Newsletter Archives
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Can DuckDuckGo raise enough money to give Google a scare?
ISSUE 19.44 • 2022-10-31 PUBLIC DEFENDER
By Brian Livingston
People in a small but dedicated movement known as “degoogling” strive to avoid being tracked by the Google search giant. That’s a challenge, because Google’s parent company, Alphabet Inc., also compiles data on you through YouTube, the Play Store, and many other subsidiaries.
A major alternative is a privacy-focused search engine with the weird name of DuckDuckGo. (Founder Gabriel Weinberg, soon to become a father, chose the moniker in 2008 after the children’s game Duck, Duck, Goose.) DDG, as the search engine is sometimes known, promises not to save searches you enter nor retain any information about you.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.44.0, 2022-10-31).
This story also appears in our public Newsletter. -
HDCleaner — Stay out of my store!
FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT
HDCleaner — Stay out of my store!By Deanna McElveen
Today’s featured program is a way for you to stay out of my computer store and clean up your own darned computer.
It’s not that I don’t like to see a new customer walk in the door. I just know that people remember when you help them, and they will return the favor someday. You know, regular civilized-society stuff.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.44.0, 2022-10-31).
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“Which laptop should I buy?”
HARDWARE
By Will Fastie
I thought I knew the answer to that question, but it’s changed.
During idle chitchat at my podiatrist’s office recently, my involvement with computing came out and the nurse immediately asked me which laptop she should buy.
Family, friends, and clients have asked me this question for decades. I thought I had a pat answer, but I found myself fumbling this time. Afterward, it occurred to me that my thinking had not completely evolved with the market. Here’s my new, updated answer.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.44.0, 2022-10-31).
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Tracking the larger Microsoft ecosystem
PATCH WATCH
By Susan Bradley
With Microsoft 365 making inroads onto platforms other than Windows, it’s increasingly important to track versioning and patches elsewhere.
For example, it’s not enough to talk about Microsoft 365 as if it existed only on Windows PCs. We know our readers have more than one device, including phones and tablets. So while my focus with Patch Watch will continue to center on Windows, you’ll hear more from me about the broader Microsoft universe.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.44.0, 2022-10-31).
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Windows’ built-in basics
ISSUE 19.43 • 2022-10-24 ACCESSIBILITY
By Chris Husted
When it comes to adaptive and assistive technologies, especially those found under Ease of Access in Windows Settings, most people think the extra functions do not apply to them, simply because they are not disabled.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
As Stephen Dawes, a long-time Plus member and a Senior IT Systems Analyst based in Calgary, Canada, points out, “When a technology is developed to help a specific group of people, and when it is done right, everyone benefits.”
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.43.0, 2022-10-24).
This story also appears in our public Newsletter. -
Windows 11 has a silent feature that you can’t undo
PUBLIC DEFENDER
By Brian Livingston
The latest version of Microsoft’s much-maligned Windows 11 silently runs in the background a new security app that could possibly protect you from downloading a virus, ransomware, or other hobgoblins.
What’s the catch? You can run this new capability only on a fresh copy of Win11 Update 22H2 (otherwise known as Win11 Version 2022, released on September 9, 2022). If the feature’s strict, protective regime interferes with your normal PC use and you turn the app off in disgust, you can’t undo your decision and switch the app back on without performing a “factory reset” or a clean install of Win11 22H2.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.43.0, 2022-10-24).
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How to fix the most common OneNote sync problems
ONENOTE
By Mary Branscombe
If OneNote stops moving your notes around properly, you can usually get it unstuck with these steps.
Last time, we looked at how OneNote sync works and how to fix basic problems (What to do when OneNote won’t sync, 2022-09-19). However, there are some common sync problems where you need to dig a little deeper or do some extra work yourself.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.43.0, 2022-10-24).
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Brute force vs. local admins
ON SECURITY
By Susan Bradley
Microsoft recently added new protections to ensure that ransomware operators can’t use a brute-force attack to discover the Local Administrator account’s password.
The company introduced a new policy that provides “account lockouts for Administrator accounts.” Beginning with the October 11, 2022, or later Windows cumulative updates, a local policy will be available to enable Local Administrator account lockouts. As described in “Account lockout available for Local Administrators” (KB5020282), the capability is available for almost all versions of Windows dating back to Windows 7 and Server 2008.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.43.0, 2022-10-24).
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How to use your Gmail account for more than just Gmail
ISSUE 19.42 • 2022-10-17 SOFTWARE
By Lance Whitney
With the Gmail website or app, you can add access to non-Gmail accounts.
Those of you who have a Gmail account likely use the Gmail website or app to view and work with your Google email. But both the site and the app are more versatile than you may think. With either one, you’re able to add a non-Gmail account, such as one for Outlook or Yahoo. Here’s how this plays out.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.42.0, 2022-10-17).
This story also appears in our public Newsletter. -
No Crappy Passwords — Secure passwords, no password book
FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT
By Deanna McElveen
You have a password book. You know the one. That ruffled little book with the cover falling off and marked-out passwords dating back to the Clinton administration.
What would happen right now if that book got destroyed or stolen, perhaps along with the computer that remembers all those passwords?
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.42.0, 2022-10-17).
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Microsoft’s fall Surface event
MICROSOFT NEWS
By Will Fastie
For once, Microsoft pulls off a professional event.
For those of you who follow my coverage of significant Microsoft announcements, you know I’ve had a somewhat negative opinion of the presentations. On October 12, the company conducted its fall event to announce new Surface models. The presentation may not have exceeded my expectations, but it at least met them.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.42.0, 2022-10-17).
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22H2 – Windows 10 edition
PATCH WATCH
By Susan Bradley
We anticipate an uneventful release of Windows 10 22H2 later in the month.
Meanwhile, we’re watching several side effects from the September and October updates that have not yet been addressed. Most of these side effects are not being seen in the consumer and home space, and here’s hoping it stays that way. Issues do tend to bubble up over time, though.
Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.42.0, 2022-10-17).