Newsletter Archives

• When is the right time to buy a Windows 11 computer?

  Posted on January 23, 2023 at 02:41 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  HARDWARE

  

  By Susan Bradley

  The other day, I retired the last Windows 7 computer in our office, the one that had been used by our office manager.

  She didn’t like change and rarely went online. She used the computer only for some key business applications. (She carried a flip phone.) In other words, this is a case in which I wanted to make the transition as smooth as possible.

  So I took an older Windows 10 computer that wasn’t eligible for Windows 11, put the Start10 application on it, installed the Office classic menu, and ported her preferred background image to the “new” PC. I put the icons on the desktop in exactly the same place. I did everything possible to make the new computer look and behave as much like the old one as I could. And I didn’t tell her the computer had changed.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.04.0, 2023-01-23).

  Hardware hardware, Newsletters, Windows 10, Windows 11

• How to set up a local account in any edition of Windows 11

  Posted on January 16, 2023 at 02:45 CST by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.03 • 2023-01-16

  WINDOWS 11

  

  By Lance Whitney

  Yes, there is a way to create a local account in Windows 11, if you know the right tricks.

  With Windows 11, Microsoft has certainly made it more difficult to use a local account, especially if you’re running Windows 11 Home edition. But difficult doesn’t mean impossible. There is one clever way to sneak past Microsoft’s restrictions and create a local account in any edition of Windows 11.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.03.0, 2023-01-16).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Windows 11 local account, Newsletters, Windows 11

• Windows Menu Editor — This is the last day I search for “Delete”!

  Posted on January 16, 2023 at 02:44 CST by Deanna McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT

  

  By Deanna McElveen

  I switch between versions of Windows a lot.

  Most of the computers I repair are Windows 10, but most of the ones I build are Windows 11. Two of the desktops I use in the office are Windows 10, but my office laptop is Windows 11. I don’t know how many times a day I right-click to cut, copy, paste, rename, or delete something — but if it’s on Windows 11, it takes time for my brain to stop searching for the words “Cut,” “Copy,” “Paste,” “Rename,” or “Delete.”

  I don’t have the time nor the will to adapt!

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.03.0, 2023-01-16).

  Freeware Spotlight Deanna's Freeware Spotlight, Menus, Newsletters, Windows 10, Windows 11

• Make Windows 11 as cool as your phone with Android apps

  Posted on January 9, 2023 at 02:44 CST by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  After many, many requests, Microsoft finally added the capability to run Android apps when it released Windows 11.

  Every iPhone and Android phone user knows how convenient it is to carry in your pocket or purse any number of apps that bring you weather, traffic, emails, texts, games — even rocket science, if that’s your thing.

  However, unlike the ease of use of a smartphone — where you can install virtually any app with just a few clicks — Windows 11 presents you with a series of “gotchas” that can discourage even the biggest Microsoft fanatic from adding an Android app.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.02.0, 2023-01-09).

  Public Defender Android, Android on Windows, Apps, Newsletters, Windows 11

• Patching year 2022 comes to a close

  Posted on December 19, 2022 at 02:45 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.51 • 2022-12-19

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Every vendor brought us a lump of coal.

  No matter which platform you use, we are closing out a year in which we have been very vulnerable. From Microsoft to Apple to our firewall vendors — and even to Linux distros such as Ubuntu and Mint — just about every vendor has ended the year with patches, vulnerabilities unfixed, and new releases.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.51.0, 2022-12-19).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Patch Watch 0patch, Apple updates, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, Patch Watch, Windows 10, Windows 11

• Is it time to move to Windows 11?

  Posted on December 12, 2022 at 02:45 CST by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.50 • 2022-12-12

  WINDOWS 11

  

  By Lance Whitney

  Microsoft is increasingly aiming its latest enhancements at Windows 11 instead of Windows 10. Does that mean it’s time to jump ship to the newest version of Windows?

  I’m in the market for a new primary laptop and face a choice of outfitting it with Windows 10 or Windows 11. A few months ago, I might have gone with Windows 10, but now I’m shooting for Windows 11. The irony is that I’ve been critical of Windows 11, specifically because of the dumbing down and inflexibility of the Start menu, Taskbar, and certain other features. So why am I opting for Windows 11?

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.50.0, 2022-12-12).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Windows 11 Newsletters, Windows, Windows 10, Windows 11

• It’s time to install Windows 10 22H2

  Posted on December 5, 2022 at 02:42 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Unless you have a pressing need to stay on 21H2, Windows 10 22H2 has proven stable enough to be my new recommended version for Windows 10.

  However, I can’t say the same for Windows 11 22H2. I’m still tracking numerous issues with it and thus do not recommend it.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.49.0, 2022-12-05).

  Patch Watch Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, Windows, Windows 10, Windows 11

• Windows 11 22H2: Which new features stand out?

  Posted on November 14, 2022 at 02:43 CST by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  WINDOWS 11

  

  By Lance Whitney

  Microsoft has beefed up Windows 11 with its first major update. Among all the changes, which ones are worth the upgrade?

  Since its debut in October 2021, Windows 11 has proven to be a controversial addition to Microsoft’s lineup. Though it boasts several improvements over its predecessor, the new operating system has turned off many people with its strict hardware requirements, its dumbing-down of the Start menu, and its lack of flexibility and customization.

  With Windows 11 finally sneaking past the one-year mark, Microsoft has released its first major update for the OS. Known as Windows 11 22H2, the annual update offers a bevy of incremental changes and enhancements. Though no single change is earth-shattering by itself, collectively the improvements beef up the new version in subtle but useful ways.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.46.0, 2022-11-14).

  Windows 11 Feature updates, Newsletters, Windows, Windows 11

• 22H2 not ready for consumers

  Posted on November 14, 2022 at 02:41 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  I don’t like to be an alarmist. Nor do I like to base my technology decisions on one anecdote.

  But when a friend of mine who owns a Windows 11 computer called to tell me about issues he experienced with Windows 11 22H2, I got concerned.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.46.0, 2022-11-14).

  Patch Watch Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, Print Spooler, security, Windows, Windows 11

• MS-DEFCON 4: Install or defer updates? Your choice.

  Posted on October 25, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.43.1 • 2022-10-25

  

  By Susan Bradley

  I’ve got a slightly mixed message about the latest round of updates.

  In the most general terms, updates this month have proven safe and unlikely to cause many problems. It is for that reason I am lowering the MS-DEFCON level to 4. But there’s a grain of salt to go along with that recommendation.

  I continue to recommend that you not install the feature-release updates for Windows 10 or Windows 11 version 22H2. But I do recommend that you allow the rest of the updates to install. That’s the mixed message.

  Anyone can read the full MS-DEFCON Alert (19.43.1, 2022-10-25).

  AskWoody Plus Alert, MS-DEFCON AskWoody Alert, MS-DEFCON, MS-DEFCON 4, Patch Lady Posts, Windows 10, Windows 11

• 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
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