Uninstalling ArcSoft PhotoImpression
We discussed this issue last time and Margaret tried the various ways suggested in the last blog without success. However, by following the suggestion to access Task Manager, she was able to prevent the program from auto-starting, so it no longer causes a problem.
We discussed whether it is wise to just delete a program's ".exe" file if you can't uninstall it. This could cause problems as there are likely to be other components, including Registry entries, which will still remain. Also, the non-existent program may still be in the Startup list or Task Scheduler which will give errors when they can't find the program file. In addition, you would need to remove the redundant links to the program in the Start Menu, Desktop or Taskbar. If you are going to try something this 'experimental' I would suggest making a full image backup first.
Video Meeting Software
We had a general discussion on various video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Teams, etc. Phil asked how many participants you could have. Having checked after the meeting, I can now confirm that the following numbers of participants are allowed:-
- Zoom: Basic (free) and Pro = 100, Business = 300, Enterprise = 500, Enterprise+ = 1000
- Microsoft Teams: 300
- Google Meet: Free version = 100, with Google Workspace (formerly G-Suite) subscription = 250
- Jitsi: 75
- HouseParty: 8
- FaceTime: 32
- Google Duo: 12
- Skype: 50
Windows Clipboard
Linda asked about accessing the clipboard on Windows 10. As you all know, you can cut/copy and paste text etc in Windows across many apps such as Word or LibreOffice Writer, for example. Cut, Copy and Paste functions can be accessed via a right-click menu, sometimes by buttons on the toolbar or using the keyboard shortcuts:-
- Ctrl+X for Cut
- Ctrl+C for Copy
- Ctrl+V for Paste
Paste uses the last item to be Cut or Copied. However, you can use the clipboard history to paste items that you cut or copied earlier. To access this feature type:-
Windows Key+V
When you do this for the first time you will be invited to activate this function by clicking on Turn On. Subsequently, this shortcut will show the recently cut/copied items and you can choose the one you want to paste from that list.
Batteries
Tony mentioned that his laptop battery was dead. I suggested he should unplug and re-plug it a couple of times - I have found that this sometimes resolves the problem if it is caused by slightly corroded connectors. Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) batteries, which are ones used in laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc have a life of maybe 4 or 5 years typically. They have a limited number of full charge/discharge cycles of around 500.
Most smartphones and tablets have the battery sealed inside. If the battery has failed, you can take it to a suitably qualified repairer to get the battery replaced. Li-Ion batteries sometimes fail internally and release gases causing them to swell. This can cause the casing of the device to burst open. If this happens, take it to a qualified repairer.
Li-Ion batteries store a lot of energy and can, in extreme cases, burst into flames or explode, so always leave this type of battery replacement to an expert.
Li-Ion batteries should, if they are in good condition, hold their charge for a long time (several weeks) if they are not powering anything (i.e. the device is completely off, as opposed to in Sleep mode). The fact that a battery does not retain charge is an indication that it is failing.
Printing This Blog
Cherry found she got very small print when printing this blog. I don't have any control over how the Print button functions. I have found that you get better results by selecting the PDF option (at the top) after clicking on the Print Friendly button at the bottom of this blog.
John mentioned that there are other situations where using a PDF can solve the problem when a file won't print.
Mervyn also mentioned that using Copy/Paste is another way of trying to print something when the original fails to print. On Windows 10, you can use the Snip & Sketch app to select and print any section of your screen.
USB Stick vs Hard Drives
Cherry asked whether using a USB Stick or external hard drive was better. Both have their uses and you probably should have both. USB Memory Sticks are relatively cheap and are available in sizes from 2GB upwards. You could get several USB Sticks and make regular copies of, say, your Document folder onto a different one each month.
To backup your entire PC, you might want to use an external hard drive which is more cost-effective for larger storage from 500GB to several TB.
Info on Scam
Phil is helping to collate information on scams. This includes any type of scams including online, by phone, or a knock at the door. If you have been on the receiving end of such scams and would care to take the time to pass on the details, Phil will provide a dedicated email address that you can use for this purpose. I will circulate this email address to the Club members by email following this meeting.
Fake Scams
Linda received a fake scam which was circulated to her by email:-
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2020/11/new-viral-facebook-post-falsely-claims-martin-has-warned-about-a/
Fake scams flying around just make it more difficult to spot the real scams.
Problem Signing into Windows
Cherry has an issue where she is required to change her Microsoft Account password each time she signs into Windows. This appears to have happened since her system was updated to version 20H2, the recent big Windows 10 update. Each time, having gone through the process of creating a new password, the sign in completes and the system works until it is re-booted.
Phil found this possible solution:-
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/change-password-required-every-time-i-log-in/6c3820a6-ce78-4150-90a3-2880633e8e62
The suggestion is to go to Start, Settings, Accounts, Sign-in options. Scroll down to Privacy and switch off Use my sign-in info to automatically finish setting up my device after an update or restart. Then reboot. This looks harmless, so is worth a try, although this advice dates back to August last year.
It is possible, but not recommended for security reasons, to access Windows without entering a password. I was struggling to recall the precise instructions for doing this, but this article explains in detail:-
https://www.digitalcitizen.life/log-automatically-windows-7-without-typing-your-password
You first need to go into Settings and turn off Windows Hello sign-in (this is the biometric sign-in, i.e. fingerprint, face-recognition) and then run a hidden utility "netplwiz".
To check that the problem only relates to signing into the account on this PC, I recommend go to:-
https://login.live.com
You can do this on any browser on any machine to try signing into your Microsoft Account directly.
Browser Auto-Fill
Web browsers (e.g. Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc) can remember some of your credentials to make completing forms online easier. These details can include usernames, passwords, credit card details, and addresses. In this case, Margaret found that Edge was auto-filling her address and she wanted to disable this behaviour. To do this in Edge, this is what you do:-
- Click on the 3-dots (top right)
- Select Settings
- Select Profiles
- Select Addresses and more
- Turn off the slide switch
On that same page you can see, edit or delete any stored addresses. There are similar options in all browsers.
New
Mac Using New Apple Chip
While
few of us may be Apple Mac users, it is an interesting landmark in technology
that Apple’s new computers will use their own design of processor chip rather
than using Intel chips. See this BBC
article for more:-
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-54869981
This article also has an interesting table showing PC sales during the July to September quarter this year.
The new Apple chips should allow iOS apps to be run on a Mac, although some apps may need to be modified by their developers to run on Mac without a touchscreen. John pointed out that current and previous applications may not be compatible with the new hardware, so you may, for example, need to buy a new version of photoshop.
Could
AI Diagnose Covid-19?
MIT
(Massachusetts Institute of Technology) have developed software based on
Artificial Intelligence (AI) which can detect COVID-19-infected people just
from a simple cough. In early tests, it
had an 98.5% success rate, even with people who were asymptomatic. If this could be developed into a simple smartphone
app, it might be possible to diagnose Covid-19 and get a result instantly.
For
more, see this article in MIT News dated 29th Oct 2020:-
https://news.mit.edu/2020/covid-19-cough-cellphone-detection-1029
The technology has the potential to detect Alzheimer’s and other conditions. Any listening device, such as a smart-speaker, could possibly include the technology in the future. This is very interesting early-stage technology which may have lots of potential - we will see.
Next Session
Wed 25th November at 2pm by Zoom.
