Meeting Notes

Here are notes, Web links, and videos from our meetings:

Subject/Title	Meeting & Date
To avoid paying for "Microsoft Office..", you can use free office software "suites". For ease of use and compatibility with "Microsoft Office.." file formats, "SoftMaker FreeOffice" is the best. For "bells and whistles" features, "LibreOffice" is the best and it is bundled in with most distros of Linux. However, "LibreOffice" is not as compatible with "Microsoft Office.." file formats as "FreeOffice". For our detailed how-to advice, please see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/software/office/alt-office-suites.pdf Sample files for testing the compatibility of free office alternatives, can be downloaded from http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/software/office/sample-Office-files/sampleOfficefiles.zip Our comparisons of "SoftMaker FreeOffice" and "LibreOffice" to "Microsoft Office" are described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/software/office/comparing-office-suites.pdf Step-by-step instructions for installing "SoftMaker FreeOffice" are available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/software/office/FreeOffice-install.pdf	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 11-15-2021
The easier-to-use Linux distros are a viable alternative for older or less-powerful computers that can pass Microsoft's "PC Health Check" app for determining compatibility with "Windows 11..": "MX Linux" is probably the best option for new users of ..Linux. You can download the installation file for "MX Linux" at https://mxlinux.org To ease your transition from "Windows 10.." to ..Linux, you can run ..Linux inside a virtual machine running inside your existing "Windows 10.." computer.	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 11-15-2021
A YouTube video of my attempt to present the below presentation slides to the Dayton Microcomputer Association on June 12, 2021 is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLDHo_weBhY 0-Virtual Machines--An Overview is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtualmachines/virtualnetworks/0-virtual-machines-overview.pdf 1-A Comparison Of Free "Virtual Machine Programs" For Your Real "Windows.." Computer is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtualmachines/virtualnetworks/1-comparison-vm-programs.pdf 2-Installing Free "Virtual Machine Programs" For Your Real "Windows.." Computer is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtualmachines/virtualnetworks/2-installing-vm-programs.pdf Virtual Networks In Virtual Machine Programs is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtualmachines/virtualnetworks/virtualnetworks-Windows.pdf Copying or Moving VMware Virtual Machines is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtualmachines/virtualnetworks/movingVMwareVMs.pdf Copying or Moving VirtualBox Virtual Machines is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtualmachines/virtualnetworks/movingVirtualBoxVMs.pdf Copying or Moving Hyper-V Virtual Machines is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtualmachines/virtualnetworks/movingHyper-V-VMs.pdf Advice on Using the "Quick Create" App that is bundled with Hyper-V is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtualmachines/virtualnetworks/QuickCreate.pdf	General Membership Meeting of the Dayton Microcomputer Association on 05-25-2021 and General Meeting of the Western New York Computer Society on 06-24-2014 and Windows 8 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 05-01-2013 and Computer Technology Conference on 04-04-2013
USING ZOOM'S "TAKE CONTROL" OR MICROSOFT'S "REMOTE ASSISTANCE" TO HELP SOMEONE WITH THEIR "WINDOWS.." COMPUTER You can use your "Zoom Meetings Client" app or Microsoft's bundled "Remote Assistance" to help a Windows.. computer user without being physically present at their home or business. --Zoom's "Take Control" feature --Step-by-step instructions for using the bundled "Windows Remote Assistance" capability are available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/software/remote-assistance/MicrosoftRemoteAssistance.pdf	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 11-15-2021
TO DETERMINE IF YOUR EXISTING "WINDOWS 10.." COMPUTER CAN RUN "WINDOWS 11.." download and run Microsoft's free "PC Health Check" app at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11#pchealthcheck A FIRST LOOK AT "WINDOWS 11": A logical step-by-step introduction to the basics of "Windows 11" is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win11/Win11basics.pdf Strategies for dealing with the October 14, 2025 "End of Life" for "Windows 10" are described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win11/Win10-EOL-strategies.pdf Actions for upgrading a computer that does not meet the hardware requirements for "Windows 11" are described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win11/Win11-resolving-incompatible.pdf Information on purchasing an activation key for "Windows 11" or purchasing a computer with "Windows 11" installed inside it is described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win11/Win11-purchase.pdf The installation process for Windows 11.. is described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win11/Win11install.pdf If you install a fresh copy of "Windows 11" into a computer with a motherboard that does not already have a digital license for the exact edition of "Windows 11" that you have just installed, you can usually activate your fresh copy of "Windows 10" by using an available activation key from a corresponding purchased copy of "Windows 7", "Windows 8", "Windows 8.1", "Windows 10", or "Windows 11". For more details on how activation works for both "Windows 11" and "Windows 10" please see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win11/activation/win11&10activation.pdf Windows 11's Deprecated Features are explained at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win11/Win11-deprecated.pdf Windows 11's New Features are explained at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win11/Win11-new_features.pdf "Windows.." Operating System Numbering is explained at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win11/WindowsOSnumbering.pdf The "uninstaller" wizards that are bundled with most "Desktop apps" (that "Programs and Features" in the Control Panel utilizes to remove software) leave all sorts of junk in both your Registry of "Windows.." and on your C: hard drive: To do a really clean uninstall of a "desktop app" or a "Universal Windows Platform app" in a "Windows.." computer, use the free "Revo Uninstaller Portable" program. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/uninstaller/RevoUninstallerPortable.pdf Simple techniques for making your "Windows.." computer easier to use are explained at http://www.aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win/easier/win-easier1.pdf There are three kinds of apps (= programs) inside your Windows 11, 10, or 8 computer: UWP Apps, Legacy Programs, and Portable Apps as explained at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/email/USP-vs-legacy-apps.pdf To make a desktop shortcut to a UWP app, you have to use the shell:appsfolder command, as explained step-by-step at https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-use-the-shell-command-to-view-all-your-applications-in-file-explorer/	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 10-18-2021 and Meeting of the Sun City Center Computer Club of Florida, California on 10-13-2021 and Meeting of the South East Michigan Computer Organization on 10-10-2021
T-MOBILE 5G HOME INTERNET ("Fixed Wireless Access" = "FWA"), where it is available, is and will be much cheaper than any other broadband Internet provider. To see if they are available at your home location, go to https://www.t-mobile.com/isp Their Nokia gateway device connects to their cell towers as explained at https://www.t-mobile.com/isp/gateway	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 10-18-2021
A YouTube video of TCS's General Meeting on September 20, 2021 with Jere Minich presenting on three topics is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNXbkMH1_w8 Tune Up Your Windows PC by Jere Minich is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/2021-09-20/TuneupyourWindowsPCSept2021ShortFinala.pdf20212.pdf Troubleshooting Windows 10 by Jere Minich is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/2021-09-20/TroubleshootingWindows10Sept2021short.pdf How To Save $$$ on Ink by Jere Minich is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/2021-09-20/HowtoSave$$$onInKSept2021Finaladjusted.pdf Free Up The C: Drive in "Windows 10" is explained at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/free-up-C-drive/win10-free-up-C-drive.pdf	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 09-20-2021
For basic general instructions on how prepare "target" files and/or folders in your Windows.. computer so that other computers that are connected to the same router can access your "target" shared files and/or folders, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/FileSharing/0-prep-file-or-folder-sharing-in-Win.pdf For basic general instructions on how to use a "Windows.. " computer to access files and/or folders that are shared from another "Windows.." computer that is connected to the same router, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/FileSharing/1-basics-share-Win.pdf For basic general instructions on how to use a "Linux" computer to access files and/or folders that are shared from a "Windows.." computer, and vice versa, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/FileSharing/2-share-files-Win-and-Linux.pdf For step-by-step instructions on how to use a "Windows XP" computer to access files and/or folders that are shared from a "Windows 10" computer, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/FileSharing/3-XP-access-Win10-share.pdf	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 09-20-2020 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on Feb. 24, 2018
For detailed advice on Troubleshooting Printer Problems in a "Windows.." computer, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/printers/printer-fix-win.pdf For our advice on Troubleshooting Printer Problems in a "MacOS" computer, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/printers/printer-fix-mac.pdf Issues and Workarounds for Setting Up Printers: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/printers/printers--workarounds.pdf If you are unable to make changes to a printer in a printer inside "Devices and Printers" in Windows 7, 8.1, or 10, locate and click on the "Change Properties" button for the printer: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/printers/Change-Properties-button-Win.pdf If your printer is backed up with a stack of print jobs, here is a procedure for you to clear out the pile of pending print jobs in a Windows.. computer: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/printers/Print-queue-win.pdf	General Meeting of the Wisconsin All-Computer Users Club on 07-05-2018 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 04-28-2018 and Windows 8 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 01-02-2013
October 19, 2021: Ubuntu Desktop 21.10 is the first Linux distro that is able to make a 6 GHz "Wi-Fi 6E" connection to a "Wi-Fi 6E" router! "Early Use of Wi-Fi 6E" is a description of our struggles to use the new 6 Gigahertz frequencies for "Windows 10", "Windows 11", and "Ubuntu Desktop 21.10 computers to connect to newly-introduced Wi-Fi routers: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/Wi-Fi/Wi-Fi-6E-early-use.pdf "For our advice on using a "Windows 10" computer to connect to Wi-Fi 6E routers, please see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/Wi-Fi/Win10-to-Wi-Fi6E.pdf "For our advice on using a "Windows 11" computer to connect to Wi-Fi 6Erouters, please see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/Wi-Fi/Win11-to-Wi-Fi6E.pdf The Wi-Fi Alliance's certifications process for "Wi-fi 6E" 6 Gigahertz RF band products as they move from development to actual retail shipments. See http://aztcs/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/Wi-Fi6E-certifications.pdf Wi-Fi 6E will alleviate RF congestion by providing new channels in the 6 Gigahertz radio band: http://aztcs/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/Wi-Fi6E.pdf Wi-Fi 6 versus Wi-Fi 5 versus 802.11n versus Gigabit Ethernet: http://aztcs/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/Wi-Fi6vs5vs4vsGigEnet.pdf Measuring Wi-Fi Coverage and Speeds in Your Local Network: To download and install the free "NetSpot Free Edition" for a "Windows" or "MacOS" computer, use a Web browser to go to http://www.netspotapp.com/netspotpro.html Then scroll or page-down to get to the free edition of "Netspot..s". To download and install the free "Acrylic WiFi Home" analysis program for a "Windows.." computer, use a Web browser to go to https://www.acrylicwifi.com/en/wlan-wifi-wireless-network-software-tools/wlan-scanner-acrylic-wifi-free/ The "Tarlogic" company is located in Spain so their Web site defaults to Spanish. If and when your Web browser displays a "Translate" button, click on it to convert the Spanish text in the Web page into English. If this does not happen, click on "EN" in the upper-right corner to convert the page content to English. Scroll or page down. Then click on the "Try it for free" button. To get a more complete picture of your Wi-Fi environment in a "Windows.." computer, you can use both the free "Acrylic WiFi Home" program AND the free "Netspot" program. However, do not use both programs at the same time. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/Wi-Fi/Wi-Fi-advice.pdf Using the free "Speedtest.net" apps or Website to measure Internet Speeds To Remediate Bottlenecks In Your Local Network: Your broadband Internet download and upload speeds will usually be much slower than the speeds at which the network devices on your local network run at. However, many home and business networks have old, tired network components that bottleneck your actual Internet speeds below what the Internet provider is providing at the broadband modem which is actually available at the Internet "point of entry" . To prevent the components of your local network (routers, switches, powerline links, etc.) from bottlenecking the Internet bandwidth that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) provides you, measure the Internet bandwidth speeds and the local area network speeds at various locations in your Local Area Network (LAN) as described in http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/bottlenecks/bottlenecks.pdf	Computer Pros SIG Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 12-18-2020 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 07-28-2018 and Windows 10/ Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 08-01-2018
Microsoft's bundled "Your Phone" app running inside Windows 10 lets you use a Windows 10 computer to completely control an Android cell phone that has the "Your Phone Companion" app running inside it. The entire screen of your Android cell phone is displayed in the monitor of the Windows 10 computer. **************** In a Windows 10 computer, "Your Phone" is a bundled Windows 10 app. A "sister app" called "Your Phone Companion" is available in most Android cell phones. ********** In most non-Samsung Android cell phones, you will find a "Your Phone Companion" app in the Apps screens. If you do not find it in a non-Samsung Android cell phone, you can install it from the Google "Play Store" where it is listed as "Your Phone Companion" when you search for it. ********** In recent models of Samsung cell phones, you use the bundled "Link to Windows" app to run and control the bundled "Your Phone Companion" app. However, in recent models of Samsung cell phones, the "Your Phone" is not shown in the Apps screens, even though the bundled "Your Phone" app is installed into recent models of Samsung at the factory during the manufacturing process. In recent models of Samsung cell phones, "Link to Windows" and "Your Phone" both show up in the Apps list in Settings where they show up as separate apps. In a Samsung cell phone, "Link to Windows" only shows up in the "Quick Settings" screens: To get into the Quick Settings screens of a Samsung cell phone, swipe down twice from the top of the screen. Apparently, in recent models of Samsung cell phones, "Link to Windows" is a bundled, mandatory, and unremovable "front end" "graphical user interface" for controlling the "Your Phone" app which is also a bundled, mandatory, and unremovable but "stealth" app. ************ Regardless of whether you have Samsung Android cell phone or a non-Samsung Android cell phone, the procedure for fixing a non-working "Your Phone" connection between an Android cell phone and a Windows 10 computer is accurately and methodically described at is available at https://www.guidingtech.com/fix-windows-10-your-phone-app-not-working-issue/
Free Apps for "Windows 10" by Jere Minich is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/Minich/FreeAppsforWin10-Minich.pdf Microsoft Defender Antivirus" by Jere Minich is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/Minich/Microsoft Defender Antivirus-Minich.pdf Password Managers by Jere Minich is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/Minich/Password Managers-Minich.pdf Free Up The C: Drive in "Windows 10" us explained at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/free-up-C-drive/win10-free-up-C-drive.pdf	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 06-21-2021
Linux Distributions: Usage Share Versus distrowatch.com "Interest Level" Rankings are explained at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/linuxsig/Linux-usage-share.pdf "MX Linux" has risen to the top in "Interest Level" according to "Distrowatch.com": "MX Linux" is a "mid-weight" distribution("distro") that runs faster and is much easier to configure and use relative to the other popular "distros" of Linux. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/linuxsig/MX-Linux/MX-Linux-basics.pdf	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 01-18-2021
WIPING "WINDOWS.." HARD DRIVES TO PREPARE THEM FOR DONATION OR GIFTING is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/harddrives/wipe-free-space/hard-drive-wiping.pdf: If you want to give away a computer and/or it's hard drive, you have a choice of whether to give away the hard drive with the computer. If you decide to give away the hard drive with the computer, you have to decide if you want to give away the legal copy of Windows.. on the hard drive. If you want to give away the legal copy of Windows.. that is on a hard drive, then you also need to remove your data files and photos and then "wipe free space" on the hard drive to make sure that the recipient of the computer cannot recover any data files are lurking in the "free space" of the hard drive. The "uninstaller" wizards that are bundled with most "Desktop apps" (that "Programs and Features" in the Control Panel utilizes to remove software) leave all sorts of junk in both your Registry of "Windows.." and on your C: hard drive: To do a really clean uninstall of a "desktop app" or a "Universal Windows Platform app" in a "Windows.." computer, use the free "Revo Uninstaller Portable" program. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/uninstaller/RevoUninstallerPortable.pdf	Meeting of the PCBUG-Naples Technology User Group on 06-17-2021 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 11-21-2019
"Windows 11" activation and "Windows 10" activation is way different from any version of "Windows.." prior to "Windows 10"!! See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win11/activation/win11&10activation.pdf If you use a purchased a "Windows 10 product key" to activate a newly-installed or upgraded copy of "Windows 10", you will still have a "Digital License". If you use a Windows 7 or 8 or 8.1 product key to activate a newly-installed or upgraded copy of "Windows 10", you get also get a "Digital License". If you link your Microsoft Account to your Windows account, you get the ability to use the "Activation Troubleshooter" in "Windows 10" to activate after changing out your computer's motherboard. However, you then have to log into "Windows 10" with your "Microsoft Account". If you go back to logging into "Windows 10" with a "Local Account", you lose your ability to use the "Windows 10 Activation Troubleshooter" to change your computer's motherboard. Activation for product versions of "Windows.." prior to "Windows 10.." is much more complex as explained at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win/windows-activation.pdf The activation process for "Windows 10.." differs depending on the "Product Key Channel" that a specific copy of "Windows 10.." is sold from. For the end-user of a "Windows 10.." computer, their are three possible "Product Key Channels": Retail channel, OEM_DM channel (= "Original Equipment Manufacturer_Direct to Manufacturer") and OEM_COA_NSLP channel (="Original Equipment Manufacturer_Certificate of Authenticity_Non-System Locked Pre-installation" = "OEM System Builder") For details on how each one of these "channels" result in an activated "instance" of "Windows 10", see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/activation/win10-channels.pdf where we explain that the 25-character "Activation Keys" that are stored in the Registry in "Windows 10.." are of no actual use to the user of a "Windows 10.." computer. For organizations that buy lots of copies of "Windows..", there are two volume licensing channels: "Volume_MAK" channel (= "Multiple Activation Key") and "Volume_KMS" channel (="Key Management Services")	Meetings of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Costa Mesa California on 03-20-2019
Using Webcams to Spy on Something is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/webcams/webcam-using.pdf Using Remote Access To Control Another Computer On Your Local Network is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/webcams/remote-access.pdf Remote access is a convenient way for you to use one computer to view a Webcam that is attached to another computer, if both computers are attached to the same router. Using Remote Access via TightVNC's free "VNC Server" and UltraVNC's "VNC Viewer" To Control Anther Computer On Your Local Network is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/webcams/remote-access-VNC.pdf Using Remote Access via Microsoft's bundled "Remote Access Protocol" To Control Another Computer On Your Local Network is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/webcams/remote-access-RDP.pdf Using a Cell Phone as a Webcam for a Windows.. computer is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/webcams/cell-phone-as-cam-for-Win.pdf Using a Cell Phone as a Webcam for a macOS computer is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/webcams/cell-phone-as-cam-for-Mac.pdf Using Skype's Auto-Answer Capability to Communicate with your Dog, Cat, or Small Child is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/webcams/Skype-auto-answer.pdf Using "Contacam" to Send Video Motion Alerts to your Cell Phone(s) and Email Addresses is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/webcams/Video-alerts-Contacam.pdf Using a "Wyze Cam" to Send Video Motion Alerts, Perform Cloud Storage of Video Motion Recordings, and To Do Local 24-hour Video Recordings is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/webcams/Wyze-Cam.pdf	General Meeting of the Prescott Computer Society on 06-12-2021 and Meeting of Sterling Heights Computer Club on 04-06-2021 and General Meeting of Komputer Enthusiasts of Greater Seattle (KEGS) on 02-08-2016 and Virtual Technology Conference 18 of APCUG on 11-07-2015 and Windows 10/ Hardware SIG on 11-04-2015
00-Client Hyper-V: Basics and Overview is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtualmachines/Hyper-V/00-Hyper-V-basics.pdf 01-Client Hyper-V: Installing the Hyper-V Virtual Machine Program is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtualmachines/Hyper-V/01-InstallingHyper-V.pdf 02-Client Hyper-V: Installing "Windows 10" Enterprise Evaluation" into a Virtual Machine is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtualmachines/Hyper-V/02-InstallingWin10EEintoHV.pdf 03-Client Hyper-V: Using "Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation" As a Guest Operating System in a Virtual Machine is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtualmachines/Hyper-V/03-UsingWin10EEinVMinHV.pdf Using the Free "Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation": See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/win10enteval.pdf To extend the trial duration of "Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation" for a second 90-day time span see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/extendingwin10eval.pdf	General Meeting of the Brookdale Computer Users Group on 10-26-2017 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 10-04-2017
WAYS TO RUN REALLY OLD SOFTWARE PROGRAMS INSIDE YOUR "WINDOWS 10.." OR "WINDOWS 7.." COMPUTER see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/win10/old-software.pdf USING "VMWARE WORKSTATION PLAYER" TO RUN A FREE, TIME-LIMITED COPY OF "WINDOWS 10.." IN A "VIRTUAL MACHINE" INSIDE THE FREE "VMWARE WORKSTATION PLAYER" PROGRAM INSIDE A REAL "WINDOWS.." COMPUTER: "Big Step 100": Install the free "VMware Workstation Player" program into a "Windows.." host computer, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtual machines/vmware-1-installing.pdf "Big Step 200": Create a new "virtual machine" by using the "VMware Workstation Player" program, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtual machines/vmware-2-createVM.pdf "Big Step 300": Install "Windows.."into a "virtual machine" , see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtual machines/vmware-3B-install-Win10EntEval.pdf "Big Step 400": Install "VMware Tools" into a "Windows.." "virtual machine" , see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/virtual machines/ vmware-4B-install-VMwareTools-to-Win10.pdf	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 03-20-2019
Using A Cell Phone to Provide a Video Camera for a Computer: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/cell-tether-plus-cam-for-Win.pdf Using "Skype" As a "NannyCam": You can set up a computer with a copy of Skype that auto-answers the calls that you make to it as described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/Skype/Skype-auto-answer.pdf	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 07-12-2014
"Power Over Ethernet" (PoE) technology provides for network-attached video Web cams that install with a single Cat 5/5e/6/6a/7 cable that transmits both wired Ethernet data and DC power to the Webcam. For our advice on installing PoE Webcams, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/webcams/PoE-cam.pdf	Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 03-07-2018 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on Feb. 24, 2018
USING "MEET NOW"--A NEW FEATURE IN "WINDOWS 10.." Our explanation of how you can use the "Meet Now" feature that is now bundled into "Windows 10.. is available at http://www.aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/Meet-Now/Meet-Now.pdf SOUND CONFIGURATION IN A "WINDOWS.." COMPUTER THAT IS RUNNING "ZOOM" To get speaker and microphone audio working right in a Windows.. computer that is running "Zoom": Big Step 100: Enable/test and disable the wanted and unwanted "Playback" and "Recording" audio devices in "Sound" in the Windows "Control Panel". Big Step 200: Start up the Zoom app and adjust the Windows "Volume Mixer" to make sure that the "Zoom Meetings" volume slider is not muted. Big Step 300: Start up a test meeting (with just yourself in it) and use the Zoom app's audio test feature. Step-by-step details are available at http://www.aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win/easier/SoundwithZoom.pdf	General Meeting of the Madison PC Users Group on 02-10-2021 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 09-06-2017
RESOLVING SOUND ISSUES IN "WINDOWS.." "Windows 10", "Windows 8.1", and "Windows 7" computers have many sound-enabled devices that automatically re-configure themselves as "default" when you do not want them to do so. Our explanation of how you can tame this "beast" is available at http://www.aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win/easier/win-sound.pdf Some computer sound equipment that I recommend is described at http://www.aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win/easier/computer-sound-equipment.pdf SOUND CONFIGURATION IN A "WINDOWS.." COMPUTER THAT IS RUNNING "ZOOM" To get speaker and microphone audio working right in a Windows.. computer that is running "Zoom": Big Step 100: Enable/test and disable the wanted and unwanted "Playback" and "Recording" audio devices in "Sound" in the Windows "Control Panel". Big Step 200: Start up the Zoom app and adjust the Windows "Volume Mixer" to make sure that the "Zoom Meetings" volume slider is not muted. Big Step 300: Start up a test meeting (with just yourself in it) and use the Zoom app's audio test feature. Step-by-step details are available at http://www.aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win/easier/SoundwithZoom.pdf	General Meeting of the Madison PC Users Group on 02-10-2021 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 09-06-2017
Using A Cell Phone to Provide a Video Camera for a Computer and/or To Provide An Internet Connection for a Computer: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/cell-tether-plus-cam-for-Win.pdf Cell Phones Overview: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/cell-phone-overview.pdf Using an iPhone: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/iPhone-using.pdf Using an Android phone: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/AndroidPhone-using.pdf Cellular Service Analysis: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/cellular-analysis.pdf 1. "nPerf" app to get a street-level map to show which cell carrier has 5G/4G/3G/2G service: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/5Gvs4G-maps.pdf map.pdf 2. "Cellmapper" app to determine whether your cell phone running is 5G, 4G/LTE, 3G, or 2G (for an Android cell phone): See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/cellphonerunning5Gor4G.pdf 3. "Opensignal" app to determine the location and direction of the cell tower site that a cell phone is connected to: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/Opensignal-tower-map.pdf Cell Phone Screenshots: Most small cell phones let you take a photo of the entire touch-screen. This let's you make a permanent record of what you saw on the screen at a certain point in time at a certain location. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/cell-phone-screenshots Cell Phone Navigation Apps: Navigation and map apps are a major use for cell phone. They rely on "Location Services" which use the GPS, cellular transceiver, and Wi-Fi transceiver of a cell phone to pinpoint your location. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/cell-phone-navigation-apps.pdf Cell Phone to Camera Adapter: A cell phone to camera adapter is an external add-on device that connects to your cell phone. The adapter then provides you with a USB port that you can use to connect to a camera, a USB-to-Ethernet adapter, or an SD/SDHC reader. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/cell-phone-to-camera-adapter.pdf Cell Phone Wallet Apps: A wallet app lets you make both in-person "Point of Sale" purchases and online purchases. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/cell-phone-wallet-apps.pdf Print from a Cell Phone: You can print from a cell phone to a printer that is connected to your local network: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/print-from cell phone.pdf Tethering A Cell Phone : If your cell phone has a "data plan", you can use it to provide an Internet connection for a computer, a tablet, or another cell phone, or some routers. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/cell-phone-tethering.pdf You can tether an Android cell phone to another device so that it provides Internet access for the other device if your Android cell phone has a data plan, a Wi-Fi connection to a Wi-Fi router, or both a data plan AND a Wi-Fi connection to a Wi-Fi router. You can only tether an "iPhone" cell phone that has a "data plan" to provide Internet connectivity for a computer, tablet, or another cell phone. If you "iPhone" does not have a "data plan" and it only connects to the Internet by means of Wi-Fi to a wireless router or a "hotspot", you cannot tether it to provide Internet connectivity for a computer, tablet, or another cell phone. Burner Phones and Burner Phone Apps: A "burner phone" is either a cheap, throwaway cell phone or a not-free app that gives you temporary, no-caller-ID phone numbers for your existing cell phone. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/burner-phones.pdf Vertical Service Codes: "Vertical service codes" have various functions such as: --suppress the display of your phone number at the caller ID device or cell phone of the called party --determine the radio frequencies that your cell phone is transmitting and receiving at. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/vertical-service-codes.pdf Cell Phone Problems: When the call center agent of a cell phone carrier configures your new cell phone, they can misconfigure it and turn your shiny new cell phone into a useless brick. Therefore, you need to run a few tests of any cell phone that has been recently configured by a cell phone carrier. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/cell-phone-problems.pdf 5G cellular service is enabling the tethering of Android cell phones to "Dual WAN" routers: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/routers/routers-dual-WAN.pdf Android Cell Phones versus iPhones: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/Android-cell-phones-vs.pdf "Sideloading" Apps into Cell Phones: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/Sideloading.pdf EMERGING 5G TECHNOLOGY": Ron Brown's February 8, 2020 presentation on 5G technology is available as PDF slides at https://apcug2.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/What-will-5G-mean-to-you-Ron-Brown-APCUG-VTC-2-8-20.pdf and as a YouTube video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as8bcEnUpgM&feature=youtu.be Francis Chao's description of 5G technology in the United States is located at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/5G.pdf Francis Chao's description of 5G progress in Arizona is located at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/5G-in-Arizona.pdf 5G & 4G will co-exist in the same towers and the same cell phones during the transition: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cell-phones/5G&4G-coexist.pdf	Cell Phones & Tablets Meeting of the Wisconsin All-computer Users Club on 02-25-2021 and General Meeting of the Central Florida Computer Society on 12-13-2020 and Meeting of the PCBUG-Naples Technology User Group on 07-16-2020 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 07-16-2020 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Costa Mesa, California on 03-20-2019
Extending USB 2, USB 3, and USB C with active extension cables: Active USB extension cables have chipsets at the equipment end and sometimes in the middle of the cable. These chipsets clean up and regenerate the digital USB signals to prevent errors from occuring. If you have USB 3 devices such as USB 3 Webcams USB 3 flash drives USB 3 Ethernet adapters USB 3 over-the-air TV tuners or cell phones that act like USB Ethernet adapters for tethering, do not connect them to active USB 2 cables. USB 3 devices will often cause active USB 2 extension cables to overheat. Instead, connect USB 3 devices to active USB 3 extension cables. See http://aztcs/meeting_notes/winhardsig/USB3/USB-extending.pdf USB 3 extension cables work fine for extending USB 2 devices such as USB keyboards, USB mice, USB Webcams, USB 2 flash drives, USB 2 external hard drives, and USB 2 external hard drive enclosures with a standardized total cable length of 5 meters written into the USB 2 standards and a standardized total cable length of 3 meters (9.8 feet) that was originally written into the USB 2 standards. However, for USB 3 external hard drives, USB 3 external hard drive enclosures, and other USB 3 devices, you will have to determine if a specific USB 3 device works with a specific total length of USB 3 extension cable and a specific USB 3 port on your computer or USB 3 hub. To do so, you can use the free "USBTreeView" program to view the stablity and signalling rate of a specific USB 3 external hard drive or a specific USB 3 hard drive enclosure. To download "USBTreeView", go to the bottom of the Web page at http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbtreeview_e.html "USBTreeView" is especially useful for detecting problems with USB 3 ports and USB 3 devices: When you have a USB 3 device attached to a USB 3 port and the port type changes from "3.0" to "2.0" or a USB 3 device disappears from view entirely, a failure of the attached USB 3 devices, or the connecting USB 3 cable or the USB 3 port is imminent. You can determined which of these three items is about to fail by substituting with a "known good" USB 3 port, a "known good" (or shorter) USB 3 cable, or a "known good" USB 3 device. The Wi-Fi Alliance's certifications process for "Wi-fi 6E" 6 Gigahertz RF band products as they move from development to actual retail shipments. See http://aztcs/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/Wi-Fi6E-certifications.pdf Wi-Fi 6E will alleviate RF congestion by providing new channels in the 6 Gigahertz radio band: http://aztcs/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/Wi-Fi6E.pdf Wi-Fi 6 versus Wi-Fi 5 versus 802.11n versus Gigabit Ethernet: http://aztcs/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/Wi-Fi6vs5vs4vsGigEnet.pdf Measuring Wi-Fi Coverage and Speeds in Your Local Network: To download and install the free "NetSpot Free Edition" for a "Windows" or "MacOS" computer, use a Web browser to go to http://www.netspotapp.com/netspotpro.html Then scroll or page-down to get to the free edition of "Netspot..s". To download and install the free "Acrylic WiFi Home" analysis program for a "Windows.." computer, use a Web browser to go to https://www.acrylicwifi.com/en/wlan-wifi-wireless-network-software-tools/wlan-scanner-acrylic-wifi-free/ The "Tarlogic" company is located in Spain so their Web site defaults to Spanish. If and when your Web browser displays a "Translate" button, click on it to convert the Spanish text in the Web page into English. If this does not happen, click on "EN" in the upper-right corner to convert the page content to English. Scroll or page down. Then click on the "Try it for free" button. To get a more complete picture of your Wi-Fi environment in a "Windows.." computer, you can use both the free "Acrylic WiFi Home" program AND the free "Netspot" program. However, do not use both programs at the same time. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/Wi-Fi/Wi-Fi-advice.pdf Using the free "Speedtest.net" apps or Website to measure Internet Speeds To Remediate Bottlenecks In Your Local Network: Your broadband Internet download and upload speeds will usually be much slower than the speeds at which the network devices on your local network run at. However, many home and business networks have old, tired network components that bottleneck your actual Internet speeds below what the Internet provider is providing at the broadband modem which is actually available at the Internet "point of entry" . To prevent the components of your local network (routers, switches, powerline links, etc.) from bottlenecking the Internet bandwidth that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) provides you, measure the Internet bandwidth speeds and the local area network speeds at various locations in your Local Area Network (LAN) as described in http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/bottlenecks/bottlenecks.pdf	Computer Pros SIG Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 12-18-2020 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 07-28-2018 and Windows 10/ Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 08-01-2018
"Google accounts" and YouTube "..channels": To make the most effective use of a YouTube channel, you need to know the relationships between "Google accounts", Google "Brand accounts", and the two types of YouTube "channels". See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/Google/Google&YouTube.pdf	East-Central Ohio Technology Users Club on 01-17-2021 and Columbus Computer Society on 01-20-2021
Our how-to advice on cloning Solid State Drives (SSDs) for desktop "Windows.." computers can be found at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/harddrives/SSDs/SSD-cloning.pdf "M.2 NVMe PCIe" Solid State Drives (SSDs) bring a 3 to 5-fold increase to hard drive reads and writes relative to legacy 2.5-in SATA SSDs at only about a 50 percent increase in price. Our how-to explanation for these revolutionary SSDs can be found at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/harddrives/SSDs/SSDs.pdf	Windows../ Hardware segment of the General Meeting of of the Tucson Computer Society on 01-18-2021 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 06-06-2018 and 03-07-2018 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on Feb. 24, 2018
In "Windows 10..", Microsoft has gradually "deprecated" the ability for you to use "netplwiz" or "control userpasswords2" or "regedit" to make "Windows 10." log in automatically. At the present time, the only reliable way to make "Windows 10.." log in in automatically during a power-on bootup or a restart is to use Microsoft's "Autologon" utility which can be obtained at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/autologon	Windows../ Hardware segment of the General Meeting of of the Tucson Computer Society on 01-18-2021 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 06-06-2018 and 03-07-2018 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on Feb. 24, 2018
Using the free "Google Duo" app to communicate between any two devices: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/GoogleDuo/GoogleDuo.pdf	Computer Pros SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 12-18-2019
CLOUD STORAGE SERVICES is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cloudstorage/cloudstorage.pdf USING THE "GOOGLE DRIVE" CLOUD STORAGE SERVICE is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cloudstorage/GoogleDrive.pdf USING THE "ONEDRIVE" CLOUD STORAGE SERVICE is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cloudstorage/OneDrive.pdf USING THE "DROPBOX" CLOUD STORAGE SERVICE is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cloudstorage/Dropbox.pdf USING THE "BOX" CLOUD STORAGE SERVICE is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cloudstorage/Box.pdf USING THE "SYNC.COM" CLOUD STORAGE SERVICE is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cloudstorage/Sync.com.pdf The "uninstaller" wizards that are bundled with most "Desktop apps" (that "Programs and Features" in the Control Panel utilizes to remove software) leave all sorts of junk in both your Registry of "Windows.." and on your C: hard drive: To do a really clean uninstall of a "desktop app" or a "Universal Windows Platform app" in a "Windows.." computer, use the free "Revo Uninstaller Portable" program. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/uninstaller/RevoUninstallerPortable.pdf	Meetings of the PC Community Computer Users Group at Hayward in California, USA on 01-08-2021 and 07-16-2019 and General Meeting of Wisconsin All-computer Users Club of Milwaukee on 09-03-2020 and Meeting of the Under the Computer Hood Users Group on 08-05-2020 and Four Seasons Computer and Technology Club in Beaumont, California on 05-12-2020 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 05-21-2020 and Meeting of the Villages Computer Club at Lynx Creek at Dewey, AZ on 07-16-2019 and General Meeting of the Sarasota Technology Users Group on 07-10-2019 and General Meeting of the Sun City Shadow Hills Computer Club on 03-04-2016 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 03-08-2016
LEARNING RESOURCES FOR SENIORS by Hewie Poplock See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/2020-12-21/LearningResourcesForSeniorsTucsonComputerSociety.pdf and http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/2020-12-21/LearningResourcesforTucsonComputerSociety.pdf A "YouTube" video recording of this presentation is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbBxJPcnYl4	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 12-21-2019
Using a "Homesoap" ultraviolet device to disinfect your possibly-contaminated devices and money: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/Disinfecting/Homesoap.pdf	Window 10 / Hardware SIG Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 04-23-2019
Image Backups of Hard Drives in "Windows.." Computers Our objective advice about image backups and restores for internal hard drives of Windows.. computers is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/software/utils/image-backup/image-backup.pdf The Truth About Microsoft's Bundled "System Image Backup" Microsoft's bundled "System Image Backup" works wonderfully well for "Windows 10.." and "Windows 7.." but it is horrible for Windows 10.." and "..8..". Drive image backups and restores using third party software also have a high rate of failure so here are some alternative strategies for dealing with these unfortunate annoyances: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/software/utils/image-backup/ System-Image-Backup-deprecated.pdf You can use the free "Macrium Reflect Free" program to make "hard drive backup images" which can then be used at a future time to do "bare metal restores" of the internal hard hard drive of a Windows.. computer Our step-by-step instructions are available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/software/utils/MacriumReflectFree.pdf	Window 10 / Hardware SIG Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 04-23-2019
Free Photo Editing Apps for "Windows..", "macOS", "iOS", "iPadOS", "Android", and "..Linux.." are described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/photoedit/photoediting-free-basics.pdf Adjustments for Improving Digital Photos is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/photoedit/photoedit-adjustments.pdf Photo Editing Apps: A Rigorous Evaluation Process" is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/photoedit/photoedit-eval.pdf Photo Editing Apps for "Windows..": A Capabilities Comparison is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/photoedit/photoedit-free-Win10-compare.pdf Microsoft's "Photos" App can be used without cost since it is bundled in any "Windows 10.." computer as described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/photoedit/Photos-app-in-Win10.pdf Google's "Google Photos" can be used without cost in any "Windows 10" computer as described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/photoedit/GooglePhotos.pdf FREE "GOOGLE PHOTOS" TRAINING ON SAT. NOV. 7 Sign up to reserve a virtual seat at this online "Zoom" training session now. Go to https://apcug2.org/apcugs-free-2020-fall-virtual-technology-conference-vtc38/ OR if you cannot attend this session on Saturday, you can view the (future) video of this training session when I publish it at http://youtube.com/fchao2 or a few weeks later at when we publish it at http://youtube.com/apcugvideos Adobe's "Adobe Photoshop Express" can be used without cost in any "Windows 10" computer as described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/photoedit/AdobePhotoshopExpress.pdf "IrfanView" is a very useful free program as described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/photoedit/Irfanview.pdf "GIMP" is a very powerful program that is also free as described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/photoedit/GIMP.pdf Creating JPG Photo Files versus Creating RAW Photo Files is described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/photoedit/photoedit-jpg-vs-raw.pdf "Adobe Photoshop Elements 2020" is a very powerful program that is not free as described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/photoedit/AdobePhotoshopElements.pdf	General Meeting of Wisconsin All-computer Users Club of Milwaukee on 11-05-2020
The "Macally Silent Mouse" is the quietest wired mouse that we have ever used: See https://www.amazon.com/Macally-Windows-Desktop-Computer-Compact/dp/B07HGSKRMG?ref_=ast_sto_dp Use multiple routers to protect your home or small business network against the security vulnerabilities of "Internet of Things" ("IoT") devices: For a level of security that is better than a single router, use three routers as follows: Router 1 = "Border router" connects to the Internet provider. Router 2 = "IoT router" is used to connect to cloud-connected security cameras, cloud-connected motion detection devices, smart refrigerators, smart TVs, video doorbells, smart thermostats, cloud-based voice-operated assistants, etc. Router 3 = "Trusted router" is used to connect to your most-secure computers, Network-Attached Storage devices, home servers, etc. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/routers/routers-2plus.pdf For advice on configuring routers, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/routers/routers-configuring.pdf	Meeting of the Winners WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on June 23, 2018 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 08-01-2018
USB-C USB-C ports started showing up in computers about 4 years ago. A "USB-C" port is an ovoid rectangle that is about one quarter the size of a USB 3 Type A port. However, it is actually a USB 2 port, a USB 3.1 port, a Thunderbolt 3 port, an HDMI port, an audio port, a Displayport port, a charging-only port or any combination of the previously-listed port types. The exact capabilities of any specific USB-C port in any specific computer that you buy will be determined by the manufacturer of the computer. These wonderful new features or horrible complexities (depending on your point of view) are explained at http://www.aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/USB3/USB-C.pdf USB-C's "Audio Adapter Accessory Mode": USB-C's "Audio Adapter Accessory Mode" allows USB-C ports to accept audio signals from wired headsets that have TRS plugs or a TRRS plug when an "Audio Adapter Accessory Mode" converter is used to connect the TRS/TRRS plug(s) of the analog headset to the host's USB-C port. This capability is used on some of the less-expensive Android cell phones. This analog signal mode for USB-C is explained at http://www.aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/USB3/USB-C-AudioAdapterAccMode.pdf Thunderbolt 3 devices are not always plug-and-play: You sometimes have to fire up the "Thunderbolt" app in a computer and click on a problematic "Thunderbolt" device to turn it on. If you do not know this, you might get the impression that a newly-inserted Thunderbolt 3 device is defective. For step-by-step instructions on how to jump-start a problematic Thunderbolt 3 device, please see http://www.aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/USB3/Thunderbolt3fix.pdf "USB4" devices are about to appear: USB4 ports and cables will start showing up in computers, cell phones, and tablets at the end of 2020. USB4 has the following two mandatory speeds for hosts, hubs, and peripheral devices: 20 Gbits/sec and a fall-back USB 2.0 default of 480 Mbits/sec For details, see http://www.aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/USB3/USB4.pdf	Meeting of the Under the Computer Hood Users Group on 08-05-2020 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 09-06-2017
BACKGROUND CHECKS USING THE INTERNET is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/background-checks/background-checks.pdf: The Web of the Internet is now a wonderful way to do background research on people. However the various Web sites that do these checks are fraught with attempts to trick you into spending more money than you had planned to spend! Many of the background-checking services on the Web block your access to them by using either aggressive pop-up ads and/or "pay walls", For some of these Web sites, you can block their pop-up ads and some of their "pay walls" by using the free pop-up and ad blocker in the "Opera" Web browser. Our step-by-step instructions for installing the "Opera" Web browser and activating it's free pop-up and ad blocker are located at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/background-checks/Opera-install.pdf: OUR ADVICE ON BACKGROUND CHECKS FOR LANDLORDS AND PROPERTY MANAGERS WHO ARE RENTING OR LEASING REAL ESTATE PROPERTY is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/background-checks/background-checks-landlord.pdf:	General Meeting of Wisconsin All-computer Users Club of Milwaukee on 07-2-2020 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 11-21-2019
Video Editing Apps: Basic Information for a "Windows.." Computer is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/videoedit/videoedit-basics.pdf Video Editing Apps: A Rigorous Evaluation Process" is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/videoedit/video-edit-eval.pdf Media Files For Testing Video Editing Apps are described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/videoedit/videoedit-media-files.pdf The actual media files that we used are available as a ZIP file at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/videoedit/SampleMediaFiles.zip Microsoft's Bundled "Video Editor" App can be used without cost in any "Windows 10" computer as described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/videoedit/Video-Editor-app-in-Win10.pdf NCH's "Videopad" app is a very powerful program that is free for non-commercial home use as described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/videoedit/VideoPad.pdf "Adobe Premiere Elements 2020" is a very powerful program that is not free as described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/videoedit/AdobePremiereElements.pdf	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 02-17-2020
An detailed overview of FREE SOFTWARE FOR A "WINDOWS.." COMPUTER is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/software/software-free.pdf An detailed description of the FOUR TYPES OF APPS IN A "WINDOWS.." COMPUTER is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/software/program-types-win.pdf:	General Meeting of the Rochester Computer Society on 11-12-2019
Maintaining and Repairing Hard Drives for "Windows.." Computers: When confronted with hard drive problems, you should perform low-risk, less invasive procedures first, followed by increasingly aggressive, higher risk procedures. As you perform these increasingly invasive procedures, you will either repair the hard drive and return it to service or at some point you might decide that it is beyond economical repair: Soft Repairs for Hard Drives in Windows.. Computers Always Click on "Cancel" when an "Initialize Disk" box pops up (unless you have just attached an unformatted hard drive or USB flash drive device to your computer) Maintenance and Repair Strategy "Error-checking" in "Windows.." to Resolve Bad Clusters "Soft Repairs" with Utilities in Linux Data Recovery with Utilities in Linux Recovering Data Files From Failed Hard Drives: If the above procedures fail to restore the hard drive and the hard drive has data that you or the end-user deem worth spending one to five thousand dollars to recover, you can obtain professional data recovery assistance which is the most expensive option for recovering data files from a failed hard drives. This data recovery option involves the shipping of the hard drive to a clean room operation where they open it up, read each platter in specialized equipment. Then they use their proprietary computers to reconstruct the data files on the hard drive. Then they ship the recovered data back to you on external hard drives or DVD-R discs. See: Surviving a home data disaster: How Shirley got her files back and Driversavers, a cleanroom service for recovering data from failed hard drives Our Tucson Computer Society member Harry Elver can can provide you with the "Drivesavers" services at a discount! See also http://www.repairtucsoncomputer.com/data-recovery-tucson/data-recovery-tucson.html and http://www.datarecovery.net/ and Arizona Data Recovery Differing Capabilities of Different Distros of Linux Repairing a Corrupted Recycle Bin in "Windows.." Radical "Surgery" to Extend the Life of Failed Hard Drives: If you are unable to recover the data files from a failed hard drive and it's platters are still spinning, you can sometimes use "Disk Management" in "Windows" to create partitions to "block out" the bad sections of the hard drive, in order to extend the userful life of the hard drive. See Perform Radical Surgery on a Hard Drive in Order to Extend Its Useful Service Life	Windows 10 / Hardware SIG Meeting on 09-04-2019
10: STREAMING MEDIA: BASICS, CAPTURE, AND SCREEN RECORDING is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/10-streaming_basics.pdf 11: LEGAL ISSUES OF MEDIA CAPTURE AND SCREEN RECORDING OF STREAMING MEDIA is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/11-streaming-legal_issues.pdf 12: ENDLESS STREAMING MEDIA is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/12-streaming-endless.pdf 13: SINGLE FILE STREAMING is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/13-streaming_single_file.pdf 14: STREAMING SEQUENTIAL CHUNKS is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/14-streaming_chunks.pdf 20: MEDIA CAPTURE (AT THE NETWORK STACK) is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/20-media_capture.pdf 21: "TORTURE TEST" FOR "MEDIA CAPTURE" SOFTWARE is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/21-media_capture_test.pdf 31: "SCREEN RECORDING" WHEN "MEDIA CAPTURE" IS BLOCKED" is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/31-screen_recording.pdf 41: "MEDIA CAPTURE" VERSUS "SCREEN RECORDING" is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/41-media_capture_vs_screen_recording.pdf 101: "REPLAY CAPTURE SUITE" PROGRAMS is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/101-ReplayCaptureSuite-progs.pdf 102: "APPLIAN DIRECTOR" is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/102-ApplianDirector.pdf 103: "REPLAY MEDIA CATCHER" --OVERVIEW is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/103-ReplayMediaCatcher-overview.pdf 104: USING "STREAM DOWNLOADER" IN "REPLAY MEDIA CATCHER" FOR "MEDIA CAPTURE" is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/104-ReplayMediaCatcher-media_capture.pdf 105: USING "DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDER" IN "REPLAY MEDIA CATCHER" FOR LIMITED "SCREEN RECORDING"" is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/105-ReplayMediaCatcher-screen_record.pdf 106: "REPLAY VIDEO CAPTURE" FOR FULL-FEATURED "SCREEN RECORDING" is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/106-ReplayVideoCapture.pdf 107: REPLAY MUSIC is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/107-ReplayMusic.pdf 108: REPLAY RADIO is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/108-ReplayRadio.pdf 108A: REPLAY RADIO --STRUGGLES is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/108A-ReplayRadio-struggles.pdf 109: VIDEO PADLOCK is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/109-VideoPadlock.pdf 110: REPLAY CONVERTER is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/110-ReplayConverter.pdf 111: REPLAY MEDIA SPLITTER is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/111-ReplayMediaSplitter.pdf 112: REPLAY TELECORDER is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/112-ReplayTelecorder.pdf 60: FREE ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMS INSTEAD OF THE "REPLAY CAPTURE SUITE" is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/60-Free_alt_software-instead-of-Replay.pdf 72: FREE "MEDIA CAPTURE" WITH THE "aTube Catcher" PROGRAM is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/72-free-media-capture-aTube.pdf 81: FREE "SCREEN RECORDING" WITH THE "iSpring Free Cam" PROGRAM is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/81-free-screen-record-iSpring.pdf 201: MacOS SCREEN RECORDING AND MEDIA CAPTURE is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/media/201-MacScreenRecordandMediaCapture.pdf	Meeting of Wisconsin All-computer Users Club of Milwaukee on 07-11-2019 and Meeting of CPUser Group of Pennsylvania on 06-11-2019 and Meeting of the Winners Windows Users of Irvine, California on 09-29-2018 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 09-05-2018
DATA PRESERVATION STRATEGIES: The stability and persistence of your data files and photo files is threatened by many vectors that arise from both human dishonesty and physical/chemical processes. You can mitigate these threats by means of various redundancy and diversity processes: Data Degradation Lots of Hype From Manufacturers 3-2-1 Mantra Is Inadequate But Helpful Redundancy and Diversity To The Rescue Hard Drive Imaging and Cloning by Third-Party Software "Storage Spaces" Mirroring A Rigorous Data Preservation Plan for a Small Business Three Ways to Back Up A Data Hard Drive For our advice on these topics, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/data-preservaton/data-preservation.pdf	Meetings of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Costa Mesa, California on 04-24-2019
Our successful adventure with the purchase and use of Low-Cost Copies of "Windows 10.." is described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/cheap/win10-cheap.pdf	Meetings of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 08-27-2016 and 02-20-2019 and future meeting of the Tucson Computer Society
Our how-to advice on Creating Custom "Start Menu" Items in "Windows 10" is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/win10-custom-start-menu-items.pdf Using a Trial Version of "Windows 10" for Free: There are two ways to try "Windows 10" for free: Method 1: Run the "Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation" and Method 2: Run a copy of "Windows 10" that is not activated. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/Win10-trial.pdf Using the Free "Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation": See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/win10enteval.pdf	Meetings of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 08-27-2016 and future meeting of the Tucson Computer Society
Our detailed step-by-step procedure for MERGING OR MIRRORING HARD DRIVES IN A "WINDOWS 10" OR "WINDOWS 8.1" COMPUTER is located at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/harddrives/organize/hard-drives-organize-win10and8.pdf Our detailed step-by-step procedure for MERGING OR MIRRORING HARD DRIVES IN A "WINDOWS 7"COMPUTER is located at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/harddrives/organize/hard-drives-organize-win7.pdf	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Costa Mesa, California, U.S.A on 01-23-2019 and Window 10 / Hardware SIG Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 02-06-2019
Our detailed step-by-step procedure for FREEING UP SPACE ON THE C: DRIVE OF A "WINDOWS.." COMPUTER is located at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/harddrives/free-up-C-drive.pdf	Window 10 / Hardware SIG Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 02-06-2019
Here are some rigorous, logically-ordered procedures for speeding up any "Windows.." computer: Speeding Up Windows 10" is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/speedupWindows/win10speedup.pdf Additional detailed step-by-step advice for speeding up a "Windows 10.." computer is available at https://www.itpro.co.uk/operating-systems/26138/how-to-speed-up-windows-10 and https://www.thewindowsclub.com/which-windows-10-services-safe-to-disable and https://www.freshtechtips.com/2019/04/disable-unnecessary-services-in-windows.html and https://www.askvg.com/beginners-guide-to-configure-windows-10-services/ and http://www.pcerror-fix.com/windows-10-services-to-disable-for-gaming "Speeding Up Windows 8 and Windows 8.1" is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/speedupWindows/win8speedup.pdf "Speeding Up Windows 7" is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/speedupWindows/win7speedup.pdf "Speeding Up Windows Vista" is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/speedupWindows/vistaspeedup.pdf "Speeding Up Windows XP" is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/speedupWindows/xp_speedup.pdf In addition to the above version-specific procedures, the following procedure applies to any "Windows.." computer: "Turn Off Startup Programs to Speed Up Your Windows Computer" is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/speedupWindows/startup_programs.pdf Here is an old trick from the world of servers that lets you improve the speed and reliability of any version of the "Windows.." operating system: Supersize The Swap File To Get More Speed and Reliability from "Windows.." is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/speedupWindows/supersize_swapfile.pdf	Meetings of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Costa Mesa, California, U.S.A on 12-12-2018 and 10-31-2015 and 06-28-2014 and General Meeting of the Lake Monticello Computer Users Group (LMCUG) on 01-10-2013 and General Meetings of the PC Rams Computer Society on 04-11-2012 and 03-14-2012 and General Meeting of the Boca Raton Computer Society on 12-21-2011 and Windows 8 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 01-04-2012
USEFUL FREE "WINDOWS.." UTILITIES There are lots of free and not-free utility software programs that you can use to prevent and resolve problems that might develop with a Windows.. computer. For our tutorial about the most useful bundled and free third-party utility programs please see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/software/utils/utility_programs-win.pdf Most "Windows.." computers arrive bundled with all sorts of digital "shovelware" that takes up space on your computer's hard drive and registry. To remove most of this digital junk, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/uninstaller/removing-unwanted-software.pdf There three types of software programs that can reside inside a Windows.. computer: desktop apps, "Universal Windows Platform" apps, and portable apps. For details about this, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/software/program-types-win.pdf The "uninstaller" wizards that are bundled with most "Desktop apps" (that "Programs and Features" in the Control Panel utilizes to remove software) leave all sorts of junk in both your Registry of "Windows.." and on your C: hard drive. To do a really clean uninstall of a "desktop app" in Windows.., use the free "Revo Uninstaller Portable" program. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/uninstaller/RevoUninstallerPortable.pdf When you are upgrading or installing software programs, software companies often attempt to surrepticiously sneak unwanted additional software programs and non-optimal settings into your "Windows.." computer. You should "just say no" to these "ride along" changes to your computer, as shown in http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/uninstaller/avoiding-unwanted-software.pdf	Meetings of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Costa Mesa, California, U.S.A on 10-24-2018 and 10-31-2015 and 06-28-2014 and General Meeting of the Lake Monticello Computer Users Group (LMCUG) on 01-10-2013 and General Meetings of the PC Rams Computer Society on 04-11-2012 and 03-14-2012 and General Meeting of the Boca Raton Computer Society on 12-21-2011 and Windows 8 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 01-04-2012
Windows 10's "Snip & Sketch" will eventually replace Windows 10's "Snipping Tool" and this improved, bundled utility program is described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/software/utils/SnipAndSketch.pdf Our how-to advice on ANALYZING AND REPAIRING MINOR PROBLEMS IN A "WINDOWS.." COMPUTER is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/hardware/hardware-problems-minor.pdf Our how-to advice on ACCESSING THE UEFI CONFIGURATION SCREENS OF A "WINDOWS.." COMPUTER is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/hardware/UEFIviaWin10.pdf Our how-to advice on LAPTOP COOLING WITH EXTERNAL FAN DEVICES is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/hardware/laptop-cooling.pdf Our how-to advice on USING USB 3.X AND THUNDERBOLT HUBS TO SUPPLEMENT THE USB 3.X AND THUNDERBOLT PORTS FOR A LAPTOP is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/hardware/USB-laptop-config.pdf Our how-to advice on Using External Parts to Repair or Improve A Computer is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/external-parts/external-parts.pdf Our how-to advice on Using External USB Sound Cards to Repair or Improve A Computer is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/external-parts/external-parts-sound.pdf Our how-to advice on Using External USB Gigabit Ethernet Network Adapters to Repair or Improve A Computer is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/external-parts/external-parts-Ethernet.pdf Our how-to advice on Using External USB Wi-Fi Network Adapters to Repair or Improve A Computer is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/external-parts/external-parts-Wi-Fi.pdf Using A HDMI-to-VGA Adapter to Connect an Old VGA Monitor to the HDMI Port of a Computer is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/external-parts/HDMI-to-VGA.pdf You can add an HDMI, DVI, or VGA port and a separate stand-alone monitor to a "Windows.." or "MacBook" laptop as a quick, low-cost workaround for a failed or broken laptop monitor as described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/external-parts/HDMI-DVI-VGA-add.pdf Our how-to advice on REPLACING A FAILED DVD DRIVE IN A LENOVO THINKPAD is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/hardware/DVD-UJ8FBS.pdf Our how-to advice on PROCURING AND INSTALLING AN EXTERNAL "USB 3" DVD DRIVE TO AVOID HAVING TO REPLACE A FAILED INTERNAL DVD DRIVE FOR A LAPTOP COMPUTER is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/external-parts/DVD-USB3-add.pdf	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Costa Mesa, California, USA on 11-28-2018 and 04-29-2017 and 08-27-2016 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 12-05-2018
Intel Versus AMD CPU Wars is located at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/cpus/CPU-wars.pdf Windows 10's "Snip & Sketch" will soon replace Windows 10's "Snipping Tool" and this improved, bundled utility program is described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/software/utils/SnipAndSketch.pdf	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 11-19-2018
We have discovered that you can build a much more reliable "external hard drive" by buying and the assembling the following parts, which are sold separately. If you "home brew" your own external hard drives, you will also save money relative to the cost of buying either an external hard drive enclosure or buying an external hard drive. Here are the parts that you need to buy: An internal SATA hard drive, a fan assembly that bolts onto the internal SATA hard drive, and a SATA-to-USB 3.x adapter. Our how-to instructions for "growing your own" external hard drives or external hard drive enclosures can be found at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/harddrives/external/external-hard-drives.pdf When they break, most external USB hard drives can be repaired or recovered from if you follow the brilliant technical advice at https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6121 When a part inside an external hard drive or an external SSD breaks, you can save money and end up with a more reliable device if you substitute quality third-party parts as described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/harddrives/external/Parts-for-external.pdf You can use the free and non-intrusive "CrystalDiskInfoPortable" to check the S.M.A.R.T. readings for most internal and external hard drives as described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/harddrives/CrystalDiskInfoPortable.pdf	Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 09-05-2018 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 04-28-2018
If you purchase or build an external USB or SATA or eSATA hard drive: you can use the same external USB hard drive in two ways at the same time: First, you can use free software to store "backup drive images" on the external hard drive and secondly, you can use the external USB hard drive to store important data files in their regular native format. You can use the free and non-intrusive "CrystalDiskInfoPortable" to check the S.M.A.R.T. readings for most internal and external hard drives as described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/harddrives/CrystalDiskInfoPortable.pdf Wi-Fi 6 versus Wi-Fi 5 versus Gigabit Ethernet: http://aztcs/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/Wi-Fi6versusWi-Fi5versusGigEnet.pdf Measuring Wi-Fi Coverage and Speeds in Your Local Network: To download and install the free "NetSpot Free Edition" for a "Windows" or "MacOS" computer, use a Web browser to go to http://www.netspotapp.com/netspotpro.html Then scroll or page-down to get to the free edition of "Netspot..s". To download and install the free "Acrylic WiFi Home" analysis program for a "Windows.." computer, use a Web browser to go to https://www.acrylicwifi.com/descargas-versiones-gratuitas-programas-software-herramientas -wifi/descargar-escaner-wifi-gratis-para-windows/ The "Tarlogic" company is located in Spain. If and when your Web browser displays a "Translate" button, click on it to convert the Spanish text in the Web page into English. If this does not happen, click on "EN" in the upper-right corner to convert the page content to English. Scroll or page down. Then click on the "Try it for free" button. To get a more complete picture of your Wi-Fi environment in a "Windows.." computer, you can use both the free "Acrylic WiFi Home" program AND the free "Netspot" program. However, do not use both programs at the same time. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/Wi-Fi/Wi-Fi-advice.pdf Using the free "Speedtest.net" apps or Website to measure Internet Speeds To Remediate Bottlenecks In Your Local Network: Your broadband Internet download and upload speeds will usually be much slower than the speeds at which the network devices on your local network run at. However, many home and business networks have old, tired network components that bottleneck your actual Internet speeds below what the Internet provider is providing at the broadband modem at the Internet "point of entry" . To prevent the components of your local network (routers, switches, powerline links, etc.) from bottlenecking the Internet bandwidth that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) provides you, measure the Internet bandwidth speeds and the local area network speeds at various locations in your Local Area Network (LAN) as described in http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/bottlenecks/bottlenecks.pdf Getting into the UEFI configuration screens in "Windows 10": Two ways to get into the UEFI configuration screens in "Windows 10": METHOD ONE: Use the computer manufacturer's proprietary key sequence during the power up of the computer. METHOD TWO: Use the buttons inside the "Settings" function inside "Windows 10.." as follows: Use the left mouse button to click on the "Start button". The "Start Menu" will show up. Click on the "Settings" icon. (It looks like a gear wheel.) Click on "Update & Security". Click on "Recovery". Click on "Advanced startup". Click on the "Restart now" button. Click on "Troubleshoot--Reset your PC or see advanced options". Click on "Advanced options". Click on "UEFI Firmware Settings". Click on "Restart".	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 07-28-2018 and Windows 10/ Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 08-01-2018
Free Online Training for "Windows.." Computers: Hundreds of hours of free training and technical advice can be obtained online with an Internet-connected "Windows" computer. The online training is almost as good as training in a traditional classroom setting. Most computer users get the best training experience by combining instructor-led classroom training and online self-directed training since the two modes of training reinforce each other. To access our categorized folders of training hyperlinks, please follow the instructions at http://aztcs.apcug.org/training/training.pdf for access our archive which is actually located at https://www.box.com/shared/ff0p9m41h0 Free Online Training for Apple "MacOS" Computers: Dozens of hours of free training and technical advice can be obtained online with an Internet-connected "MacOS" computer. The online training is almost as good as training in a traditional classroom setting. Most computer users get the best training experience by combining instructor-led classroom training and online self-directed training since the two modes of training reinforce each other. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/apple/apple.htm	Meeting of the Seniors Computer Group of San Diego on 09-15-2018 and Joint Meeting of the Potomac Area Technology and Computer Society and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute Computer User Group on 01-19-2013
Our lessons-learned advice about TELEVISION ANTENNA SECRETS is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/add-ons/TV/Antenna-secrets.pdf You can use both antenna gain and amplifier gain to increase the number of television channels that you receive over-the-air. To prevent a pre-amplifier from causing the stronger television stations from overloading your television set, you can insert an attenuator between the antenna and the pre-amplifier. Our update on the current models of HAUPPAUGE OVER-THE-AIR USB TV TUNERS is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/add-ons/TV/Hauppauge-tuners.pdf Our detailed advice about Over-the-air reception of ATSC television channels is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/add-ons/TV/ATSC-OTA.pdf	Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 09-05-2018 and Meetings of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 04-30-2016 and 03-26-2016
Improving the Speed, Reliability, and/or Area Coverage of Your Wireless Wi-Fi Connection: Upgrade from 802.11n to 802.11ax: 802.11ax has Multiple User-Multiple In-Multiple Out and Beam Forming while 802.11n only has Single Users-Multiple In-Multiple Out so you should replace or add a 802.11ax-capable router or Wi-Fi extender to your home or small business network. You can replace the old, worn-out Wi-Fi adapter in your desktop or laptop computer to increase 802.11ax data throughput by following our advice at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/Wi-Fi/Wi-Fi-adapters To analyze and resolve Wi-Fi problems, you can install free Wi-Fi software into your "Windows.." or Mac "OS X" computer. Then you can use these software programs to view numerical and graphical information in order to modify your Wi-Fi settings. To download and install the free "Acrylic WiFi Home" analysis program for a "Windows.." computer, use a Web browser to go to https://www.acrylicwifi.com/descargas-versiones-gratuitas-programas-software-herramientas-wifi/ descargar-escaner-wifi-gratis-para-windows/ The "Tarlogic" company is located in Spain. If and when your Web browser displays a "Translate" button, click on it to convert the Spanish text in the Web page into English. If this does not happen, click on "EN" in the upper-right corner to convert the page content to English. Scroll or page down. Then click on the "Try it for free" button. To download and install the free "NetSpot Free Edition" for a "Windows" or "MacOS" computer, use a Web browserto go to http://www.netspotapp.com/netspotpro.html Then scroll or page-down to get to the free edition of "Netspot..s". To get a more complete picture of your Wi-Fi environment in a "Windows.." computer, you can use both the free "Acrylic WiFi Home" program AND the free "Netspot" program. However, do not use both programs at the same time. See also http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/Wi-Fi/Wi-Fi-advice.pdf Measuring Network Speeds To Remediate Bottlenecks In Your Local Network: To prevent the components of your local network (routers, switches, powerline links, etc.) from bottlenecking the Internet bandwidth that your Internet Service Provider (ISP) provides you, measure the Internet bandwidth speeds and the local area network speeds at various locations in your Local Area Network (LAN) as described in http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/bottlenecks/bottlenecks.pdf	Meeting of the Winners WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on June 23, 2018 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 08-01-2018
Wireless Video Doorbells are the fastest growing sub-segment of the nascent "Internet of Things" (IoT) product lines See http://bestdoorbellcamera.com/ http://www.doorbellhome.org/skybell-hd-vs-ring-doorbell-pro-vs-august-doorbell-cam/ http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-smart-doorbell-camera/ https://wiki.ezvid.com/best-wireless-doorbells http://www.toptenreviews.com/home/smart-home/best-video-doorbells/ http://www.doorbellreview.com/ http://www.techlicious.com/guide/best-video-doorbell-cameras/ https://www.cnet.com/products/august-doorbell-cam/ Guidelines For Wireless "Internet of Things" (IoT) Devices Most wireless devices such as video doorbells depend on the speed and radio frequency signal strength of the wireless network that they communicate to so you need to have a later model wireless router that has the following features: 802.11ax Wi-Fi (instead of the old 802.11n Wi-Fi standard), with MIMO (Multiple In-Multiple Out), and beam forming. No wireless video doorbell will work well without a wireless router that has the above three features. The electricians who install your video doorbell may not consider it to be their responsibility to help ou upgrade your home router to one that has these state-of-the-art features but really good, knowledgeable electricians would tell you about the need for these features. If you house is reasonably well-built and there are well-built walls or ceilings for your wireless router's signal to penetrate, you might need to install a "wireless extender" to get strong enough or fast enough of a radio frequency signal to your video doorbell: There are three kinds of wireless extender installation configurations: Configuration 1: Wireless extender repeats the radio signal from the wireless router. Configuration 2: Wireless extender is connected to the wireless router by means of a Category 5/5e/6/7 cable. Configuration 3: Wireless extender is connected to the wireless router by means of a "Multimedia Over Coax Alliance" (MOCA) link using existing coaxial cabling in your house. "If This Then That" (IFTTT) makes "IoT" devices more usesful by putting in helpful logic into IoT Devices. For example, if you have a wireless recording camera that records detected motion, you can make it only record when you are more than 100 feet away from your home: Your wireless recording cameras would communicate with a location app inside your cell phone and your cell phone would constantly report your GPS coordinates to your wireless recording cameras.	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 09-24-2016 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 03-02-2015
Some of our tricks for connecting hard drives to Windows.. and Linux computers are shown at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/harddrives/tricks/harddrivetricks.pdf	Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 04-04-2018
Most power supplies in Windows and Linux desktop computers conform to or are close to adhering to Intel's ATX and ATX 12V standards. For our advice on replacing ATX.. power supplies, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/ATX/ATX-PS.pdf	Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 03-07-2018 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on Feb. 24, 2018 and
For our advice on how you can fix "Windows Update" in a "Windows 7" computer, See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/WindowsUpdate/Win7UpdateFix.pdf For our advice on how you can fix "Windows Update" in a "Windows 10" computer, See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/WindowsUpdate/Win10UpdateFix.pdf For our advice on how you can fix "Windows Update" in a "Windows 8.1" computer, See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/WindowsUpdate/Win8.1UpdateFix.pdf	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 01-27-2018 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 02-07-2018
Testing Malware and Malware Defenses: Do not use a production computer. Make a throwaway copy of a virtual machine that has the same operating system as your production computer. Use this throwaway virtual machine for your testing of the suspected malware Disconnect the default virtual "Network Address Translation" router from the test virtual machine. Attach a USB Gigabit Ethernet or Wi-Fi network adapter to your real, host computer. Connect the USB Gigabit Ethernet or Wi-Fi network adapter to the less secure "DMZ" router in a two or three router network configuration. Start the test virtual machine. Connect the test virtual machine to the USB Gigabit Ethernet or Wi-Fi network adapter. Play the devils advocate and launch the malware or the suspected malevolent Web site. See if the computer gets infected. If the computer gets infected, see if you can remove the infection with online scanners listed at "How do I get rid of malware?" at https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/troubleshoot-firefox-issues-caused-malware?cache=no Super Secure Web Surfing with a Virtual Machine and a Two-Router "DMZ" Configuration At Your Home or Business: SECURE WEB ACCESS WITH A "VMWARE" VIRTUAL MACHINE AND A TWO-ROUTER "DE-MILITARIZED ZONE" (DMZ)	Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 11-01-2017 and 04-05-2017
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM IDENTITY THEFT: Judy Taylour's presentation is available at http://apcug2.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Protecting_Yourself_Yourself_SecurityVTC_Taylour.pdf A YouTube video of Judy Taylour's presentation is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTEw307D2uo Hewie Poplock's presentation is available at http://apcug2.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/ID_Theft_How_to_Avoid_It_HewiePoplock_SecurityVTC.pdf The United States' Federal government information resource for identity theft is located at https://www.usa.gov/identity-theft Data Breaches-A Recurring Cybersecurity Problem Data breaches occur in large and small sizes: A large data breach means the private data for millions of people are obtained. A small data breach means that the private data for one or a few or a few hundred people are obtained. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_breach Security Lapses of Email Providers: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/email/email-security-lapses.pdf Identifying and Managing Suspicious Email Messages See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/email/email-suspicious.pdf To check out suspicious buttons and hyperlinks at Web sites and in email to see the URL that the button or hyperlink is trying to take you to. You might have to turn on the bottom status bar and/or maximize the browser or email Window in order to see the bottom status bar. Use the "Task Manager" in "Windows.." to close down a stuck or suspicious browser display by either pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc or right-clicking on unused space on the Task Bar and then selecting "Task Manager". Use the "Force Quit" function in MacOS by pressing Command + Option + Esc in MacOS to close down a stuck or suspicious browser display.	Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 09-06-2017 and 04-05-2017
Email Basics Email--Advanced Techniques "Google Takeout" Website Allows You to Download All of Your Gmail Into a Single Mbox File Client Email Programs--UWP Apps versus Legacy Programs Email--Verizon's Acquisitions of AOL and Yahoo!Mail Security Lapses of Email Providers Accessing Apple's iCloud Email from an Email Client Program Inside a "Windows.." Computer Accessing "Yahoo!Mail" From An Email Client Program Inside A "Windows.." Computer Saving Email Locally On The Hard Drive of Your Computer "Litmus Email Analytics" Gathers Market Share Usage Statistics For End-user Software, End-user Hardware, and Email Providers Server Farms of Email Service Providers Sending an email to a cell phone via SMS or MMS Identifying and Managing Suspicious Email Messages	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 08-26-2017 and Main Meeting of the North Orange County Computer Club on 08-06-2017 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 08-02-2017
For our advice on how you can silence your noisy computer, See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/computer-noise/computer-noise.pdf	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 05-27-2017 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 06-07-2017
Senate Joint Resolution 34 On April 3, 2017, President Trump signed Senate Joint Resolution 34 to repeal some Internet privacy regulations for Internet Service Providers that had previously been proposed by the Federal Communications Commission back on December 2, 2017. The net result of this new law is to permit Internet Service Providers to monitor and sell information on the activities of their customers. At the present time, no Internet Service Providers are openly engaging in these activities. Comcast claims that they will never do so. The intentions of other Internet Service Providers are not known. Free VPN Service from "Opera Software" ("VPN" = "Virtual Private Network") You can get free, unlimited VPN service by using the "Opera" Web browser. Their VPN service is provided without requiring you to get an account from either the Opera company or their "SurfEasy VPN" subsidiary. The "SurfEasy VPN" subsidiary of "Opera Software" is the provider of the VPN service that is bundled into the "Opera developer 41.0" program. To use this amazing free service, go to http://www.opera.com Then, click on the "Download now" button to download the "OperaSetup.exe" file. Then double-click on the "OperaSetup.exe" file to start the installation process. Locate the "Opera" icon on the Windows desktop and double-click on it. Click on the "Opera" icon in the upper-right corner of the "Opera" window. Click on "Settings" in the pop-up utlity menu. Click on "Privacy & security". Place a checkmark in the box next to "Enable VPN". Click on the orange "VPN" icon that is located to the left of the URL address box. Click on the drop down list button that is to the right of "Optimal location". Select the location of the VPN server that you wish to connect to. As long as the "VPN" icon stays blue, any Web sites that you visit with the "Opera developer" browser will be secured by the VPN connection between your computer and the VPN server that is provided by "SurfEasy VPN" subsidiary of "Opera Software". However, any Internet downloads and uploads that you perform with other Web browser programs, FTP client programs, and command line utilties such as FTP, ping, etc. will not be protected by Opera's free VPN service, since their free VPN service is a bundled part of the "Opera developer" browser. Advantages and Disadvantages of the "Opera" Web browser: 1. Free, bundled VPN does not require a user log-in = No data gathering for advertisers. 2. Free VPN feature does not protect activities outside of the Opera Web browser such as other Web browsers, FTP access, etc. 3. Can block ads but the bundled ad blocker breaks parts of some Web sites. For Web sites such as http://gocomics.com, it works wonderfully and makes the Web site easier to use. For other Web sites such as some of the photo albums at http://cnn.com the Opera Web browser causes various buttons and features to fail. 4. "Turbo" feature of the Opera browser can speed up Web browsing but this feature is not compatible with the free VPN feature.	Windows 10/ Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 05-03-2017 anda Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 09-24-2016
The computer industry's "elegant solution" to secure remote access is called "Virtual Private Network" (VPN). Almost every medium-to-large sized company, government entity, and not-for-profit institution including educational institutions uses privately-created and privately-hosted VPNs to provide employees, students, and contractors with remote access to their internal and cloud-based computer resources. VPNs were originally intended to provide secure remote access into local area network resources such as servers, printers, and mainframes. This technology has been adapted for private computer users as "VPN services": "VPN services" give you an extra measure of security by protecting you from the more common hacks such as "man in the middle" spying, "Evil Twin" wireless access points, and WiFi over-the-air recordings with free tools such as "WireShark". "VPN services" reduce most of the risk of using public Internet access by encrypting the near end of the Internet connection-- where you first connect to a public Internet service. However, with the exception of the VPN that is part of the "Opera 40" Web browser, all "VPN services" reduce data throughput relative to what a "raw" Internet connection is capable of. The terms "VPNs" and "VPN Services" are often used interchangeably so you have to figure out from the context in which these terms are used to determine whether someone means the original VPN (which is a secure remote connection into a Local Area Network" or a "VPN Service" (which is a secure remote connection into the Internet which uses a local area network as an intermediary). Using Virtual Private Network (VPN) Services For Secure Public Internet Access And To Block Privacy Intrusions by Internet Providers Using the Free Version of the "Opera" Browser For Secure Public Internet Access Using the Free Version of "Hotspot Shield" For Secure Public Internet Access Web Sites For Testing Virtual Private Network Services: http://whatismyipaddress.com/ http://www.ip2location.com/ http://www.tracemyip.org/ http://showip.net/ http://www.iplocationfinder.com/ https://www.dnsleaktest.com/ https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2 Using VPN Services As Temporary Workarounds For Slow Broadband Internet Access: Sometimes you can use free VPN services as a temporary workaround for download and upload slowdowns in broadband Internet access: For example, Comcast cable modem Internet in the Tucson area was very slow on Friday August 9, 2013 through Saturday August 10 with download and upload speeds so slow that they are unmeasurable. When we used the free version of "Hotspot Shield" VPN , we obtained usable Internet download speeds above 20 Megabits per second and upload speeds above 1.5 Megabits per second (via our Comcast cable modems located in Tucson).	Windows 10/ Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 05-03-2017 and 10-05-2016 and 06-05-2013 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 09-24-2016 and 09-27-2014
World Maps that show in real time the light, dark, and twilight zones of the world are available as standalone programs and from various Web sites. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/clocks/geoclocks/geoclock_map.pdf	Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 04-05-2017
Simple techniques for making your "Windows.." computer easier to use are explained at http://www.aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win/easier/win-easier1.pdf A YouTube Video of the February 11, 2017 version of the above presentation is available at https://youtu.be/AbNTOcvkBNA More-advanced techniques for making your "Windows.." computer easier to use can be found at http://www.aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win/easier/win-easier2.pdf	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 02-25-2017 and Virtual Technology Conference 23 of the Association of PC User Groups (APCUG) on 02-11-2017 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 04-01-2015
USB 3.1 versus USB 2 versus SATA versus eSATA:	Meeting of the Under the Computer Hood Users Group on 02-01-2017 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 02-01-2017
Powershell in Windows.. Hard Drive Utilities Getting into the UEFI configuration screens in "Windows 10": Use the left mouse button to click on the "Start button". The "Start Menu" will show up. Click on the "Settings" icon. (It looks like a gear wheel.) Click on "Update & security". Click on "Recovery". Click on "Restart now". (It is in the "Advanced startup" section.) Clock on the Troubleshoot" button. Click on the "Advanced options" button. Click on "UEFI Firmware Settings" button. Click on the "Restart" button.	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 01-28-2017 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 02-01-2017
Our how-to documentation on "What to Do When Your Computer Will Not Boot--Part 1-The Basics" is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/will-not-boot/will-not-boot-part1.pdf Our how-to documentation on "What to Do When Your Computer Will Not Boot--Part 2-Using Bootable Devices" is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/will-not-boot/will-not-boot-part2.pdf Our advice on Using Free Rescue Disks To Remove Malware can be found at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/malwarecleanup/rescue_disks.pdf To use these free rescue CDs/DVDs/USB flash drives, you might have to configure the BIOS or UEFI of your "Windows.." computer so that it will boot up from one of these devices. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/BIOStoUEFI/BIOStoUEFI.pdf	Virtual Technology Conference 22 of the Association of PC User Groups (APCUG) on 11-05-2016 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 12-19-2015
Our how-to documentation on Computer Management in "Windows.." is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/computer-management/computer-management.pdf Here are some rigorous, logically-ordered procedures for speeding up any "Windows.." computer: "Speeding Up Windows XP" "Speeding Up Windows Vista" "Speeding Up Windows 7" "Speeding Up Windows 8 and Windows 8.1" Speeding Up Windows 10" In addition to the above version-specific procedures, the following procedure applies to any "Windows.." computer: "Turn Off Startup Programs to Speed Up Your Windows Computer" The advantages of "Physical Address Extension" are explained at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/aa366796(v=vs.85).aspx Supersize The Swap File To Get More Speed and Reliability from "Windows.." Benchmarking "Windows.." Computers for Free Remove The Unwanted Blue Highlight from Desktop Icon Text in Windows XP	Meetings of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 10-31-2015 and 06-28-2014 and General Meeting of the Lake Monticello Computer Users Group (LMCUG) on 01-10-2013 and General Meetings of the PC Rams Computer Society on 04-11-2012 and 03-14-2012 and General Meeting of the Boca Raton Computer Society on 12-21-2011 and Windows 8 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 01-04-2012
Seat belt extenders can be used to secure objects in the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle. See http://actcs.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/seat-belt-extenders/seat-belt-extenders.pdf	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 09-24-2016 and Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 03-02-2015
USB 3 versus USB 2 versus eSATA Problems with USB 2 Devices Attached to USB 3 Ports Testing USB Ports, Cables, and Devices USB 3 Adapters For Adding USB Ports To An Existing Computer Struggles With Installing USB 3 Adapters File Sharing--An Overview File Sharing Between Windows.. Computers--Part 1 File Sharing Between Windows.. Computers--Part 2 File Sharing from "Windows.." to Mac OSX and Linux	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 04-25-2015 and Windows 10/ Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 05-06-2015 and General Meeting of Western New York Computer Society on 10-25-2011
Extending Your Local Network (LAN), Part 3-- "Multimedia over Coax Alliance" (MoCA) and Powerline Networking See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/extending/extending-part3.pdf Extending Your Local Network (LAN), Part 2-- Wi-Fi Range Extenders and Powerline Networking See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/powerline/ powerline-vs-WiFi-extender.pdf Extending Your Local Network (LAN), Part 1--The Basics Presentation slides and "how to" document in Adobe Acrobat .PDF format .WMA Video of the on-site presentation to the "Windows Users Computer User Group" of Irvine, California on March 22, 2014 Powerline networking has now reached parity with "Gigabit Ethernet" data transmission speeds. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/powerline/powerline.pdf Our experiences with specific models of powerline networking equipment made by Trendnet, D-Link, and Zycel are described at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/powerline/powerline-experiences.pdf For advice on using routers with "Wireless Internet Service Provider" ("WISP") capability, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/networks/routers/routers-WISP.pdf	Meetings of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 07-30-2016 and 06-27-2015 and General Meeting of the Vistoso Computer Society on 05-13-2013 and Windows 8 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 03-06-2013
Windows 10 Retail Pricing See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/win10-retail.pdf "Windows 10" Activation See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/win10-activation.pdf "Speeding Up Windows 10" See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/speedupWindows/win10speedup.pdf Using the Free "Windows 10 Enterprise Evaluation": See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/win10enteval.pdf	General Meeting of the Los Angeles Computer Society on 07-12-2016 and Meeting of the California Southland Chapter of the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) on 10-28-2015 and General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 10-19-2015 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 07-25-2015 and Windows 10/ Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 09-02-2015
For a general overview of free software and services from the Internet, please see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/free/free-software-services.pdf	Meeting of the Pikes Peak Computer Application Society on 07-02-2016 and General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 03-21-2011
Sample data files for testing office suite software: samples-TCS.zip contains sample .doc, .docx, .xls, .XLSx, .ppt, and .pptx files samples-Final.zip from OpenXMLDeveloper.org sample_doc.file.doc passworded_sample_doc.file.doc (The password for opening this file is "password". This file was created with "Microsoft Word 2002 SP3"). sample Powerpoint ppt file sample Powerpoint PPSX slide show file	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 03-21-2011
Free Antivirus Programs: The best free antivirus programs for "Windows.." computers are "FortiClient" and "Avast! Free Antivirus" The best free antivirus programs for Mac "OS X" computers are "Avast! Free Antivirus" and "Sophos" See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/antivirus/antivirus-compare.pdf for more details and advice about free antivirus programs. For advice specific to the free "FortiClient Endpoint Protection" for "Windows..", see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/antivirus/FortiClient.pdf For advice specific to the free version of "Avast! Free Antivirus" for "Windows..", see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/antivirus/Avast.pdf For advice specific to the free version of "Avira Free Antivirus" for "Windows..", see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/antivirus/Avira.pdf For advice specific to the free version of "Comodo Antivirus" for "Windows..", see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/antivirus/Comodo.pdf	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 05-23-2015 and Meeting of the Princeton PC Users Group on 10-27-2014
Our detailed advice about Over-the-air reception of ATSC television (="Cord Cutting") is available at: http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/add-ons/TV/ATSC-OTA.pdf iView's "Digital Converter Box" (model 3200STB) is an ATSC tuner that sells for approximately $30. To use it as a television set, you have to attach it to the following additional equipment: An over-the-air VHF/UHF antenna, a computer monitor that has a HDMI jack, and a pair of computer speakers. For details, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/add-ons/TV/iView_tuner.pdf Signal Sources for Your Real or Virtual Television Set:- ATSC reception over-the-air, clear QAM from a cable TV provider, and/or encrypted QAM from a cable TV provider TV Inside your "Windows.." or "OS X" MAC Computer TV Inside Your "Ubuntu" or "Linux Mint" Linux Computer	Meetings of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 04-30-2016 and 03-26-2016 and Windows 8.1 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 10-02-2013
Macs Versus "Windows.." Computers: For an explanation of how Mac "OS X" computers differ from "Windows.." computers, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/mac/OSXvsWindows.pdf: Basic Differences Between Macs and PCs Models of Macs Pricing of Macs User Interface of Macs Two Ways To Run "Windows.." Inside Macs	General Meeting of the Rochester Computer Society on 04-12-2016
Our how-to document on "Using the Task Manager in a Windows Computer" is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/Task_Manager/Task_Manager.pdf	Virtual Technology Conference 20 of the Association of PC User Groups (APCUG) on 05-07-2016 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 11-28-2015
Circle.gif is a file for checking the aspect ratio for a computer monitor.	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 03-21-2011
Our how-to documentation on "Moving Your Monitor-Keyboard-Mouse Farther Away From Your Computer" is available at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/Redmere/redmere-etc.pdf USB 3 extension cables work fine for extending USB 2 devices such as USB keyboards, USB mice, USB Webcams, USB 2 flash drives, USB 2 external hard drives, and USB 2 external hard drive enclosures. However, for USB 3 external hard drives and USB 3 external hard drive enclosures, you will have to determine if a specific model works with a USB 3 extersion cable. To do so, you can use the free "USBTreeView" program to view the stablity and signalling rate of a specific USB 3 external hard drive or a specific USB 3 hard drive enclosure. To download "USBTreeView", go to the bottom of the Web page at http://www.uwe-sieber.de/usbtreeview_e.html Then read the rest of the Web page for instructions on using this useful software utility. "USBTreeView" is especially useful for detecting problems with USB 3 ports and USB 3 devices.	Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 03-02-2015
To determine which Internet Service Provider you are using and it's "Autonomous System Number" (= "ASN" = wide area network number): go to http://www.whatismyasn.org/ To look up the Internet Service Provider than belongs to a specific "Autonomous System Number": go to http://mxtoolbox.com/asn.aspx	Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 03-02-2015
Email in Windows 10 See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win10/win10-email.pdf	General Meetings of the Tucson Computer Society on 10-19-2015 and on 09-21-2015 and General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 07-25-2015 and Windows 10/ Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 09-02-2015
REMOVING MALWARE FROM A "WINDOWS.." COMPUTER Our high-level explanation of malware removal is available at http://www.aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/malwarecleanup/malware.pdf Malware often "hides" in hidden files and folders so please make sure that your computer is displaying hidden files and file extensions by following our procedure in how how-to document called "Some Simple Techniques For Making 'Windows..' Easier To Use" at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/win/easier/win-easier1.pdf A Technician's "Recipe" That Contains a Standardized Procedure for Removing Malware: Our how-to document on a Procedure for Cleaning a Virus/Malware-Infected Computer, which is based on a presentation made by Harry Elver of Tucson, Arizona, is very similar to the advice in a article in "PC World" magazine entitled How to Remove Malware From Your Windows PC. Our advice on Using Free Rescue Disks To Remove Malware can be found at http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/malwarecleanup/rescue_disks.pdf To use these free rescue CDs/DVDs/USB flash drives, you might have to configure the BIOS or UEFI of your "Windows.." computer so that it will boot up from one of these devices. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/BIOStoUEFI/BIOStoUEFI.pdf	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 05-23-2015
"RANSOMWARE" MALWARE REMOVAL "Ransomware" is malware that takes over your computer or part of your computer and offers to give you back access to it when you pay a ransom fee. In a "Windows.." computer, some of the more benign variants of "ransomware" can be removed by booting up the computer in "Safe Mode". The more sophisicated instances of "ransomware" can only be removed by booting up with a free bootable "rescue media" CD-R disc, DVD-R disc, or USB flash drive. For details about removing "ransomware" see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/malwarecleanup/ransomware.pdf	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 05-23-2015
A Technician's "Recipe" That Contains a Standardized Procedure for Removing Malware: Our how-to document on a Procedure for Cleaning a Virus/Malware-Infected Computer, which is based on a presentation made by Harry Elver of Tucson, Arizona, is very similar to the advice in a article in "PC World" magazine entitled How to Remove Malware From Your Windows PC. Using the Virus/Malware Cleanup Procedure To Remove the First Version of the "FBI PC Lock Ransomware" Another Example of the Virus/Malware Cleanup Procedure Removal of "Win32/WinMaximizer" Malware from a "Windows 7.." Computer	Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 05-23-2015 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 09-27-2014 and Windows 8/ Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 01-02-2013
http://www.txtdrop.com/ can often send text messages to the email addresses of cell phones when your regular email service is unable to do so.	Windows 10 / Hardware SIG of the Windows 10/ Hardware SIG on 03-04-2015
WORKAROUND FOR UPDATING FIRMWARE AND MAPS IN "GARMIN" GPS DEVICES Garmin's GPS devices are some of best that are available. However, the two software utilities that they provide for updating the firmware and maps in their devices are problematic: "Garmin Express" software fails to install map and firmware updates when it is run by itself. After you start up this program, it tells you to attach your Garmin GPS device to your "Windows.." or Mac "OS X" computer by means of a USB cable. After you do so, all map and firmware updates fail to complete!! Garmin's "WebUpdater" software is able to install firmware upgrades for a Garmin GPS device. However, it does not have the ability to install map updates. In order to install both firmware updates and map updates into a Garmin GPS device, you have to use both "Webupdater" to update the device's firmware. Then, you can use "Garmin Express" to update the device's maps. For details about the above-mentioned annoyances, see http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/GPS/Garmin-problems.pdf	Future Meeting of the Windows 10/ Hardware SIG on 03-04-2015
Installing a PCie-type Controller Into a "Windows.." Computers: You can procure and install a PCIe-type USB 3 controller card to add USB 3 ports to either a "Windows.." computer that does not have any USB 3 ports or to add more USB 3 ports to a "Windows.." computer. See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/USB3/USB3-adapters.pdf	Windows 10 / Hardware SIG meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 02-04-2015
hwinfo32 and hwinfo64 are free diagnostic programs for hardware problems in Windows... Their impressive history can be seen at http://www.hwinfo.com/txt/History3264.txt	Windows 8 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 09-03-2014 and Meeting of the WINdows usERS Computer User Group of Irvine, California on 06-28-2014
ENERGY MANAGEMENT FOR YOUR "WINDOWS.." COMPUTER: A COMPARISON OF SLEEP, HYBRID SLEEP, AND HIBERNATE: See http://aztcs.apcug.org/meeting_notes/winhardsig/energy-mgt/energy-mgt-Wiin.pdf	Windows 8 / Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 07-02-2014
Virtual Fax Machine inside Your Computer: FAX TRANSMISSION AND RECEPTION FROM "WINDOWS.." FAX TRANSMISSION AND RECEPTION FROM MAC "OS X" FAX TRANSMISSION AND RECEPTION FROM "UBUNTU" GNU/LINUX	Windows 8.1 / Hardware SIG on 10-02-2013
Temporary Workarounds For Accessing Inaccessible Web Sites With A Web Browser: Sometimes you can use free or not-free Virtual Private Network (VPN) services to tunnel around your broadband Internet provider's router throttling, blockages and slowdowns. Here in Tucson, Arizona, when our Comcast Cable broadband has slowdowns in their Pima, Arizona router node, we have a 50 percent chance of partially restoring our download and upload speeds by using the free version of "Hotspot Shield" to tunnel past this occasionally-problematic router node. Sometimes when a Website is inaccessible with a Web browser, we can temporarily access it using the Web site's IP address instead of its regular URL address, as described in our "how-to" document entitled Workarounds For Temporary DNS Failures On The World Wide Web.	Windows 8.1 / Hardware SIG on 09-04-2013
Email Basics	General Meeting of the Los Angeles Computer Society on 08-13-2013 and General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 06-17-2013 and Windows 8 / Hardware SIG on 03-06-2013
Free Software and Free Online Storage Space	Windows 8/ Hardware SIG on 08-07-2013 and Virtual Technology Conference 8 of APCUG on 08-03-2013 and General Meeting on 06-17-2013 and Windows 8/ Hardware SIG on 06-05-2013
Tucson Area Police and Fire Scanners http://tucson.com/online/multimedia/tucson-com-radio-scanners/html_82940c5a-03df-11df-8899-001cc4c03286.html https://www.broadcastify.com/listen/mid/68 http://www.policescannerfeeds.net/pima-county-arizona-tucson-police-ems-scanner-feed/ http://www.policescannerfeeds.net/ Police-scanner sites see surge in traffic after Boston Will the Boston Bombings Kill the Public Police Scanner? Why are police scanners open to the public?	Windows 8/ Hardware SIG on 06-05-2013
Virtual Fax Machine inside Your Computer: FAX TRANSMISSION AND RECEPTION FROM MAC "OS X" FAX TRANSMISSION AND RECEPTION FROM "UBUNTU" GNU/LINUX FAX TRANSMISSION AND RECEPTION FROM "WINDOWS.." GPS Receiver Inside Your Computer: GPS RECEPTION FROM "UBUNTU" GNU/LINUX GPS RECEPTION FROM "WINDOWS.." Karaoke Machines Inside Your Computer: NON-PROFESSIONAL KARAOKE FILE FORMATS: kar and midi / mid LEGAL ISSUES AND GUIDELINES FOR KARAOKE KARAOKE FOR MAC "OS X" KARAOKE FOR "UBUNTU" GNU/LINUX KARAOKE FOR "WINDOWS.."-PART 1 KARAOKE FOR "WINDOWS.."-PART 2 Television inside Your Computer: TV INSIDE YOUR "WINDOWS.." PC OR "OS X" MAC TV INSIDE YOUR "UBUNTU" GNU/LINUX COMPUTER Virtual Machines Inside Your Computer: INSTALLING AND USING VIRTUAL MACHINES	Windows 8 / Hardware SIG on 05-01-2013 and Computer Technology Conference on 04-04-2013
Some useful printable paper rulers can be found at http://www.vendian.org/mncharity/dir3/paper_rulers In order to print an accurate ruler, you have to select the "Actual Size" radio button in the "Print" dialog box BEFORE clicking on the "Print" button. Step-by-step instructions for downloading and printing "printable rulers".	Windows 7/ Hardware SIG on 09-05-2012
For some free printable rulers, see http://www.vendian.org/mncharity/dir3/paper_rulers/ (Do not set your printer for "fit to page" prior to printing these rulers!)	Windows 8 / Hardware SIG Meeting on 06-06-2012
Using Legacy Fax Machines, Fax Modems, and Credit Card Machines on "Voice Over IP"(VOIP) Phone Lines Analog Telephone Adapter for Attaching Legacy Telephone to a VOIP Phone Line	Robert Thompson
Opening a Mystery File	Windows 8/ Hardware SIG Meeting on 10-05-2011
List of Device Bit Rates	Windows 7/ Hardware SIG on 08-03-2011
Use the free bcTester software program and/or the bcWebCam software program to "read" "QR Codes". To create "QR Codes", use the Web-based online service at http://qrcode.kaywa.com/ or http://www.mobile-barcodes.com/qr-code-generator/ To learn more about "QR Codes", see http://techie-buzz.com/softwares/read-qr-codes-on-pc.html and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QR_code	Windows 7/ Hardware SIG on 05-04-2011
Circle.gif is a file for checking the aspect ratio for a computer monitor. "LillyPond" music notation and "engraving" software was recommended by Board member Paul Scott. "MuseScore" music notation software was recommended by Board member Paul Scott.	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 03-21-2011
Adding Hard Drives	Windows 7/ Hardware SIG of the Tucson Computer Society on 07-07-2010
Databases at the Pima County Public Library (PDF)	General Meeting of the Tucson Computer Society on 05-17-2010