AskWoody
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How big is your hard drive?
Posted on April 21st, 2021 at 23:56 Comment on the AskWoody LoungeRecently 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)
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End of the road for old Edge
Posted on April 19th, 2021 at 01:08 Comment on the AskWoody LoungeISSUE 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
Posted on April 19th, 2021 at 01:06 Comment on the AskWoody LoungeLANGALIST
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).
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Some laptops claim Thunderbolt 4 support but don’t deliver
Posted on April 19th, 2021 at 01:04 Comment on the AskWoody LoungePUBLIC 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).
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Windows to Linux? Are you ready to take the leap?
Posted on April 19th, 2021 at 01:02 Comment on the AskWoody LoungeLINUX
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).
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All storage is not created equal
Posted on April 19th, 2021 at 01:00 Comment on the AskWoody LoungeONEDRIVE 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).
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Tasks for the weekend – April 17, 2021 – How to best ask a question
Posted on April 17th, 2021 at 23:42 Comment on the AskWoody LoungeHere 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?
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Edge appears to be having a Friday meltdown
Posted on April 16th, 2021 at 10:54 Comment on the AskWoody LoungeAnyone 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.
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Patch Tuesday poll – how is the testing going?
Posted on April 14th, 2021 at 08:06 Comment on the AskWoody LoungeWell how is everyone doing the day after in your early testing of the updates?
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April Patch Tuesday out – Exchange once again
Posted on April 13th, 2021 at 12:56 Comment on the AskWoody LoungePatches are just coming out.
Small business guidance up first:
Exchange (Microsoft’s on premises mail server) has an update. This time I’m ignoring any guidance that might say “targeted attacks only” and saying – if you have on prem Exchange patch TODAY just to be safe. I totally understand that to ask any business large or small to have them take down the mail server on a business day is asking a lot, but I’m not taking chances this time with my small business peeps getting nailed.Patch them.Do it.Reboot that Exchange server ahead of time.Ensure you open a command prompt and run as admin to run the commands to update Exchange. Ensure you watch that services fully restarted after the box is rebooted.– CVE-2021-28480/28481 – Microsoft Exchange Server Remote Code Execution VulnerabilityBoth 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.For consumers and home users, pop that popcorn and we’re going to be in patch testing mode watching for the dead bodies. As usual the full write up will be coming up in Monday’s Plus newsletter. Biggies to watch out for – old Edge goes, and… for how many months past October end of life for Office 2010 we are STILL patching Office 2010. -
How to customize and manage your Microsoft Account
Posted on April 12th, 2021 at 01:08 Comment on the AskWoody LoungeISSUE 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%
Posted on April 12th, 2021 at 01:06 Comment on the AskWoody LoungePUBLIC 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).