URGENT ALERT - Please read!

Updated 2018-12-17 to include ALL current versions of MS Windows!

Users of ALL versions of Windows:

Please DO NOT manually check for Updates any more, now and in the future!
Insufficiently or untested updates have very recently caused many home computer systems to break and/or show erratic behavior or they have led to file loss!

Microsoft has quietly modified the technology hidden behind Windows Update. The gist of it is that when you check manually for Updates your Windows operating system will be given all available but eventually insufficiently tested updates! 

As a way of avoiding that to occur Microsoft has begun to check much more thoroughly if every given update is fully compatible with the individual computer's hardware. They give that update to a given computer only when the previously mentioned checks and tests end positively.

But all this happens only in the course of the regular, automatic update process! 

If you manually 'check for updates' your computer will get ALL available updates without these compatibility tests!

You can find an interesting article about this general problem here at HowToGeek.com. This article talks about all major operating systems including iOS and Android for cell phones. But you will find Windows 10 and Microsoft mentioned many times. Just overlook everything that does not pertain to Windows. Windows 8 and 7 are now treated the same way!

So again and to summarize:

Please DO NOT manually check for Updates any more,  now and in the future!

Stay safe!

Your Attention Is Required - NOW!

Virtually ALL my customers use
   -  Microsoft Security Essentials on Windows 7 and
   -  Windows Defender on Windows 8.x and Windows 10.

A really BAD bug has been uncovered that warrants your immediate attention.

Please follow the instructions in this article or alternatively you can do the following:

1. Open Windows Defender (MS Security Essentials on Windows 7)
2. Click on the Update tab
3. No matter what the program says click on the big button Update Definitions

If there is any update for Defender or Security Essentials it will be downloaded and installed.

Stay safe.

Is Microsoft Really As Dumb As They Act?

I can't believe it!

I am doing my Set-Up job for a customer on a Windows 8.1 computer.My very first thing after getting it to work in desktop mode always is Windows Update until the system is fully up to date; then comes everything else.

Well, maybe if an anti virus or security system is installed I will remove that before I do the bulk of updating; many of these systems make a basic computer run clearly slower.

Above mentioned system was brand new and it had been bought from the Microsoft Store as a so called "Signature system", that is guaranteed free of any gunk, trial or other potentially unwanted software.

This was the very first startup of the Windows 8.1 system and I expected GWX not to be present. GWX is Microsoft's trickery software to coax unsuspecting individuals into "reserving" and/or outright downloadung the free upgrade to Windows 10.

When I started Windows Update for the first time it showed 122 important and 6 or 7 optional updates. I checked that there was nothing called anything like "Upgrade to Windows 10" or similar; there was nothing of that kind. I told the system to install the updates.

Imagine my shock when as the very next thing Windows Update showed me exactly this window:

WHAT it screamed inside me; I did not ask for Windows 10! I immediately stopped the download and resolved to talk it over with the customer.

So I called, explained the situation and asked if she would be okay with Windows 10 if I would include for free all the steps to make it respect privacy that I have described in previous articles. The lady was okay with that so I told Windows 8.1 to install the updates - and it showed again above depicted window.

To my greatest surprise Windows 8.1 did all the 8.1 updates, always showing above progress window but actually never downloading or installing the Windows 10 upgrade.

PHEW! 

My very personal conclusion to this story? Some people at Microsoft are either overworked, totally stressed out, simply not at all caring about quality and quality control or they are outright idots. 

Or any combination thereof, you choose.

As usual I welcome comments and suggestions right here in the blog. Thank you in advance.

 

For whatever reason the darned TOC (table of contents) feature that I got from Google isn't working any longer, sorry.

Windows 10 - Better Instructions to Make it "SAFE"

After writing the previous long, long article about how to make Windows 10 running without the glaring privacy issues I discovered on a forum a link to a MUCH better organized article with visual examples for everything from installation to changing the relevant settings.

You find it here: https://fix10.isleaked.com/

I thank the author(s) of this web page; GREAT work!


As usual I welcome comments and suggestions right here in the blog. Thank you in advance.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.
   

Windows 10 Settings - What I Recommend

Please click this link if you are looking for general information on Windows 10.

If you absolutely do not mind to be followed by "Big Brother" then please do not read the remainder of this article, you are excused and may leave.

By now I have decided to recommend to my customers NOT to upgrade to Windows 10. There are way too many IMHO serious privacy issues that go along with a so called Microsoft account.

In the following I will give some tips on how to remedy at least some or much of that messy situation. For every instance of something I deem in need of correcting or changing I will preface the paragraph with "Gripe:".

Because virtually all of my customers work on the desktop and use a mouse and a keyboard all the following step by step instructions are for desktop mode only.

Immediately after upgrading to Windows 10 your computer will work quite differently than it did before the upgrade.


Gripe:
If you gave the system on first start your email address Microsoft has created on their servers the storage for an immense wealth of information about you that Win10 and it's programs will collect from and about you; and that besides the fact that every email address will have it's unique "advertisement ID" assigned. Guess what that will be used for!

If you want to change your inadvertently created Microsoft Account back into a normal, local account then:

1. Right click on the Start button
2. Open Control Panel
3. Click Settings
4. Click  ====================to be finished 

Gripe:
Synchronizing personal settings between various computers could under certain circumstances be a convenience. But some of us don’t want the same settings on all of our various Win10 computers. Just imagine using Win10 on your “old” keyboard/mouse computer and on a tablet; ARGGHH!

Plus: My settings are my personal preference and are none of Microsoft's business! Obviously I am way too old for that brave new world where everything is made public! If you are like me here is how to turn synching off:

1. Right click on the Start button
2. Open Control Panel
3. Click Settings
4. Click Accounts
5. Click Sync your settings 
6. Turn OFF Sync settings to disable synchronizing

  
Gripe:
Microsoft Edge, the new web browser, will be the default for all things Internet. You should set that back to Firefox following these steps:

1. Right click on the Start button
2. Open Control Panel
3. Click Default Programs
4. Click on "Set your default programs"
5. You should see a list of installed programs
6. Find and highlight the entry for Firefox
7. Click on  "Set this program as default" (my cursor points to it)
8. Click OK to close the window

 

Gripe:
System Protection is the Win10 name for the feature that creates Restore Points. This is turned off after the upgrade on many systems! It is by no means a good backup system but still better than nothing. Here is how to turn it on again:

1. Right click on the Start button
2. Open Control Panel
3. Click System
4. In the left sidebar click System protection
5. Highlight your system disk C:
6. Click Configure (see screen shot)

 

     7. Click on "Turn on system protection" (see screen shot below)
     8. Click OK and OK to close all windows

Gripe:
 Especially important to users of laptops computers are Wi-Fi-credentials

A new Win10 feature — WiFi Sense (online FAQ) — has generated more than its share of controversy. Just read what well renowned security researcher Brian Krebs has has to say about it in a recent column.

Simply said WiFi Sense allows all your Facebook friends, Outlook and Skype contacts to automatically sign in to your WiFi router when they are in range; likewise you can use their WiFi network as soon as you are in range of their router. In short, it “blabs” access to your WiFi network to numbers of people who you might not know well enough. And that feature is turned ON by default! Here is how to turn it off:

1. Right click on the Start button
2. Open Control Panel
3. Click Settings
4. Click Network & Internet
5. Click Wi-Fi.
6. Scroll past your wireless networks and click Manage Wi-Fi settings. 
7. Turn off  Connect to suggested open hotspots and
8. Turn off Connect to networks shared by my contacts.

Gripe: 
Simply said, I hate Cortana, the so-called “digital assistant” in Win10.
 
My wife and my best friend may know a lot about me that you don't know and likely even don't want to know. The NSA, Apple and now Microsoft want to know more about every Apple or Win10 user then we want to know about ourselves.

The End User License Agreement (EULA) for Win10 clearly states that Cortana has the ability to collect and use various types of personal information, including your location, calendar data, and programs (called "apps") you use. Cortana collects information about your choice of music, alarm settings, what you view and purchase online, your Bing search history, your use of other Microsoft services, and can even use the camera and microphone of the computer. In short, it is ALWAYS listens when the computer is on. Remember, practically all laptop computers have a microphone and a camera.

This sort of always on data collection worries me deeply; 1984 anyone?

Here is a decent PC World article explaining how to disable Cortana. And don't forget additionally and separately to disable Cortana in the new Edge browser, even if you don't use it!

Remember, Big Brother is always listening, always watching.


Gripe:
Since Microsoft announced that the upgrade to Windows 10 will be free, I have been waiting for the catch. And, surprise, it's very first installment comes with the ubiquitous game of Solitaire.This popular app is included with the new OS, but it includes advertising. To remove the ads, you have to pay a monthly subscription, as reported in a Business Insider story.

Currently I do not know of a hack to get around this.

Just do not go into the trap of recurring payments. There are many free alternatives on the internet. 




Gripe:
Along with forced updates, Win10 also includes — again, on by default — the option to share patches with other computers on your local network or the Internet; this is called peer-to-peer updating. You might want to disable update sharing.

There are serious concerns that attackers might find a way to inject malicious code into the process; many internet connections are metered and with the almost 3GB download size of Win10 you can easily run over your limit and that costs dearly.
 You want to disable peer-to-peer updating obtain patches only directly from Microsoft? Here is how:

1. Right click on the Start button
2. Open Control Panel
3. Click Settings
4. Click Update & Security
5. Click windows Update (it is no longer in the Control Panel!)
6. Select Advanced Options
7. Click Choose how updates are delivered
8.  Turn Update Sharing OFF

So much for today. This article is meant to be continued as more details become available.

As usual I welcome comments and suggestions right here in the blog. Thank you in advance.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.
 
 

Windows 10 - What We Know

Update 7/30.2015:       Please keep reading anyway for the nitty gritty!
The first reports about upgrades to Windows 10 are in! Generally it seems to have gone surprisingly well with only a few minor glitches. Good job, Microsoft.


This article was originally posted early in June 2015. Because of it's relevance and IMHO importance I have kept it and will keep it up-to-date by adding dated Updates to it. For the time being I will put a reference to this article at the top of all future posts in this blog.

Most home users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 have been graced via Windows Update with a new icon "Get Windows 10" in the system tray;  I wrote about it on June 4th.

I do not claim to be complete but please let me tell you what the major changes (improvements?) in Windows 10 supposedly will be:

1. "Universal apps" (formerly Metro or Full Screen apps) can now be resized, positioned a.s.o., that is run as a "normal" window. 
2. The Start Menu is back plus live tiles.
3. Again we will have a unified Settings panel aka Control Panel.  
4. On hybrid and/or convertible and tablet computers Windows 10 will move easily between keyboard, mouse and touch usage. 
5. The Cortana digital assistant enables voice control. 
6. XBOX and XBOX Live integration (implementation?)  
7. Spartan web browser instead of IE.
8. Win 10 will run on cell phones.  
9. Snap Assist 
10. Holo Lens (to be seen)

My comments with identical numbering:

1. For Windows 8.1 users maybe an advantage; but frankly, I know nobody who even uses Windows 8 in Full Screen mode.  
2. BIG plus for Windows 8 users - but not for my customers who all have a Start Menu.
3. BIG plus for Win 8 users; a no-brainer otherwise. 
4. I would have taken for granted this "Continuum Mode" and think of it as a self evident requirement on such computers. 
5. Careful, it is said to crate permanent web activity and to give results of "shallow" content and gossipy information on a rather low intellectual level. 
6. Most teenagers I know don't want their parents to even only touch their game consoles. A non-issue for my customers.
7. A new web browser  from Microsoft is long overdue. For the longest time we have very good alternatives to IE; I recommend my customers stay with Firefox. New is not always good ... 
8. What a marketing stunt...
9.  A feature that supposedly suggests "other" documents ... Ha?
10. Usefulness remains to be seen. New is not always better ...
    

As you easily can see there is nothing really compelling to upgrade, for me at least.

There will be bugs of the first days, that is unavoidable in such a huge, complex piece of software. No corporate testing can ever simulate what really happens in hundreds of millions of home computers.
And, the free upgrade offer is good at least through July 28 2016.
 
My tip to my customers:

Wait and see.  If you have a stable and well working Windows 7 or 8.1 system Windows 10 has only marginal improvements over Win 7 but it irons out quirks and annoyances of Win 8.

 Let others fight through the problems of the first hour.

Furthermore we still live with Microsoft's word that these "free" upgrades will be "valid", that is legally usable only until January 2020 or 2023 respectively; details in this article.We still do not know what Microsoft's plans are beyond that.

Update 6/16/2015:

Not every computer is worth upgrading. Your computer should have at least 4GB of main memory (RAM) and 120GB (or more) of free disk space on the C: drive.

If you have a computer with less than 4GB of RAM and/or it runs a 32-bit version of Windows 7 and/or it is over 5 years old you might want to consider a new machine.

Update 6/20/2015:

Windows Media Center will disappear. In it's place we will get a new program to play DVDs. Lucky me, I never had the time or inclination to use my PC as a media machine.

And the Sidebar Gadgets are (finally!) gone; they were unsafe anyway.

Then there will be changes to the way updates are delivered. Details are still missing but it may be that MS will in the future deliver updates as soon as they are available.

IMHO for the non-technical home user long overdue!

I do believe that "reserving" an update to Windows 10 is a pointless exercise. It will lead to an upgrade to Win 10 in the course of running Windows Update - which my customers usually do weekly.

I advise to start an upgrade of this magnitude only AFTER you have a full image backup of your system and then to do the upgrade on your own schedule.
 
Previous sentence is of UTMOST IMPORTANCE!

Update 6/25/2015:
And here my advice for my customers concerning Windows 10:

• I can't help you if you are still running Windows XP.
   
• If you are running Windows Vista you better think about a new computer (mostly).
   
• If you have a stable Windows 7 SP1 system that does dependably what you want to do then don't upgrade to Windows 10.
  
  
• If you are still on Windows 8 you are long overdue to upgrade to 8.1.
   
• If you have Windows 8.1 then upgrading to Windows 10 will eliminate most of Windows 8's annoying quirks and shortcomings.

 But in any case and wherever your system is coming from (7 SP1 or 8.1) your system needs to have ALL updates installed that are available from Windows Update before you think about the upgrade to Windows 10. 

And although I repeat myself you need to have a known good system image backup - and the proven ability to successfully restore it to your system!

These things need to be verified BEFORE you even begin to seriously think about any upgrade of the operating system.  


Update 7/10/15:

Watch out! Microsoft has included Wi-Fi Sense in Windows 10. Here is a lengthy and detailed article about it.

You have to be fully aware that the upgrade to Windows 10 will completely wipe out your current Windows 7 or 8.1 operating system; compatible programs you have installed and you date files will be retained.

Please attempt to upgrade ONLY if you have a proven good full system image backup. This backup needs to be created now, that is before you attempt the upgrade.

We do not know yet if Win 10 will contain any means to roll back if the upgrade fails. And I believe it is really tempting fate to blindly trust an automated tools in these situations. Past experience has clearly shown that a clean install is always better than an in-place upgrade when we deal with the operating system.

And to top it off: 
 If you have a computer that connects to a wireless network, either at home or any place else, then you must read this article!

Update 7/22/15:

If my article is too "technical" for you then read this text from Vic Laurie; Vic has very special experiences and a great talent  to express himself very understandably.


As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.

Windows 10 - Not Quite Yet!

Recently customers ask me questions about their computer system "wanting" to update to Windows 10. My current take:

Do not allow Windows 10 to be installed - yet.

Officially Windows 10 will be released July 29th 2015. Any offers before that date seem to be "fishy", to say the least.

Here we have a good example that Microsoft is sneaky. This icon and it's associated program(s) came as a recommended upate with Windows Update. This is not a functional improvement of your existing Windows system, it is blunt marketing.

Yes, I consider this to be fishy even if it comes from the legitimate icon that Microsoft puts an our machines via Windows Update. Not every computer should be upgraded to Windows 10 and especially not before the final release is out.

This is not really an offer to upgrade now, it is an attempt to sign you up for a "first in line" upgrade.

But even after the final release patience is recommended; there always have been "bugs of the first hour"; don't get "burned" if you are an average, non-technical home user.

In the near future I will publish another article on updating to Windows 10.

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.

Upgrade to Windows 10?

Any time between June and September Microsoft will release Windows 10 ("this summer" is all we know).

Microsoft has officially said that users of Windows 7 and of Windows 8 and 8.1 will for one year be able to upgrade for free to Windows 10. There is a little bit of a disclaimer though: The footnote says "for the lifetime of the device".

Upgrade "for free"? That sounds (almost) too good to be true. Around Microsoft I have learned to be very cautious. Trying to find more information about this I found two very different interpretations:

1. As long as it happens within one year after Win 10's official release you can upgrade to Win 10 for free "for the lifetime of the device".
   
   What if your well maintained Win 7 computer still runs great in January 2020 and you want to keep it running? Will you then have to pay for Windows 10? If yes how much? Upgrade or new license fee?
    
2. As long as it happens within one year after Win 10's official release you can upgrade to Win 10 for free. After the first "free" year Microsoft will switch to a subscription model and you need to pay a monthly or yearly license fee to be allowed to use Windows 10.
   
   This would amount to a huge money grab. With your current system you have paid for the license to use the operating system; with Windows 7 until Jan. 2020, with Windows 8 until Jan. 2023. Microsoft wants to give you one year for free and then they will start to charge?
   
   Let's say you upgrade from Win 7 to Win 10; 2016 would be free but you would have to pay an additional license fee for three years (2017, 2018and 2019). For upgrades from Win 8 it would be six more years!

For my customers "the device" certainly is their computer. There is no better definition so I assume that "lifetime" is the time for which Microsoft supports the operating system of the computer. Win 7 support ends in January 2020, Win 8 support ends in January 2023.

The details of what really will happen are unknown. Currently my advice is

Do not upgrade right away, wait until the fog has cleared and we have answers to the questions above.

In another article in the near future I will outline the main "improvements" that will come with Windows 10.

Update 5-15-2015: My concerns about an eventual money grab were unfounded. Something up to now unimaginable has happened, you can read about it here.

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.
 

2015-02-02 WTKM Talking Points (February 2nd 2015)

Confirmed sensation: Microsoft will allow all Win 7 & 8 users to upgrade to Win10 for free – for one year (only?). But then the licensing will kick in? A rented operating system? Home user be careful! Microsoft does not give anything away for free; that is the first concrete step to get us all to accept a licensing model, that means yearly payments. This way Microsoft will in the medium and long run make oodles of money more than by selling the software.

New dangerous bug in Adobe Flash Player is exploited via Facebook! Current version is 16.0.0.296!The catch: Many fake updates around! Mostly the user is tricked to download/install a fake plugin that then installs a keylogger to collect log in info & passwords. User beware!

Renewed warning: CryptoWall (new CrypotoLocker variant) spread through advertising networks.

When you see advertisements your computer is already infected!It is more important than ever to have a backup routine in place AND TO DO IT!

Finally: Microsoft takes on scam tech support phone call organizations (PDF).
If MS succeeds I expect the crooks to move off-shore and do the same from India.
Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit attorney Courtney Gregoire has an article and a video about these scams on this blog.

If anyone calls you and claims to be in any way affiliated with Microsoft IT IS A SCAM!
Here is Microsoft's own advice for such a case:

• Do not purchase any software or services.
   
• Ask if there is a fee or subscription associated with the “service.” If there is, hang up.
   
• Never give control of your computer to a third party unless you can confirm that it is a legitimate person you personally know and trust and/or are already a customer or when you personally  initiated a support call with Microsoft.
   
• Never provide your credit card or financial information to someone claiming to be from Microsoft tech support.
   
• Take the caller’s information down and immediately report it to your local authorities.

EBKAC errors are the most common ones and no program protects against that!

The supposed hack attack on French news media after the Charlie Hebdo shooting was no attack at all. It was a simple server cockup.

In Canada it is now illegal to install computer programs without consent. Why not in the US?

375 of the 500 largest companies do not protect their web sites from typosquatters. That causes real danger when you mistype a web address in your browser. Be careful!

As usual I welcome suggestions right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.

Urgent Alert - Caution!

I just saw that Micro$oft offered as an optional update the Windows 10 Technical Preview!

Are they completely nuts?

I am afraid that many of my customers will not be sufficiently attentive and just think oh, an update, and hit install.

That will become an awful mess because they likely will ruin their perfectly well working Windows 7 or Windows 8 computers.

PLEASE, please check every optional Update and hide the "Upgrade to Windows Technical Preview".

You hide the update by a right click on it and then left click on "Hide Update".

I hope and pray that you see this post early enough to avoid this huge (2.7GB!) and totally superfluous update.

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.  

Java - Yes or No?

On January 14 2013 I wrote about Java. This artcle should explain what Java is.

There mainly are two opposing views about Java on home computers around.

The first one says that Java is needed so rarely that it should not be on a home computer at all.

The second one just delivers it pre-installed on all computers sold over-the-counter in case you need it.

My personal view about Java is the following:

Have it installed for the (maybe rare) case that you need it.

My reasons are:

• If we are about to do something and get interrupted we tend to react somewhat frustrated. At this time we are very likely to get directed to the "wrong" web site for the download and we will probably get some sort of "blind passenger" or gunk software that we really neither need nor want.
  You doubt that? See the real life examples in this article.
   
• Over the years I had several very frustrated customers calling me and asking why Java was not installed. In every single case some well meaning but ill advised relative, friend or computer technician had removed Java.
   
• The few MB of disk storage space that Java needs are not an argument anymore; we are in  the age of 500GB and 1TB disk drives that a home user never will fill up. It is many years since I have seen a really full disk drive.

The price we have to pay is simple:

Keep Java up-to-date - and use common sense!

In What To Update from September 18 2011 I wrote:

Here is the list of the most important things that have to be kept up to date.
Added for this article:If you don't have any of these programs installed just ignore the entry in this list:

1. Windows (better: all Microsoft software)
2. Security programs
3. ‏Firefox web browser 
4. Firefox add-ons
5. Java
6. Adobe Reader
7. Adobe Flash
8. Adobe Shockwave
9. Thunderbird email client
10. Thunderbird add-ons

My conclusion:

• It is very easy to keep Java up-to-date when you do that regularly anyway and are not stressed.
   
• At a time where you will be frustrated and impatient (you want to get back to what you were doing when you got interrupted!)  you are more likely to get tricked to inadvertently allow some unrelated gunk to get on your computer.

For the non-technical home user I install Java and admonish the user to keep it up-to-date.

Naturally it always is my customer's computer so in the end the customer has to decide if they want to live with or without Java. Uninstalling Java is easy:
Control Panel > Programs and features > Highlight Java > Right Click > Click Uninstall.

Please uninstall all versions of Java that you eventually see. Old out-of-date versions are a HUGE security risk!

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.

Nasty Surprise - Thanks Micro$oft!

To hell with Micro$oft, we are getting royally “scr***d” over. “We” here being every home user with Windows 8! We have to decide if we want to stay on version 8.0 or upgrade to 8.1 and then to 8.1 Update.

Watch the capital U in Windows 8.1 Update, it is a major distinction, sort of like of but not quit like a service pack. What is Micro$oft thinking - if somebody is thinking there at all?

There is no big harm in staying with Windows 8.0, Micro$oft is going to supply at least two more years of updates. But after these two years? Not a word ... yet.

Totally out of the blue Micro$oft has decided that Windows 8 users need Windows 8.1 and on top of that 8.1 Update if we want to receive future updates. No warning, no information that gives us time to prepare, nothing. You can read the truly puzzling, no almost confusing details here.

Remember, these Updates are mandatory for the average non-geek home computer user.

Micro$oft defenders put it like this: “If you want security patch C, you need to have installed security patch B first. In this case, security patch B just happens to be the 8.1 Update.” What a joke, what an arbitrary and confusing labeling system!

While there is some merit in above point of view, it overlooks three important facts:

1. Many people are having problems installing Windows 8.1 and Windows 8.1 Update — and Micro$oft hasn’t fixed the problems.
   
   Not the least problem being the huge size of 8.1 (ca. 8.2GB!) and of 8.1 Update (ca. 890MB); it is a pain to download that on “slow”, in our area regular DSL connections.
   
   
2. Windows 8.1 Update is a lot more than a security patch. It includes some significant changes to the Windows User Interface.n The latter luckily is no problem for my customers because of the way I set up Windows 8 computers.
   
   
3. Micro$oft is going to continue making patches for Windows 8.1. It just won’t give these updates to the average Windows user. That hurts.

And as if to add insult to injury Micro$oft puts a deadline of May 13^th on having Windows 8.1 Update installed!

It all boils down to trust, trust that Micro$oft is recklessly playing with.

And here is an important side note: The whole process takes a lot of time. Basic DSL connections and slower computers will be greatly affected. Brace yourself and prepare for many hours of work. Thank you Micro$oft!

For anybody with original Windows 8 and wanting to update to 8.1 I hope to be able to amend this article with instructions on how to get from Windows 8 to 8.1 and then to 8.1 Update. Hopefully I can do this on the upcoming weekend. Please stay tuned and check back if you are interested.

Update 4/25/2014:

For users with Windows 8:

• If you want to avoid the pain of updating to 8.1 you can stay on Windows 8.
   
• If you want the newest and greatest then you should update to 8.1 and then to 8.1 Update. Please consider the implications, especially the extreme time it takes to download over 9GB of updates on average Internet connections!
   
•  On slower computers the installations can easily take two to four hours!

For users with Windows 8.1:

• Micro$oft has made that decision for you: You have to download and install 8.1 Upate if you want to receive future security updates via Windows Update. 

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.  

Beware the Tricks When Updating to Windows 8.1

Oct. 26, 2013 Important Update: Please pay attention to the text after #6 and #7 below.

Just to have it done I decided today to update a customer's system from Windows 8 to 8.1. A few things caught my attention:

Depending in the speed of your internet connection and on the speed with which Microsoft delivers the download brace yourself for anything between 15 minutes and one to three hours - just for the download.

The installation speed will depend mainly an how fast your computer is and how fast or slow your disk drive is; it will take anything from 20 minutes to an hour or even more.

Microsoft came up with new tricks to get you to set up a Microsoft Account. BEWARE! I simply left the fields for name, email address and so on empty and clicked Next. Totally not intuitive but I got the old local account back. See below after #6.

The last of the preparation screens brought the surprise with the following six questions, all with ON (that is Yes, do it) preselected, quoted literally but emphasis added by yours truly:

1. Use Bing to get search suggestions ad web results in Windows Search, and let Microsoft use my search history, location, and some account info to personalize my experiences
    
2. In Internet Explorer, use page prediction to pre-load pages, which sends my browsing history to Microsoft
    
3. Let apps use my name and account picture
    
4. Let apps use my advertising ID for experiences across apps
    
5. Let Windows and apps request my location from the Windows Location Platform
    
6. Get better protection from malware by sending info and files to Microsoft Active Protection Service when Windows Defender is turned on.

Do I need to talk about the obvious privacy issues with points 1 through 5? I hope not...Needless to say, I set all switches for questions 1 through 5 to OFF.

Point #6 makes sense, we all need better malware protection. But at this point in an upgrade I would appreciate to have at least some sort of "What is that?" available to learn what info is reported to Microsoft. But no luck here, there is nothing of this kind.

By now I have updated two machines from Windows 8 to 8.1.

The first machine I updated was an OEM installation; this means that Windows 8 was installed and licensed by the manufacturer and delivered with the computer. The system was set up to work with a local account.

The second machine I updated was my own laptop that I always have with me on customer visits; it runs a retail copy of Windows 8, that is a copy I bought myself from Microsoft in the early days of Windows 8. This machine was set up to work with a local account as well.
 

To my surprise the second machine showed during the initial setup of Windows 8.1 two more windows. At that stage of operation I did not yet have a screen shot program available so I need to try to describe these windows verbally.

The first of these additional windows asked without any explanation for my email address, name and other IMHO personal information. I did not supply any information but "took the plunge" and just clicked Next.

The second screen then gave in small, easy to overlook lettering the option to "Continue with your local account". That was what I did and the machine works beautifully.

The text after #6 IMHO shows two things:

• Microsoft becomes ever more ruthless and blatant in trying to lure us into using a so called Microsoft Account. IMHO this is arm twisting!
   
• There is a functional difference between updating an OEM version and and a retail version of Windows 8. This is in opposition of what Microsoft people say in their company blogs.

If you have a metered internet connection with a cap on the volume of data per month then numbers 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 increase the risk of going over the data limit; and that gets expensaive really fast.

As usual I welcome suggestions and comments right here in the blog.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.
  

Dangerous PDF Files

Microsoft published a list of eight names of known virus infected PDF files that have been repeatedly seen as the carrier of virus infections:

• pdf_new[1].pdf
• auhtjseubpazbo5[1].pdf
• avjudtcobzimxnj2[1].pdf
• pricelist[1].pdf
• couple_saying_lucky[1].pdf
• 5661f[1].pdf 7927
• 9fbe0[1].pdf 7065
• pdf_old[1].pdf

What  does that mean for you? Beware of any email attachment with any of these or similar file names!

One easy security measure against only exactly this type of virus is to disable Javascript in your PDF reader.. This depends on having the latest up-to-date version of the PDF reader installed.

If you use Adobe Reader at the time of writing the latest version is 11.0.3. Open the Edit menu and click on Preferences (or type Ctrl+K).  In the Preferences window click in the left side bar on Javascript. Then remove first the check mark by  "Enable global object security policy" and then the one by "Enable Acrobat Javascript". Then click OK to close the Preferences window. This is what the window looks like (emphasis added):

If you still have Adobe Acrobat installed please remove it and replace it with PDF-XChange Viewer! Well, if you actually use Adobe Acrobat regularly to create PDF documents then keep it up-to date and use it at your own risk.

Update May 27 2013:

If you use PDF X-Change Viewer at the time of writing the latest version is 2.5.210.Open the Edit menu and click on Preferences, select JavaScript, uncheck Enable JavaScript Actions and click “OK”. This is what the window looks like (emphasis added):

If you use a different PDF reader you have to find out if this reader allows embedded Javascript to be executed. If so then find out how to disable it.

Again, this avoids only Javascript viruses embedded in PDF files.
Additionally:
If you run any version of Adobe Reader older then 11.0.3 please upgrade immediately! After an upgrade you have to check if there is another older version of Adobe Reader installed; if so remove it! 

Should you have any difficulties with any of the above I will be glad to help. For things like these I do not need to come to your house, they can be fixed remotely.

As usual I welcome comments and suggestions right here in the blog. Thank you in advance.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.

Internet Explorer 10 - Do You Need It?

Again a question from a customer is reason to write this article. 

Via email I got this question:

Should I download the update to Internet Explorer 10 for Windows from Microsoft?
I have not used Internet Explorer since you took care of my computer.

Here is my reply:

Thanks for asking. And no, you don't really "need" IE 10.

Currently IE 10 is considered to still have quite a few "first hour" bugs.
Because it's very tight integration with the operating system we will need to upgrade sooner or later.

Since you do not use Internet Explorer I recommend that you allow the update but keep not using it. 

This way you would have everything in place in case that the OS integration ever needs to use one of it's modules. 

As usual I welcome comments and suggestions right here in the blog. Thank you in advance.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.

 

Windows 8 - Do You Need It?

End of October will bring the introduction of Windows 8. The "new factor" seems to be intriguing to some people.

All Windows XP computers and some early Windows Vista computers are reaching the limits of their useful lifetime or even are outright beginning to fail. I always try to get the customer to compare the cost of a repair to the cost of a new computer. New computers generally are in every technical aspect a multiple of what a computer built for Windows XP was.

Whenever I have to talk to a customer about a new computer I am asked "Should I wait for Windows 8?".

 My current reply is usually along the lines of

• Currently you can get reasonably priced computers with Windows 7.
• Windows 7 IMHO is the best operating system Microsoft has ever released.
• Windows 8 and it's Metro user interface is meant and built primarily for touch enabled devices.
• You will have to re-learn many things that have become habitually
• I rather recommend to stay away from the bleeding edge of technical developments.
• Using a repaired (older) Windows XP computer with Windows 7 or Windows 8 is like attempting to keep up in Chicago's rush hour traffic with a Ford Model T.

I know that you will be able to use Windows 7 at least until January 2020. Yes, Microsoft has firm life cycle schedules available. If you look at these schedules you need to look at the "end of support" dates. In Microsoft's own words:

End of support refers to the date when Microsoft no longer provides automatic fixes, updates, or online technical assistance.

That is the date relevant for the average home user! After that date nobody will want to help you with the "old" operating system anymore.

Conclusions:

If there is any reason to currently think about possibly a new computer please think Windows 7!

If you are confused by the huge number of options out there and/or if you can't stand the quite often incredibly snotty sales people (for example but not only at Best Buy) then please ask me for advice. All my customers have my email address, my phone number and even my postal address. Or you can use the link way at the end of every single article on this blog; it looks like this: Click to send me an Email

As with any and all brand name computers I strongly recommend my Set-Up job. The customers that had me do the set-up job are those I don't hear from for years; that's how I want it to be!

As usual I welcome comments and suggestions right here in the blog. Thank you in advance.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.

What To Update?

Update May 2019: Please read this article, it supersedes what follows here. 

Revised September 18th 2011 and October 3rd.

All to often I hear from customers remarks like “There are always these reminders to update this or that but I am afraid to do something wrong so I always say NO”. I do understand the basic impulse behind this reaction; I always ask “Why didn’t you ask me?”. And that is where we usually have to leave it because I am at their home to do a job.

There is an easy answer to the title question: “Every program you use”. But I realize that this answer raises for most of my customers even more questions; it appears that is not a correct answer.

Here is an updated attempt to put together a list of programs that IMHO should always be kept up-to-date. Please respond with as many suggestions, critical remarks and questions as possible right here in the blog by using the Comment feature. I hope this list will grow and become a good point of reference for the ubiquitous question “What should I Update?”. The bolded words are a list of what you should keep up to date.

Windows itself and all other programs from Microsoft need to be kept up-to-date all the time. My experience shows over and over that the standard Windows feature called “Automatic Update” is not really dependable. On computers I have set up you will find a desktop icon for Windows Update or Microsoft Update. Although the background color will be different on your computer they look like this:

     Windows XP              Vista/7

When Automatic Updates has worked it may show you a small icon in the tray area (bottom right corner of the screen).

          
Windows XP       Vista/7

When you rest your mouse cursor on one of these icons Windows will tell you for example that “Updates are ready for your computer. Click here to install them” or “Updates have been installed. Click here to restart”. Well, please do that; Windows is telling you that important security relevant changes have been made and you need to allow Windows to complete this process!

Any and all security programs like anti virus, adware- and spyware scanners and the like have to be kept up-to-date.

Your web browser, hopefully Firefox, has to be kept up-to-date. It should check for updates automatically but this sometimes just does not work. Firefox for example allows you in the Help menu in About Firefox to check for an eventual update like this:

 

Another important thing are Firefox add-ons (also called extensions), little programs that add functionality to the web browser like weather status, blocking of advertisements and color coding of dangerous web sites in Google search results. Currently I install three extensions: Adblock Plus (block advertisements from known commercial advertisement servers), Forecastfox (weather info) and Web Of Trust (warns of unreliable web sites in search results). Firefox may ask you to check for Updates for installed add-ons.

After you have done the check you may be told that there are updates available; allow these updates to be installed!

If it tells you that “No updates were found” just close the window.  

Another slightly more detailed representation of Firefox Add-ons on my blog is here.

Update 03/0/2016:
Java is a computer system independent programming language that used to be widely used on the Internet. It has so extensively been abused to distribute viruses that it hardly used any longer.

I do no longer install nor support Java. If for any reason need to have Java installed keep reading, all others please remove Java from your computer(s) and skip to Adobe....

All too often I find computers with terribly outdated Java installations; this is like playing Russian Roulette with a revolver that has five of six chambers loaded. Java mainly gets updated to fix security risks and there are many Java viruses out there that just wait for a computer with an older version of Java. 

The newer versions of Java have an Auto-Updater that should check at least once every month for updates.You find the most current version Java on Filehippo.com.

If you get a Java update you are NOT done yet, sorry. Newer versions of Java since about one or two years will normally remove older versions but they can do that only in a limited fashion. You have to check manually that there are no older versions left on your computer!

In Control Panel click on Programs and Features (in XP click on Add/Remove Programs). In the resulting list look for any Java entry with a version number lower than the highest, that is the most recent one. If you find older Java entries highlight them and click on Uninstall (or Remove). Here is what is current per Sept. 19, 2011, example from Windows 7:


Naturally this will change with future updates or releases.  

Adobe Reader, Adobe Flash and Adobe Shockwave are ubiquitous on the Internet and important to be kept up-to-date. Here is how you can check for updates yourself:

1. Adobe Reader: Help menu, Check for Updates will tell you...
2. The About Adobe Flash Player page has to be visited with every web browser that you use regularly.
3. Adobe Shockwave Player; when you see a version number in the graphics box then you have the most current version. If not then please update immediately!

Please see below the paragraph beginning with "For the technically inclined reader…".

If you use the Thunderbird email program it too needs to be kept up-to-date. In Thunderbird you can check for an eventual update in Help, About Thunderbird. You will see something like this:

 

For the technically inclined reader I recommend Secunia PSI, a free program that will tell you when ANY program you have installed needs to be updated. 

Here is the list of the most important things that have to be kept up to date:

1. Windows (better: all Microsoft software)
2. Security programs
3. ‏Firefox web browser 
4. Firefox add-ons
5. Adobe Reader
6. Adobe Flash
7. Adobe Shockwave
8. Thunderbird email client
9. Thunderbird add-ons

Please help to improve this list by making suggestions in comments.

As usual I welcome comments and suggestions right here in the blog. Thank you in advance.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.

Set-Up Job

Edited March 24, 2018: Problems with Windows 10 "Feature Updates" (twice every year!)Edited March 9,   2016: Block Windows 10 from snooping and Picasa discontinued
 
Every brand name computer you buy in a store or on the internet brings with it three areas of concern: Gunk software, missing updates and costly and questionable "security" software. I'll address these three concerns separately and then offer my suggestion to deal with these concerns before they become a problem.

1. Gunk software: Brand name computers come with some (and sometimes a lot of) "gunk" software pre-installed. You'll find anything from trial versions of programs that will cost additional money to outright spyware and even back door programs.

It goes without saying that this gunk should be removed before you even connect the computer for the first time to the internet.

I even consider programs like Microsoft's Internet Explorer and MS's email programs and Microsoft Office trial versions to be "gunk". By virtue of the very technology used TO WRITE them (called ActiveX) they will enable a large percentage of malicious software to be executed on your computer. Just by using alternative programs that were built without ActiveX technology you avoid all this malicious ActiveX software automatically.

Microsoft's Office is by now always a trial version; it will cost you additionally about $100 to $150 depending on where you buy the product key that you will need to use MS Office for more than 60 days.

There is a commercial program being offered to do this removing of gunk software but the computer manufacturers regularly modify what they pre-install and the names of what they install. Thus a program attempting the clean-up will almost always be outdated and work only incompletely. Or it will offer you a list of installed non-Microsoft programs and ask for your decision on what to remove; and you bought the program because you don't know that in the first place!

2. Missing Updates: The brand name computer you buy was designed and originally configured months ago, sometimes many months ago. For good reasons software companies like Microsoft, Adobe and others regularly release security relevant updates. Microsoft used to do that up to Windows 7 on a monthly schedule; since Windows 8 MS updates more or less continually.

All these mandatory updates from when your computer model was designed until when you bought it are missing. That mostly is a lot to download and install. These downloads should be done in a safe environment to protect the machine from eventual hack attacks before all required updates are installed.
Edit March 2018: Microsoft has a new method to upgrade Windows 10 every six months. These upgrades are HUGE and can take many hours to download and run. IMHO it is imperative to supervise this process and to know what to do (or not to do) when problems arise.
There sheer size and the volume of work to install them is the main reason that I recommend to buy computers with SSD drives; with HDD drives these big updates just take too long!  

3. "Security" Software: All of the commonly preinstalled anti virus programs or "security systems" will in the future cost additional money. Some are considerable, clearly perceivable heavy workloads making your computer slow; see this article for real life experiences with security suites slowing down perfectly well working computers.

Some others are not always working correctly and/or proving their questionable quality by not
uninstalling correctly or quietly stopping to work altogether.

After seemingly error-free uninstalling of some security suites I have found that they left sometimes parts of their software still running. Due to the nature of what these programs have to do these left-over drivers and orphaned processes can wreak havoc.

This clearly calls for a knowledgeable human doing the uninstalling and checking for left-overs.

My Solution: I offer a set-up job for new computers; I even offer a fixed price if I can do it at my house because I can overlap some of the time with answering my emails and other activities.
This set-up job includes:

• De-gunking the computer (manually and completely removing unwanted, potentially risky programs and all kind of trial software)
• Updating the operating system and all other software in a safe environment.
• Installing and updating (or enabling) free security software (currently Microsoft Security Essentials on Win7, enabling Windows Defender on Windows 8.x and Windows 10)
• Edit March 2016: On Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 I install a free program that blocks Windows from reporting back to Microsoft what you do and how you do it (I call that spying!).
  Since about November 2015 Microsoft has begun to "enhance" Windows 7 and 8.1 with some of the reporting features of Windows 10. That is called progress...
• Installing Mozilla's Firefox web browser, my choice as alternate web browser including the best available advertisement blocker and a utility that warns you if search results would lead to known malicious web sites
• Installing Mozilla's Thunderbird email client if so desired including the best available advertisement blocker
• Installing Libre Office (Microsoft file compatible office software)
• Installing Google Earth
• Installing Picasa (photo management and editing program) if so desired;
  Edit March 2016: Only upon request; the Web Album Service was discontinued by Google;
  you can keep using Picasa to organize, edit a.s.o. locally stored pictures just as in the past; there will be no more program updates for Picasa (the current version is VERY stable!).
  
• Installing an easy to use screen shot program (so you can send me a picture of the pesky error message that is bugging you)
• Installing a remote control program that enables me to give you remote support  
• Replacing the always out-of date preinstalled version of Adobe Reader with a free, faster and safer alternative called PDF-XChange Viewer
• Installing a virtual PDF printer; it creates PDF files from anything you can print. You don't want to email a job application as a Word document that anybody could modify! 
• Establishing desktop icons leading directly to Documents, Downloads, Pictures and so on. 
• On Windows 8 and Windows 10 install a proven, small program that starts the computer directly into desktop mode and establishes a Start button and a Programs menu like we have been used to since Windows XP (that is since 2002)!

All above mentioned software is of excellent quality, officially FREE for home use and guaranteed to be free of advertisements and spyware.

All this can take many hours and will seriously confuse the normal "non geek" computer user.
If I can do the Set-Up job at my house I offer it for a flat fee! Should you be interested please send a personal email to ejheinze_at_gmail_dot_com; thank you.


As usual I welcome comments and suggestions right here in the blog. Thank you in advance.

Stay safe!

Manual Upgrade for Microsoft Security Essentials

Recently some customers had problems upgrading Microsoft Security Essentials to the new version 2.

If your firewall is turned ON you can do that yourself:

1. Go to this Microsoft web page.
2. Click Download and choose the version of MSE that is correct for your OS.
3. Open Control Panel.
4. In Vista/7 open Programs and Features,
   in XP open Add/Remove Programs.
5. Uninstall (or Remove) Microsoft Security Essentials.
6. Restart the computer.
7. Run the installer program you downloaded in step #2 and follow the prompts.

Everything should be okay again.

You will loose the desktop icon for MSE; the new version does not have it anymore.

As usual I welcome comments and suggestions right here in the blog. Thank you in advance.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.

On Java

I am writing this while on vacation because it is so important that I want it to be out as soon as possible. Again it underlines the requirement to proactively check for updates regularly; that means not when you happen to remember, once a month or anything like that. Do it at least once every week if you want to stay safe. Those updates have to be done for security reasons, not to just have the newest gadget!

In the following I will quote from an Australian computer technicians blog and add my comments right after a quote.

This past year something has been brewing in the underbelly of the Internet that has only recently come to light, causing security experts to sit up and taking notice.

Exploits on Java have multiplied tremendously in number and they are proving to be incredibly effective.

Many of you may have heard of rogue programs; some of you may even have had to battle one or call me for assistance. Much of that is due to Java.

Three recent vulnerabilities in Java have paved the way for malware exploitation and all three have had patches available for some time.

So why in all the world don’t people keep the software in their computers up to date?  Actually, this is a rhetorical question; mostly because people never have been told, some don’t do it because of complacency and all don’t do it because Microsoft did not design a “standardized” method to do it.

… notable is that two of the [Java] vulnerabilities went from hundreds of thousands of attacks per quarter [year] to millions.
Now that we know what is going on, what can we do to avoid malware drama?

Make sure to update Java frequently; in fact, a very important update for Java was just released today [Oct. 18 2010] with fixes for 15 highly severe vulnerabilities.

I have updated the Java paragraph of my article on What To Update to reflect this renewed importance of keeping Java up to date.

As of October 18, 2010 the most current version of Java is 6.0.22. In Add/Remove Programs on Win XP or in Programs and features in Vista and Win7 the entry looks like this:
I recommend to remove (or uninstall) all other Java versions. Future updates or releases will have higher version or update numbers. All eventually left behind older versions need to be removed manually, that is from within Add/Remove Programs or Programs and Features respectively.

Make sure you check for Java Updates regularly!

As usual I welcome comments and suggestions right here in the blog. Thank you in advance.

Click here for a categorized Table Of Contents.