Computer stuff...
*Note – This is an opinion piece, not a review. And a short one at that.
I put a poll up last week to see what the regulars who stop by here think. Here are the results (as of this writing):
What is your opinion of Win 8.1 RTM?
No Windows 8 for me. (42%)
Waiting for Oct. 18th. (30%)
Meh. (11%)
It sucks. (9%)
It Rocks. (8%)
(Yes, I am aware this is an unscientific poll.)
[Read more…] about My Thoughts On Windows 8.1 RTM
After no updates for almost 5 years nLite is active again.
For those who don’t know nLite is a program that allowed you to easily create custom installation images for XP (and 2000).
The return of the developer is good news. Congrats and Welcome Back!
I know I will be using it to finalize my XP images just before XP support ends.
nLite Home Page
An update has been re-released for XP and Vista Users:
Microsoft Security Bulletin MS13-057 – Critical Vulnerability in Windows Media Format Runtime Could Allow Remote Code Execution (2847883)
“The rereleased updates address an application compatibility issue in which WMV encoded video could fail to properly render during playback. Customers should install the rereleased updates.”
There is also an update available for Office 2010 that I’ve not seen appear via Windows Update.
You can wait for it to appear or download and install it manually:
See this page for downloads and info – Description of the Office 2010 update: August 27, 2013
“Microsoft has released an update for Microsoft Office 2010. This update fixes some issues that occur when you install Service Pack 2 (SP2) for Office 2010. Additionally, this update contains stability and performance improvements.“
On occasion a misbehaving program may prevent Windows from shutting down. [Read more…] about Fix – Programs Prevent Windows Shutdown
Got Windows? You’ve got updates!
Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for August 2013
This article is about protecting your browser passwords. It covers; Password protecting the browser, 2 factor authentication, and password managers. [Read more…] about Basic Browser Security – Passwords
This article covers private browsing for Windows, Linux, and mobile platforms.
Private Browsing
(Also called Privacy mode, InPrivate browsing, Incognito mode.)
Basically when using private browsing most of the stuff usually stored on your computer by the browser no longer is. Among other things this includes cookies, history, and passwords. The security advantage of this is obvious (less stored information = less chance information is compromised). This browsing mode is not only useful on public machines but also shared computers at home and on mobile devices. [Read more…] about Basic Browser Security – Private Browsing
I’m not advocating it, but I understand some people may want to downgrade Windows 8. Here is how to do it:
See: Microsoft – Understanding Downgrade Rights
Downgrade only supported from from Windows 8 Pro to Windows 7 Pro (or Vista Biz, LOL).
Steps:
1 – You must have Windows 8 Pro (with license key)
2 – You’ll need a Windows 7 DVD or ISO.
You can download ISO’s here:
Windows 7 Professional with SP1 32-bit
Windows 7 Professional with SP1 64-bit
To create a DVD from an ISO use CDBurnerXP.
To create a bootable flash drive see: Windows 7 USB/DVD download tool. (If you have issues with this see here.)
3 – Install Windows 7 Pro. Do a clean install via instructions here: Installing Windows 7
4 – Activation. When entering key you will probably need to use the “Activation Support phone number” as per the Understanding Downgrade Rights above. Explain what you are doing. They will give you an activation code.
5 – That’s it!
Microsoft has a guide entitled Protecting Your Privacy Online.
It is an informational PDF you may wish to pass on to your not so tech-savvy friends and family.
Article revised and merged. See: Timer Tweaks Benchmarked