2026 May eBytes
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Microsoft: Built-In Windows 11 Antivirus Is Enough Protection for Most Users
Digital Clutter Is Weighing You Down. 5 Tips for Cleaning Up Your Phone and PC for Good
I tried this free Windows cleanup tool to see if it'd speed up my PC - and it worked
Don't Overpay for Tech: An Expert Guide to Shopping for Refurbished Electronics
How to Reclaim Your Android's Original Speed in Under 10 Minutes
The Best Free Software: 66 Editor-Selected Essentials
FCC's Router Ban Quietly Places an Expiration Date on Home Internet Security
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Microsoft: Built-In Windows 11 Antivirus Is Enough Protection for Most Users
Defender is 'usually sufficient,' it says in a blog post that might rile up the antivirus industry.
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Digital Clutter Is Weighing You Down. 5 Tips for Cleaning Up Your Phone and PC for Good
Organizing your documents, emails, photos, videos, and other files can make life a lot easier. We show you how to digitally declutter, step by step.
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I tried this free Windows cleanup tool to see if it'd speed up my PC - and it worked
The free Winhance utility boasts that it can optimize and customize Windows the way you prefer.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/winhance-free-optimize-customize-windows/
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Don't Overpay for Tech: An Expert Guide to Shopping for Refurbished Electronics
Given the tariff situation and the "RAM crunch," refurbished products can be a great way to save some cash. Follow these tips to avoid being ripped off when buying renewed electronics.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/expert-guide-to-shopping-for-refurbished-tech
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How to Reclaim Your Android's Original Speed in Under 10 Minutes
Your Android is capable of a massive speed boost, and it's time you took advantage of it.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/how-to-reclaim-your-androids-original-speed-in-under-10-minutes/
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The Best Free Software: 66 Editor-Selected Essentials
In this economically uncertain time, you can't beat free! These top-notch app picks across eight key categories will make you more productive, more creative, and more secure on your PC.
https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-free-software
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FCC's Router Ban Quietly Places an Expiration Date on Home Internet Security
As it stands, the FCC is only permitting software updates to consumer foreign-made routers until March 1, 2027. The big question is how it'll rule on the issue in the coming months.
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Links - News, Tips, & Downloads
15 Cords and Adapters You Should Probably Throw Out - I did a spring tech drawer cleaning and tossed more than 35 outdated cords and adapters.
https://www.cnet.com/home/household-cords-you-should-probably-throw-out/
How to Tell if Someone Else's Apple AirTag Is Tracking You - These settings can help make sure your iPhone alerts you to unwanted location trackers.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/how-to-tell-if-an-apple-airtag-is-tracking-you/
Google Photos Adds Touch-Up Tools to Quickly Fix Zits, Whiten Teeth, More - Google adds seven new features designed to tweak faces from your smartphone.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/google-photos-adds-touch-up-tools-to-quickly-fix-zits-whiten-teeth-more
Best Wi-Fi Routers for 2026: We Rank the Fastest 5th, 6th, 6E and 7th Gen Models - CNET's recent lab testing measured throughput, jitter, latency and signal strength on more than 30 top routers to find the ones that deliver a fast, consistent internet connection.
https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/best-wi-fi-routers/
Live TV Streaming Showdown: Who Offers the Top 100 Channels? - We compare channel lineups for YouTube TV, Sling, Hulu Plus Live TV and more.
Clear the Clutter. How to Free Up Storage Space on Your iPhone - Running out of space on your iOS device? Here's how to figure out what's taking up the most space on your Apple smartphone (and iPad) so you can decide what to delete.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/tweak-settings-free-up-storage-space-on-iphone
Why Microsoft is forcing Windows 11 25H2 update on all eligible PCs - With support ending for Windows 11 24H2 in October, Microsoft wants all PCs on the same version for security reasons - but you can postpone the update. Here's how.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-windows-11-25h2-update-eligible-pcs/
Windows Secure Boot Certificates Are Expiring. How to Verify Your PC Is Updated - A new status indicator in the Windows Security app will let users know whether their Windows 10 or 11 installation has been successfully updated with the latest Secure Boot certificates.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/windows-secure-boot-certificates-expire-in-june-verify-your-pc-is-updated
The Best Phones for Seniors in 2026 - No matter your age, you can benefit from the simplicity of a voice phone or one with a big, bright screen. These are the best phones we've tested that make life easy.
https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-phones-for-seniors
Seniors Are Losing Billions to Online Scammers—and Most Don't Even Know It - New research shows nearly three-quarters of adults over 55 have been targeted or know someone who has fallen victim to online scams. Here's what you can do about it.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/seniors-are-losing-billions-to-online-scammers-and-most-dont-even-know
Your Future Self Will Thank You: The Beginner's Guide to Backing Up Your PC - Hacks and data failures happen. Prepare for the worst-case scenario by backing up critical documents, music, photos, or other important files. Here's how to secure your data the right way.
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Ask a Question - Send any Tips & Downloads, Ask a Question, For Sale, or articles to: TheMiningPCC@gmail.com
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Q. From a PCC Member - An interesting video about tap to pay flaw. The interesting thing is that the vulnerability has been well known and has existed for years. Also the clever way that the hack works.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PPJ6NJkmDAo&pp=4gcKEghqb2luMTQ0MA%3D%3D?
A. From Tom Kreuzer, a PCC Board member. Tap to pay is much more secure than using your card to pay. Like they say in the video, It would be nice if the flaw was fixed, but currently not worth it for Visa to fix it. Windows and iOS have millions of flaws, and yet I take the risk every day. Lots going on in the background, I am always surprised we do not have more issues with all the devices and code we all use. I will continue to use tap unless you can point me to a method which is safer today.
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Q. From a PCC Member - We have several HP Printers that are not working including an HP OfficeJet Pro 8610 with the printer traveler stuck on the right side of the travel. My HP Envy 6055e is working fine. Do you think the printer is worth repairing or should I put it in the dumpster? I have a monthly printer ink contract (Instant Ink) with HP so that I don't have to buy printer ink on the 6055e and on my printer in MN.
A. From Tom Kreuzer, a PCC Board member. Printers should be replaced about every 6 years due to hardware issues and improvements in printers. When buying a new printer or installing on a new PC you need to download the install/setup from the vendor site and follow all instructions to all the functions to work. If you just plug in a printer cable that is not a good install/setup.
Some things to try to fix the 8610 if you still have ink for it. If no ink take to your county recycle or places like Best Buy:
Not sure how many months you have left on the 6055e ink contract or what you pay per month. If you can stop or get refund, do that. Ink cartridges are the most expensive way to print and I do not recommend them for anyone and I would stop using ASAP due to cost. Your total cost (initial cost + ink/toner) is a major factor when buying. I recommend that most people buy a B&W laser or if you must have color, a color tank printer. You can save between $1000 to $3000 over the 6 year life of the printer compared to expensive cartridges if you do average printing.
I am giving a PCC presentation on May 20 "Buying a Printer". I have attached the handout that I have so far.
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Q. From a PCC Member - I may have left my phone in the PCC meeting today in 201. I don’t have Jim’s phone or email to have him check the room. Can you help me?
A. From Tom Kreuzer, a PCC Board member. Jims mobile phone XXX XXX-1234
You should be able to use "Find My Phone" to locate it. Separate site and process for Android and iPhone, just Google it.
Member replies: I put it in airplane mode, because silencing my phone in a meeting doesn’t work if my kids call me. Their calls come through because I have them marked as favorites. The phone was found at home.
Tom Kreuzer responds: Glad you found the phone. The Find will work in Airplane mode, turned off, or even battery dead. It will report the last location and time if it has any connection. It is a life saver when you do not know where your phone is. I have left or thought I left my phone in cars, houses, and golf carts.
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Q. From a PCC Member - Taking a minute to let you know that I was able to find the source of the lockups and confirm it with the Windows Reliability Monitor. I found that there was some sort of update for Adobe Acrobat Reader that was running, failing, running, failing and so on. I tried the Repair Installation option and it would not complete either. Finally, I uninstalled and reinstalled Acrobat Reader and that fixed the issue. Something must have been corrupted.
I do not like Acrobat Reader in its current form. It is larded down with features that I do not use nor want. Do you know of a simple pdf reader that you would recommend? I see there are dozens of them on the Microsoft Store. I would not mind paying a reasonable amount rather than putting up with a bunch of ads.
A. From Tom Kreuzer, a PCC Board member. Glad you got that sorted out. Reinstalling often fixes weird update issues. Chrome has recently added many features to its free reader built into Chrome and that is what I use. See if it does what you need. I would first uninstall any Adobe software you are not using in the Windows Settings/Apps/installed apps. Then go to Settings/apps//Default apps and set the .PDF to use Chrome. Like you said there are 100s of readers with all kinds of features if you need more PDF Reader/Editor functions - PDFgear (Well-regarded for providing robust features for free). The paid Adobe is the best with the most features, but 99% of people do not need it.
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Q. From a PCC Member - Do you know anything about Incogni: https://incogni.com/? Does it do what it claims and is it safe? I am always afraid to check these types of things out because I don't know enough to keep me out of "electronic" danger, but I was notified recently that my SSN is on the dark web, so I'm kind of nervous.
A. From Tom Kreuzer, a PCC Board member. For a fee of $95-$179 a year Incogni and other companies will claim to clean up info about on the web. Sounds good, but most data like your SSN is gotten in a data breach and is for sale on the Dark Web. Incogni and every other company can do nothing about the Dark Web. I would not waste money. There are free things you can do so your info like email or phone does not show in a Google Search. Google remove personal info: https://support.google.com/websearch/answer/9673730?hl=en
ZD Net Mag Article: I tried to wipe my digital footprint without paying for a data removal service - 5 free ways - It may take a while, but it's possible to remove your personal data from the internet via deletion tools and helpful government resources. https://www.zdnet.com/article/free-ways-to-remove-your-data-without-a-service/
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Q. From a PCC Member - My daughter in law seems to be blocked out from my eMails.I am not able to read or respond because I do not see them.
A. From Tom Kreuzer, a PCC Board member. We looked in her Spam folder and found them. She uses Gmail so we looked at it’s Settings/Filters and found she had block her, which causes them to go into the Spam and then deleted after 30 days.
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