I criticize Chrome all the time. Google is definitely trying to get as much info from you as possible. They are quite successful.  I do like Chrome though, as I am very used to using it as my primary browser. There are things you can do to help with that, though I doubt there's anything that is fully protective. I found a useful site that has a number of suggestions to help use Chrome. You can read about it HERE.

Also, a blurb about computer donations. We get requests for refurbished computers. This has been a slow year in that regard. Please consider donating your computer to me so I can clean it up and give it away. Buy yourself a new computer, you deserve it. Send that old computer my way.

​Thanks!

​Bloatware is the software that comes with your new computer that you don’t want and did not ask for. Often, your computer is subsidized by makers of software that get their trial programs, or even full programs on your computer. They can be used to advertise, collect data, or maybe they are useful to some, but clutter to others. Sometimes, the programs can be uninstalled using Windows, via System/Apps and the uninstall process. Occasionally, the programs may come with their own uninstaller.

Sometimes, they are more mysterious and don’t appear to be uninstallable. There is a free program out there that can be used to uninstall some of the Microsoft bloatware. Please don’t frivolously go at it though, some things really need to be there. An article about the program is HERE.

I downloaded the program HERE.
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There are other uninstaller programs as well, like Revo Uninstaller, which I have also used. Get it HERE.

Carol and I have been writing tech tips for quite a while now. Some weeks are harder than others, to come up with a tip that seems interesting. This week’s is about the Windows 10 built-in tech tip guide. I have a page describing it HERE.

It’s cool because it’s dynamic, and it offers specific help within Window 10. The one I got a kick out of was the Home Learning tip. It’s a set of pages that can help with home education, including multiplication tables, reading, and the history of the world, from Plate Tectonics to Behavior of Space Objects.
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There’s WAY more. There are tips for using Office, Windows, and keyboard shortcuts, templates for things. Check it out and see what you can find that might be useful or fun.

Last week I wrote about older computers and software. It was pointed out, by Sid Guddes, that there is an alternative to keeping an old computer and its software. I’m including Sid’s very excellent email to me below. I’ll have some additional comments below that.
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“Saw your article on old software that won't run on Windows 10.  Although it's perfectly fine to have two computers, that takes more desk space and is a pain if data needs to be shared between the two computers.  Also, eventually the old Windows 98 computer will have stuff go wrong and it may be difficult or impossible to get replacement parts.

An alternative is VirtualBox.  VirtualBox is open source that allows you to create one or more virtual machines (VM) on your PC.  So if you have a Windows 10 PC, you can create say Windows XP, Windows 98, and Linux virtual machines and effortlessly switch between them.

There are a couple of drawbacks to VirtualBox:

- each VM needs RAM, so your PC needs lots of RAM
- there is some overhead to running a VM, but if your PC is fast enough, you likely won't notice the overhead
- VirtualBox does not include any Windows licenses, so once you create say a Windows 98 VM, you'll need the Windows 98 install disks

In spite of this, VirtualBox (or its ilk) can be a good alternative to be able to run old Windows software.  Other vendors (VMware, Microsoft, Citrix, Xen) also have virtual machine products.

There are other advantages to using a VM.  Say you want to install software but are suspicious it may be malicious.  You can create a VM with just a small self-contained C: drive and install the software there.  If it misbehaves, you can just delete the VM and the rest of your system is secure.  Or if you're going to browse a web site that might be malicious, same thing.”

Sid is, of course, absolutely correct. My only take on this would be that not everyone wants to create a VM world on their computer. Many folks just want to use their computer and getting any more into that is more bother than they want. For that, the simplest solution is to have multiple computers. I know a guy with at least 4. His software is no longer available, and he doesn’t have copies to load into a VM. This is quite precarious for the reasons that Sid mentioned.

I use VirtuaBox on my MacBook to run Windows 10. It was pretty easy to install, and works flawlessly. It is a very cool product. I knew a computer guy in Northfield Illinois that ran several instances of VirtualBox operating systems on a single server. Multiple Windows versions, Linux, and Mac OS. There are a lot of possibilities out there.

Interested in running Windodws 10 on your Mac?  click here.

I’ve worked on several Windows 7 computers over the last few weeks. I thought they would be rarer, and I talked to someone who is using an XP computer. What struck me about the Windows 7 computers was how similar to Windows 10 it really is. Also, the old programs on it that aren’t around today. Picasa was one, and Word Perfect was another.
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Those programs, and several others, run fine on Windows 7 and the old software can be a serious investment, so says my friend still keeping his Windows 98 computer. And really, that is the reason to hang onto an old computer, for the expensive software.

That is no reason, however, not to get a new computer running Windows 10. Windows 7 computers are having a harder time out there when browsing the WEB. As browsers on Win 7 no longer get updated, they fall behind in security, and some websites will not display on them. My XP friend is starting to run into that more often.

If you absolutely can’t leave your Windows 7 or XP, I did find a browser that purportedly is maintaining their security on those platforms. It’s called MyPal, and it’s a branch of Mozilla’s Firefox lineage. I’ll offer it as a stopgap till you come to your senses. You can find it HERE.

https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/mypal.html
I haven’t tried it, but it seems like there are a lot of stubborn folks out there and this browser was created to fulfill that group’s need. Good luck. Let me know how it goes.