Wednesday 11^th October 2017

Margaret – W10 Update

Margaret had been having problems completing the W10 1703 Update – the Creators Update from March this year – on her laptop. Eventually, the update was offered again, but it spent many hours showing "99%" before finally switching itself off. On re-booting, the install was found to be successful. I have no idea why it had previously failed several times, but it seems that persistence pays off in the end!

System Information

You can find details such as the version of Windows and whether it is a 32 or 64 bit system by clicking on Start, Settings, System, About.

Browser Issues

Brian G reported a problem where a W10 desktop system was failing to access web pages although other Internet access, such as using an email client, worked fine. This problem is assumed to have been caused by an update. Suspecting anti-virus software may be the problem, Brian tried to un-install AVG, but the uninstall failed. He then downloaded the 'Removal Tool' from the AVG web site and ran this. Although this indicated that it had failed to remove all AVG components, he was then able to use the web browser again.

Generally, third-party security software can cause issues. As we said last time, if you have problems, particularly after installing an update or other software, try disabling or removing such anti-virus software. Windows 10's built-in Windows Defender is sufficient protection without the need to use these third-party products such as AVG, Norton, McAfee, etc.

Browser Passwords

Linda mentioned seeing a list of passwords on her PC. This would have been in her browser. Browsers can be configured to remember passwords and you may be able to view these stored passwords. This site shows how to view the stored passwords in IE, Firefox, Chrome and Safari:-
https://blog.dashlane.com/how-to-find-long-lost-passwords/

To be secure, you may wish to disable password storage in your browser - you can google for how to do this in your particular browser.

Recovery Drive Proved Useful

Tony had an issue where his Windows 10 laptop would not boot, failing with a Blue Screen indicating a problem with the BCD (Boot Configuration Data). Booting from a Recovery Drive and selecting Startup Repair fixed the problem. This article explains more about how to use a Recovery Drive:-
http://www.techrepublic.com/article/get-familiar-with-the-windows-10-recovery-drive-before-you-need-it/

You can make a Recovery Drive by inserting a blank USB memory stick and clicking on Start (or pressing the Windows Key) and typing Recovery Drive to find the Create a Recovery Drive function in Control Panel.

Annoying Edge Notifications

Are you getting pop-up notifications in Chrome or Firefox telling you that Edge would be better and faster?  You can stop this by going to Start, Settings, System, Notifications & Actions and switch off Get tips, tricks and suggestions as you use Windows.

Next Version of Microsoft Office

Microsoft have announced that the next version of Office, which will replace Office 2016, is Office 2019 which will be released towards the end of 2018. Note that if you have an Office 365 Home or Personal subscription, your version of Office will get updated when the new version becomes available. Once updated, you may not be able to revert to Office 2016.

How To Get Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office is available in different ways. There are basically 3 methods to access Microsoft Office:-

1. Word, Excel, PowerPoint and other features can be accessed and used completely free of charge by using Microsoft Office Online. Simply go to office.com in any web browser and sign in with your Microsoft Account credentials. These free Office modules are not as fully featured as the paid-for alternatives, but they may be adequate for many users.
2. You can pay a one-off fee of about £120 to get Office Home and Student 2016. This has the full versions of Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint.
3. The third way is to pay by a regularly annual subscription for Office 365 Home or Personal. This gives you all the Office programs and some additional benefits. But you will have to pay this subscription every year.

See my document explaining this in more detail at bit.ly/CE-MicrosoftOffice. (Note that this link is case sensitive.)

Next Session

Wed 8^th November 2017 1:30 to 3:30pm.