Tech Barista

10/06/2021

Will I be upgrading to Windows 11 right away?

The quick answer is no.

The answer is more nuanced and I have two major reasons why which I will answer in a bit; but first some background. I have used Windows starting with 3.0 which was released in 1990. The only versions I have not used since 3.0 are Vista and 8.x. ( For the Computer Geeks out there I have networked an entire manufacturing facility with Windows for Workgroups, and have used all major flavours of Windows 9x ( 95, 98, ME ), NT ( 3.x, 4.x and 2000 ), Windows 7 and 10).

Why am i delaying using Windows 11? First off I have found being an early adopter of any full release of Windows has its challenges and adventures. There seems to be always something pretty major that does not work - causing lost hours trying to solve or work around the issue.The second major reason is cost. The current computer that has Windows as my Operating System is not compatible with Windows 11. The two applications that I use that Must run on Windows will still work on my Windows 10 machine until October 2025. For the above reasons I shall not be upgrading to Windows 11 anytime soon.

Brian The Tech Barista.
October 2021

03/10/2020

I have a question, ok maybe a couple. If you have the option of working from home due to Covid-19 would you? If you decide to work from home or if you already do - what issues do you face or think you will face by doing so?

I am looking forward to your comments.

02/13/2020

Many of our friends are still running Windows 7 even though it is End of Life and Microsoft no longer supports it. Some users are reporting that they are not able to shout down their computers. This link as provided by ZDNET does provide a few work arounds. If you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me.

This Windows 7 bug prevents users from shutting down or rebooting computers.

11/16/2019

Wonder when the next one will be?

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10/18/2019

My New Computer - Cute Small and Powerful

This is my New Computer.It is a Raspberry Pi version 4. It's size is 3 1/2" by 2 1/2". For those that want to know some of the specs: it has 4 Gig of memory, Ethernet and Wi-Fi, 4 USB slots, a micro-sd slot that currently uses a 32 gig card as my hard drive and a 4 core Arm processor. In other words for a really small device it packs a pretty big punch. This micro computer has more "power" then my last windows computer.
I am currently running a fully functioning version of Linux ( Raspbian ).
This computer can handle most of my everyday computer requirements. Some of the tasks that I can perform on this computer includes, write notes or creating spreadsheets, check Facebook , update my website and handle my e-mail I am for example writing this post using the raspberry pi. This machine can play Movies that run smoothly from my own library. It also can connect to my home network and access and open any typical files. In other words this mini miracle ( which I am using to write this post ) can do the majority of my everyday computer tasks. There are only a couple of applications that it cannot run but that is more to do with the version of Linux I am using. As an aside Microsoft has not released a version of Windows that can run on a Raspberry pi.
In summary if anyone wants a really inexpensive computer that will run mot of your required programs, handle school assignments, surf the internet and check e-mail and social media this is truly a device one can consider.
If anyone is going to consider a raspberry i would suggest purchasing the 4 gig of ram version. There are versions available with less memory but most programs run better with more memory. I purchased a kit that includes the pretty white case, power supply, 32 gig SD card, keyboard, mouse and monitor cable.

01/04/2019

Are you still using Windows 7? The Time to start planning your upgrade is now. 01/04/2019

Hi are you one of the 48% of Windows users still running Windows 7? ( source ) If so, you should start thinking about upgrading to Windows 10. Why? Microsoft has stated that Windows 7 will no longer be supported by the end of January 2020. What does that mean? Will it automatically stop working? The quick answer is no, with a big BUT. The but is that Microsoft will no longer provide security or program updates. As a result there will be an increased possibility that your computer will be vulnerable to a virus or other malicious attack. Also, other software such as anti-virus and Microsoft office will not be designed explicitly to be compatible with Windows 7. In other words some programs once updated may stop working on a Windows 7 computer.

What to do? Even though the official free upgrade to Windows 10 has now ended there still seems to be a way to upgrade to Windows 10 for free ( here is a link talking about how it is possible to upgrade for free ). If that does not work consider buying an upgrade version of Windows 10.

If your computer is an old one ( five years or older ) then maybe the best solution is to use this as an opportunity to upgrade. When considering to upgrade take the time to determine how you actually use your computer. Do you only use it to browse the internet, check out Facebook and read and send e-mails? If these tasks are really the only tasks that you do then do you really need a computer? All these tasks at just a press of a finger can be done on a Tablet ( either Android based or Apple iOS ). If the tasks involve photo editing or video editing then maybe a laptop ( if you like the ability to use your computer anywhere in the house and outside the house ) or a desktop ( if you have a dedicated office or work area ).

In summery if you are still using Windows 7 on your computer start to think about how you can securely use all your applications in 2020 and beyond. If you would like any assistance with this - contact the Tech Barista. I would love to help.

10/31/2018

When travelling - a Tablet and a phone are just the ticket!

Recently I had to travel with little notice due to a family matter and I ended up being away from home for an extended period of time. Where I was staying had no wireless connectivity or Internet, but I needed to stay connected. I do not own a laptop. I do have an iPad Pro but the model I purchased only has wifi.

I setup my iPhone to be a hotspot. By creating a hotspot my iPhone became a wifi router using my phones data plan. I was then able to connect my iPad to the Internet. I would download my e-mails and read them later. I used OneNote as a diary to keep track of my daily activities and my ever evolving to-do list.When I was connected to the internet my updates were uploaded to the cloud. Using only my iPad and iPhone I booked train tickets, used Google Maps to locate retail outlets and restaurants, researched, kept current with the news, used messenger to keep other family members updated, watched previously downloaded movies and used my iPad as an ereader. I did not need a laptop computer, the tablet did everything that i needed or wanted to do. It is a true travel companion.

This experience further strengthened my belief that an iPad is a senior friendly device. With just a touch on an icon I was able to launch every application I required, E-mail, browser, movies, books, google; in short everything.

So next time when you travel and you do need to stay connected consider a Tablet, they truly can do almost everything a computer can do.

Happy travelling!

10/26/2018

We cut the Cord and you can to! 10/26/2018

We finally did it. We called our TV service supplier and cancelled cable. We were ready to take the leap. Maybe we should have done it long ago. We do not own a Smart TV but that has not stopped us. Most of what we want to watch we can find on Netflix, CraveTV, Amazon Prime and CBC all of which we access using an Apple TV. Other devices such as Roku and Chromecast will also stream these apps and others. We just like the Apple TV. There are other apps we like to use on the AppleTV such as the radio ( we like to listen to Zoomer radio for example ), SiriusXM, and the My Computer app (which accesses the music, tv and movies that I have uploaded to my computers iTunes). There were a few gaps with using only streaming so I did install an inside TV antenna in order to watch some of the local TV stations that offer over the air signals ( where we are located we can access Yes TV, Global and TVO ). There are other TV channels that do not have an Apple TV app but they offer the ability to watch on-line using a browser ( using an iPad we can mirror the signal to the Apple TV and watch on the big screen ).

There are a few things we miss such as the Weather Network live TV, and some of the other specialty TV channels but in reality easily 90% of what we used to watch on cable we can stream.

So what is required to Stream and "cut the cord"? A good internet connection this is critical. If the download speed is not "fast" enough than streaming will stutter and not be enjoyable and if there is a download Data Cap the amount of data that is used must be monitored for it is possible the amount used in a month can exceed your data allowance.

The other critical factor is inside the house network speed. If your TV streaming device can be directly plugged into your modem then you have the best scenario. If not then you need to ensure that your WI-FI router has the capability to properly stream video. The Wi-Fi router needs to be able to support at least 802.11n. I installed a mesh wireless router resulting in a fast reliable WI-FI connection for our TV's.

The investment we made in a new WI-FI router, an AppleTV and inside the house antenna will pay for themselves with the Cable TV cost savings in less than 1 year.

If you would like some help in cutting the cord give me a call or send me a note using my contact me page.

Now to decide what to watch tonight..So many choices!

07/10/2018

This past week I was asked to find and restore a very important deleted directory and for another customer transfer data to a replacement laptop from an old laptop with a damaged hard drive. Neither client had a backup of their data so there was a great risk that their photos or key documents were lost. There is a happy ending for both of my clients - I was able to find and restore all the data. The lesson that was learned? It is very important to have a backup or copy of all your critical treasures. Computers are machines they do wear out and eventually fail. If you would like assistance with copying or even better setting up a backup reach out to the tech barista I look forward to helping you.

06/21/2018

So you are tired of your Internet Provider. You think they are overcharging you, or the service is not up to s***f. Maybe you are moving and your existing Internet Provider is not available at your new location. What should you do to prepare?

Internet providers love to provide "free" e-mail. When you initially sign up you accept the free e-mail and you use it for years. Now you are changing providers what is the impact?

The internet provider will cancel and delete your email. This means you have to plan your move.

You should set up a free e-mail account such as Gmail or Yahoo. You can forward key e-mails to your new account, look at all your e-mail subscriptions and change e-mail addresses. Additional work will need to be done with sites that require passwords and if you happen to forget the password that site offers to send a link to your listed e-mail account in order to allow you to change the password and regain access to the site. These sites then will need to be modified so that the password recovery e-mail address is now your new e-mail. Some of these sites include:- banks, utility companies and other on-line accounts ( such as Amazon, e-bay, Itunes and etsy ).

This is not an onerous task and there are many second tier internet providers that offer great value at good prices ( for Canada ).

If you need any assistance on changing Internet Providers give me a call.

Brian the Tech Barista.

05/29/2018

Is your router infected by Malware?

Current there is an estimate that over 500,000 routers have been affected by a Russian based Malware called VPNFilter.

If you have an older wireless router reboot it right away for it is possible that it is infected by VPNFilter.

Here is a link to both PC Mag and ZDNET that discusse the issue and provides a partial list of wireless routers that can be affected.

Please note it is recommended that you re-boot your device regardless of its age or even if it is not included on the list of known affected routers.

https://www.pcmag.com/news/361431/is-your-router-vulnerable-to-vpnfilter-malware

https://www.zdnet.com/article/fbi-to-all-router-users-reboot-now-to-neuter-russias-vpnfilter-malware/

Below is a list of routers vulnerable to VPNFilter, malware that can brick your device.