North Coast Business Journal
www.ncbj.net
IT Beware of Microsoft By Don Knaur Microsoft is definitely the predominant software developer for PC’s. This is not by chance but by design. Giving the Devil his due, Microsoft has systematically destroyed its competition even when, in many cases, Microsoft has had inferior products. Over the years, the list of superior products that have been vanquished by Microsoft is quite long. It includes such products as Apple Computer, Novell Networking, Corel Word Perfect, Netscape Navigator, Dbase, Lotus 123, Pagemaker and many, many more. I am not writing this to bad mouth Microsoft, but rather to point out that Microsoft is not the computing expert that their Public Relations department would like you to believe they are. If Microsoft were as brilliant as they think, we would have all switched to Vista and the new Windows 7 would not exist. Microsoft’s Vista was an Operating System that did things the way Microsoft thought they should be done and not the way users wanted it
to be done, so most users hated it. In every version of Windows as an Operating System, Microsoft has included an Automatic Update feature that has been set to routinely install every update that Microsoft creates. This has caused a myriad of problems for the users. Frankly, most of the updates have been of little or no value to the normal user. I have had many PC’s brought to my shop due to problems caused by automatic updates. Just to clarify- this isn’t normally due to a bad update, but to problems that occur during the automatic update process. Files sometimes become corrupted during the download, which then can cause problems when the automatic loading starts. These problems usually require professional assistance to repair. Of course, the automatic installation can also be interrupted by brown outs or power failures, etc. which has the same result- a trip to the repair shop. The best way to protect yourself from these problems is to turn the Automatic Updates off. Yes, you read correctly, I advising you to turn the updates off. Here’s how to do it, if you are using Windows XP: “Left click” on the Start button. “Right click” on the “My Computer” selection from the “Start Menu.” “Left click” on “Properties” which
Small Business Basics Seminars The Ohio Small Business Development Center at Terra Community College is offering free, two-hour seminars, “Small Business Basics,” that will answer questions about starting, buying or expanding a small business. This seminar will take the confusion out of your efforts and help you avoid costly mistakes and unnecessary steps. Learn the basics of: name registration, licensing, taxes, zoning, business entities, employees, insurance, financing and business planning. The January schedule is: Wednesday, Jan. 5 – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Ottawa County Improvement Corp., 8043 W. S.R. 163, Oak Harbor Wednesday, Jan. 12 – 9:30 to 11:30
a.m. Tiffin Area Chamber of Commerce (conference room), 19 W. Market St., Tiffin Wednesday, Jan. 19 – 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Erie County Chamber of Commerce (conference room), 225 W. Washington Row, Sandusky Wednesday, Jan. 26 – 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Terra Community College (Building B, Room 101), 2830 Napoleon Road, Fremont These events are free and open to the public. To register or for more information, call Bill Auxter, Director of the Ohio Small Business Development Center at Terra Community College, toll-free 800-826-2431 or 419-559-2210. Or contact him by email at bauxter@ terra.edu.
will bring up a tabbed window. “Left click” on the tab that says “Automatic Updates” “Left click” on the “Radio Button” next to “Turn off Automatic Updates.” The first three steps of the procedure with Vista and Windows 7 are the same. However, after the third step, the window will not be tabbed. It will have “Windows Updates” as a choice on the left-hand side toward the bottom of the window. Once you open the “Windows Update” section, you have to look on the left side of the screen of the window for the “Change Settings” option. When you bring up that screen, you will find a “drop box” that will offer you a choice of settings. The setting you want is “Never Check for Updates” and it tells you that this is not recommended. Ignore that warning! After you have turned off the Automatic Updates, Microsoft will pester you periodically with security warnings. These warnings are persistent, but just ignore them. I am sure that sooner or later, there will be worthwhile updates for Windows 7 but there will not be any useful updates for Vista or Windows XP. When the updates for Windows 7 are beneficial, I am sure you will hear
January 2011
27
about them from someone other than Microsoft. You will probably even read about them in this column. When this happens, it is still to your advantage to do the update manually, rather than trust an automated system. I strongly recommend that you install these the same way I recommend any other download installations. You should download the file and save the update. Then install it; so that you will not be hindered by any corrupted downloads. I hope this warning to be skeptical of Microsoft’s advice will help you to experience Happy Computing in 2011. Have a Happy New Year! Don is the CWO (Chief Working Officer) of Help-Desk, Ohio, a complete computer service center, located in Suite A of the Courtlee Interiors’ Building, 2499 W. Market in Tiffin. Don has a degree in Computer Programming from Tiffin University and has been an Information Technology Professional for over 25 years. He started HelpDesk, Ohio in the spring of 1996 and opened his shop in March 2001. Don welcomes calls for advice or information at 419-448-8020.