This post is not to defame this add as being a bad deal.  You are probably getting an ok deal, but I wanted to point out some key red flags that a novice might miss.  You can refer to my previous blog post on selecting a laptop as well.  Click the 'read more' below to find out my concerns.

I made a post to the Pro-Stitcher Sim group about how removing Norton Anti-virus improved the stability of PSP.  There are plenty of people that do not have issues with Norton and I am not going to criticize anyone for using it.  Just make sure that you are getting the updates that come out weekly.  Most companies charge you a subscription charge to keep this up to date.  If you do not update, all you are doing is disabling the native anti-virus program, Defender.  Anti-virus protection goes stale without regular updates.

What has changed over the past year or two is that many established industry nerds are now saying, "You only need to use the native Defender anti-virus in Windows 10."  I have been running my main PC at home without a third party anti-virus program for several years.

So my arguments for avoiding third party anti-virus programs are...

1. Cost.
2. The programs normally effect overall performance.
3. The anti-virus programs can cause issues with other programs.

If you want a free anti-virus, google Avast or AVG.  But even these will nag you to purchase a pay version.  If you have pre-teens and teens using the computer, you should probably pay for additional protection that also include parental monitoring.  

Leave comments below.  "From my keyboard to yours... happy computing."

I had noticed that a small window would momentarily open and close on my screen every hour or so.  It was almost a flash it went away so fast.  What was it?!?  I ran Malwarebytes and it did not find anything.  I looked for odd programs in my startup list.  Did I have a virus?

After 5 minutes searching Google for a current article on a similar problem, I found the answer...
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The issue affects MS Office users.  I basically pay $99/yr for up to 5 computers that can run the Microsoft Office Suite of applications.  My two essentials are Outlook for email and Word for a word processor.  You also get 1TB of OneDrive space for each of 5 users.  Not a bad deal for a family or a small group of friends.

The good news is that the next update to the MS Office product will fix the problem:

• This issue is fixed starting with build 16.0.8201.2025 which is now available as the latest update for those participating in the Office Insiders Slow program. It will be included in a future update for those not participating in Insiders.

Don't forget to become a member of the MK Quilts IT Support Services if you don't want to have to worry about maintaining your own system.

Quick Tip -
Go to your power options settings and make sure your timeout for when the computer goes to sleep - powers down - is set to NEVER for when you are plugged in.  Or at the very least set to 5 hours.  You can always manually shut the PC off.
WHY?
There are important security and software updates that need to be installed on your PC weekly.  The recommended default is to leave this set to automatic.  Unfortunately, if you have a limited network speed, the computer will not download the updates while you are using the system because it can interfere with what you are doing.  If your PC shuts down soon after you stop using it, many of the larger updates may never install.

I came across this while supporting a client who is part of the IT support service.  Please consider this service if you do not have regular assistance on maintaining your PC.

Please do NOT utilize your internet provider for your personal email address.
Many people have a post office box and the UNITED STATES POST OFFICE to receive their mail instead of delivering to their house.  They know the likelihood of our government closing that location is less likely than the local Pack-n-Ship store down on Main Street.  Email is not delivered to your house and not even to your computer.  Your computer is going out to a provider to retrieve the email, just like you would go to a PO box to collect your physical mail.

Most people get there internet service through the cable TV provider.  If you move, change your account, or decide to go with another provider... they will immediately close your email account that is associated with it.  Guess what else is normally stored with your email?  Your contacts... all the email addresses of your friends!  Do you know how to save that information?

Open a FREE email account on Outlook.com or Gmail.com.  You can easily forward your current email to the new account as your friends learn your new address.  There are other services like AOL.com and others, but I really like the Microsoft Outlook.com features.  

If you want to learn more and/or want someone to walk you through this process, look into the IT Membership Service offered through MK Quilts.  You don't have to depend on the friends and relatives plan.

Habits are hard to break.  Even the great "MK" found out the hard way that you should stop appending "www." to every website she tries to go to.  Click the 'Read More' if you want to get into the details, but here is an example of why it can cause problems...

When a customer is trying to go directly to the Yondo video site for MK Quilts, they may try to type...
​    "www.mkquilts.yondo.com" instead of "mkquilts.yondo.com"
Which results in the following screen to appear...

Shortcuts are basically small files that point back to another file... sometimes called a link.  When you put a shortcut to a program on you desktop, taskbar, or start menu, you are not copying the larger program file.  All program files should reside in C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86).  You should not make any changes to these files if you need to read this post.  

I am a computer expert and still run into issues, so don't get frustrated.  Try these steps to resolve your issues.  Most of these steps apply to general browsing problems.  Hope they help...

1. Do you have internet connectivity?   Try to go to another website and click around.
2. Are you actually logged into your account on mkquilts.yondo.com?
3. Are you logged in as the account/email that you bought the video under?  Some people end up registering more than one account.  Go to the DASHBOARD menu selection and it should show everything your purchased.
4. Did you get a confirmation email that the rental of the video went through?  We occassionally have issues with PayPal not sending the confirmation back to the Yondo site.  If any purchase does not complete within 10 minutes, reach out to us by phone.
5. Clear your browser cookies.  See my earlier blog:  clearing-your-browser-cookies  Restarting the browser or rebooting your computer is also helpful in clearing residual issues.
6. Try a different browser.  The yondo.com site that hosts the videos seems to prefer the Chrome browser that can be installed on both PCs and MACs.  
7. Check your internet speed.   The videos should buffer up even over slow connections, but you might get impatient waiting.  Speedtest.net seems to be a good site to test with.
8. Contact MK and myself for help.  See out HELP menu on MKQuilts.com

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