Vista
How Microsoft Became Uncool And Lost Touch With Consumers
There was a time when Windows was cool. A long time ago, people lined up to get new versions of Windows when they went on sale. Maybe not quite the numbers of people outside of Apple stores at the height of iPhone madness, but still – Microsoft was pretty cool.
When the iPhone was released in 2007, Microsoft began its long decline with consumers. […] continued
Read moreMicrosoft Acknowledges The Inevitable: Windows Is Sailing Into The Sunset
Microsoft announced an internal reorganization last week and raised the profile of its cloud, artificial intelligence, and enterprise teams.
This would not normally be an important event for us. Microsoft frequently reshuffles its employees. This reorganization, though, has major repercussions for every computer user.
Microsoft no longer has a Windows division. […] continued
Read moreIt’s Been Ten Years Since One Of The Most Significant Technology Inflection Points In History – And We Missed It
It’s the ten-year anniversary of one of the most important inflection points in history. 2007 was such an eventful year that its significance seems obvious in hindsight, but it’s gone unremarked until Thomas Friedman spelled it out in a new book.
Thomas Friedman, the well-known and controversial New York Times columnist, released Thank You for Being Late: An Optimist’s Guide to Thriving in the Age of Accelerations a few weeks ago. […] continued
Read moreThe Windows 10 Start Menu Is A Cluttered Mess
Windows 10 is being tested by millions of people as it enters its final development phase before being released later this summer. Its technical underpinnings are solid and mature. There are genuinely innovative new features. It will be given away for free to more than a billion people worldwide; more or less every computer in the world running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 will be offered a free upgrade for a year after Windows 10 is released. […] continued
Read moreTales From The Trenches: Upgrades Gone Wrong
Here’s a story about small business technology in 2014. It’s a long story and there’s no moral and no villain (except for Adobe, in the surprise twist at the end, but just so you’re not disappointed – spoiler! – the surprise twist probably doesn’t apply to you).
The setting is a small law office with a mix of Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 workstations. […] continued
Read moreRules For Computer Safety 2014
These are the rules for being safe using a Windows computer in 2014.
The bad guys are even scarier this year. You will get phony email messages that look perfect – nothing to give away that the messages don’t really come from your bank, the IRS, UPS, Microsoft, or, well, anyone. […] continued
Read moreRules For Computer Safety 2013
These are the rules for being safe using a Windows computer in 2013.
The bad guys are getting smarter and more devious – their spelling and grammar has improved and they have gotten better at creating messages that are indistinguishable from real messages from your bank, the IRS, UPS, Microsoft, or, well, anyone. […] continued
Read moreEverything You Need To Know About Automatic Restarts–Patch Tuesday, Windows 8, And Bruceb Management
Almost everyone is aware that their computer will automatically restart overnight on occasion – and most people have dealt with the frustration of an unexpected shutdown that disrupts open windows or forces programs to close, at worst losing data along the way.
Restarts are necessary when system files are patched or files need to be updated that are in use when the computer is running. […] continued
Read moreA Busy Week For Patches!
Microsoft and Adobe made sure your computer stayed busy this week, with a particularly large crop of patches and security updates. Your computer has probably already restarted at least once and probably could use another restart to make sure everything has settled down.
Microsoft’s regular Patch Tuesday included a long list of updates covering 57 different vulnerabilities, including some that security researchers believe the bad guys might start targeting in the next month or so. […] continued
Read moreSay Goodbye To Windows Vista
Previously:
Say Goodbye To Windows XP (2012)
Say Goodbye To Six-Year-Old Computers (2010)
Time marches on.
It’s time to retire computers running Vista.
Most of them are five years old, some of them coming up on their six-year anniversary.
If you’re running Vista, you’ve probably noticed that your computer is running slowly. […] continued
Read moreMicrosoft Security Essentials Updated To Version 4.0
An updated version of Microsoft Security Essentials is being installed automatically for anyone currently running the free antivirus program. It is being pushed out silently by the Automatic Updates system and will likely be completely invisible to most of you. It does not require a restart after the update is installed. […] continued
Read moreUrgent Patch Issued By Microsoft
On Patch Tuesday, Microsoft delivered a small number of fairly unimportant updates – and one security patch that is being pushed with unusual urgency.
Your individual computers are installing this automatically. If your computer restarted this week, you’re up to date. Don’t panic. If you want to see if the update was installed on your computer this week, open up Control Panel / Windows Update and click on View Update History on the left. […] continued
Read moreWindows Tip: Remove Unwanted Toolbars
We are under constant assault from advertisers seeking a foothold on our computers. We invite some of them into our lives voluntarily – every time you do a Google search or check your Facebook page, you’re making advertisers very happy (and making Google and Facebook exceedingly rich).
There is, however, a bit of advertising that you can control. […] continued
Read moreRules For Computer Safety 2012
These are the rules for being safe using a Windows computer in 2012. Memorize them, forward them to your friends, post them on Facebook, alert the troops, sound the alarm, and walk from door to door passing them out to your neighbors!
If a web site brings something up on your screen that might be malware, turn your computer off with the power button. […] continued
Read morePatch Tuesday Interlude
Microsoft released a particularly large crop of patches and updates on Tuesday. Your computer probably restarted on Tuesday or Wednesday night.
If you’re a subscriber to the Bruceb Remote Management service, your computer is also installing additional Microsoft updates that were released at the same time as the critical updates sent through Microsoft’s Automatic Updates system. […] continued
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