Betty I got a tech question

[francene]

I just got a laptop with Windows 10. I want to set it up to be similar to my PC so I can run during a power outage. I know when I installed a VPN on my desk top it messed me up with your site because it could not detect my IP address. If I use my new laptop it will have a different IP address. How can I work around this?
As always Thank You Betty.

[Betty]

An IP or ISP is your internet service provider. The problem wasn't because ours or other sites could not detect your ISP. The problem was it detected the VPN's ISP as one frequently used be scammers, spammers, hackers, malware, gangsters, or hoodlums, so blocked it.

VPNs are handy if you use torrents to illegally download or share copyrighted material, other illegal activities, spam, or spread malware. It basically shows their ISP when you visit somewhere instead of yours. So if a lot of bad guys use the same VPN & ISP, it gets internationally blacklisted by security & anti-spam companies. If a website or web server uses those blacklists, those bad ISPs & VPNs get banned, blocked, or denied access.

For an average user, VPNs are almost useless & pointless. What difference does it make to you if a website sees you coming from regular ISPs like Verizon, Comcast, Charter, Spectrum, BT, or Virgin, or from a VPN from Leaseweb in Amsterdam, or the Ukraine (Russian mobster headquarters)? The only real difference for an average user is that many websites may block you or not fully function if you are using a VPN used by a lot of bad guys & blacklisted.

Also, many sites won't stream or offer multimedia, like video or music if the VPN is located in a region that's forbidden. Like, I can't stream TV directly from the BBC from my ISP or a VPN located outside the UK. But if I go through a VPN or proxy inside the UK I can.

If you have to log in, or need cookies for the site to function properly, the site or server can already know who or where you are if they want to regardless of what ISP or VPN you use. You don't want google, apple, or microsoft to see where you go? They, their partners, advertisers, & data mining companies are also partnered with a lot of VPNs & their servers, so they know who & where you go anyway.

A VPN is only a very small insignificant step you need to take if you want to be as invisible as possible on the internet. You have to take many other steps too, or a VPN is pretty much a moot point. Most VPNs are just a money grab that your average user don't need. Many of them, & almost all free or cheap ones are partnered with data mining or other shady companies. So your privacy & security may be even worse than with no VPN at all.

Visiting through a VPN or ISP that's internationally blacklisted may be blocked.

Due to Windows 10 privacy & security issues, we don't officially or fully support it & never will, but it should work good enough here anyway.

Other than that, it doesn't matter what you visit us with. A 1998 computer or palm top (that's what they used to call smart phones before apple falsely claimed they invented them), 2010 smart phone, or a brand new tablet should all work here. Hold your phone & tablet horizontally for visiting here & most normal websites, not vertically -- this ain't snapchat or Tik Tok, it's a real website for normal horizontal screens, not a vertical phone site.

I gave up putting a lot of time & work into a separate vertical phone feed just because people are too dumb or lazy to flip their phone horizontally for normal websites.

[francene]

Thanks Betty.  I hope you are doing well. That was a heck of a lot of information. From what I gather, my laptop with Windows 10 should not be a problem here.  I won't use it often, mostly when we lose power here and my big PC doesn't work.  Thanks again Betty.  Francene

[Betty]

Are you aware that if you lose power, your modem, router, & wifi will also lose power & not work? So although the laptop will still work, your connection to the internet won't unless you go somewhere with wifi who's power is still on, or tether it to a phone with a data plan where the mobile phone tower still has power.