Newsletter Archives

• Signing off from AskWoody

  Posted on December 27, 2020 at 21:10 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums
  

  CHANGES

  By TB Capen

  The smartest call you can make in business is knowing when it’s time to leave.

  After some thirty years in tech journalism, it’s time I put the cap on the old digital inkwell. To wit, this is my last issue as editor of the AskWoody newsletter.

  It’s been a fun and interesting ride. Back in 2010, Brian Livingston convinced me and Riley the cattle dog to move 1,000 miles up the West Coast and become the editor of Windows Secrets. I retired from the newsletter seven years later during the Penton years.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.51.0 (2020-12-28).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Masthead changes

• Versatile gadget gifts for stuffing stockings large and small

  Posted on December 6, 2020 at 21:00 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  BEST HARDWARE

  By Michael Lasky

  Christmas stocking stuffers are usually thought of as small, whimsical, and not necessarily practical.

  But relatively inexpensive tech gadgets can be both useful and appealing to your favorite digital denizen. You might even secretly covet them for yourself.

  If your holiday list is still missing something, and you’re down to last-minute shopping, consider picking up one or more of the following devices.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.48.0 (2020-12-07).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Hardware AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Device chargers, Digital gifts, Earbuds, Fingerprint readers, Portable docks, Rechargeable batteries, USB-C

• Time to wrap up November updating — no bow required

  Posted on November 29, 2020 at 21:00 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums
  

  PATCH WATCH

  By Susan Bradley

  By now, you should be getting over the side effects of too much turkey and pie.

  Getting over some Windows upgrading issues might not be as easy.

  It appears that there’s a sizable number of Win10 1909 users who are blocked from moving up to Versions 2004 or 20H2. Last week, I discussed one blocker: Conexant audio drivers. We still don’t have information on when or how this issue will be resolved.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.47.0 (2020-11-30).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Patch Watch Antivirus support, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Upgrade blocks, Win7 vulnerabilities, Windows updating

• Gathering for the holidays — via tech

  Posted on November 22, 2020 at 21:15 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums
  

  SOCIAL NETWORKING

  By Susan Bradley

  It’s that time of year again!

  I love the end-of-year holidays. Right now, Hallmark Christmas movies are playing on my television while we sort through decorations on the living-room floor. (Like over-eager kids, we like to start the season early!)

  This is the season when we’d normally be crowding together in kitchens and living rooms to share edible treats, swap gossip, and watch sports and holiday movies on the tube. But, of course, this year is unlike any other we’ve experienced.

  To stay connected with friends and family, we’ve had to become more creative. And much of that creativity relies on technology.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.46.0 (2020-11-23).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Social Networking AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Remote access, Remote control, Virtual meetings, Zoom meetings

• Recovering from a failed Win10 Reset

  Posted on November 22, 2020 at 21:10 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  By Fred Langa

  Win10’s cloud-based Resets are usually the fastest and easiest way to return a PC to a known-good, baseline state.

  Major Reset failures are rare, but the worst-case scenarios can leave a PC completely unbootable. Here’s what to do when a reset misadventure strikes.

  Plus: What’s with those weird two-headed USB connectors?

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.46.0 (2020-11-23).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Cloud-based refresh, USB connectors, Windows reset failures, WinRE

• AskWoody Ultimate Utilities List — Fall edition

  Posted on November 22, 2020 at 21:05 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  UTILITIES

  By TB Capen

  Playing with new utilities for Windows PCs can be fun.

  Many are free, and they show an inventive range of solutions to common — and not-so-common — problems and tasks.

  And let’s face it: there are some apps built into Windows that are still rather … underwhelming. Photos? Groove Music? Mail? No thanks.

  The topic of essential utilities came up recently when I upgraded a relatively old ThinkPad.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.46.0 (2020-11-23).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Utilities AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Essential utilities, Third-party apps

• Why does Windows still generate registry junk?

  Posted on November 15, 2020 at 21:10 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  By Fred Langa

  And why does Win10 still not have a built-in tool for deleting dead, empty, obsolete, or useless registry data?

  Win10 has capable options for removing file-related debris on drives. But to thoroughly clean the registry, you need a third-party tool.

  Plus: Test your security smarts with this free online quiz!

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.45.0 (2020-11-16).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Registry cleaning, Security quiz

• RIP Office 2010? Not so fast!

  Posted on November 15, 2020 at 21:05 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  By Susan Bradley

  Well … we thought we’d seen the last of Office Version 2010.

  But Microsoft surprised us by pushing out a batch of November updates for its suite of productivity apps. Note that this isn’t a completely novel event. Microsoft has dribbled out patches for other products that have reached their end of service.

  Going forward, Office 2010 will become more dangerous to use — especially when it comes to email phishing attacks.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.45.0 (2020-11-16).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Patch Watch AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microcode, Office patching, Win7 vulnerabilities, Windows patching

• Business cyber insurance: A sea change

  Posted on November 15, 2020 at 21:00 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  SMALL-BUSINESS COMPUTING

  By Amy Babinchak

  For IT businesses — and by extension, their clients — adapting to a rapidly shifting technology environment has been a challenge.

  Not the least of those changes is insuring for data-related privacy and security losses.

  Not that long ago, insuring my business was relatively simple. We were covered primarily for liability and errors/omissions. Today, the array of events covered by my policy is mind-boggling — much of it focused on data security and privacy.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.45.0 (2020-11-16).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Small Business Computing AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Business insurance, IT changes, privacy, security

• A changing of the guard at AskWoody.com

  Posted on November 8, 2020 at 21:20 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums
  

  ASKWOODY.COM

  By Woody Leonhard

  I’m retiring.

  But AskWoody marches on — in new but familiar, and highly capable, hands.

  I was nudged into retirement by a combination of medical concerns, family obligations … and a screaming desire to turn my attention to interests outside the computer industry.

  So it’s my great pleasure to announce that Patch Lady Susan Bradley will be taking up leadership of the cause — as major-domo of AskWoody.com, as managing editor of the AskWoody Newsletters, as guiding light of the @AskWoody twitter charge — and, most importantly, as a spiritual advisor to gazillions of disenfranchised Microsoft customers. She also has a new column in Computerworld: Microsoft Patch Lady.

  I’ve known and worked with Susan for decades, and she is as familiar to long-time Windows Secrets subscribers as a favorite old hat. Part of the original Windows Secrets team and a regular contributor to the AskWoody newsletter, she also moderates the patchmanagement.org mailing list and writes pivotal security columns for the CSO website. In her day-job guise, Susan is an IT admin and forensic investigator at a well-known CPA firm.

  We’ve always known Susan for her perspicacious pursuit of patching problems … and their resolution.

  What a long and strange trip it’s been

  Life’s changed in extraordinary ways since my first “meatspace” book “Windows 3.1 Programming for Mere Mortals” (Amazon) appeared 28 years ago. Windows has evolved from a rickety infrastructure built on top of a wobbly operating system to a wobbly operating system in its own right.

  I don’t miss the original bug-ridden incarnations of Windows. But I do miss the fire and vision that drove the unqualified success of Windows XP and Win7. And I’ll continue to rail against the flaws that are introduced — and sometimes re-introduced — with every round of updates.

  Microsoft has a long history of Windows patching issues. Some things never change, eh?

  On a personal note, I’m back in Thailand. We survived two weeks of quarantine and are now free to visit family and friends all over the country. I think of it as an extended vacation, camping out while the U.S. struggles with the pandemic. Eventually, we’ll be back in the States, but the “when” is an open question.

  Most importantly, rest assured that the “Open for business” sign remains lit at AskWoody. And we’re still standing up for the little guy. I’ll continue to drop in from time to time — just to contribute my two cents. But the ongoing effort to guide and help all personal-computer users is now in new and much more capable hands.

  So long to all AskWoody supporters. I’ve already been warned by Susan that I must pop in every now and then to offer insights about technology outside of the Redmond bubble — better known as the real world we all actually live in.

  And thanks for all the fish!

  AskWoody, AskWoody Plus Newsletter AskWoody Plus Newsletter, New leadership

• RemotePC: An excellent tool for accessing and controlling PCs

  Posted on November 8, 2020 at 21:15 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  REMOTE ACCESS

  By Lance Whitney

  I’ve used a variety of remote-access applications over the years, but one remains my favorite.

  iDrive’s RemotePC is reasonably priced, easy to use, and filled with helpful features.

  The one drawback? Using RemotePC requires a subscription — there’s no free edition. But that’s okay if you’re an individual or small-to-medium business that needs reliable connections among a variety of client and host systems.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.44.0 (2020-11-09).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Remote Access AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Remote access, Remote support

• Windows’ built-in Reliability Monitor

  Posted on November 8, 2020 at 21:10 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  By Fred Langa

  This hidden gem of an app usually can pinpoint — in copious detail! — exactly what’s causing PC glitches.

  Built into every copy of Windows, it’s also easy to invoke and use. Plus: Updated information on Performance Monitor’s erratic /report option.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.44.0 (2020-11-09).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Performance Monitor, Windows performance, Windows reliability
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