July 29th, and Windows Ten
Folks, many of you (well, any Windows user, really) will ‘need to know’ the following…
* What happens to those free Windows 10 upgrades after July 29, 2016?
“We’re nearing the end of Microsoft’s unprecedented free upgrade offer for Windows 10. The offer officially expires July 29, 2016, on the one-year anniversary of the operating system’s initial release. But what happens then?” [Updated] Read more..
Once you’ve understood that, you may next want to refer back to the article I posted the other day: How to lock in your free Windows 10 upgrade and keep using your old Windows version
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Today’s quote: “The wise does at once what the fool does at last.” ~ Baltasar Gracian
Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
How to lock in your free Windows 10 upgrade and still keep using your old Windows
Folks, doing this kinda makes it a ‘win-win’ (presuming you’re like me, and perfectly happy with Windows 7)
* How to lock in your free Windows 10 upgrade and keep using your old Windows version
“The year-long free upgrade offer for Windows 10 ends on July 29. But what if you’re not ready to upgrade yet? Here’s how to claim your upgrade so it’s available at no cost when the time comes.” Read more..
Related: Six Windows 10 annoyances: How to make them go away for good
“You’ve got complaints about Windows 10? Don’t worry, you’ve got plenty of company. From my mailbox, these are the top gripes about Microsoft’s new OS, with instructions to help you make those problems vanish.” Read more..
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Today”s quotable quote: “Go for it now. The future is promised to no one.” ~ Wayne Dyer
Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<
All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
How to Disable Windows 10 Upgrade With Just One Click
If you are a Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 user, who doesn’t want to upgrade to Windows 10 now or anytime soon, you might be sick of Microsoft constantly pestering you to upgrade your OS. Here’s a quick and easy tool to turn off the upgrade nag.
The tool is called Never10, and it’s from Steve Gibson. Click here, to go to his page, and scroll down a bit to the “download” button. (You may want to read the very brief instructions.. but this is 1-click-simple.)
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Today’s quote: “Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up.” ~ Allen Klein
Copyright 2007-2015 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
Questions Answered plus You Might Want To Know
For today’s Grab Bag, I am going to answer some reader questions, and point out a couple of items of interest.
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| Samsung E2420L 23.6″ LCD Monitor – 70,000:1, 5ms, 1920X1080, VGA/DVI | ||||
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| *When you use Promo Code 51D1AAE for $20.00 off |
First up: we all know bigger is better (in tech, anyway). And nowhere in your “computing experience” is that more evident than the size of your monitor. There are three ways to really improve (aka “upgrade”) your computing:
1) buy fastest Internet (aka “speed”, aka “bandwidth”) and,
2) have a big, bright monitor and,
3) add RAM.
I spotted a deal today that makes upgrading to a 24″ monitor hard to resist (VGA, DVI).
Reader Questions Answered:
Q: “Can you recommend some cooking games for girls?”
A: I am sorry, Dear Reader, but I cannot help you out with that question. Perhaps people in the audience can help us out with some suggestions.
Q: “How can I get more wifi than my roommate?”
A: Well, short of planting limiting software on their machine, you really can’t (short of bringing in your own Internet line..). But there are some ‘tweaks’ you can make to your router which can help you get as much as is possible. (See, How To Limit Your Roommate’s Bandwidth)
Q: “How can I attract all the bandwidth to my Xbox via a laptop?”
A: That really isn’t how networking works. If you really want the fastest online experience, whatever the Internet-connected device, you want to use wires (aka “Ethernet cables”). If you’re using Wi Fi, you want the fewest devices accessing the ‘net as possible.. so turn off your laptop’s wifi when Xbox-ing. Unless .. you are “tethering” your Xbox to the laptop to gain a Internet connection, for some reason.. which is the worst way to do it and will have serious lag. (See, Wired or Wireless?*)
Q: “Does Gigabit router multiply megabit Internet speeds?”
A: Again, that isn’t how networking works, so no, it doesn’t. Purchasing a higher service level from your ISP is the only real way to increase your Internet speed. (See, Gigabit Ethernet Didn’t Make Internet Faster)
Q: “Can you put more than one virus protection on a tablet?”
A: Well, you could.. but you do not want to. Antiviruses most often do not play well together. (And spend more time fighting each other than protecting you.)
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Q: “Is there any way to look at logs of what website my kids visited through a linksys router???”
A: I know you can blacklist (block) websites but, I have not looked that deep into Linksys router config’s since, basically, when Wireless N came out (i.e. all the Linksys models I own, and support, are older) so I’d have to look up “DNS lookup logging” or “domains accessed logging” to answer that specifically. (If you set your DNS server to OpenDNS, they do free DNS logging.) You can look for a “Logs” tab in your (router’s) Control Panel. Generally speaking, I doubt your router creates logs that you could easily see where they visited.
But, if your child has erased their browser’s History, my (technician’s) advice is to install parental control/monitoring software; such as the excellent and free K9 Web Protection or Norton’s Family Protection services (Norton Family is free).
And finally.. Not a bad price on a higher-end 7″ Tablet..
That’s all I have time for today.
Today’s quote: “At sixty, I know little more about wisdom than I did at thirty, but I know a great deal more about folly.” ~ Mason Cooley
Copyright 2007-2013 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<
All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
Attention Apple Users (And More)
Those of you out there who are iPeople are probably aware that there is a new cat on the scene — OS X 10.8 (code name “Mountain Lion”). Here is some important information to know about Apple’s latest operating system.
Don’t upgrade to OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion before reading this
“It’s tempting to install OS X 10.8 “Mountain Lion” immediately, but to avoid a costly mistake you need to thoroughly check all of your productivity apps to make sure that they’re compatible.” Read more..
New Mac Trojan installs silently, no password required
“A new Mac OS X Trojan referred to as OSX/Crisis silently infects OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and OS X 10.7 Lion. The threat was created in a way that is intended to make reverse engineering more difficult, an added extra that is more common with Windows malware than it is with Mac malware.” Read more..
[note: Just because they say this item is not yet floating around the web does not mean you can not think about having AV (aka “antivirus”) on your devices..]
Important advice there.
In other news: Microsoft says something out loud that should have been said long ago…
Microsoft: Update Java or kill it
“Microsoft is offering advice on how to protect yourself from Java-based malware. The instructions are simple: either update it, disable it, or just uninstall it completely.” Read more..
My advice on that is: uninstall it. If it should prove that some application (aka “program”) you have needs Java to run.. seriously consider uninstalling that, too.
If you are an Über Geek: please participate in my latest poll and help resolve the most pressing question of our time. Star Trek’s Best Captain (Debate Settled)
(And thanks to those of you who have already joined in.)
Another reading reco: Can Microsoft be right about tablets and Apple, Amazon, and Google be wrong?
“If you haven’t realized it yet, Microsoft is trying to do something different in tablets. But, the strategy has three big question marks.” Read more..
(If you’re wondering.. the likelihood is that my first tablet – if I ever go that route – would be a Surface. [I do much more than look at YouTube, is why.])
Today’s quote: “An invincible determination can accomplish almost anything and in this lies the great distinction between great men and little men.” ~ Thomas Fuller
Copyright 2007-2012 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<
All we really have, in the end, are our stories.
Make yours great ones. Ones to be proud of.
Apple’s New “Lion”, and More for Your Monday
Apple announced that it had 1 million downloads of its newest operating system, OS X 10.7 codename “Lion”, on its first day of availability. Available through the Mac App Store for $29.99, Apple says people are buying Lion faster than any other OS release in Apple’s history.
Microsoft could take a lesson from this (IMHO). Not from adding a feature or two and a dozen tweaks and calling it a new version (with a new name), but to get a clue about their archaic pricing structure. If I could get Windows 7 Home upgrade licenses for $30 – $40, I would buy a dozen of them today.
I am not an iFanatic, and do not know any more about Apple machines than what I have to as a Technician living in Appleland (aka ‘silicon valley’) — yes, I fix Macs. But I don’t use them. I haven’t powered up my “Tiger” machine in.. oh, let’s call it 2 years. And, so far, I do not own any iGadgets either.
With that said, I have looked at various “reviews” and it seems to me that the main thing Lion gives you (new) is direct integration with the iStore, and touchscreen ‘gestures’.
Hmmm… I don’t want either of those things.
It kind of looks to me like Apple is “blending” their operating systems for their gadgets into their desktop OS. (People are accusing Windows 8 of this same kind of thing..)
It also has something called “natural scrolling”, which apparently nobody likes.
I will say, it is kind of hard finding less-than-enthusiastic reviews.. ahem. Such as this one: Here Are 12 Amazing Hidden Features In Mac OS X Lion
“Lion touts more than 250 new features, but Apple only advertises a few of them. We picked out some of the best tips for customizing and making the most of Lion. Read more..
I dare you to look at those, and then I ask you think about the definition of the word “amazing”, and then find any correlation. (And note that one of the ‘tips’ is how to turn off natural scrolling..)
I was kind of surprised that some of the ‘features’ are only now available…
I had questions if improved 64-bit capability would make Lion “faster” than Snow Leopard, so I found this article interesting (though, it is way too early to really tell): Snow Leopard vs. Lion: Performance head-to-head
Since we had the 27-inch iMac on hand, we thought we’d see if OS X Lion introduced any performance changes. Read more..
(And for those considering “upgrading” to Lion, I would suggest reading the comments, too.)
As I said earlier, I am not an “Apple guy”, and I do not have any ‘hands on’ experience with Lion. So I am not going to presume to advise you Apple users on whether to upgrade to Lion or not. I will only offer (repeat, really) my ‘general policy’ which goes — yes, you want to keep all your software up to date with the newest versions; but, you do not want version 1.0 of anything.
A seeming contradiction.
I – myself – would wait a bit on Lion. Until the first patches have been released. Then I would upgrade. And learn the new “productivity enhancements” like “spaces”. Maybe (probably) even buy a “gestures” mouse.
If you are at all curious about Apple’s new operating system, (“The World’s Most Advanced Operating System”) the place to start is to take a look at the official Apple page, here.
Today’s reading reco: Four Things Google Plus Could Do To Fix Google Plus
(There are “big” issues here.. I urge a read.)
“Saturday’s Google Plus user account deletion purge plunged the new social network into a crisis of user trust: the community wants it fixed.” Read more..
“Google+ is not warning users before deleting user accounts, and some people have reported being locked out of all Google services, including docs and Gmail.”
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Today’s quote: “Joy is a flower that blooms when you do.” ~ Unknown
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
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Firefox 3, or 4 (or 5)? + Turn Off the "Upgrade" Nag
A reader wrote in and asked a good question. The answer(s) will be good “general knowledge” even for those of you who are not currently running Mozilla’s Firefox web browser.
Q: “If I may impose on you for information, have you upgraded Firefox to version 4.0.1? I keep saying no when the browser asks me, but my Mom let it upgrade.
Several things won’t work with V 4… Such as the ZoneAlarm browser toolbar and her HP All-In-One printer plugin.
She wants me to roll her FF version back to V 3.6.17 so those items will work, but I’m concerned about potential security issues.
Thank you“
A: Dear Reader,
Yours is a very good question, and poses an interesting choice. And, it shows how two “rules of thumb” can sometimes contradict.
* For security, you always want to be running the latest version (and promptly apply any “updates”) of any software.
* Don’t buy version 1 of anything (aka “wait for the service pack”) unless you enjoy being a product guinea pig (aka “bug finder”).
In my mind, Firefox 4 (and the new beta of 5) is enough of a change as to qualify as a ‘new product’, (and also has compatibility issues with some of my add-ons) and so I will not install it until version 4.1 (or 4.2) is released (give the product some time to mature).
Yes, this (staying with FF 3) may (probably does) pose some security “risk”, and is certainly not a long-term answer — bullet point 1 should not be ignored and bullet point 2 will become ‘false’ as newer version of FF 4 are released (and the Add-ons authors update theirs to better work with FF4). In the meantime, while I await v4.1, I have turned off the “upgrade now?” prompt.
To avoid being nagged:
1) Click on the Tools menu, then click Options.
2) Click on the Advanced tab (gray gear icon).
3) Click on the Update tab in the Advanced window.
4) Un-ckeck the “Firefox” checkbox, and then click OK.
That’s it. Now the automated “there’s a new version” prompting will stop (Firefox’s updater will now be in “manual mode”… meaning it is up to you to check the availability of new versions. You can do this anytime by clicking the Help menu, then “Check for updates”).
* 5) [at some future date] When I do install a newer version, I will make sure the automatic update checking is re-enabled (by reversing these steps), as the first bullet point stated, I normally want automatic updating.
Today’s free download: If you find that you too want to revert to the last version of Firefox 3 (or.. contrarily, get the beta of 5) the download site FileHippo is my choice. FileHippo’s right-hand column contains a string of downloads, starting with the most recent, and (usually) going back all the way to the original release. Click here and scroll down that list to “version 3.6.17”. FileHippo is where I go when I need an older version.
Today’s quotable quote: “If you really put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price.” ~ Author Unknown
Copyright 2007-2011 © “Tech Paul” (Paul Eckstrom). All Rights Reserved.
>> Folks, don’t miss an article! To get Tech – for Everyone articles delivered to your e-mail Inbox, click here, or to subscribe in your RSS reader, click here. <<
• About Tech Paul
I am a Retired computer & network technician. I used to think the machines were pretty cool. Now I don’t.
They’re anything but.
I regularly posted how-to’s and tricks & tips and general computing advice here starting in 2007. (Use the Search tool to find answers. But be aware, many are rather dated.) Sometimes I answered (your) specific questions in an article if I believed the answer was generally helpful to “everyone”. All the writing you see was my own, typos and all. There always is/was an implied “IMHO” in what you see here.
Note: You are responsible for using this blog and its content. I am in no way liable for any losses caused by user error, viruses and/or other malware, hardware or software failure, or any other conceivable reason.
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