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I currently manage three PCs and two laptops.  I chose to start my PC when I need to do something.  Then, I also shut it down when I am done, or at least every night.  I also shut down my wife’s PC every night!!

 

Tell me it ain’t so!! I just installed a TP-link OMADA managed network in my home. The network comprises a hardware OMADA controller, a wired router, four switches, and three WiFi access points. Every item received a firmware update out-of-the-box. In only two weeks of operation, TP-link released another update for the switches. I am still in the process of creating VLANS for improved security, so I have to believe this OMADA gear is not part of the troublesome equipment. I would hazard to guess that the issues Microsoft described are with entry level router/WiFi devices used by non-technical folks.

Using local accounts should not be a hassle for home users.  Like Casey, each Windows 10 Pro PC has only local accounts – two user accounts for normal work, and a local administrator account for installs, patches, and back-ups.  I use a different colored Toshiba external drive for back-up/recovery for each PC.  I use TrueImage 2012 on the old Windows 7 computer, and Macrium Free for the two newer PCs (initially I used TrueImage 2020, but it could not handle the encryption/decryption well.)  I do a pre & post update back-up each month.  I do not have fiber Internet, so cloud back-ups are a non-starter for lack of speed (not to mention my distrust of third party storage security and actual deletion capability.)

Thanks.  Apparently, Microsoft has a master plan effective in about 4 years when multiple versions go off support.  I am not a subscription guy – so, I will probably move over to Libre Office or similar if online office becomes the lone alternative.

My problem with Windows Patches causing boot lock-up problems SOLVED (I hope!!!)

When I read about the Windows 11 requirements and PC Health Checker in AskWoody, I began the process to configure my relatively new PC to meet the requirements.  I downloaded and ran the PC Health Checker, knowing that I had not enabled TPM on my ASUS ROG-B450F motherboard.  As expected, it failed.  I then worked the BIOS settings to enable TPM and Secure Boot and reran the checker expecting the PC to pass in flying colors.  WRONG!!  Of course, this version of the checker gave little information to understand the point of failure.

In the meantime, I applied the August patches and the PC would inexplicably lock-up on boot.  I created a fresh Windows Install USB with the plan to install the upgrade using the keep files mode.  During the boot process, I got a message that Windows was finishing patch installation.  With that, the PC rebooted to normal status.  I thanked my lucky stars, and immediately backed up my files to an external drive.  I then ran a Macrium 7 back-up.  I did NOT check to see status of the setting to pause Windows Updates.

A couple of weeks later, the September Patches automatically applied.  Being a slow learner, I did not do the appropriate file back-up, I just rebooted.  But, then I found myself back in the briar patch with a PC that would not boot. I tried the Windows Upgrade USB hoping to duplicate my previous month’s fix.  No such luck.

Using a rescue media, I pulled the few files that I remembered updating, and restored the Macrium 7 back-up.  I immediately put a pause on patching.  Since the original issue was to prep the PC for Window 11, I knew that Microsoft had released the upgraded PC Health Checker to Insiders.  Fortunately, numerous third parties by then had released the checker with their wrapper.  This time, I found that the Windows 11 failure was due to my PC partition being MBR and it needed to be GPT.  Fortunately, the Macrium 7 Knowledgebase contained instructions on converting from MBR to GPT, and restoring the Windows partition to the converted drive (mine being a 1tb Samsung EVO in M.2 PCIe slot).

Yesterday, I finally got the courage to execute the conversion, primarily since I was now nearing 2-months of patch releases.  The process was painless, thou slightly different than the provided images in the Restore Windows partition step.  I applied all available patches and the PC boots with no problem.  I hypothesize that I caused the problem by enabling the TPM and SecureBoot BIOS settings without converting to GPT partitions.  If that proves to be true, then my boot lock-up problem is history (at least for September’s patches!!)

 

Worldwide seems a stretch given that Microsoft hasn’t re-released the PC Compatibility Checker, yet. Does the AskWoody crowd have a lossless way to convert my system drive from MBR (master boot record) to GPT (GUID Partition Table)?

Sort of like the text of the Sidewalk Service description, The Alzheimer’s Store GPS insole sounds good on paper. Real life – that is a whole different story. The weak link for the GPS insole is the need to recharge them 2-3 times a week. That may be possible if you provide in home care for that person, as the onus is on you to keep up with the recharging regimen. Otherwise, forget it. Even if the wireless charging worked via a flat plate device with the outline of shoes painted on it, sadly, that person would not remember to place their shoes on the charging plate. And, the service level in assisted living facilities would also not be up to the task.

Me? I am a Luddite when it comes to connected devices controlled by invisible EULAs. Of course, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has been unsuccessfully fighting for Internet civil liberties since 1990, too. Maybe, I am just too impatient.

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rc primak

LEGAL BRIEF By Max Stul Oppenheimer, Esq.

Thanks for the brief.  I believe that copyright term is the real problem, not how to gain permission or create citations. A patent has a fixed expiration, while a copyright does not. What is the logic that an inventor’s creation has less intrinsic value than a mere composition? It is more than a little ironic that Disney can copyright their production of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales. My viewpoint is that copyright and patent should both have a 25-year term and then expire.

Regards,

Rick

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NaNoNyMouse

I think the article had insufficient coverage of the M.2/PCIe board memory.  It should be added to the cost table.

Last fall, I used a 1TB  M.2/PCIe board in my desktop computer build (to replace my 9-year old Windows 7 PC.)  I selected this board due to the technology’s wider bandwidth.  It was marginally more costly than a 2.5in SSD for that capacity at the time, but I keep my gear for eons.  To manage overall cost, I selected the just prior generation AMD CPU and installed on a gamer motherboard.  I also reused my old 19in CRT monitor and one of my son’s cast-off gamer video cards.

There is also KeePass for the Android phone.  I am old school and distribute updates to all the family devices (3 PCs and 2 Android phones) and my work PC via e-mail.  The file is encrypted and small.

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Fred

Woody hits the target with the lack of Apps on the Windows store. I found this out when I purchased an HP Stream 8 with Windows 8.1 (with the 200mb/month via T-mobile thanks to a Windows Secrets article) together with an HP Bluetooth keyboard. There was no “App” version of KeePass, which for me is a must, and also for integration to airline entertainment systems (list only iOS and Android, as far as I can tell.) I quickly tired of the punishment of Windows 8.1 (both metro and navigation of “regular”) and purchased “Start is Back” (thanks to a Windows Secrets article) to obtain Window 7-like navigation. I uninstalled most apps (including Office 365). I installed Office 10, Adobe Digital Editions, and Firefox. I now have a first rate mini-computer travel companion. I transferred a baker’s dozen of artists MP3s from my PC to the Stream 8, downloaded free e-books from the library, and configured Outlook for both me and my wife. We gave it a test run on a recent trip from Texas to Hawaii (with stops both ways.) Battery life was manageable, barely, if the plane had no/no functioning power outlets. Email and browsing in the hotel via WiFi, ac power, and the keyboard was great. While on the plane, I was able to read and listen to music, simultaneously. I was also able to play the quiet jazz for sleepytown background noise. I am a happy camper with the Stream 8, and don’t have a current need for a mobile phone. I used a BlackBerry for 8 years on my last job with great satisfaction (except my 2-month trial of a BlackBerry 10 device) primarily due to my desire for a real keyboard. A Windows phone would be fine given my low demand for Apps – just get KeePass, and matches to the Airline iOS/Android entertainment Apps would be fine by me. I could leave the Garmin at home and bring the phone.

Rick

The article refers to schedules that conflict with the power saving (and security improving) practice of powering down the computer upon departure from the “office”. Businesses purchase system management software, including such products as “1E NightWatchman and Wakeup” to shutdown and start-up PCs. This software provide the means to reduce power consumption, but still bring computers on-line for maintenance activity. Note, such power management software cannot start laptops that use full disk encryption software that requires a password to initiate the boot process.

I am not a Windows 7 user, yet. Woody, please include discussion on Windows 7 power mangement features that provide the capability to start the computer prior to initiating such scheduled maintenance, AND to shut it down thereafter to reduce power consumption.

Microsoft gets you fast support for security patch problems. In my case, I had two patches that I could not get to install, even after downloading the EXE files to local storage. But, for the Security Patch Help case, you must first call the PC Security telephone number. In my case, since it was convenient, I was immediate provided contact with a support technician. Coincidentally, this technician was located outside the US – his location was in India. Worth noting, the technician provided good support; I successfully re-used the method some months later for a similar patch episode.

Rick

The real irony of the Microsoft UserID/Password situation is their requirement for such an account to access support Web sites. Obviously, the vast majority of IT Pros with such credentials had no intention of their information every being made available to anybody. I created my account years before the time-wasting concept of “social networking” was concocted. BTW, does anybody else find it ironic that “social networking” actually occurs in isolation?

Anyway, our company uses a Web filter system as part of network protection. For me to wade through the multitude of “permissions” links to opt out, I had to enable exception rules for the following URLs:

https://auth.bay.livefilestore.com/storageservice/passport/
https://auth.blu.livefilestore.com/storageservice/passport/
http://skydrive.live.com/
http://207.46.120.171
https://207.46.120.171
http://207.46.120.234
https://207.46.120.234
http://207.46.120.235
https://207.46.120.235
http://65.55.194.250
https://65.55.194.250
http://66.37.202.126
https://66.37.202.126

Believe me, this was also a time waster.