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Thanks for the info. I was unaware of that.

I’m curious as to why so few people seem to like Opera. I don’t know that much about it’s add ons or other internal workings, but I’ve found it to be pretty fast and user friendly, and it even has a VPN. Towards the end of days for my old Vista machine it was the only browser I found that would run without problems, suggesting that it was relatively streamlined and not a total resource hog.

@anonymous FWIW, there is an amazing amount of useful information on this site, much of which should be useful in making decisions about your current and future computing needs. And, you’ll be treated very well by the folks here regardless of your level of expertise – all the way from total computer newbie to total computer expert. In other words, I’ve seen moderators (and others) walk a newbie through a multiday troubleshooting analysis with loads of highly detailed instructions, and also friendly debates among experts where there are so many acronyms flying around that my head spins.

Just one persons opinion.

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woody, Kirsty

Perhaps I do have a bigger system problem. But no matter how far down the road you kick the can, my point about your point of view is still valid. In other words, whether the problem is a broken Windows Update or a system broken at a higher level, you seem to be saying that I need to rely on MS to take care of my problem, whether it be waiting until a patch comes down through Windows Update or following some MS-supported procedures for dealing with updates or fixing my system problems.

The problem with relying on MS is that I can’t rely on MS! That’s because they either won’t or can’t deal with these problems. It’s clear that MS has a track record of messing up patches and updates. Do the phrases “supersedence getting out of hand” or “unintended release” sound familiar? As for bigger system problems, I’ve had clean installs of Win 7 done by IT pros. Sooner rather than later, however, something goes wrong!

Here’s an analogy. Suppose tomorrow morning you find your car won’t start. You call your local dealer hoping for solution to your problem. You get me. After telling me that you’ve removed the battery, I tell you “How is it possible that you don’t know you should have first checked the terminal voltage, then the alternator output, and depending on those results the voltage regulator function. You should have also put a load on the battery to see if it holds a charge. There are also some fuel system checks you should perform. Don’t make a service appointment because we’re booked for the next seven months, and we’re not at all sure we can fix your car anyway. But don’t worry, I’ll send you the repair manual for your car. Then you will have all the information which is needed.”

So, am I doing something wrong in the way I deal with my MS problems? Indeed, maybe I am, but given MS’ track record, I have to fend for myself. In the car-doesn’t-start analogy, were you doing something wrong? Indeed, maybe you were, but given your car dealership’s track record, you have to fend for yourself.

Finally, I should say it’s not you I’m irritated by, ch100. But I sure am irritated by MS!

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HiFlyer, Elly, MrJimPhelps

That point of view puts a lot of folks in a pretty tough spot, doesn’t it? I don’t want to start a fight here, but if I’ve got 2 monitors that don’t work because of a update, then I want that fixed. If there’s another patch available that will fix the problem, then I want it. But you seem to be saying “That’s just too bad, you have to wait until the patch comes down through Windows Update.” And when was the last time my Windows Update worked correctly? On the machine I’m using at this moment, it’s glitchy at best. On previous machines the only thing it did was search constantly for updates, requiring me to totally shut it down and manually search for and install updates.

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HiFlyer, Cybertooth, Elly, MrJimPhelps, woody

I agree. One of the major benefits to Linux is privacy. If Google gets Ubuntu, privacy is potentially gone and I’ll switch to another distribution.

Since there’s a howtogeek link above about installing Linux on a chromebook, here’s a link that I found very useful for installing Linux on a PC, at least how to create a bootable usb drive. Turns out that once you have that the actual installation is pretty easy since you’re guided all the way through it. If you want what’s called a “live stick” scroll down just a bit in the link to just before the instructions actually start and you’ll see a link for making one. This is what I did because a “live stick” will let you make some running changes to the Linux version you are using and keep the changes so you don’t have to redo them every time you boot up from your usb drive. This is useful if you’re still trying to decide whether to install Linux to your hard drive.

Just as a quick example, I wanted to see how hard it would be to set up a Firefox browser (comes with Ubuntu 16.04) homepage and access my gmail account in Ubuntu. I could set it all up on the live stick to see how it worked. If I had decided not to install Ubuntu to my hard drive I would still have been able to get gmail from booting the stick. Plus, when I eventually did install Ubuntu to my hard drive, access to my gmail was already set up, because I had already done it!

https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/linux/create-a-bootable-ubuntu-usb-flash-drive-the-easy-way/

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HiFlyer, JohnW, MrJimPhelps

Those are exactly the reasons I’m here.

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rc primak, HiFlyer, Noel Carboni, MrJimPhelps, Rock

I went with Ubuntu primarily because it had a large internet presence and got good ratings when I googled “best Linux for newbies”. I needed a quick alternative to Win 7 that I could use to get on the internet, and was basically ignorant of desktops, flavors, etc. In other words, I didn’t make much of an informed decision! I’m pretty tempted, now that I see how easy it is to install, to look at other distributions and desktops. The standard “Unity” desktop that comes with Ubuntu 16.04 is quite different from Windows, and as you say there are others that would seem more familiar.

Two weeks ago I read the instructions for installing Ubuntu on the Ubuntu website and said to myself “Huh??!!, No way do I understand any of that” Well, today I have Ubuntu installed on 2 old laptops that had been running Vista. It wasn’t really very bad. There is some new jargon to get used to, but the Howtogeek.com website was a big help. The last operating system I installed was DOS 6.1. So, yes, I’ve been around for a while, but it’s also been about 25 years since I’ve installed an OS. And, I’m essentially a total newbie regarding Linux/Ubuntu. If I can do it you can too! Also, if you have old computer your cost is essentially zero. If you want the option of being able to use WIN 7 and Ubuntu on the same machine you can set up both operating systems and choose which you want to boot into. You may also be able to do that on a Mac; I’ve never used a Mac so I don’t know.

If there’s any demand for it I could start a new topic of how this Linux newbie installed Ubuntu. I would feel a bit silly dong it because I’m sure there are many readers of AskWoody that are experts on Linux, but maybe a newbie’s perspective would be useful.

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lurks about, AlexEiffel

I agree that Chromebooks have some very attractive features. Apparently price, reliability, and security (although it seems there are plenty of holes found in the operating system) are among them.

But, why do they make it so hard to print? The only easy way to print that I’ve heard of is to buy an HP Chromebook and HP printer. Otherwise you have to go through Cloudprint (don’t know if that’s the right name) or some such nonsense.

Also, it seems that Google is going to track just as much information about a Chromebook user that MS does about a Windows user. Then the question is which company do you trust more? I no longer have any trust in MS, but I can’t honestly say I’ve got any inherent trust in Google, either.

I don’t mean to ruffle any feathers, but I’m a bit surprised that there seems to be as much support for Chromebooks on a site where there is a lot of concern for privacy.

Then again, I’ve just started looking into Chromebooks, so I’m probably still fairly ignorant about them

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Charlie, AlexEiffel, Elly, flackcatcher, Cybertooth

I use LinuxLive USB Creator. Only one I’ve used so I can’t compare, but it seems pretty good to make live USB bootable sticks. It’s on the LinuxLive website. I believe the official UBUNTU site also guided me to it.

BYW, I’m also preparing for the WIN& EOL and will probably convert all my machines to some version of Linux within the next few months.

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HiFlyer, Elly

I read the article at bleeping computer and it sounds to me that if I’m current on my MS patches and security updates that I’m protected. I’m wondering (and hoping) that you agree.

I don’t really want to disable WMI service because that sounds like it will also disable Windows Firewall.

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Microfix

Thanks for the tip and the link, Kirsty. One of the great things about this site is that folks in general, and particularly the moderators, often take a post and go one extra step by pointing out something the original poster was unaware of.

The Intel vulnerability went right by me. I think my Inspiron is safe from that, although I will check out the other offerings from the Dell link you provided above.

It appears that I do have a Dell desktop that may have the Intel vulnerability, so I’ll be checking into that.

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Kirsty

For those of you who are like me in being concerned enough about BSOD that you keep putting off installing the July patches, here are 2 more data points.

In the last 24 hours I’ve installed both KB4025337 (Security only update) and KB4025252 (cumulative update for IE11) on 2 WIN7 machines, all with no apparent issues of any kind. Here are the relevant specs:

Dell Inspiron 3558 Laptop Win7 Pro SP1 x64 with a 5th generation (Broadwell) core i3, 9 series chipset, and Intel HD Graphics 5500. The Dell Update Program told me I had 3 available updates: System BIOS, Realtek High Definition Audio Driver, and Intel HD Graphics Driver. I DID NOT install any of these Dell updates before installing the KB patches, I have still not installed them, and I currently have no plans to ever install them. In the past I have had nothing but trouble updating drivers and BIOS’, so I never do it anymore. Antivirus software is MS Security Essentials. Purchase date: April 2016.

Gateway LT21 Netbook Win& Starter SP1 x86 (32 bit) with Intel Atom N450. This is not my computer so I don’t have all the specs. If anyone wants them, let me know and I’ll try to get them. Antivirus software is MS Security Essentials. Purchase date: Probably somewhere between November 2009 and June 2010 (I probably won’t be able to narrow that down and I can’t guarantee that’s the correct time range.)

Hope this helps somebody.

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JDeC