windows updates

More than one in four computers are running an unsupported version of Windows according to the latest monthly estimates. Around one in 80 machines are still running Windows XP, which was first released 19 years ago. The stats, spotted by TechRadar, ... come from Net Market Share. That's a company which provides statistics and analysis to websites. As part of this work, it's able to track the operating systems of sites that visit its clients sites. (Source: techradar.com ) Net Market Share believes it has data from enough sites to make reliable estimates for the Internet as a whole. If anything, ... (view more)

Microsoft has warned users of a significant unpatched security flaw in Windows. It's offered some key steps to take while the problem is being fixed. The problem affects all currently supported versions of Windows, though Windows 7 and 8 machines ... are affected 'critically' according to the Microsoft advisory bulletin. Attacks on Windows 10 machines are considerably more constrained due to its enhanced security features. Microsoft says its currently only aware of targeted attacks on Windows 7 machines, though that could change now the bug has been made public. (Source: microsoft.com ) Adobe ... (view more)

Microsoft will soon "reserve" seven gigabytes of hard drive space to make sure Windows 10 works reliably. But the setup may not work as planned. The change is scheduled for the next major twice-yearly update, expected in April, 2019. It's called ... "reserved storage" and involves earmarking part of the PC's hard drive as a place to store "updates, apps, temporary files, and system caches." These files are separate to the permanent ones used for Windows itself. (Source: microsoft.com ) 7GB Figure Could Increase According to Microsoft, the move will have two benefits. The first is to make sure the ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jerry K. writes: " Dear Dennis, I've read that the Windows 10 free upgrade ends at the end of this year. I have Windows 7 on my main PC and and my wife has Windows 8 on her laptop. In all, I find Windows 7 easier to use. Can we ... continue using Windows 7 and 8 indefinitely? Can you give me a few good reasons why I should get the free upgrade? " My response: I have been receiving a lot of questions lately similar to this, so I will try and answer this as best I can. First let's address your first question: no, you cannot continue using Windows 7 or 8 indefinitely (at least, ... (view more)

A software engineer has accused Microsoft of going to extreme lengths to push users into upgrading to Windows 10. Josh Mayfield says Microsoft is in a cat and mouse game with users who are explicitly trying to avoid an upgrade. We've previously ... reported on Microsoft's tactics to make Windows 10 an automatic upgrade for many users . Microsoft went as far as to recently reclassify the operating system as an optional update to Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, meaning it will automatically install for all users who have set their machines to trust Microsoft and accept all updates. As things ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Jan G. writes: " Dear Dennis, Thank you so much for your article on How to Fix: Windows Update Using an In-Place Upgrade . I have the dreaded 80070490 windows update error and can't seem to get past it. That said, I tried to do an ... in-place Windows Repair (as per your guide) but am having another problem. As Windows is getting ready to reinstall, the Windows Compatibility Report is blank, and won't let me proceed with the repair. I have tried doing a repair install on another machine and it works fine. Any ideas as to why the Compatibility Report window is blank and how I ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Dan F. writes: " Dear Dennis, When I run Windows Update, it tells me there are .NET Framework 3.5 updates available. Should I install these Windows Updates, even though my computer has .NET framework 4.5? Also, should I remove old ... .NET framework (versions 1, 2, etc) from the Windows Control Panel? Or will it cause problems? " My response: I recommend installing Windows Updates as soon as they are available (for the reasons I outlined in the comments section of yesterday's article), as the latest Windows Updates usually address bug fixes or security-related ... (view more)