security issues that have been recently discovered.
Twice yearly, in Spring and Autumn, there are big Feature Updates. These change the version number of Windows 10, so we are currently on version 1803 which was released in Spring this year. These updates completely replace Windows with a new version, so they tend to take longer, and occasionally introduce new problems as well as new features! However, these big updates must be done, as each update is only supported for about 18 months or so after its release. The current Windows 10 v1803 is supported to 12th November 2019, so the security and bug-fix updates for this version will cease after that that.
Gmail Web Mail - New Look
Brian commented on the new-look Gmail web mail. If you use Gmail in your browser by going to gmail.com, you will notice you see a pop-up saying that Gmail is getting an update - you can click on the Learn More option which will explain what's changing - this is what it tells you:-
https://support.google.com/mail/answer/7677724?p=new_gmail_optin&visit_id=1-636694039930048747-3754537141&rd=1
You can click on Update Now to switch to the new version. Currently, you can still switch back again by clicking on the Cog symbol (near top right) and selecting Go back to classic Gmail. It looks like the new version will become compulsory - certainly for enterprise users who access Gmail as parts of their G-Suite subscription, and I guess, eventually, for all of us.
We had a quick look at the new Gmail version. One significant difference is - how to get to your Contacts. In the old version, there is a drop-down arrow next to the word "Gmail" at the top left which provides access to your Contacts. In the new version, you have to click on the Apps symbol (group of 9 dots near the top right), and Contacts is there amongst the other Google apps. I suggest you try the new version - you may have to use it soon, anyway.
Do explore the Settings (click the Cog, then Settings). The Labels tab allows you to hide some of the "Labels" (equivalent to Folders) on the left hand column. The Inbox tab allows you to split your Inbox into things like Social and Promotions - personally, I tend to deselect these so that everything goes into Inbox.
Gmail has many other useful features, such as forwarding mail to other accounts, or importing mail from other accounts. We can talk more about these features at a future session if anyone is interested.
Windows Timeline - Error Message
Timeline is the new feature introduced in Windows 10 v1803 which is accessed by clicking on the TaskView button on the Taskbar. It allows you to return to web sites or documents you were dealing with up to 30 days ago. I believe the function should work across devices. So if you viewed a web site in Edge on your iPad, you should subsequently find it in Timeline on your PC. You can remove individual items from Timeline by right-clicking on them - I don't think there is a way to clear the whole Timeline.
Margaret was getting some error messages in the Windows 10 TaskView/Timeline. The message says "RuntimeBroker.exe. The group or resource is not in the correct state to perform the requested operation". I have no idea what this means - it's not a message I have seen before. Googling reveals some information about this error, but no solutions which are sufficiently convincing for me to recommend. There is a suggestion that this may relate to Windows Update, so I suggest trying to perform a Check For Updates in Settings, Update & Security and see if the error still occurs.
Timeline in Google Maps
Allan mentioned Timeline in Google maps. If you go to Google Maps on you PC or mobile device, click on the 3-bar symbol, you will find Timeline in the menu. This feature will show places you visited and your journeys going back in time.
If you don't want Google to track you, go to the 3-bar symbol, Settings, Personal Content, Location History (is on), and turn off Use Location History. You can also Delete all Location History.
Windows 10 Email Notifications
Margaret was getting email notifications (bottom right of Desktop) which are annoying. These notifications come from the Mail app (which is part of Windows 10). To stop these notifications you need to launch the Mail app, then click on the Cog icon (near lower left of the Mail window). This should open the Settings menu. Click on Notifications (about half way down this menu). Here you can select specific email accounts (if you have set up more than one), or tick the Apply to all accounts box and then turn off Show notifications in the Action Centre.
Microsoft Edge - Share by Email
Brian likes to use the Share function in Edge, which allows you to email a link to the site you are currently viewing. However, he does not normally use the Mail app, but Edge can only perform this function using the Mail app. As far as I know, there is no way to change this. You can still share a link to a web site by clicking in the Address bar, right-clicking and select Copy, then launch whichever email app (including web apps) you use and Paste the link into the email.
Print Web Site Without Pictures
Allan asked about printing just the text from a web site, rather than including the pictures. Edge has a Reading View option, a small book icon at the right of the Address Bar. This provides a simplified view of some web pages - it does not work for all pages. This still includes pictures, but removes menus, adverts, etc.
Chrome allows you to exclude pictures, although this will often still leave a place-holder where the picture should be. To try this, go to 3-dot symbol, Settings, scroll down and click Advanced and click Content Settings (under the Privacy and Security heading). Click Images and turn off Show all.
Alternatively, you could just highlight the required text and then paste it into Word (or LibreOffice Writer) and print from there.
Broadband Speed
Tony had switched to 'fibre' broadband to overcome speed issues, but still has some buffering problems. Wi-Fi will vary around the house as the signal strength drops. For best speed, use a wired connection back to your router. You can check your speed with apps and web sites such as:-
http://www.speedtest.net/
BT have their own speed test at:-
http://speedtest.btwholesale.com/
Sometimes, the speed problems can be at the server end, rather than at your end.
Using BCC in Email
This question cropped up many sessions ago. All the email apps and web mail services have To, CC and BCC boxes into which you can put the address of the recipient(s). Usually, the CC and BCC boxes are hidden in some way and you need to click a link to show them. It is particularly useful for anyone emailing a group of people to place the recipients' addresses into the BCC field - this will mean that none of the recipient's can see the email addresses of the other recipients. I wrote a Quick Guide on this topic back in 2011 and I updated this last year. It explains more about using BCC and distribution lists. You can find the document here on my Google Drive:-
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6aEb-3GQfxXYmI4ZGJkYTItODg4Zi00YzM2LWJlZDktODIyODQ4YzNlYjEx/view?usp=sharing
Next Session
Wednesday 12th September 2018 - 1:30 to 3:30pm.
Possible Topics:-
I may say a bit more and demo the Google Timeline mentioned above.
A review of Browser Basics using my handout.
