allheart55 Cindy E

Congratulations, Dougie. Your promotion was definitely well deserved.

Easy now. Easy. Recent leaked releases of screenshots for internal Windows 10 Builds show some not-so-stylish icons on the Windows 10 desktop. Some say the icons are bland and flat, and resemble Microsoft trying to copy Chrome OS or iOS styles and that they need to go. Without a new Build in testers' hands for over a month (January 23 was the last Insider release), and the Windows Insider crowd getting antsy, the leaked screenshots are all anyone has to go on. The next Windows 10 Build should be released very soon and we can then get a real sense of the technical functionality that Microsoft has been working on. But, since images are the only thing we have right now, it makes sense that the majority of comments are based on the appearance. And, that hasn't stopped anyone from lobbying to have the icons changed. Microsoft continues to push testers to comment and make suggestions through the Windows Insider program's official mechanisms, but it's difficult to use those mechanisms to comment on things you can only see in images for now. So, a lot of folks have taken to Twitter to voice concerns over the icons directly to Gabriel Aul, the Windows Insider chief. Many, though, have given Microsoft the benefit of the doubt, knowing that the icons and design in general are only a small part of the development progression, and have proposed that the icons are just placeholders until design becomes a more critical part of the process. Even though these stated horrid icon representations will probably show up in the next Build release, don’t expect them to be there when Windows 10 finalizes. I know some of you are breathing a sigh of relief. Count to 10 and take a deep breath. Source: http://winsupersite.com/windows-10/windows-10-build-icons-may-not-last

Once you get settled in cakewoman, it's important to read this....Site Rules, Guidelines and Other Important Information It contains information that all members need to know.

Welcome, welcome, welcome Cakewoman. :thumbsup: Make yourself at home. Maybe you can teach us something and maybe you'll learn something new as well.

Hi Cakewoman, It's great to see you here. You finally made it! Why don't you introduce yourself here....http://freepchelp.forum/f/20/ That way, we can all welcome you properly. :thumbsup:

Yup, I used to have Verizon. They didn't last long!

http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/4191304693

There’s nothing like the fresh, clean feeling of unboxing a brand-new computer or smartphone. Too bad the feeling usually comes to an end the moment you hit the power button. Almost every Windows computer and Android device on the market is cluttered with “bloatware,” programs that you never installed, never requested, and may not want. These can include preinstalled games, browser toolbars, or trial versions of antivirus programs. Software companies pay the computer makers to include these extras, and given PC makers’ paper-thin profit margins, they are glad to cash the checks. Lenovo admitted that a bit of bloatware preinstalled on its machines could have helped hackers steal users’ sensitive data. For several months, new Lenovo laptops came with a program called Superfish, which would display advertisements inside the users’ Web browsers. But Superfish also broke the browser’s encryption system, which lets us safely pay our bills and do our banking online. Criminals could have set up fake websites masquerading as, say, Bank of America, and Lenovo users would never have known the difference, till their passwords were stolen and their bank accounts drained. It has been a fiasco for Lenovo, but we may all benefit in the end. On Friday, the company announced that it was dropping not only Superfish, but also its bloatware programs. Later this year, when Lenovo starts selling machines with Microsoft Corp.’s upcoming Windows 10 operating system, its PCs will feature only the minimum software needed for safe operation. And Lenovo promised to include descriptions of every installed program, to help the owner decide whether to uninstall it. PC buyers who hate bloatware now know which brand to buy. You can also buy unbloated Windows computers directly from Microsoft. The company’s online store offers “Signature Edition” machines from leading vendors such as Lenovo, Dell, Acer, Asus, and Toshiba. Microsoft charges a little more than other retailers for the same computers, but you get a machine that’s bloatware-free. If you’ve recently bought a computer stuffed with annoying little programs, it’s not too difficult to clean it up, using Windows’ uninstall feature. Better yet: Check out Should I Remove It? That is a free program that looks at all your PC’s applications, tells you what they do, and helps you pick off the useless stragglers. Apple fans are reading all this with bemused chuckles, since Apple doesn’t let other software companies add bloatware to Mac computers. The same goes for iPad tablets and iPhones. Not so for fans of the Android operating system, where bloatware is all too common. Indeed, it’s more annoying than the PC variety, because in many cases the apps are “immortal” — you can’t uninstall them. Unwanted programs are often installed by the cellphone company. For instance, my HTC One Android phone contains about a dozen apps under the brand of my carrier, AT&T. I don’t want any of them. For example, I won’t bother with AT&T’s Navigator app when I can just as easily run the excellent Google Maps. But I can’t remove Navigator or any of the other AT&T apps. And when I asked why, an AT&T spokeswoman declined to comment. Like junk programs on a PC, these unneeded apps often run in the background, slowing down my phone and using valuable memory. It’s especially annoying when I’m running low on storage space for music and photos. I could save quite a few megabytes by wiping the AT&T apps, but I’ve had to delete videos instead. There are highly geeky ways to kill these immortal apps, but you’ll void your warranty. For a safer alternative, you can purchase a “stock” Android phone, which contains only the pure operating system from Google Inc. You can find such phones at Google’s own online Play Store or on Amazon.com. These are no-contract phones, and you must pay full price — up to $650 for a top-line Android like the Motorola Nexus 6. Luckily, cell carriers Sprint and T-Mobile offer a bloatware-free Nexus 6 on a pay-as-you-go basis. And while AT&T’s version of the Nexus 6 contains some annoying extras, users are permitted to delete them. Still, most new phones and PCs will arrive in our homes as bloated as ever. Profit-hungry companies will never stop, until we make them. Source : http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/03/04/battling-bloatware-blight/5SympkglVpGv5RsYibXMDO/story.html

A great big WELCOME to you, Cats-4_Owners-2. I'm glad that you found us. The arcade can be very addictive. :D

No one is asking you to defend anything, Gary. I think you misunderstood. I'm just telling you what we consider an expert here in the forum. I don't want there to be any misunderstanding here as to what we are permitted to do when it comes to malware removal.

Just because we may be familiar with the tools doesn't make us experts, Gary. Yes, we do want to help members, not confuse them, as you say and that is why no one but our malware experts are permitted to offer malware cleaning. While we may do cleaning of computers that are in our hands, we don't have the expertise to do online cleaning or advice, they do.

Oh, Gary.... I never said that you meant anything bad about our malware team. I know that you would never do that. I was just trying to point out to you a couple of things. Malware removal online is a completely different experience than cleaning a computer in hand. Our experts have access to the newest information and the latest tools, something us lay people do not have.

Most of our members here don't or haven't yet gotten malware. As our membership grows, that will change. I have the utmost respect for our and all the certified malware specialists who go through intensive training. It's not just a year, Gary. They have an ongoing education in order to keep up with all of the new malware. I clean client computers every week but I would never consider myself an expert. I'm just not. Pete and Gene are my go to guys when I have any questions about malware or it's removal. I know that you like doing what you are doing with helping and cleaning senior's computers, Gary. I think that's great. They need someone like you to help them. However, an online cleaning is much different and is subject to many pitfalls which our experts are used to handling. I think, maybe, one of the biggest problems that they have is the members computer experience and the ability to follow sometimes complicated instructions.

This sounds as if it could be a real problem.

I wondered the same thing but I thought it would be good for a laugh. :big_ha:

Found this dog yesterday afternoon. Has a collar thing on him but nothing else. I'm not really a dog expert but I think it might be some kind of lab mix. He's not aggressive or anything so I think he might have gotten out in the night or something. Message me if he is yours.

I just don't know if it's wise to be running all of these malware removal tools or scans, especially if one doesn't know what they are doing.

It’s way more minimalist and helpful than before. If you want a sneak peek of Microsoft’s latest Windows 10 offerings beyond what the company has already shown off, look no further. Microsoft blog WinBeta has posted video of a preview version of Microsoft’s new Internet browser, called “Spartan.” Check out the video above and you’ll see a rundown of the Spartan browser’s new features, including integration with Microsoft’s voice-enabled assistant, Cortana. (The “Spartan” and “Cortana” names pay homage to Microsoft’s hit video game series Halo.) Cortana can provide Spartan users with more information on a website or give more information than what’s on a particular page. When looking at a business’ site, for instance, users can ask Cortana for its opening times and contact information. In January, Fortune reported that Windows 10 will be offered as a free upgrade for many Windows users. Windows 8 was introduced in 2012 to mostly poor reviews. Windows 10 will be the first Microsoft operating system released under Microsoft’s new CEO Satya Nadella, who took over from Steve Ballmer in early 2014. Source : http://fortune.com/2015/03/03/microsoft-spartan-browser/?xid=yahoo_fortune

C'mon, Gary. Life's too short to pout. You'll miss out on the fun. :roundtable: Now, did you take the ClickSmart Challenge? If not, why not? :woohoo::boxer:

It can't come quickly enough for me. I'm a warm weather type of girl. Give me the sun, anytime.