Newsletter Archives

• MS-DEFCON 2: 24H2 is around the corner

  Posted on September 5, 2024 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 21.36.1 • 2024-09-05

  

  By Susan Bradley

  I can always tell when fall is in the air.

  No, it’s not a decrease in temperatures — we’re still very hot here in Central California. No, it’s not that pumpkin-spice aroma around coffee shops.

  It’s the technology headlines about imminent updates from Redmond and Cupertino. Naturally, that means I’m raising the MS-DEFCON level to 2. Here are a few things you should consider.

  Anyone can read the full MS-DEFCON Alert (21.36.1, 2024-09-05).

  AskWoody Plus Alert, MS-DEFCON Alerts, Apple, CVE-2024-26248, CVE-2024-29056, InControl, KB5014754, KB5025885, KB5037754, MS-DEFCON, MS-DEFCON 2, Patch Lady Posts, RSA, TLS, Windows 11 23H2, Windows 11 24H2

• Designed for maintenance?

  Posted on August 26, 2024 at 02:44 CDT by Ben Myers • Comment in the Forums

  BEN’S WORKSHOP

  

  By Ben Myers

  Continued advances in computer technology have had a positive effect on the gear we use — faster, less power-hungry, lighter in weight, smaller and more secure than a decade ago. But maintaining and repairing modern computers present new challenges.

  The processor chips regularly produced today have up to 10 billion transistors incorporating many and varied computing cores, on-board cache memory, and a graphics subsystem and other circuitry to talk to devices attached to the computer — all etched on silicon wafers at a spacing less than 10 nanometers, or 0.0000003937 inches. Chipsets supporting the processors and circuit traces on motherboards are smaller and closer together, allowing for smaller motherboards, too. Memory and storage have grown by multiples of two with every processor generation. Computers such as the older seven-slot Gigabyte board inside an older large tower, once state of the art in 2010, have become the province of high-end gaming and specialized use.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.35.0, 2024-08-26).

  Ben's Workshop Apple, BIOS, HiRens, Newsletters, Repairability, Repairs, UEFI

• Intel’s troubles

  Posted on August 12, 2024 at 02:45 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 21.33 • 2024-08-12

  INTEL

  

  By Will Fastie

  In the nearly 50 years I’ve been following Intel, I’ve never seen the company in such disarray. Things are bad.

  On August 1, Intel released its financial results for its second fiscal quarter ending July 31. Although there was a tiny bright spot in its Client Computing Group (up 9% year over year), net revenue was down 1% and the company recorded a quarterly loss of USD $1.6 billion, nearly $3 billion lower year over year.

  Intel’s stock dropped by over 25% in the two following days. And that’s just one of Intel’s problems.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.33.0, 2024-08-12).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Intel AI, Apple, Core 13900K, Core 14900K, Intel, Intel News, Microsoft, Microsoft Surface, Newsletters, Qualcomm, Silicon, Surface

• Mastering the art of screenshots

  Posted on July 22, 2024 at 02:45 CDT by Peter Deegan • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 21.30 • 2024-07-22

  MICROSOFT 365

  

  By Peter Deegan

  We should all know how to capture screen images from our devices.

  The ability to capture such images — screenshots — is built into nearly every computer, regardless of brand, size, or type. Screenshots are especially useful in support situations, in which one image of a problem or of a system’s error message is more helpful than a verbal description or a written explanation.

  A picture is, quite literally, worth a thousand words.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.30.0, 2024-07-22).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Microsoft 365 Android, Apple, Newsletters, Screen capture, Screenshots, Windows

• Microsoft and Apple

  Posted on July 1, 2024 at 02:39 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  APPLE

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Microsoft has spent many years, and made huge investments, trying to bring the Apple ecosystem into work environments.

  In 1985, it brought word processing to the Mac. It has provided the means to allow Word and Excel documents to move seamlessly from Windows to macOS. It brought affordable tools to allow small and medium businesses to control and manage iPhones, thus allowing managed service providers to control devices without needing to invest in specific, Apple-centric management tools.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.27.0, 2024-07-01).

  Apple Apple, Business Computing, Email, Intune, Microsoft 365, Newsletters, Security, Smartphones, Word Processing

• Whom can you trust with your data?

  Posted on June 24, 2024 at 02:45 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 21.26 • 2024-06-24

  Look for our BONUS issue on July 1, 2024!

  ON SECURITY

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Taming that technology

  Two years ago, we added a tagline to our logo: “Tame Your Tech.” My idea was that you must be in control of the technology that surrounds you, and that we’re here to help.

  But lately, I’ve been feeling as if I ought to add yet another tagline: “Whom should you trust with your technology?”

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.26.0, 2024-06-24).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  On Security Apple, Copilot+ PCs, Hardware, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, Recall

• Apple turns on ‘Discoverable by Others.’ Should you worry?

  Posted on April 15, 2024 at 02:44 CDT by B. Livingston • Comment in the Forums

  PUBLIC DEFENDER

  

  By Brian Livingston

  The blogosphere has been going nuts lately after learning that Apple quietly turned on by default an iPhone setting known as “Discoverable by Others.”

  Despite your initial shock after hearing this — or seeing it for yourself on your phone — being discoverable may or may not be something you need to be concerned about.

  I’ll explain today what the setting does and why you might want to leave it on — or turn it off immediately.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.16.0, 2024-04-15).

  Public Defender Apple, Discovery, iPhone, Journaling, Newsletters, Privacy, Security

• The M1 is dead

  Posted on March 11, 2024 at 02:45 CDT by Will Fastie • Comment in the Forums

  

  ISSUE 21.11 • 2024-03-11

  APPLE

  

  By Will Fastie

  With no fanfare, Apple announced two new MacBooks.

  The reason for the lack of fanfare is that Apple had little to say. I expected this move, and I’m not even an Apple expert.

  But there is a key takeaway — there are no longer any Macs with the M1 SoC.

  I’ll get to the lineup in a second, but first I want to share a lovely photo.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (21.11.0, 2024-03-11).
  This story also appears in our public Newsletter.

  Apple Apple, Apple Silicon, MacBook Air, News, Newsletters

• The patching year in review — for consumers

  Posted on December 26, 2023 at 02:42 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  We’re closing another patching year for consumers and home users (aka the “unmanaged crowd”).

  Will and I have an ongoing, two-year struggle with a phrase I commonly use, “consumer and home users.” Will thinks it cumbersome and that there is no meaningful difference.

  I define consumers as anyone running Windows Home or Professional editions but not configured in a domain or not using patching tools favored by businesses. Consumers don’t have an IT department (assuming you don’t call the teenager next door an IT department) and don’t use a managed service provider. Consumers usually have a peer-to-peer network (because who doesn’t have multiple devices connected to their Internet service these days?) and may use it to connect to shared devices such as printers. Consumers tend to blur the lines of technology and will use Apple iPads or Android phones right alongside Windows machines.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.52.0, 2023-12-26).

  Patch Watch Apple, Consumers, Drivers, Home PCs, KB5025885, Microsoft, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, Repair Install, Secure Boot, Very Small Businesses

• Closing the year on patching

  Posted on December 18, 2023 at 02:42 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  We need a little Copilot, now.

  I have a favorite Christmas song called “We Need a Little Christmas” (now). That comes to my mind because for those of you who want to partake in the artificial intelligence experiment know as Windows Copilot, you may end up humming the slightly modified song “I Need a Little Copilot” (now).

  The December updates start to bring Copilot into Windows 10. I say “start” because, like many things in Microsoftland, features and changes are no longer released en masse to everyone in the form of a service pack. Instead, the changes are dribbled out or limited to certain geographical areas.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.51.0, 2023-12-18).

  Patch Watch Apple, BitLocker, CVE-2023-20275, CVE-2023-35628, CVE-2023-35636, KB5008383, KB5025885, Newsletters, NTLM, Patch Lady Posts, VPN, Windows Copilot, Zero Day

• Keeping your devices up to date

  Posted on November 13, 2023 at 02:42 CST by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  Are you monitoring your devices?

  Just the other day, I tried to update an app on my dad’s iPad. That didn’t work, instead messaging that the device itself needed to be upgraded first. Apparently, the iPad had not been left on continuously long enough for it to get the word from Apple that an update was needed.

  A simple solution is to connect to power and leave it on for an extended period, such as 24 hours. That should be enough time for the device to be notified about updates. It’s not different from Windows PCs in this respect — keep them offline long enough, and they will miss the notification, too.

  Of course, you can be proactive and check the device every so often to see whether the O/S is current. That’s my recommendation.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.46.0, 2023-11-13).

  Patch Watch Android, Apple, Backup, iCloud, Jamf, MaaS360, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, updates

• Wrapping up July’s updates

  Posted on August 7, 2023 at 02:42 CDT by Susan Bradley • Comment in the Forums

  PATCH WATCH

  

  By Susan Bradley

  We’re at the dividing line. We are working on getting July’s updates installed and reviewing whether we have Windows 10 22H2 installed. Meanwhile, that window of opportunity for installing updates is closing soon.

  But that’s just the Windows side of the patching world. On the Apple side, we’ve had to deal with zero-day patches this month. Not to be left out, Android is doing last-minute beta testing on Android 14 beta 4.1.

  Read the full story in our Plus Newsletter (20.32.0, 2023-08-07).

  Patch Watch Apple, Cloud services, CVE-2023-32019, InControl, Newsletters, Patch Lady Posts, WSUS, WuMgr, Zero Day
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