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dvair
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 Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 12:51 am |
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Joined: Sun Apr 15, 2012 2:39 am
Posts: 680
Location: Johnstown, NY
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Not a bad system, just be sure to notice that it is sold by a third party and not NewEgg.
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jaylach
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 1:04 am |
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| Resident Geekazoid Administrator |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am
Posts: 9483
Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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dvair wrote: Not a bad system, just be sure to notice that it is sold by a third party and not NewEgg. One of the things I like about New Egg is that they take responsibility for third party sellers.
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homefire
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 7:51 am |
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Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:25 pm
Posts: 122
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You guys are so great! Thank you for explaining that. Sometimes your chitchat is Greek to me, but I can still pick up tidbits.  I hadn't noticed the third party thing, and I hadn't found anything about screen res--I guess I didn't look deep enough, because I see it now. That is definitely an important point. And lately I have been quite disenchanted with Amazon--quite sure they began deliberately slowing down shipping in order to push Prime a long time ago, and their service has been lousy since the Covid thing. I'd rather support another company at present, frankly. Now I need to have a talk with dh about budget and make sure this is realistic.
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homefire
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 8:11 am |
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Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:25 pm
Posts: 122
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Hmmm. Okay, I am looking at this one you linked to, and I have a couple questions. It only has 8GB system memory, and I had been thinking I needed more. Does the 4Gb video memory make up for that? And did you say that DDR4 is different and better? Also, the hard drive is about the same size I have now--the one that suddenly got FULL on me--so that gives me pause. Of course, I know that I have been very lazy about housekeeping, and I've actually been able to free up about 80GB on mine over the past few weeks, so probably the answer is to form some better habits about saving more things externally. And not downloading things just because they are free.  I have been guilty of that in the past, but I am less tempted now that we have finished homeschooling. 
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homefire
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 8:36 am |
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Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:25 pm
Posts: 122
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As for the external DVD drive, I bought one after mine junked out, and it has been a royal headache. As I said, I mostly just use it to exercise in a remote part of the house, so it's not a huge necessity (or maybe it IS?  ) but it is so glitchy. Some days it works fine, and some days it won't recognize that there is a DVD in. Sometimes it begins to play it, then just stops. I tried to uninstall/reinstall and checked drivers--what else can I do? Maybe it's just a bad one?
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jaylach
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 2:00 pm |
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| Resident Geekazoid Administrator |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am
Posts: 9483
Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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As to the 512 GB SSD in relation to space there is apparently has a bay for a second drive. If you run low on space just throw in another drive to use for storage. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/questions/asus-rog-g531gt-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1650-512gb-solid-state-drive-black/6335589And quit installing stuff just cause it's free. Actually you could use the drive from the old system in the bay. Sure, given a choice, I'd take 16 GB of memory over 8 but 8 should do OK. I'd be a LOT more concerned if it was 4 GB. Indirectly the 4 GB of video memory does relate to the 8 GB of system memory. Since the video is dedicated, not integrated, it does not use system memory so, with integrated 16 GB of system memory may easily become 12 GB that is usable. Not as much difference as it initially seems is it? Also it appears that the installed memory is 1 8 GB stick leaving a slot open. In the future you could add another stick if needed. Your external burner could be bad, always a possibility. Have you tried it since you freed up some drive space? It is possible that the lack of free space could have been a factor.
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homefire
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 4:04 pm |
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Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:25 pm
Posts: 122
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Okay, that sounds really good if I have the option to add more should I need it, both of memory and hard drive space. How can you tell that, anyway? Very cool. And shoot, this thing only has 4 GB and I've been limping along. I'm a patient person.  I'll have to see about the external DVD drive--I should try it on different computer. Duh! Okay, now I am getting excited!  Y'all have some cute emoji, too, but where is the "going shopping" one? And btw, have I told you 
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BillG
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 4:14 pm |
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Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:19 pm
Posts: 238
Location: Capital District, New York
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What I find is that different retailers write up their products differently. I often take the name of the product I am considering and, say, so to Amazon and plug it in there. They seem to have a very good specification section in the write up of the product.
That is where we can find out what the product has. The interesting thing is that this product has been upgraded and comes with 8 G of memory (at least the one from Amazon). I bought mine from BestBuy as I could use the drive-by pick up as it was going to take 2 weeks to get a new power brick for my laptop which had just quit.
_________________
I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.
William A. Gustafson
I know I have forgotten more than I can ever hope to remember.
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jaylach
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 4:17 pm |
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| Resident Geekazoid Administrator |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am
Posts: 9483
Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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I got the drive and memory info from Best Buy's Q&A page. https://www.bestbuy.com/site/questions/asus-rog-g531gt-15-6-gaming-laptop-intel-core-i7-8gb-memory-nvidia-geforce-gtx-1650-512gb-solid-state-drive-black/6335589Best Buy Q&A wrote: Q: Is there extra slot for internal hard disk drive to expand memory. (2 Answers)
Best answer: yes, it has a hard drive caddy and comes with the screws and flex cable in the box to add either an internal HDD or an additional sata SSD
A: Yes there is extra adapter comes with it, so you can add extra storage.
Q: How many ram cards does it came with? 1x8Gb or 2x4Gb? (4 Answers)
Best answer: It has 1 8gb stick.
A: 1 8GB stick with an open slot for an extra stick if you want to upgrade
A: 1x8GB 2666
A: Install cpuz and see how many slot do u have and out of which how many of have ram
Q: I cant see the back panel from the images, does it have a dedicated hatch for the ram in order to upgrade the ram to 16gb? Or do we have to remove the whole back panel to make upgrades? (3 Answers)
Best answer: You have to remove the whole back panel. Not difficult but you will need a screwdriver and a guitar pic. There are videos online on how to do it. Debating 16 or 32 gb of ram. Running good so far on 8gb.
A: I easily upgraded to 32 GB. Don't waste your time with anything less.
The back cover is made out of cheap plastic and not designed to be taken off and put back more than once.
A: You have to remove the back panel. Just make a diagram and keep track of which screws come out of which location (some are different).
You can download the Upgrade Guide from the ASUS website to show you what to do.
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homefire
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 4:20 pm |
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Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:25 pm
Posts: 122
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Okay, sweet. I see this comes with the Edge browser, which I know nothing about. What do you think of that? I've been using Chrome for years. Bill, your tagline is so cool for kinesthetic learners.
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jaylach
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 4:32 pm |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am
Posts: 9483
Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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homefire wrote: I see this comes with the Edge browser, which I know nothing about. What do you think of that? I've been using Chrome for years. You can install Chrome, Firefox or any browser of choice. Just, after the install, allow the browser to make itself the default. Edge is fine and I use it for streaming my sports but I use Firefox for normal browsing. Edge isn't specific to the laptop. It is the replacement for Internet Explorer and comes with Windows 10.
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homefire
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 5:29 pm |
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Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:25 pm
Posts: 122
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Thanks. I was just curious, since I don't really keep up on the new stuff. I watched a You Tube video on it and it does have some very cool features.
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Acadia
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 5:55 pm |
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Joined: Wed Apr 11, 2012 6:45 am
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homefire wrote: ... I see this comes with the Edge browser, which I know nothing about. ... I've been using Chrome for years.
The major browsers (not the alternative browsers like Opera, Vivaldi, Brave, Pale Moon, etc.) are becoming more and more similar. Many of you probably already know this: those of us who use Windows 10 will soon be receiving the newest Edge browser which is built using the Chrome engine, Microsoft has abandoned its own engine. Bill
_________________
The blazing evidence of immortality is our dissatisfaction with any other solution. -- Emerson
Last edited by Acadia on Sun May 17, 2020 5:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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jaylach
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 5:59 pm |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am
Posts: 9483
Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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Here are a couple of video reviews on the Asus. There ARE some cons stated but most of these are things such as no web cam and having to adjust some settings for some of the more advanced games. Review #1Review #2
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jaylach
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Posted: Sun May 17, 2020 6:58 pm |
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| Resident Geekazoid Administrator |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am
Posts: 9483
Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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homefire wrote: Okay, now I am getting excited! Y'all have some cute emoji, too, but where is the "going shopping" one? The shopping emoji is on the 4th page of smilies.   LOL! Actually I just added it just for you. To be honest it has been so long since I added an emoji that I had to try a few times before I got it right. Good practice.
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JoanA
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2020 9:01 am |
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Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2012 3:25 pm
Posts: 1916
Location: Pembrokeshire, South Wales, UK
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jaylach
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Posted: Mon May 18, 2020 3:18 pm |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am
Posts: 9483
Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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I thought it was cute too, Joan. Actually, once it was brought up, I just decided to see if I remembered how to add one.
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homefire
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2020 7:35 pm |
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Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:25 pm
Posts: 122
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That is SO AWESOME! I feel like royalty! Annnnnnd I bought it! Arriving Thursday.  Now tell me about your cooling pad... I have a very old one with one fan that barely moves any air as far as I can tell. That is probably not going to do much.
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jaylach
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Posted: Tue May 19, 2020 8:03 pm |
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| Resident Geekazoid Administrator |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am
Posts: 9483
Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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My cooling pad does not apply as it is no longer available. What I see now on New Egg restricting my search to only items that rate 5 eggs these are the two that I would pick. 1) I like this one as it includes 2 extra USB ports. Sadly they are only USB1 and USB2. Still, considering the fact that the cooler is going to take one of the laptop's USB ports it is nice to have the extra ports. You actually gain a USB port instead of losing one. https://www.newegg.com/p/0VE-025V-000672) This one costs a bit less but has no USB ports. While I like to have USB ports on a cooling pad it is not essential as you can always add a USB hub directly to the laptop. Between the two I linked I'd probably pick this one and add a USB hub as the one under 1) has one of the USB ports at only USB1 and no USB3. https://www.newegg.com/p/0VE-01AK-00010Keep in mind that the laptop you bought does not show as running hot in any reviews that I've seen. If you get a cooling fan it would be more for extending the life of the system rather than preventing current thermal issues. Like I've said before heat is the enemy. The lower the running temperature of a system the more likely that it will last longer.
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homefire
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Posted: Wed May 20, 2020 8:10 am |
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Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:25 pm
Posts: 122
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Thanks! I'll probably just use what I have for the moment, but we shall see.
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homefire
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Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 3:33 pm |
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Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:25 pm
Posts: 122
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Well, I have my new toy. First shock was that there is no number pad--HOW did I miss that? Since I use that constantly, it's going to require some reconditioning. I keep hitting PrtScr instead of Enter!  (Side note: does anyone actually use PrtScr?) But wow. Going from my beloved Windows 7 to the latest Win10 is a bit of a shock. Everything looks so alien and I don't know how to get things set up like I want them! It's been a long time since I've learned a new system.  Any great tips?
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jaylach
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Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 3:56 pm |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am
Posts: 9483
Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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I didn't notice the lack of a number pad either.  If it is really a problem here is a possible $17.46 wired solution. https://www.newegg.com/p/0GA-00D9-001S3Here is a $9.99 possibility. https://www.newegg.com/perixx-peripad-201plus-ppd-201pb-n11034-usb-wired/p/0GA-0038-00029There are also wireless options. Sigh, I don't even use the keyboard on my laptop unless I take it somewhere. I use a wireless keyboard and mouse but then I have my laptop connected to an external monitor and run with the lid closed. I get away with closing the lid through the advanced power options. I just set closing the lid to do nothing. Windows 10 isn't all that tough to get used to. First thing that I do is to 'hide' Cortana, the taskbar search entry, by right clicking the Taskbar and hovering over 'Search'. It will then work pretty much like Windows 7 search by clicking Start and typing. I actually do use Print Screen at times. I have it setup to where 'ALT-SHIFT-Print Screen' triggers my screen capture software.
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jaylach
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Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 4:20 pm |
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| Resident Geekazoid Administrator |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am
Posts: 9483
Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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Oh, to add to the above...
From Windows 7 you are used to the Control Panel rather than Windows 10's Settings. The Control Panel is still there. Just type 'control panel', without the quotes, in search and right click on the result selecting to pin to the Start Menu.
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BillG
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Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 5:27 pm |
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Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:19 pm
Posts: 238
Location: Capital District, New York
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I just can not give up the Control Panel, so after first locating it as Jay suggests, I added it to my Task Bar.
Remember to take a look at everything that is available from a right click on the Start Button.
_________________
I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand.
William A. Gustafson
I know I have forgotten more than I can ever hope to remember.
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homefire
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Posted: Sat May 23, 2020 5:44 pm |
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Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 8:25 pm
Posts: 122
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Already ordered a number pad! It's not going to fix my habit of using the corner Enter key, but at least when I am doing accounting, I won't go crazy. Got rid of Cortana (super annoying) and working on decluttering Edge. Oh, my goodness, what a lot of junk they pack in there. I decided I may like Task View--we shall see. And I still have a bunch of stuff to install. Reading your article on desktop and rejoicing when I saw that you tell how to get that annoying Recycle Bin off the desktop. YES!!!! But I got hung up on the last step-- "4) Last you will right click on the Links Toolbar and select to disable the title." Couldn't figure that part out. There's certainlynothing that says Disable Title. 
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I do like the new emoji Jay 
