Category: Tech Articles

The background:
Our office recently picked up some new computers, both Windows 8.1 and Windows 10. Some of these computers, upon reboot, are unable to connect to the internet. The Wi-Fi icon in the system tray has an exclamation mark, when you hover over it, it says: “Unidentified network (no internet access) – when you click on it, it does say that it’s “connected” to the proper network, but that it is “Limited.”

The temporary work-around:
The quick work around I’ve found is to simply put the laptop in Airplane mode, and then immediately take it out of Airplane mode. This will allow the laptop to connect to your wireless network.

But you shouldn’t have to do that! (more…)

I can’t believe I never put this article on my site before, it’s an ancient tip, and still useful for the “average” home user. Do you have a home computer and you don’t want to be pestered for a password every time it starts up? The following steps should be all you need Enjoy!

1. Open the Run Menu (Either by clicking Start then Run – or – simply be holding Windows Logo Key and pressing R on your keyboard).
2. Type: control userpasswords2 (leave the 2 off for older versions of Windows like XP and 2000) and hit enter or click OK.
3. Click the user in the list you want to be automatically logged in so that they are highlighted:

4. Uncheck the box at the top of the window that says “Users must enter a username and password…”
5. Click OK then enter your password (twice, to confirm you typed it correctly) – if you do not normally enter a password, just click “OK” leaving the two password lines blank – then click OK.

I believe the prompt may disappear even if you typed the incorrect password, so the only way to be sure it worked is to restart your computer. If all went well, the next time you start up, you should not be prompted for a password and be logged directly in to your desktop! Try it out! If you see the user logon screen or are asked for a password, you probably just missed the password in step 5. Pay close attention to what you type (or don’t type) at the logon screen, then try it again.

In 2012 I did a fun 27 year retrospective of official Microsoft version history information. Changelogs were shorter, back then. I grew up using BASIC on a Commodore 64 and a 128. My first computer had Windows for Work groups 3.11, and DOS 5. I still remember preferring DOS to Windows through Windows 98. But Windows kept growing on me, and has left an impression ever since. I was one of the few who resisted Windows XP, sticking with Windows ME, even upgrading to the business platform of Windows 2000 before finally getting onboard with Windows XP. But since those days, I’ve always enjoyed tinkering and experimenting with whatever Microsoft has to offer. I toyed with several builds of Longhorn, ages before Windows Vista launched. I used Vista with few if any issues. I quickly upgraded to Windows 7, pre-ordered the original Surface RT hours after pre-orders opened, and was an early adopter of Windows 8 / 8.1. Now that Windows 10 Threshold 2 officially launched earlier this month, Windows 10 is pretty much ready for prime time. I’ve been using it since some of the earliest previews and am a huge proponent of Windows 10. I’m proud to say I’ve been onboard with Windows for a long, long time.

I’m the kind of oddball fan who had a Windows Mobile device. Windows Mobile 6 upgraded to 6.1, learned some tricks on XDA Developers and hacked my own builds of Windows Mobile 6.5 on to HTC “Vogue” phones. I went on to use Windows Phone 7, 7.5, and 7.8, then another couple of phones with Windows Phone 8 and 8.1. Windows 10 Mobile should be available for my Lumia 640 in the near future and here I go, yet again, sticking with Windows and my strong desire to toy with the latest and greatest.

It’s an operating system. With a 30 year history, I’m actually older than Windows, even though I wasn’t exposed to it until I was almost 10. It seems strange that I would care what’s on my computer so much. But as someone who has owned Android devices, and iOS devices, and who has had lots of exposure to OS X, and loves tinkering with various Linux builds (Ubuntu, CentOS, Linux Mint, Debian, Fedora are all builds I’ve had installed to at least a VM if not more in the last year or two)… I love tinkering. But I genuinely love sticking with Windows. I feel right at home, even when they change everything you think you know about it, like they did with Windows 8, I was happy to learn all about it.

Microsoft has been keeping up with updating the History of Windows page and does have some fun geek trivia, so give it a look!

LibreOffice (and it’s grand daddy, OpenOffice) are excellent programs with a long history in the Open Source community. The projects provide a wonderful inexpensive or even completely free alternative to the power house, Microsoft Office.

I’m often asked if there’s a way to open your Word, Excel, even PowerPoint files with LibreOffice. The good news is that once you install LibreOffice, it can automatically take over file associations, meaning that when you double click a .DOC (Word ’97-2003) or .DOCX (Word 2007-2016) file, it will open right up in the LibreOffice “Writer” module, just as if it were opening in Word.

But what about Saving files? By default, LibreOffice uses an ‘Open Document Format’ or ODF Text (.odt) file format to save documents. Although these should open in Microsoft Word, sometimes you send these files to colleagues, friends, or teachers, and the document won’t open on their end, and you catch heat. So the easiest thing to do is to make sure you’re saving all of your files in a compatible Microsoft Word format. Same goes for other document types. I’ll show you how to change the DEFAULT SAVE-AS FILE TYPE in LibreOffice to Microsoft compatible documents (I will provide examples of “Word” and “Excel” compatible files, once you have this down, you will be able to do other formats as well).

1. With LibreOffice installed (for this example I’m using version 5.0.1.2, September 2015), just click the “LibreOffice” icon on the desktop or in the Start Menu, then click “Writer Document” on the left, to create a new Writer document.
2. Click Tools from the Menu Bar across the top, then Options at the bottom of the Tools menu.

3. In the Options Menu, click the “+” sign beside “Load/Save” then click on General underneath that.
4. At the bottom right, you’ll see an option that says “ODF Text Document.” Click that Drop Down and change it to Microsoft Word 2007-2013 XML (to save as .DOCX), or Microsoft Word 97-2003 (to save as .DOC).

5. Next, click the drop down box above that, which simply says “Text document” and change it to “Spreadsheet.”
6. Now change the bottom box from “ODF Spreadsheet” to Microsoft Excel 2007-2013 XML (for saving as .XLSX files), or Excel 97-2003 (to save as .XLS files).

7. Click OK.

You can also change “Presentations” to PowerPoint compatible files (.pptx/,ppt). Important when choosing a Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint format, make sure you do not choose “TEMPLATE” by mistake. You do not want to save your every-day documents as TEMPLATES (an option you can see in some of the drop down list screen shots above), or that will cause issues for the people opening them.

That should do the trick, though! You now have a fully functional free alternative to Microsoft Office! Enjoy!

Now that you’ve upgraded to Windows 10, there’s the “Ask me anything” field at the bottom of the screen, right next to the Start Button. If you click on that, you’ll get introduced to Cortana, your personal assistant. We were promised the ability to activate Cortana by voice, by saying “He, Cortana” – but I didn’t see that option when I first started using the new feature. I clicked the Microphone, and it had me say a phrase so that it could adjust volume levels and learn to understand me better, but nothing was mentioned of “Hey Cortana.” So I did some digging.

First, you have to click in the “Ask me anything” box, then click on Cortana’s notebook on the left, then click the settings cog icon. Once you’re in there, you can scroll down and enable “Hey Cortana.” By default, it’s designed to listen for any mention of that phrase (meaning she will respond “to anyone”). You’ll notice the option to respond “to me” is probably not selectable, but you can easily click “learn my voice” and speak a half-dozen phrases, saying “hey Cortana” before each one. If you use the same cadence each time, she will learn to better respond only to you, and not every podcast you listen to or jerk friend near by.

If you have problems, you can always instruct her to re-learn your voice. Also, I’ve noticed that, after you ask a question, such as “hey Cortana — what does the weather in Saskatchewan this weekend?” – the Cortana window will stay up on the screen until you click the “X” in the upper right. OR you can use another command, “Hey Cortana — please close” and the Window will go away.

It’s also worth noting that, if you speak up, Cortana can hear you over your music, and will pause the music playing to listen to your question. When you’re done, you can say “Hey Cortana — resume music” and Groove Music will pick up right where it left off. I haven’t tested this with Windows Media Player or any other software, yet, but I did find that to be pretty darn handy!

I’ve been reading people complaining about this for a few weeks now. It’s completely blown out of proportion, and has been a feature in Windows Phone for over a year.

The central reason people put passwords on their Wi-Fi is to stop total strangers from sitting in a parked car on the street and using their internet. Wi-Fi Sense, if enabled, allows you to share connectivity with your friends, without having to reveal the actual passwords. If anything, it’s not only more convenient, but safer.

1. You have the option of turning this service on or off when installing Windows. It’s not hidden in a menu, or (more…)

People have worked themselves into a frenzy, but I have discussed why I think this has been blown out of proportion. Although you should have selected whether or not you want this feature enabled when you first set up Windows 10, if you want to check your settings and change them either to share or lock yourself down, here are some instructions for you!

First, get in to Windows 10’s Wi-Fi settings. Simply use the search bar at the bottom of the new Start Menu and type wifi, then click “Change Wi-Fi Settings.”

(more…)

We already discussed whether or not you should take Microsoft up on their offer to upgrade you to Windows 10. In that article, I specifically mention that, although Windows my prompt you to perform the upgrade, even if you want to it, it may be wise to wait a month to see if any headlines emerge with catastrophic upgrade stories, and give Microsoft time to patch the Upgrade process, if so. Perhaps waiting until November of 2015 isn’t so bad. You have a full year to claim the free upgrade, so don’t be in a rush.

When you’ve decided you’re going forward with the upgrade, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re doing it safely (more…)

We already discussed whether or not you should take Microsoft up on their offer to upgrade you to Windows 10. In that article, I specifically mention that, although Windows my prompt you to perform the upgrade, even if you want to it, it may be wise to wait a month to see if any headlines emerge with catastrophic upgrade stories, and give Microsoft time to patch the Upgrade process, if so. Perhaps waiting until November of 2015 isn’t so bad. You have a full year to claim the free upgrade, so don’t be in a rush.

When you’ve decided you’re going forward with the upgrade, it’s a good idea to make sure you’re doing it safely (more…)

Many users are happy with their computers the way they are and are not interested in upgrading to Windows 10. We’ve discussed some pros and cons, but if you have made up you’re mind that you’re not interested, here’s the best way to get Microsoft to stop bugging you.

In short, you need to uninstall a particular Windows Update. Microsoft KB3035583 in particular. After it is uninstalled, you’ll need to reboot your computer, search for Windows Updates, then hide KB3035583 to make sure it doesn’t automatically reinstall itself. The step by step instructions are below. (more…)

A friend asked me, this morning, if it was true what he had heard about Apple having less than 20% of sector shipments, but over 90% of smartphone profits. I replied with a simple: “can confirm.”

Wall Street Journal reported those numbers yesterday, and other sites have been discussing ever since. It’s been pretty widely discussed believed, but this is the first time such numbers were confirmed – and they were even higher than many people suspected. (more…)

UPDATE 1: How to backup Windows 7 before upgrading to Windows 10 & How to backup Windows 8.1 before upgrading to Windows 10 articles have been published!

Original article below…

Alright, lots of Windows users have seen a new icon in the System Tray, lately. Recognize this little fella?

Clicking that brings up the offer from Microsoft to upgrade to Windows 10 for free, beginning July 29th. So that sounds great. But… should you do it?

First things first, my rule of thumb: if you’re interested in Windows 10, then by all means, go ahead and upgrade! But for people who don’t necessarily like change, here’s my advice: if you have Windows 7 and you like it, ignore the upgrade (I will link to an article, below, to help you ‘hide’ and ignore the upgrade icon). If you have Windows 8 or 8.1? I would say go for it! Even if you don’t like change, I think you’ll appreciate the enhancements Windows 10 offers over 8/8.1. But, there are still some caveats.

Most importantly, WAIT. Go ahead and “reserve” your Windows 10 upgrade, but wait to install it (it won’t be available until July 29th at the earliest, so you have time to finish reading this article). Windows 10 is “free for the first year” – which means you can reserve your copy now, and after July 29th, you have until July 29th of 2016 to go ahead with the installation at no charge. After that, you’ll have to spend at least $119 to buy the “home edition” and $199 “Professional” edition. But, just because you have it reserved does NOT mean you need to install it right away. This “enrollment program” or “reservation program” will simply download all of the bits to your computer so that it is ready to be installed, and it will pop up a notification letting you know it is ready, but you will have the option of ignoring or delaying the installation. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to wait until, say, September or even all the way until January of 2016, just to make sure any installation errors get the kinks worked out. I think it is important to note that I genuinely believe it’s going to be the most reliable upgrade in Microsoft history, this is the first time Microsoft has been in full control of the upgrade path. No more OEM upgrade, no more worrying about HP or Dell releasing a new version and mailing you a CD, it’s Microsoft actually taking the reigns. However, Windows 10 is going to have a learning curve, certain applications and devices might not work right. It is, after all, a brand new version of an Operating System. Drivers could go missing, or there could be other hardware problems you’re unaware of such as a failing drive, etc…

So what should I do?

I’m going to provide additional articles for creating backups of your Windows 7 and Windows 8 computers. If something in the installation process goes wrong, you will need to be able to restore your computer to working order. Stay tuned to this spot for links on how to handle the upgrade from Windows 7, 8/8.1, or how to get rid of that icon if you’re happy where you’re at and you DON’T want to upgrade to Windows 10! UPDATE 1: How to backup Windows 7 before upgrading to Windows 10 & How to backup Windows 8.1 before upgrading to Windows 10 articles have been published!

Confirming beliefs that the Windows operating system would be made available as a subscription based piece of software, in February Microsoft officially trademarked “Windows 365” at the United States Patent Office. (more…)

Update 3: In May of 2019 Microsoft released a patch for x86 versions of Windows XP and the 32 and 64-bit versions of Server 2003. KB4500705 protects against remote code execution. The patches have been uploaded locally and are hosted further down the page.

Update 2: Although I have “WannaCry / WannaCrypt” specific patches below, in June of 2017 Microsoft released an additional collection of patches for Windows XP with SP3, Windows XP 64-bit with SP2, and Windows Server 2003. I have not (yet) mirrored these updates locally, but I think it is important to link readers to these critical security patches. Microsoft specifically noted that these updates do not check Windows Genuine Advantage status.

Original post below:

As we well know, Microsoft has stopped support for Windows XP – so much so that you can no longer connect to Windows Update and download updates for Windows XP computers. If for some maniacal reason you need to run a Windows XP computer, I would hope you at least get it secured as best you can with the updates. How you ask? I have compiled all of the updates using the WSUSOffline.net tool, and assembled them here (more…)

Update: Almost 2 years after I wrote this article, it remains one of the most popular on the website, so I put together a brief video explaining what is written below, for the more visual learners out there. Enjoy! 🙂

Original post below:

When you’re initially setting up a router, one of the things you might skip over is the DHCP Lease Time setting. It’s typically measured in minutes, but how long should it be set for? What are the advantages or disadvantages of longer or shorter lease times?

In the average home router, your lease time is set for about 24 hours (1440 minutes). Some people set 8 hour leases, some prefer up to a week! The DHCP lease is how long a device reserves an IP address on your network. The DHCP reservation is the key. The device can leave the network, but the reservation can still be in place, depending on how long you set the lease time.

It’s a little confusing, so let’s use a few real world examples (more…)

I recently came across the need to play video files saved as .264. After much digging, it seemed I wasn’t alone – and the most common users of these files were people who recently purchased security cameras and were trying to open the video files saved on Micro SD cards from their cameras! You would think an H.264 video codec wouldn’t be so hard to find, but for some reason nothing I tried allowed me to play the file. After some additional research, I found that the company Zmodo is the most common camera manufacturer to do this, and they provide a download of their Zmodo Player software. On the page I link to, as it appears currently, you don’t need to choose an analog or a network product, just look below at the list of “popular tools” and download the ZMD Player / ZPlayer software.

Just in case they change their website and my link is dead, you can try to search the web for ZModo’s latest version – but if it is needed, the current version as of the time of publication on this article, ZPlayer_1.0.15.0_Setup.exe, is mirrored here on our website.

If you were anything like for the last decade, you listened to a lot of music. I had the AudioScrobbler plugin for WinAmp, so that I could use their data tracking to help me discover new music. Then Last.FM bought AudioScrobbler and I got on board with their service, which used Scrobble data from thousands of users to help you discover other music you might like, long before services like Pandora or Beats tried to create a custom channel for you. But now that it looks like Last.FM is on the way out, and that data may still be relevant to you. You may be wondering how you can export your last.fm Scrobble history? Somebody made it quite easy for you. (more…)

It’s that time of year again! Cisco has prepared their Annual Security Report.

My most interesting take away from this year’s report was the shocking number that 54% of companies polled have “had to manage (more…)

Recently, my sister, a Bar-certified lawyer in the state of California, asked me a great question with regards to all of the recent talk about email privacy. She noted that the article says that, if these amendments take hold, that the government is supposed to notify you within 3-business days that they had snooped in your email. But she wondered, what constituted notification? This brought several other questions to my mind, so I did some digging. (more…)

A new tool has been released by a group of hackers that makes hacking things like your iCloud account VERY easy. You may not know you have an iCloud account, but if you have an iPhone, iPad, Macbook, or have ever bought a song from iTunes, you have an iCloud account.

The hacking tool includes a pre-made list of 500 default password it runs through in a fraction of a second. (more…)