Starbuck

Tricky one this.... normally bloatware is third party programs that the manufacturer has added (to try and make a little extra money). But, that said... there are programs that M$ add that are also considered bloatware and yes the solitaire collection is in the list. The option that M$ give for installing a bloatware free edition may only remove the manufacturers bloatware and leave their own alone. As I've never run the bloatware free option I can't say for sure. If by any chance it did remove the solitaire collection, it can be downloaded free of charge from the microsoft site. https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/p/solitaire-collection-free/9wzdncrdn990?activetab=pivot:overviewtab

There should be a button at the top of the page that links to the magazine.

Hi Jim, Turning on restore points isn't the same as restoring your operating system. There is a tutorial in our 'Magazine' that explains how to turn on the restore points. Turn On System Restore in Windows 10 If you are thinking that restoring your operating system maybe beneficial, then this tutorial may help. How to reinstall Windows 10 without any bloatware

Nice one mechanic, Glad you got it sorted. :)

👍 Let us know how you get on.

Hi mechanic, Yes it's a fairly simple procedure. Basically export the contacts file to a usb stick. Plug usb stick into your other pc. Open Outlook and import the file. These links will explain everything........ Export contacts from Outlook Exporting your Address Book(s)/Contacts

Hi Skyclad, Easy enough to check... If you open MSSE it should tell you on the Home page. Sort of right. MSSE is no longer available for download, but if you already have it installed, You will get definition updates until 2023 but software updates will no longer be available. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17150/windows-7-what-is-microsoft-security-essentials You might find this will serve you better than MSSE...... Bitdefender free The only other free AV that I can recommend for Win7 would be .... Kaspersky free If you did decide to go with a different AV..... don't forget that MSSE will need to be uninstalled before installing the new AV. You can download a new AV with MSSE installed and running..... but it'll need to be uninstalled before running the new install.

Hope everyone has a very prosperous New Year

It's really simple.... Older style systems used to have separate inputs for headphones and microphones. The newer systems use the New TRSS system which incorporates the 2 inputs into the one socket. The headset is the newer type that uses the TRSS system of only one input. You have to buy the converter to convert the headset back to the older type.

That's right, it won't work. Your headset has a 'combo audio jack' attached...... the one jack plug is actually split into 4 sections... left, right, common and microphone. But your PC has separate sockets for headphones and microphone..... that's why you need to convert the combo audio plug into 2 separate cables via the splitter cable i gave the link for.

Hi jacobixxzz I'm sure the answer is simply something like this (I picked Amazon.com because of your location) It simply splits a dual connector into 2 separate audio connectors. Connectors are marked for microphone and headphone. https://www.amazon.com/MillSO-3-5mm-Jack-Adapter-CTIA/dp/B071NDLCGC?ref_=ws_cp_e67abd4258d2bf7e2324_p_1_i_p

BTW: referring to your original post: Do you understand what the parameters actually do....... netstat -n = Numerical display of addresses and port numbers netstat -ano = lists all open ports and active connections numerically, including process ID. Make sure there's a space after the 't'. and a '-' before the parameters (as above)

I have heard of Amazon accounts being hacked for the purpose of ordering stuff illegally. Normally the account is hacked and then the passwords etc are changed so that the original owner can't get access anymore. This has happened to people that I know and the way to gain control again is to report this to Amazon and have them reset everything for you. Plus if anything had been ordered from the account, Amazon would have all the details.... such as email address, delivery address etc. This info would be a lot more beneficial to you or the police. But you say that they took control of your PC ...... this is completely different from just hacking an Amazon account. As Ken has asked .... How do you actually know your PC was taken control of? I can't quite see how this info would be of benefit to you. What have you actually done to the PC so far ..... in regards to running security/anti malware software, clearing any firewall rules that shouldn't be there. If someone has actually taken control of your PC, you need to find out how they did it and what software they used etc. This should be the first step ... secure your PC again. What security software do you normally have running on your system?

Hi Jim, Ken is right ..... a clean boot doesn't cure the problem. It just alerts you that something running at normal startup is causing the problem. What you need to do now is go back into clean boot .... select just one of the apps that has been closed and re-enable it. Then restart and see how things are. If it still boots up quickly.... then re-enable one more app. Keep doing this until you find the one that is causing the slowdown. Once you know which app it is, disable this from the startup permanently. It's a bit of a slow process, but it's the only way to see what is the problem app.

Another thing to try would be a 'clean boot' ..... Hold down the Windows key on your keyboard and press the R key. With the Run dialogue window open, type in msconfig and click the OK button. You should now be looking at the System Configuration window. Click on the Services tab. On the Services tab, you'll notice a long list of services available on your PC First, check the box labeled Hide All Microsoft Services. <<<<<<<<<<< Important Next, click the Disable All button By performing these two steps, you have effectively turned off all services from third-party software developers. All Microsoft services remain intact and will be ready to load when you reboot Windows. Finally, click the OK button and reboot the system When you reboot, you may get messages that certain hardware and software are not unavailable. This is normal. Just be sure to hide all Microsoft services before you use the Disable All button. Otherwise, you may encounter boot up errors when you reboot your PC. Remember, running Windows like this is just temporary. To restore Windows to a normal start up functionality: Start the System Configuration Utility again (MSCONFIG) On the "General" tab: Click to select "Normal Startup" Click "OK" Choose the "Exit with Restart" option to restart your computer.

Hi Jim, So this is an 'All in One' system?

Duo core and 2GB Ram is the bare minimum to run Win7. Although it will run on 2GB ram ( just) the recommended is 4GB. 3GB is a bit odd though..... normally the ram is in even numbers. Are the ram chips, matched? (meaning are they both the same amount )

(y) Safe surfing.

Hi David, Yes the MP4 files are stored on the hard drive. What was your default download folder? Normally it's the 'download' folder in your main profile folder ( if you have never changed it )....... C:\Users\yourusername\downloads .........but some do change it to the 'Desktop' or 'Videos' or another destination folder. So, check the Downloads folder first .... then check the Video and Desktop folders. I always save everything to the Desktop and then move things to what ever folder I think appropriate Only you will know what you used as your default download folder.

Hi Skyclad, I see that a few people have mentioned that You Tube seemed to fix itself .......... but for some this only seems to last for a few days, then it plays up again. One thing I am seeing is that this problem seems to only happen when you are signed into your Google account. Signing out seems to correct the issue. This would point to a Google account issue.... nothing to do with the computer.

Hi Skyclad, As long as you have made the backup of your bookmarks you are covered. When you uninstall Chrome, it should give you the option of removing your data..... if you say no to this then you shouldn't need the backup. When you reinstall Chrome, it should then add your data back . But if it doesn't for some reason.... you have the backup to use. It should all go pretty smoothly.

Most browsers will give you the option of removing your data or leaving it alone when being uninstalled. Chrome will ask if you want to keep your data (Bookmarks, passwords, history etc ) Firefox no longer asks ...... it automatically leaves the profile folder on the system. With Firefox you have to manually remove this folder after uninstalling ( if you don't want it left on the system. That said...... I'd be inclined to make a backup of the Bookmarks just to be safe. Export Firefox bookmarks to an HTML file to back up or transfer bookmarks How To Back Up Your Google Chrome Bookmarks

I don't see any 'Recommended' links ..... may well be because I use an adblocker (uBlock Origin). I see that it's blocked 3 things..... probably the links.