Microsoft-Windows

The Last Time I Pre-Order A Product From Microsoft

Adelaide Techguy Computer Repair Adelaide, Microsoft-Windows, Radio Segments, Reviews , , , ,

Surface laptopI talk and write about tech for a living and buy all the new products that I consider people , listeners and clients will want to know about.

So back in May I ordered the Surface Laptop , Microsofts new product and waited for this week to arrive.

The Surface laptop went on sale on Friday in major stores such as Harvey Norman and is available but my Surface laptop was nowhere to be seen , it had arrived in Adelaide at DHL early Friday morning and was forwarded for delivery as the screenshot will show.

So late friday afternoon I went to the DHL facility in Adelaide to ask if I could pick it up as according to the paperwork it should have been there to be told that they do not deliver to my area and had passed it off to StarTrack and it would hopefully be there by tuesday.

According to my advice on my Microsoft account it however was still with DHL.

Delivery Receipt for Surface laptop

So I sit and wait.

You preorder a product to get it on a particular day – release day – Apple do this very well – never had an issue with Apple and their deliveries.

Microsoft you are making great products but your delivery to clients needs work , a lot of work , there is also nowhere on the account page to question my delivery with Microsoft so if it does not arrive I would descend into call-centre hell.

So this is the last time I pre-order a product from Microsoft for delivery , unless things change dramatically.

As the song in the video says in the video below ” you’re the one that I want ” but I will have to wait a bit longer ” – thanks Microsoft , thanks DHL , thanks Startrack

 

Wireless Keyboard & Mouse Issues

Adelaide Techguy Microsoft-Windows, Tips , , ,

Keyboard

In Windows you may occasionally get issues with your wireless keyboard and or wireless mouse.

They will normally work but what happens when things don’t start to work properly.

Number 1

Check the batteries … many will be shocked to learn they do have batteries , I have taken 2 calls on this subject , this week alone.

So change them!

Number 2 

Can be bluetooth issues so removing and adding them back in usually fixes the issue , here is a link to that subject.

How and why to use Bluetooth on your Windows 10 computer

 

 

What Can We Learn From The Worldwide Cyber Attack

Adelaide Techguy Computer Repair Adelaide, Computer Security, Microsoft-Windows , , ,

Cyber-attack

Saturday morning in Australia we learned of a worldwide cyber attack that caused amongst other things , hospitals in the UK to be disrupted when they were unable to access their computer systems as they were ” locked out ” due to ransomware running on their systems.

Are you at risk?

  • If you ignored the March 2017 security update, where the vulnerability was identified and Security Update for Microsoft Windows SMB Server (4013389) which was rated as critical for all versions of Microsoft Windows.
  • If you have not updated your system recently, and I mean “March 2017 or later.”
  • If you are running a version of Microsoft Exchange older than 2010.

So if you’re running Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10, and you’ve been updating your system regularly, you are probably not at risk.

According to analytics firm NetMarketShare, only about 7% of the world is at risk for WannaCrypt right now.

So what can we learn:

  1. Patch your systems with Windows update – the attacked computers were running out of date operating systems
  2. Have a backup that can be restored after an attack
  3. Stop opening emails that maybe not for you – when in doubt don’t – if you don’t think it was for you it probably wasn’t – can i make myself any clearer
  4. Be suspicious of attachments – very suspicious
  5. Their antivirus did not save them – which once again shows that you need to rely on your actions – not an antivirus solution

 

Extensions,Hidden Files & Folders – Lets See Them In Windows

Adelaide Techguy Computer Repair Adelaide, Microsoft-Windows, Tech Advice ,

Computer Files

It is a good idea to turn on the ability to see hidden files and extensions on your Windows computer.

First go to Control Panel

Then open File Explorer Options

Go to View – then select the ” Show Hidden Files , Folders and Drives ”

You should also remove the tick from ” Hide Extensions For Known File Types ” – you will then be able to see exactly what type of files you have on your computer or if looking in email attachments , what you may about to run.

Issues With Your Computer , Tablet , Smartphone – The First Thing To Do

Adelaide Techguy Apple-iOS-OSX, Microsoft-Windows, Tech Advice, Tips , , , ,

Restart Your Devices

Restart – yes – Restart

If you are having any issues with either your computer , tablet or smartphone – restart the device.

I increasingly come across people that do not ever restart their devices for weeks or months on end – this is not right.

Tablets or smartphones at least once a week , computers – Windows 7 – every day , Windows 10 every couple of days – Apple Computers – every couple of days

So what can restarting fix :

  • Software & Operating system updates
  • Network issues
  • Software not starting
  • Multiple issues

When in doubt restart

PDFs On Windows 10 – Open And Alter In Word

Adelaide Techguy Microsoft-Windows, Tips , , ,

Since Word 2013 you have been able to open PDFs with Word and then edit the PDF document or fill in / complete information in the PFD document.

To open in Word just right click on the PDF and use the – “Open With” option to select Word.

It will then open your PDF as a Word document and you can then alter the document etc , then when you are ready , save it as a PDF again.

This can be especially useful when you have to complete PDF forms.

If a PDF does not want to open in Word it can be that it was saved in a particular way for security or it was a scan of a document but I have found that most PDFs can be opened and aletered this way.

 

 

In The Online World Your ID Is Important

Adelaide Techguy Apple-iOS-OSX, Computer Repair Adelaide, Computer Security, Google-Android, Microsoft-Windows , , , ,

Whether you have an Apple account for your Mac , iPad , iPhone or a Windows device or a Google account your ID to log in is important and something you should know , remember and manage when necessary.

All of these require:

  • An email address
  • A password
  • In some cases a recovery email address 
  • A mobile phone number for 2 factor authentication – you really should do this they will not spam you

If you decide for a reason to change your email address which is linked to any of the accounts above , you need to make the change to your IDs before you make the change to your regular email address as if things go wrong you may lose access to that account or have to jump through some hoops to get back in.

Learn how to logon to these accounts and check your details.

Android users take note , you have a Google Account – a gmail address – learn how to access it on a computer.

Apple devices are tied to your Apple ID

Microsoft users need it for Windows 10 , Office 365 , Outlook.com , Hotmail 

IDs can be checked at:

Google Login

Apple ID

Microsoft Account