FIXING COMPUTERS

This wikiHow page is a good source for fixing Windows 10 and Safari on a Mac.  For Windows 10:

1) For computer problems try this first: Turn off the computer. Unplug the computer. Hold the computer on/off switch down for 30 seconds. Reboot the computer.

2) If the internet is not working unplug the modem and other equipment such as switches for at least 20 seconds.

3) Check if the date/time readings located the bottom lower right side of the on the computer.  If they are not correct right mouse click on the readings and click on Adjust Date/Time.  On the next page that pops up, click on Sync Now.

4) If the printer is not working, reboot the printer by turning it off for at least 10 seconds. Then turn it on again.

5) Press the "Windows" and "I" keys at the same time.  This will allow you to access the update services from Windows 10 setup.

Only run the update services if the computer is working normally.  If not continue to the next step.

6) Press ALT-CONTROL-DELETE and run Task Manager.  Check for strange programs running and any program taking too many resources.

Install Absolute Uninstaller at File Hippo free software site.

7) Run free version of Malwarebytes-
Since the bad guys would love to remove Malwarebytes, they make it hard to uninstall the program.  If you want to remove the program due to annoying pop ups from Malwarebytes, then install  Absolute Uninstaller by Glary Utilities. This program will allow you to remove Malwarebytes when you want to.

8) Glary Utilities has had Problems, but now works pretty good.  Select Clean Up & Repair:

      a) Select Disk Cleanup. This will speed up your computer as the computer will have less files to sort through. It will remove usually GByes of files that are not needed.

     b) Skip this if you have you have the new solid state drives (SSD).  SSD drives are much faster than the old spinning disks. Only if you have Magnetic Spinning Discs, select Optimize/Disk Defrag and defrag your old discs.  Defragging SDD disks is highly not recommended.

     c) Update software your software by selecting Optimize & Improve/Software Update.

Note: I do not use CCleaner, Auslogic, or Advanced System Care as they have had problems, may not be free and may have annoying ads.

Note: An old version of Free Revco Uninstaller may not work, but has a good feature, Hunter Mode.  If you get an popup and cannot figure out which program is responsible, using Hunter Mode you can slide an icon over the popup and find out what is going on.

Note: Advanced System Care no longer is a great program. The stole some of their software from Malware Bytes and that in itself is a big problem.

9) Tweaking.com is great for fixing the registry and other setup problems. Good to use also after malware has been removed.

10) AutoRuns shows which programs run automatically.  Good way to find programs that stay running after startup.

10) Major Geeks Tutorials and Video Guides gives many hints on repairing computers when all else fails.  Be careful about downloading programs.

11) Firefox Troubleshooting lists some fixes that pertain to Firefox and also help in general.

FREE SOFTWARE SOURCES

These sites typically gives glowing reviews, so do some research first (search with the word review or problems).

Filehippo has a lot of free software.  Be careful about loading a lot of free software.  Check reviews first.

Major Geeks is similar to Filehippo.

BROWERS

Brave Browser has built in ad blockers. YouTube has played around with a lot of advertising and Brave Browser seems to keep the advertising at bay.  It is often faster than Firefox especially when you are using Google Search.

Firefox has slowed down when using Google Search, and has trouble with YouTube which has a paywall and a bunch of ads.  Sometimes YouTube works well with Firefox and sometimes not. Other than these problems Firefox is a good program and allows customization. It has lots of ad-ons some of which can cause problems.

PaleMoon is a fork of the old Firefox and allow use of old ad-ons.

Other browers include Crome, Opera, Microsoft Edge, Vivaldi. 

Note: World of Trust (WOT) is no longer a good ad-on.  It is blocked by Firefox.

WINDOWS 10

Use caution on Gethuman.

Try calling at 7am, on Wednesday or Thursdays. Mondays are the worst.

Good program for fixing Windows 10/11 Operating System:
Tweaking.com

Ultimate Windows Tweaker can remove the arrows on the Windows 10 desktop icons.

8 Gadgetpack allows you to put gadgets on your desktop. They include clock, weather, and PC information. Other sources are available.

FIREFOX SEARCH BAR

To add search bar click on hamburger (tree stacked lines)> Search>Search Bar>Add search bar in toolbar

FIREFOX ADD-ONS

Activate Reader View

Adblocker for YouTube

ByPass Paywalls

ByPass Paywalls Clean

Copy PlainText

Online PDF Editor

Operen in Foxit Reader

Pinned Google Calendar

Print Friendly & PDF

uBlock Origin