Keeping your web browser clean and free of adware and junk can be daunting. With malicious extensions and corrupt website ads, maintaining your browser's safety can be tough. So here is how to clean up and reset Microsoft Edge.

Microsoft recently decided to revamp its Edge browser and start all over completely. Well, kind of. The original Edge browser was poorly received and did not get much support from third-party developers. It had problems all the way around.

Everyone has heard the phrase "If you can't beat them, join them". Microsoft did just that with Edge. Since Google uses the open-source browser project Chromium as a base for Chrome, Microsoft decided to do the same thing with Edge.

Cleaning up and resetting Edge

Some of the settings inside Edge are the same as those in Chrome. You can even use extensions from the Chrome Web Store (more about this later in this article). However, there are some differences between the two browsers.

All settings for cleaning up and resetting Edge are in the Settings and more pull-down menu in the upper-right hand corner (three horizontal dots).

The first place we want to go to is Settings. You will find seventeen (17) categories: Profiles - Privacy, search, and services - Appearance - Copilot and sidebar - Start, home, and new tab page - Share, copy, and paste - Cookies and site permissions - Default browser - Languages - Downloads - Accessibility - System and performance - Family safety - Printers - Phone and other devices - Reset settings - About Microsoft Edge.

Profiles

The first category is Profiles, which is where you set up synchronizing your data across devices. As with other browsers, you can sync your data like passwords, payment information, address, etc. You can also import data from another browser here.

Privacy, search, and services

The second category is Privacy, search, and services, and it has several essential sections. These include Tracking prevention, Delete browsing data, Privacy, Required diagnostic data, Optional diagnostic data, Personalization & advertising, Security, and Search and connected experiences. Let's take a look at each separately.

Tracking prevention. This is how Edge handles cookies, and the default settings are recommended. You can turn off tracking prevention or completely block all cookies; it is your choice. You can also view the sites you block/allow tracking and turn tracking prevention on or off when using InPrivate mode.

Delete browsing data. As the name implies, this is where you clear the data from Edge. Like other browsers, you can choose what to delete when you close Edge.

On the right-hand side of Clear browsing data now is a button labeled Choose what to clear. When you click on it, a dialog box with several choices will appear.

I go here when a customer calls and tells me that they are having issues with a website not displaying correctly.

On top is the Time range, and below it are all of the different options. I usually set the time range to All time and leave the default selections checked. That often gets a website to work correctly again. Remember that if you clear any passwords or autofill data, it is gone for good, so be careful.

When you click on Choose what to clear every time you close the browser, you bring up a page with several selections. These are personal preferences, but I like clearing the cookies and cache when I close a browser. It is your choice.

Privacy. There are two (2) selections here: Send "Do Not Track" requests and Allow sites to check if you have payment methods saved. Again, these are personal preferences, but I would turn on the Do Not Track requests and disable the saved payment feature.

The following three (3) sections, Required diagnostic data, Optional diagnostic data, and Personalization & advertising are personal preferences, so the choice is yours.

The next section is Security. The default settings are completely acceptable. There is a button that you can use to Clear all previously allowed sites and you can provide an alternate DNS service provider if you would like.

Next is Search and connected experiences. The default settings for all of these sections should be perfectly fine. The only one I would look at is the Address bar. Malicious websites and extensions will try to change the default search engine used by a browser. If you do not recognize the search engine being used or want to change it, go into the Manage search engines section and make the changes.

Appearance

The third category is Appearance and is mainly for personal preference. The only area I would look at is the URL under the Home button in the Customize toolbar section. If there is a web page you do not recognize, Edge may have been hijacked. Go ahead and remove any unwanted URL's.

Copilot and sidebar

The next section is Copilot and sidebar. Again, personal preferences are applied here.

Start, home, and new tab page

The next category is Start, home, and new tab page. Here we have some more personal preferences. The one place I would look at for browser hijacking is the When Edge starts and the Home button categories. Again, if you do not recognize or remember adding a page listed here, delete it.

Share, copy, and paste

The next section is Share, copy, and paste. Again, personal preferences are applied here.

Cookies and site permissions

The next category is Cookies and site permissions. This where you set the default actions for different media (JavaScript, images, pop-ups, etc.), hardware (camera, microphone, etc.), and other miscellaneous settings. The default settings are recommended.

Default browser

The next category is Default browser. As the name implies, you can set Edge as your default browser here. Two settings might be of interest if you still use Internet Explorer (IE); Allow sites to be reloaded in Internet Explorer (IE mode) and Internet Explorer mode pages. A lot of people still use IE because a website they go to requires ActiveX and since Edge has an IE mode built-in, you just have to enable it.

Languages

The next section is Languages. Again, personal preferences are applied here.

Downloads

The next section is Downloads. Again, personal preferences are applied here.

Accessibility

The following section is Accessibility. Again, personal preferences are applied here.

System and performance

The next category is System and performance, and there is one significant setting here. As with Google Chrome, Edge can continue to run in the background even after you close it. It can also run background apps when Windows starts up. I have seen adware/malware use this setting to run the browser when Windows starts.

I recommend you turn off the Continue running background extensions and apps when Microsoft Edge is closed feature until you get prompted by an app to enable it.

Family safety

The next category is Family safety. This is part of the Microsoft Family Safety program. You can learn more about it in my blog: How to setup Family Safety for Windows using Microsoft accounts.

Printers

The next category is Printers. The link inside opens the Printers & scanners section inside of the Settings app.

Phone and other devices

The next category is Phone and other devices. This just elaborates on the synchronizing feature discussed in the Profiles category.

Reset settings

The second to the last category is Reset settings. With a couple of clicks, you can reset Edge back to its original default settings. Everything but your favorites, history, and saved passwords will be deleted. Remember, if you reset the settings, you will have to go back and do all of the customization again.

About Microsoft Edge

The last category is About Microsoft Edge. When you open this category, Edge will check for updates. Other than what version of Edge you are running, that is all in this category.

Extensions

The last place we want to check for browser corruption is the Extensions. Go back to the Settings and more pull-down menu, select Extensions, then select Manage extensions. This will open a new tab. Extensions extend the functionality of Edge and usually are perfectly safe. You can install extensions from either the Microsoft Store or the Chrome Web Store.

But there are malicious extensions that want to use your browser for other things, like crypto-mining, for example, behind your back. If there are any extensions listed in the Installed extensions that you do not recognize or do not remember installing, go ahead and disable them. If you do not need or want them, click the Remove link under the extension name.

Repair Edge

When it comes to Edge, the only option you have is repairing it. Since it is built into Windows, you do not have the option of uninstalling it, only repairing it. To repair Edge go to System > Apps > Installed apps (Windows 11) or Apps & features (Windows 10) and scroll down until you find Microsoft Edge. Then click on the three (3) horizontal dots to the right and select Modify.

Do you have a family member or friend who is always calling for help with their Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer? Do you wish you could easily connect to their system and take care of their problems fast? You can do just that with the Quick Assist program inside Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Now there is nothing new about being able to establish a remote connection from one Windows computer to another. The Remote Assistance program has been in Windows since Windows Vista, but it does require some detailed setup before you can use it.

On the other hand, Quick Assist is installed in Windows 10 and Windows 11 and is pretty much ready to go when you needed. Its requirements are pretty minimal: both computers have to be running Windows 10 or Windows 11, and the person assisting needs to have a Microsoft account.

Quick Assist does have a few great features. The first one has to be how easy and straightforward it is to use. It comes already installed, and all you have to do is start it up and follow the prompts.

The second feature that stands out is the ability to restart the remote computer you are giving assistance to and have the connection restart automatically. This feature is handy when installing and uninstalling software on the remote computer.

A couple of the other great features are the ability to view a single monitor or all of the monitors on the remote computer. You can annotate (draw) on the remote computer screen (great for illustrating how to do something). And there is even a button to start the Task Manager.

There are two (2) features that are not included that most remote connection software you pay for include. The first one is being able to transfer files between the two computers directly.

You can get around this by using cloud-based file storage like Dropbox or Google Drive. All you have to do is use a browser on the remote computer to log into your cloud storage and download files you uploaded from your computer.

The second feature that is missing is a shared clipboard. Quick Assist does include a chat window (instruction channel) that you can transfer links and text between the computers.

The downside is that the chat window gets cleared with every message that is sent. You can get around this problem by enabling the Clipboard history on the remote computer.

Then in the chat window on the remote computer, you can click on the Copy button, and have all of the pieces of text you send to the remote computer saved to the Clipboard. For more on Windows 10 Clipboard features, follow the link below.

How to use all of the Clipboard features in Windows 10

How to start a Quick Assist session

How to open Quick Assist inside of Windows 11

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All apps.
3. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on Windows Tools.
4. Left-click on Quick Assist.

or

1. Left-click on the magnifying glass to the right of the Start button to bring up the Search dialog box.
2. In the Search dialog box, type Quick Assist.
3. In the list of results, the Quick Assist should be highlighted.
4. Left-click on Quick Assist.

How to open Quick Assist program inside of Windows 10

1. Left-click on the Start button and scroll down to Windows Accessories.
2. Left-click on it to expand the contents.
3. Left-click on Quick Assist.

or

1. Using the search box on the right side of the Start button, type in Quick Assist,
2. Left-click on it in the search results.

Once Quick Assist is up on your screen,

there are two choices: Get assistance and Give assistance.

If you are getting assistance

1. Enter the 6-digit security code from the person assisting you and left-click on the Share screen button.
2. You will be prompted to allow access to your computer.
   
   Left-click on the Allow button to share your screen.

If you are giving assistance

1. Left-click on the Assist another person button. You will be prompted for the email address and password associated with your Microsoft account.
2. Once you are logged in, a security code will appear.
   
   There are some options on how to deliver the security code at the bottom of this dialog box. But the majority of the time, you will have the person you are assisting on the phone. Give them the 6-digit security code.
3. The next screen will ask you what sharing option you want.
   
   You can choose between Take full control or View screen. Make your selection and left-click on Continue.

The Clipboard is one of the most widely used features inside Windows. It used to be just for copying a small amount of text, but not anymore. Let's look at all the Clipboard features inside Windows.

In the early days of computing, users could store small amounts of data in the computer's RAM (Random Access Memory), which was called the Paste Buffer. You could only save one piece of data at a time, and every time you copied a new piece of data, the last piece was erased.

But over the decades, the Paste Buffer, now known as the Clipboard, has evolved into a valuable and essential tool for productivity. The Clipboard in Windows 10 and Windows 11 can hold multiple pieces of text and images. And how you access the Clipboard has changed over the years.

Before you can take advantage of the full capability of the Windows Clipboard, you have to do a couple of things. The first thing you need to do is to make sure that the Clipboard history feature is turned on.

With Clipboard history turned on, you can view and paste all of the different items you have copied to the Clipboard. You will need to go to Windows Settings to make sure that this feature is activated.

How to get to the Clipboard section of the Windows 11 Settings app

1. Open the Windows Settings app by either:
• Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All apps. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on Settings.
• Right-click on the Start button to bring up the Power User menu. On the Power User menu, left-click on Settings.
• Press the Windows logo key + I.
2. Left-click on the System category in the left-hand column.
3. Scroll down the right-hand column and left-click on the Clipboard category.

How to get to the Clipboard section of the Windows 10 Settings app

1. Open the Windows Settings app by either:
• Left-click on the Start button, which will bring up the Start menu. On the Start menu left-click on the gear icon (Settings).
• Right-click on the Start button, which will bring up the Power User menu. On the Power User menu, left-click on Settings.
• Press the Windows logo key + I.
2. Left-click on the System category.
3. Scroll down the left-hand column and left-click on the Clipboard category.

Once you are in the Clipboard section, make sure that the Clipboard history is turned on.

You can also clear all of the items on the Clipboard from here.

Now copying text to the Clipboard has always been pretty straightforward, but there may be times you want to copy images to it. The second thing to do is to make sure you have all the programs you can use to capture images.

The first screen capture program built into Windows is the Snipping Tool, and it has been in Windows since Windows 7, and it works well for capturing anything on-screen (if you can see it, you can capture it).

And it automatically copies whatever you snip to the Clipboard. But it does prompt you to save your snip to a file when you close it.

And the second built-in app for capturing screen snips is the Snipping Bar.

Microsoft included it in Windows 10 Version 1809, and few people know about it. That's because you have to use a combination of three (3) keys on the keyboard to bring it up (Windows logo key + Shift + S).

The downside of the Snipping Bar is that it only captures one snip at a time. Every time you want to capture a screen snip, you have to press the Windows logo key + Shift + S keys. The Snipping Tool will capture as many snips as you like until you close it.

We are now all set to start copying items to the Clipboard. Remember that you can paste text from the Clipboard into almost any program, but you can only paste images into programs that can display images.

For example, you can paste text from the Clipboard into Notepad but not images. But can paste both text and images from the Clipboard into Paint or Wordpad.

There are several different ways to copy and paste from the Clipboard. Here are a few of the most common ways to do it.

Ways to copy text to the Clipboard

Highlight the text you want to copy and then:

• Press Ctrl + C on the keyboard
  
• Right-click on the highlighted text and select Copy from the context menu

Ways to copy graphics to the Clipboard

Highlight the image you want to copy and then:

• Press Ctrl + C on the keyboard

If you can not highlight the image then:

• Right-click on it and select Copy.
• Use the Snipping Tool or the Snipping Bar to capture a snip of it.

Ways to paste from the Clipboard

Select where you want to place the graphic or text in the program of your choice then:

• To paste the last item copied to the Clipboard, press Ctrl + V on the keyboard.
• To select an item on the Clipboard, press the Windows logo key + V to display the Clipboard history.
  
  Then use your mouse or keyboard arrows to scroll through the clips. When you find the one you want to use, left-click on it (mouse) or press enter (keyboard).

For more information on the keyboard shortcuts discussed in this article, follow the links below.

Windows logo key shortcuts for Windows 11

Windows logo key shortcuts for Windows 10

General keyboard shortcuts

Check out the following video for examples of copying to and pasting from the Clipboard inside Windows 10.

With more and more people working from home, keeping your personal computer safe and secure is essential. There is always somebody out there who wants to get your information and data. So here are five (5) things to look at to protect your computer when working from home.

It is hard not to be paranoid about your computer's security at home. You hear about all the ways that the bad guys can get access to your data. But with a few simple changes, you can harden the security of your personal computer.

E-mail

E-mail is the most popular way for the bad guys to get access to you. They will try to infect your computer with a malicious attachment or get you to a compromised website to get your information. Sometimes they want you to respond to their e-mail with your personal information.

Either way, e-mail is currently the largest source of attacks and scams. But there are some simple things you can do to protect yourself. The first thing you want to examine is how you view your e-mail.

Now e-mail can be written using two (2) different formats: plain text (like in a .TXT file) or HTML (like the code used for websites). Plain text e-mail has no special formatting, but HTML e-mail can.

Just like malicious websites can have hidden code that can download and install malware, adware, and viruses, so can malicious HTML formatted e-mail. There is no difference between the two.

So, just like if you went to a malicious website and viewed an infected web page with a malware payload, displaying a malicious HTML formatted e-mail has the same effect.

The best way to avoid downloading the contents of an HTML formatted e-mail is by not using the preview feature in your mail program. Most of them, like Outlook and Thunderbird, can turn off the preview pane. If the HTML formatted e-mail can not be rendered, it cannot execute the code inside.

Remember that if you do not know or recognize the person or company that sent you a questionable e-mail, delete it. It is not worth the trouble a malicious e-mail can cause to see what is in the e-mail.

While on the subject of malicious e-mail, knowing how to spot a piece of junk mail is essential. I go into more detail on how to do it in the following article I wrote a little while back.

How to spot a piece of spam e-mail

There is another option when it comes to e-mail security, and that is using an anti-spam program. Since I get hundreds of e-mails daily, I started using the anti-spam program MailWasher almost two decades ago. It is perfect for getting rid of junk mail.

For more information on MailWasher, check out this article I wrote a couple of years ago. They have a paid version and a free version.

Eliminate spam from your inbox with MailWasher 7.5

Tech scams

Tech scams have lost their popularity with bad guys. Is it because consumers are getting smarter and not falling for them anymore? But you still get them occasionally, so here is a link to an article about avoiding them.

How to handle a tech scam

The bottom line is, don't give them any information; whatever you do, do not provide them access to your computer!

Software updates

Many people don't apply updates to Windows and other programs because they fear the upgrades will break the software. Yes, it does happen occasionally, but only sometimes.

I have had my fair share of repairing computers that have experienced a failed update. But more often than not, updates install flawlessly. With all software manufacturers' testing for updates, a failed upgrade is rare.

However, recovering from a virus or malware infection that could have been prevented by applying software updates can be expensive. It's embarrassing, too.

Then, there is the use of an operating system, like Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 that has reached its end-of-life and no longer gets security updates. I get the "I just like the way it works" or "My software won't run on the latest version of Windows" arguments.

I have found solutions to those arguments, and many like them. When there is a will, there is a way. But running unpatched software is just way too dangerous. Bite the bullet and apply updates or upgrade your software.

Anti-virus software

This is another piece of software you have to keep an eye on. The biggest problem I encounter is expired anti-virus licenses. Customers will get a new computer with preloaded anti-virus software with a 30 or 60-day trial license.

When the trial license expires, they ignore the pop-ups telling them about the expired license. Luckily, Windows 10 has a highly rated anti-virus program (Windows Security) built-in. It will usually take over when a trial anti-virus license expires.

Typically when I set up a new computer for a customer, I ask them what they want to do about anti-virus software. Most of them tell me to remove the pre-loaded trial version of anti-virus software.

If they don't prefer a particular anti-virus program, I have them go to an independent, third-party website like AV Test and check the ratings for the different anti-virus software.

Many people are surprised that Microsoft's Windows Defender / Windows Security is rated so high. Microsoft has worked hard over the years to improve its anti-virus software.

Now, the cool thing is even if you have installed another company's anti-virus software on Windows 10, Windows Security will see it and set it as the default. But you can still have Windows Security do periodic scans.

Routers

This security tip may or may not affect you. If you lease your router from your Internet Service Provider (ISP), this topic is irrelevant to you. If you own your router, this will be of interest to you.

Home Internet routers have always been a target for the bad guys. There are two reasons for that: First is the fact that home users usually keep the default administrator password the same. Luckily, router manufacturers started installing complicated default passwords a few years ago.

The second reason is that once people set up their routers, they tend not to think about them anymore until something goes wrong. As I like to call it, the set it and forget it syndrome.

Just like I discussed updating software earlier in this article, your router also has software that gets updated. It is called firmware, the operating system for your router. Think of it as what Windows is to your computer; the firmware is to your router.

The problem is that your router's firmware is not automatically updated. You have to do this manually. Sometimes, it can be hard to determine what version of firmware your router is running, if there is an updated version of firmware for your router, and how to upgrade the firmware of your router.

The first step is to log into your router and find out what version of firmware it is running. It is usually listed right on the first screen. From there, you go to the manufacturer's website and find the product page for your router. What you are going to need is the manual for your router.

An effortless way to find it is by just searching on Google. Search for the manufacturer model manual, and the product page for your router should be in the top three (3) results. Once you have the manual, you can search it for Firmware Update, and it should explain where to go inside your router to look for and upload a new version of the firmware.

Now that we have looked at the router's firmware let's look at your router's security. The bad guys regularly scan an ISP's range of IP (Internet Protocol) addresses, looking for open ports to attack. An IP address is a unique string of numbers that identifies each device on the Internet.

We now want to check and see if your router has any open ports that the bad guys can use to access your router or any of the devices inside your network. For this, we want to do an unintrusive scan of your router's service ports.

Gibson Research Corporation has a fantastic tool for doing this called ShieldsUp!. Just go over to the website, and under the Services pull-down, you will find ShieldsUp.

Once you get to the ShieldsUp! page click on the Proceed button. From there, you can select from several different types of scans. I recommend the All Service Ports scan.

Once the scan is complete, the webpage will display the scan results. If you score a perfect rating, you are good to go. The webpage will tell you what to do if any ports require attention.

Do you have two personal computers and would like to access one from the other remotely? Looking for an effortless way to do it? You can do just that with TeamViewer Free.

Remotely accessing a computer is pretty commonplace nowadays. It used to be technically involved in setting up remote connections between two computers. However, with software like TeamViewer Free, setting up remote access between computers is pretty straightforward.

So, what would be the main reason for using remote access software? First, it would be to access the software installed on another computer. Second, use that software to access files on that computer or the network it is on. It comes down to working on your computer without sitting in front of it.

We here at Geeks in Phoenix have been using commercial, pay-per-seat remote access software for years. In researching this article, I wanted to find remote access software that could be used for personal use for free.

I have worked with TeamViewer Free over the years, as some of our customers use it regularly. For personal use, the free version works quite well. Sure, it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles of the paid version, like remote printing or tech support, but it works well for remote access and file sharing.

Setting up TeamViewer Free on two computers for personal use is pretty simple. The installation process involves installing the software on both systems and creating a TeamViewer account that links the computers together.

The first thing to do is download and install TeamViewer Free from the TeamViewer website on one of the two computers you want to link together. During the installation, you will come to a screen that asks you how you would like to set up TeamViewer.

When prompted for the type of installation, I recommend selecting the Default installation. Once the installation is done on the first computer, the TeamViewer Free program will appear. Using the original old interface, you will see a menu in the left-hand column with several categories: Remote Control, Remote Management, Meeting, Computer & Contacts, Chat, Augmented Reality, and More solutions.

The Remote Control category should be highlighted, and in the center column, you will find a section labeled Unattended Access.

Select Start TeamViewer with Windows and Grant easy access.

When you select Grant easy access, the Assign to account form will pop-up asking you for an e-mail address and password.

This is where you are going to create a TeamViewer account.

Click on Create Account, and then the Create TeamViewer account form will appear.

Just fill in the required information and go through the steps to verify your e-mail address.

You now have a TeamViewer account. Go back to the TeamViewer screen and make sure that Grant easy access is selected under Remote Control. If it is not, then select it and put in your TeamViewer account details.

Now download and install TeamViewer Free on your second computer. Use the same options you used for the installation on your first computer. When the installation is complete, the TeamViewer's main screen will appear.

Just like with the first computer you installed TeamViewer Free on, the Remote Control category should be highlighted. Under Unattended access, select Start TeamViewer with Windows and Grant easy access. When the Assign to account form appears, just type in the e-mail address and password associated with your TeamViewer account.

Once you have both of your computers linked to your TeamViewer account, you should see both of them listed under the Computers & Contacts category on both computers.

You can double-click on the name of the computer you want to access remotely, and a separate screen for that computer will appear. For more options, you can also right-click on the computer name

and a context menu will appear with all of the options available. For more information on TeamViewer Free, click on the link to their website below.

TeamViewer