Rick Rouse Tech Tips

Note:  This is a great tip for those of us that get files we can't open.   Rick's Newsletter is a great source of Tech Tips.

Have you ever tried to open an important file only to discover that you didn't have a compatible app on your computer to open it with? I'm guessing the answer is yes.

There are hundreds of file types out there, and in times past if you didn't have an app on your computer that was capable of opening the one you needed to access you probably went scrambling to find a compatible app.

Well, thanks to the Internet we no longer have to do that. We can simply use a handy online tool called CloudConvert.

All you have to do is upload the file you want to convert to another format to CloudConvert's server. It'll then work its magic and convert your file into the format of your choosing.

While CloudConvert doesn't support every file type in existence, it does support over 200 of them, including all of the most-used ones.

If you're concerned about the privacy and security of the files you upload to their server, you can rest easy.

According to their Privacy Policy, CloudConvert doesn't collect or store any of the data contained in your files.

What's more, they'll only collect the bare minimum of personal info they'll need to collect if you choose to register with the site or sign up for a service subscription (neither of which is required in order to use their file conversion tool).

I've been using CloudConvert for years, and as you know I'm all about protecting my privacy. I've never found any hint of them doing anything that goes against what they claim in their Privacy Policy (and I check on a regular basis).

Bottom line: If you ever have a one-off need to convert a file to another format so you can read it or edit it, don't pay for a copy of the app that created it. Use CloudConvert instead.
Note: I don't have any type of financial connection to CloudConvert. I'm simply a happy long-term user of this fantastic tool. Nothing more.

I install Windows 11 on unsupported computers. I also install MacOS versions on unsupported Macs. Here’s why: Because the software works, and it’s generally better.
Particularly on a Mac, some of the updated OS’s are required to be able to do stuff, and the Mac hardware is still good. It seems almost arbitrary by Apple that they choose not to allow an OS upgrade on a level of Macs.

On PC’s, there is a real desire by Microsoft to improve security, and while I agree with that, I think because of the hardware investment, the user should be allowed to decide if that’s worth it. There are many PC’s that are given to me that will run Windows 11 just fine, and especially if I replace the mechanical hard drive with a solid state one, the PC will run great.

I installed Windows 10 on plenty of PC’s that didn’t make the grade either, and the watermark that got inserted didn’t prevent anything from being done, it was just an annoyance. With Windows 11, it’s the same thing, but apparently, you can remove it. Read all about it HERE. 

Windows transfer software
 
Unlike Apple software, Windows doesn’t provide a great way to transfer your old computer to a new computer. Data isn’t so much the issue here, but programs are. Over the years there have been various ways to transfer data to a new computer, but typically, programs need to be re-installed.

Recently, Carol got a new computer. The rule is, when 3 things go wrong with the old one, it gets replaced. The backlight stopped working, the ‘G’ key was falling off (and other keys were wearing out), and then the trackpad was noticeably crooked. That last one was because the battery was swollen.

She uses quite a few programs, and had lots of data. I generally move data to a new computer, but as I said earlier, programs need to be re-installed. That usually means setting them up, as well, and that can be tedious and troublesome. Carol found a program that solves that issue, and bought Zinstall. 

It promised to move everything over from the old computer to the new computer. It doesn’t effect the operating system though, so you could use it to move everything from Windows 7 to Windows 10, for instance. The caveat being, it’ll move it, but if the program won’t run on the new computer’s OS anyway, then it won’t using Zinstall either. Also, they said drivers don’t transfer, so you still need to manually install those, like for printers, scanners, etc.

Carol started the transfer and wasn’t sure anything was happening after several hours, so she stopped it. A bit of a no-no. When she started it the next day, it wasn’t working. Customer support was excellent and eventually got in to both computers and started up the process. It took 12 hours to transfer 500 gb.  While that is shocking to me, it also worked, and I didn’t have to do anything. All her programs were there, and she was able to start working again almost immediately.

MS Office required signing back into, but Photoshop and particularly, QuickBooks was all there and working. I don’t normally recommend software or hardware, but I have to say, this was impressive in its ability to transfer nearly everything over. It costs $129 and it did take a long time, but I can see a use for this product in certain circumstances.

​There are other options out there, but if you are simple folk like me, then moving data is all you need. There are many ways to do that, from One Drive, to external storage, to cables and networking. A great article on how to do these things can be found HERE. 
 

There are 2 main home assistants these days, Google’s Nest, and Amazon’s Alexa. Functionally, they are very similar. I got one to play music, an Alexa. Amazon has allowed Prime customers to access the Amazon library of music, so there is quite a lot of choice. Aside from that, assistants can tell jokes, give you the weather, answer all sorts of questions, and much more. You can turn on lights, order stuff, or broadcast on it like an intercom.

A good comparison of Nest and Alexa home assistants can be found HERE. 

If you don’t know what I’m talking about at all, a home assistant, in this case, is a small device that has a speaker. We use ours mostly to play music. It also has a microphone. Our Alexa is an Amazon product and can be used to order things easily from them. I’ve never done that. It can also connect to compatible devices designed to control things, like your lights and thermostat. You can then use a voice command to turn up the heat, turn off the lights, and even broadcast a message, like an intercom, to somewhere else in your house that has an assistant. Learn about that function Here
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We don’t use it nearly as much as is offered, however, there are people that do. My kids use it to control lighting in their home, which seems so high tech to me when we’re sitting there talking and she says “Google, turn off living room light.”

Carol occasionally asks Alexa about something, like the weather, or the time, or who invented asphalt. There are several variations of the home assistant now. There are larger versions with better audio, and some come with screens. You can make “phone” calls as well, if it’s SETUP to do so. Learn about that  Here
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Some of these things are more tedious to setup than others, and obviously, I haven’t been bothered to connect anything, but I still like using the little Alexa that we have. Music, jokes, information, those don’t require anything extra and that’s what I like.

While I’m not low on space, I do like to keep my phone a bit tidy. Every once in a while, I go through and delete photos I don’t need, and I also remove apps I don’t use. The iPhone came with a lot of apps I don’t want, so just getting them off the screen is fine, but many can safely be fully removed from the phone.

Kim Komando has a nice article that can help guide you (us) through some other ways to clear up some space. That article is HERE.  
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One thing it did not include is getting rid of duplicate photos. I stumbled across this option the other day and wanted to try it out. I was in Photos, and selected Albums at the bottom. While looking through that screen, I saw Duplicates. Clicking on that found duplicates and offered me a way to merge them, which I did. It was easy and as far as I can tell, it worked. Here's a YouTube Video.