Wednesday 8th June 2016
News
Windows 10
The upgrade to W10 is now a 'Recommended Update" which means it will automatically be downloaded by most W7 and W8.1 users. A box will then pop up which looks like this:-
The option to cancel exists, but is quite subtle - but notice the “click here” option under the
scheduled date and time of the upgrade which allows you to either re-schedule
or cancel the upgrade. If you just close this box, the upgrade will go ahead at the specified time. Many users would simply dismiss the box with the X thinking this would dismiss the upgrade, but it will not.
To check whether a W7/8.1 system is set to install Recommended Updates, go to Control Panel, Windows Update and click on Change Settings where you will find a tick-box for Recommended Updates.
Remember, as mentioned in April, you can download and run Never 10 (from https://www.grc.com/never10.htm) to prevent the W10 upgrade from happening.
W10 – Free Upgrade
Contrary to what I said in April, Microsoft say that the W10 upgrade
will NOT be free after 29th July (except for people who use
assistive technology) – see https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2016/05/05/windows-10-now-on-300-million-active-devices-free-upgrade-offer-to-end-soon/
But then, they would have to say that to urge people to upgrade asap,
whatever their intentions. I still think we are likely to see the free upgrade
extended beyond the anniversary date. If it does cease to be free, Microsoft will have to remove the 'automatic upgrade', as this would incur a £100 fee.
W10 Anniversary Update
We took another quick look at the Anniversary Update preview version of Windows 10, which is due around the anniversary of the release date of Windows 10 (i.e. 29th July).
While there are a number of changes, the things most users will notice are:-
- Small changes to Start Menu
- Extensions in Edge
- Big updates don’t have percentage circle – they look more like regular updates.
Updates To Older Versions of Windows
Ray mentioned that his old XP system still received updates, even recently - long after support and updates had supposedly ended. Mainly, these updates would have been the Malicious Software Removal Tool. This is downloaded each month on all versions of Windows and performs a background scan for malware, removing it if found. This gives some virus protection, even for users who have not installed any anti-virus program. Remember that W8 and W10 have Windows Defender - a full anti-virus program - built in, so no further anti-virus software is needed.
It is worth noting that the main defence against malware is by keeping Windows and other software up to date, and sensible user behaviour, i.e. not clicking on links or opening attachments in emails unless you are sure of the email's origins.
Cookies
We had some discussion about Cookies. Cookies are small text files which are stored on your system by each web browser (e.g. Internet Explorer, Edge, Chrome, Firefox, etc) relating to web sites which you have visited. Note that each browser stores its own cookies. Cookies are generally good and enhance the browsing experience. Each browser will allow you to adjust whether you accept cookies or not - you might like to adjust your browser to not accept third-party cookies. First-party cookies relate to the actual site you visited, while third-party cookies relate to additional content, usually adverts, which also appear on the page. Blocking these third-party cookies can limit some of the ad tracking which these cookies facilitate. You can search for the details of how to block third-party cookies in a particular browser.
Setting The 'Home Page' In Edge
Arthur asked how to set the Home Page or Start Page in Edge. I demonstarted how to do this. I have since found this web site which explains the procedure:-
The only change I would suggest to this procedure is that you first go to the desired web page, then right click on the Address Bar and select Copy. When you get to Step 7 in the article, you can then right-click in the box and select Paste. Doing it this way ensures that you have entered the URL correctly. Also, you might want to click the X next to "about:start" to remove the Start page so that Edge launches with just one tab with your chosen web page.
Setting Favourites In Edge
Tony asked how to set Favourites/Bookmarks in Edge and I demonstrated how to do this. Here is a web page which explains this:-
Setting Up A Roku Streaming Stick
Margaret has a Roku Streaming Stick which appeared to work, but now does not. This may be because it was originally set up with a fixed IP address. My suggestion was to try to reset it back to factory settings and set it up over again. Do this by holding down the Reset button for about 30 seconds, then, still holding the button, remove the USB lead (which provides power). Re-connect the USB and follow the initial set-up instructions.
This led to some discussion and explanation of IP numbers. For more on this topic, you might like to read my article "Quick Guide No 33 - IP Numbers and Port Numbers" which you can find by clicking on All Computer Club Documents on the right.
Image Search
Ray asked about searching based on an image. Google has such an image search. I demonstrated how this can be done using Google's "reverse image search". This Google support page explains how to do this:-
So, to search for an image which is saved as a file on your PC, do the following:-
- Visit images.google.com or click the camera icon in the search box on any Images results page
.
- Click Upload an image.
- Click Choose file.
- Select the image from your computer.
Search For Sounds
If you want to identify a piece of music, there is an app called Shazam, which is available on Windows, Android or iOS which can do this by listening to a small snippet of the music. It can usually identify the music within a few seconds and you can then link you to places where you can purchase the track or find more information
If you want to identify a piece of music, there is an app called Shazam, which is available on Windows, Android or iOS which can do this by listening to a small snippet of the music. It can usually identify the music within a few seconds and you can then link you to places where you can purchase the track or find more information
Next Meeting
Wednesday 13th July 2016, 1:30 to 3:30pm.
