I.T. Non-Techie help, information and tips

No advertising please. For the non-techie among us who may need a helping hand at times.

Open Loop 109

John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - updated 3mo
Information, tips and myths - No.46 - Email etc., back-up telephone number etc.

If you have a Google or similar account, then it is important to keep your recovery telephone number and other information up to date. If you do not, you could lose access to your account forever.

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - updated 4mo
The Michael Parkinson Channel

youtube.com/channel/UCOBNAbaVsNF_40KU...

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 4mo
Information, tips and myths - No.46 - Freevee is closing down

scooploop.com/thread/information-tips...

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 4mo
AI pensioner wastes scammers' time with 'rambling' chat

scooploop.com/thread/ai-pensioner-was...

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 4mo
For moderators - Bubble post settings

scooploop.com/thread/using-scooploop-...

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 4mo
Recent Scooploop outage (Edited)

Click below.
.
.

scooploop.com/thread/recent-scooploop...

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Boots @Boots Barking & Dagenham - 4mo
Can't send photos in a message on my Samsung phone

Why not ?

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 4mo
Account recovery information

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Check that your recovery information for emails/Facebook/Google etc., is up to date - Do you still have access to that phone number or recovery email account? If you do not have recovery information, then, if you forget/lose your password, you may never have access to your account again.

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Boots @Boots Barking & Dagenham - updated 4mo
print on laptop windows 10

Is there anyway to make the print bolder so it stands out more ?

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Sheila A @Ange Bromley Common - updated 4mo
Carrying on using Windows 10

Microsoft will charge for critical updates to Windows 10 after October 2025 or you will need to update to Windows 11

express.co.uk/life-style/science-tech...

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 5mo
BT Cloud will be deleted tomorrow

bt.com/help/broadband/bt-cloud/gettin...

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 5mo
Becoming a moderator

scooploop.com/thread/using-scooploop-...

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Boots @Boots Barking & Dagenham - updated 5mo
Copilot (Edited)

This has appeared on my taskbar since an update.
Don't know whether to delete it or just ignore it
Don't understand what it does

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Boots @Boots Barking & Dagenham - updated 5mo
Laptop access to phone

I had a 'thing' on my latop that enabled me to transfer phone photos gallery to my laptop [ little blue square on taskbar]
Used it 2 days ago but now it has disappeared from taskbar and I can't remember what it was called.
Anyone help please ?

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - updated 5mo
Digital Switchover (Edited)

You have to add your area code to your local contacts.

Things they don't tell you:

I have just been digitally switched by BT! A man arrived from Morrisons - he had no food, just digital bits. They will leave your box that you plug your phone in to on the wall and install a new box; so ask him to remove the old box and put the new one in it's place, otherwise you will be left with holes in the wall. The surprising thing is that your phone may not work until the next day! It will have a line on it, and your number can be rung, but it does not ring. We now have two cables going to the house, presumably, when and if Open Reach visit, they will remove the copper cable, and collect the bits of their old master socket. I've had the task of removing old phone cables and cable clips.

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - updated 5mo
Information, tips and myths - No.45 - OneDrive is not a backup (Edited)

Despite Microsoft advertising it as such, OneDrive is not a backup. If it is installed on your computer, its purpose is to synchronise files, not to back them up. A backup does not change, if you delete files on your computer, whether on purpose or by accident, they will be deleted from OneDrive, and from any other computer connected to it.

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - updated 5mo
Don't forget, BT Cloud is closing 31st October

If you want to keep your data, you’ll need to move it to a new platform before 31st October.

From 31st October, the service will close, and all information will be deleted.

From 9th September, the BT Cloud platform became a “read-only” service, this means you won’t be able to upload anything new, but you’ll still be able to view and download the data you have in there already. (less)

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 5mo
Using Scooploop tutorial update

scooploop.com/thread/using-scooploop-...

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 5mo
Do you use Kapersky Antivirus?

If you use Kapersky Antivirus and a VPN which places you in the US, then it may have been replaced by Ultra AV. Google to decide what to do about it.

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - updated 5mo
Email/Computer problem - Posted on behalf of @Selsey (Edited)

Still having problems on desktop
I can see emails and go into them for a little while. Then if I click on something, just get the turning circle at the top so can't access. Sometimes says 'Not connecting, try again in -- secs but that doesn't work. Currently spending more time pulling out plug and waiting - when it's OK again for a while - than doing anything else. Any suggestions, please - thanks.

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Sheila A @Ange Bromley Common - updated 5mo
Blocking numbers on a landline

I've blocked quite a few numbers and it's been successful in stopping them.

This week I've blocked a number but it's still ringing. I'm assuming it's because they are not actually calling from the number being displayed.

Is there anything I can do to block them properly? I don't have one of the BT Call Guardian phones, just an ordinary phone.

Thanks.

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - updated 5mo
Win 11 upgrade - Watch out they are at it again!

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - updated 5mo
Digital Switchover - Change your phone numbers

When your landline goes digital, you will have to add your area code to all your local numbers. You can do this in advance, so that you will be ready from day one.

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 5mo
Internet History Hacked, Wayback Machine Down — 31 Million Passwords Stolen

forbes.com/sites/daveywinder/2024/10/...

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - updated 6mo
Blocking bug

The inability to block a member will be sorted out in a week or so.

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Rosie @Rosie Flamstead End - updated 6mo
Change email address

How do I change my email address on Scooploop?

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 6mo
Members are posting links that do not work

scooploop.com/thread/posting-links-th...

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Rosie @Rosie Flamstead End - updated 6mo
Microsoft Windows 7 and Hotmail-Outlook

My old PC was too old to update to a newer version of Microsoft and this has never bothered me too much. I mainly use it for organising my photo’s and use my iPad far any internet search, but I could use it for my hotmail. ( sending photo’s with email)
However when I went on it this time I found I couldn’t use Outlook?
Looks like Microsoft has stopped supporting Windows 7.
Is there any way I can just access my emails now?

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - updated 6mo
Information, tips and myths - No.46 - Buying a new TV - Beware

When buying a new TV be sure to read what it can and can't do. The new Freely TVs for example, cannot record TV. More ways to record TV are being removed.

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 6mo
Interesting post about USB plugs and chargers

scooploop.com/thread/at-last-universa...

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 6mo
Blocking bug update

scooploop.com/thread/blocking-bug-update

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 6mo
Information, tips and myths - No.44 - Google Photos app

The app has been redesigned to make it easier to find photos and videos. The Library tab on the bottom toolbar has been replaced with a Collections tab. You can now find your photos and videos grouped by location (Places), which is shown on a map.

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Boots @Boots Barking & Dagenham - updated 6mo
Samsung mobile phone

My phone doesn't ring for long enough, I often miss calls and have to ring back.
There is a code you can put in to change the time but it doesn't work for me.
Is there anything else I can do ?

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 6mo
Information, tips and myths - No.43 - Sky Go on iPhones and iPads using iOS12

From 17th September, Sky Go will stop working on iPhones/iPads running iOS 12. To continue using Sky Go, you will have to update to iOS 13.

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 7mo
Departed members

Many members have disappeared from Scooploop. Given that the average age of a Scooploop member is over 70, it may be that they have passed on. To make members aware, you could let a family member/trusted friend know your log in details, and show them what you would like them to do

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - updated 7mo
Information, tips and myths - No.42 - Webpage magnifying glass

The usual way to increase the size of the display on a webpage is by pressing ctrl and +, but this increases the whole page, and you may wish to magnify just part of it. This can be done by using an extension called Magnifying Glass. Windows has its own magnifier, but it has to be activated in settings, and summoned with key presses, and is not user friendly.

Magnifying Glass can be activated from a browser's extensions toolbar, and deactivated by clicking anywhere. You can download the extension for Chrome below, and for Firefox in the comment below:

chromewebstore.google.com/detail/magn...

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 7mo
Tech and facilities for the Paralympic Games in Paris

bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m00227w9/te...

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - updated 7mo
Information, tips and myths - No.41 - Some Chrome extensions will soon stop working

Due to a recent change in Chrome's technology, you will no longer be able to install some extensions, and some extensions will no longer work.

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 7mo
Scooploop's rules not being followed

scooploop.com/thread/scooploops-rules...

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Boots @Boots Barking & Dagenham - updated 7mo
Phone call on mobile while playing a game

Will a call still come through ?

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lizb59 @lizb59 Shirley - 7mo
zoom black bars

Since a recent update if I share a portion of screen using advance share the photos and host toolbar appear as black bars on the shared screen unless I move them outside the box. However this is only since a recent update and didn't happen before. There was also an issue with participants not seeing the screen when sharing the screen if I resized it.

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - updated 7mo
Information, tips and myths - No.40 - YouTube displays black window

If you have advert blockers, you may be seeing a black screen when you view YouTube. This is the result of their latest attempt to stop you avoiding their adverts. The advert has been inserted into the video to become part of it, therefore it cannot be removed, and the sound will continue. Depending on your browser and blockers, your experience may be different.

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Boots @Boots Barking & Dagenham - updated 7mo
Internal error 500

What does that mean ?

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 7mo
GMX email scam

scooploop.com/thread/gmx-email-scam

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 7mo
Information, tips and myths - No.39 - Internet Explorer

Remember Internet Explorer!? You may not be able to find it on your computer, but it is still there, because it is part of Windows. An update last month fixed a security flaw.

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 8mo
Using Scooploop - Basics - No.24 - Loop searches

scooploop.com/thread/using-scooploop-...

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - updated 8mo
Information, tips and myths - No.37 - Microsoft Office for free!

If you would like Microsoft Office for free, and are happy to use it only on line, you can access it in the link below. There are many look-alike free office programs that you can install on your computer.

microsoft.com/en-gb/microsoft-365/fre...

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Lesley A @Lesley4 Frant - updated 8mo
Using a mobile in Japan

We are going to Japan in the not too distant future. We have iPhones 7 on EE sim only contracts. In Japan we will want to be able to use phones for incoming and outgoing calls, check emails/websites etc . I know we can use WhatsApp when we can connect to wifi and we can switch on EE data roaming but it’s nearly £9 a day. I think we can download esims very much cheaper. I think after downloading one your phone should just work as normal, have I understood correctly? Does anyone have experience or could someone read up on esims and confirm my understanding?

Any help appreciated.

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - updated 8mo
Do you use the Internet Archive?

If so, consider making a donation to enable them to continue their work. If you are not familiar with the Internet Archive, they have and enormous collection of books, videos, audio, software and images. Visit the site below, you will be amazed at the extent of what they have available.

archive.org/

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John H @JohnH6 Westcliff-On-Sea - 8mo
Information, tips and myths - No.38 - Email/Facebook recovery information

Note that if you have not provided any recovery information in case you forget your password, then you will probably never have access to your accounts.

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