Newsletter Archives

• 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

• How to get out of Windows’ Automatic Repair loop

  Posted on October 10, 2022 at 02:43 CDT by Randy McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  SUPPORT

  

  By Randy McElveen

  There are hundreds of reasons why your PC might get stuck trying to repair itself, putting your PC into an Automatic Repair loop.

  Many of these can be complicated software issues or hardware failures. But don’t bring your computer to me just yet. There are many very small issues that can cause a no-boot situation. In this article, I’m going to describe a few simple things you can try before calling a pro.

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

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Support AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Automatic Repair, Support, Windows

• MS-DEFCON 2: Will September updates behave?

  Posted on September 8, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.36.1 • 2022-09-08

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Microsoft patches need to go back to school, too.

  Summer vacation is over, which means it’s time for youngsters to return to school. After several years of computer-based, pandemic-induced remote learning, it’s back to the classrooms. Meanwhile, Microsoft is getting ready to roll out the 22H2 releases of Windows 10 and Windows 11.

  I’m hoping that the engineers at Microsoft have had enough vacation, rest, and other downtime to ensure that September’s releases are nice, calm, and — well — boring. Unfortunately, August updates haven’t been quite so boring, and that’s not encouraging. Caution is my watchword, so I’m raising the MS-DEFCON level to 2.

  Anyone can read the full MS-DEFCON Alert (19.36.1, 2022-09-08).

  AskWoody Plus Alert, MS-DEFCON AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Bitlocker, Patch Lady Posts, Windows

• Windows 11’s unique bug

  Posted on August 15, 2022 at 02:42 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Whenever Microsoft releases a new version of Windows, it invariably introduces new bugs as a side effect.

  KB5016629 includes a fix for a server message-block (file-sharing) bug that is unique to Windows 11. In a peer-to-peer network, an attacker could trick you by using web-based sharing links such as Azure or other data centers. Windows 10 and earlier are not affected.

  This month’s Windows 11 updates also include fixes for issues where File Explorer fails to work when you use the Star menu’s context menu and an external monitor, or when you use the Play and Pause keyboard buttons.

  Not to be outdone, the Windows 10 security update this month, KB5016616, includes fixes for an issue that affects printing. Let’s hope it fixes those problems we’ve been seeing with USB-based printers.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.33.0, 2022-08-15).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Patch Watch Adobe, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Patch Lady Posts, Print Spooler vulnerabilities, Windows, Windows 11

• What to do first with Windows 11

  Posted on August 1, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.31 • 2022-08-01

  WINDOWS 11

  

  By Susan Bradley

  You just decided that the deal at the local computer store was too great to pass up, and you took home a new Windows 11 computer.

  Nevertheless, you’ve heard us complain about menus, taskbars, and other annoyances. Not quite sure what you’ve gotten yourself into? Never fear, it’s still a Windows computer that you can make behave as you like.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.31.0, 2022-08-01).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Windows 11 AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Patch Lady Posts, Windows, Windows 10, Windows 11

• Do we really want (or need) Windows 12?

  Posted on July 25, 2022 at 02:43 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  The famous old idiom “moving the deckchairs around on the Titanic” is sometimes applied to technology.

  Even though the saying usually implies the futility of a particular action, it often conjures up to me a technology company doing something — anything — to encourage us to purchase more of their product — or at least the latest, so-called greatest version. In my experience, it’s not what we really want but what the vendor thinks we need.

  Case in point? Rumors are flying that Windows 12 is just around the corner.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.30.0, 2022-07-25).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, On Security AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Patch Lady Posts, Windows, Windows 10, Windows 11

• Choosing the right email program

  Posted on July 11, 2022 at 02:44 CDT by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  SOFTWARE

  

  By Lance Whitney

  Whether you use a Windows PC, iPhone, iPad, or Android device, there are a number of options for email clients other than the usual suspects.

  The email program you use depends to a large degree on the type of device or operating system you use. On a Windows PC, you may turn to the default Windows Mail client, or to Outlook if you subscribe to Microsoft 365. Those of you who own an iPhone or iPad will likely fire up the built-in Mail app. And most Android users probably stick with Gmail.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.28.0, 2022-07-11).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Software Android, Apple, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Email Clients, Windows

• Dealing with DCOM

  Posted on June 27, 2022 at 02:41 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  In the June updates, Microsoft continues its journey to harden the Distributed Component Object Model (DCOM), with the goal of making it more resilient to attack.

  DCOM is a proprietary Microsoft software component that allows COM objects to communicate with each other over a network. Network OLE was the precursor to DCOM (remember Windows 3.1.1?). Because DCOM can run programs on other computers, hackers can leverage it for lateral-movement attacks through your network, gaining access to more data. This activity can be difficult to detect because it’s not malware or hacker tools — all it takes to access DCOM is PowerShell.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.26.0, 2022-06-27).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Patch Watch AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Patch Lady Posts, Patch Watch, Windows, Windows DCOM

• Will you be able to run Windows on an Arm processor?

  Posted on June 13, 2022 at 02:43 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  SILICON

  

  By Brian Livingston

  The computing scene is up in arms, so to speak, about the latest Arm technology.

  Arm — which began as an acronym but is now more like a religion — is the technology that powers the latest Apple Macs, but it’s made only slight inroads into Windows machines due to software incompatibilities.

  Whether or not you know anything about Arm, you’re probably already using it. Arm-based systems tend to have much lower power requirements than systems using more complex central processing units, such as Intel processors.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.24.0, 2022-06-13).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Silicon ARM, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Silicon, Windows, Windows on ARM

• Hasleo Windows ISO Downloader — easily get Windows from Microsoft

  Posted on May 30, 2022 at 02:45 CDT by Deanna McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 19.22 • 2022-05-30

  FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT

  

  By Deanna McElveen

  There was a time when getting your hands on an ISO of Windows to fix your computer meant borrowing one from a friend or visiting pirated software sites.

  These days, Microsoft lets you stay on the good side of the Internet neighborhood by allowing you to download copies. You can go through the steps on Microsoft’s website to get Windows, or you can do it the easy way.

  Hasleo Software has been around for years, making some of my favorite commercial tools, but they also have a few free ones. Hasleo Windows ISO Downloader is their free, portable program to download Windows 8.1, Windows 10, or Windows 11 straight from Microsoft’s official servers.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (19.22.0, 2022-05-30).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Freeware Spotlight AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Deanna's Freeware Spotlight, Windows
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