settings

Infopackets Tina V. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just upgraded to Windows 10 and am using Edge as my default web browser -- it's very different than Internet Explorer. Can you tell me: how can I change the start page in Edge? Right now it opens up with ... a bunch of tiles, asking me "where to" - and I don't like it. I'd much change my home page in Edge to start with Google.com. Any help you can offer would be appreciated! " My response: Changing the start or home page in Edge is much different than Internet Explorer, mostly because Microsoft Edge is made for touch-enabled devices. That said, getting ... (view more)

If you've deliberately avoided upgrading to Windows 10 up until now, you may need to re-check your Windows Update settings. Two forthcoming changes to Windows Update means Windows 10 could install by default without users realizing. Unlike with ... previous systems, Microsoft is treating Windows 10 as literally being an update to Windows 7 and 8 in the same way as ordinary bug fixes and feature additions. That's how it was previously possible to "pre-register" for the free upgrade and have it installed automatically on launch date without having to specifically search out a ... (view more)

Microsoft has insisted that all Windows 10 data collection is for the benefit of users. Representatives also stress that any data collected is encrypted before transmitted to Microsoft servers. The company has been under attack ever since Windows ... 10's release, and as it became increasingly clear regarding information the system collects and transmits back to Microsoft. While users have control over much of this data collection, it's often switched on by default and finding the relevant settings to switch it off can be confusing. At one stage Microsoft had to defend itself against ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Sam P. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just upgraded to Windows 10 and I can't stand using the Edge browser. Before I upgraded to Windows 10, I was using Windows 7 with Internet Explorer 11 (IE11). I had Internet Explorer 11 set up with ... a few of my favorite add-ons, which are not compatible with Edge. Do you know if there is any way for me to use Internet Explorer 11 as my default browser in Windows 10? I've tried using the Settings App to make IE 11 as default, but it doesn't seem to work. " My response: When you upgraded to Windows 10, and if you agreed to use the "recommended ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Mike T. writes: " Dear Dennis, I just installed Windows 10 over this past weekend, but my LCD monitor's display seems to be shifted to the right, and the fonts are fuzzy. The left side of the screen has a small black border around ... it. In fact, the clock appears to be missing the 'AM' or 'PM', and the date shows only the month and day, but not the year. Any ideas what is going on? Should I upgrade my video driver or do I need to whack my monitor? Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me, and many, many thanks for all you have taught me over ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Alan' writes: " Dear Dennis, My CPU fan is stuck at 100% full load (same as my chassis fan) - and it's very loud. The fans started running at high RPM shortly after I updated my Asus motherboard BIOS. I tried changing my BIOS fan ... controls, but that doesn't seem to work. I also downgraded the BIOS firmware by updating to my previous BIOS version, but that didn't help and the CPU fan is stuck, regardless. So, I called ASUS and they said to replace the BIOS chip. I did this and still no luck. Before all this, I could control fan speeds with Silent, Standard, Turbo, or Manual ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader John C. writes: " Dear Dennis, Hope you are well. I have a calendar program called VueMinder Pro that I use on my Windows 8 PC. I also use Google Calendar on my smartphone, and VueMinder Pro syncs its information with Google ... Calendar so I can share information between devices. The syncing has worked great for a while, but lately VueMinder Pro keeps popping up with a window asking me for my Google account password. In other words, VueMinder Pro won't sync with Google Calendar. I have changed my Google password multiple times and disabled 2-step verification in my Google ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Fred J. writes: " Dear Dennis, I had to reinstall Windows 8 on my machine, and I wanted to download the Windows 8.1 update afterward. But when I try, that I'm told I must have all the current Windows 8 updates installed. So, I ... looked at the updates for Windows 8 and there are over 150 of them. I requested that they all be downloaded and installed, and they did. However, when the installation and configuration starts, I get the message that there was a ' Failure Configuring Windows Updates; Reverting changes ', and then Windows Update fails. Now I'm ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Anne F. writes: " Dear Dennis, After a Windows Update, my laptop rebooted and then displayed a blue screen of death (BSOD) with the error message CRITICAL SERVICE FAILED. After that, the computer reboots and goes into a continuous ... loop -- I am not able to get into Windows at all. I used various repair discs and managed to gotten rid of the CRITICAL SERVICE FAILED message, but now my computer boots into a black screen with the message No Operating System Found. When I use one of the downloaded repair disks, I see my C drive and Windows 8 is still on there, so I don' ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Dean S. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've read that most WiFi routers use weak passwords (example: admin / admin), or none by default. I understand that for security reasons, the router administrator user and password should be set to ... prevent outsiders / hackers from logging into the router and changing the WiFi settings. On my own router I am connected to it via cable, and can connect by WiFi if I login with the password set for WPA2 security. What I have not been able to understand is how does the hacker connect to the router, and how can they adjust my WiFi settings ... (view more)