Secure messaging on Windows with Signal

PRIVACY

By Mary Branscombe

Signal is a smartphone secure-messaging app that also works in Windows. Here’s why you want it, and how to get started.

Sometimes you need to send a message that you can be certain will stay private. Perhaps a friend urgently needs a place to stay while you’re out of town, and you must give them your alarm code (and maybe tell the neighbor who has your spare key how to recognize them).

Or perhaps you want to discuss a medical condition, or something that’s perfectly legal but might still get you into trouble at work, such as whistleblowing or staging a protest.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.11.0, 2024-03-18).
This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

Must your password manager be multiuser or just single-user?

PUBLIC DEFENDER

By Brian Livingston

So many websites these days require usernames and passwords of varying lengths and strengths that installing a secure password manager to keep track of them all is almost a necessity.

But there are big differences between versions of password managers that are designed for a single user (for example, you) and versions that can securely inform multiple users about all the credentials your home or business has created.

Today’s column is the final piece of my four-part analysis of password managers.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.11.0, 2024-03-18).

The Quickening

SOFTWARE

By Will Fastie

My relationship with Quicken has gone from friendly to annoying to infuriating over the past ten years. But is my opinion justified?

I’ve been using Quicken, specifically the Home & Business edition, for at least 25 years, and plain old Quicken for years before that. It’s been an excellent program, and I always felt it was reasonably priced.

I last purchased a copy in 2015. That was shortly before the Intuit/Quicken world turned upside down.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.11.0, 2024-03-18).

Server updates fail to download

PATCH WATCH

By Susan Bradley

The March updates for Windows opened the month on a bumpy road.

The most significant bump relates to the update for Windows Server, demonstrating that it’s not just client PCs that have problems. Fortunately, the problem seems to have been fixed quickly.

KB5035849 is the culprit.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.11.0, 2024-03-18).

Is there a piece of tech hardware you love?

The other day at the office, one of the folks couldn’t log into his computer. He typed in his password and no go. He tried again, this time a bit slower and still didn’t work. It was then that we found that certain keys weren’t working. You see he had accidentally dumped coffee on the keyboard earlier and now it wasn’t working.  We tried cleaning it up and set it aside to dry out. In the meantime I quickly grabbed another keyboard to use as a replacement, but there was a problem: The damaged keyboard is a Microsoft ergonomic keyboard. Which they no longer manufacture anymore. While there are versions online via Ebay which Chinese and English marking on the keys, I’m not sure I’m keen on an imported keyboard. We had to go with a Logitech ergonomic keyboard as a replacement.

Is there a keyboard or a mouse of any other hardware that you absolutely love? Did you buy multiple copies of them to ensure you weren’t without that device? I know I’ve got my favorites and I’ve even purchased spare duplicates. Keyboards are SO important when you are picking a computer. It’s actually one of the things I would rate down on my home OEM Windows 11 laptop – the keyboard. The keys are those flat chiclet style and my fingers tend to not be able to type as fast on them. I prefer the keyboard on the Lenovo laptop instead. If you aren’t on the go you can always use a normal keyboard with your laptop.

So?  What’s your favorite keyboard?

Master Patch List as of March 12, 2024

Happy time change week and Happy Post Patch day – or rather the wait and see week.

I’ve updated the Master Patch list for the March updates.  I’ll be updating the page for any known issues or issues that we are tracking.   Windows 10 and KB5034441 which fails to install with error code 0x80070643.  STILL has not been fixed.

Consumers: At this time I only want you to install browser updates.

Businesses: You’ll want to install Exchange updates for your on premise mail servers NOW.   Make sure you read this post.

Mind you at this time I still have not given the go ahead and strongly recommend that you do not install updates at this time. But I know some of you are testing updates at this time. The full details will be in Monday’s Plus newsletter.

As always, thank you all for supporting the cause! Remember we use the “name your price” model where you can choose how much you will pay for  a membership . Plus membership gives you access and if you donate $50 or more you’ll get a special code to enable text messages sent to your phone each time the Master Patch List gets updated and when I change the MS-DEFCON level.  More details in Monday’s newsletter.  You are missing out if you don’t sign up. All content is human made with our own blood, sweat, tears, fingers and brain power and 100% AI free.  Therefore, if I’ve fat fingered any KB numbers or if you have any questions, as always post in the forums and I’ll follow up!

March Madness begins

Ready or not, here comes the March updates for Windows.

Windows 10 22H2 gets KB5035845

Known issues include:  “Copilot in Windows (in preview) is not currently supported when your taskbar is located vertically on the right or left of your screen.  To access Copilot in Windows, make sure your taskbar is positioned horizontally on the top or bottom of your screen. We are working on a resolution and will provide an update in an upcoming release.”  This also removes the backup app from domain machines.

Windows 11 23H2 and 22H2 get KB5035853.  This fixes the issue seen in earlier updates: “This update addresses a known issue that might affect the February 2024 security and preview updates. They might not install, and your device might stop responding at 96%. The error code is “0x800F0922.” The error message is, “Something did not go as planned. No need to worry – undoing changes. Please keep your computer on.””

61 CVEs – see https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/releaseNote/2024-Mar 

Exchange needs updating see – https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/exchange-team-blog/released-march-2024-exchange-server-security-updates/ba-p/4075348

If you are running Sonoma – remember 14.4 came out last week – https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT214084

Zero day blog indicates it’s a mild March – now let’s see if it is in deploying these updates. Already got an early report that KB5035849 on Server 2019 is failing to download with an 0xd000034 error.

Can repro personally:

The M1 is dead

APPLE

By Will Fastie

With no fanfare, Apple announced two new MacBooks.

The reason for the lack of fanfare is that Apple had little to say. I expected this move, and I’m not even an Apple expert.

But there is a key takeaway — there are no longer any Macs with the M1 SoC.

I’ll get to the lineup in a second, but first I want to share a lovely photo.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.11.0, 2024-03-11).
This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

How to get photos and videos from your phone to your PC

WINDOWS 11

By Lance Whitney

Your mobile phone may be home to thousands of photos and videos. Now’s the time to back up and sync them to your Windows computer.

I have some 12,250 photos and videos stored on my iPhone. And if something dire happened to my phone, all those photos and videos could be lost. That’s why I copy and sync them all between my phone and my Windows PC. If you’re in the same boat, there is a host of ways you can transfer and back up your precious photographic memories to your computer.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.11.0, 2024-03-11).

Five reasons not to use the new Outlook

MICROSOFT 365

By Peter Deegan

Outlook (new) for Windows is being over-promoted.

When Microsoft pushes this hard, you might think you must change now. I’ll give you five reasons to stay with your current Outlook, at least for now. And I’ll offer some tips for keeping your current email app, despite a pushy Microsoft.

“Outlook (new)” is the name Microsoft uses at the moment. (It’s Microsoft, so “for Windows” is assumed). For this article, in an attempt to avoid confusion, I’ll call the current Outlook for Windows “classic Outlook,” by which I mean the traditional desktop version of Outlook.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.11.0, 2024-03-11).

A freeware mash-up — How is your hardware holding-up?

FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT

By Deanna McElveen

A good “mash-up” (mix of two songs put together) is always a fun thing to hear.

One of my favorites is “Stayin’ Alive In The Wall” (Pink Floyd + Bee Gees mash-up by Wax Audio). But did you know that a mash-up of two freeware programs can really complement each other to get things accomplished?

Today we are going to mash together two great pieces of free software to find out how our computer hardware is doing.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.11.0, 2024-03-11).

When is a system beyond repair?

PATCH WATCH

By Susan Bradley

I’m giving up. I hate giving up.

It annoys me, but I’m giving up on repairing operating systems. Why? Because we’ve reached the point where an operating system can become so damaged that not only can we not fully identify the cause, but also the system cannot be repaired with the tools provided for that purpose.

There’s a reason I’m in this state of mind.

The other day, someone in the forums asked me to start a section of Patch Watch to track those updates that did this kind of damage to the extent that the system became unbootable. But here’s the thing: no update is designed to make systems unbootable.

Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.11.0, 2024-03-11).