Newsletter Archives

• Can DuckDuckGo raise enough money to give Google a scare?

  Posted on October 31, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  

  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.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender AskWoody Plus Newsletter, privacy, Public Defender, search engines

• HDCleaner — Stay out of my store!

  Posted on October 31, 2022 at 02:44 CDT by Deanna McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Freeware Spotlight AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Deanna's Freeware Spotlight, Disk Cleanup

• “Which laptop should I buy?”

  Posted on October 31, 2022 at 02:43 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Hardware AskWoody Plus Newsletter, hardware, Laptops

• Tracking the larger Microsoft ecosystem

  Posted on October 31, 2022 at 02:42 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Patch Watch AskWoody Plus Newsletter, MacOS, Microsoft 365, Newsletter, Office, Patch Lady Posts, Patch Watch

• Windows’ built-in basics

  Posted on October 24, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Chris Husted • Comment in the Forums

  

  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.

  Accessibility, AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter Accessibility, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Windows 10, Windows 11

• Windows 11 has a silent feature that you can’t undo

  Posted on October 24, 2022 at 02:44 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender, security, Windows 11

• How to fix the most common OneNote sync problems

  Posted on October 24, 2022 at 02:43 CDT by Mary Branscombe • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, OneNote AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, OneDrive, OneNote, Synchronization

• Brute force vs. local admins

  Posted on October 24, 2022 at 02:42 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, On Security Administrator account, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Brute-force cracking, local account, On Security, Patch Lady Posts

• How to use your Gmail account for more than just Gmail

  Posted on October 17, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  

  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.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Software AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Email Clients, Gmail, Software

• No Crappy Passwords — Secure passwords, no password book

  Posted on October 17, 2022 at 02:44 CDT by Deanna McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  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).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Freeware Spotlight AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Deanna's Freeware Spotlight, encryption, passwords

• 22H2 – Windows 10 edition

  Posted on October 17, 2022 at 02:42 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  ---

  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).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Patch Watch AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Patch Lady Posts, Patch Watch, Windows 10 22H2

• The state of Windows 11: A bit slow on the uptake

  Posted on October 10, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.41 • 2022-10-10

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  One year after the release of Windows 11, the new operating system is being installed by computer users at a much slower adoption rate than was achieved by Windows 10 and other major versions of Microsoft’s core OS.

  Counting all versions of Windows running on desktop computers worldwide, Windows 11, with a penetration of 13.6%, has only in the past two months overtaken the users of Windows 7 (10.6%), according to a September 2022 report by Statcounter. Just to state the obvious, the ancient Win7 OS was released by Microsoft way back in 2009.

  Meanwhile, good ol’ Windows 10 is still going strong, running on 71.9% of all Windows desktops globally, Statcounter says.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.41.0, 2022-10-10).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Public Defender, Windows 11
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