23Feb 2017 by richard@baronsoftware.com

Four steps to reduce the pain of Windows 7 installations using cumulative updates

Computer PC Tips - bits and bytes
Four steps to reduce the pain of Windows 7 installations using cumulative updates Excellent article by Ed Bott about reinstalling a fresh Windows 7 machine.  A few simple steps and you can cut down the amount of time necessary to install Windows 7.  As an technical person the time and effort to reinstall any operating system can be long and boring.  Various times in the day you need to stop to review what point you are up to and go back to the other tasks at hand. Windows 7 celebrates its eighth birthday in 2017.  Based on Microsoft there will be a 10-year support plan so the phase out will happen sometime in 2020.  There has been numerous updates over the past 8 years so it does take a lot…
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10Feb 2017 by richard@baronsoftware.com

Getting Started with WinZip 21

Computer PC Tips - bits and bytes, Software Releases
Simple tutorial on how to use WinZip 21 How to Zip Files WinZip is the perfect tool for collecting and compressing files that you want to share or archive. In addition, when sending and receiving confidential files, it makes for an easy-to-use security tool. Let’s look at two ways to zip files: one quick, one with more options. How to zip a group of files quickly This is a quick way to zip files that are stored in the same location. It takes very few steps, but still gives you access to settings for encryption and other options. Select the files that you want to add to the Zip file (they must be in the same location). Right-click one of the selected files and choose Add to Zip file... The…
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10Feb 2017 by richard@baronsoftware.com

Cybersecurity risks expected to increase in 2017

Computer PC Tips - bits and bytes, Software Events
Cybersecurity risks expected to increase in 2017 The year 2016 saw a rise in cyber-attacks, both ransomware and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) on small and large corporations globally.  Close to 50 percent of companies were subjected to some form of cyber-ransom attack in 2016.  Whether the ransom was medical records or street lamps, the threat is real.  Major DDoS attacks compromised many websites including prominent ones such as Twitter, Netflix, PayPal, and Pinterest. Yahoo was hit with the biggest data breach in history with information being stolen from 500 million user accounts. Company concerns should focus on these items Data loss. Service Outage. Damaged Reputation. Customers or partners loss. According to a recent report by Forbes on cybersecurity risks in Asia-pacific in 2017, DDoS attacks will be an increasing threat to…
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16Dec 2016 by richard@baronsoftware.com

Learning from the Yahoo hack and how to protect yourself

Computer PC Tips - bits and bytes, Software development Concepts
Learning from the Yahoo hack and how to protect yourself How and what can you do to protect yourself or your company from being hacked from malware or virus ?  Some of this are very simple steps that you can do on a daily basis. Safe steps to protect yourself Step 1 - Make sure the email you are receiving is from someone or company you know before you do anything.  Opening up an email can trigger an attempt by an outside party to install something on your system. Step 2 - Make sure your workstations and servers have up to date virus and malware software installed.  Staying on top of updates is now necessary due to the daily virus creations that are being done.  You need to make sure that…
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20Oct 2016 by richard@baronsoftware.com

Nintendo announces the Switch game console

Computer PC Tips - bits and bytes, Hardware Reviews
Nintendo announces the Switch game console for March 2017 There isn't much information on the cost but it can be anywhere between $200 to $350 (USD).  This pricing is critical for Nintendo as to whether they think the Switch will compete against the Xbox or PS4.  Remember the Xbox one dropped it's price since the PS4 was winning on the console war.  Does this mean Nintendo cares about the war or are they going their own way with their fans? You can view the Switch console video which shows everybody either remotely, on planes, walking just playing their games.   Satoru Iwata, Nintendo "As proof that Nintendo maintains strong enthusiasm for the dedicated game system business, let me confirm that Nintendo is currently developing a dedicated game platform with a brand-new concept under the development codename 'NX'. It…
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