AskWoody

How big is your hard drive?

Recently I did an article for ComputerWorld about how Windows 10 has increased what I consider “normal” hard drive space.

No longer do I think 100 gigs is enough for Windows 10. What size of hard drive do you have in your Windows 10? Pick the one closest to what you have.

I also don’t consider anything other than a SSD drive is acceptable for Windows 10. Just a kind reminder, if you finally get to the point where your Windows computer is getting wheezy you can remember you can take the plunge with Linux and resident Linux guru Sandra will be here to help. Bottom line the “bare minimum” of Windows keeps edging up over time.

(Apologies in advance if the poll isn’t scientific, I just find them fun and educational to get your views)

End of the road for old Edge

ISSUE 18.14 • 2021-04-19

PATCH WATCH

By Susan Bradley

The April 13 updates bring a close to “old”  or “legacy” Edge and force us to say hello to “new” Edge. The Windows 10 updates released in April will remove legacy Edge and replace it with new Edge.

I’ve noted before that when I’ve set a default PDF viewer and then installed new Edge, it has been necessary to reset the preference. Resetting default applications always has been problematic in Windows 10; it has often taken several feature releases before things settled down and defaults were respected.

Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.14.0 (2021-04-19).
This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.14.F (2021-04-19).

OneDrive, several problems

LANGALIST

By Fred Langa

OneDrive’s poor documentation and weak user interface can cause endless frustration.

Some important OneDrive procedures are left unexplained; others literally cannot be accomplished from the desktop and can be done only via the Web interface — but again, with nary a word of guidance.

Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.14.0 (2021-04-19).

Some laptops claim Thunderbolt 4 support but don’t deliver

PUBLIC DEFENDER

By Brian Livingston

The new Thunderbolt 4 standard works with the latest USB-C–equipped laptops to drive two 4K monitors simultaneously, run high-speed external solid-state drives, and plug into docking stations that support a wide variety of peripherals, cables, and ports.

The promise of Thunderbolt 4 (TB4) is great, but the reality of this technology — which was announced as recently as January 2020 during the Consumer Electronics Show — is making it hard for some laptops to connect with everything they’re supposed to.

Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.14.0 (2021-04-19).

Windows to Linux? Are you ready to take the leap?

LINUX

By Sandra Henry-Stocker

Are tighter security, more customizable interfaces, and the availability of source code enough to make you switch? What does Linux have that Windows doesn’t, and what might you lose by moving to Linux?

Key to answering these questions is understanding how the two systems differ. I am asked this often, and it’s a really good question — but not the easiest one to answer.

Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.14.0 (2021-04-19).

All storage is not created equal

ONEDRIVE TIP

By Will Fastie

The word “drive” in the name implies that OneDrive is just like any other local hard drive or solid-state drive in your system.

It isn’t. I consider that a bug. A serious bug.

Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.14.0 (2021-04-19).

Tasks for the weekend – April 17, 2021 – How to best ask a question

Youtube here

Here are just some quick tips on how to ask a question to then get the best and quickest response. Note that this is just some suggestions of mine and I’m sure many of you have better recommendations on how to ask a question.

First start off by searching for an answer: Put in your “exact” error message and try searching first. You may be surprised that someone else had your same problem and someone else has helped them find the answer.

A kind reminder: There are no dumb questions. If you think it’s a dumb question, it’s just dumb because you can’t find the answer. Always ask, as someone else probably has the same question that you have.

Next location, location, location: Find the proper venue and post. Clicking on the links on the right hand side gets you into the the best section for the version of Windows you have.

Including details helps us to understand what happened:

Include the following details about the Computer exhibiting the Problem:
Version installed:
Feature release
Other applications on the box:
Antivirus Software / Version:
Processor:
Memory:
Was something recently installed?

Details about the Network, if applicable:
Wired or wireless:
Firewall or Network particulars?

Full, complete error message wording or screenshot:
When did the issue first occur?
What changes were made around that time?
Steps to reproduce if any:
Any Additional Information you think would be helpful?

Any other tips you’d recommend that I’ve forgotten to post here?

Edge appears to be having a Friday meltdown

Anyone else getting this error when trying to update Edge on the latest 21H1 build? @MSEdgeDev pic.twitter.com/Uw9cxzkspg

— Zac Bowden (@zacbowden) April 16, 2021

Over on Gunter Born’s blog he’s confirming the same thing… Edge and Edge’s updating server appears to be having a Friday meltdown.

Some report that rebooting fixes the issue. Bottom line if you are seeing this, it’s not you, just let’s wait this out and see if it fixes itself.

Patch Tuesday poll – how is the testing going?

Well how is everyone doing the day after in your early testing of the updates?

April Patch Tuesday out – Exchange once again

Patches are just coming out.

Small business guidance up first:

https://www.zerodayinitiative.com/blog/2021/4/13/the-april-2021-security-update-review

– CVE-2021-28480/28481 – Microsoft Exchange Server Remote Code Execution Vulnerability

Both of these CVEs are listed at a 9.8 CVSS and have identical write-ups, so they both get listed here. Both code execution bugs are unauthenticated and require no user interaction. Since the attack vector is listed as “Network,” it is likely these bugs are wormable – at least between Exchange servers. The CVSS score for these two bugs is actually higher than the Exchange bugs exploited earlier this year. These bugs were credited to the National Security Agency. Considering the source, and considering these bugs also receive Microsoft’s highest Exploit Index rating, assume they will eventually be exploited. Update your systems as soon as possible.

How to customize and manage your Microsoft Account

ISSUE 18.13 • 2021-04-12

MICROSOFT

By Lance Whitney

You can view and administer your subscriptions, devices, family members, rewards, and other aspects of your Microsoft account through a dedicated website.

You have a Microsoft account that you use to sign in to Windows and possibly to other apps such as Outlook, Office 365, OneDrive, and Skype. But maybe there are aspects of your account that you’d like to tweak or at least review. Microsoft offers a website that serves up all the relevant details and settings on your account.

Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.13.0 (2021-04-12).
This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.13.F (2021-04-12).

New smartphone? Great! Now don’t charge it past 80%

PUBLIC DEFENDER

By Brian Livingston

Sales of new smartphones are skyrocketing — Samsung’s new S21 line sold three times as many units in the US in March 2021 as last year’s S20 series did in the same period, according to SamMobile — but few people are learning from the manufacturers about these phones’ dirty little secret.

That’s the fact that charging these devices’ lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries to a full 100% wears out a great deal of your battery’s capacity within a year or two. This has been written about before. But in this story, I’ll show you how to triple the usable life of your gadgets’ batteries — either on your own or using a simple app.

Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.13.0 (2021-04-12).