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OK, thanks.

I’m registered for the Forum, but I’m generally too lazy to look up my password.

This time I looked it up and logged in, read the attachment, and saw that I don’t know how to do it either. However, I generally submit the .exe files I download to VirusTotal. It showed Waterfox G5.1.9 as being “clean”.

While past performance is no guarantee of future results, I’ve been using computers since 1985, and thank God, I’ve never had a virus.

Oh, and I’ve come to a decision: For the time being, I’m going to stick with Waterfox and get rid of Firefox.

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SueW, Microfix, Cybertooth

If you’re inclined toward such solutions, using the publicly available “ESU Bypass” (v. 12 is now available), you can keep your Win 7 machines current with M$ security updates for the foreseeable future.

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Mr. Austin, Cybertooth

Whoops …

I’ve been using the old “Norton Security” program – always kept up to date, of course – for years on six Win 7 and on four Win 10 machines. I also have Malwarebytes Premium on most of them, but I tend to like it less and less: too expensive and, IMHO, constantly dumbing down the wording of their communications approach. (Yes, I care about these things.)

I’m certainly no computer wizard, and I guess I’d assess myself as a cautious, conservative person in my internet usage, and maybe I’ve just been lucky over the 35 years or so I’ve been using PCs (I started on DOS on an “IBM Compatible” Sanyo machine in 1986), but I’ve never had a computer virus.

During this period I’ve used several AV programs besides Norton, including McAfee, Kaspersky, Bit Defender, and I don’t remember what else. Windows Defender is running on my Win10 machines, but it’s pretty much invisible

Now to the “point” of this rather long post (sorry): Although it’s technically not an “antivirus solution”, I’d appreciate some input on the actual protection provided by running one’s browser sandboxed, an approach offered by the program “Sandboxie”.

Thank you.

Caveat emptor: I am NOT a tech expert in this area.

Anyway, for what it’s worth, I had the same problem with my Samsung S10lite running Android 13.

If you read the suggested solutions in the article cited above, uninstalling all updates of facebook, etc. (even if they’re already disabled) is mentioned. This was the magic bullet in my case.

If I remember right, this was done by clicking the three vertical dots at the top right of the app’s screen. You’re warned that this will set the app back to its factory defaults or whatever, but I took the plunge.

Having done this, two (I think) Meta entries suddenly appeared among the list of services (or whatever) that hadn’t been there previously, and I was able to disable them. I haven’t seen any mention of meta on my phone since. Having said this, I just received the January security update yesterday (26Jan23), and maybe I still have a surprise in store.

Hmmm, …in re-reading this, I see it’s not a very precise solution, but it’s the best I can extract from my memorybank at the moment. Sorry.

Your kilometrage may vary.

-> “I like the MiniForm PCs.”

Based on the recommendation of a former student of mine at Berlin’s Technical University who was doing his PhD in computer science, over the past four years or so, I’ve bought three Intel NUCs. I’ve stuck to the “H” versions, which permit installation of both an m.2 and a 2.5″ ssd.

Within the MiniForm PC niche, the Intel machines are relatively expensive, and for financial reasons, I’ve been limited to models with the i3 CPU: a v.7i3, a v.8i3, and a v.10i3.

You can find both barebones kits and complete PCs. I bought all of mine second-hand as complete PCs, with RAM, SSDs, and Windows already installed. All were relatively inexpensive because they were advertised by users who knew computers and were looking to get rid of their “last-generation”machines so they could upgrade.

All three are now running Win10x64 pro v. 22H2. So far, M$ has only identified the v.10 as being ready for Win 11, but I haven’t looked into whether the other two could run it. I’m not interested yet.

I am very happy with all three machines and find the v.10i3 extremely fast and capable. Of course if you can afford an i7, it will doubtlessly perform much better.

Just for the record, I do no gaming or programming whatsoever. The most demanding computer work I do is photo-melanges (e.g. the attached New Year’s card).

Anyway, I’ve just written this to add my two-cents worth.

Please see https://www.askwoody.com/forums/topic/windows-update-late/

As I wrote, the easiest path to 22H2 is the enablement file.

My experience on a couple of home computers has convinced me that by far the easiest way to go from 21H2 to 22H2 is Microsoft’s “enablement package” KB5015684. (If I remember correctly, the file is less than 1mb.)

This link takes you to a good general overview from a reputable source;
https://borncity.com/win/2022/07/29/windows-10-22h2-preview-update-kb5015684-und-hinweise-zum-release-termin/ (The article is in English.)

As the author indicates, the problem is where to find the download since MS doesn’t offer it in the Windows Catalog. I have no tip to offer here; you have to use your judgment.

I hope this helps.

“… The rest of the companies are too close to the DataAnalytics Companies (everywhere as in USA EU RU CH BR etc).”

So what countries are left? 😉

I don’t particularly like or trust WhatsApp, and I’m not on Facebook or any other social media at all, but at some point one has to swim with the fish. About ninety percent of my regular contacts use WhatsApp, and given that ‘convenience’ also has a price, I’ve bit the bullet.

A lot of the people here and elsewhere have (and with good reason I confess) have what I’d term exaggerated privacy concerns. I’d say I ultimately have to take responsibility for what happens to my computers. Yes, s–t definitely happens, but that’s a very uncomfortable fact of life.

I’m careful to only communicate with my terrorist friends using smoke signals from my balcony. I’ve never had a response to any of my messages, but upside is, that system has never been hacked. 🙂 🙂 🙂

“… any additional charges from anybody for using VoIP to make every single long-distance phone call”

In this regard, I guess it depends on your contract with the provider. For us, the difference between VoIP and POTS is in the technology and not (necessarily) the financials. Our VoIP contract with Deutsche Telekom costs the same as the now defunct POTS system.

“… not doing something beyond communicating, party to party, with (an often long-distance) telephone call, except that over the Internet and at much reduced charges, ideally zero dollars per minute, otherwise as in a regular telephone call over wires and exchanges.”

But you’ll still have to shell out to the provider for the basic service.

We pay about 45 euros per month for flatrate internet (100KB download/40kb upload) and flatrate telephone inside Germany to landlines.

I have a 4 euro/mo. add-on for a flatrate to the US and Canada (landline and cell) and all of Western Europe (landline only).

For the rest of my phone and sms needs, I use my cell phone and WhatsApp.

There’s no free lunch.
🙁

The OP wrote …A definition of VoIP I found on the Web, somewhere, that I think offers a good short definition of it:

“VoIP phone can look just like a traditional office desk phone. The difference is behind the scenes. Instead of transmitting through a physical pair of copper wires, VoIP utilizes the internet to transmit voice calls, in the form of data packets. VoIP phone systems can also be a software application or app, coined softphone, and not require desk phone hardware.“

I believe that here in Germany, VoIP refers only to the following: “Instead of transmitting through a physical pair of copper wires, VoIP utilizes the internet to transmit voice calls, in the form of data packets.”

Germany’s biggest phone provider (by far), “Deutsche Telekom”, doesn’t give private customers a choice. Their entire system transferred to VoIP last year – you either accept it or they terminate your contract. I don’t know what they did with corporate clients.

IMNSHO, despite what the above-mentioned definition claims, considering WhatsApp, Skype, or any other “apps” as VoIP misses the mark. As I see it, the issue is what happens at the point where the provider connects to “the outside world”. If the connection goes to the internet, you’ve got VoIP; if it doesn’t, you don’t …

Or am I missing something?

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OscarCP

Maybe it depends on the model, but over the years I’ve installed several HP printers and can’t remember having a problem.

Within the last six months, I’ve installed an HP ENVY Photo 7130 All-in-One and an HP OfficeJet Pro 6970 All-in-One on my little wireless home network. The computers are two Win 10 pro x64 machines (21H2) and six Win 7 pro x64 (fully updated with Bypass ESU) devices.

I bought both printers used on the internet, so there were no installation disks or manuals, but I just went to the HP website and downloaded the appropriate installation files. Of course I had to install them on each machine, but as far as I can remember, everything was straightforward.

I just plugged in the printer and turned it on (first the 7130, and then when I was done with the installations, the 6970). Every computer found the printer and its IP address immediately, and in a flash it was installed on the network. Then I installed the rest of the software. Yes, there’s bloat, but it only takes a few minutes to delete it.

I’d assume that the setup of your network and router security plays a role. I know I didn’t use the router’s WPS function, and I can’t remember being directed to use it by the software. This meant, of course, that I had to enter my network password manually for each computer, but that makes sense. Yes, it took a bit of time, but what do you want???

I’ve also relatively recently installed a Brother HL-L2370DN on the same network and machines, and it was much more difficult to get the network to find it. Even that, however, worked in the end somehow.

Anyway, I guess it’s a matter of “your mileage may vary”, but I really don’t have any gripes with the HP installations I’ve done.

Whether the printers are any good is another matter …..
😉

I’m using Norton Security (v.22.21.10.40) on Win 7 Pro x64 on six computers in my little home office network. All the machines also have MalwareBytes v. 4.4.11). I’ve kept the machines up to date since M$ ended support in Jan 2020 by means of the “ESU Bypass” that’s been discussed at length in various threads on this Forum.

I’ve had computer problems of various types, though nothing similar to what the OP describes, and nothing I can even remotely attribute to the combination of Norton and Windows 7.

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Cybertooth