Computer Help Desk ...

Major Frustration.

For awhile now I've been getting this laptop message about Renew McAffee protection on my Dell Inspiron. I've never been sure if its a virus or a legitimate warning box.
Now I've learned its legitimate but I had this option.
Turn on Windows Defender (after updating it) OR renew McAfee because it seems the two are mutually exclusive and activating one turns the other one off.
So as of right now I'm on Windows Defender but my question is should I spring for the twenty dollars to purchase McAfee for a year or should I just stay with Windows Defender.

Gotta create a media recovery something so I'm going to buy and use a Flash Drive for the first time. That will be an adventure. Maybe I'll wait for Amazon Prime day to figure out if an external hard drive would be better than a Flash Drive thingie.

Been reading some computer stuff recently. What is meant by the term "form factor"?

Quote: Fleastiff

Been reading some computer stuff recently. What is meant by the term "form factor"?

You should have somebody show you
where google is.

form fac·tor
noun

the physical size and shape of a piece of computer hardware.

Quote: Fleastiff

So as of right now I'm on Windows Defender but my question is should I spring for the twenty dollars to purchase McAfee for a year or should I just stay with Windows Defender.

I've been using Defender forever. Occasionally I get one of those page freezes where the page announces my computer is stricken with a plague of dangerous malware and wants me to download something or call a number, but that's just a ruse. It even picks up real viruses once in awhile.

You still shouldn't do really stupid stuff like downloading something from unfamiliar sites with Russian names.

Quote: Evenbob

form factor the physical size and shape of a piece of computer hardware.

Oh, I was thinking in terms of 'form' as a document with blanks to be filled in and instead of 'factor' I was thinking 'tractor' wherein continuous sheets of paper used to be fed into a printer back in the days of old.

Okay. Just about every outlet has a cheap surge protector so just about every device that exists should be surge protected, but the power keeps going out for a second or two, things start beeping and sometimes the TV comes on .... I think what I need is an Uniterruptible Power Supply that will cut in just before the power cuts out. Its not just the microwave beeping at me and the clock going to Noon all the time, its all that xfinity equipment and my new adjustable bed that can go haywire with its massagers and up/down options.

What should I look for in a UPS and how much should it run me. I know the surge protectors I bought were cheapies but not sure if that was bad or not.

Quote: Fleastiff

I know the surge protectors I bought were cheapies but not sure if that was bad or not.

I went to Staples recently and bought another surge protector. I needed help finding them, so some associate walked me to the isle and as my eyes were starting to glaze over due to the large selection of all white surge protectors, varying in price from around 8 bucks up to over 18 [these were just the cheap strip kind] I asked what the difference was. He said make sure the package has the words [surge protection] on the box, because side by each and easily indistinguishable are just plain multi plug in devices that have no type of protection at all, they were just a splitter! They look identical, one protects, one just gives you more plugs with which to potentially overload your receptacle.

We paid over 80 for the one on our big screen, it interrupts coax or other signal wire as well, from lightening,,,,supposedly.

Unless the tech has changed in the last dozen years or so, surge protectors are only good for one operation.

Your concentrator may not like a surge protector, and need it's own dedicated circuit. If you have an electric bed, lamps, vibrators and other electric items all plugged into the same circuit of your dwelling, that demand might appear as browning, of your lighting?

Quote: petroglyph

I went to Staples recently and bought another surge protector.

We lost 2 fridges and a freezer 10
years ago from a surge. Luckily it
was at night and none of the
electronics were turned on. The
power co reimbursed us for some
of it, not nearly enough to replace
them. They said I should have had
it covered on my insurance, but
it wasn't.

I usually prefer it when Internet Explorer lets me view a webpage and does not have Internet Explorer's own taskbar at the top, but now I want to go to internet Exploer's task bar and change my internet options section.
How do I get to that taskbar?
I'm on a Dell Inspiron 15 and using WindowsSomethingorOther as an operating system.

Got this cheapie Wireless Printer from Canon via Amazon.
I can't even get it to work and I already hate the thing.

My laptop sees my own wifi network and also the canon installation network but it won't see each at the same time.

Even if i'm on the canon wifi network nothing I type seems to do anything to the printer and nothing I do to 'settings' on my laptop lets the laptop 'see' the printer.