Newsletter Archives

• Click-to-run dribbles out changes

  Posted on December 13, 2021 at 02:42 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Office patches are handled differently than Windows patches, and they can be very disruptive as a result.

  Microsoft always releases security patches for Windows on the second Tuesday of the month, no matter what the actual date. It’s the reason that this month’s updates haven’t yet arrived — today is December 13, and Patch Tuesday is December 14. We won’t receive security patches until tomorrow!

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.48.0 (2021-12-13).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, On Security AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Office, Patch Lady Posts, security

• OneDrive app support ending on older Windows

  Posted on December 6, 2021 at 02:45 CST by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  ISSUE 18.47 • 2021-12-06

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Microsoft dropped a minor bombshell with the announcement that the OneDrive app would stop working for some Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 users beginning in March 2022.

  The changes have some unusual elements, such as a split between personal and work use. Microsoft has (deliberately?) added confusion with poor and incomplete communication.

  Office 365 users are affected by these changes, yet Microsoft hasn’t said a word about that.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.47.0 (2021-12-06).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.47.F (2021-12-06).

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Office, Office 365, OneDrive, OneDrive for Business

• Understanding Office 2021 and Office LTSC

  Posted on November 22, 2021 at 02:42 CST by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  What are Office 2021 and Office LTSC, and should you care?

  Office 2021 and Office LTSC are the latest nonsubscription versions of Microsoft Office. Microsoft calls each a “perpetual license,” but historically we might have called them the “boxed” editions of Office. These two Office versions are very similar and deliberately limited in new features, licensing, and even support.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.45.0 (2021-11-22).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Office, Office 2021, Office LTSC

• Sliding over to LibreOffice — or not

  Posted on July 19, 2021 at 02:41 CDT by Sandra Henry-Stocker • Comment in the Forums

  PRODUCTIVITY

  

  By Sandra Henry-Stocker

  LibreOffice is a great replacement for Microsoft Office.

  It provides a very similar set of applications. All are top-quality, easy to use, versatile, and well supported. This includes tools to create documents, spreadsheets, slide shows, databases, drawings, etc. LibreOffice and MS Office are similar enough that you’re likely to get off to a fast start when you first use any of the apps. LibreOffice is also completely free — no initial price tag and no monthly fees.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.27.0 (2021-07-19).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Office, Productivity AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LibreOffice, Office, OpenOffice, Productivity

• The new Office for Android

  Posted on May 11, 2020 at 01:00 CDT by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  OFFICE

  By Lincoln Spector

  Microsoft recently took a major step in letting us do some work while we’re running around town (which we look forward to doing again, someday).

  For years, MS Office on Android phones and tablets wasn’t really Office; it was a collection of separate and watered-down versions of Word, Excel, and so forth. But the new Office Mobile for Android (info page) combines Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, along with some additional capabilities, into a single app. The new Office is now a fairly useful suite … for use on smartphones and tablets, especially because it’s still free!

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.18.0 (2020-05-11).

  Office Android, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Mobility, Office

• July updates come with a few warts

  Posted on July 15, 2019 at 01:05 CDT by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  By Susan Bradley

  This month’s Windows and Office updates are settling in without raising any major alarms. But it’s still early, and caution dictates deferring the patches for another week or so.

  July’s updates do fix a couple of issues from previous months: the IE/Power BI conflict and the Event Viewer error message — both of which impacted just a small number of Windows users.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 16.26.0 (2019-07-15).

  Patch Watch AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Office, updates, Windows patching

• Putting June’s updates behind us

  Posted on July 1, 2019 at 01:05 CDT by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  By Susan Bradley

  Spring has given way to summer in the northern hemisphere. For those of us enjoying the change in season, let’s not forget some important maintenance on our Windows systems. It’s time to deal with June updates.

  Along with the usual patches, Microsoft posted standalone updates for Win7 and Win8.1 to fix Viewer Console crashes when you open custom views (more info). The patches are available only through Microsoft Update Catalog and, in any case, the chances are good most of us won’t be impacted. My home and office systems successfully swallowed the June updates with no ill effects.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 16.24.0 (2019-07-01).

  Patch Watch, Windows Patches/Security AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Office, Win10 1903, Windows 10

• Windows 1903 gets its first update

  Posted on June 3, 2019 at 02:19 CDT by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  Microsoft’s most recent “feature release,” better known as Version 1903, received its very first patch — and it’s optional!

  What’s apparently fixed is the very thing that blocked my initial install of Version 1903. If an external USB device or SD memory card is plugged in, the device is reassigned to an incorrect drive letter during the installation process.

  See the full story in the June 3, 2019, AskWoody Plus Newsletter (Issue 16.20.0)

  Patch Watch, Windows Patches/Security AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Office, Patch Watch, patching, Windows

• March 2019 non-Security Office Updates have been released

  Posted on March 5, 2019 at 13:41 CST by PKCano • Comment in the Forums

  The March 2019 non-Security Office updates have been released Tuesday, March 5, 2019. They are not included in the DEFCON4 approval for the February 2019 patches. Unless you have a specific need to install them, you should wait until Susan Bradley (Patch Lady) approves them and any problems have been reported.

  Remember, Susan’s patching sequence and  recommendations are based on a business environment that has IT support and may have time constraints on the updating process. Consumer patching should be more cautious due to limited technical and mechanical resources. The latter is the reason for the AskWoody DEFCON system.

  Office 2010

  Update for Microsoft Access 2010 (KB4018363)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2010 (KB4461626)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2010 (KB2589339)
  Update for Microsoft Outlook 2010 (KB4462229)

  Office 2013

  Update for Microsoft Office 2013 (KB4462201)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2013 (KB4092455)
  Update for Microsoft Outlook 2013 (KB4462206)
  Update for Microsoft Visio 2013 (KB4461484)

  Office 2016

  Update for Microsoft Access 2016 (KB4462192)
  Update for Microsoft Excel 2016 (KB4462212)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2016 (KB4461439)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2016 (KB4462214)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2016 (KB4462195)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2016 (KB4462118)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2016 (KB4032231)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2016 Language Interface Pack (KB4462194)
  Update for Microsoft Outlook 2016 (KB4462196)
  Update for Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 (KB4462191)
  Update for Microsoft Project 2016 (KB4462198)
  Update for Skype for Business 2016 (KB4462190)
  Update for Microsoft Word 2016 (KB4462193)

  There were no non-security listings for Office 2007 (which is out of support).
  Updates are for the .msi version (persistent). Office 365 and C2R are not included.
  Security updates for all supported versions of Microsoft Office are released on the second Tuesday of the month (Patch Tuesday).

  Office Patches/Security March 2019 Black Tuesday, Office, Office 2010, Office 2013, Office 2016, Office non-security updates

• February 2019 non-Security Office Updates are available

  Posted on February 5, 2019 at 12:44 CST by PKCano • Comment in the Forums

  The February 2019 non-Security Office updates have been released Tuesday, February 5, 2019. They are not included in the DEFCON4 approval for the January 2019 patches. Unless you have a specific need to install them, you should wait until Susan Bradley (Patch Lady) approves them and any problems have been reported.

  Office 2010

  Update for Microsoft Office 2010 (KB4462172)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2010 (KB4462187)
  Update for Microsoft Outlook 2010 (KB4462182)
  Update for Microsoft Visio 2010 (KB3115314)

  Office 2013

  Update for Microsoft Access 2013 (KB4032252)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2013 (KB4461550)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2013 (KB4461444)
  Update for Microsoft Outlook 2013 (KB4462141)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2013 (KB3172473)
  Update for Skype for Business 2015 (KB4462135)

  Office 2016

  Update for Microsoft Access 2016 (KB4032257)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2016 Language Interface Pack (KB4461534)
  Update for Skype for Business 2016 (KB4462114)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2016 (KB4461536)
  Update for Microsoft Outlook 2016 (KB4462147)
  Update for Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 (KB4461599)
  Update for Microsoft Project 2016 (KB4462134)
  Update for Microsoft Office 2016 (KB4022161)
  Update for Microsoft Word 2016 (KB4462145)

  There were no non-security listings for Office 2007 (which is out of support).
  Updates are for the .msi version (persistent). Office 365 and C2R are not included.
  Security updates for all supported versions of Microsoft Office are released on the second Tuesday of the month (Patch Tuesday).

  Office Patches/Security February 2019 Black Tuesday, Office, Office 2010, Office 2013, Office 2016, Office non-security updates

• That “new” Office app? There’s less – and more – than meets the eye

  Posted on December 19, 2018 at 11:23 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Microsoft blogland is abuzz with news about a new! improved! Office app for Windows 10 called, doh, Office.

  MS 365 VP Jared Spataro just posted:

  Last year, we updated Office.com with a new experience focused on two simple things: helping users get the most out of Office and getting them back into their work quickly. The streamlined site has clearly resonated with customers, and now more than 40 percent of Office 365 web users start their work by visiting Office.com.

  Starting today, we’re bringing this experience to Windows 10 in the form of an app, simply called Office. It’s now available to Windows Insiders (Fast) and will roll out to all Windows 10 users soon. The app itself is free and it can be used with any Office 365 subscription, Office 2019, Office 2016, or Office Online—the free web-based version of Office for consumers.

  The announcement goes on to say that you’ll be able to use this new app to, basically, do everything you can do right now pretty easily with OneDrive and the Office.com portal.

  But there’s one thing the announcement doesn’t mention. Mary Jo Foley explains that this new Office (there must be two dozen things running around called “Office”) is, in fact, a Progressive Web App. Which is pretty cool. Not a UWP (“Metro” “Windows Store”) app, but a real, live presumably working PWA.

  The future is coming fast.

  Office News Office, Progressive Web App

• Say what? Microsoft moves the Cortana org to sit under Office?

  Posted on October 11, 2018 at 12:37 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  Wow. How the mighty have fallen.

  Cortana under Office changes all sorts of things.

  Brad Sams on Petri.

  Microsoft News Cortana, Office
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