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Issue 630 • 27 April – 10 May 2022 71Having a problem with our recommended software or expert tips?
Email [email protected] and we’ll do our best to help
Why can’t I use WhatsApp
on my PC?Q
In Issue 626 (page 46) you
explained how to install
WhatsApp on your computer
from the Microsoft Store (via http://www.
snipca.com/40905). However, it appears
you also need to have WhatsApp on
your phone, and it no longer works on
my Microsoft Lumia 650. How else can I
use WhatsApp on my PC?
Ann EmmersonA
We probably should have made
it clear that, in order to use
WhatsApp on your PC, you’ll
also need a mobile phone running the
latest version.
Until recently, using WhatsApp on a
computer (either via the Microsoft Store
desktop app or WhatsApp Web https://
web.whatsapp.com) not only required
you to link your account via a mobile
phone, but also forced you to keep the
phone nearby during use, because a
permanent connection to the mobile
device was required.
Now, however, WhatsApp has started
rolling out the option to use WhatsApp
on up to four other devices, without the
need for a live connection to a phone. But
there’s a catch – a mobile phone is still
required to set up WhatsApp on a PC.
When you first open the Windows app,
you’ll be presented with a QR code (see
screenshot below) that you need to scan
from within WhatsApp on your phone inorder to link your computer. Not only
that, but if you don’t use your phone for
more than 14 days, your linked devices
will become disconnected.
All this means that Ann won’t be able
to set up WhatsApp on her PC, because- as she points out – WhatsApp is no
longer supported on her Microsoft
Lumia phone.
Can I stop BleachBit moving
my desktop icons?Q
I decided to finally get rid of
CCleaner as you recommended
in Issue 627’s ‘Stop Using
Rubbish Software’ Cover Feature, but
your suggested replacement, BleachBit
(www.bleachbit.org), upset my PC’s
desktop by moving my icons all over the
place. BleachBit works well otherwise, so
is there a way I can use it without this
occurring?
Roger HillsA
This is to do with something
called Shellbags, which may
sound vaguely like an insult but
actually refers to a set of registry keys that
contain details about user preferences,
including the size and position of icons.
Have a look at the sub-categories listed
under the Windows Explorer heading in
BleachBit’s left-hand pane – you’ll see an
entry for Shellbags here. If you tick this
option, you should be presented with a
warning notice explaining that cleaningShellbags will reset the position of your
desktop icons (^1 in our screenshot above).
In most cases, cleaning this registry data
won’t actually offer a great deal of benefit,
so we suggest unticking this option^2
before you next run BleachBit.Does Windscribe VPN offer
only 2GB a month?Q
I’ve installed several programs
from your ‘Stop Using Rubbish
Software’ feature, one being
Windscribe (www.snipca.com/41004).
My current antivirus only offers a 1GB
VPN, so Windscribe’s free 10GB a month
seemed attractive. But the most I can
get is 2GB. Were you wrong to say it
offered 10GB?
Trevor BunceA
The free version of Windscribe
definitely offers 10GB of data a
month, so we struggled to work
out why Trevor was only getting 2GB.
Then we discovered that Windscribe will
restrict your account to 2GB a month if
you don’t provide the company with an
email address when you set up your
account. There’s a warning about this,
but it’s easy to miss.
The simplest fix is to log into your
account at https://windscribe.com and
click the pencil icon next to ‘Email to add
your address’. You’ll need to confirm by
clicking the link in the email you’ll find
in your inbox.Untick the Shellbags
option in BleachBit to
prevent it moving your
desktop iconsScan a QR code using your phone to use
WhatsApp on your PC2
1