Month: February 2020

Windows 7 end of life?

Wow, so Microsoft continues its campaign to push all of us regular consumers out of Windows 7. I suspect that money and resources (more money) they have to invest in keeping Windows 7 current is behind the push on their part. The question I get asked often is, does this apply to my computer?

My current answer is kind of a long one, so let me start with a summary. If all of the programs you use work in Windows 7 and you are comfortable using Windows 7, don’t change just to make Microsoft happy. At some point you may have reason to upgrade a program you are using or add a new program to the ones that you use; and, if that upgrade or new program requires Windows 10, then you need to upgrade from Windows 7 at that point. In my opinion, Windows 7 is not at the end of its service life yet.

What will you be missing? Windows 10 does have a number of built-in apps, programs, and so forth that can be helpful for some folks. Some modern accessories already require Windows 10, and Windows defender will soon require Windows 10. As I have already hinted, some programs also require Windows 10.

How would upgrading my current machine to Windows 10 affect its performance? Let’s face it, Windows 10 is much bigger than Windows 7 and does need more memory, more storage, and a more capable CPU; so, your computer will run slower with Windows 10 than it did with Windows 7. Reliability should be quite similar with the two OS’s, though it does seem that I need to reboot less often with Windows 10 than with a very similar machine running Windows 7.

If you decide to stay with Windows 7 for another year or so, what do you need to do to remain safe and secure? With Windows Defender ceasing support for Windows 7 you will need to choose a different anti-virus + anti-malware product or suite going forward and I can recommend Sophos Home or Malwarebytes. Both products have their advantages and support Windows 7 at this time. Another step is to stop using Internet Explorer and switch to Edge, Chrome, or Firefox for web browsing (once again security issues). Other than those concerns (changes) very little if anything should change for the Windows 7 user going forward for a few years.

Android – when updates aren’t what you expect

Well, I learned something interesting yesterday and the ramifications are just starting to hit home. When Android devices update to the latest version of Android, that doesn’t mean what many of us might think. I have a tablet on Android Version 6.01 that reports being completely up to date; its security update is identified as being a 2017 version along with a number of other modules dating back 3-4 years all reported as completely up to date. How can this be?

It turns out that Android only updates within its major version, so 6.01 is the current (and no longer supported) version for Android 6. Android 7 is a completely different product and must be installed (a surprisingly arcane and complicated install) by the user. A quick search on the internet reveals that Android 10 is available though many sources are reporting that Android 8 is the stable and current version for most devices. A quick visit to the manufacturer’s website reveals that Android 6 is the most recent version of Android that they support on my device.

Imagine if your computer had Windows Vista on it and would not load some applications unless you update to Windows 10, but your system won’t pass the compatibility test for Windows 10. Oh yes, this is also a very real problem and one I encounter regularly. The result is that a perfectly functional device with no reason to replace except that new programs won’t run it. My tablet ran afoul of this problem over the yahoo mail app. Nothing changed on my end, the folks at Yahoo produced a new app and set their servers to require the new app and the app won’t install on Android 6.

So, sometime tomorrow I will be learning if I can install Android 8 on my 2-year old tablet or if it will turn that tablet into a decoration, after I backup all the data on it, make enough free space to perform the new OS install. If it works, great and I will have learned another valuable skill. If not, well I will have another piece of technology that is good for nothing beyond cluttering up may desk.

This all reminds me that there really is a reason for fearing change. I was reading about Author George R R Martin yesterday and how he still uses a DOS machine with Wordstar 4 to write his books; I guess he really has resisted change with success. If well cared for, properly maintained (replacing parts that are prone to wearing out) hi tech devices really can be used for a very long time; but beware of products that require regular updates, they will force you into upgrading your entire world of electronics.

Seek and you shall Find

The advance of new technology is always exciting for me. Seeing the latest breakthroughs finally used in new and interesting ways to give us new useful products really does put a smile on my face. Unfortunately, many of the most exciting products fail to make it to retail for general use for one reason or another.

Two years ago, when we rescued a dog, I purchased a locator device for him. It had limited range but it was small, inexpensive and worked perfectly well on 2 occasions when it was needed. This winter I bought a much-updated version of that device that has reasonable range, replaceable batteries and a few new features that I hope I won’t need but are there if and when I need them. The current device is called a Tile Pro. The range on this device while much greater than the original is still limited, but for finding a lost dog or wandering or confused senior citizen it really is quite adequate.

I have seen advertisements for a few competing products of late that have the ability to post an actual set of GPS coordinates back to the searching folks that promise to provide far greater flexibility than the Tile products, but they are still in development and will carry a monthly subscription fee to make that ability possible. If one or more of these make it to actual retail exposure, I am sure they will be a sought after product for many folks who have a desire to track and locate family members, devices, etc.

For those who don’t want to wait, you can look at the various offerings from existing location device providers including a cell phone. Remember that modern cell phones are much more than just a telephone. A careful choice of a phone for grandma or an appropriately aged child can give you excellent tracking ability or emergency locating ability in an emergency or simply add to your peace of mind on a daily basis. And, yes, I do keep a locator in my wife’s purse also.

Guidance from the FCC

Howdy all, I had the opportunity to sit down with some FCC representatives visiting the Silver City Library and hear their recommendations regarding what to do about phone scams, slamming and a few other issues that they are concerned about. It was a small gathering and informative.

If you start getting phone service bills and don’t recognize the company billing you, the FCC wants to hear about it and help you correct the situation or (in case it is appropriate) help you understand what has happened. www.FCC.gov/consumers is a good website to visit if you are concerned or looking for help or guidance on any form of scamming related to communications. The FCC has a Consumer Affairs and Outreach Division that is there to help you and you can reach them through that website or call them at 1-888-225-5322, 8 am to 1 am Eastern time.

Another topic covered was robocalls (scam robocalls), the cell carriers and the FCC are working hard to reduce the prevalence of these, but we the consumers are the first line of defense. We can arm our selves with knowledge and common sense. If you get a robocall (or a cold call) asking you for money for any reason, it is a scam. Microsoft will not call you, The IRS will not call you, and folks offering free vacations over the phone are scammers. If we as consumers quit falling for these scams, they will stop making money from them and the scams will cease to be profitable. So, if you get a call from any organization asking for money, give them nothing, don’t give them money, don’t give them your name or any other information about you and do not engage them in any other way, simply hang up. What do you do if some organization you trust or wish to support calls and asks for donations? Find a valid means of contacting them (phone number, local location, etc.) by looking them up some other way (do not use the number supplied by them when they call you) and contact them using the publicly provided number, address, etc. to provide whatever is in your heart to provide. Please do not trust any information provided by a cold caller or robocaller.

The FCC continues to update their website as they encounter new types of scams and going to the consumer portal of their website is a great way to keep educated on what is currently possible and what kinds of scams are common. If you are concerned about any communications related issues the web portal is a great resource to help you decide if you are being scammed and if you need more help, their phone number is active to assist you and I, so use either or both if you have any questions or concerns. www.fcc.gov/consumer and 888-225-5322.

One last quick tip, if you have issues with a carrier or communications provider or broadcast TV, or radio the same web portal has a link for filing a complaint. These complaints are extremely important as they are a primary way for the FCC to gain information regarding licensed providers who are not meeting the needs or properly servicing the individuals or groups whom they are licensed (by the FCC) to serve.

Edge Browser – still not bullet proof

Just in case we have all been lulled into a sense of false security by Microsoft’s assertions regarding the security of their Edge browser, let me assure you that the product does NOT prevent phishing attempts, does not avoid or prevent infections from malware, at least not any better than Explorer did.

I continue to get requests from clients to assist in fixing Edge because a misclick has resulted in some malware or because some website has allowed a phishing attempt to get through and the browser did not prevent it. So long as hackers and scammers can make money there will be hacks of the most popular and or easiest products to hack and that seems to still be Edge.

I wait to see if the new Edge will miraculously be the product we have been promised for years or if it will be just another iteration in the Microsoft beta quality product line.

Scammers Ugh!

I am truly amazed that the message isn’t getting out. If someone calls you out of the blue and says that your computer has been hacked, why would you take them seriously? If you are browsing the web and suddenly your screen is filled with this ugly message telling you that you have been hacked, why oh why would you call the number on the screen, and why would you pay the folks at that number anything in hopes of correcting the problem?

Just a touch of common sense folks, the message on your screen has been caused by some type of malware. Therefore, any information contained in that message should never be trusted. Microsoft will never call you, certainly not to tell you that you have been hacked or that you are sending spam, or anything else. It isn’t just Microsoft either, Symantec and a whole raft of other security companies are in the same boat, they rarely have a means of tying an issue on your computer to your phone number (unless they are illegally snooping around in your computer, which means they aren’t a trust-able entity) and with rare exceptions, they simply have no way of knowing that your computer is involved in anything let alone being hacked; but, the hackers do know and have no compunction against using what they can learn to get money, and lots of it out of you.

With Windows 10 and the latest versions of MacOS, you can get a situation where your browser posts up an inappropriate page with instructions, phone numbers, etc. In all cases, ignore any instructions on that page / screen. Best practices dictate calling your favorite help line, technician, or consultant who probably sees the same screen several times a week (people, generally, only call me if there is a problem) and has practice defeating the hack before it can do any real damage. The hope is to catch the would-be infection before it can get the chance to become part of your operating system (OS); while it is still just in the browser, the potential for damage to your system, your files, your personal information is quite small.

With the current browsers, it can be reasonably straight forward to remove any and all recent changes to the browser and get you back safely surfing again. It is my hope that no single user would encounter this kind of issue themselves regularly enough to get good at correcting this kind of issue; but, trust me, those of us who provide service and support do get enough practice.