Internet Archives - Page 2 of 3 - The Thomas Stories

May 23, 2019May 23, 2019

Can I earn money while using Ecosia?

Thomas wants to earn money while searching the net. He has heard about the project Presearch, a cryptocurrency based search engine which gives of its profit back to the users through the PRE token. Thomas likes the idea, but he really wants to use the Ecosia search machine in order to help grow trees worldwide, and thus be of help to the society and the climate all around the world.

Because of this, Thomas has wondered whether he should use Ecosia or Presearch. The latter is cooler because it will help him earn money, while Ecosia is much nicer as it will help plant trees in Africa (and maybe on the continent of Europe and elsewhere in the future). Thomas is insecure.

Thomas finds a way to combine Presearch with Ecosia

One day, Thomas feels like he has been very lucky. He has visited the Presearch website, signed up as a user, and now he earns PRE tokens whenever he searches the net. But, what makes this so great is that he has found a way to earn money with Presearch, while searching and planting trees with Ecosia. How is that possible? How is that done?

After signing up with Presearch, he installs the browser add-on to Firefox and now he gets started. He sees the start screen of Presearch which be default use Google as the search engine. But, instead of using Google, he clicks the settings button, clicks Providers, and now he searches for Ecosia. He then moves the Ecosia icon to the left of the menu, making it the default provider. When he returns to the Presearch start page, it looks like this.

Using Presearch and Ecosia at the same time!

Now Thomas is using Ecosia as the standard search engine with Presearch, and whenever a search is done in Presearch, he earns PRE tokens, and he also helps planting trees in needed areas.

Thomas is happy, and he feels like searching for all sorts of things, simply for the purpose of earning tokens and planting trees!

December 6, 2018

How to create a Windows 10 install disk? (USB/DVD)

Thomas has messed up his Windows installation and wants to give his computer a full restart. He wants to delete everything and install Windows 10 from scratch. But, how can it be done? It doesn’t work properly if he tries to re-install Windows from Windows. So, how can he create a Windows 10 install disk with USB or DVD that he can run upon booting, in which he can decide to format his hard-drive and give it all a fresh start?

Thomas didn’t have to look for a long time in order to find a solution to the problem. What he needs is an empty DVD or an empty USB stick. He can then go to the download site for the Windows Media Creation tool. There he can download and start the little application he downloaded. In this, he will get two options. Either he will install Windows over again, or he can create a bootable disk from which he can install Windows.

creating windows 10 media — *Thomas is creating his Windows 10 installation disk*

Thomas chooses the bootable disk option, plugs his Pendrive into the USB port on his computer, and it starts working.

The entire process of creating the bootable USB drive that will install Windows 10 to his computer takes about 20 minutes. Once he is finished, he restarts his computer and he is eagerly waiting for his brand new Windows installation to be ready and set to go.

Hopefully, you will be able to create your own boot-disk from which you can install Windows 10 using these instructions.

Should you have a comment or a question, write them down beneath!

October 16, 2018October 8, 2018

Change language of Skype

Thomas just used a computer on which Skype was installed, but the application was running in a different language. How can he change the language of Skype?

Thomas likes to use Skype. He doesn’t only use it to send SMS messages, but he also uses it to keep in contact with colleagues and people he works with across the globe.

But, how can Thomas change the language of the Skype application?

Change Skype language

First, you have to click the three dots in the upper left corner of Skype, and then choose the first option (in English, Settings).

settings skype

Now you will see a new menu open, and here you have to choose General. If Skype is in a language you do not understand, the General option should be the second option from the top.

Once you have clicked the General option, choose the third option in the new window which should be the language option.

Choose General - Languages, to change language in Skype — Choose General – Languages, to change language in Skype

Once this is done, you will be presented with a list of all the languages available in Skype. Since these are presented in their own languages, you can simply scroll on until you find the language you are interested in.

Thomas has now been able to change the Skype language to English, and he is very happy. And that is why he has created this little article so that you can change the language of the Skype installation you are about to use as well.

Should you have any comments or questions, use the comment field!

October 8, 2018October 8, 2018

How to send SMS with Skype?

A brand new version of Skype is out. How can I send SMS with Skype?

Thomas has used Skype to send his private SMS messages for a long time. But, then during spring 2018, a new version of Skype was released which had no support for this. It could be done, but it was very advanced and he first had to call the number, cancel the call, and only then he could send an SMS to the recipient.

But, a new version of Skype was released in the start of October 2018, and in this, it was much easier to send SMS. But, how can it be done?

This is how Thomas sends his SMS messages with Skype

Thomas first opens the Skype application, and he clicks the “Use Dialpad” button. Take a look at the screenshot beneath to see which button that is.

How to send SMS with Skype? Use the Dialpad!

You can use the voice call button, but it is much better to use the dialpad, next to the search skype field. Once you have clicked the dialpad, enter the number to which you want to send the SMS.

When you have typed the number, click the SEND SMS button in the lower left corner of the screen. Take a look at the image above to see which button it is.

Once you have clicked the Send SMS logo, you can start typing the message, and once you are ready to send, click enter.

You have now sent an SMS with Skype. Do not forget that you need to add Skype credit to your account in order to send SMS’s with Skype.

Thomas is happy because he doesn’t like typing SMS’s on his cell phone because it takes so much time. That is the reason why he rather writes messages with Skype, and that is why he is very happy right now.

Has Thomas been able to help you out as well? Please write a comment and let Thomas know!

September 25, 2018September 21, 2018

How to change YouTube privacy settings?

Thomas recently discovered how to make sure YouTube doesn’t tweet about it whenever he likes a movie on YouTube. But, he isn’t completely satisfied. He wants to make sure all his information about subscriptions, liked videos, and playlists are kept private on YouTube. How can it be done?

It is okay not to tweet about it whenever he likes a video, but in fact, Thomas doesn’t want anyone to know about it when he clicks the like button on YouTube. What can he do to keep all his activity, all his subscriptions, and all his playlists private? It is quite easy, and this is what Thomas does.

Thomas changes his YouTube privacy settings

Luckily, it is very easy to change the YouTube privacy settings, so Thomas finds out how it is done at once.

He has to enter Settings on YouTube (with his account).
Then he selects History and Privacy from the menu on the left side.
He can now see a menu in which he can set his privacy settings, deciding whether he wants his subscriptions, his liked videos, and his playlists to be public or private.

This is everything that needs to be done in order for your YouTube activities to be kept secret (or public). It wasn’t hard at all, and it took Thomas less than 30 seconds to fix it.

Thomas can now sit back and relax, and he doesn’t have to worry about his activities on YouTube, because it is all private anyway. Would you like to see a YouTube video showing these steps on how to modify your privacy settings on YouTube? Click the link and see how Thomas does it!

Have you liked this video? Make sure to follow The Thomas Stories on Facebook, Twitter, Steemit, and of course, on YouTube.

September 23, 2018September 21, 2018

Stop YouTube from tweeting about liked videos!

Thomas likes to encourage people, and on YouTube, he likes to press the “thumbs up” or like button whenever he sees something he likes.

But, recently he discovered that Youtube automatically tweets with his Twitter account whenever he likes a video on Youtube. It doesn’t really matter, but he doesn’t want to spam his Twitter followers and his own Twitter feed with a new tweet whenever he likes a video. That would be simply too much.

So, what can Thomas do to make YouTube stop tweeting whenever he likes a video on Youtube?

Stopping Youtube from tweeting about video likes

As Thomas looks on his Twitter feed, he can see a post like this.

YouTube has automatically tweeted about a movie Thomas liked

Thomas doesn’t want Youtube to tweet about movies he likes anymore, and to fix it, this is what he does.

He goes to the YouTube Settings.
He selects Connected Apps.
Under “Share your public activity on Twitter” he controls what content he wants to share to Youtube.

Thomas selects connected apps on YouTube settings

Thomas selects when he wants Youtube to post a tweet to his Twitter account

That was it. Thomas has fixed the problem, and from now (based on the settings on the image above), YouTube will only post to his Twitter account whenever Thomas uploads a new video.

Also, Thomas spends a few minutes to delete older tweets about movies he has liked. He doesn’t want them in his Twitter feed at all!

September 14, 2018September 12, 2018

Get rid of the Test Mode Windows 10 text in lower right corner of Windows 10

Just out of the blue, Thomas suddenly saw this annoying text in the lower right corner of Windows 10. It said Test Mode, Windows 10 Home, Build 17134.rs4_release.180410-1804. No matter which background he chose, the text remained there above the clock in the right corner of his Windows desktop.

Thomas is a messy guy, and he normally leaves a great mess wherever he goes. But, his Windows desktop, that is a tidy place, and he likes it to be in order. So, when this Test Mode text appeared in the lower right corner of Windows, Thomas wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.

Thomas doesn't want the Windows Test mode text in the lower right corner of Windows. What can he do to get rid of it? — Thomas doesn’t want the Windows Test mode text in the lower right corner of Windows. What can he do to get rid of it?

You can see what the error message looked like at the picture above. Are you suffering from a similar Test Mode text or something similar in Windows 10?

Thomas looked for a solution here and there, and luckily, it was quite easy to get rid of the text. This is what Thomas did to fix the problem!

Thomas makes the Test Mode text disappear from Windows 10

To get rid of the text, Thomas did the following thing.

- He enters the Command Prompt in Windows 10.
  You can find it searching for Command Prompt. Make sure to right click the icon and press “Run as administrator” for this to work.
  He has to enter Command mode as an Administrator.
- Thomas copies the following lines and runs them in the Command Prompt.
  First: bcdedit.exe -set loadoptions ENABLE_INTEGRITY_CHECKS
  Second: bcdedit.exe -set TESTSIGNING OFF
- He closes the command prompt and restarts his computer.

Thomas’ is quite curious to see whether this will get the task done or not. As Windows successfully restarts, he is happy to see that the Test Mode text has been removed from Windows 10, and it is now a beautiful and empty spot (like you can see on the picture beneath).

The test mode has disappeared in Windows 10. Thomas is very happy!

Thomas can now keep on working with peace at heart, knowing that he managed to get rid of the Test Mode Windows 10 error message.

There are quite a lot of other Test Mode build versions, so even if you have another build number, you can still follow these instructions to remove the watermark from Windows 10.

Did you manage to get rid of the Test Mode watermark in Windows 10 after reading this tutorial? Please write a comment and let Thomas know the outcome of his little guide!

September 11, 2018September 10, 2018

How to delete a video from YouTube?

Thomas wants to get the best YouTube channel on the Internet. He uploads new videos frequently, and always enjoys watching his own productions.

He uses a cool application to create his videos, and he can upload the videos directly from the application to his YouTube channel. He normally looks through his videos several times before uploading, but sometimes errors get in any way. And that is just what has happened to Thomas.

He looked through his most recent YouTube video and suddenly discovered several typos and a few other things he didn’t like. The problem now is that he cannot edit the video itself on YouTube, and even worse, he doesn’t find a way to delete the video. He tries to find a way to edit the video and delete it but doesn’t succeed (at once).

How to delete a video from my YouTube channel?

Thomas keeps looking around, and finally, he managed to find a method that will let him delete any video from his YouTube channel. This is what he needs to do!

Thomas visits the Creator Studio inside his YouTube channel!
Thomas visits the Creator Studio on YouTube
Thomas selects “Video Manager” and “Videos” in the menu.
Thomas selects the video he wants to delete and presses “Edit”
Thomas selects “Delete” from the drop-down menu
Thomas deletes his YouTube video by pressing Delete.
The YouTube video has now been deleted.

The video has now been deleted from YouTube, and Thomas starts making the changes to the video in his video-editor, before uploading it to YouTube over again.

Hopefully, these instructions from Thomas will help you delete your YouTube video as well. Should you have more trouble, or need some help on the way, please write a comment, and Thomas will do his uttermost to help you out!

September 10, 2018

Thomas wants to stream 9Now abroad!

Thomas wants to stream the latest episode of Doctor Doctor on 9Now while in Austria. But, he gets an error message? What can Thomas do to watch 9Now from abroad?

Thomas likes sitting with his laptop on his lap (isn’t that why they call it a laptop?) to watch TV series and live streams of all his favorite sports. One of his favorite shows is Doctor Doctor, and he normally streams this show on the 9Now website. The only problem is that he can only stream it when in Australia, as whenever he tries to stream 9Now outside Australia, he gets the following error message.

Sorry, 9Now is only available in Australia

This frustrates him, and he wants to find a way in which he can stream 9Now, also when outside Australia. So, what can he do? There are lots of other 9Now shows he might be interested in streaming as well, but neither of them can be streamed as long as he doesn’t find a solution.

Thomas looks for a way to stream 9Now abroad

Thomas has been reading articles here and there, and the most common solution described is using a so-called VPN service. Thomas has a VPN subscription to the VPN provider HideMyAss, so he gives it a try, but it doesn’t work. Even though he gets an actual Australia IP address by connecting to a server in Australia, he still sees the same error message.

But, he has read on another site that this is quite common and that most VPN providers are blocked by 9Now. There is, however, an exception, and that is the VPN provider ExpressVPN.

He is a bit anxious about spending money on yet another VPN subscription, but since they have a 30-day full refund policy, he decides to give it a try anyway.

Thomas tries another VPN service.

Thomas visits the ExpressVPN website, signs up for their services, and downloads their VPN application to his computer.

Thomas uses a VPN to watch 9Now outside Australia — Thomas uses the VPN services of ExpressVPN to watch 9Now from abroad

Thomas signs up for 12 months as it gives the best value for his money (and he can still cancel within 30-days and get all his money back).

He signs up for the 12-month package (and he gets 3 more months as a bonus for free). This is a great deal, and if it actually works, he will be happy he signed up for this package. If it doesn’t work, he will simply ask for a full refund.

He opens the ExpressVPN application and decides to connect to a server in Syndey, Australia.

Thomas connects to a server in Australia

Once the connection has been made, he restarts his browser, and he visits the 9Now website again. He is a bit nervous, hoping that it will actually work, but at the same time fearing that it won’t.

He visits the 9Now website, selects the most recent episode of Doctor Doctor and clicks his mouse. He waits for a few seconds, and suddenly a commercial shows up, and a few seconds later, the show starts. It worked! Thomas is happy, and he runs to grab some popcorn before continuing to stream his favorite 9Now show abroad.

Thomas is watching Doctor Doctor on 9Now outside Australia

Can you imagine how happy Thomas is that this worked? Due to his enthusiasm, Thomas also installed the ExpressVPN application on his Android phone to see if it worked there as well. And yes, it did! He had to download the 9Now application (.apk-file) manually, but once that was done, it all worked smoothly.

To make it even better, Thomas tried to watch Tenplay (another Australian channel with great TV shows online) using the same connection, and he couldn’t hold back his smile as this worked as well.

Hopefully, the example of Thomas will help you stream 9Now outside Australia as well. Should you have comments or questions, write them down and Thomas will do his best to help!

September 6, 2018September 5, 2018

Windows is upside-down – What can Thomas do?

Thomas was working with a little explainer video when Windows suddenly turned into something that he calls “upside-down” mode. Everything went upside down, and the menu bar suddenly was on the top of the screen.

Thomas has been through a lot, but this was incredibly annoying. Not long ago Thomas had to fix it when Windows turn black and white, and now this… Maybe he should starting using a Mac instead, or Ubuntu? No, that cannot happen, as Thomas is too much of a Windows guy. But, this was really annoying, and Thomas had to fix the upside-down mode quickly because he was unable to do anything at the moment.

Take a look at the screenshot above. Thomas was sitting there and working on a video explainer, and suddenly his screen moved everything and he had to keep his head in 90 degrees to the right to read anything. Later he discovered that it could just as well have moved in the other direction, or totally upside down, but he didn’t care, all Thomas needed was to find a solution.

How did Thomas make the upside-down mode in Windows disappear?

It wasn’t much that needed to be done to fix the problem. In fact, all he needed to do was to press three buttons at the same time, and the problem was fixed. So, what did Thomas press?

The solution to the problem was to press the following buttons on the keyboard:

Control (CTRL) + ALT + UP (arrow key)

As Thomas pressed these three buttons at the same time, Windows at once jumped back to normal mode, and he could keep on working. For fun, Thomas tried clicking the same combination with the different arrow directions afterward and doing so, Thomas was able to make Windows turn right, turn left, and of course, upside down. But, he quickly returned to the normal Windows mode afterward!

Did the solution Thomas found help you as well? He certainly hopes so!

Want to read more interesting articles from Thomas? Make sure to follow him on Steemit, on Facebook, on Medium, on Twitter, on YouTube, and do not forget to visit www.thethomasstories.com.