Newsletter Archives

• Inaccessible backups, and a dead laptop

  Posted on January 24, 2022 at 02:44 CST by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  How can you repair what you can’t get at? Today’s column covers two problems caused by very different access issues.

  In one case, a subscriber is locked out of her old, obsolete backup files; she can neither access nor delete them and thus cannot recover the huge chunk of disk space they occupy.

  In another, a different subscriber needs to data-wipe (“sanitize”) the hard drive of a fatally damaged laptop. But how can he wipe the drive when the laptop won’t even turn on?

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 19.04.0 (2022-01-24).

  LangaList Backup, destroy data, LangaList, Newsletters

• Let your PC start the new year right! (Part Two)

  Posted on January 17, 2022 at 02:45 CST by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  ISSUE 19.03 • 2022-01-17

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  Taking a little time now to thoroughly check and proactively service your Windows PC can pay off big time in the coming year.

  Whether you’re planning to move to Windows 11 or stick with Windows 10 (or even 8.1!), this easy-to-follow annual checkup is preventive medicine that can help ensure that your PC begins 2022 in the best shape possible!

  Editor’s note: This topic is an AskWoody tradition. We plan to refresh and republish it in January every year. In this year’s two-part edition, Fred provides abundant references to classic, detailed PC-maintenance how-tos originally published in Windows Secrets and AskWoody!

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 19.03.0 (2022-01-17).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 19.03.F (2022-01-17).

  LangaList LangaList, Newsletters, Personal Computers

• Let your PC start the new year right!

  Posted on January 10, 2022 at 02:45 CST by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  ISSUE 19.02 • 2022-01-10

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  Taking a little time now to thoroughly check and proactively service your Windows PC can pay off big time in the coming year.

  Whether you’re planning to move to Windows 11 or stick with Windows 10 (or even 8.1!), this easy-to-follow annual checkup is preventive medicine that can help ensure that your PC begins 2022 in the best shape possible!

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 19.02.0 (2022-01-10).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 19.02.F (2022-01-10).

  LangaList LangaList, Newsletters, Personal Computers

• More subscriber experiences with Windows 11

  Posted on December 20, 2021 at 02:44 CST by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  AskWoody readers are dipping their toes into Win11’s chilly (but warming!) waters, and that means there are more and more real-world cases we can all learn from!

  In today’s column, you’ll read the Win11 experiences of four different subscribers, learn of some corrections and amendments to previous information, and see where Win11 stands as of today.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.49.0 (2021-12-20).

  LangaList LangaList, Newsletters, Windows 11

• AskWoody subscribers test Windows 11

  Posted on December 13, 2021 at 02:45 CST by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  ISSUE 18.48 • 2021-12-13

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  AskWoody members are experimenting with Windows 11 … and getting mixed results.

  Today’s examples: One reader got good (albeit confusing) results with Microsoft’s free Win11 Virtual PC, but another suffered a much less happy outcome with a for-real installation.

  This column provides additional detail regarding the free Win11 VPC and the likely causes (and remedies!) for the second PC’s problems.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.48.0 (2021-12-13).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.48.F (2021-12-13).

  LangaList LangaList, Newsletters, Windows 11

• How to safely test-drive Win11 on your current PC, for free!

  Posted on December 6, 2021 at 02:44 CST by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  The anticipated flood of Win11-occasioned fixes and updates has begun: Microsoft, hardware makers, and software publishers are all scrambling to correct the problems encountered with the original Windows 11 release.

  I think the signs point to a somewhat premature release of Win11, as if Microsoft had skipped or shortened testing of the final “Release Candidate” version, shipping the software before it was adequately vetted in real-world conditions.

  But the fixes are arriving, including work by Microsoft and Oracle to release a 100% free, preconfigured, Win11 Pro virtual PC for testing and evaluation! Read on to see how to use it to safely set up a Win11 test drive on your current PC, plus more on Fred’s early Win11 experiences.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.47.0 (2021-12-06).

  LangaList LangaList, Newsletters, Virtual PCs, VirtualBox, Windows 11

• Windows 11: Not quite ready for prime time

  Posted on November 22, 2021 at 02:44 CST by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  These early days of Win11 are looking a bit rough. Driver issues remain the leading cause of serious upgrade problems, and some solutions are out of end-users’ hands until Microsoft and various OEMs and software publishers catch up.

  To make matters worse, Win11’s Device Encryption may stumble when upgrading a Win10 BitLocker drive, and the Win11 interface repeats some of the same mistakes Microsoft made in Windows 8!

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.45.0 (2021-11-22).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, Windows, Windows 11, Windows upgrades

• Win11 Home never completely lets go

  Posted on November 15, 2021 at 02:45 CST by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  ISSUE 18.44 • 2021-11-15

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  Even after upgrading to Pro, PCs that start with Windows Home can retain several critical Home limitations that royally foul up future from-scratch reinstalls and upgrades.

  Win11 (both Home and Pro) also continues to show other serious rough spots and omissions — with drivers, especially — that can turn a simple upgrade into a multi-day nightmare.

  Read on before you attempt an upgrade, especially if you’re using a Home edition!

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.44.0 (2021-11-15).
  This story also appears in the AskWoody Free Newsletter 18.44.F (2021-11-15).

  AskWoody FREE Newsletter, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, Windows, Windows 11

• Wait for Windows 11.1

  Posted on November 8, 2021 at 02:44 CST by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  Microsoft’s incremental rollout of Win11 is continuing — newer, more-compatible PCs are receiving the upgrade now, while older PCs will receive it in the weeks to come.

  You also can manually upgrade eligible PCs at any time, but note: Microsoft has changed the manual-upgrade methods, including a new Media Creation Tool and new ISO direct-download options.

  Today’s column covers that and more, including Fred’s very mixed early reactions to the final, shipping version of Win11.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.43.0 (2021-11-08).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, Windows 11

• Update fails, and WaaSMedic runs for hours …

  Posted on November 1, 2021 at 02:44 CDT by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  Windows 10/11’s built-in WaaSMedic agent is supposed to automatically detect and repair problems with Windows Update.

  But sometimes, it can’t fix what’s wrong; other times, WaaSMedic itself is the problem!

  Fortunately, there are a number of known solutions — including some new advice from Microsoft — to remedy this and other common Update problems.

  Plus: Edge won’t stay dead! And: A Wi-Fi dongle takes down a keyboard and mouse.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.42.0 (2021-11-01).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Edge, LangaList, USB, Windows Update

• The case of the missing Win10 antivirus scan results

  Posted on October 25, 2021 at 02:44 CDT by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  Windows 10’s dialogs are sometimes laid out in funky ways and can lack headings and other visual cues to help you quickly locate what you’re looking for.

  That, coupled with Windows’ inconsistent and variable naming and labeling conventions, can be an annoyance to most of us — but can actually enrage some users, as you’ll see in today’s first item!

  Plus: An easy solution to a conflict between MS Office and LibreOffice. And: Finding a safe substitute for a laptop AC adapter.

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.41.0 (2021-10-25).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList Antivirus, AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList, Microsoft Defender, Windows

• Can you fully delete the Edge browser? Should you?

  Posted on October 18, 2021 at 02:44 CDT by Fred Langa • Comment in the Forums

  LANGALIST

  

  By Fred Langa

  The answer is yes, no, and maybe, depending on exactly what you’re trying to do and what risks you’re willing to take. You’ll find the how-to information below.

  However, because Fred thinks removing Edge is a bad idea, this column also suggests a better, safer way to suppress Edge — a way guaranteed not to cause new problems with other Windows apps and services.

  But if you understand the risks and still want to remove Edge, here are the background and links you need!

  Read the full story in the AskWoody Plus Newsletter 18.40.0 (2021-10-18).

  AskWoody Plus Newsletter, LangaList AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Edge, LangaList
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