Wednesday 14th September 2016
News
Vista – Checking For Updates
At the July Club I mentioned that Vista and Windows 7 can spend many
hours ‘checking for updates’ when you try to run the Windows Update check. For W7, the solution seemed to be to install
the optional update KB3161647. For
Vista, there does not seem to be a permanent solution, but these sites might
help:-
The latter site lists the updates for each month as “.msu” files. Having
downloaded these files, double-clicking on a file will install it using the
Windows Update Standalone Installer (wusa.exe). It may be necessary to repeat
this process each month. This is not an easy solution and I would not recommend
to for the average user, although the forum (first link above) offers some
advice. Fortunately, there are relatively few Vista users and, with Vista support
ending next year (April 2017), many of them will soon be thinking of updating
their systems.
W10 Anniversary Update (v1607) Problems
Webcams Not Working
This seems to be a widespread problem and will, I think, require an
update from Microsoft to fix. It is
caused by Microsoft changing the way video works, so that a webcam can be
connected to more than one app at a time.
Notification – You Need To Fix
Your Microsoft Account
Ray had this issue after the Anniversary Update, and he is not
alone! The message says “You need to fix your Microsoft Account for apps on your
other devices to be able to launch apps and continue experiences on this
device”. It’s not clear why this is
happening, but assuming you only have one Microsoft device and you don’t want
apps to sync across multiple devices, go to Settings, Privacy and switch off “Let
apps on my other devices open apps and continue experiences on this device”.
In spite of being released on 2nd August, the gradual roll out of the Anniversary Update could apparently take until the end of November to reach all devices.
In spite of being released on 2nd August, the gradual roll out of the Anniversary Update could apparently take until the end of November to reach all devices.
Microsoft Account vs Local Account on Windows 10
We had some discussion on this. The advantage of using a Microsoft Account is that you have easier access to other Microsoft features such as OneDrive and the Windows Store. Some people my prefer a Local Account to minimise the data that might be sent to Microsoft. You can switch account types (from Local to Microsoft or vice versa) by going to Start, Settings, Accounts, Your Info.
This led to some further discussion on Administrator vs Standard accounts. A Standard user is limited in what they can do - they cannot install or uninstall programs, for example. For maximum security, it is best to work as a Standard user most of the time. This will require you to set up an Administrator Account (which can either be Local or Microsoft), just for admin activity, then to change your existing account to Standard. An Administrator can create or modify user accounts by going to Start, Settings, Accounts.
Password Safe
We briefly discussed 'Password Safes", i.e. software which will securely store all of your passwords (and other secure data), protected by a single password which is also the encryption key. I use a product called mSecure, but many others are available - they are all paid for, usually around $25. Many will work on Android and iOS devices as well as PCs, so you can sync your Password Safe across several of your devices.
Default Programs
Double-clicking on a file (e.g. in an email attachment) to open it, will cause Windows to refer to its default program list to figure out which program to use to open the file. You can see and modify this list by going to Start, Settings, System, Default apps. If you scroll down to the bottom of the window, you can click on 'Choose default applications by file type'. This will show all the file extension types (e.g. .pdf or .docx) in alphanumeric order with the default app that will be used to open this file type alongside. For example, if you look for ".png" in the list, you will see the app used by default to open this type of file ("Photos" on my machine). Clicking on the program name will give you options to change it.
You can also right-click on a file and select "Open with..." to choose what programs to use.
SyncToy
Margaret asked if SyncToy will work on Windows 10 - yes it will, and I regularly use it. I have placed a copy of my SyncToy notes on the Computer Club drive which you can access form the "Computer Club Documents" link on the right under "Sep 2016". Although this was written before Windows 10, the explanation still holds good.
Duplicate Photos
Linda asked about removing duplicate photos. I didn't have an answer at the time, but I have since found software which might do this. One example is "Duplicate Photos Fixer Pro" (http://www.duplicatephotosfixer.com/) which has a free trial version and can be purchased for $29.95. I haven't tried this, so check out reviews first.
OneDrive
We had some discussion about OneDrive. The basic principles are described in my "Windows 10 & Edge" document (based on version 1607) on page 9 - I have placed a copy in the Computer Club Documents (see link on right).
Trying To Stop Spam
Tony asked about stopping spam. Using webmail, you can select an email and click on the Spam button (or similar) and that sender's mail will go into the Spam/Junk box in future. Emails from professional companies have an "Unsubscribe" link which should remove your email from their emailing list.
You can also create Rules or Filters, usually by going into Settings on webmail. Filter rules can say things such as "if the sender or subject or the text of the email contain certain words or phrases, move the email to the Spam or Deleted box". Just be careful such a rule will not select genuine emails!
How Small Can Computers Get?
How about the size of a grain of rice – and that includes a battery
that could power it for two weeks! This
is being developed by researchers at the University of Michigan and the computer
is called the Michigan Micro Mote or M3 for short. You can read more at the University’s web
site:-
http://www.eecs.umich.edu/eecs/about/articles/2015/Worlds-Smallest-Computer-Michigan-Micro-Mote.html
This youtube video explains more:-
Next Session
Wed 12th October 1:30 to 3:30pm. We may take a look at Chromebooks as an alternative to a Windows PC or a Mac.
