Friday, March 25, 2016

Tech News 03/25/16

               Today, I'm going to discuss two technology issues that been on my mind laterly. I'm mostly going to discuss Windows 10, as well as current scams. As usual, I'm breaking it down in very basic terms. 

-Windows 10

As some may have experience and/or read, Microsoft has made it where a PC running 7 / 8 will install Windows 10 if they are set up to receive updates automatically. In laymen terms, unless you configured Windows Updates out of the default settings, there's a good chance 10 will be downloaded onto the PC, and ready to install during a reboot. Now, before everyone gets up in arms, let me explain why this is happening.
The main reason Microsoft is trying to get everyone on Windows 10 is they don't want to deal with another Windows XP scenario. Windows XP has been the longest supported Windows in history, and no one should expect software to be supported for 10+ years all the time.  I'm saying this because despite support being dropped over 3 years ago, it's still being used despite how open it is to security threats. To be blunt, I know what I'm doing, and I won't even run XP. Now, with Google dropping XP support in April, I'm hoping Windows XP will finally go away.
Microsoft's biggest fear is over time, Windows 7 will turn into the new XP, as in no one will upgrade or get rid of it. To make things worse, Microsoft has extended support for 7 till 2020. Don't get me wrong. I still love Windows 7, but there will be a time it will be outdated, and harder to find support for it. Unless you need an older OS for a very specific reason, then I suggest upgrading your system every 3 years where they become cheaper to replace than repair so you're not facing this issue.
In case you're wondering why I barely mention Vista and 8 is because they were commercial flops. Like Star Trek movies, Windows releases follow a good-bad cycle. They release a good one, and the next one is bad. Vista was a failure at launch, and the new interface for 8 killed it. In order, here's the cycle for the last fifteen years or so:
Good: 98, XP,7, and 10
Bad: ME, Vista, and 8

Also, like XP, any Vista system should be tossed at this point. The level of support for Vista is getting to XP levels.
Far as removing 10 once it installs, I honestly feel unless you have a very specific program or reason, learn how to use it. It's the new direction of Windows, and honestly, it's not that bad. The interface is way easier than 8's, and it runs better than Windows 7.  Far as Office (since most people reading this are writers), I can verify every version from 2000 up does work on 10 with no issues.

-Scam Sites / Calls

Computers cams will always be a topic when it comes to technology. However, instead of going through their entire history, I'm focusing on the two major ones out there.

The first one is the scam site. When you click on the wrong link, you may see this screen:




This is purely a scam. If this was a true Windows error, it wouldn't be loading in your web browser. Second, it's such a scam, I can get them to load on my Android phone. In other words, never call the number, and don't freak out. It's all a scare tactic website, so whatever it's claiming is 100% nonsense. To remove it, either close down your browser, or worst case, reboot the PC.  That's how you fix them.
The second one is the scam call. A person who claims to be calling from a major computer company, mostly Microsoft, will say you got a virus. This is a scam as well since computers rarely, ever call you directly unless you called them first and make arrangements for them to call you back. Also, if Microsoft really did call everyone that has and/or had a virus on your system, they would do nothing besides phone calls. Again, hang up, and ignore whatever you say.

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