Daily Archives: December 23, 2024

• The state of Windows 11

  Posted on December 23, 2024 at 02:45 CST by Lance Whitney • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 21.52 • 2024-12-23

  WINDOWS 11

  

  By Lance Whitney

  With Windows 11 now three years old, where does it stand today?

  I’ve been running Windows 11 almost since its debut in 2021. At first, I limited it to just test environments. Slowly, I expanded its reach to my two main laptops and a couple of virtual machines. Only my desktop PC is still on Windows 10, mostly so that I can still easily access and use it. But when I replace my desktop next year, the new PC will be running Windows 11.

  Here’s my take, based on my own experiences with it — and how I think Microsoft has handled it.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.52.0, 2024-12-23).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Windows 11 Microsoft, Newsletters, Windows 10, Windows 10 End of Support, Windows 11, Windows 11 24H2, Windows Updates

• No, Microsoft isn’t stealing your data to feed Copilot

  Posted on December 23, 2024 at 02:44 CST by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  Social media “experts” are touting a false “fix” to stop Microsoft from using your Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files to train Copilot AI. Microsoft has only itself to blame for customers being suspicious.

  According to this rumor, Microsoft quietly turned on a way to scrape Word and Excel documents to train its Copilot AI system. It then suggests a way to “opt out” of this “new” intrusion. Supposedly, disabling the “Connected Services” in modern Office (File | Options | Trust Center | Trust Center Settings | Privacy Options) will stop Microsoft from spying on documents and using them to train Copilot.

  Not true.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.52.0, 2024-12-23).

  Microsoft 365 AI Training, Copilot, Microsoft 365, Model Training, Newsletters, Office

• FotoSketcher — Look, kids! Mom’s an artist!

  Posted on December 23, 2024 at 02:43 CST by Deanna McElveen • Comment in the Forums

  FREEWARE SPOTLIGHT

  

  By Deanna McElveen

  I’m not. So finding a free tool that makes me appear to be an artist was very exciting. And a portable free tool — even better!

  FotoSketcher by French developer David Thoiron (all things artsy come from France) lets you load a photo so it can make art from it. Let me show you. Grab a copy of FotoSketcher from OlderGeeks.com, and we’ll play around with it.

  The file you are downloading is a simple EXE file that you just click on to run. There is nothing to install. It runs on any 64-bit (most common) version of Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10. or 11.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.52.0, 2024-12-23).

  Freeware Spotlight Deanna's Freeware Spotlight, FotoSketcher, Image Editor, Image Generation, Image manipulation, Newsletters

• Reviewing your subscriptions

  Posted on December 23, 2024 at 02:42 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  On an annual basis, I like to review those subscriptions and services that impact my bank account.

  Many times, vendors use the end of a year to change their focus or — as is apt to happen more recently — increase their prices. You should do the same. Review each and every subscription to make sure it’s delivering the value you expect.

  One recent announcement? YouTube TV just raised its price by $10 per month, a 14% increase.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.52.0, 2024-12-23).

  On Security Backup Software, Browser Protection, Endpoint Protection, Newsletters, Password managers, Patch Lady Posts, Software Subscriptions, VPN, Windows 10 ESU