Next CW and PC User Group – General Meeting – Palm Ridge- April 11th (no meeting in March)
Social Time with a light lunch starts at 11:30 am. The CW General Meeting starts at 12:00pm. Included will the PC User Group – General Meeting. PC Raffle and Gift Card giveaway along with a presentation from Honor Flight Arizona. Click here for more info. https://honorflightaz.org/. Check your e-mail for an RSVP invitation.
Keep Your Club Open
Effective September 1st, Computers West will start Fall-Winter hours. The club will be open 8:00am to 4:00pm, Monday to Friday. The requirement for 2- people in the Club remains for the Club to stay open.
This is a great time to fulfill your monitoring obligation of 4 hours per YEAR.You also may bring your lunch and kick back and help the club stay open.
PC Help will continue Wednesdays and Fridays starting at 7:30 am and the Apple Genius Bar will continue Wednesdays at 10:00am.
Have you received help by any of our Apple, Microsoft, iPhone, Android phone or Cut the Cord technical volunteers this year? If so, please reciprocate and schedule your 4 hours as soon as possible. See the links below for information on Monitor Training and how to sign up.
Keep Your Club viable, sign up NOW!!
Pay or Renew Dues for 2023 On-Line
Do not wait until you need help or assistance with your hardware or software. Membership renewals are due January 1st of each year. Keep your club viable and renew now, if you have not done so. If you are uncomfortable renewing on-line, come by the club with your check and a monitor will assist you. Thank you.
Pay with Credit Card – Click Here
Monitor Training Classes Scheduled – 2023
Many Club members have asked for more Monitor Training Classes so we have scheduled classes below for 2023.
All members are obligated to pay dues and to monitor at least once during the year. If you have not fulfilled your monitor requirement during the last year, or if you are a brand new member and need to meet your monitor obligation for the coming year, be sure to sign up for the class that best fits your needs.
Monitors do not have to have computer expertise or answer any difficult questions. You just have to be here. You’ll be ready to go after this class. Sign-up sheets are at the Club, or you can just call the club at 623-214-1546 and reserve a spot. See you there!
Barbara DuPonte, 2023 CW Monitor Coordinator
(Call me if you have questions at 623-418-3948 or email me at bduponte@cox.net)
Class Schedule – Room D
Tuesday, March 21, 2023 9:00am
Monday, April 3, 1:00pm
Thursday, April 27, 1:00pm
Tuesday, May 9, 9:00am
Monday, May 22, 1:00pm
Monday, June 5, 10:00am
Tuesday June 20, 1:00pm
More New Classes – March and April
Cutting the Cord/Streaming Devices
To Be Announced for March-April. Q&A every Wednesday at 9:00am
On – Line Meetings with Google Meet and Zoom with Jackie
Tuesday, March 30th at 1:00pm to 3:00pm – Room B – Classroom
Tuesday, April 11th at 1:00pm to 3:00pm – Room B – Classroom
Tuesday, April 25th at 1:00pm to 3:00pm – Room B – Classroom
Setting up Home Security Cameras with Jackie
March 21st, Thursday 1-3PM Room B
April 4th, Thursday 1-3PM Room B
April 20th, Thursday 1-3PM Room B
You only attend 1- session
Sign-up at the monitor desk
**NEW**Basic iPhone Class – with Jackie – Room D
Thursday, April 6th – 12:00pm to 2:00pm – Know how to call and text? This call will extend your knowledge using extra features of your phone.
**NEW**Android (Samsung, Moto, LG, Trac, Consumer etc.) Phone Class- with Jackie – Room D
Thursday, March 23rd- 1:00pm to 3:00pm – Know how to call and text? This call will extend your knowledge using extra features of your phone.
*NEW CLASS* Tom Metzger’s “What Every PC User Needs to Know”
All class times are 1PM to 3 PM – Plan on Attending all 6 sessions
- Wednesday March 15th
- Thursday March 16th
- Friday March 17th
- Wednesday, March 22nd
- Thursday, March 23rd
- Friday March 24th
AT THIS TIME CLASS IS LIMITED TO 17 PEOPLE in the PC Classroom, Room B. Monitors will have a sign-up sheet at the Monitor Desk..
Microsoft Disabling Internet Explorer 11 From Most Users
The venerable Internet Explorer 11 browser for desktops is mostly getting automatically disabled and replaced with the Microsoft Edge browser through a Feb. 14 Microsoft Edge update.
IE 11 for desktops is getting disabled for Windows users that followed the semiannual channel Windows update model. When the end of IE 11 draws near, users will see a dialog box telling them that “the future of Internet Explorer is in Microsoft Edge.” The dialog box will have a “Continue” button that will automatically bring their IE 11 browsing data to Microsoft Edge.
IE 11 is still available for users of out-of-support Windows versions, such as Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, although using unsupported software would seem iffy from a security standpoint. Moreover, Microsoft’s browser replacement attempts will continue beyond the Feb. 14 Edge updates. Basically, though, it’s the end of the line for IE 11 for most people.
IE11 icons on the Start Menu and taskbar, will be removed by the June 2023 Windows security update (“B” release) scheduled for June 13, 2023
IE 11 will live on to a degree through IE Mode, which is emulation technology in the Edge browser that taps older IE technologies for the Web sites that need them. IE Mode will be supported by Microsoft “through at least 2029.
The death of IE 11 instigated by a Feb. 14 Edge update is the second of its kind. The browser was supposed to have been permanently disabled by a Windows update on June 15, 2022 for Windows 10 OSes on the semiannual channel release update cycle, but Microsoft later relented and indicated that it’d be disabled by this Feb. 14 Edge update instead.
You should not be using unsupported software. Your Help Group can still upgrade Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 to Windows 10 at no cost and move older Internet Explorer 11 shortcuts and favorites to Microsoft Edge.
PC Flight Simulator Group First Thursdays – Monthly General Meeting See You on April 6th – 9:00 to 12:00 noon. Any CW Member can attend. Guest policy applies.
See the new Microsoft Flight Sim software in action, Watch John fly the Top Gun Maverick fighter
If you are interested in some one on one instruction, John Burr will be available Thursday mornings by appointment ONLY. Call 602-330-8055 to set up your appointment.
More Info – Click Here
Ancestry.com and Genealogy meets Wednesdays at 1:00pm to 3:00pm and Thursdays 10:00 am to Noon
We have updated the Room B Classroom’s new PC’s with the Ancestry.com link on Microsoft Edge. We can seat up to 17 students along with the Instructor. There are also 5 PC’s in Room A and 4- Macs in the Mac Room C with Ancestry.com installed. Any member of Computers West can access these machines if you are interested. Laura King and her assistants will be available on Wednesdays at 1:00pm to 3:00pm and Thursday mornings from 10:00am to Noon in Room A to provide guidance and instructions on using the software. This is a no fee class.
The Linux group is open Fridays 8:00am to Noon – Room D
Coffee is On
Sun City West Linux Group Supports:
The Re-building; Re-configuring; customizing; Hobby Computing; or any other “ing “you might want to do with FREE software and your computer hardware.
The installation and upgrading of Linux Mate 20,xx is now automated.
So, if you are running an older version of Linux OS, it’s time to upgrade into the free, fastest, safest, OS around.
We are expanding our mission to include maintenance of:
- Linux Mint & Cinnamon
- Other Linux Distributions
- Ed Madden’s Cable Cutting Lab
- More Information, click here
Help Group needs you
The Help Group needs volunteers to assist Members with tech support on Wednesday and Friday mornings. Typical help requests include:
- Clean install of Windows 10.
- Upgrading from Windows 7, 8 to 10 or 11.
- Cleaning out crapware to speed up the PC.
- Uninstalling third party Anti-Virus programs like Norton, McAfee and reverting to the FREE Windows Security.
- Installing freeware like Libre Office and VLC Media Player and configuring same.
- One-on -one software assistance, like configuring e-mail.
- Help with Android (Samsung, LG, Motorola etc.) cell phones.
- Installing solid state hard drives and cloning/moving data.
- General PC Help and minor instruction.
While I do not expect to find experts in all the above, if you do have some experience in any of the above and have any interest in helping our members with PC issues, please contact Bob Gasner or Gary Rall at the Club.
Did You Know?
The PC Help Group can also help you with your Android cell phone. (Samsung, LG, Motorola etc.) Having issues? Come by on Wednesdays and Fridays starting at 7:30 am. You must be logged in by 8:30am. Help is available on a first come-first served based on the expertise of the PC Volunteers.
Streaming TV Help
Need help with your TV streaming device, Fire Stick, Tivo, Onn (Android box), Roku etc. Meet the guys every Wednesday morning at 9:00am in Room B. (meeting room)
NEED SOME TECHNICAL HELP ?
Here are the times when you can get one-on-one help with your Devices:
PC Windows Computers & Android devices (phones & Tablets)
Every Wednesday & Every Friday from 7:30am to Noon first come first served so(please sign up before 8:30am)
Linux Operating systems & Raspberry Pi devices
Every Friday from 8 am to 11am
Streaming TV devices (Firestick, TiVo, and other Android devices)
Every Wednesday from 8am to 10am
Genealogy
Every Thursday from 10am to Noon and Wednesday from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.
Flight Simulator Group
The Flight Simulator Group’s General Meeting meets once a month on the first Thursdays at: 9:00am to 12:00pm. This general meeting is open to all interested CW members. The following Thursdays are for one-on one flight training by an Instructor. Contact: lanalbublitz@gmail.com or call: 602-330-8055 to set up your appointment. Instruction appointments will be from: 9:00am to 12:00pm. Interested?? Stop by any Thursday to observe the instructors and if you are lucky get some one on one flying time if an instructor is available. Observers are always welcome.
Room A has an active Flight Sim computer for your use anytime the Club is open.
More Info – Click Here
Digital Scrapbooking – My Memories software-Classes forming soon. Watch for updates.
This software is available for your use for free in the classroom anytime the club is open and no classes are scheduled.
Adobe Photoshop Elements – Software
Organize and edit your photos to use individually, in a Scrapbook of Photo Album.This software is available for your use for free in the classroom anytime the club is open and no classes are scheduled.
Genealogy Training and Demo’s
Room A – Walk-In – No Fee Thursdays at 10:00am to Noon and Wednesday from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.
The PC computer group pays for a subscription to Ancestry.com that is available only on the PCs in Room A and is free for Computer Club members to use.
More information, click here.
TO SUBSCRIBE to the Computers West e-mail list click here & send the message.