-
WSDKS01
AskWoody PlusMay 23, 2022 at 3:12 pm in reply to: Want laptop graphics power specs? They might not be easy to find. #2448577My ASUS Zephyrus S17 GX701LV with an NVIDIA GTX 2080 GPU does not show any power draw in Control Panel, either. The power supply is 240 watts.
-
WSDKS01
AskWoody PlusThere is a third scenario for having a Microsoft account. It may only apply to certain users. That scenario is if at some point your ISP used Microsoft as their e-mail server.
In my case, I have been a customer of Bell Canada’s internet service, now called Bell Fibe internet or something. But when it first rolled out in 1994, it was called Sympatico and the install disk came with the Netscape browser. The domain name was sympatico.ca. I was a first day sign-up and have the ridiculously low customer number to show for that.
Soon enough, Bell turned their e-mail service provisioning over to Microsoft and Hotmail. That meant my sympatico.ca account credentials were automatically a Microsoft account and still are to this day.
-
WSDKS01
AskWoody PlusA really good step forward for Microsoft. It is geographically limited, as the article says. I’m in Canada and was able to download the software from the App Store. While it installed, I could not sign is as “This experience is not currently available in your location”. Oh well.
-
WSDKS01
AskWoody PlusFebruary 7, 2022 at 9:23 am in reply to: Clear Disk Info in “Our world is not very S.M.A.R.T. about SSDs” #2423717I also downloaded the program and it worked perfectly. No request for admin rights, either. Not saying your experience isn’t valid. just confirming the program works as expected here.
-
WSDKS01
AskWoody PlusDecember 20, 2021 at 4:31 am in reply to: Microsoft’s calling confusion: Teams, Meet Now, or Skype? #2407167This is helpful in sorting out the call confusion coming from a proliferation of platforms. Another wrinkle is the intended use of the platform.
I am a host/volunteer with Rogers tv in Canada. In the first week of the shutdown in March 2020, a Rogers tv engineer discovered that integration of Skype with any Rogers control room was simple with any laptop computer.
Since then this has allowed hosts to do their shows from home studios and to bring in guests remotely, from their location anywhere in the world, in a timely and efficient manner.
In my case it has allowed me to interview all our elected politicians on a regular basis, including our federal Member of Parliament, from their own offices anywhere in Canada. Instead of waiting for the MP to come home to do an interview, we just arrange with his staff to talk on Skype at a mutually convenient time, all recorded on the control room computer with bumpers, credits and all the whistles and bells of a studio TV production.
The only limitations are Skype dropping out (usually fixed by connecting again or, strangely, disconnecting and reconnecting my laptop camera) or having a poor internet connection. We also discovered that while the control room system plays nice with Skype and Zoom, it does not work with Teams, Skype for Business, WebX or other conferencing software.
What started out an as temporary solution, Macgyvered into place, is now a regular way of doing business. Who’d a thunk it?
-
WSDKS01
AskWoody PlusThe apology to those of us who live in rural settings is accepted, but the StarLink solution you propose is no solution at all. The reason? Cost. Even with promises of cutting the retail price, StarLink is still well beyond the reach of many.
Second, StarLink demands a clear sky, according to people I know who are using the service and have the resources to pay for it. That is not an option in many areas where the sky may be obstructed by trees or in urban areas, buildings.
What will be required is a number of solutions, including StarLink or other LEO systems (there are others out there) , improved wireless coverage (not necessarily 5G) and lower cost to the consumer. I know of people on social assistance, for example, who have to make a choice between spending less on food and shelter and having a smart phone because receiving government social services require it. That’s a larger questions but it indicates the scope of the issue.
I don’t have the solutions, but I know Elon Musk doesn’t have a magic wand.
-
WSDKS01
AskWoody PlusSeptember 20, 2021 at 5:32 am in reply to: Sanas makes emerging-market English sound American or British #2390740At least it’s not Canadian English, eh?
1 user thanked author for this post.
-
WSDKS01
AskWoody PlusI’ve often wondered if Microsoft knows how many “Outlooks” there are. Its lack of specificity complicates the heck out of trying to resolve a problem.
If Microsoft foists Monarch on its customer base and drops Outlook the program, it will make the dust-up over Windows 11 hardware requirements look like afternoon tea. That, so far, is limited to geeks; Announcing the death of Outlook the program will rile a large chunk of the customer base; enough of them so folks who write the checks will take notice.
There are too many actual working human beings whose work-life revolves around Outlook and Outlook the web in Office 365 sucks by comparison. Frankly OWA in Exchange 2007, yes 2007, was much easier to use because it worked an awful lot like the program.
Microsoft has this fantasy about everyone permanently connected to the Internet by unlimited bandwidth, unlimited speed, never failing connections. That is not the real world for a lot of people and won’t be anytime soon.
This. And for anyone outside an urban area who has marginal a internet connection (my DSL is 1o/.9 meg) with no opportunity to increase that and caps on their internet, the vision promoted by Microsoft of endless uploads and storage in the “cloud” is an alternate universe divorced completely from the reality of many.
2 users thanked author for this post.
-
WSDKS01
AskWoody PlusAnother variant not mentioned is Microsoft-run e-mail but branded by the ISP. Bell Canada’s internet mail service was once run by Microsoft. It may still be, for all I know. My original Bell Sympatico e-mail, dating from the early 1990’s is still recognized as a valid Microsoft account for Windows and Outlook sign in, just like a Hotmail account is.
1 user thanked author for this post.
-
WSDKS01
AskWoody PlusI have two computers. One is an ASUS laptop with an 10700 CPU and a desktop with a 10980 XE CPU. Both have NVME drives. When I run any of the Windows 11 compatibility tools (except Microsoft) they say that the desktop computer has a legacy boot drive and is not compatible with Windows 11. The laptop is just fine and fully compatible. The desktop has an MBR boot partition while the laptop has a GPT boot partition. It would appear I will have to reinstall Windows on the desktop after converting to a GPT partition. Oh, well. I still have a vacation coming.
1 user thanked author for this post.
-
WSDKS01
AskWoody PlusI have discovered that the Legacy setting means that my hard drive is set up with MBR and TPU, though present, is disabled. Changing the BIOS setting to UFEI gives a refusal to boot (blinking cursor). The solution is to reformat the HD with GPT. Not something for the faint of heart. The problem then goes away.
-
WSDKS01
AskWoody PlusJune 28, 2021 at 5:45 am in reply to: Have a smart home? A company may change your thermostat. #2374060This kind of system was used by my PUC in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada decades ago. They offered a discount on your bill if you allowed them to turn off your hot water heater between 5 PM and 7 PM. It used a mechanical timer. Nothing changes but the technology.
-
WSDKS01
AskWoody PlusJune 21, 2021 at 11:33 am in reply to: Short takes: Three interesting reader-submitted Q&As #2372657The question is interesting but the answer is incomplete. In North American households, the challenge is the cumulative load of what is called “Phantom Power” . This can include digital displays, charging units and even “quick on” features, not to mention heating and cooling systems.
-
WSDKS01
AskWoody PlusI just received the fix. I ran Windows Update and then opened Outlook and I could real all my e-mails again. There is peace in the valley.
-
WSDKS01
AskWoody PlusSame here. Trouble in paradise. And worse, I can’t post here with Edge. Chrome is fine but Edge rejects a Captcha
1 user thanked author for this post.
![]() |
Patch reliability is unclear. Unless you have an immediate, pressing need to install a specific patch, don't do it. |
SIGN IN | Not a member? | REGISTER | PLUS MEMBERSHIP |

Plus Membership
Donations from Plus members keep this site going. You can identify the people who support AskWoody by the Plus badge on their avatars.
AskWoody Plus members not only get access to all of the contents of this site -- including Susan Bradley's frequently updated Patch Watch listing -- they also receive weekly AskWoody Plus Newsletters (formerly Windows Secrets Newsletter) and AskWoody Plus Alerts, emails when there are important breaking developments.
Get Plus!
Welcome to our unique respite from the madness.
It's easy to post questions about Windows 11, Windows 10, Win8.1, Win7, Surface, Office, or browse through our Forums. Post anonymously or register for greater privileges. Keep it civil, please: Decorous Lounge rules strictly enforced. Questions? Contact Customer Support.
Search Newsletters
Search Forums
View the Forum
Search for Topics
Recent Topics
-
Unable to eject external hard drives
by
Robertos42
1 hour, 43 minutes ago -
Saying goodbye to not-so-great technology
by
Susan Bradley
2 minutes ago -
Tech I don’t miss, and some I do
by
Will Fastie
9 minutes ago -
Synology limits hard drives
by
Susan Bradley
17 hours, 27 minutes ago -
Links from Microsoft 365 and from WhatsApp not working
by
rog7
23 hours, 30 minutes ago -
WhatsApp Security Advisories CVE-2025-30401
by
Alex5723
23 hours, 32 minutes ago -
Upgrade Sequence
by
doneager
16 hours, 57 minutes ago -
Chrome extensions with 6 million installs have hidden tracking code
by
Nibbled To Death By Ducks
17 hours, 5 minutes ago -
Uninstall “New Outlook” before installing 2024 Home & Business?
by
Tex265
16 hours, 51 minutes ago -
The incredible shrinking desktop icons
by
Thumper
1 day, 20 hours ago -
Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.520 (23H2) released to BETA
by
joep517
1 day, 22 hours ago -
Connecting hard drive on USB 3.2 freezes File Explorer & Disk Management
by
WSJMGatehouse
17 hours, 33 minutes ago -
Shellbag Analyser & Cleaner Update
by
Microfix
7 hours, 17 minutes ago -
CISA warns of increased breach risks following Oracle Cloud leak
by
Nibbled To Death By Ducks
2 days, 7 hours ago -
Outlook 2024 two sent from email addresses
by
Kathy Stevens
1 day, 11 hours ago -
Speeding up 11’s search
by
Susan Bradley
13 hours, 18 minutes ago -
HP Pavilion Will Not Wake Up After Being Idle for Longer Period
by
WSwalterwood44
7 hours, 42 minutes ago -
Make a Windows 11 Local Account Passwordless
by
Drcard:))
2 days, 21 hours ago -
Ubuntu 25.04 (Plucky Puffin)
by
Alex5723
3 days, 5 hours ago -
24H2 fixed??
by
CWBillow
1 day, 21 hours ago -
Uninstalr Updates
by
jv16
3 days, 10 hours ago -
Apple zero days for April
by
Susan Bradley
2 days, 14 hours ago -
CVE program gets last-minute funding from CISA – and maybe a new home
by
Nibbled To Death By Ducks
2 days, 7 hours ago -
Whistleblower describes DOGE IT dept rumpus at America’s labor watchdog
by
Nibbled To Death By Ducks
4 days, 8 hours ago -
Seeing BSOD’s on 24H2?
by
Susan Bradley
3 days, 15 hours ago -
TUT For Private Llama LLM, Local Installation and Isolated from the Internet.
by
bbearren
3 days, 23 hours ago -
Upgrade from Windows 10 to 11
by
Holdsworth8
4 days, 17 hours ago -
Microsoft : AI-powered deception: Emerging fraud threats and countermeasures
by
Alex5723
4 days, 20 hours ago -
0patch
by
WSjcgc50
22 hours, 3 minutes ago -
Devices might encounter blue screen exception with the recent Windows updates
by
Susan Bradley
4 days, 13 hours ago
Recent blog posts
Key Links
Want to Advertise in the free newsletter? How about a gift subscription in honor of a birthday? Send an email to sb@askwoody.com to ask how.
Mastodon profile for DefConPatch
Mastodon profile for AskWoody
Home • About • FAQ • Posts & Privacy • Forums • My Account
Register • Free Newsletter • Plus Membership • Gift Certificates • MS-DEFCON Alerts
Copyright ©2004-2025 by AskWoody Tech LLC. All Rights Reserved.