Blog Archives

• “Please insert boot media … ” Uh-oh!

  Posted on September 6th, 2020 at 21:10 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  LANGALIST

  By Fred Langa

  It’s never good when your PC can’t find its startup files — or even its own hard drive!

  But there’s almost always a way to get the PC back up and running. And some of the repairs take only minutes.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.35.0 (2020-09-07).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Boot failure, Bootable media, HDD diagnostics, Windows Startup Repair

• Microsoft 365 privacy tools

  Posted on September 6th, 2020 at 21:05 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  SMALL-BUSINESS COMPUTING

  By Amy Babinchak

  I’ll assume that most AskWoody readers take their personal privacy seriously.

  But how many of you extend your privacy concerns and actions to your work? Linked tightly with security, protecting business privacy extends to coworkers, clients, and all stored data.

  In the past, Office has been both a critical business tool and a significant security risk. Fortunately, today’s Microsoft 365 for business has an excellent collection of robust security features.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.35.0 (2020-09-07).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Small Business Computing AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Business privacy, Data Loss Prevention, encryption, MS 365 for Business, Security tools

• Freeware Spotlight — WinCustom

  Posted on September 6th, 2020 at 21:00 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  BEST UTILITIES

  By Deanna McElveen

  For me, searching for new software is like a never-ending treasure hunt. It’s also an opportunity to personalize Windows — to make my copy of the OS different from your copy.

  I work on a profusion of different computers, from clients’ and friends’ systems to the family PCs. But when I set my coffee cup next to my computer, I want that comfortable feeling of knowing that it’s configured just the way I like it.

  Regardless of whose machine it is, there are things in Windows you want (or need) to hide from others — novice users, kids, employees, and possibly even yourself. A good utility for making that task easier is the free and portable (naturally) WinCustom from G-Software. It gives you some real power over the look and feel of Windows.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.35.0 (2020-09-07).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Best Utilities AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Customize windows, Locking down PCs

• Patching survey: Business — 2020

  Posted on August 23rd, 2020 at 21:15 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge
  

  PATCHING SURVEY

  By Susan Bradley

  What do IT pros and consultants think about the current status of Microsoft updating?

  Based on our just-concluded survey, the folks in Redmond could do a lot better at keeping business PCs stable and secure.

  In this first article of a two-part series, I focus on the business perspective on Windows and Office patching. Next week, I’ll show the results of our consumer input.

  This is not a highly scientific survey, but we think the results provide valuable insight into how well Microsoft’s current system of product updating is working for those on the receiving end.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.33.0 (2020-08-24).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Survey AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Business patching, Patch satisfaction, Patching experience survey, Update frequency

• How to transfer school apps from Chromebook to Windows

  Posted on August 23rd, 2020 at 21:05 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  DISTANCE LEARNING

  By Woody and Andy Leonhard

  Over the past few months, I assume many of you have become the local support center for an extended family of kids, all of whom are trying mightily to get into the swing of online learning.

  My fifth-grade son, Andy, is in a school district that spent USD $6 million this year on new Chromebooks. Here’s what he says:

  “You get a Chromebook administered by the district along with supplies. The district mainly uses Zoom for communications. But what I quickly discovered is that the Chrome’s sound output, camera quality, and screen are inferior to our Windows-based home PCs.”

  Fortunately, your school district probably doesn’t require the use of a Chromebook. Ours doesn’t. So our weekend project was to migrate Andy’s entire distance-schooling environment — applications, data, procedures … the whole ball of wax — to his trusty and comparatively beefy Windows PC.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.33.0 (2020-08-24).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Distance learning AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Chromebooks, Home PCs, Learning from home

• Docking stations: Combining the best of laptops and desktops

  Posted on August 23rd, 2020 at 21:00 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  HARDWARE

  By Lincoln Spector

  Do you know anyone who uses a desktop PC anymore? Not sure I do. Laptops have plenty of power, and you can take them anywhere.

  But they also have limitations. For example, most portables’ keyboards still feel somewhat cramped and slow, compared to a good standalone model — especially for anyone with large hands. Moreover, laptop screens are relatively small and there’s only one. Many newer portables no longer include an Ethernet port — always a faster and more reliable network connection than Wi-Fi. In fact, most of today’s ultra-portable machines have just one or two ports.

  The solution? Buy a multi-port docking station.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.33.0 (2020-08-24).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Hardware AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Docking stations, Notebook ports, Portable docking stations

• Choosing a web-hosting service: The ins and outs

  Posted on August 16th, 2020 at 20:15 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge
  

  SMALL-BUSINESS WEBSITES

  By Will Fastie

  The heart of the Web consists of millions of web servers, constantly streaming out trillions of webpages.

  Relatively speaking, web servers are simple affairs — but choosing whose servers will host your website … not so much.

  Years ago, a brilliant programmer I know once quipped that he could build a web server with just 12 lines of code. He was probably correct: for an exceptionally simple website, one containing nothing but text-based HTML, serving up pages is nothing more than requesting a file from the server and rendering it in a web browser.

  Today’s websites are, of course, far more complex.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.32.0 (2020-08-17).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Small Business Computing AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Cloud services, SSL Certificates, Web-hosting services

• Recovering from ‘Unknown driver’ issues

  Posted on August 16th, 2020 at 20:10 Tracey Capen Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  LANGALIST

  By Fred Langa

  Operating-system upgrades and resets sometimes leave behind nonworking, obsolete, or redundant device drivers that can open the door to future malfunctions.

  Here’s how to easily remove any troublesome drivers cluttering up your Windows machine’s setup.

  Plus: An AskWoody subscriber tries the “put the dead drive in the fridge” trick!

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.32.0 (2020-08-17).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsleter, Deleting drivers, Device Manager, Hard drive freezing
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