TechBull Podcast
Dave Goldsbrough, another AbilityNet volunteer like myself, joined us for the first time. Dave has a Podcast called TechBull which you can listen to on any podcast player app.
Windows
11
We
mentioned that a new version of Windows would be announced on the 24th
June at the last meeting. As expected,
this is Windows 11. Underneath, it is
the same Windows, but it has a new look and feel. You can read more on Microsoft’s site at:-
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows/windows-11
You
will be able to download the PC Health Check app from the above site
which will indicate if your PC meets the specification to run Windows 11 when
it becomes available. Currently, the PC Health Check app is not
ready, so it says “Coming Soon” when you scroll to that section. If you can't wait for the official program from Microsoft, there is a third-party checker called “Why Not
Win11” which you can download from here:-
https://github.com/rcmaehl/WhyNotWin11
The upgrade to Windows 11 will be free to Windows 10 users with the appropriate hardware probably from around October. New PCs with Windows 11 pre-installed should probably be available before Christmas.
PCs need a built-in component known as the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0 to be able to run Windows 11. TPM 2.0 was released in 2014 so most PCs bought in the last 5 or 6 years should have this, although it may need enabling in the BIOS. The TPM can securely store encryption keys so that, for example, a drive encrypted using BitLocker cannot work on any other PC (unless you have the Recovery Key). Windows 11 will require a TPM and a fairly recent processor – probably Intel 8th Gen or later, or AMD Ryzen 2000 or later (Microsoft has not yet fully committed to this processor specification). You can check your Windows 10 system for TPM and Secure Boot by going to Start, Settings, Update & Security, Windows Security, Device Security.
Windows 11 will receive just one ‘feature update’ each year, rather than the two each year that Windows 10 has endured.
Teams will be integrated into Windows 11 and will probably replace Skype as the video calling app. Teams can be used for group calls in a similar way to Zoom.
A
new way to use Snap has been introduced which helps to position multiple
windows on your screen. Snap already exists in Windows 10, but you either have to drag a window to the edge of the screen, or use the keyboard shortcuts (Windows Key + Arrow). File Explorer has also had a makeover with changes to the Toolbar/Ribbon.
There is some re-design of the main Settings app. For example, Update & Security becomes Windows Update and Privacy becomes Privacy & Security.
It will be possible to install and run Android apps on W11 from the App Store. Amazon’s Fire Store (not the Google Play Store) will be incorporated into the Microsoft Store to facilitate this.
I demonstrated Windows 11, which I have installed, in preview form, on my laptop.
Windows 365 Cloud PC
Dave mentioned Microsoft's Cloud PC. This could be the future of Windows and Windows 356 Cloud will be available from 2nd August as a subscription service. This moves all the computing, maintaining and updating software, etc out to the cloud, This allows complex things to be done through a low-power machine, as all the work is done in the cloud. These devices can be PCs, but also could be Macs, Linux or even iPads or Android devices. So you will be able to access Windows from anywhere on almost anything. Maybe we can talk more about this next time. In the meantime, you can read more here:-
https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-365?rtc=1
LibreOffice Calc
Tony raised the issue of creating spreadsheets in LibreOffice and then editing them on another system. It is possible to save files in LibreOffice Calc using the Microsoft format (.xlsx) rather than the LibreOffice native format (.ods). To do this, click on the drop-down called "Save as Type" in the "Save As" box. Choose the "Excel 2007-365" to do this. You can then open and edit the file on, for example, an iPad using Excel, which is free to install on a device with a screen size below 10.3".
You can also use Excel for free on any system by going to office.com in the browser. You need to sign in with your Microsoft Account and you can then run Excel or Word in your browser. These web app versions are not as fully-featured as the paid version of Microsoft Office, but will be sufficient for many people's needs.
Apple
iOS 15
Due
for release in autumn, iOS 15 is the annual update to the Apple mobile operating system. One of the most notable features will be an
upgrade to FaceTime, making it more Zoom-like with a grid/gallery view. It will also be possible to create links to a
meeting and share these, allowing people to join from non-Apple devices via the
web browser. More on iOS 15 in the next
couple of months.
Android
12
The
next version of the Android operating system will also be available later this
year, around September/October. You can
read about some of the up-coming features here:-
https://www.techradar.com/uk/news/android-12-news
Windows 10 - News and Interests
At the May Club, we mentioned the News and Interests widget which was recently introduced to Windows 10. It appears on the right-hand end of the Taskbar near the Notification area. Margaret found it occupied a large area of the screen - this depends on your screen size. It opens just by hovering the mouse over it. You can turn it off by right-clicking on the Taskbar and selecting News and Interests.
Brian asked about the location used to provide the weather in this widget. It is possible to select a town/city for the weather feature. To do this, open the widget and click on the pencil symbol near the current weather location - this will allow you to specify a location, rather than letting the system try to work it out.
HDCP Error on Roku
Linda had an issue where an HDCP error popped up from time to time on her Roku. Disconnecting and reconnecting the HDMI cable would fix this temporarily. There is quite a bit of discussion around this problem on the internet, including this article:-
https://piunikaweb.com/2021/06/14/roku-users-experiencing-hdcp-error-code-020-after-roku-os-10-update/
This suggests that turning off the Auto-Adjust Display Refresh Rate setting may fix the problem - it's worth a try.
It may also be worth trying a different cable, just to rule that out as a possible cause.
Password Manager
We had a brief discussion on password managers, following a question raised by Margaret. We have discussed this before. I used to recommend LastPass, but I switched to BitWarden earlier this year when LastPass restricted their free tier. You can read about this in the March blog:-
https://computerclub100.blogspot.com/2021_03_07_archive.html
While you can allow your web browser to store logon credentials, this only works for that browser. If you sign into your browser and enable sync, it is possible to sync the passwords to the same browser on another machine. However, password managers like BitWarden are browser-indepentant and have more features.
Fingerprints
Brian asked whether fingerprints become less reliable for older people. This site mentions that the loss of skin elasticity with age can make fingeprints more difficult to read:-
https://www.scienceabc.com/humans/fingerprints-unique-change-age-alter-crime-diseases-identification-biometrics.html
Most devices allow you to capture the prints from several fingers and I would recommend you do this. This may allow you to still access your device or apps if a finger gets cut, for example. Many devices also offer face-recognition in addition to fingerprints, although you will, of course, need to remove your face-mask for it to work!
Next Session
Wed
11th Aug 2021 at 2 pm by Zoom.
