MyAnswers: Spellcheck web pages using Opera browser

The following MyAnswers solution 2059 is now available:

This solution provides a handy technique to check the spelling in web pages on a site using the Opera browser.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au/myanswers/
(An Online Connections service.)

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MyAnswers: Internet Explorer 11 context menu scripts no longer work.

The following MyAnswers solution 2399 is now available:

After upgrading to Windows 8.1 scripts installed in the context menu no longer work in Internet Explorer 11. Selecting the menu option simply does nothing.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au/myanswers/
(An Online Connections service.)

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MyAnswers: IE11 Script Error - Unable to get property 'createRange of undefined or null reference

The following MyAnswers solution 2398 is now available:

When running scripts I've installed for use from the context menu since upgrading to Windows 8.1 I get the error: 'Script Error - Unable to get property 'createRange of undefined or null reference'. This is because what worked in Internet Explorer 10 no longer works in Internet Explorer 11.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au/myanswers/
(An Online Connections service.)

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MyAnswers: Free Wi-Fi at Townsville airport.

The following MyAnswers solution 2397 is now available:

Free Wi-Fi at Townsville airport.

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Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au/myanswers/
(An Online Connections service.)

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First impressions of Windows 8.1

I was away on holidays when Windows 8.1 was released so had to wait until I returned. Being in IT support I need to move ahead of my clients to ensure they make better decisions when it comes to upgrading or not. I go through the pain and clients can then learn from what I learn.

I installed Windows 8.1 and the experience was OK but not flawless. At one point I was asked for an account and I couldn't recall if I had one or what it was. It took a while but I eventually found the option to skip the account. When I set up Windows 8 I didn't want my settings synchronised between computers so didn't associate the computer with an account. But using the Windows Store to install Windows 8.1 implied I needed one. In the end it wasn't required.

My first impression once Windows 8.1 was installed was it had become ugly. There's now a large rainbox screen which appears at times which just looks unprofessional and is not crisp as I would expect of a main image. The tiles have changed so the background of some tiles look different. However to me there was just so much mismatching colour the whole Windows Start screen looked ugly whereas previously it looked OK. I've not generally found this in releases of operating systems. Each new release seems to focus heavily on look but this time it felt the technicians had been given more say than the designers. Not a major issue as like a bad hair cut, you get used to it in a few days.

The next issue I had is when I plugged in my all-in-one printer/scanner. I just wanted to scan both sides of a menu to add to my site (http://www.justlocal.com.au/clients/big-brothers-pizza-bulleen/). Windows wanted me to provide the disk to complete the install. Of course I couldn't find the disk. In the end I just said skip and everything ended up working. I noticed when I opened Windows Mail an installation screen appeared which made me shudder, wondering whether or not something would again go wrong, but this time nothing went wrong.

My biggest issue is Internet Explorer 11 which appears to go very slow at times and doesn't work on Blogger properly or cPanel for my site. I have Chrome installed for testing but finding myself opening Chrome to work around issues with Internet Explorer 11. A bit too buggy for my liking and hopefully something Microsoft fixes quickly.

Overall if you can put of the upgrade I'd suggest waiting a while. Let others experience the issues and then upgrade. If you're current Windows 8 system is stable and working fine perhaps keep using it for now. Internet Explorer is used as my main browser and application, and for it to be problematic so many times during the day is rather off-putting. I don't really have a choice with moving forward due to the needs to support clients. But if you can put off upgrading it may be worth thinking about.


Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

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Google Blogger error message - Possible problem with your *.gwt.xml module file.

Recently I updated my notebook to run Windows 8.1, and today when accessing Blogger I received the following message and found Internet Explorer didn't work properly. I suspect the reason is that since Windows 8.1 now contains Internet Explorer 11, Google hasn't updated their Blogger code at this point to correctly handle Internet Explorer 11. Some may think this is perhaps by design. The more Google makes it difficult for users to use Internet Explorer the more likely people are to convert to Google Chrome. However it isn't just Google sites, I'm also having trouble with other sites.

The following is the error message I receive when accessing Blogger.

To get around this problem the easiest approach if you've already updated to Windows 8.1 and thus Internet Explorer 11 is to install and use Chrome when required. By only using Chrome when required you minimise Google tracking your activities.

If you haven't yet updated to Windows 8.1, perhaps wait a while until more bugs have been identified and rectified by Microsoft.

Kelvin Eldridge
www.OnlineConnections.com.au 

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Alert: Adobe Customer Care - Important Password Reset Information

I received an email today from Adobe Customer Care regarding resetting the password for use of their site. From what I've recently read, Adobe has been hacked and possibly up to 38 million users may have been affected.

Even though this does appear as a legitimate notification, as is my usual recommendation, do not click on a link to go to a website. Open your browser and then enter the website address you wish to go to. Even though this email may be legitimate, the next could be a fake email from a scammer.

If you do receive an email from Adobe and use the same password across multiple sites, you should reset your password on all sites and where possible and appropriate use different passwords for each site. The reason is if hackers have obtained the password file, there is a possibility it will contain your email address and your password and that combination is now often used across multiple sites.

Kelvin Eldridge
Online Connections
www.OnlineConnections.com.au
Call 0415 910 703 for computer support.
Servicing Templestowe, Doncaster, Eltham and the surrounding area.

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