Session is an end-to-end encrypted messenger that removes sensitive metadata collection, and is designed for people who want privacy and freedom from any forms of surveillance:
https://getsession.org/
You're so welcome. Using an add-on like uBlock Origin or Ghostery takes care of most tracking,
I also use an add-on/extension called Decentraleyes and another called ClearURLs as another layer, available on Chrome & Firefox.
Zemana is the only key logger blocker I know of, though there are probably more. It used to be free, now it's paid software.
At this point, most anti-virus/security programs will detect and block keyloggers. I don't know if they block the keyloggers that some corporations use to track what their employees are typing, though at that level security is probably handled by IT staff.
I use Social Fixer on Facebook.
Thanks. :)
Yes there have been issues, and it's partly because people haven't set up their meetings so they are secure. I've added basic tips to the article and a link to Zoom's blog on how to make meetings safe.
I'm thinking most of these are geared towards the USA. If you have a VPN you should be able to access them. I've updated the article, thanks for letting me know.
"... exa is an improved file lister with more features and better defaults. It uses colours to distinguish file types and metadata. It knows about symlinks, extended attributes, and Git. And it’s small, fast, and just one single binary ...":
https://the.exa.website/https://github.com/ogham/exa
I have Windows 10 Pro on my laptop and am not given the options above when clicking on properties, the field with the in private add on is not editable. Any other suggestions. Thanks.
Girens is a Plex media player client. You can watch and listen to your music, shows and movies with this GTK app:
https://gitlab.gnome.org/tijder/girens
Thanks much for the Autumn pic.
On another note, I can't log in using my email, even though the option allows for it. I can login, however, with my username. Thought I'd pass it along.
Sozi is a zooming presentation editor and player. Unlike in most presentation applications, a Sozi document is not organised as a slideshow, but rather as a poster where the content of your presentation can be freely laid out:
https://sozi.baierouge.fr/pages/10-about.html
Hive Time is a small, bee themed management/base building sim. Harvest resources, grow your hive, and produce a new Queen before the current one dies:
https://cheeseness.itch.io/hive-time
This article is surely resourceful and might benefit a greater part of seekers looking for such valuable posts. Continue updating. Best English practice App :-https://engvarta.com/
I support a number of people (I live in a mature adult community) and I do not get paid for my services, its volunteer. About a year ago, TeamViewer determined that I must be commercial; Im presuming because I had about 35 computers in my access list (7 of these systems were mine). They now limit my connection sessions to 5 minutes, with a wait time of 10 minutes between each session.
This was a wonderful tool and I miss it but Im not willing to pay for a licence to support users I do not charge. And I dont want to absorb the price of this volunteer work.
I dumped TeamViewer and now use google remote desktop for clients that have a google account or I use the Windows Quick Assist. I no longer have the ability to access unattended but thats not a problem since now I just require the users to be there when I access the systems. A bit inconvenient for them but thats what they have to deal with for no charge to them.
Nami is a decentralized binary package manager, it allows software authors to publish their software anywhere, without having to request a merge from a software center for each update:
https://github.com/txthinking/nami
I like Zoho products, I've used some of them for many years. Thanks for the heads up, I didn't know they had an remote assistance program that works cross platform, I'll have a look at it. :)
I didn't run into any issues with Team Viewer or AnyDesk but Team Viewer may have changed something in the last few days. Quick Assist is good for Windows 10 users. I havent tried Google's Remote Desktop, thanks for the input. :)
Used to use TeamViewer, was great. Now its limited to 5 minutes per session if you dont pay. I dumped it.
2 alternatives that Ive tried: Google remote desktop if you are just going into your system remotely or have a google pw on the receiving machine. Smooth operation once you get in. But doesnt work well for support because there still are a lot of people that dont have a Google account.
The other comes standard in the OS from MS: Quick Assist. Its a 2 way auth tool that gives you total control of the users screen. Ive used it several times with very new Win 10 users and with a bit of coaching, get in with no problem. Note that the user must input a code and then in the 3rd part of auth, they must allow you access, so you cant use this without user assistance at the keyboard. Its a me, you, me, you thing. Dont know when it started showing up in Win 10, but its in the latest 2 versions. Not sure about older ones.
Recently, many people have got a popup message in TeamViewer: "Your TeamViewer Plan is not valid". But it still works. It seems to be an error which may have been fixed by now with the latest update of TeamViewer.
This is a great (and currently relevant) topic. I've provided "support" to many family members over the years and have tried a bunch of different products. For our small business and home we use Zoho Assist which is free for "on demand" support which allows you to connect to another computer or the other user to connect to you. It's an enterprise level product that has worked well for me. Many of our business clients have Apple laptops and desktops and I can connect to them for training as easily as a windows computer.
DrBones
Good to know - I used it for many years but then a year, perhaps two years, ago I got a popup that it was upgrading to a new version that would require a paid license. At that point, I dropped it. It appears they reversed course which is excellent.
From the TeamViewer website: "From the very beginning, TeamViewer has been available to everyone completely free of charge for personal, non-commercial use. Get Started Now! It’s free for personal use or as a trial version for business users." MC - Site Manager.
You most certainly are correct.
What bugged me most was: First the free version allowed me to use it one my main machine at home, my carry along laptop when i do customer visits, my Android phone, my wife's computer a.s.o.
Then they change their policies - which is their good right, I admit - and suddenly it was only two systems. ;-)
I love that site, I'm glad they put a coronavirus page. Really clean interface with minimal data presented so you can find more if you're interested. Nice.
I'm asking because I viewed all of the sites in Google Chrome with no extensions other than a password manager (standard practice on my end) and saw no ads on any of the sites. The Bing site has a column of news articles but I see no ads there.
I use Google Chrome to test sites with only a password manager installed, no ad blocker or anything else, because it's the most commonly used browser.
I'm not seeing any ads on the Worldometers site either, if that's the site you're referring to.
"... FDNS was designed to run as a local DoH proxy on a Linux desktop, or as a server for a small network. Lean and mean, it protects the computers against some of the most common cyber threats, all while improving the privacy and the system performance ...":
https://firejaildns.wordpress.com
"... Pop Shell is a keyboard-driven layer for GNOME Shell which allows for quick and sensible navigation and management of windows ...":
https://github.com/pop-os/shell
The textual info at the bottom is nice and the page is loaded with tons of charts and graphs filled with all the same info found on the Johns Hopkins dashboard. Otherwise, even with a basic popup blocker running, the site is riddled with ads. And rather than be convenient and tidy, the informational charts and graphs are spread out on a long scrolling, bright white page. The aesthetics alone are a huge turn off for me. But, the more options we have to find this information, the better in my opinion.
@Malbec, please try it again with a new Android download link using a Bitly short URL for the time being. The original long download link with a query string is being truncated due to a faulty Drupal module.
The link to Google Play is broken, and a direct search on Google's site gives dozens of apps with this same name...
Could you correct this, please?
Thanx
It's up and down for me. Sometimes it returns the database error and sometimes it loads but the site doesn't seem to be loading properly. Looks like they are having issues with the server. I'll keep an eye on it, thanks for the heads up.
I would save it to Documents, and after move it to the desktop if you want - it doesn't have to be on the desktop. You can do the same thing with the file in any folder.
If you can't save to the desktop, one reason could your anti-virus software is preventing it. You can disable it and try it, and if that's not the issue, something here may help:
While the creator's website listed above no longer seems to be offering the free version, it is apparently still available at other software sites: http://download.cnet.com/Serif-PagePlus-Starter-Edition/3000-6675_4-75547685.html and https://pageplus-starter-edition.en.softonic.com/.
It is the earlier version 2.2---which I actually prefer.
using windows 7 having problems with the info as the article states, followed your instructions but this is what showed up.
# Copyright (c) 1993-2009 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host
# localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself.
# 127.0.0.1 localhost
# ::1 localhost
i then went and saved it to my desktop after adding the line
# 2.18.213.82 redirmetasevices.microsoft.com
when i go to save it it gives me two choices,
save as type: text documents (*.txt), or all files , the encoding is ANSI.
i get a message that reads
c: windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts.text
you don't have permission to save in this location.
contact the administrator to obtain permission
then it asks me if i would like to save to my documents instead.
i am the system administrator, i am in my administrator account. i don't use this account, unless i'm installing programs that i want to be accessed from any other windows account or guest account. so why am i not allowed access, or do i have to enter through the area where i shut down drivers to do this?
Gotcha, I thought you were referencing the Major Geeks download link I put in one of my comments, not TheWindows Club attribution link at the bottom of the article.
I've edited that link so it goes to the home page of TheWindowsClub, that way no one will be be confused about where the download link is in that article, and it is easy to miss.
Be careful. If the software was installed by the computer manufacturer, these key finders will likely return a one-time bulk installer product code which won't work again. I've been burnt by this more than a few times.
Key finders work fine with a manually inputted product code.
Are you saying your anti-virus blocked the Softpedia download site? That would be quite unusual.
If it's blocking the author's site I would test it with at least one other anti-virus site or program, it's likely to be a false positive. I was not blocked from accessing the site by my anti-virus program and received no warnings using multiple browsers.
As to why it's identifying something on the site as PUP I don't know. Some anti-virus programs are over active and deliver a large amount of false positives - it's best practice to test anything your anti-virus program identifies as a threat with other sources.
I recommend using the Softpedia download link in the article, or the Major Geeks download site I mentioned here in the comments. Major Geeks scans all the programs they have on their servers for malware. Pretty sure if there were a problem it would have been removed from the reputable download sites.
I mentioned in the article that due to the nature of the program (it acts like a password retrieval type program and scans the registry) some anti-virus programs will flag as malware. Any program that behaves that way will likely be tagged as malware. The author mentions this on the site.
The portable version brings up some flags in Virus Total and other testing sites, though the executable version does not.
I've installed both and scanned both using security software on my computers and neither was flagged, and the site wasn't blocked by my security software.
Thanks but now my antivirus reported:
Website blocked due to a PUP
Your antivirus blocked this website because it may contain a PUP.
We strongly recommend you do not continue.
This is a list of the most recently posted comments on the site sorted so that the most recent comments appear first.
You can however sort the list on Article title by clicking on the column heading. To see actual comments click the + sign.
Thanks rhiannon..
just what I needed.
My windows 7 update has been broken for almost two years now.
Hopefully, this will fix it !
Stay safe, stay well !
As of the versions lately I can use T-bird for Yahoo, Outlook.com and GNail with NO problems.
Of course must use IMAP but not a problem at all.
You're so welcome. Using an add-on like uBlock Origin or Ghostery takes care of most tracking,
I also use an add-on/extension called Decentraleyes and another called ClearURLs as another layer, available on Chrome & Firefox.
Zemana is the only key logger blocker I know of, though there are probably more. It used to be free, now it's paid software.
At this point, most anti-virus/security programs will detect and block keyloggers. I don't know if they block the keyloggers that some corporations use to track what their employees are typing, though at that level security is probably handled by IT staff.
I use Social Fixer on Facebook.
Thanks Rhiannon for helping make our lives simpler and safer with your essential tips
Personal data mining and cookies are an ongoing scourge, and so any other tips including utilities that block keylogging, are appreciated !
Please note there have recently been problems with hackers accessing Zoom sessions. It is important to set passwords for sessions with Zoom:
https://krebsonsecurity.com/2020/04/war-dialing-tool-exposes-zooms-password-problems/
Thanks. :)
Yes there have been issues, and it's partly because people haven't set up their meetings so they are secure. I've added basic tips to the article and a link to Zoom's blog on how to make meetings safe.
Thank you. :)
I'm thinking most of these are geared towards the USA. If you have a VPN you should be able to access them. I've updated the article, thanks for letting me know.
https://www.howtogeek.com/210614/how-to-access-region-restricted-website...
With reference to:
359 free movies to watch on YouTube
Great Idea, just that some are Private videos and unavailable and all the others that I clicked on are unavailable in UK
Going above and beyond, now that's tech support. Good on ya Gizmo and team.
You're very welcome. :)
That's a great selection rhiannon. Well done & thank you.
It doesn't work on any of these.
Which browser are you using?
I have Windows 10 Pro on my laptop and am not given the options above when clicking on properties, the field with the in private add on is not editable. Any other suggestions. Thanks.
This software has recently started nagging me to upgrade. Had weeks of it over the New Year, and now it's at it again. During a pandemic. Grrr!
Thanks much for the Autumn pic.
On another note, I can't log in using my email, even though the option allows for it. I can login, however, with my username. Thought I'd pass it along.
This article is surely resourceful and might benefit a greater part of seekers looking for such valuable posts. Continue updating. Best English practice App :-https://engvarta.com/
i liked this post so much
https://getsharey.com/about-pdf-drive/
I support a number of people (I live in a mature adult community) and I do not get paid for my services, its volunteer. About a year ago, TeamViewer determined that I must be commercial; Im presuming because I had about 35 computers in my access list (7 of these systems were mine). They now limit my connection sessions to 5 minutes, with a wait time of 10 minutes between each session.
This was a wonderful tool and I miss it but Im not willing to pay for a licence to support users I do not charge. And I dont want to absorb the price of this volunteer work.
I dumped TeamViewer and now use google remote desktop for clients that have a google account or I use the Windows Quick Assist. I no longer have the ability to access unattended but thats not a problem since now I just require the users to be there when I access the systems. A bit inconvenient for them but thats what they have to deal with for no charge to them.
Thank you for this nifty utility. I hope it supports Unicode: I often need to input Chinese text
Good one! I think it will be good if you add more video streaming platform.
I would like to introduce New video streaming platform Mobiotics
You're very welcome. :) I'm glad you like it.
I like Zoho products, I've used some of them for many years. Thanks for the heads up, I didn't know they had an remote assistance program that works cross platform, I'll have a look at it. :)
Team Viewer has apparently been revoking licenses for what they deem commercial activity. I hadn't heard of that error message, thanks.
You're very welcome. :)
I didn't run into any issues with Team Viewer or AnyDesk but Team Viewer may have changed something in the last few days. Quick Assist is good for Windows 10 users. I havent tried Google's Remote Desktop, thanks for the input. :)
really like this one thank you, Rhiannon
Used to use TeamViewer, was great. Now its limited to 5 minutes per session if you dont pay. I dumped it.
2 alternatives that Ive tried: Google remote desktop if you are just going into your system remotely or have a google pw on the receiving machine. Smooth operation once you get in. But doesnt work well for support because there still are a lot of people that dont have a Google account.
The other comes standard in the OS from MS: Quick Assist. Its a 2 way auth tool that gives you total control of the users screen. Ive used it several times with very new Win 10 users and with a bit of coaching, get in with no problem. Note that the user must input a code and then in the 3rd part of auth, they must allow you access, so you cant use this without user assistance at the keyboard. Its a me, you, me, you thing. Dont know when it started showing up in Win 10, but its in the latest 2 versions. Not sure about older ones.
Try Quick Assist, its working for me.
Recently, many people have got a popup message in TeamViewer: "Your TeamViewer Plan is not valid". But it still works. It seems to be an error which may have been fixed by now with the latest update of TeamViewer.
This is a great (and currently relevant) topic. I've provided "support" to many family members over the years and have tried a bunch of different products. For our small business and home we use Zoho Assist which is free for "on demand" support which allows you to connect to another computer or the other user to connect to you. It's an enterprise level product that has worked well for me. Many of our business clients have Apple laptops and desktops and I can connect to them for training as easily as a windows computer.
DrBones
Good to know - I used it for many years but then a year, perhaps two years, ago I got a popup that it was upgrading to a new version that would require a paid license. At that point, I dropped it. It appears they reversed course which is excellent.
TeamViewer is no longer free for personal use. Anydesk still is.
Thanks! Very informative.
I needed to compare two HTML files today and found both Beyond Compare 3 and ExamDiff lacking.
In my search I found the free version of Code Compare at:
https://www.devart.com/codecompare/
And it is great! It has wordwrap, which was missing from the other two, and made comparing the files very easy.
Check it out.
You most certainly are correct.
What bugged me most was: First the free version allowed me to use it one my main machine at home, my carry along laptop when i do customer visits, my Android phone, my wife's computer a.s.o.
Then they change their policies - which is their good right, I admit - and suddenly it was only two systems. ;-)
I love that site, I'm glad they put a coronavirus page. Really clean interface with minimal data presented so you can find more if you're interested. Nice.
I'm asking because I viewed all of the sites in Google Chrome with no extensions other than a password manager (standard practice on my end) and saw no ads on any of the sites. The Bing site has a column of news articles but I see no ads there.
I use Google Chrome to test sites with only a password manager installed, no ad blocker or anything else, because it's the most commonly used browser.
I'm not seeing any ads on the Worldometers site either, if that's the site you're referring to.
You're very welcome. I've been using it and quite like it, and there are no limits on amount of content as there is with the free version of Evernote.
Thank you Ms. rhiannon.
Seems to FINALLY be a way around the limitation(s) of Evernote.
I use several ad/popup blockers, and don't see any of those ads. But, I agree that more options for keeping informed and up-to-date is good.
The textual info at the bottom is nice and the page is loaded with tons of charts and graphs filled with all the same info found on the Johns Hopkins dashboard. Otherwise, even with a basic popup blocker running, the site is riddled with ads. And rather than be convenient and tidy, the informational charts and graphs are spread out on a long scrolling, bright white page. The aesthetics alone are a huge turn off for me. But, the more options we have to find this information, the better in my opinion.
In addition to the Johns Hopkins dashboard and nCoV2019 version, here is another I've found to be worthwhile.
https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
I would like to find a Optical Drive software.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ua.co.cts.sideup&hl=en_US
The link to Google Play is broken, and a direct search on Google's site gives dozens of apps with this same name...
Could you correct this, please?
Thanx
The link seems to be working now.
It's up and down for me. Sometimes it returns the database error and sometimes it loads but the site doesn't seem to be loading properly. Looks like they are having issues with the server. I'll keep an eye on it, thanks for the heads up.
This page has links to some of the participants and a partial list at the bottom of the page.
https://mymodernmet.com/color-our-collections-2019/
fyi the link to "Download Free Coloring Pages From 100+ Top Libraries and Museums" replies "Error establishing a database connection".
I would save it to Documents, and after move it to the desktop if you want - it doesn't have to be on the desktop. You can do the same thing with the file in any folder.
If you can't save to the desktop, one reason could your anti-virus software is preventing it. You can disable it and try it, and if that's not the issue, something here may help:
https://lmgtfy.com/?q=windows+7+you+don%2527t+have+permission+to+save+in+this+location+contact+the+administrator+to+obtain+permission&s=l&qtype=search&ovr=1
I use Firefox, and both sites working fine for me too.
That happens to me now and again on Firefox.
I haven't gotten any warnings in any of the handful of browsers I use and both sites are working fine. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Firefox gave me a warning, but gave it the go ahead and everything is just fine.
While the creator's website listed above no longer seems to be offering the free version, it is apparently still available at other software sites: http://download.cnet.com/Serif-PagePlus-Starter-Edition/3000-6675_4-75547685.html and https://pageplus-starter-edition.en.softonic.com/.
It is the earlier version 2.2---which I actually prefer.
Thank you, that's so nice of you to say. :)
Article should be pinned on webpage and forum!
Well done!
using windows 7 having problems with the info as the article states, followed your instructions but this is what showed up.
# Copyright (c) 1993-2009 Microsoft Corp.
#
# This is a sample HOSTS file used by Microsoft TCP/IP for Windows.
#
# This file contains the mappings of IP addresses to host names. Each
# entry should be kept on an individual line. The IP address should
# be placed in the first column followed by the corresponding host name.
# The IP address and the host name should be separated by at least one
# space.
#
# Additionally, comments (such as these) may be inserted on individual
# lines or following the machine name denoted by a '#' symbol.
#
# For example:
#
# 102.54.94.97 rhino.acme.com # source server
# 38.25.63.10 x.acme.com # x client host
# localhost name resolution is handled within DNS itself.
# 127.0.0.1 localhost
# ::1 localhost
i then went and saved it to my desktop after adding the line
# 2.18.213.82 redirmetasevices.microsoft.com
when i go to save it it gives me two choices,
save as type: text documents (*.txt), or all files , the encoding is ANSI.
i get a message that reads
c: windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts.text
you don't have permission to save in this location.
contact the administrator to obtain permission
then it asks me if i would like to save to my documents instead.
i am the system administrator, i am in my administrator account. i don't use this account, unless i'm installing programs that i want to be accessed from any other windows account or guest account. so why am i not allowed access, or do i have to enter through the area where i shut down drivers to do this?
You're very welcome. It's good to see so much useful information and tools in one place.
Thanks rhiannon. That's a lot of useful info.
Gotcha, I thought you were referencing the Major Geeks download link I put in one of my comments, not TheWindows Club attribution link at the bottom of the article.
I've edited that link so it goes to the home page of TheWindowsClub, that way no one will be be confused about where the download link is in that article, and it is easy to miss.
These two links will take you to sites where you can download the program:
https://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Back-Up-and-Recovery/SterJo-Windows... (this is the one in the article above)
and this one:
http://majorgeeks.com/files/details/sterjo_key_finder.html
another reliable download site.
OK...use the link, then click Download...you will get a Page Reload pop-up, then it will go to Reimage Repair.
Yep that is a downside to some programs, I did mention it in the article above.
Ah I see, thank you. I've edited the link to resolve to their home page.
You're welcome. There's a lot of good information, tools, and news there. The reviews of VPNs are good. It's kept up to date.
The "catch me" link from TheWindowsClub goes to this rogue site. MC - Site Manager
https://i.imgur.com/Dyr260k.png
Huh. That's odd. It resolves here when I click on it:
http://majorgeeks.com/files/details/sterjo_key_finder.html
Be careful. If the software was installed by the computer manufacturer, these key finders will likely return a one-time bulk installer product code which won't work again. I've been burnt by this more than a few times.
Key finders work fine with a manually inputted product code.
The links at MajorGeeks sends me to Reimage Repair...
No problems with PUPs or the like here. Panda and Malwarebytes show the file to be clean.
There is a sponsored offer which nearly got me. Just click 'decline' and you will be right.
Cheers,
Paul
Thanks Rhiannon, this seems like a very useful site.
Thanks, I'll give it a try. It looks good - a lot like Belarc, combining system information with Microsoft product key retrieval.
rhiannon, check out Free PC Audit. It's a free and portable combination system information tool and key finder.
https://www.misutilities.com/free-pc-audit/index.html
Are you saying your anti-virus blocked the Softpedia download site? That would be quite unusual.
If it's blocking the author's site I would test it with at least one other anti-virus site or program, it's likely to be a false positive. I was not blocked from accessing the site by my anti-virus program and received no warnings using multiple browsers.
As to why it's identifying something on the site as PUP I don't know. Some anti-virus programs are over active and deliver a large amount of false positives - it's best practice to test anything your anti-virus program identifies as a threat with other sources.
I recommend using the Softpedia download link in the article, or the Major Geeks download site I mentioned here in the comments. Major Geeks scans all the programs they have on their servers for malware. Pretty sure if there were a problem it would have been removed from the reputable download sites.
I mentioned in the article that due to the nature of the program (it acts like a password retrieval type program and scans the registry) some anti-virus programs will flag as malware. Any program that behaves that way will likely be tagged as malware. The author mentions this on the site.
The portable version brings up some flags in Virus Total and other testing sites, though the executable version does not.
I've installed both and scanned both using security software on my computers and neither was flagged, and the site wasn't blocked by my security software.
Thanks but now my antivirus reported:
Website blocked due to a PUP
Your antivirus blocked this website because it may contain a PUP.
We strongly recommend you do not continue.
You can try it again, I've changed the download link to Softpedia, but you can also get it at Major Geeks or other download sites.
This site can’t provide a secure connection
www.sterjosoft.com sent an invalid response.
Pages