Newsletter Archives

• Decisions to be made before moving to Windows 11

  Posted on April 7, 2025 at 02:42 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  TAME YOUR TECH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  I’ve been promising a step-by-step guide to help you migrate to Windows 11 as neatly and safely as possible. This isn’t it.

  I’m planning that for May, assuming the stress from tax season has dissipated and I can return fully to the Zen of Windows.

  This column is about the decisions you must make before you make the leap to Windows 11. After all, when you buy a new toaster you usually make sure it suits your needs.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.14.0, 2025-04-07).

  Tame Your Tech AI, LibreOffice, Microsoft Account, Microsoft Account Bypass, Migration, Newsletters, OpenShell, Patch Lady Posts, Start11, Thunderbird, Windows 11, WordPerfect Office

• 50 years and counting

  Posted on April 4, 2025 at 11:50 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  Where were you 50 years ago when Microsoft started? I was in junior high and it wasn’t until high school that we saw our first Basic computer. There was one computer in the math lab and that was it. Now we have the vastly greater computing power in our pockets and in our wristwatches.

  50 years later, Microsoft is holding a Copilot event on the 50th anniversary date (what else do we expect, I guess?)

  Where do you think we will be in the next 50 years in terms of computing?  I realize that many of us won’t be around to experience the full 50 years!  Will we get flying cars? Experience the lifestyle of the Jetson’s? Interestingly enough, we do have many of the technologies that were shown in that classic cartoon show.

  What technology do you predict for the next 50 years?

  AI Bill Gates, Microsoft, Patch Lady Posts, Paul Allen

• MS-DEFCON 2: Seven months and counting

  Posted on April 3, 2025 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 22.13.1 • 2025-04-03

  

  By Susan Bradley

  It’s time to put a pause on updates as I sort out developments from this coming Patch Tuesday.

  Therefore, I’m raising the MS-DEFCON level to 2.

  The security updates coming next week include all supported Windows platforms, including Windows 10. Seven months may seem like a lot, but time flies. Given that time is needed to prepare for the end of Windows 10 updates, it’s better to think that a mere three months are left.

  Anyone can read the full MS-DEFCON Alert (22.13.1, 2025-04-03).

  AskWoody Plus Alert, MS-DEFCON Alerts, KB5053643, KB5053656, LAPS, MS-DEFCON, MS-DEFCON 2, Patch Lady Posts, Windows 10, Windows 11 24H2

• Apple backports fixes

  Posted on April 2, 2025 at 16:43 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  Apple released several updates on March 31, including several backports to older versions of iOS and iPadOS. These fixes retroactively addressed three actively exploited zero-day vulnerabilities affecting legacy versions of its operating systems.

  CVE-2025-24200: ” This issue is fixed in iPadOS 17.7.5, iOS 18.3.1 and iPadOS 18.3.1. A physical attack may disable USB Restricted Mode on a locked device. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals.”

  That means businesses, journalists, and other highly targeted individuals. It was originally patched on February 10 in iOS 18.3.1, iPadOS 18.3.1, and iPad 17.7.5, but the vulnerability remained unresolved in older operating systems until now.

  Another bug, CVE-2025-24201, was patched in iOS 16.7.11, iPadOS 16.7.11, iOS 15.8.4, and iPadOS 15.8.4 and is targeting flaws in WebKit and browsers. It’s been backported to iOS and iPadOS 15 and 16.

  For more information, see this post in our forums.

  Apple CVE-2025-24200, CVE-2025-24201, Patch Lady Posts

• Reviewing your licensing options

  Posted on March 31, 2025 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 22.13 • 2025-03-31

  TAME YOUR TECH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Can you get a license for that?

  With the upcoming end of life of Windows 10, I’m often asked why I’m not recommending that you look for and install the long-term servicing channel (LTSC) version of Windows 10 or Windows 11.

  LTSC is a version of Windows 10 that was designed for devices that require minimal changes over time. It is primarily used in environments where stability and consistency are crucial, such as medical devices or industrial machinery. It is not available to the public and can be purchased only through volume licensing. It’s a platform that is intentionally not bloated, and it comes with fewer pre-installed apps, such as Microsoft Store, Cortana, and Edge (until the 2021 version). While it gets regular security updates, it does not get feature releases.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (22.13.0, 2025-03-31).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Tame Your Tech Adobe, Autopilot, Business Software Alliance, Intune, Licensing, LTSC, Microsoft, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, Software, Windows 11

• Removing bypassnro

  Posted on March 28, 2025 at 15:00 CDT by Susan Bradley

  We’re removing the bypassnro.cmd script from the build to enhance security and user experience of Windows 11. This change ensures that all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account.

  Today, Microsoft announced that the Windows 11 Insider Build (26200.5516) had been released to the Dev channel. The nugget quoted above is mentioned in that Windows Blog post.

  What’s it about? “Bypass” refers to the methods we’ve used in the past to avoid using a Microsoft account when installing Windows Home edition. It’s being removed.

  Does this bother you? If so, it’s time to get into that feedback hub and make your voice heard. Unfortunately, you may not be able to do so, at least for the moment. Use this link, which will prompt you to open the Feedback Hub app on your PC and sign in. Microsoft may tell you that “Your account doesn’t have access to this feedback.” That happened to me on a 23H2 PC, but I was able to get there on a PC running 24H2.

  Update: Click on the social media post by Will Dormann and the resulting responses. They removed the built in command file, they did not remove the ability to bypass it. You can just type in the commands by hand and still get around the mandate for a Microsoft account.

  Windows 11 Dev Channel, KB5054687, Patch Lady Posts, Windows 11, Windows Insider Preview

• Where is Windows going?

  Posted on March 28, 2025 at 03:00 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  When Microsoft started down the road of continuous improvements, it resulted in constant change that can annoy everyone — from end users to IT administrators. When I’m asked, “What’s this,” I must see the desktop to know what the person is talking about. They’re obviously seeing it, but I may never have seen in on my PCs.

  Yesterday, in the Windows IT Pro blog, Microsoft announced its Windows Roadmap. It covers only Windows 11 23H2 and 24H2. It promises to show when something is in preview, whether it’s a slow rollout, or is in general release. It provides estimated dates.

  When that odd thing shows up, perhaps the Roadmap can help all of us figure out whether Windows was always like that, or the odd thing is new. I suppose we can hope.

  Windows 11 Microsoft, Patch Lady Posts, road map, Windows 11

• System Guard service error still won’t be fixed

  Posted on March 27, 2025 at 03:00 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  When the preview releases come out at the end of the month, they are a clue of nonsecurity fixes that will be included in the following month’s security patches. So, once again we turn to Windows 10 22H2’s preview update released on March 25 and find that in KB5053643, Microsoft is not prioritizing the fix for the event viewer problem — an error regarding SgrmBroker.exe. Stated reason: it’s a cosmetic issue.

  If you are seeing this error, you can safely ignore it. It is not a root cause for crashing PCs or blue screens of death. It’s one of many things one finds in the event viewer that are benign and can be ignored.

  This fix is clearly on a slow boat. Identified in January, not yet fixed, and no sign of it for April.

  Windows Security Event Viewer, Patch Lady Posts, Preview patches
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