Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2023 February 20

= February 20 =

Word Changes Darkness of Text
I bought a new computer which is running Windows 11, and have installed MS Office, or whatever its name is, including MS Word. I have an annoyance that I haven't previously seen, which is that the darkness or intensity of text changes on my screen. I haven't tried to study in detail when it lightens the text. This didn't happen with the old computer. (I had other problems with Word on the old computer, but that is not important.) Is this variation of the darkness of the text an option that I can turn off? It seems to be a misfeature rather than either a bug or a feature. It doesn't seem to depend on what font I am using, because I am seeing it both with Times New Roman and with Arial. How do I get Word to stop lightening the text? I tried changing the font color from Automatic to Black, and that doesn't seem to solve the problem. Robert McClenon (talk) 03:26, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Are you sure this is only affecting Word? Are you sure only the text colour is changing and not everything? Are you sure that the text colour of the document is actually changing i.e. if your save the document the text colour change is preserved. Because this sounds to me a lot like automatic / adaptive brightnesses mentioned in a reply above about phones, a feature also come in some laptops nowadays. And if it is, it has nothing to do with Word or the document and will affect everything displayed. If this is the case, try [//support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/change-screen-brightness-in-windows-3f67a2f2-5c65-ceca-778b-5858fc007041]. Note that Windows 11 also has what Microsoft calls content adaptive brightness but I can't imagine this will cause the behaviour you describe unless you mean the brightness changes when you have massive images or especially if you have video on screen [//support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/content-adaptive-brightness-control-in-windows-292d1f7f-9e02-4b37-a9c8-dab3e1727e78] Nil Einne (talk) 09:23, 21 February 2023 (UTC)
 * User:Nil Einne - I have only observed it in Word, not in Excel or in Access. No, the change in text color is not preserved.  If I save the Word document, and view it again, the text may be full intensity or it may be lightened.  It seems to be only applying to the display of text documents in Word.  I will check the links that you provided.  But, no, the screen color change is not preserved on saving.  I haven't seen it in Excel or Access, but that doesn't prove that it only happens in Word.  Robert McClenon (talk) 13:33, 21 February 2023 (UTC)
 * I have reviewed the pages that you sent links to. It does appear to be content adaptive brightness, although I don't have images or video in the Word documents.  I should mention that I am using a separate monitor and computer.  That is, the computer is not all-in-one; the monitor is a stand-alone monitor connected to the computer.  However, when I go to Settings > Systems > Display, it doesn't then have Brightness, except as a heading of Brightness and Color, which has subheadings of Night Light and HDR.  It definitely isn't Night Light, and I don't think that my system and monitor support High Dynamic Range.  So I don't think I know where I am.  Thank you.  Robert McClenon (talk) 16:38, 21 February 2023 (UTC)

Using Ethernet Cable for Internet
As part of a complicated troubleshooting effort, I bought Ethernet cables and an Ethernet switch. I have now connected a 25-foot Ethernet cable to my Windows 11 computer and to the Ethernet switch, and a 10-foot Ethernet cable to the Ethernet switch and my cable modem that serves as a wireless router. My question is what I need to do to connect to the Internet via the Ethernet connection. That is, how do I use the router as a wired router? Is it simply a matter of disconnecting the WiFi connection, or is there something else I need to do? Robert McClenon (talk) 03:26, 20 February 2023 (UTC)


 * Apart from disconnecting your WiFi you do not normally need to do anything. An entry-level Ethernet switch would be practically "invisible" to your computer. As long as your cable modem is configured with DHCP (a way to assign an IP address, subnet mask and gateway to your computer) for a wired connection you should be good to go. 41.23.55.195 (talk) 06:45, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
 * When you say that the Ethernet switch is nearly invisible, do you mean that the computer should be able to "see through" it to the cable modem? And how can I check whether the cable modem is configured with DHCP?  Robert McClenon (talk) 09:33, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Yes to the first question. Cable modems are generally by factory default set to DHCP. I'm not familiar with Windows 11 but the process should be the same. Open the "command prompt" by using Windows Search - aka "cmd.exe". In the cmd.exe window type "ipconfig" and press enter. This will display all the network adapters that Windows can "see". Some of them might be virtual adapters (like VPN connections). Scroll through the list and look for an Ethernet adapter that is connected. You can safely ignore those that say "Media disconnected" for now. If DHCP is configured correctly, there should be an IPv4 address, subnet and gateway. The ip address commonly starts 192.168.0.???, subnet will be 255.255.255.0 and the gateway is likely 192.168.0.1 - at any rate there should be something. IF the ip address starts 169.???.0.0 with a subnet of 255.255.0.0 then DHCP on the modem is not working correctly. IF the ip address seems valid type the following command in the cmd.exe window: "ping " where is YOUR gateway given by the ipconfig command. If you get a reply (i.e. from your cable modem) then DHCP is working correctly. 41.23.55.195 (talk) 10:11, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
 * 41.23...from mobile. You mentioned "complicated". A short description of the issue/problem could be helpful. 41.246.129.8 (talk) 18:03, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
 * The complicated troubleshooting effort was with Microsoft technical support, and was a file sharing problem. I had been unable to access, from my laptop computer, files in shared folders on the desktop computer.  MS advised me to see if connecting the computers by Ethernet cable rather than WiFi would solve the problem.  I acquired the necessary hardware, but there doesn't seem to be an Ethernet port on the laptop computer.  So then they tried a different approach, which was to change my login on the desktop computer from using a MS account to a local account.  That solved the sharing problem.  Now I have the Ethernet cables, and would like to use an Ethernet connection, as possibly having better signal.
 * The IP address is 169.254.233.168. Robert McClenon (talk) 23:08, 20 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Hmmm. You are not getting that ip from the router. 169.254 ip addresses are reserved for situations where the is no DHCP server. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-server/troubleshoot/how-to-use-automatic-tcpip-addressing-without-a-dh 41.246.129.144 (talk) 04:50, 21 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Double check the laptop for an Ethernet port. Newer laptops have a spring-loaded flap that hides the hole. (edit) I have seen laptops that do not have one. 41.246.129.208 (talk) 04:58, 21 February 2023 (UTC)
 * Have you tried to connect your computer directly to the cable modem using an ethernet cable? Ruslik_ Zero 10:03, 23 February 2023 (UTC)