DennisD

I hope users realise that WhatsApp scrapped this "one year trial then nominal subscription" system some time back. WhatsApp is 100% free, 100% of the time. Although I'm not naive enough to think that some governments could, and probably would take advantage of a back door type thing, I would be more than happy to live with that it if succeeded in preventing one single terrorist attack.

That took so long to read I thought "this had better be good". It was.

I've been using this for years now. It's sad the issue they have, although my old XP is happy with the current version. Plays everything including the quite new H265 codec, although my XPosaurus struggles with it. Plays, but in dire slow motion. Just for info, neither my regularly updated Smart TV nor my BluRay player will recognize that codec yet.

Just a for info which is worth a try for anyone with what appears to be an unsteady internet connection. I struggled with this issue for a few weeks before I thought to try something which I was doubtful would have any effect, but after 3 weeks of a rock steady connection, it turned out to be the fix. Tried all the usual things with my Belkin Wireless Router, including contacting my ISP who assured me my signal was reliable and steady, (I didn't 100% believe them). Kept rebooting the router which is the first thing to try, and tried changing various settings, and then changing them back. In the end the fix was to simply reinstall the saved configuration file I made a few years ago when I first got the router. Simple as that. The change was instant, and the signal hasn't wavered since. I did initially try a different wireless router, but it was a s**t old model supplied by my ISP years ago. It was never any good and couldn't hold a steady connection on a good day. With any luck, this may help someone else. You never know.

Hi o355, and welcome to the forum. I don't know exactly how long 7.1.2 has been out, (a few months?), but maybe the devs are still trying to figure out the nuances of this latest Android version, and it may also have something to do with the many issues Android users with various phones have been having with it. The best I can do is point the devs to your post which will make them aware of your issue. Can you provide details of your phone? Thanks.

Hi Shadow of Life, and welcome to the forum. If Recuva is popping up the "Unable to determine file system type" message, it means your drive must have a problem with the data in the bootsectors which contain all the important data informing Windows as to what is actually on the drive, including the type of file system. Without that info, your drive is being read as "RAW" or "Unallocated Space". A couple of options for you to look at. Firstly, for Recuva to be able to scan that drive you would have to carry out a format. But a "Quick Format" and not a full one. A quick format would simply re-initialize the file system by rewriting the bootsectors without overwriting any of the data on the drive. It wouldn't touch your files. You could then scan the drive with Recuva, making sure to go into "Options/Actions" and select "Scan for non deleted files" as you haven't actually deleted the files on that drive. That's one option, but I would keep that as a final one. Before that, try out some other free software which will scan a RAW drive and may work for you. Firstly have a go with "Lazesoft Windows Data Recovery": Lazesoft Windows Data Recovery: Also have a look at "PhotoRec 7.0". It's just recently, in this version, been made available with a very simple GUI, but it is in fact a very powerful and reputable program, with lots of guides on the site. PhotoRec 7.0: In the download, the GUI version of PhotoRec is the "qphotorec_win.exe" file. Just double click it. You should have the option to carry out a "Quick Format". Is that option not available? Which Operating System are you using by the way? Have a go using the recovery programs first before anything else, and let us know how you get on. Hope that helps.

No big stick mate. But that's the point I highlight isn't it. Without a link back to the other forum and topic, folk on both forums have no idea about the other topic and are therefore giving advice out of the goodness of their heart which has quite likely already been given. If I recommend a piece of software on here, I check out the current version of that software and if I don't have it I download it and install it under Returnil to check it out properly. I also thoroughly check out any download site I link to to make sure it won't cause harm due to recent changes. I could be going to those lengths while a member on another forum is doing exactly the same. If you think that an exaggeration I would be happy to find old posts of mine where I tell posters that I've actually downloaded and tried out the software I'm recommending and it's perfectly safe, free and with no catches. I'm sure I'm not alone in checking out software and sites before recommending, and that's the time and effort that's being wasted here. Providing links is a forum etiquette not practised by everyone any more, but there are mods and members on here and elsewhere who still do that as a matter of form, and these have to be safe and the only way to do that is research them first. And that takes time, sometimes quite a lot of time.

There isn't anything I should need to add over and above the many reasons I tried to point out previously as to why making duplicate posts on more than one forum at the same time isn't a good idea ... https://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=48275&do=findComment&comment=283395 ... and there isn't any difference at all between your recent duplicate posting and the previous one. You have volunteer members on two forums giving of their time to provide you with help without either forum being aware that they could quite likely be giving of their free time simply to duplicate answers you've already received. I even suggested a more sensible way to glean info from more than one forum ... It doesn't even come down to a case of how much time has to pass before you ask the same question on two forums as you've had your duplicate posts running "live" more or less together on both forums. And to be realistic, if a couple of years had passed your first post would be dead and buried and no one would notice or care, but in this case that doesn't apply does it. You state above replying to hazel ... It's your thinking that's flawed razz as you cannot possibly know as to whether a reply you receive has been given off the top of someone's head or if they've spent a lot of time making sure they don't give you advice which could cause you harm. And that takes research. I explained quite clearly in that linked to topic that any decent forum member on any forum will not simply dish out advice without knowing it's reliable and safe. I know for sure that no one here does. We don't recommend or link to software without knowing for sure that it hasn't changed in some negative way and just as importantly, that any site linked to hasn't changed in some negative way as to cause harm. That takes a little research and research takes time. If you added a "please do not research any of the answers you give" to your posts (which you don't), you probably wouldn't get many reliable replies. Just the opposite in fact because software changes all the time, sometimes taking on unwelcome passengers, and we've seen the same thing happen to once reputable sites as they change drastically by teaming up with "questionable" partners to raise revenue. No razz, to think that no one researches even the simplest request about software is flawed thinking. As already said above, you cannot know how much time a forum member has put into what appears to be a straightforward and simple answer. And in the case of "copy and paste" posting, you can have no idea how much members time has been wasted on both forums by their "researching" a duplicate answer. If any member, new or regular, wants to duplicate post on more than one forum, then I'll repeat more or less what I said in that other topic ... if I was aware of that, I for sure wouldn't respond to that topic in any way, other than to point out to the other members that the topic is a "copy and paste" effort appearing on more than one forum. They could then be aware that they could be wasting their freely given time. There aren't any comments in either this topic or the other I mentioned above which even vaguely suggest anyone is thinking like that, and it's the farthest thing from my mind. But like any community, there are always unwritten rules as well as written ones, and these usually arise over the years as certain practices are recognised as being counter productive and usually time wasting. We can't make a forum rule about wasting members time as the definition of that is just too broad a subject to pin down. But we can point out to members of the community that something they are doing could potentially waste the time of members (here and elsewhere). And that's exactly what we tried to do in this case. And being an unwritten rule, there's nothing for a moderator to enforce so we can only respond by making sure we try to advise someone about the potential consequences of, in this case, duplicate posting. And the potential consequences of carrying on with that practice, ie having little or no response from members to future topics, or, no one giving a damn either way. So the choice is entirely for the individual member to make. Heed well meaning advice or disagree with it completely and do what you feel you are justified in doing. And the other members will make their free choice as to whether to react to it or not. And I'll finally say that I believe there were sufficient reasons laid out in the other topic as to why this isn't a good practice, with a sensible and realistic suggestion given as to how to make it an acceptable one. I feel this topic should never have came about at all.

Re your pm razz, I don't answer stuff like that any more via pm because only one person benefits, and also because of the countless hours I've wasted in the past doing that, but I'll add a few more words here than I planned to, based upon your pm, which should help you and anyone else new to, and maybe struggling with Macrium. Bare in mind part of this this is based upon Macrium 5.0. Testing a Macrium Rescue USB stick. Many computers won't boot automatically from a USB stick. You need to access the "Boot Menu", usually by pressing the "Esc" (Escape) key as soon as the computer starts to boot. As long as a USB stick is already plugged in before booting, it should show up in the Boot Menu. Just use the arrow keys to select it and hit enter. Your PC should now boot from that stick. This would need to be done each and every time. I personally only ever use a Macrium Rescue CD. As long as it's kept in a jewel case and looked after, it won't fail the way a USB stick could. I don't trust USB sticks as I mentioned above, but it's all personal choice. File and Folder backups: Although I have a pro version (5.0) I never use Macrium for those types of backup. However, if you intend to make regular Macrium Images, remember that an Image is also an "accessible" backup of all the files and folders contained on the drive/drives you Imaged. You simply mount your Macrium Image as a drive by right clicking on it. In the right click context menu you'll see two entries, "Explore" and "Restore". These entries only appear when you click on an Image, and a Macrium entry also appears in the "Open with ..." context menu section. "Explore" mounts the Image as a drive. It will be given a drive letter and will appear in "My Computer" as a drive. Open it and copy files/folders out of it like any other drive. "Restore" is self explanatory. Use it if you've messed up your computer other than it failing to boot, and you just simply want to go back to the pre-Image state. Finally, a couple of basic points. When setting up Macrium to make an Image, once you choose which drive or partition to Image, and which location to save the Image to, look out during the move to the next screen for the "Advanced" options. In Macrium 5.0 this isn't glaringly obvious ... The important advanced settings are shown in the top half of that screen and should be set as shown, in particular the highlighted ones. They probably already are by default. If not click on "Advanced" and make sure that "Intelligent Sector Copy" is chosen which will Image only used space. Not Imaging empty space keeps the size of the Image down. And the most important of all, make sure "Auto Verify" is selected. Never make a back up Image without verifying it automatically afterwards. NEVER, EVER! And just as important, NEVER, EVER try to restore an Image without verifying it first. If an Image fails during the restore process, you are completely screwed unless you have at least a second backup. I have (only once) had an Image fail a verify (I always keep more than one), but I've never had a verified Image fail during a restore. I've restored so many Images over the years that I have absolute faith in an Image that's passed a verification prior to restoring. And finally, make sure you do a proper test by going through the entire process of restoring an Image right from the initial stage of booting with the Rescue USB or CD, right to the point of finding and loading the Image and choosing the restore location. You can stop short of actually doing the restore. Don't wait until you have a drive/system/software failure to do this for the first time. If and when you have a real need to restore an Image is not the best time to be "flying blind" with an important procedure like this. Make sure you know what comes next and an Image restore will be a piece of cake. Questions re the set up of the GUI in anything other than Macrium 5.0 I can't answer as I'm sure cosmetic changes have been made over the various version changes. And I can't really advise about file and folder backups as I don't really use anything in particular on a regular basis. I back up on a regular basis but not always in the same way. Hope that helps.

Hi versa, and welcome to the forum. Just to save you wasting any more of your time, I'm afraid we can't give any assistance with removing cracked software. I sympathise with your predicament, but maybe you should back up all your data and reinstall Windows. You have no idea what came down with that cracked software so maybe make sure you wipe it completely from your hard drive with a reinstall. Sorry we can't help, and I'll lock this topic now as it can't really go any further.

Hi Atticbase, and welcome to Piriform. A computer can run slow for a number of reasons. The first place I would start is with a scan for malware. Malware can cause serious running issues and can sit there with a user completely unaware of it's presence. What antivirus software do you run, and are you running more than one "active" A/V at the same time? CSG above mentions using a defrag program. Do you defrag your drive at all? And how much free space do you have on that drive? Usually as a guide you need at least 12% free space to carry out a defrag. That's the next thing I would do if it isn't already part of your maintenance program. Sometimes folk have a myriad of programs running at startup which they don't know about and are completely unnecessary. Many can start services and processes running, which run continually in the background sucking up resources. Have a look in CCleaners "Tools/Startup" section and see what's under the "Windows" and "Scheduled Tasks" tabs. Are there any third party or non windows programs running at startup which you don't need running continuously? You could post screenshots if you like and we may be able to point out any obvious stuff you don't really need to be sucking up resources. You don't say what type of computer you have. Desktop or Laptop? Either one could be running slow if it's running hot. If a desktop, how long since you got inside the case and cleaned out the build up of dust and grime? The list goes on but just a few things to think about. Hope it helps.

Hi razz. I'm not a fan of placing important backups or any important data on USB sticks. I've had a number of not very old USB sticks go t**s up and suddenly turn from (for example) 8GB into a few MB. I use them purely for transient files, and what I mean by that is I will place a few movies or videos onto a USB stick to stick into my BluRay player to watch on my TV whilst the original of that movie or video is still on a hard drive. Or I have music on a stick for the car whilst the original music is on a hard drive. I delete and replace the files I have on USB sticks as and when the need arises. I keep important stuff like Macrium Images, all my music, photos and movie backups on an external USB hard drive, and a backup of those files on a second USB hard drive. Never a USB stick. I don't care how big you can get them now, I personally don't trust them for this purpose. If you use a USB hard drive you don't lose anything on the drive when you make a Macrium backup. It's simply saved as a separate file on that drive. And I've never formatted a drive with Macrium. My USB drives are simply formatted NTFS and usually already contain files when I make a new Image. Nothing is overwritten by Macrium. I'm not sure if this is of any use to you razz, simply my two penneth and way of doing my Image and data backups. Others may disagree about USB sticks, but they're not for me when making important backups, especially Macrium Images.

Hi Crakien, and welcome to Piriform. Usually, the easiest way is to simply reinstall the program which will replace the file/files needed to uninstall it properly. Occasionally, software installs include an "uninst.exe" file in the "Program Files" (XP terminology) folder which will carry out the uninstall when double clicked, but not always. If not do the reinstall then uninstall. I believe TeamViewer has an "Advanced > Install new versions automatically" setting which suggests there's no need to manually remove a previous version before installing a new one. So a reinstall should be fine. Hope that helps.

If it's any consolation Ted, I've searched my registry and hard drives extensively for any traces of the software highlighted in this screenshot. I've done this on more than one occasion and each time I've found absolutely nothing. Yet there they are plain to be seen. I just accept this as being what it is and it doesn't bother me. Although it would be nice one day to know where CCleaner is finding those entries. Just for info, I've ran CC with the /export switch, and the locations it describes for my errant entries don't exist on my computer. Weird.

I wonder if some you guys realise that these superheroes actually race like this in Ireland for most of the year. April to September. The TT is the flagship race which they all want to win, but it's the only Time Trial format as far as I'm aware. The "Irish Road Racing Season" is made up of head to head racing at up to 200mph around Ireland's country lanes. With any luck I'll be going across to stay with my son for a holiday in August and I just might be at the 2017 Ulster Grand Prix which runs from the 7th to the 12th August. To see this phenomenon for real I'm preparing myself to be totally gob-smacked.

This apparently is a "reverse flash", and now try and get that initial image out of your head.

Hi Mira, and welcome to the forum. Have a look here and see if this will work for you ... https://forum.piriform.com/index.php?showtopic=48371&hl=%2Berror+%2Bopening+%2Bfile

Pretty much the same reason as when you download an installer onto a computer and it's still there in your download folder after the program has been installed. It's down to the software writer of whichever program it is to decide as to whether the installer should be auto removed after installation or not, and as far as I can recollect I believe I've only ever seen one installer subjected to a "self delete" routine after installation, and that is Adobe Flash Player. There can be good reasons to keep an installer (or APK file) after an installation is complete. For one, I keep certain APK files as backups because not every update of a program or app is a good one, and this may not be discovered until you install the latest update. An ad free Android app may suddenly take on intrusive ads, or an update may be bug ridden. That being the case I reinstall the backup of the "good" version. Bare in mind that unlike computer programs, where there are many reputable sites with old versions of software available, you won't find old versions of Android apps available in the "Play Store". You would have to search for a site with older versions available, and finding a reputable source for this isn't very easy. There are quite a few places I wouldn't want to risk using. So, I would at least keep the APK file of an app until I knew it was as good as the previous version and runs without any issues, such as sucking the life out of your phone or tablet. That can happen. All being well after a reasonable period of time, then delete it or keep it. Hope that helps. EDIT: APK files are completely separate from the installed program. No functionality would be lost at all by deleting them.

Hey Derek, I'm with you on that as I've often thought the same thing. And at those speeds there's no time to adjust to the changes. And those shaded sections can have hidden surprises as Ian Hutchinson found out this year when he hit a small damp patch in one of them. Almost high sided him off the bike. Huge shame about Guy Martins accident. I watched him being interviewed after, and although I've seen him interviewed many times, I've never seen him so shaken. But, arm being OK I'm sure he'll be back racing later in the week. Everything crossed here that the remaining races will be accident free.

I've always been a fan of Guy Martin and would also love to see him on the top step. Who knows on race day? For a real taste of the TT Superbike race, here's a full lap of Guy Martin chasing Michael Dunlop from 2014. No music, and the entire lap filmed from Guy Martins bike. Does he catch him? That would be telling. This is simply stunning, and I have no idea how they can do it. Even the top MotoGP riders are in awe of these guys.

The Isle of Man TT 2017. The Worlds Greatest Motor-Sporting Event is here again. Takes your breath away. EDIT: No one was badly hurt in any of the spills in this video.

Thanks for your input jkm. Not sure if the devs will use it, but the effort is appreciated.

@ jkmlee According to the devs it's a known issue and is being looked at. @ nukecad It will to some and not to others. It is a feature and like any other I suppose it should work as expected. Not much point it being there if it doesn't.

Hello my German hero, number 1 fan here. Thanks for posting that Trium, I'm sure the devs will take note.

Hi pdalton, and welcome to the forum. Although the devs don't usually respond to suggestions, they do take note of them. Thanks for posting yours.