Computer issues, Viruses, trojans, crashes, install problems etc Options

[mirocu]

IE doesn't do that...

[mALX]

IE doesn't do that...

I actually did love IE, but a lot of sites started refusing to allow any members who used IE just because they seemed to have some security issues with viruses carried in on IE accounts. That is when I turned to Chrome; but I had always preferred the Google search engine back then. Now Google is so interested in showing you what it thinks you want based on previous searches that it has almost completely stopped showing you what you asked it to. It is really starting to suck, but is there a better alternative out there?

[mirocu]

DuckDuckGo!

[Decrepit]

DuckDuckGo!

DING! We have a winner. I've used DuckDuckGo! several years now. Works like a charm and avoids Google's evil ways. I wish DDG always showed search results with posting dates so I can rule out overly old info when newness is pertinent. But this can be largely solved by better defining search inquiries. Rather than search for, say, "Best gas hot water heaters", type instead "Best gas hot water heaters 2017."

[Decrepit]

So far as I've been able to ascertain, this is the day Firefox is scheduled to move to release 57. I've dreaded this "update" since learning that it irreversibly breaks what I consider an essential add-on. This morning I went ahead and switched from Zoom Page to Zoom Page WE, another downgrade in my opinion, as WE isn't as feature rich and versatile as its non WE predecessor. (My hope is that ZP_WE continues to improve.) I'll give release 57 a fair shot, but suspect its inability to move the tab bar where I prefer it (beneath the address/search bar) might at long last end my romance with Firefox, which has been my browser of choice almost since its initial release, if memory serves. I'm not yet 100% sold on Brave, but for now it's my prime alternative. (I've never liked Chrome.)

ADDENDUM: Looking over my Firefox Add-ons tab, I notice that it looks as if Adblock Plus, for years my ad blocker of choice, has at last been made compatible with upcoming Firefox release 57. That said, I switched to the already r57 compatible Adblocker Ultimate some months ago. For my purposes Ultimate works as well as Plus. I'll stick with it unless Plus ends up performing some useful function(s) Ultimate doesn't.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Nov 14 2017, 04:10 PM

[mALX]

So far as I've been able to ascertain, this is the day Firefox is scheduled to move to release 57. I've dreaded this "update" since learning that it irreversibly breaks what I consider an essential add-on. This morning I went ahead and switched from Zoom Page to Zoom Page WE, another downgrade in my opinion, as WE isn't as feature rich and versatile as its non WE predecessor. (My hope is that ZP_WE continues to improve.) I'll give release 57 a fair shot, but suspect its inability to move the tab bar where I prefer it (beneath the address/search bar) might at long last end my romance with Firefox, which has been my browser of choice almost since its initial release, if memory serves. I'm not yet 100% sold on Brave, but for now it's my prime alternative. (I've never liked Chrome.)

ADDENDUM: Looking over my Firefox Add-ons tab, I notice that it looks as if Adblock Plus, for years my ad blocker of choice, has at last been made compatible with upcoming Firefox release 57. That said, I switched to the already r57 compatible Adblocker Ultimate some months ago. For my purposes Ultimate works as well as Plus. I'll stick with it unless Plus ends up performing some useful function Ultimate doesn't.

If you didn't like Chrome before when it was much more functional and much less invasive to your PC; then you REALLY won't like it now! I am even looking to leave it, and I used to prefer it.

[Decrepit]

Returned to the computer after lunch to find Firefox ready to update. I don't like release 57 as well as prior releases, but knew that going in. I enabled the Menu Bar first thing (as always), which has the added benefit of lowering the Tab Bar so that it isn't at screen top. Can't move it below the Address Bar as I prefer, but that too I knew going in. I still prefer it over Brave, but it's not as clear a victory as before.

If you didn't like Chrome before when it was much more functional and much less invasive to your PC; then you REALLY won't like it now! I am even looking to leave it, and I used to prefer it.

Tell me about it! I think Firefox with add-ons remains a fine alternative, even watered down as it is with release 57. Brave isn't bad either, if you buy into its philosophy and realize it's still in beta and currently lacks some control options and bells-and-whistles Chrome and Firefox provide.

(I don't fully understand what Brave is attempting to do. It comes with ad blocking automatically enabled without need of add-on. From what I gather it offers the option of watching adds and being paid in online currency for viewing them. "Money" earned doing so can be selectively set up through the browser to help fund your favorite sites. Or something like that. It's all Greek to me.)

[SubRosa]

Returned to the computer after lunch to find Firefox ready to update. I don't like release 57 as well as prior releases, but knew that going in. I enabled the Menu Bar first thing (as always), which has the added benefit of lowering the Tab Bar so that it isn't at screen top. Can't move it below the Address Bar as I prefer, but that too I knew going in. I still prefer it over Brave, but it's not as clear a victory as before.

If you didn't like Chrome before when it was much more functional and much less invasive to your PC; then you REALLY won't like it now! I am even looking to leave it, and I used to prefer it.

Tell me about it! I think Firefox with add-ons remains a fine alternative, even watered down as it is with release 57. Brave isn't bad either, if you buy into its philosophy and realize it's still in beta and currently lacks some control options and bells-and-whistles Chrome and Firefox provide.

(I don't fully understand what Brave is attempting to do. It comes with ad blocking automatically enabled without need of add-on. From what I gather it offers the option of watching adds and being paid in online currency for viewing them. "Money" earned doing so can be selectively set up through the browser to help fund your favorite sites. Or something like that. It's all Greek to me.)

It must be some kind of cyber-currency, like Bitcoin.

[RaderOfTheLostArk]

[censored] ADMIN RIGHTS! WHY THE [censored] IS IT ALWAYS SUCH AN ANNOYANCE TO GO THROUGH THIS [censored]?! I'M THE ONLY ONE WHO USES THIS [censored] COMPUTER! WHY CAN'T IT JUST GIVE ME ADMIN RIGHTS AUTOMATICALLY?!

Okay, deep breath...

Can somebody give me the steps by which to grant myself admin rights? I have Windows 10 and an HP computer. I need to delete my Windows.old folder, which takes up 32.8 GB on my C: drive and has left it with literally less than 4 GB left. I have tried moving it to my D: drive which has a ton of space, but when I attempted to do so before it told me that I still need admin rights. Why can I not just have admin rights in the first place? Can somebody tell me how to do it?

[ghastley]

Because not having Admin rights automatically prevents Trojans from doing any major harm.

However, Win 10 hides stuff even better than before, so I'll have to check my own HP machine before I can give instructions.

[Decrepit]

An interesting dilemma, one I've not yet faced. My primary PC has ran Win10 from the get-go. My third PC was upgraded to Win10 from Vista, which must be done by fresh install rather than "update." My second PC continues to run Win7 and likely will until MS renders it officially obsolete in 2020(?). I figured a web search might reveal the answer in short order, but found nothing concrete. (I admittedly didn't look overly long.) I've not yet searched YouTube for the answer.

I've decidedly that I still prefer Firefox as my browser of choice...for now. It's just enough more feature rich and convenient to keep me from jumping ship to Brave in its currently state of development (Beta). Enabling the Menu Bar so that Tabs are pushed a bit lower than screen top reduces what might otherwise have been a lease breaker to a mere strong dissatisfaction. Page Zoom WE is not as versatile as its predecessor, but still serves its basic purpose. Other than Page Zoom and Classic Theme Restorer (which allowed to move the Tab Bar where I prefer it) all the add-ons I use survived the transition intact.

ADDENDUM: This video doesn't specifically address removal of the old Windows folder, but the method used might be worth investigating. I've not tried it so can't attest to its reliability or lack thereof.

ADDENDUM: This video confirms that the above approach SHOULD work to remove the Old Windows folder. Either that or it's a scam. But then any and everything can be a scam.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Nov 15 2017, 01:50 PM

[RaderOfTheLostArk]

Because not having Admin rights automatically prevents Trojans from doing any major harm.

However, Win 10 hides stuff even better than before, so I'll have to check my own HP machine before I can give instructions.

Interesting. Didn't know about that. Still frustrating, especially because it is seems hard to find. I am pretty sure I found where in settings to do it, but the final steps that actually grant admin rights seems hidden. I don't see an actual "Grant Admin Rights" kind of thing.

At least the particular problem I needed it for is gone, because it finally showed me a tip on the sidebar that actually let me delete it. But I will probably need admin rights for the future. And for some reason I keep losing a few GBs quickly for no apparent reason on my C: drive, although it gets wiped out eventually. Temporary files should not be taking up that much space though, so I think there is something else going on. I'll have to figure it out later.

[tegeus-Cromis]

Gah. Just got mugged by Firefox 57, fortunately just on the Windows partition. It's awful. Had automatic update turned on somehow. This is what happens when you don't give your Win7 a bit of TLC, I guess. Usually use Linux for browsing, but spending more time in Windows at the moment because of modding.

Now I'm trying to figure out which way to revert it and restore everything (bookmarks are easy, but I like to keep ancient browser history, bit sentimental that way...)

Oh, with regard to alternate browsers, Pale Moon looks pretty good. Only problem is that it isn't too easy to migrate Firefox settings to it. They did have a migration tool, but that's been pulled since Mozilla/Pale Moon development has diverged too much.

This post has been edited by tegeus-Cromis: Nov 15 2017, 06:00 PM

[Decrepit]

Gah. Just got mugged by Firefox 57, fortunately just on the Windows partition. It's awful. Had automatic update turned on somehow. This is what happens when you don't give your Win7 a bit of TLC, I guess. Usually use Linux for browsing, but spending more time in Windows at the moment because of modding.

Now I'm trying to figure out which way to revert it and restore everything (bookmarks are easy, but I like to keep ancient browser history, bit sentimental that way...)

Oh, with regard to alternate browsers, Pale Moon looks pretty good. Only problem is that it isn't too easy to migrate Firefox settings to it. They did have a migration tool, but that's been pulled since Mozilla/Pale Moon development has diverged too much.

I'm less displeased with FF57 than expected. I'm certain not thrilled about it, and prefer prior versions. Seems to me that most everything "improves" these days by becoming worse.

Back to alternatives, I may or may not have mentioned that Brave imports Firefox bookmarks without a hitch. More surprising, some of the sites I logged into with Firefox kept me logged in when visited with Brave. (This site did so.) But again, I still prefer Firefox over Brave...for now. Yeah, I've heard good things about Pale Moon. Never tried it.

ADDENDUM: It dawns on me that I've not given an update on my "new" PC since just after assembling it months and months ago. There's a reason for that. Not much needs be said. It works as it should. No issues whatsoever. Not after finally getting my rear speakers to work correctly, a power amp problem, no fault of the PC. My one disappoint, as stated before, is that motherboard audio doesn't equal the sound of my PCI-bus Soundblaster X-fi card. But I knew that going in. Windows 10 isn't all that bad...once many of its marketing and snooping functions are disabled.

ADDENDUM 2: Now Thursday morning, I realize I've not yet gotten the Windows 10 "Fall Creators Update" (version 1709) but still run the "hopelessly outdated" original "Creators Update" (version 1703). Anyone here been updated to 1709 yet? If so, what do you think of it compared to 1703???? Did you need to reapply your custom settings after the update?

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Nov 17 2017, 01:23 PM

[Decrepit]

Hmm...something's going on. Frequent pauses on YouTube vids. Slow loading sites. First time I've experienced net congestion since the forced switch to U-verse. Not sure what the issue is. Wonder if Microsoft has decided this is when they're gonna update me to Win10 Fall Creators Update? That's gonna be a BIG download when it happens. 4 gigs or so if memory serves.

ADDENDUM: This cleared after maybe 45min.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Nov 17 2017, 01:20 PM

[Decrepit]

Been using Brave Browser all evening, after becoming more and more frustrated with the new Firefox_release 57 layout. Not being able position the Tabs Bar so that it abuts the main view window has been harder to adjust to that even I thought, and I knew I wouldn't like it going in. Discounting that I still prefer Firefox. It's more polished, with a number of "convenience" functions Brave, still in beta, lacks. One definite drawback to Brave for now it that clicking on the SIGN IN button at the "new" official Bethesda Forums results in blank page. Thankfully its the only webpage incompatibility I've encountered thus far. Also, as mentioned before Brave as yet lacks equivalents to a couple of Firefox add-ons I like rather much.

[Decrepit]

Been using Brave almost exclusively these past few days. (I'm typing this in Brave.) For most things I like it rather well. That said, I've encountered a potential lease breaker, at least so far as using Brave as my default browser is concerned. On sites that require mini-windows for data input, as this does in the case of linked URL entry, the mini-windows do not open. (I believe picture embedding might have the same issue, but haven't tried it yet.) I visited the Brave forums but found no solution yet. (They provide a YouTube video with various means of solving the problem, but none work for me.) So I reckon I'm stuck with Firefox. Not a bad thing. I still like Firefox. I just like it less since the update to release 57.

[Decrepit]

Still struggling with the new Firefox Tabs Bar location, or rather an inability to move the Bar from its long time default location to where I prefer it. Brave didn't work out as it, for some reason, doesn't allow "mini-windows" like the one needed here to link URLs to open. Too, Brave lacks Firefox's polish. But that in and of itself isn't a lease breaker. Hopefully either Brave will iron out its current issues or someone will figure out a workaround that allows movement of Firefox's Tabs Bar. Course if the FCC abolishes Net Neutrality as it seems hell bent on doing next months, squabbles over perceived browser efficiencies are likely to be the least of our online worries by a long shot.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Nov 23 2017, 04:16 AM

[Decrepit]

An upcoming project I dread...both my exercise-walk shoes and my general purpose out-and-about shoes are approaching the end of their useful lives. As I did for my current shoes, I'll research online and decide what I want before buying anything. No point visiting local shoe stores and trying on pairs that interest me. As a male size 7, I'll be lucky they carries any shoes that fit, much less shoes for someone who comes in already knowing what they want to try. What usually happens is I'll do my research, find out who carries the brand locally, visit the store, see the exact model I want on a shelf, and announce I want to try it in size 7. At that point I'm told "sorry, we don't stock that size, but can order it for you." Thing is, if I'm not able to try on a shoe beforehand I'd as soon order it myself online, cut out the middleman, and likely save bucks in the process.

Replacing out-and-about shoes "should" have been a no-brainer. I'm totally sold on my Skechers Shape-ups Work shoes. I attributing them for allowing my knees to heal back when it seemed they were destined to go out on me. Boy do I love those shoes. But...Skechers has phased out the line. They can still be found at Amazon....for $300 a pair. That's way out my league. (My current pair sold for about $100 back around early/mid 2010.) I'd like something their equivalent, but my admittedly too brief research has turned up nothing yet.

Replacing exercise-walk shoes should be easier. My New Balance models do a fine job, but are not in the same league as Skechers Shape-ups. I'm going to try and stick to a $60 max limit if at all possible.

[Decrepit]

MS finally "updated" my PC to the Win10 Fall Creators Edition. Sadly, I can't recall everything I need to check to make sure my modified settings are still good. I'll figure it all out eventually.

Now Saturday morning, returning to the computer this morning I noticed that Cortana has been reactivated. Looks like MS removed the old method I used to deactivate it. Luckily a YouTube video showed me how to do so via Regedit. See looks to have worked once I added the needed registry entries and value, then restarted the PC. I've a vague recollection that something else needs to be done to remove other aspects of Cortana, but can't for the life of me recall what.

Bah...
I haven't done any music listening to speak of since the move to Win10 Fall Creators Update. While ago I decided to revisit the Scheherazade video I linked in another thread. Sounded crappy. Turns out the Update removed all my custom audio settings. I'm back to 2-channels (instead of 4-channels configured to simulate 5.1 channels) with no enhancements (EQ, surround, etc.). Been monkeying with audio controls a while now. Can't get back to the quality I had pre update. I'll eventually hit upon something resembling what I had before. I hope. I should have had the sense to write down all my custom settings prior to updating. Gotta love MS....not.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Nov 25 2017, 01:44 PM