What the Tech LLC

05/20/2020

I think I posted something about this earlier this year, but I think this is important for those of you that have been using Microsoft Edge.

You will know when it gets updated by the color of the E and when you open it you will have to answer some questions to complete setup.

Microsoft Edge will be a variant of Google Chrome, so if you are tired of letting Google Chrome scrape up every sellable thing about you, maybe you should try out the new browser.

Today at its Build 2020 developer conference, Microsoft announced a bunch of new features that are coming to its Edge browser, and it also confirmed that the browser is rolling out soon.

05/19/2020

I truly expect these discussions to happen, but since the federal government will be involved it might take (Fill in the blank). Well you know the rest.

In addition, who do you trust more, Tech Companies or Federal Government. Now that is a tough question.

The pandemic is forcing tech giants and governments to find new ways to work together, which could affect their future relationships.

05/06/2020

This will probably get me banned but I'm doing it anyway.

Dear technology companies, please take the time to read the constitution. In fact just go to the first clause: FREEDOM of SPEECH.

Might be time to take away the unregulated status of these social media companies and make them act like the rest of the country. They are no longer platforms as they call them, they are personal information harvesters to make a profit. PERIOD.

The following is what Twitter is working on.

Twitter has announced that it's experimenting with a new feature on iOS, which will prompt users to reconsider their replies before posting them if they contain potentially harmful language.

04/28/2020

Hip-Hip-Hooray, Step one of returning to some kind of normalization.

We have stayed open during this time for all your needs and will continue to be here for when you have computer, Mac or phone issues.

ESCAMBIA COUNTY, Fla. -- Escambia County commissioners voted to reopen Pensacola Beach -- and all Escambia beaches -- in a meeting Tuesday. The vote passed unanimously, 5-0. Beaches will open 30 minutes before sunrise starting Friday, May 1. They will close 30 minutes after sunset. Title: Escambia C...

03/22/2020

What The Tech Message Addressing Covid-19

During these unprecedented times we want to let you know that as a local small business, What The Tech is committed to providing a safe outlet for all your computer, cell phone and tablet needs.

At this time, we will continue normal business hours until such time that it is no longer economically feasible or we are ordered to close. During this time we will be doing house calls as well. House call hours will vary depending on the volume of customers.

We urge everyone to take all necessary precautions for yourself and your families.

03/15/2020

It almost time for Microsoft to roll out a new Feature update to Windows 10 computers. If you have been in to What The Tech in the past week, you already have this release.

Below is an article that outlines the changes. Most are insignificant and you may not really notice much change at all.

As near the release of yet another feature update for Windows 10, it's time to go over the new features and improvements that will be included in Windows 10 version 2004. Here's what you need to know.

02/18/2020

How will the Coronavirus will affect everyone???

Well let me tell you. EVERY electronic device in the good old USA is made with Chinese parts. That includes cell phones, TV's and computers.

You might wonder how this will affect you. Prices of all those items are going to start to go up once the supply dries up here. In addition to the actual devices things like cell phone screens, computer memory and computer hard drives are going to go up in price pretty quickly.

We can already tell you that the price of solid state drives has already started to go up in cost. As of right now we have seen a 15% increase in wholesale cost over the past 2 weeks.

The other thing that will be affected is actual availability. Already certain memory and solid state drive modules are out of stock.

Increasingly some repair parts will just not be available, especially with the newer Lenovo laptops in general.

We can only hope this virus gets a cure quickly and things return to normal by the beginning of summer. In my estimation that is a best case scenario.

01/24/2020

Public Service Announcement regarding ANY message you get saying "Your Flash Player is out of date. Click here to update" Don't do it. If you do, I guess we will see you at the store in a few days.

I have been harping on this for years, but thankfully support for the most insecure app of our time (Flash Player) is coming to an end. Adobe wouldn't do it for years, but the browser makers have been trying to block it for a couple years. Good to see Apple pull the plug a little early on them.

In the latest Technical Preview for Safari, Apple is finally killing off Flash support. Adobe, along with other browsers, are promising to kill it completely by the end of the year 2020.

01/13/2020

Well the day will finally arrive tomorrow. If you haven't upgraded yet, come see us...

The UK's GCHQ has warned people that they should stop using Windows 7 for sensitive activities from tomorrow. Windows 7 will no longer receive security updates leaving systems vulnerable to malware.

12/13/2019

As we approach Christmas, New Year's and the end of Windows 7 support, I wanted to throw a few things out there to that we have observed over the past few weeks.

1. Solid State Drives are great. The cost has dropped so much that it no longer makes sense to go with the old school mechanical hard drives of the past.

Here is the caveat, when they go bad recovering your data is almost impossible without sending the drive off for recovery. The cost is very high and the recovery rate is low. Please backup your data to an external hard drive. The easiest way to do this is to use the built-in File History function in Windows 10. If you are unsure about how to do this we can certainly help you protect your dat. Just top by.

2. If you are using TrendMicro Anti-Virus beware that there is a known Microsoft issue that affects anyone who gets the newest November 2019 Feature Update. Before you allow this update, I encourage you to remove TrendMicro first. Currently, there is no timeline for a fix from Microsoft or TrendMicro.

On the note of Anti-virus products in general, you do not need to spend money on a third-party product. The built-in Windows Defender product does a great job.

3. Windows 7 and what to do about the expiring support. First off, just because Windows 7 is no longer going to get security updates does not mean that your computer will just stop working. It simply means that you will no longer get any security updates after January 14th 2020 leaving you vulnerable to scammers and hackers. In addition, applications will begin to no longer work or you will be pestered to upgrade to Windows 10.

Microsoft is not the only company that will leave you stranded next year. For example, several customers have reported that QuickBooks is warning Windows 7 customers that certain features of the product will no longer work after the end of life for Windows 7. I am sure there are others but this is the only one I can confirm at this time.

If you need advice on whether your existing computer can be upgraded to Windows 10 we can help.

If you need help transferring your data and applications to a new Windows 10 Computer we can help.

If you need an affordable Windows 10 laptop, we have them.

On a non-computer note, Only 62 days until pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training...

12/02/2019

Just an FYI about scammers using different methods... Pics are included.

Admins, take note: Hackers are increasingly targeting Office 365 with new and more sophisticated phishing schemes. Here's a snapshot of the most common methods.

11/09/2019

We will be open on Veterans Day, Monday, November 11. In honor of those who served we will be offering 20% off any service or repair for any current or former military folks.

Since our everyday prices are already lower than any other computer repair shop in Gulf Breeze, this offer is only available for items brought in on Veterans Day.