Rigs Is Back With More Uninformed Laptop Questions

[Pencil]

Things would be so much easier if we were able to sit in the same room.

Originally Posted by eleanorigby

1. The 2FA does not appear on either of my laptops. Apparently I had already signed up for it a ways back. I think it does not show up because I must have told Google that I trust my devices. Does this sound correct? If not, I have another problem to solve (I would need to change my PW for my Google account at the very least, I would think).

2FA shows up when you try to login from a new (i.e. unknown) device. Say you have Gdrive on your computer. Now you want to download it and have it on your phone (Why? This is just an example). When doing that and logging in, it will send you an email, asking you to confirm that you want to authorise the use on the phone. That is the second factor, meaning you can't just use the password, you have to confirm it from another source. IOW, you don't setup 2FA as such.
You should change your Google PW. I mean, you really, really should. That might open up a whole lot of work, since you have probably saved your password in a few (a lot?) of places. It is damned convenient when your browser asks "Do you want to save the password for this?" and you only have to click Yes.
My advice: You should do this when everything else is in place and you are comfy with the setup. Do it now and you might run into having to change things again. Nice and easy, simple. Take your time.

(@Ahunter3 does have a point. There will come a time when we will have our ID cards in our phones, but we're not there yet. Soon, I think. Also depending on location and legislation)

2. Does my M2 have some sort of Word equivalent? Apple used to have Notes (?) or some fool thing that I used for a hot NY minute one day back in 2008. I just figured out (DUH) that IF I wanted to only have my Word docs on this M2 I would still need Word or the equivalent. Brains, I have them... all of this is not me saying I would use Notes, but I'd like to know if it's there.

Pages. It will open your Word documents just fine. There's a bit of a learning curve for people used to MS Office, but not horrible. The drawback is that even though Apple has set up Pages to open everything, saving in that format locks you into the Appleverse, since you can't send docs from Pages to a PC and expect people to be able to open them. Even when I and everyone I worked with had the Apple software, we stuck with Office, since it would be a pain to have to convert whenever we communicated outside our own little world.
My advice: Skip Pages.

3. If I'm using the laptop but am not active, it very quickly goes into some sort of sleep mode (I realize this is to conserve battery, which is on day 5 of not being charged--I haven't used it since 3/25--which is remarkable) and I have to login again. This is annoying AF. Anyway to change it? If it's more than 3 steps, forget it; I'll adjust.

For this you have to go to System Settings, which is at  and second down in the menu. It looks a little different than it used to, but what you want to do is find Screen Saver and basically disable everything - almost. Here it is step-by-step:
- There should be a timer for when the Screen saver kicks in. Set that to never. You computer will protest and say that the life span of the screen will be affected and that it will affect battery time (as you surmised). Screw that noise. Say yes and disable it.
- In the vicinity there's an icon labeled lock screen. Set this to maybe five minutes or so. That way, if you close the screen, it will not lock up right away, but after five minutes. I find it effing annoying that I have to type the password if I close the lid only to reach for something. But... it is good for safety.
My advice: make a habit of closing the lid when not actively using the computer. That's a better way to save the screen and the battery, than relying on software to do it for you.

4. I am (barring any tomfoolery on Microsoft's part) going to go with the outright purchase of Office. When I do that, I'm sure it's part of the Cloud and all, but does it get downloaded to my M2? Is there a way to just have the software on this machine or am I stuck with the Cloud. You may have already covered this, but repeat yourself. TIA.

5. If the 2FA is as strong as you say, why do I need Word? I could just upload my (very) old Word docs to my Google drive, save them as G docs/sheets etc and be done, no? I just feel I need some way to create actual documents that can be printed out (I do know that Google docs can be printed), but also if I don't have Word, how can I download the docs and save them on my own hard drive? Am I making any sense?

I do not like MS. I think Windows has turned into an advertising platform. With that said, having Word, Excel and Powerpoint on your hard drive and control over everything seems to be the best option for you.
My advice: Buy Office for $150, use Gdrive as a quick backup, do a serious backup every three or six months using Time Machine and an external HD.

(n.b. This is not what I would do for my own computer today, nor what I would recommend @SmartAleq to do, since I know she's got skillz. But I think this is the option that will make you feel safe, somfortable and familiar with how things work.)

I feel I have 2 options: use my Google drive, which is safe enough, but I'm stuck with that "share this link" if I want to share a document with someone else. OR purchase Office and then I have options, at least until 2026. Maybe I'll be gaga by 2026 and not care by then....

See above. Do it old school. Remember that MS stops supporting Office 2021 in '26; it doesn't mean it'll stop working.

You won't be gaga by '26. IIRC we're the same age (born 1961) and 65 is no age for a librarian and RN. Two of the most no-nonsense professions I know of.

[eleanorigby]

My stupid M2 decided to not recognize my WiFi. So annoying. I have zero idea what the WA2/ something security setting is, and do not recall having to pick it when I had my WiFi set up when I moved.

So, what the hell is all that, how do I know which one to choose (there are several WA/PA options). I left the original WA/PA settings as they displayed, and finally found a place to actually enter my PW. And NOW my WiFi works.

So, why did it work to begin with (I never had to login to my WiFi when I brought the M2 home; it just worked). Weirdly, it was faintly picking up my EXT upstairs. I even went through the (IMO useless--I mean, it didn't help me, right?) diagnostics test for Apple. I muddled through, but I sure wish some of it made sense. There's always some new hiccup in my giddy-up.

So, tomorrow is MS Office day. That's good to know, Haj. I appreciate it.

Full disclosure, Pencil: I did not read your newest post as yet. I know I'm a wimp, but the whole WiFi thing took my energy for tonight (I was on fumes anyway; taking tomorrow off made me work late tonight). I will absorb your wisdom tomorrow over breakfast. I feel you are my secret weapon, or more nicely, a treasure + a source of wisdom. Thank you.

[Pencil]

Quick reply re: WiFi.
Since Apple store moved stuff from your old to your new computer, the WiFi settings came along. That's why it worked when you first came home.

As for why it's acting up now? I don't really know, but since you got it back in working order, let's just leave it at that.

[eleanorigby]

Originally Posted by Pencil

Quick reply re: WiFi.
Since Apple store moved stuff from your old to your new computer, the WiFi settings came along. That's why it worked when you first came home.

As for why it's acting up now? I don't really know, but since you got it back in working order, let's just leave it at that.

So SIMPLE when one knows.... I ended up having to reboot my router this morning because my iPhone 13 decided to not recognize my EXT/booster/repeater thingy upstairs, even though I was upstairs. By then it was midnight so I just went to sleep. This morning I rebooted my router, and got my WiFi back and working. THE LIGHTS WERE BLINKING IN SEQUENCE! (this is an Airplane joke).

Imma finish this Perry Mason episode and then buy me some Microsoft stuff. Here's hoping.

[Pencil]

I'm a firm believer in Good Enough™
I can't make a person sitting next to me an expert. Doing it with someone 4200 miles away over internet? No.
But if I can help get you up and running, feeling comfortable and safe/secure with your setup, and not having to worry for the rest of the decade, then I consider that Good Enough.
And we will get there.


I am semi retired and have the time. It also helps me being somewhat up to date on tech, as I do double check stuff before posting it here, to be sure I'm not leading you down the wrong path. One example is the most recent face lift in MacOS, which I know of, but haven't installed myself. So I had to chase down screen shots, to confirm what I had a fairly good idea about, but wanted to make doubly sure.

[eleanorigby]

I'm so sorry to be this person, but I've found deeper levels of hell here.

I so wanted this to be a victorious post.

I just spent $164.95 (NO REFUNDS). I cannot get it to install. I called the 877 number. They've moved all support online. I chatted with "Raymart" prior to purchase (I was not sure about the "key" because it said I should read it off a card(?))
Got really nowhere with Raymart, who --never mind--comedy of stupidity on both ends, so I bailed. Well, I'd welcome Raymart back with open arms, but the funny thing is... I can't find CHAT anymore on the website.
So, I've been trying to troubleshoot. I went down into my Computer to the Library (as instructed) and find a folder there, but it's from 2010. I think this means I may need to uninstall my old Word stuff....
I get this weird pop up when I try to download. I took a screenshot of it (literally with my iPhone) It says
You have chosen to open OfficeSetup.exe which is: EXE file (7.2MB) from c2rsetup.officeapps.live.com
What should Firefox do with this file?

• Open with <Microsoft Word (default)> (only option on this line)
  Save File

I saved it, and I see it in finder, but clicking on it opens another weird pop up with all manner of symbols (looks like code to me) and I don't know what to choose. So far, I've saved it 3 times (I deleted 2 of them). Nothing.

I'm no tech guru, but this is not normal...

I have to go to a research meeting now, with real people who think I'm smart. I am just sick about this, mostly because the instructions on the MS website are not clear to me.

[Pencil]

ALERT:

You've downloaded the install file for Windows.
All files for Mac should have .dmg or .pkg after the name.
The site you downloaded from should have detected that you have a Mac.

Delete all files named .exe and start over.

Regarding the key thing. Didn't @hajario mention something about that upthread? This is something I cannot help you with. Maybe he can assist?

[hajario]

Originally Posted by Pencil

ALERT:

You've downloaded the install file for Windows.
All files for Mac should have .dmg or .pkg after the name.
The site you downloaded from should have detected that you have a Mac.

Delete all files named .exe and start over.

Regarding the key thing. Didn't @hajario mention something about that upthread? This is something I cannot help you with. Maybe he can assist?

My recollection is that I got a unique code that looked something like CYGC6-K6KDM-3K59M-287G7-2WMWC (which is my actual key with a few characters changed). That was what I used when I went to the download site and what I would use again if I got a new laptop.