Monthly Archives: June 2023

• MS-DEFCON 4: Installing just the updates

  Posted on June 27, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.26.1 • 2023-06-27

  

  By Susan Bradley

  If you recall, earlier this month Microsoft released an update that needed some additional steps — manually adding registry keys — to fully protect your machine.

  My position on this matter has been that I did not recommend taking the additional steps unless you knew that you or your firm was specifically being targeted. Microsoft’s notes indicated that it would be releasing a future update that would not require manual intervention — and that if you did not install it, you might experience side effects.

  Microsoft did not provide any hints about which side effects. Helpful, don’t you think?

  Anyone can read the full MS-DEFCON Alert (20.26.1, 2023-06-27).

  AskWoody Plus Alert, MS-DEFCON Alerts, Kerberos, MS-DEFCON, MS-DEFCON 4, Netlogon, VPNs

• Terabyte update 2023

  Posted on June 26, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.26 • 2023-06-26

  Look for our BONUS issue on Monday, July 3, 2023!

  HARDWARE

  

  By Will Fastie

  There are several important trend lines this year.

  In last year’s installment of this series, I wrote about being surprised that there were no significant price changes.

  This year, there have been some changes, which may mean some tangible trends are emerging.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.26.0, 2023-06-26).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Hardware HDDs, Newsletters, SSDs, storage, Storage Prices

• Setting up your own cloud

  Posted on June 26, 2023 at 02:44 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE DIY

  

  By Ben Myers

  I began a pilot project to see what a NAS (Network Attached Storage) computer could do to improve data backup and management here.

  We have the usual collection of flash memory sticks and USB drives — and maybe, just maybe, we are not proactive with saving important information. It makes no sense to pay an annual rental for a Windows server license. There are several Linux distributions built for the specific purpose of hosting a NAS. Each of them, once installed, provides administration through the browser of a computer connected to one’s local area network.

  Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.26.0, 2023-06-26).

  Hardware DIY, hardware, NAS, Network, Newsletters, RAID

• Xelitan PDF Reader — The fastest way to open PDFs

  Posted on June 26, 2023 at 02:43 CDT by Deanna McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT

  

  By Deanna McElveen

  When I open a PDF file, it’s usually because I need to view it — quickly.

  I don’t want to wait for my Web browser to open, if it happens to be my default PDF reader (increasingly the case these days). I certainly don’t want to open a program that just wants to sell me features (looking at you, Adobe). I just want my PDF to blink into existence!

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.26.0, 2023-06-26).

  Freeware Spotlight Deanna's Freeware Spotlight, music, Newsletters, Piano

• Dealing with a data breach

  Posted on June 26, 2023 at 02:42 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Recently, the MOVEit system from Progress has been in the headlines, and not in a good way.

  MOVEit is used by many businesses and governments to transfer files. Those same entities are now sending out notifications that your personal information may have been stolen by attackers using a vulnerability discovered in MOVEit.

  Although the problem has now been patched, attackers had a window of opportunity for at least several days during which data was captured in the clear.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.26.0, 2023-06-26).

  On Security data breach, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, safety, security

• Fixing Onyx’s RAID 1 failure — second drive

  Posted on June 26, 2023 at 02:41 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE DIY

  

  By Will Fastie

  In our May bonus issue, I wrote about fixing Onyx’s RAID 1 failure.

  There was one task left. I had replaced the failed drive in the mirror with a new Seagate FireCuda drive, but I did not want to install the second without giving the first drive time to burn in. In this brief article, I describe that final task.

  It went as expected.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.26.0, 2023-06-26).

  Hardware DIY, hardware, Intel RST, Newsletters, RAID 1

• Apple releases new security updates – June 21

  Posted on June 21, 2023 at 12:52 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  📱 iOS and iPadOS 15.7.7 – 3 bugs fixed
  💻 macOS Ventura 13.4.1 – 2 bugs fixed
  📱 iOS and iPadOS 16.5.1 – 2 bugs fixed
  ⌚ watchOS 9.5.2 – 1 bug fixed
  ⌚ watchOS 8.8.1 – 1 bug fixed
  💻 macOS Monterey 12.6.7 – 1 bug fixed

  Apple pushed updates for 3 new zero-days that may have been actively exploited.

  As we move to more and more of us using phones as our daily tool, so too are the attackers going after the phones with zero days

  Apple Patch Lady Posts

• Working with the Intel Driver & Support Assistant

  Posted on June 19, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Ed Tittel • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.25 • 2023-06-19

  WINDOWS

  

  By Ed Tittel

  Intel’s share of the x86 processor market at the end of 2022 came out at nearly a two-to-one ratio for Intel vs. AMD.

  The Statista survey ascribes 62.8% of that market to Intel and 35.2% to AMD; the remaining 2% presumably belongs to ARM and “other CPUs” sometimes found in PCs.

  But other Intel devices, including PC chipsets and controllers, show up in PCs of all kinds. And that means Intel also supplies drivers to connect devices to Windows and allow them to do their jobs.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.25.0, 2023-06-19).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Windows hardware, Hardware drivers, Intel, Newsletters, Software, utilities, Windows

• The Star Trek universal translator is here today

  Posted on June 19, 2023 at 02:44 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  PARISOT, FRANCE — I’m working this month in Europe. During this time, I’ve found that handheld language translators have become truly useful in speaking with people when you don’t understand their native tongue.

  My knowledge of French is fairly nonexistent. I can manage to say “oui,” “non,” and “un grand café noir, s’il vous plaît” (a large black coffee, please). So you can imagine my fear when I learned — as I’ll explain later— that I’d be spending 30 days in the land of le Louvre, which I can’t even pronounce correctly.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.25.0, 2023-06-19).

  Public Defender Handhelds, Language, Newsletters, Smart Devices, Translation

• How to get transcripts from Teams to OneNote

  Posted on June 19, 2023 at 02:43 CDT by Mary Branscombe • Comment in the Forums

  ONENOTE

  

  By Mary Branscombe

  If you have meeting recordings from Teams, you can get the text of what everyone said — if you know where to look.

  The Windows version of OneNote has a transcription tool, but I’ve had a lot of problems getting it to work. I often use the Otter.AI service to turn my meetings and interviews into text by propping my phone up on the table or next to my laptop.

  But if you’re using Teams for your meetings, you can usually get a better-quality transcription by doing it inside Teams.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.25.0, 2023-06-19).

  OneNote Microsoft Steam, Newsletters, OneNote, Teams, Transcription

• The case of the missing Registry key

  Posted on June 19, 2023 at 02:42 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Microsoft leaves it up to us to finish its job.

  Once upon a time, there was a company that cared equally about the impact of patches on customers large and small. But in the past two months, something has happened. Some of you would argue that furthermore, Microsoft’s patching guidance has been primarily for the enterprise market segment from the start.

  That’s not my experience.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.25.0, 2023-06-19).

  Patch Watch Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts

• Intel rebrands

  Posted on June 19, 2023 at 02:41 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  INTEL NEWS

  

  By Will Fastie

  To coincide with the upcoming release of new processors based on the Meteor Lake microarchitecture, Intel will institute a new branding scheme.

  I’m inclined to say this happens too often with Intel and is confusing, but the amazing reality is that the “i” branding has been around for 15 years. That’s actually a pretty long run.

  But the new branding is still confusing, at least for now.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.25.0, 2023-06-19).

  Intel News Branding, Intel, Marketing, Newsletters, Processors
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