Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2020 June 27

= June 27 =

Moved to June 27
I've moved this from June 21 because it would have been archived. Robert McClenon (talk) 20:16, 27 June 2020 (UTC)

Uninstalling and Re-installing Outlook
The way Outlook is set up currently makes it a little hard for me to see my mail cleanly, because of a tweak that was made when I changed my password. My question is whether I can uninstall Outlook and re-install it. Since Outlook isn't listed in the Control Panel as an app, maybe I have to uninstall and re-install Office. Robert McClenon (talk) 18:03, 21 June 2020 (UTC)
 * I re-installed Office. It didn't do any harm and didn't do any good.  I still have the same Outlook problem.  Robert McClenon (talk) 20:16, 27 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Try the steps at [ https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/msoffice/forum/msoffice_outlook-mso_windows8/how-to-reinstall-outlook/82764efe-f6f2-4ad3-9dbc-ee83972c5219 ]. --Guy Macon (talk) 19:26, 21 June 2020 (UTC)
 * I haven't tried this yet, and will try this next. Robert McClenon (talk) 20:16, 27 June 2020 (UTC)

Uninstalling and Re-installing Office
Is it feasible to uninstall and reinstall Office, perhaps because all of the piecemeal updates get it messy inside? Is it possible to uninstall it and reinstall the whole Office suite without having to pay for it all over? Robert McClenon (talk) 18:03, 21 June 2020 (UTC)
 * I haven't tried this personally (I use Libre Office) but I am told that if you log in to your Microsoft account it should be under services and subscriptions at [ https://account.microsoft.com/services/ ] --Guy Macon (talk) 19:24, 21 June 2020 (UTC)
 * I uninstalled Office and re-installed Office. It hasn't changed my underlying Outlook annoyance.  That didn't do any harm and didn't do any good.

Robert McClenon (talk) 20:16, 27 June 2020 (UTC)

Reinstalling Windows 10
Is there a way to uninstall and reinstall Windows 10? I don't think that I have the original CD, and don't want to buy a new one. Robert McClenon (talk) 18:03, 21 June 2020 (UTC)
 * https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/15088/windows-10-create-installation-media
 * https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
 * --Guy Macon (talk) 19:21, 21 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Alternative: [ https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/how-to-use-reset-this-pc-to-easily-reinstall-windows-10/ ] --Guy Macon (talk) 19:50, 21 June 2020 (UTC)

Reinstalling Windows: a personal view
If you use Windows for any length of time, it can occur that your experience gets worse and worse over time. Update upon update, apps added and deleted (leaving bits behind), ill-considered configuration changes, programs you thought you would use but never did, possible malware infections, and user stupidity all combine to make Windows slowly rot away until one day it just stops working. I recommend a periodic (I do it once a year) clean install. That being said, how you do the clean install makes a big difference.

First, consider whether you want to upgrade your hardware.
 * Is your disk too small or too slow? Can you afford to replace the spinning platters with a solid state drive? This is one of the two things that help an older computer the most.
 * Is your RAM maxed out? It may be that bringing it up to the maximum is dirt cheap. This is one of the two things that help an older computer the most.
 * Do you have a good backup solution and do you use it regularly? You will thank me the first time you lose everything to malware, a hardware failure, or your own stupidity. Got an unused x4 or larger PCIe slot? Get one of these USB 3.2 Gen 2x2 (20 Gbps) 1-Port Type-C cards and get a USB 3.2 Type C backup device (thumb drive or external disk).

Next, prepare prepare, prepare. Time to pull the trigger --Guy Macon (talk) 23:06, 21 June 2020 (UTC)
 * On a thumb drive, save install programs for all of your apps, latest versions downloaded from the vendor websites. Run VirusTotal on all of the installers.
 * Also go to your motherboard or PC manufacturer's website and save all the drivers they have for your computer on your thumb drive. Important: make sure you have the latest BIOS.
 * Now save all of your data on two thumb drives. Make a list of all of the programs on your desktop, start menu, and taskbar, and save that list with your data.
 * Get a Windows 10 (if you are still on 7, 8 or 95, stop using them now) install DVD or thumb drive. The URLs are in the section above.
 * The safe way is to buy a new hard disk, remove the old, set it aside, and install to the new. Think this is too expensive? 500GB hard drive, $18.99 & free shipping, 120GB SSD, $25.99.
 * Format the drive, do a fresh install of Windows, install all Windows updates ("check for updates" in the search box), install your apps, bring back your data. Make whatever configuration changes you normally make to Windows. Write down notes as you do this to make it easier to do next year.
 * This answer is moot. If you're still on 10, stop using it now and install Linux... (and don't buy an AV-GP for the system partition ffs) 93.136.4.100 (talk) 19:26, 4 July 2020 (UTC)

Categorizing in Outlook
Until about a month ago, I was able to Categorize email in Outlook into six categories with colored labels. They started out as Red Category, Orange Category, Yellow Category, Green Category, Blue Category, and Purple Category, but I could rename them, to things like Personal Business, and Stuff to Read, and ZYX Business, and Other Crud. With a new profile, this feature no longer works. Are there any quick suggestions about what to do, or does this get back to the fact that my profile may be confused and may need rejiggering? Robert McClenon (talk) 20:35, 27 June 2020 (UTC)


 * Robert McClenon, are you still having problems with multiple programs running under Windows? If the advice you have received here so far has solved all of the problems, then clearly you are on the right track and just need to fix this one outlook problem. If, however, you are still having problems with multiple programs, it is my professional opinion as someone who has spent years in PC support (it's what I do when engineering jobs temporarily dry up, as they so often do) that you are on the wrong path and that more of the same will not benefit you. Unless the other problems are all completely gone, I really think you should be responding at Reference desk/Computing, starting with details about what brand and model of computer you are using. Is it newer/faster than this on currently selling for $125? How much is you time worth to you on an hourly basis? If my educated guess is correct, you could easily spend another 40 hours doing what you are doing and still not fix all of the problems. --Guy Macon (talk) 23:55, 27 June 2020 (UTC)
 * (...Sound of Crickets...) --Guy Macon (talk) 12:29, 29 June 2020 (UTC)
 * User:Guy Macon - Those are not crickets. They are 17-year cicadas.  However, the problem is that either I misread your post in thinking that you were advising me to open up the computer cabinet, something that I have not done since the processor was an 80286 and that I do not currently consider myself qualified to do, or I read your post correctly and you were advising me to open up the computer cabinet.  I apologize if I wasted your time because I do not always respond quickly to posts here.  Actually, I realize that what I am doing may annoy you, which is that I am asking low-priority questions, and am not always following up on them, because they are low-priority questions.  Robert McClenon (talk) 23:07, 29 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Opening up your computer is not required. Here are your options, most of which don't involve a screwdriver.
 * Do nothing. Accept that you will have problems and that they will most likely become worse over time. Risk: one day you wake up and find everything you have ever worked is gone, including your ability to log on to Wikipedia, pay your bills online, or access your email. Expense: Zero. Time: Zero. Until you lose everything, at which point Expense and Time become substantial.
 * Do nothing to fix the problems, but with the addition of a proper backup system. I can help you to set up one or I can evaluate the one you have. No cabinet opening required, but you will most likely has to plug a backup drive into a USB port and, if as I suspect, your USB ports are 2.0 spend an entire weekend making the backup. Risk: Moderate: you aren't 100% sure your backup scheme works. Expense: you will have to buy an external USB drive if you haven't done so already. Time: Moderate.
 * Take your computer to a place that repairs PCs and have them do whatever cabinet opening you are unwilling to do. You can then do the software stuff yourself or ask them to do it. Risk: minimal. Expense: get an estimate. I don't know what they will charge. Time: Minimal.
 * Buy a new PC and transfer everything over to it. Risk: Minimal. Expense: Maybe a hundred dollars or so. Maybe three thousand dollars, depending on whether you want to do advanced gaming or CAD. I can help you select a cost-effective PC if you decide to reveal what you have now and whether it is fast enough for you. Time: Moderate.
 * Change your position on refusing to ever crack the computer case. It really is quite easy to do. Risk: low. Expense: Low. Time: Moderate.
 * Find an 8-to-12-year-old child and pay him to do the case opening for you. Risk: How dimwitted are the kids you know?. Expense: Low. Kids work cheap. Time: Moderate.
 * What I was hoping for was an open discussion about what your current hardware is and what your current tasks are. If I knew the model, whether you want to watch YouTube videos, play games, Edit Word documents, use a database or spreadsheet, etc., I could give you much better and more specific advice. But of course you don't have to reveal any of that if you wish to continue being coy. All I would ask in that case is that you not attempt to bypass the auto archiving and keep your problems on this page while making it impossible for anyone to solve your problems. --Guy Macon (talk) 01:06, 30 June 2020 (UTC)