Tech/Computer advice from me

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It has been made clear to me that you NEVER use a public computer to access private data. Private data means any site where you have to put a username and/or password. In your case, you accessed your email, which means you had to input your username and password. Someone is sitting back thanking you for your info as that is all that's needed to hack you.

The only things you can safely do on a publicly accessible pc is anything you don't have to log on to do. How often have you heard stories about someone logging on to a public computer, then just walking away without logging off?
 
Wow, I knew that there was a risk to it, but had no idea the risk was so very high.
Thanks.

And I've even logged into BGO at the local library. Does that mean someone could hack into my BGO account,
and start posting some perverted **** under my username ?
 
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Mike, you last line, 'unless you are sure of what you are doing.' says it perfectly. I always tell people that there are three main things to remember when using a computer.
1/. If you don't know how to uninstall a program, don't install it.
2/. If you don't know what happens when you uninstall something, don't uninstall it.
3/. Don't open, or reply, to any unknown email.

There are one or two individual points for each user, but if they remember the top three, I have little reason to see them again.

Fear, the ONLY time you use a public computer is when you DO NOT have to log in to any of your own accounts. A keylogger will take note of your username and password, then a scammer/hacker has all they need to make your life a misery.
 
A lot of websites are now set up or designed, so that they will not operate or display properly, if you have Adblock installed on your Firefox browser.
Is there any shortcut to bypass this response by those websites, or any alternative, other than disabling Adblock ?
 
I've found a lot of siteson't even display if AdBlock is installed. Those that don't display correctly are usually messed up at the bottom, and even making the sites display full screen (23") doesn't do the trick.

If you want to be inundated with pop-up ads, by all means disable, even delete, AdBlock, but is it worth it?
 
Thanks SA. Adblock has made a difference for me in the past. I did some searching and one user reported there's a Firefox add-on called Israblock, that acts as a blocker to the Anti-Adblock. I'm going to give it a try, and see how it works.
 
I use a tablet as well as a laptop cum desktop, and I use a different type of AdBlock for each.

For the laptop I use Ad Blocker Ultimate, and for the tablet I use AdBlock Plus as well as AdBlock Plus Pop-up Add-on. I still have the page rendering problem, but it is only at the bottom of the page so it doesn't interfere with reading anything.
 
I just got my first laptop, which was given to me.
It had major issues and a techie at a shop said it's probably best to reformat it.
It had Windows 10 on it at the time, and originally had Windows 7, and I was told that if you reinstall Windows, it would revert back to its original OS, Windows 7, not the current Windows 10.
I didn't have disc to do so, but I found that convenient option in Settings to "Reset PC", which is basically reinstalling everything from scratch.

But when I went through that 3 hour process, it still ended up with Windows 10. And I absolutely do not want W10, but specifically want W7.
I thought, maybe soon after the reinstall, it snuck in the Windows 10 upgrade, just as it has been known to do, against so many other people's wishes.
So once again, I went through the "Reset PC" process. And then before I connected it to the wireless, and before it had any chance to do an automatic update or upgrade, I checked the Windows version, and again it was W10.

Why is it doing this ? The laptop still has the Windows 7 sticker on it, so I know that was the original OS, so why isn't it reverting to that system when I do the reinstall ?
I checked all other options in settings, but nowhere does it seem to allow me to revert specifically to a previous version, after the re-install, even though it told me when I did it, that would install the original OS version.
Is there a way I can get back to W7 (without the original CD), and how ?
 
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When it did the auto upgrade, it gives the operator 30 days to go back to the original o/s. If the revert doesn't happen, it deletes the old o/s files and all you have is W10.

The only way to get W7 is via a torrent, but if you go that route, make sure you save it remotely (NOT on the laptop). If you go the torrent route, it's like a caveat emptor deal. I never have, and never will use a torrent for anything so if you have a problem, I won't be able to help. Alternatively, you can try the official Microsoft site and see if W7 is still available.
 
Ah ok, I knew about the 30 day time limit, but I was given the impression that that could be over-ridden by a complete re-install.
In fact, I think it was the guy at the PC shop, that told me it worked that way. Or maybe they have a way of doing it (for a fee), that's different than the "Reset PC" option in Settings.

Another thing I don't like about W10 is after searching this topic, apparently WUBI will not run on it, so I cannot run Ubuntu and W10, as dual OS.
So I guess, my only other option to avoid W10, is to completely replace the OS with Ubuntu as a single OS, huh.
 
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You might find that if you have W10, support for any other o/s is no longer available. I think support came to an end two or three days ago.

Have you been to the Ubuntu forums to see if Ubuntu and W10 can be loaded side by side?
 
SkinnedAussie said:
Have you been to the Ubuntu forums to see if Ubuntu and W10 can be loaded side by side?
Click to expand...

Yes, I found this

Can I install Wubi on Windows 10? - Ask Ubuntu

They say that WUBI cannot be installed on W10, but they also say that you can "install Ubuntu as dual boot with Windows 10".
That confused me at first, because I previously thought that that's exactly what WUBI is : a dual boot. But according to the above wording on that page, they are 2 different things. They reference a guide to the "dual boot" so I will have to take the time to read through that.


SkinnedAussie said:
You might find that if you have W10, support for any other o/s is no longer available. I think support came to an end two or three days ago.
Click to expand...

Looks like W7 support will last until 2020, and W8 will last until 2023, according to this...

how_to_stay_on_windows_7_8_forever_support.png


How to stay on Windows 7 & 8 forever | How to stop Windows 10 update - How-To - PC Advisor
 
SkinnedAussie said:
Try https://ubuntuforums.org/, then follow this thread - https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2332050

This procedure is for an ACER laptop, but you don't say what you have. Each brand of laptop is uses a different BIOS and/or CMOS.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I think I just found a quick way to do it, since BIOS is way over my head. On my old Ubuntu installation CD, I checked and it actually has an option during installation to install it side-by-side with the existing OS, rather than replace the OS. I'm gonna give it a try hoping this method is a working alternative to WUBI, etc.
 
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I've got a PC that suddenly does not want to start up. I get these messages that are very vague and non-specific. The messages even say it could either be software or hardware related, so that leaves possibilities wide open.
It suggests that I recently made changes to the PC, but I havn't. Wondering if it was simply damage from a lightning strike.

I start up, and first I get the black screen below. I get options to either Repair Windows, Start Windows Normally, or Start in Safe Mode.
No matter which of those options I take, it always takes me to the blue screen, in the 2nd pic.
I have no idea to translate these messages.




 
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Try running a chkdsk from recovery console.
Instructions on entering recovery console can be found at the following link:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058
When we are at the command prompt, type the following followed by the Enter key:
CHKDSK C: /p
Allow chkdsk to run and note that this may take some amount of time.
Try to reboot back into normal mode after chkdsk completes.
 
Shi no Tenshi said:
Try running a chkdsk from recovery console.
Instructions on entering recovery console can be found at the following link:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314058
When we are at the command prompt, type the following followed by the Enter key:
CHKDSK C: /p
Allow chkdsk to run and note that this may take some amount of time.
Try to reboot back into normal mode after chkdsk completes.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Shi.
I checked the link, and the instructions are for a Desktop option, however I can't get it to start up to my desktop. It does say that you can also reach System Recover through a startup disc or USB, but I don't have those either.
Is it possible to hit one of the "F" keys during boot up and enter the commands there, for a "chkdsk" ?
 
Hope you have backed up all your important files as the last time I saw that message, it resulted in a new hard drive!

Repair Windows works only if you have the original set of installation discs.

If you haven't upgraded, or even purchased new, within the last 5 years, it might be worth considering to do so, especially if you are still running W7.
 
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