Newsletter Archives

• MS-DEFCON 2: October updates right around the corner

  Posted on October 8th, 2021 at 02:45 Susan Bradley Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  ISSUE 18.38.1 • 2021-10-08 By Susan Bradley Enjoy the fall season — take a break from patching! With the October updates bearing down upon us, it’s time to take a break. Wrap up patching and updating from September, and prepare your PC to delay the upcoming patches. For those of you still on Windows 10 2004, this is an excellent time to upgrade to 21H1 and let it settle in. As for Windows 10 21H2, we still don’t have a definite date. Windows 10 will be fully supported until 2025, but it’s still unclear whether Microsoft will be switching to an annual feature-release schedule, as with Windows 11, or keeping the twice-per-year cadence we’ve had for the past five years. Consumer and home users Based on the information I have now, I will probably sound the all-clear for consumers to install this round of updates on or after October 26. Go into Start, Settings, Update and Security, and Advanced options. In the Pause Updates section, pick October 26 from the drop-down menu. If you’ve installed the September updates for Windows 10 2004, 20H2, or 21H1, including KB5005565, you can turn your print spooler service back on and use your printer normally — Microsoft has finally fixed its Print Nightmare bugs. It’s safe to turn it on and leave it on (we hope). Business users For businesses, I’ll urge you to unofficially shoot for deploying updates a week earlier on October 19. Every time I’ve tried to urge businesses to patch earlier than consumers, we’ve hit side effects and needed to wait for workarounds. This is also the time to be testing — but not deploying — Windows 11. Microsoft started releasing Windows 11 as it became Tuesday, October 5, in each time zone around the world. All the tools that help us control, patch, and deploy Windows 10 will also be used to control, patch, and deploy Windows 11. Microsoft is releasing much of its Windows 11 content and will be updating it as more information comes out. Tuesday marked the start of the 36-month servicing-support lifecycle for Enterprise and Education editions of Windows 11. The Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations, and Pro for Education editions of Windows 11 will receive 24 months of servicing support. But I see no need to rush into Windows 11 — it’s a time to watch for side effects and issues. References AskWoody Master Patch List Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Alert 18.38.1 (2021-10-08).

  AskWoody Plus Alert, MS-DEFCON AskWoody Plus Alerts, MS-DEFCON, MS-DEFCON 2, Patch Lady Posts, Windows 10, Windows 11

• Should you activate Win10’s optional Application Guard?

  Posted on August 30th, 2021 at 02:43 Fred Langa Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  It’s disabled by default and comes with some serious gotchas … but it also can add an extra level of online security to Microsoft Office apps and to the Edge browser.

  Here’s how to tell whether Microsoft Defender Application Guard is available on your PC and how to enable it if you wish to give it a try.

  Plus: Sleuthing a user’s unusual Windows 7 to 10 activation issue!

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.33.0 (2021-08-30).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList Application Guard, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, Windows 10

• It’s way too soon to panic about Windows 11

  Posted on August 9th, 2021 at 02:44 Fred Langa Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  Windows 11, aka Windows 21H2, is due out later this year but is already causing deep concern among many users.

  For some, it’s that their PCs failed the prerelease (and now withdrawn) Win11 hardware-compatibility checker. For others, it’s the knowledge that the stated prerelease hardware requirements would prevent their machines from being able to use the new OS.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.30.0 (2021-08-09).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, Windows 10, Windows 11

• Windows 11 says good-bye to these familiar features

  Posted on July 19th, 2021 at 02:43 Lance Whitney Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  WINDOWS 11

  

  By Lance Whitney

  Windows 11 jettisons a bunch of items from Windows 10. But which losses will cause the most pain among loyal Windows users?

  To paraphrase a famous biblical quote, “Microsoft giveth, and Microsoft taketh away.” And that’s certainly true with Windows 11. With this new version of Windows, the folks in Redmond have added a range of features including a new visual design, a new Start menu, a widgets pane, and a revamped Microsoft Store, as well as upcoming integration with Microsoft Teams and support for Android apps.

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

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Windows 11 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Windows 10, Windows 11

• Window 10 Home vs. Pro: A real-life test drive

  Posted on July 19th, 2021 at 02:42 Fred Langa Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  An upgrade from Home to Pro edition costs around US$100, but is it really worth it?

  What does Pro edition offer that Home lacks? What does a Pro edition user give up in switching to Home? And, besides price and somewhat differing features, do the dissimilarities really matter in normal day-to-day Windows operation?

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

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, Windows 10 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, Windows 10, Windows Editions

• Microsoft account or local account – which one should you choose?

  Posted on June 28th, 2021 at 02:41 Lance Whitney Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  MICROSOFT

  

  By Lance Whitney

  Which type of account should you use for your personal Windows 10 computer? That depends on your situation, though there are benefits and drawbacks to each.

  When you set up a Windows 10 PC for personal use, Microsoft makes you select which type of account you want to use to sign in. A Microsoft account will synchronize certain apps and settings across multiple devices and give you access to services beyond Windows. A local account provides an entryway solely to your current PC.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.24.0 (2021-06-28).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft AskWoody Plus Newsletter, local account, Microsoft Accounts, Windows 10

• How to set up and use a Microsoft account in Windows

  Posted on March 22nd, 2021 at 01:02 Lance Whitney Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  MICROSOFT ACCOUNTS

  

  By Lance Whitney

  A Microsoft account offers you a single sign-on method to log in to Windows on any computer.

  A Microsoft account is a quick and convenient way to use the same credentials to sign in to different Microsoft applications and services. This type of account can connect you to Office, Outlook, OneDrive, Skype, the Microsoft Store, and Xbox Live. A Microsoft account is required for you to access certain services such as Office on the Web and, more importantly for this series, OneDrive.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.11.0 (2021-03-22).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Windows 10 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Account, Windows 10

• Using Windows 10 Quick Assist in reverse

  Posted on March 8th, 2021 at 01:08 Will Fastie Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  ISSUE 18.9 • 2021-03-08

  

  QUICK TIP

  

  By Will Fastie

  Instead of helping someone with remote control, Quick Assist can be used as a demonstration tool.

  The simple difference between a screen-sharing tool (Skype, Zoom) and a remote-control tool such as Quick Assist is that the latter is one-way. Once the session is underway, the roles of the two systems involved cannot be swapped.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.9.0 (2021-03-08).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.9.F (2021-03-08).

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Windows 10 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Quick Tips, Windows 10

• Using OneDrive on your iPhone or iPad

  Posted on February 15th, 2021 at 01:15 Lance Whitney Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  ONEDRIVE

  Using OneDrive on your iPhone or iPad

  By Lance Whitney

  Using the OneDrive app on your Apple devices allows you to cross that great Apple/Microsoft divide.

  Microsoft OneDrive is a helpful tool for backing up and synchronizing your folders and files across your Windows computers. But it can also play a similar role on your mobile devices. With the OneDrive app for iOS/iPadOS, you can access, open, and share your online files. You can download files to your device to view them without being online. You can automatically upload photos and videos taken on your phone or tablet so they’re accessible from OneDrive. And you can even edit your files with the right mobile apps.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.6.0 (2021-02-15).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Microsoft 365, Windows 10 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, OneDrive, Windows 10

• More on Win10’s Ransomware protection

  Posted on February 8th, 2021 at 01:45 Fred Langa Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  LANGALIST

  More on Win10’s Ransomware protection

  By Fred Langa

  Many subscribers tried enabling this optional security enhancement, only to discover it can be hard to get going!

  There are at least five reasons why Ransomware protection — and other Win10 security features — might not be available on your PC.

  Here’s what they are, and what you can do about them.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.5.0 (2021-02-08).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, Ransomware, security, Windows 10

• Have you enabled Win10’s ransomware protection?

  Posted on February 1st, 2021 at 01:05 Fred Langa Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  LANGALIST

  Have you enabled Win10’s ransomware protection?

  By Fred Langa

  This free, optional feature is disabled by default but, if enabled, can help protect and recover your PC from a ransomware takeover!

  It’s easy to enable the ransomware protection, but you should know about its quirks and drawbacks before doing so. Here’s how to decide whether this optional protection is for you and, if so, how to get it going!

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.4.0 (2021-02-01).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, security, Windows 10

• HP Issues Sure Click Enterprise 4.2 Patch 1 to fix Initialization Failures caused by Windows Updates (October 2020)

  Posted on October 16th, 2020 at 10:34 PKCano Comment on the AskWoody Lounge

  Posted on October 15, 2020, HP announced the release of HP Sure Click Enterprise 4.4 Patch 1 and Bromium Secure Platform 4.1 Update 8 (Patch 5) to fix Initialization failures caused by October 2020 Windows Updates.
  

  Issue Description

  After installing any of the referenced Windows Update KBs below, HP Sure Click Enterprise and Bromium Secure Platform will be unable to successfully initialize. New initialization attempts will fail with error UPDATEGUEST_NETWORK_SETUP_FAIL. Your devices will continue to work until a new initialization is needed, giving you additional time to rollback the Microsoft KBs. New initialization requests would generally be caused by:

  • Upgrading supported applications to a new major version, such as Chrome, Microsoft Office or Adobe Reader.

  • Manually requesting a new initialization from the Desktop Console

  • Installing a new version of HP Sure Click Enterprise

  This is a list of the Windows Updates affected

  • KB4579311 – Windows 10 Version 2004 x64
  • KB4577671 – Windows 10 Version 1903 x64
  • KB4577671 – Windows 10 Version 1909 x64
  • KB4577668 – Windows 10 Version 1809 x64
  • KB4580330 – Windows 10 Version 1803 x64
  • KB4580328 – Windows 10 Version 1709 x64
  • KB4580346 – Windows 10 Version 1607 x64
  • KB4580327 – Windows 10 RTM x6

  HP Sure Click Enterprise 4.2 Patch 1 Released.

  According to Windows Central

  There’s HP Sure Click Enterprise. HP calls this the “world’s most secure endpoint application isolation and containment solution.” Supported on Windows 8 and Windows 10, Sure Click Enterprise brings enhanced run-time protection with non-persistent virtual machines. It can also protect user credentials from phishing attacks and supports large-scale deployments.
  

  Gunter Born has more details on Born’s Tech and Windows World.

  Enterprise, Small Business Computing, Windows Patches/Security HP Sure Click Enterprise, Windows 10
• « Older Entries