I was using zoom quite happily until I updated Windows a while ago. Now, frustratingly, I can only hear what people say, but have to use headphones, because there's feedback otherwise, but they can't hear me. When I troubleshoot, I am informed that my microphone isn't recognised, or is being used by another app, which I can't identify. My laptop choice offered in audio settings is microphone or computer, it doesn't allow both. I have also tried uninstalling, turning lap top off and then switching on and reinstalling and turning laptop off and on again.
So, I am now trying to use chat to contribute to a meeting. But no send button!!
1. Can you tell me how to send chat?
2. Is there a way of being heard?
3. Can I download zoom to my tablet (6 month old Samsung). The only hesitation that I have with that is that a warning came up when I contemplated that, that downloading zoom may damage the tablet.
I am a frequent but very basic IT user.
Thanks for advice in advance.
I.T. Non-Techie help, information and tips
No advertising please. For the non-techie among us who may need a helping hand at times.
Open Loop 108
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Posting guidelines - please read before posting.
Whether you are a help seeker, or a helper, please be polite.
Help seekers:If a particular device or operating system (Windows 10 etc, Mac etc.) is the subject of your post, put this at the beginning of the title of your post, so that other members can see if they can help, or if it interests them. If it concerns a phone or tablet, give the make and model number, and, if you can, the Android version (if appropriate) Always give full details of the problem to avoid too much toing and froing, thus, hopefully, giving you a quicker solution. Don't forget to thank helpers, and please don't post a problem and disappear.
Before posting, use the group search box (on the right on a PC), to see if it has been discussed before.
Helpers:
Please check that your help/advice is correct and up to date, and please bear in mind that this group is to help non-techies. If possible, provide a link to a suitable website explaining it in simple terms, and/or screenshots. Please be polite, but if you feel like swearing, turn the keyboard off! (less)This discussion is now closed.
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Turning off your Windows PC - Part 1
There are various ways of turning off a computer. The quickest and easiest ways are pressing the power button, or clicking a desktop icon. The slowest ways are via menus. If you usually just want to turn off, rather than restart, sleep or hibernate, then the quickest and easiest way is to make use of the power button.
The power button can be set to Shut down, Sleep, Hibernate or turn off the display. So, if you wish , you can set it up to perform one of those actions, and turn off using another method.
To set the power button to turn off, do as follows:
1. Type Control Panel in to Taskbar Search box.
2. Click Control Panel at top of list.
3. Select 'View by: Large icons' at top right.
4. Click 'Power Options'.
5. Click 'Choose what the power buttons do' on left.
6. In the drop down choices next to 'When I press the power button', select 'Shut down' if it is not already selected.
7. If 'Shut down' wasn't already selected, click 'Save changes' at the bottom of the window.
8. Close Control Panel window.
Part 2 will be how to create a desktop icon to turn off. -
I downloaded -- macOS big sur. I have not installed yet. Would like to know what program it is as usually the updates install themselves.
Thank you -
Copied from Group Tech Heads for general interest.
I am posting this essentially as a general non-tech notification of interest rather than a technical issue. Many users think that Restart and Shutdown are the same thing - they are not.
A desktop PC can be left on Sleep for long periods perfectly satisfactorily. A Restart should be done every 4 -5+ days to clear out accumulated clag. Shutdown is best for laptops to conserve battery life if absent for long periods, otherwise Sleep.
In Windows 10, Shutdown and Restart are very different processes.
Shutdown -
Takes a quick image snapshot of your preferences and settings. On the next boot it will load them exactly as they were. Any problems that you were having, will still be there when you switch the PC back on.
Restart -
Does a whole lot more than Shutdown. Restart will clear the memory, refresh the Kernel and reset the cache. It will complete pending updates. It will fix 1001 problems, whereas Shutdown simply copies them to a piece of memory, so that your problems load quickly back the next time you switch on.
Restart is your friend.
NOTE - That is why Restart takes much longer (2-3 minutes is not uncommon) than Shutdown to boot up.This discussion is now closed.
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Using additional laptop as second screen.
Hi everyone,
I have after several attempts and trials managed to pair two laptops with the idea of using one as a second screen/monitor. However I am not able to transfer the open file from the main laptop to the second monitor. Any ideas why not?
Thanks -
Watching YouTube videos in picture-in-picture mode
YouTube has a picture-in-picture mode. With this enabled, the video displays in a small window in the corner of the screen. If you click and hold on the window, you can move it to anywhere on the screen. You can resize it as you can any other window. The advantage of being able to do this, is that you can perform any other task while it is playing. For example, you can open another tab, minimise the browser you are using, or open another browser/email program etc., and it will continue playing. This feature can be activated by clicking the icon shown below. This is shown on the right-hand side of a video when you play it or place the cursor on the window.
For devices other than a PC, google 'Android YouTube pip', for example. -
My laptop is fine except that some keys don't seem to work properly. Perhaps I could replace the keyboard? Is it easy, I seem to remember a comment made years ago by someone saying it isn't difficult. True or false?
The laptop otherwise is really good. Any advice/suggestions/
Thanks in advance -
Hi, I want to transfer my Windows 10 from my old computer to one that is running on Windows 8. How can I do this painlessly?
All suggestions welcome.
Best. -
I have a photo in my photos folder that will not load on here
Why would this be ? - have no trouble with any others, -
I only use my mobile phone for calls and texts, and that is very very rarely, so can anyone please explain why I have charges for data on my bill
t seems impossible to get any contact with Giffgaff to ask them. -
Using compressed air to clean fan in laptop
Do I have to remove the underneath or just blow in the holes under there and/or on the side [where the air blows out when the fan is working] ?
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Remove website clutter, and save paper and ink (Edited)
Even if you have adblockers, when visiting a web to read an article, it may be full of distracting and unwanted content, and waste paper and ink should you wish to print the subject matter. Newspapers are an example of this. To avoid this, instead of clicking a link, right-clik the link, and choose 'Copy link location', or similar, then open Microsoft's Edge browser, and paste the link in to the address bar, and press enter. If you look at the end of the address bar, if the website is compatible, you will see a book icon with a speaker on top. If you click this and wait, everything but the text of the article will be removed. Another feature is the ability to have the text read to you*, and choose the speed you want, and you can even choose the accent. These features are available at the top of the page.
*Easy on the eyes, and you can 'read' it while having your lunch, etc. -
I don't normally use Twitter although I've got an account. I've got reason to tweet today and I'm logged in but for some reason when I click on "tweet" nothing happens. Can anyone shed any light as to why?
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Like the majority of the people in the UK and eslewhere I use WhatsApp that allows me to send short videos and photographs to my contacts in and outside of the UK. Now that Britain is out of the EU the data protection act will not apply for much longer. Facebook intends to incorporate the app to its main corporate body so that at any future anti-monopoly congressional hearing they won't be forced to sell off any part of this conglomerate. They have asked users to accept their new privacy policy that basically expects users to allow Facebook access to all our messages, photos and contacts for their use. We all know they sell data in the US for any and everyone prepared to pay.
We have no choice but to find alternative apps. Signal appears to be best as it does ot retain data. but how can I save the messages, images and videos behore WhatsApp shuts me out?
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Jumpy screen. (Edited)
I use an Apple mac and when I type comments "sometimes" the screen jumps up and down. Any idea? Thank you
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Idiot guide needed for an idiot who's been lent an Android smartphone
... and really should have asked this sooner, rather than letting the loaner gather dust!
Pre-lockdown, I was lent a basic Android smartphone to make up for my nearly-new Doro's having unaccountably lost its camera facility. Unfortunately, having literally never handled a smartphone before, I need a step-by-step guide - starting with complete ignorance - to learn to use it. Does such a thing exist online and, if so, where, please?This discussion is now closed.
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Android phones and tablets soon to last longer
Google has announced plans to extend the life Android phones and tablets. They plan to supply security updates for 4 years. They will also supply four version updates. The latest version is version 11.
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Flash, ah ah, displayed to everyone of us
Adobe Flash Player came to the end of its life yesterday, 31/12/20. You should now remove the program if you have it on your device. Website content that use it will stop working on 12/1/21. Full details here: http://adobe.ly/3pK29Ah
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Posting guidelines. (Edited)
Hello all. Please read the posting guidelines, which have been updated.
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'Merry' Christamas everyone (Edited)
Have as merry a Christmas as you can, and hopefully a better New year, and may any troubles you have be non-tech related. Okay, it's time to party; here are some Windows jokes (as you may be pulling only two (or one) crackers this year), and some Windows music to dance to:
Jokes: http://bit.ly/3pkpx7a
Music: https://bit.ly/3hgqSsQ -
Giving your email address to websites (Edited)
When you have to give an email address to sign up to a website*, you can avoid receiving spam from them by having a temporary email address. This will enable you to receive their verification email. A temporary email address can be obtained from 10 Minute Mail: http://bit.ly/38DDyGv
If you have a Gmail email address, then you have an infinite number of email addresses available to you without having to sign up for them. Gmail also enables you keep track of who has passed your email address on to someone else.
If needed, you can create another Gmail address as follows: If your email address is alfredddo.spongecake@gmail.com, then a.lfredddo.spongecake@gmail.com, al.fredddo.spongecake@gmail.com and alf.redddo.spongecake@gmail.com etc., also belong to you. You can then have them filtered to different inboxes.
If you want to discover if someone has passed on your email address, then you can give your email address with the name of the website added to the end of it, e.g. alfredddo.spongecake+amazon@gmail.com. You may meet up with a website that doesn't allow this.
* To get temporary access. -
Getting a new smartphone for you, or as a present?
This week's edition of Click tested smartphones in the range £70 - 379, some of which did everything that you could want to do, including gaming, they could even make phone calls! View from 14 minutes in: http://bbc.in/2WvSb8U
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Laptop security - think I've made a big mistake
I uninstalled AVG and installed Total AV.
It has been going on for 2 hours now and I can't get into anything else on laptop so am using my tablet.
Can't uninstall it until it is finished. -
Assuming all is well with a fan in a laptop, how hot a laptop gets depends on what it is doing, and whether it has a mechanical hard disk drive (HDD), or a solid state disk (SSD) which runs cooler. Any computer can be busy doing something, even when you are not using it, and therefore generating heat. It is normal for a laptop to get warm/hot. A laptop is not designed for use on a lap! It should be used on a hard surface to allow the air to circulate. Apple Macs switch off when they get too hot, but PCs need a fire warden!
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My laptop seems to be getting hotter than usual and I have had a few problems with it recently.
Google says blow it out with a can of compressed air - can't I just use a hairdryer ? [on cold of course] -
Google extends Windows 7 Chrome support.
Support for Chrome on Win 7 was due to end mid-July 2021, but this has now been extended to mid-January 2022. Win 7 is still used on more than 17% of computers. It is reckoned that 1 in 5 businesses still use it. Old operating systems are still used in order to run old programs, and use printers that don't have drivers* for Win 10.
Here are the statistics for each Windows operating system: http://bit.ly/3mmFpny
*A driver, or device driver, is a software program that enables a specific hardware device to work with a computer's operating system. Drivers may be required for internal components, such as video cards and optical media drives, as well as external peripherals, such as printers and monitors. -
When I bought my pc I understood they were no longer made with wifi cards and I would need to use a powerline which I've been doing. Just recently our internet has been quite unpredictable at times and it keeps dropping out. I've had to turn the powerline on and off multiple times and now it's just not working. The weird thing is I still have the internet and the bar is showing that I'm connected through wifi.
I've looked at device manager, checked the connection to the internet and looked at hardware but cannot figure out how I'm still connected to the internet as none of it shows any type of card.
It's not exactly a problem as it's working really well but I'd like to figure out what's happening. -
Windows 10 clipboard (Edited)
I have a screenshot on my clipboard but how do I put it onto a comment on Scooploop ?
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Windows 10 - Links to built-in tools posts
System Restore: https://www.scooploop.com/thread/windows-10-windows-built-in-repair-and-cleanup-tools-part-1
Disk Cleanup: https://www.scooploop.com/thread/windows-10-windows-built-in-repair-and-cleanup-tools-part-2
System File Checker: https://www.scooploop.com/thread/windows-10-windows-built-in-repair-and-cleanup-tools-part-3
Check Disk: https://www.scooploop.com/thread/windows-10-windows-built-in-repair-and-cleanup-tools-part-4 -
Windows 10* - Windows built-in repair and cleanup tools - Part 4 (Edited)
Another repair/maintenance tool that is not available on any menu is Check Disk. This can find and repair problems with the filing system on the disk (chkdsk /f), it can also find and repair bad parts of the disk (chkdsk /r). If you have a Solid State Disk (SSD) rather than a hard disk, then there is no need to do this.
To run chkdsk /f, do the following:
1. In the search box on the taskbar next to the Start button, type CMD.
2. At the top of the list on the left, will be Command Prompt.
3. Right-click Command Prompt, then click 'Run as administrator'.
4. Now click Yes in the User Account Control window.
5. A cursor will be flashing in the position that text you type will be entered.
6. Now type the following, note that there is a space before the forward slash: chkdsk /f
7. Press enter.
8. Type Y, then press enter.
9. Restart the computer.
The progress will be shown at the bottom of the screen. When it has finished, the computer will reboot and start as normal.
To run chkdsk /r, repeat the above, only this time type chkdsk /r. This will take some time, depending on the size of your disk.
Links to other tools: https://www.scooploop.com/thread/windows-10-links-to-built-in-tools-posts
*For other versions of Windows, see here: https://bit.ly/2LaXOHi -
Disposal of broken Fire tablet
This stopped recharging some while ago (have now a new one), tried again today but still doesn't happen. I've deregistered it via Amazon but I can't take it back to factory settings as it won't switch on. Is this best thing to soak in a bucket of water before I put in the electrical recycling bin, please or is that not necessary - thanks.
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Amazon Fire Tablet (Edited)
All the Scooploop comments are now reading downwards instead of across, I don't know how to get it back to normal.
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Another glitch - or is it the new thing ?
https://www.scooploop.com/thread/another-glitch-or-is-it-the-new-thing
This discussion is now closed.
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Windows 10 - Windows built-in repair and cleanup tools - Part 3 (Edited)
'System File Checker (SFC)' checks Windows files, including the registry. It is not available on any menu, but can be accessed as below. When the check is finished, if all is well, you will see the result as in the screenshot. If it finds errors, it can repair them, and will show that in the report. In can also find errors but not be able to repair them. As long as your PC is doing everything you need, you can ignore the errors that cannot be fixed.
To run System File Checker, do the following:
1. In the search box on the taskbar next to the Start button, type CMD.
2. At the top of the list on the left, will be Command Prompt.
3. Right-click Command Prompt, then click 'Run as administrator'.
4. Now click Yes in the User Account Control window.
5. A cursor will be flashing in the position that text you type will be entered.
6. Now type the following, note that there is a space after sfc: sfc /scannow
7. When the scan has finished, read the report at the bottom, then close the window.
Links to other tools: https://www.scooploop.com/thread/windows-10-links-to-built-in-tools-posts -
Do ad blockers work? Do they work on all forums, FB etc? Can you still use Google to look up items? Do you lose recommendation or comments?
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Is there anyway of saving them from the house phone if you get a new one ?
i understand that on a mobile the contacts can be saved to the SIM and therefore be transferred to a new phone phone by putting in the old SIm ... although can't see on mine if they are on SIM or phone memory. -
Windows 10 - Windows built-in repair and cleanup tools - Part 2 (Edited)
Disk Cleanup cleans up unnecessary files and updates. To access the tool, type Disk Cleanup in the search box on the taskbar. Disk Cleanup will appear at the top of the list. Click it, and a box with C drive showing will appear. Click OK, then, when a dialogue box appears, it will show a list of files that can be deleted, do not click OK, click 'Clean up system files', which is bottom left. The box on which you clicked OK at the beginning will now reappear, click OK. This time round the results will include Windows update files. You can safely tick all the boxes to delete the files. You may not want to include the Recycle bin, in case you may have deleted a file by mistake.Link to other tools: https://www.scooploop.com/thread/windows-10-links-to-built-in-tools-posts
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I like spellcheck but found quite often words change to a completely different meaning.
Latest in All Abroad wrote --no singing "in" bath-- but it was changed to inherant which is more like predicted text. I try to check before posting must have missed this one.
Are they two different programs and can predicted text be turned off? -
Windows 10 - Windows built-in repair and cleanup tools - Part 1 (Edited)
There is no need for the average user to resort to downloading programs to clean up their computer, as everything you need is built in to Windows, though not necessarily visible. Programs such as CCleaner have their uses, but unless you understand what you are doing, they can cause you problems. I once visited a customer who had 'Registry Mechanic' on his desktop! The Registry is a very important part of Windows, and shouldn't be touched. Windows has a built-in program to look after the registry, and it requires no technical knowledge.
The first tool to get to know, is Windows Restore. This will enable you to go back to a time before your problem happened. The program takes you back to how Windows was at a time of your choosing. It does not affect any personal files: documents, photos and music etc. Here is a link explaining System Restore, the most important part, is to make sure that you have System Restore turned on: https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows-vista/using-windows-vista-system-restore/
Links to other tools: https://www.scooploop.com/thread/windows-10-links-to-built-in-tools-posts -
Welcome to the newcomers, and thanks for the hellos. I specialise in Windows, so don't think I am ignoring you if you post about some other operating system; hopefully one of the other members may have, or know about your device, and be able to help. Today I shall be starting a post to provide links to help with maintaining and looking after your PC. You will be surprised how easy it is to sort out problems without calling in the computer man.
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All in one printer (recommendations please) (Edited)
I'm looking for a new all in one printer. I want one which uses individual ink cartridge not just one multi colour.
Any recommendations? -
I shall be starting the new format of the group tomorrow Friday 20th November. Please PM me with any ideas you may have about what you would like to have included.
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Tablet and laptop not syncing for gmail
They do for everything else and used to for gmail, same messages come through but when I delete on tablet they are not deleted on laptop.
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Repeat roll-call - if you haven't done so, please say hello in the top post.
Morning all. Unfortunately, from the response, there are not very many members left, and we are short of techies. I'll assume that the non responding members are no longer with us. I'll continue to recruit.
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Hello everyone. I'm John, and I've just become the moderator of the group. I shall be revamping it to make it interesting as well as helpful. As many Scooploop members are no longer around, or have never posted anything, would you just say hello, so I can see how big the membership is. Thanks.
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Hi, I have 2 lamps with Philips hue smart light bulbs which I operate through Amazon echo plus using voice control mostly. One bulb has started to not switch off completely, a residual glow remains until turned on again. I have tried deleting and re-enabling the bulb but with no difference. Anyone out there that can help, please?
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Losing internet connection (Edited)
I am continually losing the internet on my laptop - each time the trouble shoot says it is an invalid IP configuration. This is the 3rd day of this problem.
Talktalk said it is because of an 'outage' in my area but would that affect the Wi-FI from router to laptop ? the phone is working okay.
I have rebooted the router but hasn't made any difference. -
Still cannot get my sounds back to what they were before the Windows 10 long update [that I uninstalled].
Even with speakers on 100% it is still very quiet for notifications and games sounds.
Used to have a little icon on the taskbar that was for stereo mixer but that has now disappeared.