Newsletter Archives

• MS-DEFCON 3: A slightly bumpy November

  Posted on November 28, 2023 at 02:45 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.48.1 • 2023-11-28

  

  By Susan Bradley

  For most Windows 10 and 11 users, including me, there have been no side effects as a result of November’s updates.

  Nonetheless, there appear to be a few potholes in the road. That’s enough to make me cautious — I’m lowering the MS-DEFCON level to only 3.

  One thing I did notice was updates taking more time to complete than usual — not a good sign. At the very least, it’s a good reason to take a look at the update history in Settings.

  Anyone can read the full MS-DEFCON Alert (20.48.1, 2023-11-28).

  AskWoody Plus Alert, MS-DEFCON Alerts, Dev Drive, Dev Home App, InControl, KB5032189, KB5032190, MS-DEFCON, MS-DEFCON 3, OpenAI, Patch Lady Posts, speed test, Uninstall updates, Windows Copilot

• Copilot is here, sort of

  Posted on October 16, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.42 • 2023-10-16

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  The October security updates include Copilot.

  As I have alerted you before, if you have Windows 11 22H2 and live in North America or certain South American and Asian countries, Microsoft will be “dribbling” the “Chat for the operating system” update.

  Never fear — you can disable this “feature.” I didn’t say remove or block, but rather disable.

  In the European Union (EU), Copilot for Windows will probably be installed — but you won’t have the shortcut to it enabled, due to some EU digital rules. Expect Microsoft to make the changes necessary to bring it into compliance, at which point it will be enabled.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.42.0, 2023-10-16).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Patch Watch CVE-2023-36563, CVE-2023-44487, KB5031361, KB5031362, KB5031364, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, Windows Copilot

• Taming Copilot

  Posted on October 9, 2023 at 02:42 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  I use devices that include artificial intelligence and cloud services, and you probably do, too.

  For example, I regularly ask Alexa about the weather: “Hey ,Alexa — what’s the seven-day weather forecast?” That helps me know whether it’s going to be cooler on the weekend so I can garden. I have apps that control thermostats, security cameras, and garage doors. Amazon can open my garage door and drop off packages so they don’t get stolen by porch pirates.

  So it’s not that I’m against using cloud services or voice-activated devices.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.41.0, 2023-10-09).

  Patch Watch AI, Bing Chat, Copilot, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, Windows Copilot

• MS-DEFCON 1: Pushing off Copilot

  Posted on October 5, 2023 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 20.40.1 • 2023-10-05

  

  By Susan Bradley

  This week offers a perfect example of why I don’t rush to update.

  Ultimately, I want to understand the changes coming to my desktop and ensure that I know exactly what they do.

  A little over a week ago, Microsoft announced Copilot for Windows. What that means is complicated, and we don’t really know all the details; it seems we will learn more, based upon what Microsoft dribbles out.

  That’s reason enough to elevate MS-DEFCON to 1, its highest level.

  Anyone can read the full MS-DEFCON Alert (20.40.1, 2023-10-05).

  AskWoody Plus Alert, MS-DEFCON Alerts, Copilot, MS-DEFCON, MS-DEFCON 1, Patch Lady Posts, Windows 11 23H2, Windows Copilot