Windows feature edition 21H1 for Windows 10 is going to have its last security patch on June 13th, 2023. At this point, all Windows 10 users should switch to Windows 10 22H2 (2022 second half), or move to Windows 11. Need help? I’ve placed instructions in the May 2023 PC Updater News, available free for download or delivery at https://startupware.com/newsletter.
Mark that date. Tuesday, October 14, 2025. It’s the second Tuesday of the month, so it’s a Windows patch Tuesday, and it will be the last Patch Tuesday for a whole set of Microsoft products. This list is probably going to grow:
Also check the Windows end of Support Calendar for a list by year, of when the patches end.
I’m asked how to identify malware, a lot. I’ve created a video to explain what to look for. Here’s a start on how to identify credential theft pages, ransomware downloads, and hoax pages.
Dateline: March 19th 2020: That’s right, Science Translations, PC410.com, Startupware, even Graphcat, aren’t shutting down for Covid-19. And also, it’s remote work only for the duration of the emergency. Literally not going anywhere. All remote computer repairs, Windows tuneups, malware cleanups, and Windows upgrades are still possible and routine as long as the problem isn’t the internet connection itself. As for hardware, drop shipments are still working, and remote configuration is also available.
Working from home? FREE OFFER to new and existing customers, LOCAL ONLY: Free half hour of remote setup time for Splashtop Remote Access, plus a coupon for an extra free month on the Splashtop annual subscription. Local here means within my usual service range for onsite work once normality resumes its traditional limits, so that’s Carroll County and the north and west sides of Baltimore County. Daytime hours only, 9 to 5.
For more on the non-medical side of Coronavirus/Covid-19, read my March 10th newsletter, also free, available here: https://www.startupware.com/newsletter/
And for those who aren’t local, the discount coupon for Splashtop is also in the March newsletter.
There’s some nasty malware showing up in inboxes right now, disguised as fake receipts and documents, or delivered on web sites from a very fake ‘You must update your… ‘ message. While these have always been a major source of computer attacks, the current batch deserves special prevention and backups. CryptoWall 2.0, CryptoLocker, and other ransomware arrive quietly, encrypt all your documents in the background, and then place a ransom notice on your screen, asking for payment in Bitcoins or an untraceable money order. The encryption is not breakable on most variations of this ransomware; the best defenses are to never work with an administrator account (use ‘standard’ or ‘limited’), and to backup your entire computer on a schedule, and unplug the backup device between backups–these programs encrypt every document they can see, even on backup drives and networks.
We have more information on prevention, either do-it-yourself or as a service, here. And we can help with the cleanup, in central Maryland.
You would think that the malware pushers would know better than to place a phone call to a company that specializes in cleaning up malware and try to lie to us. Nope. So here’s what’s happening:
The phone rings, I answer, and manage to start recording right after. The standard LIES are that they’re from Microsoft, and are in the US, and can see viruses in your computer, and can clean them up, and can be trusted, and, on and on–all wrong. The skill level of whoever wrote the script is high enough that they do point to screens that do show information that is sufficiently technical that it looks scary. They take you to the ‘event log’–that’s a list of routine stuff. Not scary unless the computer is already spitting sparks out the front.
Don’t try this at home. The result of letting these guys actually play in your PC are not pretty for your computer or your credit card. When you get this phone call, just hang up.