Daily Archives: September 27, 2020

• Win10’s ever-changing Reset functions

  Posted on September 27, 2020 at 21:15 CDT by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums
  

  LANGALIST

  By Fred Langa

  Microsoft has quietly removed one of Win10’s three built-in Reset options.

  In Version 2004 (April 2020), the somewhat confusing and redundant Fresh start option is now gone, replaced by an enhanced and clearer Reset/Keep My Files function.

  Another improvement: All Win10 Reset controls now let you choose between local or cloud-based reinstallation files.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.38.0 (2020-09-28).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, System resets, Win10 2004

• I’m almost ready for Windows 10 2004 … almost!

  Posted on September 27, 2020 at 21:10 CDT by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  By Susan Bradley

  The fall release of Windows 10 — 20H2 — is rolling into the station. But we’re still waiting to board Version 2004.

  If you’re a prudent patcher like me, you see a new release of Windows as the call to prepare for the most current release — i.e. Version 2004. As we’ve said more than once, even if you’re not ready to catch 2004, download a copy and save it for later. Next, take stock of your system and acquaint yourself with any Win10 2004 issues.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.38.0 (2020-09-28).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Patch Watch AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Domain-controller threats, Feature updates, Win10 2004, Win10 20H2, Win10 Preview updates, Windows Updates

• Web presence: Business social networking

  Posted on September 27, 2020 at 21:05 CDT by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  SMALL-BUSINESS WEBSITES

  By Will Fastie

  The major-league social networks such as Facebook and Twitter can be a big help in establishing your company’s persona on the Web — but often at a cost.

  I have an instructive tale about Facebook. The story is a bit dated, and hopefully the world’s mightiest social network has improved somewhat, but it will give you a small perspective into the intricacies of social networking — and the sorts of trouble they can pose.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.38.0 (2020-09-28).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Small Business Computing AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Business Web presence, Faceboook, Google, Social networks

• Freeware Spotlight — ControlUWP

  Posted on September 27, 2020 at 21:00 CDT by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  BEST UTILITIES

  By Deanna McElveen

  Microsoft is slowly moving tools and controls out of Windows 10’s classic Control Panel and placing them (somewhere) in the Settings menus.

  Eventually, Control Panel will probably disappear altogether. When that will happen even Microsoft probably doesn’t know. Control Panel was never perfect, but in my humble opinion, it’s still far better than the maze that is Win10 Settings.

  So, you can imagine how excited I was to find a Settings alternative that’s more like Control Panel. Builtbybel (formerly Mirinsoft) has recently released ControlUWP for Windows 10. The app checks off all our boxes: it’s free, it has no junkware, it’s portable — and it’s awesome!

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.38.0 (2020-09-28).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Best Utilities AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Control Panel, Windows 10 Settings

• Can you quantify the damage done by bad patches?

  Posted on September 27, 2020 at 17:02 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  I’ve long concentrated on explaining patches’ bugs and how to work around them. I’ve never really tried to quantify how many PCs got hit, or what financial damage the bad patches have caused.

  Some people think that patches in the last 20 years don’t break stuff. Per Daniel Cuthbert:

  In the late 90s and early 2000s, patches used to break stuff so people never did auto-updates. 20 years later, those still think patches break the world (they do, it’s super damn rare) and yet the pro’s outweigh the cons but an entire IT industry still thinks otherwise

  Here’s a request from Mitja Kolsek that asks about damage:

  Twitter friends! I’m looking for recent (past 5 years) real-world cases where an official vendor update broke stuff AND caused considerable damage. Personal experiences as well as proofs of my poor googling skills welcome.

  So, what do you say? Have any patches in the past five years caused you or your company “considerable damage”?

  Office Patches/Security, Windows Patches/Security Damage