Newsletter Archives

• Hasleo Windows ISO Downloader — easily get Windows from Microsoft

  Posted on May 30, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Deanna McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.22 • 2022-05-30

  FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT

  

  By Deanna McElveen

  There was a time when getting your hands on an ISO of Windows to fix your computer meant borrowing one from a friend or visiting pirated software sites.

  These days, Microsoft lets you stay on the good side of the Internet neighborhood by allowing you to download copies. You can go through the steps on Microsoft’s website to get Windows, or you can do it the easy way.

  Hasleo Software has been around for years, making some of my favorite commercial tools, but they also have a few free ones. Hasleo Windows ISO Downloader is their free, portable program to download Windows 8.1, Windows 10, or Windows 11 straight from Microsoft’s official servers.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.22.0, 2022-05-30).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Freeware Spotlight AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Deanna's Freeware Spotlight, Windows

• Want laptop graphics power specs? They might not be easy to find.

  Posted on May 23, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.21 • 2022-05-23

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  Some well-known manufacturers of laptops make it a little hard to discover the power ratings that determine their machines’ LCD display performance, even though graphics-chip suppliers such as Nvidia and AMD order the laptop makers to do so.

  One of the suppliers — the graphics-processor giant Nvidia — says about this situation, “We’re requiring OEMs to update their product pages” to reveal a crucial laptop feature known variously as Total Graphics Power (TGP) by Nvidia and Typical Board Power (TBP) by AMD, as I explain.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.21.0, 2022-05-23).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Graphics Cards, Graphics Performance, Public Defender

• The twists and turns of Office Fast Account Switching

  Posted on May 16, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.20 • 2022-05-16

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Fast Account Switching lets you quickly “change hats” between work, home, and other Microsoft accounts in Microsoft 365, Office 2021 and 2019, and now the browser-based Office.com apps.

  Most of us have more than one online life, usually a work account — and a personal account and possibly more for other work or voluntary commitments. For Office users, that means separate Microsoft accounts and switching between those accounts to see recent documents and online storage related to that part of your life. In the past, and still in Office for Mac, changing accounts meant reopening the Office app.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.20.0, 2022-05-16).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Accounts, Office 365, tips

• The one thing you need to know about the metaverse

  Posted on May 9, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Max Stul Oppenheimer • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.19 • 2022-05-09

  LEGAL BRIEF

  

  By Max Stul Oppenheimer, Esq.

  Nike is trying to convince a court that the metaverse is a real place, where the rules of the real world (as I think of it) do not apply.

  If it succeeds, it will be a revolution in thinking on a par with the introduction of the theory of relativity. Because the one thing you need to know about the metaverse is this — it is not real. The tools that create the metaverse create projections into the real world, but the metaverse itself is no more real than Pandora.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.19.0, 2022-05-09).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Legal Brief AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Legal Brief, metaverse, nonfungible token, Trademarks

• A lifetime of achievement

  Posted on May 2, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.18 • 2022-05-02

  EDITORIAL

  

  By Will Fastie

  We are pleased — and excited — to announce the creation of the TameYourTech Crystal award.

  We are even more pleased to present the inaugural award to Fred Langa for his lifetime of achievement in the field of personal computing journalism.

  As a further celebration of Fred’s career, we are happy to bring all our newsletter readers four of Fred’s LangaList columns, previously available only to Plus members.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.18.0, 2022-05-02).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Editorial AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Crystal Award, TameYourTech Awards

• Removing MFA

  Posted on April 25, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.17 • 2022-04-25

  Look for our special issue on Monday, May 2!

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Will Fastie

  How many times have articles in this newsletter told you that multifactor authentication (MFA) was a good idea and suggested that you turn it on?

  A lot. It’s good advice.

  Just the other day, I turned on Microsoft 365 MFA for one of my clients. It’s too embarrassing for me to describe the mistake I made. Suffice it to say that it was an accident, because I didn’t intend to turn it on.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.17.0, 2022-04-25).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Multi-factor Authentication

• Making connections between computers and monitors

  Posted on April 18, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.16 • 2022-04-18

  HARDWARE

  

  By Ben Myers

  With four different standards for video ports and cables, as well as some “mini” ports, it can be downright confusing to come up with the right cables to connect your computer to a monitor.

  In the best of all possible worlds, we would all want to buy a computer and a monitor at the same time, ensuring that they connect to one another and work well together with the right cabling. In our real world, a computer meets an untimely demise and an upscale monitor is still exactly what we need. Or maybe the monitor fails to light up, it becomes too dim, you punch out the screen in anger, or it is simply time for a larger monitor. Possibly you want to attach a monitor to your laptop, duplicating the laptop screen on a larger viewing area or using dual screens to see more information.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.16.0, 2022-04-18).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Hardware AskWoody Plus Newsletter, DisplayPort, Displays, DVI, hardware, HDMI, Standards, Thunderbolt, VGA

• The Last Langalist

  Posted on April 11, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.15 • 2022-04-11

  EDITORIAL

  

  By Will Fastie

  Fred’s retiring.

  I don’t know where to start, but people keep telling me I should start from the beginning. For me, that was about 30 years ago, when I visited Fred at CMP in search of an editing job after PC Tech Journal unexpectedly shuttered. We knew each other by reputation, of course, but had never met in person — remarkable because we both endured the same, endless trade shows, and most editors knew one another.

  He didn’t hire me. I forgive him.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.15.0, 2022-04-11).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList

• Shutdown.exe /f

  Posted on April 11, 2022 at 02:44 CDT by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  As this weekly column reaches the end of its 25-year run, it’s a bittersweet moment for me.

  But in large part because of you, dear reader, there’s far more sweet than bitter!

  Thank you!

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.15.0, 2022-04-11).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList

• What technology will run your life a few years from now?

  Posted on April 11, 2022 at 02:43 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  SILICON

  

  By Brian Livingston

  “My interest is in the future, because I’m going to spend the rest of my life there,” said Charles Kettering, the head of research at General Motors from 1920 to 1947.

  I’m sure his statement is true. Time travel into the future isn’t science fiction — we all do it every day at the usual speed. But what kind of a future will it be, and can we head off the worst aspects of it?

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.15.0, 2022-04-11).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Silicon AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Intel, Samsung, Semiconductor Manufacturing, Silicon, TSMC

• 5 free utilities to help you get more out of Windows 11

  Posted on April 4, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.14 • 2022-04-04

  WINDOWS 11

  

  By Lance Whitney

  You can squeeze more features and flexibility out of Windows 11 with the right utility programs.

  You’ve just upgraded to Windows 11. And maybe you like certain aspects of it but wish the new OS offered more capabilities. In many ways, Windows 11 is a minor upgrade to Windows 10, with visual changes and some new or redesigned features. But otherwise, it’s still the same old Windows with the same limitations and constraints.

  One way to make Windows 11 more robust and flexible is through a good utility program. An array of utilities is available that will enhance or improve the OS in both significant and subtle ways. Among the vast number of utilities out there, I’ve come up with five free ones: Microsoft PowerToys, ThisIsWin11, Files, BeWidgets, and Winaero Tweaker. Let’s check them out.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.14.0, 2022-04-04).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Windows 11 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Essential utilities, utilities, Windows 11

• License and registration, please

  Posted on March 28, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.13 • 2022-03-28

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Knowing exactly which version of Office you have is important, but many people forget or don’t know — because it was installed by someone else, it’s been on their system for years, or their record-keeping leaves something to be desired.

  True story: I recently met someone who swore blind they had bought a “Microsoft subscription.” But my quick check of the machine revealed they had Office 2019, the result of having been misled by a computer salesperson.

  First, I’ll talk about the single-purchase, perpetual-license Microsoft Office, from the latest Office 2021 back to Office 2013. Then I’ll tell you how to find the hidden details for Microsoft 365 subscriptions.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.13.0, 2022-03-28).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Microsoft licensing, Office Versions
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