Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows

Pine Rivers Computer Club Inc.
Random Access
www.prcc.asn.au
Next Meetings:
Monday Night
02 May 2016
TOPICS
Team Viewer, Apps
for Smart Devices
May 2016
7.30pm - 9.30pm
Sunday Workshop
22 May 2016
9.00am - 3pm
Newsletter 305
Inside this issue:
Editor’s 31 cents
p2
The Heart of Linux
p5-7
Advice About phone Scams
p8-9
The Do Not Call Register
p10
Windows From 1 to 10
p18-32
How to Block Win 10 Upgrade
p33
12 Insanely Useful Websites
p34-40
And more !
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Newsletter 305
Editor’s 31 cent’s worth
Welcome to the May edition of
Access.
Random
This month’s theme is … Windows and Linux
Meeting schedules back to normal this month.
Enjoy the newsletter…
Thanks to Geoff Isaac for his input this
issue.
ABM [email protected]
* This chapter bit might have been called "Introduction". But
nobody reads the introduction and we wanted you to read
this. We feel safe admitting this here in the footnote because
nobody reads footnotes either.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/COEiwNSWwAAENab.jpg
Michael J Dodd
COMPUTER SERVICING
PC AND MAC
Northern Suburbs
[email protected]
0410 545 029
07 3092 0171
MCS
Free Local Pickup & Delivery
Virus Removal & Prevention / Upgrades / Repairs / Data Recovery
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Club Raffle Winners
Ivan Dowling won a 240Vac network extender, Jonny Briggs won a
USB drive and Karen Paul won a USB keyring. Tickets for the next
raffle went on sale at the Sunday Workshop on 18 April and the raffle
will be drawn at the club meeting on 2 May. Ticket price still $2. ABM
Monday Night Meeting
A good crowd attended the club meeting on 4 April.
Leonie Tweed demonstrated Ninite, web software that automates
software installation. You can find it at https://ninite.com
Leonie also mentioned

Firefox and Chrome Add-Ons

Windows Classic Shell (www.classicshell.net)

Portable Apps (free Apps which run from a USB stick on any PC)

Libre Office (a Free Office equivalent which can default save as MS
Office files by going to Tools, Options, Load & Save, Save As)

PDF Creator (which works like a printer to create PDF files from
any software that prints).
Leonie invited the meeting to email any suggestions for future topics
to [email protected]
ABM
The Monday night meetings are a long term feature of this club's activities.
Unusually among other clubs we have kept having a night time meeting. To
keep this feature the club needs your ideas about what you would like to have
presented. If there’s any topic you want to see a presentation on then please
suggest it. If you know someone who would make a good guest speaker for an
upcoming meeting please put the committee in touch with ‘em.
Email Club President Michael Dodd at [email protected]
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The Heart of Linux
Editor’s Note: This is pitched
rather extreme but it does explain
they actual background to
Microsoft’s covert and ulterior
strategy in relation to Open Source
software and operating systems. So
it is not balanced but it is
revelatory… it explains why some
Linux people can’t stand Microsoft.
In this story, Microsoft is the
spider and Linux is the fly.
Everyone knows how the story
begins. ‘Will you walk into my parlour?’ said the Spider to the Fly.
The punishment needs to fit the crime, but in Microsoft’s case, it never
has. From the ridiculously small punishment for antitrust violations in
2001 http://tinyurl.com/q3zy79k, to the law seemingly turning a
blind eye to their patent abuses. http://tinyurl.com/zwmlg5b
What it all boils down to is Microsoft being fined millions while
making billions.
If Penfield Jackson, the initial judge in the Microsoft antitrust case,
hadn’t gotten himself thrown off the case for discussing it with the
press, the Microsoft of today would look much different. The pieces of it
anyway.
In the European Union Microsoft has had more suitable punishment
than the treatment they’ve received in the U.S. Some of the fines the
EU has levelled against MS have been nothing less than corporation
wrecking balls.
But the U.S.A. has a long history of using international trade status
threats all around the globe. When the US threatened Australia a
number of years ago with the same sanctions for not enforcing US
copyright law, Australia toed the line right away.
Now that the TPP (Trans Pacific Partnership http://tinyurl.com/
ofr792x has made U.S. copyright law universal for (nearly) all nations,
those individual threats are not as necessary now.
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The Heart of Linux (cont.)
And what, you may ask, does all of
this have to do with Microsoft?
Microsoft has all but written the
TPP. And what they didn’t write,
they “suggested.” None of this can
be proven because the U.S. has
forbidden disclosure of the contents of the TPP.
The larger picture doesn’t have anything to do with how I might feel
about Microsoft. It’s more to do with the open arms that have been
slung wide to embrace the “New Microsoft.” The Microsoft that “loves
Linux.”
Loves Linux my…er, behind.
Linux might want to pay attention to the hand that’s reaching around
to its back pocket. Redmond is in it for the money. What publicly
traded corporation isn’t? So, just recently Microsoft proclaims that it is
open sourcing a number programs “in good faith.” Good faith has
nothing to do with it.
New Microsoft boss, Satya Nadella knows where the money is to be
made now. Microsoft has made noises that sound much like Windows
is on life support. There
will be no more Windows
after Windows 10. Why?
Nadella knows the future
of Microsoft lives in the
cloud, and he’s on a one
man campaign to make
sure that the company is
as successful as possible
there. After all, he ran
the cloud division at
Microsoft.
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The Heart of Linux (cont.)
Developers are bringing their own tools to work these days, and most of
those tools are Linux or Linux based. Don’t believe me?
Here’s what MakeUseOf had to say in February:
http://tinyurl.com/zg6y5gn
“These days, Microsoft has begun to utilize Linux itself. In
September 2015, Microsoft released Azure Cloud Switch, a Linux
distribution aimed at data centers. This was no secretive thing, as you
can read about it in a post on the company’s blog. Its existence is an
acknowledgment of the pervasiveness of open source software in the
online world. The likes of Amazon, Google, Facebook, and Twitter
aren’t using Windows on their servers. The Internet runs on Linux.”
Is this truly a changed Microsoft? Personally, I don’t believe it is. The
day they stop this silly 235 patent case, then we might talk about it.
But you know as well as I do, if they pull the covers back on their lie-of
-the-century, then they may stand to lose billions in paying back those
companies they extorted in the past.
Microsoft is cheating and the only
reason most of its higher execs
aren’t in prison is that the U.S.
good ol’ boy network protected
them. MS don’t love Linux any
more than I love liver and onions.
They have realized that the only
way to survive into the next decade
is to integrate Linux… and
integrate it deeply.
Let’s face it. MS needs Linux more
than Linux needs Microsoft.
Original Article by Ken Starks http://tinyurl.com/gpr4zfk
Thanks to suggestion by Geoff Isaac
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Advice About Phone Scams
Last issue we had the Scams Zoo. Here’s a few horror stories
and some advice about how to do something about it.
The amount of money shipped out of Australia
each year through scams is astonishing. Billions of dollars, I’m told.
Mostly those scammed are older folk who lose their life-savings. There
are some incredibly sophisticated ones around.
One scam that a friend got taken by a little while back worked like
this: someone rang to inform that their bank account had been
hacked and that they needed to change the password, but please
don’t give me the password. That isn’t a safe thing to do. Instead, ring
the bank and ask them to change your password. The person being
scammed then rings their bank and changes the password. A short
time later they find they’ve lost everything.
Can you see how it works? The b*stards don’t actually hang up after
the initial call, keeping the line open, so when you think you are
calling your bank, your dialtones are being recorded by them so they
can use it to dial the bank themselves. They play the brrr-brrr sound
of a phone ringing, then the person on the other end pretends to
answer the phone and you give them all your details including the
password to access your account.
The easiest way to show they are indeed scammers? Ask them what
bank are they calling on behalf of.
Another way to check is to dial your own phone number instead of the
bank. That should give an engaged number because you are on the
phone. If someone answers then you know you have a scammer.
Another way to check is to dial a friend whose voice you know.
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Advice About Phone Scams (cont.)
Don’t ever conduct any money transactions over the phone. The caller
may be genuine, but if so they won’t mind you being cautious. It is the
scammers who will urge you on and insist that they are safe.
I find particularly annoying the scum who call saying they are from
Microsoft ringing to inform you of a security problem with your
machine. They have caught out a number of elderly women that I
know. (All my computers run Linux, which is much safer than
Microsoft Windows.) When they call me I ask them if their mother
would be proud of the fact that they steal money from people. One
scammer who called me, when I asked that of her, burst into shouting
flaming obscenities at me over the phone. I hung up on her.
One scam that I got stung by was a real Australian telecommunications
company which used sales people in India. They Indian guy I spoke to
lied about the features of the phone service. I agreed to switch, then to
find it was all bullsh*t. The savings weren’t there and I was now
committed to a 2 year contract (I’d been told there was no contract). I
cancelled it inside the 3 day cooling off period required by Australian
law (I always thought it was 7 days), but they refused to cancel. It took
me phoning them almost every day for more than a month to finally get
it cancelled. And that was only after the telecommunications
ombudsman threatened them and I’d cancelled my VISA card so they
couldn’t get payments anymore.
One of the best ways to protect yourself is to get on the “Do Not Call”
list. This stops sales people from calling you, under penalty of
thousands of dollars in fines. You will then only get calls from charities,
surveys, ordinary people (friends and acquaintances), and scammers.
The first thing I do when getting a call is to ask who is calling. If they
just give a name and I don’t know them I interrupt their spiel and ask
them what company they represent. When they give me a name I point
out that I’m on the Do Not Call list and they face fines of thousands of
dollars. I used to take part in surveys, but I do less often now because
many seem to be thinly disguised excuses for marketing. Charities are
another class of call I used to take, but now I politely excuse myself,
explaining that I live below the poverty line and already give to several
charities.
Original article by Miriam English http://tinyurl.com/z9dlfuj
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The Do Not Call Register
What is the Do Not Call Register?
The Do Not Call Register is a secure database where individuals and
organisations can register, check or remove their Australian
telephone, mobile and fax numbers to opt out of receiving most
unsolicited telemarketing calls and faxes.
Registration is free and you only need to do it once.
 Once registered, a number will stay on the register indefinitely
unless the number owner or their representative removes the
number.

Telemarketers and fax marketers have 30 days from the date you
register to stop contacting you.

Unsolicited telemarketing calls and marketing faxes must not be
made or sent to a registered number.
ON DO NOT CALL REGISTER YOU CAN:
REGISTER YOUR AUSTRALIAN NUMBER/S
CHECK YOUR NUMBER/S
REMOVE YOUR NUMBER/S
http://tinyurl.com/zebap6h
http://tinyurl.com/js7pnl2
http://tinyurl.com/hrh525k
LODGE A COMPLAINT
http://tinyurl.com/zhkp7u8
LODGE AN ENQUIRY
http://tinyurl.com/zzlcxbd
Need help?
Call Monday to Friday
8:30am to 5:00pm
Consumer Contact Centre: Ph. 1300 792 958
http://donotcall.gov.au
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Telecomms Industry Ombudsman (TIO)
If you are having trouble with a telephone bill or an internet
installation then don’t forget to consider trying this:
CONTACT
MAIN
LIST
PAGE
MAKE AN ONLINE
COMPLAINT
Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO)
www.tio.com.au/about-us
www.tio.com.au/making-a-complaint
TELEPHONE
1800 062 058
WRITE TO
PO Box 276
Collins Street West
Melbourne VIC 8007
1800 675 692
TTY
NATIONAL RELAY SERVICE Call 1800 555 677 then ask for 1800 062 058
FAX
OUR CONSUMER
COMPLAINT FORM TO
1800 630 614
Cartoon
http://tinyurl.com/
zy45s23
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Club Shirts
The Club now offers a club shirt like these, modelled frequently by the
more popular members at meetings.
They’re well made and attractive and will mean money, friends and
fame* for you. So order yours today!
To select the correct size please find your Garment Half Chest
Measurement in centimeters. Measure under the arms left to right
across chest from shirt seam to shirt seam. Then order the size above
that measurement. i.e. Up to 64.5cm = XL size. 65cm = 2XL
Price of shirts is $35 each. Please direct any queries to either Ivan or
Geoff at any Sunday Workshop or Monday Night Meeting.
* Warning: Fame may be temporary…..
MENS’ Sizes
S
Garment Half
Chest (cm)
54.5 57.5 61.0 64.5 68.0 72.5 80.5
LADIES’ Sizes 8
Garment Half
Chest (cm)
M
10
L
12
XL
14
2XL 3XL 5XL
16
18
20
22
24
48.0 50.0 52.5 54.5 57.0 60.0 63.0 66.0 68.0
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External Classes for Beginners
U3A:(Redcliffe)
“Learning for Leisure and Pleasure”
Classes at U3A are available to members aged 50 years and older.
Annual membership is $20. There’s additional costs of $2 per class.
Courses for over 90 different subjects are offered covering a diverse
range of topics including: Computers, Creative Arts and Crafts,
Music, Languages, History and more. See website for the full list.
Venue:
Contact:
Redcliffe U3A Campus
Phone 3284 2687
Sutton Centre
Fax 3284 4618
157 - 159 Sutton Street,
Web www.u3aredcliffe.org.au/
Redcliffe
email [email protected]
Website: www.mrcdr.com.au
Email: [email protected]
Northside:
Southside:
Unit 3, No. 3 - 5 Deakin Street,
Brendale QLD 4500
Unit 2, No. 9 Stockwell Place, Archerfield
QLD 4108.
Phone: 3889 8686 Fax: 3889 8687
Phone: 3277 8682 Fax: 3272 9113
New Home & Office Computers
Network & MYOB Specialist
Upgrades & Repairs
MS Small Business Servers
Please call US for all your computer needs
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PRCC Committee Contacts (Updated)
PRESIDENT
Michael Dodd
[email protected]
VICE PRESIDENT
Ivan Dowling
[email protected]
SECRETARY
Leonie Tweed
[email protected]
TREASURER
Leonie Tweed
[email protected]
LIBRARIAN
Colin Carlsson
[email protected]
WEB-MASTER
VACANT
[email protected]
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
Anthony Martin
[email protected]
RESOURCE OFFICER
Ivan Dowling
[email protected]
MEMBERSHIP OFFICER
Charlie Nolan
[email protected]
CATERING OFFICER
Bob Jones
[email protected]
Help at the Club Workshop
For those of you who are “new” to computers and maybe new to the
club itself, this is how the club can help you at the Workshop
At the Workshop on the 4th Sunday of each month,
some of our more experienced members will be
available to help out.
(They‘re actually very nice
people who actually enjoy helping out…. Really!)
Just ask at the desk, write your name and your
problem down on the Workshop Job Sheet.
First Aid
Just a reminder that there is a first aid kit available at the
meetings. Just contact one of the Committee if you need it.
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PRCC General Information
The Pine Rivers Computer Club is a non-profit organisation and our
role is to help the Community and Club Members with computer
related issues.
Members receive a monthly newsletter, help via club email forums,
phone line support, members’ discounts at various retail suppliers,
and friendly social interaction.
The Pine Rivers Computer Club is a must if you want to learn more
about your computer and its uses.
Information Presentations are held at 7:30pm, on the first Monday of
the month and Workshops are held on the fourth Sunday of each
month from 9:30am to about 2:30pm.
A list of dates for the next months can be found in the Diary towards
the back of the newsletter.
FEES
Joining fee is $15 and annual membership or renewal is $35. There
is a $3 attendance fee per member or visitor for the Monday evening
gatherings and Workshop days. Visitors are most welcome to either
of these meetings.
WORKSHOPS
Our Workshops are held on the 4th Sunday of every month. You will
meet people there who can help you. If you are a member, bring
along your misbehaving computer and / or software and ask for
help. If you’re new to the world of computers, ask to be shown basic
skills The Workshop starts at 9:30am and finishes approx 3pm.
If you have a problem you would like fixed, place your name on the
Job Sheet. In fairness to all members the committee decided to place
an initial 1½ hour time limit per member for your problems to be
fixed and after 1½ hours is up, every endeavour will be made to come
back to that member if time permits.
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Liability Disclaimer
Although it is our policy to check all published material and software
for its accuracy, no warranty is offered against any loss resulting from
the use of any materials from this newsletter or software from our
library. As our library may contain Shareware Software, it is the
responsibility of the user to Register their copy (after evaluation) with
Shareware Owners. Copying commercial software under the name of
Pine Rivers Computer Club Inc. is strictly prohibited.
Advertising Rates
Full page advertisement - $10 per issue. Financial members may
advertise free of charge any computer-related items they wish to buy
or sell. Corporate members pay $50 per annum which entitles them
to an advertisement in each monthly issue.
For Your Diary
Month
Presentations
Workshops
May
2 May TBC
22 May 2016
June
6 Jun 2016
27 Jun 2016
July
4 Jul 2016
24 Jul 2016
Aug
1 Aug 2016
28 Aug 2016
Sept
5 Sep 2016
25 Sep 2016
Contact Details:
Pine Rivers Computer Club Inc.
PO Box 511, Strathpine, Qld, 4500
Phone: 0466 515 530
Venue:
Kallangur RSL Sub Branch
William Abell Centre
1347 Anzac Ave, Kallangur
www.prcc.asn.au
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e-Waste Recycling in Moreton Bay Region
Contact list for e-Waste recycling facilities in the MBRC area. Phone: (07) 3205
0555 for more information.
Click on links to check what materials will be accepted at each site.
1. Bunya Waste Management Facility 384 Bunya Rd, Bunya, 600m west of
Jinker Track intersection Open: 7a-5p Apr-Sep, 7a-6p Oct-Mar
http://tinyurl.com/nxuuyqx
2. Dakabin Waste Management Facility 336 Old Gympie Rd, Dakabin, 800m
north of Alma Road intersection Open: 7a-5p Apr-Sep, 7a-6p Oct-Mar
http://tinyurl.com/l4r4oux
3. Caboolture Waste Management Facility 51 McNaught Rd, Caboolture, via
Pasturage Road, off Bribie Island Rd Open: 7 days, 7a-6p Oct-Mar, 7a-5p AprSep http://tinyurl.com/kr64xlw
4. Redcliffe Transfer Station
261 Duffield Road, Clontarf, beside the
Peninsula Animal Aid Open: 7 Days 7a-5p Jun-Aug, 7a-6p Sep-May
http://tinyurl.com/n63po9k
Cartoon
No matter what happens in your life you will never be this happy
https://t.co/yhmp1ojyYn
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Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows
Microsoft Windows has seen maybe nine major versions since its first
release in late 1985.
Just over 30 years later, Windows looks very different but some familiar
elements have survived the test of time, increases in computing power
and – more recently – a shift from the keyboard and mouse to the
touchscreen.
Here’s a brief look at the history of Windows, from its birth at the
hands of Bill Gates with Windows 1 to the latest arrival under new
Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella.
Which is your favorite Windows? Why are there ‘good’ version/
crud version reverals? (98 good, Me bad, XP good, Vista bad etc)
Original auricle by Samuel Gibbs http://tinyurl.com/h48q9fe
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Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows
Windows 1
The first version of Windows.
This is where it all started for Windows. The original Windows 1 was
released in November 1985 and was Microsoft’s first true attempt at a
graphical user interface in 16-bit.
Development was spearheaded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and
ran on top of MS-DOS, which relied on command-line input.
It was notable because it relied heavily on use of a mouse before the
mouse was a common computer input device. To help users become
familiar with this odd input system, Microsoft included a game,
Reversi (visible in the screenshot) that relied on mouse control, not the
keyboard, to get people used to moving the mouse around and clicking
onscreen elements.
Original auricle by Samuel Gibbs http://tinyurl.com/h48q9fe
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Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows
Windows 2
Overlapping windows.
Two years after the release of Windows 1, Microsoft’s Windows 2
replaced it in December 1987. The big innovation for Windows 2 was
that windows could overlap each other, and it also introduced the
ability to minimise or maximise windows instead of “iconising” or
“zooming”.
The control panel, where various system settings and configuration
options were collected together in one place, was introduced in
Windows 2 and survives to this day. Word and Excel also made their
first appearances running on Windows 2.
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Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows
Windows 3
Windows got colourful.
The first Windows that required a hard drive launched in 1990.
Windows 3 was the first successful version and considered a
challenger to Apple’s Macintosh and the Commodore Amiga graphical
user interfaces, coming pre-installed on computers from PCcompatible manufacturers including Zenith Data Systems.
Windows 3 could run MS-DOS programmes in windows, which
brought multitasking to legacy programmes, and supported 256
colours bringing a more modern, colourful look to the interface.
More important - at least to the sum total of human time wasted - it
introduced Solitaire, the card-game time-sink and mouse trainer.
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Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows
Windows 3.1
Windows with Minesweeper.
Windows 1 and 2 both had point release updates, but Windows 3.1
released in 1992 is notable because it introduced TrueType fonts
making Windows a viable publishing platform for the first time.
Minesweeper also made its first appearance. Windows 3.1 required
1MB of RAM to run and allowed supported MS-DOS programs to be
controlled with a mouse for the first time.
Windows 3.1 was also the first Windows to be distributed on a CDROM, although once installed on a hard drive it only took up 10 to
15MB (at the time a CD could store 650MB).
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Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows
Windows 95
Hello Start Menu.
As the name
implies, Windows
95 arrived in
August 1995 and
with it brought the
first ever Start
button and Start
menu (launched
with a gigantic
advertising
campaign that
used the Rolling
Stones’ Start Me
Up, and a couple of months later Friends stars Jennifer Aniston and
Matthew Perry. (Could it be any more up-to-date?)
It also introduced the concept of “plug and play” – connect a
peripheral and the operating system finds the appropriate drivers for it
and makes it work. That was the idea; it didn’t always work in
practice.
Windows 95 also introduced a 32-bit environment, the task bar and
focused on multitasking. MS-DOS still played an important role for
Windows 95, which required it to run some programmes and
elements.
Internet Explorer also made its debut on Windows 95, but was not
installed by default requiring the Windows 95 Plus! pack. Later
revisions of Windows 95 included IE by default, as Netscape Navigator
and NCSA Mosaic were popular alternative browsers at the time.
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Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows
Windows 98
The last great DOS-based Windows.
Released in June 1998, Windows 98 built on Windows 95 and brought
with it IE 4, Outlook Express, Windows Address Book, Microsoft Chat
and NetShow Player, which was replaced by Windows Media Player 6.2
in Windows 98 Second Edition in 1999.
Windows 98 introduced the back and forward navigation buttons and
the address bar in Windows Explorer, among other things. One of the
biggest changes was the introduction of the Windows Driver Model for
computer components and accessories – one driver to support all
future versions of Windows.
USB support was much improved in Windows 98 and led to its
widespread adoption, including USB hubs and USB mice.
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Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows
Windows ME
Yeah, that happened.
Considered a low point in the Windows series by many – at least, until
they saw Windows Vista – Windows Millennium Edition was the last
Windows to be based on MS-DOS, and the last in the Windows 9x line.
Released in September 2000, it was the consumer-aimed operating
system twined with Windows 2000 aimed at the enterprise market. It
introduced some important concepts to consumers, including more
automated system recovery tools.
IE 5.5, Windows Media Player 7 and Windows Movie Maker all made
their appearance for the first time. Autocomplete also appeared in
Windows Explorer, but the operating system was notorious for being
buggy, failing to install properly and being generally poor.
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Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows
Windows 2000
ME’s enterprise alternative.
Windows 2000 was released in February 2000 and was based on
Microsoft’s business-orientated system Windows NT But this was NT
mature, useful and easier to configure than earlier versions.
Later became the basis for Windows XP.
Microsoft’s automatic updating played an important role in Windows
2000 and became the first Windows to support hibernation.
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Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows
Windows XP
Best.Windows.Ever.
Windows XP was
released in October 2001
and brought Microsoft’s
enterprise line and
consumer line of
operating systems under
one roof.
It was based on Windows
NT like Windows 2000,
but brought the consumer-friendly elements from Windows ME. The
Start menu and task bar got a visual overhaul, bringing the familiar
green Start button, blue task bar and vista wallpaper, along with
various shadow and other visual effects.
ClearType, which was designed to make text easier to read on LCD
screens, was introduced, as were built-in CD burning, autoplay from
CDs and other media, plus various automated update and recovery
tools, that unlike Windows ME actually worked.
Windows XP was the longest running Microsoft operating system,
seeing three major updates and support up until April 2014 – 13 years
from its original release date. Windows XP was still used on an
estimated 430m PCs when it was discontinued.
Its biggest problem was security: though it had a firewall built in, it
was turned off by default. Windows XP’s huge popularity turned out to
be a boon for hackers and criminals, who exploited its flaws, especially
in Internet Explorer, mercilessly - leading Bill Gates to initiate a
“Trustworthy Computing” initiative and the subsequent issuance of to
Service Pack updates that hardened XP against attack substantially.
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Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows
Windows Vista
Worst.Windows.Ever
It was buggy, burdened the
user with hundreds of requests
for app permissions under
“User Account Control” - the
outcome of the Trustworthy
Computing initiative which
now meant that users had to
approve or disapprove
attempts by programs to make various changes. The problem with
UAC was that it led to complacency, with people clicking “yes” to
almost anything - taking security back to the pre-UAC state. It also
ran slowly on older computers despite them being deemed as “Vista
Ready” - a labelling that saw it sued because not all versions of Vista
could run on PCs with that label.
Windows XP stayed the course for close to six years before being
replaced by Windows Vista in January 2007. Vista updated the look
and feel of Windows with more focus on transparent elements, search
and security. Its development, under the codename “Longhorn”, was
troubled, with ambitious elements abandoned in order to get it into
production.
PC gamers saw a boost from Vista’s inclusion of Microsoft’s DirectX 10
technology.
Windows Media Player 11 and IE 7 debuted, along with Windows
Defender an anti-spyware programme. Vista also included speech
recognition, Windows DVD Maker and Photo Gallery, as well as being
the first Windows to be distributed on DVD. Later a version of
Windows Vista without Windows Media Player was created in response
to anti-trust investigations.
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Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows
Windows 7
Everything Windows Vista should have been.
Windows 7
was first
released in
October
2009. It was
intended to
fix all the
problems
and
criticism
faced by
Vista, with
slight
tweaks to its
appearance
and a
concentration on user-friendly features and less “dialogue box
overload”.
It was faster, more stable and easier to use, becoming the operating
system most users and business would upgrade to from Windows XP,
skipping Vista entirely.
Handwriting recognition debuted in 7, as did the ability to “snap”
windows to the tops or sides of the screen, allowing faster more
automatic window resizing.
Windows 7 saw Microsoft hit in Europe with antitrust investigations
over the pre-installing of IE, which led to a browser ballot screen being
shown to new users allowing them to choose, which browser to install
on first boot.
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Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows
Windows 8
Windows 8 focused on
touch screen rather
than a keyboard and
mouse.
Released in October 2012,
Windows 8 was
Microsoft’s most radical
overhaul of the Windows
interface, ditching the
Start button and Start
menu in favour of a more touch-friendly Start screen.
The new tiled interface saw programme icons and live tiles, which
displayed at-a-glance information normally associated with “widgets”,
replace the lists of programmes and icons. A desktop was still
included, which resembled Windows 7.
Windows 8 was faster than previous versions of Windows and
included support for the new, much faster USB 3.0 devices. The
Windows Store, which offers universal Windows apps that run in a full
-screen mode only, was introduced. Programs could still be installed
from third-parties like other iterations of Windows, but they could only
access the traditional desktop interface of Windows.
The radical overhaul was not welcomed by many. Microsoft attempted
to tread a fine line between touchscreen support and desktop users,
but ultimately desktop users wanting to control Windows with a
traditional mouse and keyboard and not a touchscreen felt Windows 8
was a step back. There were also too few touchscreens in use, or on
offer, to make its touch-oriented interface useful or even necessary despite the parallel rise of tablets such as the iPad, and smartphones,
which had begun outselling PCs by the end of 2010….
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Newsletter 305
Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows
Windows 8.1
The reappearance of the Start button.
A free point release to Windows 8 introduced in October 2013,
Windows 8.1 marked a shift towards yearly software updates from
Microsoft and included the first step in Microsoft’s U-turn around its
new visual interface.
Windows 8.1 re-introduced the Start button, which brought up the
Start screen from the
desktop view of Windows 8.1. Windows RT, which runs on ARMbased processors traditionally found in
Users could also choose to
boot directly into the desktop smartphones and non-PC tablets, was
introduced at the same time as
of Windows 8.1, which was
more suitable for those using Windows 8 with the Microsoft Surface
tablet. It looked and felt like Windows 8,
a desktop computer with a
but could not run traditional Windows
mouse and keyboard than
applications, instead solely relying on
the touch-focused Start
the Windows Store for third-party apps.
screen.
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Newsletter 305
Windows From 1 to 10: 30 years of Windows
Windows 10
The ‘last’ version of Windows?
First announced on 30 September 2014, Windows 10 has been out for
a year or so. There has already been 3 major updates: Threshold 1,
Threshold 2 and Redstone 1. http://tinyurl.com/jgebbnv
Windows 10 represents another step in Microsoft’s U-turn, bringing
back the Start menu and more balance to traditional desktop
computer users.
Some interesting features include the ability to switch between a
keyboard and mouse mode and a tablet mode, for those computers
like the Surface Pro 3 with a detachable keyboard.
Windows 10 is designed to unify all Windows platforms across
multiple devices, including Windows Phone and tablets, with universal
apps that can be downloaded from the Windows Store and run on all
Windows devices.
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Newsletter 305
How to Block Windows 10 Upgrade Redux





The one-year, free, no-strings-attached upgrade offer for Windows 7
and 8.1 computers is coming to an end.
Anyone with a computer knows Microsoft wants you to upgrade to
Windows 10.
For some the upgrade happened automatically, when they least
expected it.
If you would prefer not to upgrade, this explains how to block it.
It's a 30-second process, involving two simple changes to Windows
configuration files. And a reboot….
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
Here's the first file,
which is saved as
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Micro
DisableOSUpgrade.reg soft\Windows\WindowsUpdate]
"DisableOSUpgrade"=dword:00000001
The second file is saved Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
as DisableGWX.reg
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Micro
soft\Windows\GWX]
"DisableGWX"=dword:00000001
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS
1. Start your computer with a user account with administrator rights
 Get the files above by download or type ‘em out exactly as above with
Notepad and save ‘em. Both files are available for download from this
link. http://tinyurl.com/zotctev
 If you can’t download ‘em then simply type them out with a text
editor (e.g. Notepad). Copy the above text exactly and save as the
quoted filenames.
4. Click and run, first DisableOSUpgrade.reg then DisableGWX.reg
5. Restart your computer and the GWX systray icon will be gone.
This has been tested many installations of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1
with no problems, but the usual disclaimer applies.
If you change your mind go to Microsoft's Get Windows 10 page and
click Upgrade Now http://tinyurl.com/nwvexuv
Original article written by Ed Bott
http://tinyurl.com/hscudp8
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Newsletter 305
12 Insanely Useful Websites
The Internet never ceases to amaze; it’s simultaneously

the best resource for learning.

the biggest tool for relieving boredom http://tinyurl.com/nwsgq5u

and – ahem – the best place to see cats http://tinyurl.com/na7lw62
http://tinyurl.com/h3cuprj
Even if you’re an online ninja, you’ll never have seen it all – as of today, there
are a mammoth one billion websites online. To put that into context, you’d
have to visit a new page every second for 31 years to get through it all.
With that in mind, here’s our look at the top thirty websites that you probably
don’t know about…
Noisli
http://
tinyurl.com/
ol2wryd
Lots of people
struggle to
concentrate
without some
kind of
background
noise –
especially in noisy offices and public spaces. Research has shown that
intermittent speech is terrible for your productivity, but it has also been
shown that any type of white noise can help boost your level of output.
Noisli lets you mix together random sounds to create your desired sound
environment..
Original Article by Dan Price http://tinyurl.com/hgm3z6b
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Newsletter 305
12 Insanely Useful Websites (cont.)
MyFonts
http://tinyurl.com/
f674
The MyFonts page
itself is a news site
dedicated to
various fonts. The
reason it makes
this list, however,
is thanks to its “WhatTheFont” tool – it’ll help you identify a font if you’re not
sure what it is.
Just upload a PNG, GIF, or JPEG image file with the font in question clearly
displayed, and it’ll search their massive database to present you with the
closest matches.
Word Frequency Counter
http://tinyurl.com/2pnv33
If you’re
writing a
college
essay,
blog post,
or a
lengthy
email to a
loved
one, you
sometimes get the feeling that you’re repeating yourself – using the same
words over and over. Take a sanity-check with this awesome tool – just paste
in your text and it will tell you how many times you’ve used each word.
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Newsletter 305
12 Insanely Useful Websites (cont.)
The Rasterbator
http://tinyurl.com/pdkwol3
Have you ever wanted to blow
up one of your photos to a
massive size? Perhaps you
wanted to create some really
cool wall art or maybe you
wanted to print a giant “Happy
Birthday” message for a
friend?
The Rasterbator can help –
upload your image and it will
provide you with a multi-page
PDF document that you can then download and print.
SimpleSavr
http://tinyurl.com/hgw9fpb
These days we all work off multiple devices and computers around the home.
This creates a problem if you want to quickly share a link, a paragraph or text,
or a phone number between gadgets.
Thankfully, SimpleSavr makes it easy – paste any text into the site and it will
automatically be available on every computer which is connected to the same
Wi-Fi network. Each computer should open www.ssavr.com in a browser.
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Newsletter 305
12 Insanely Useful Websites (cont.)
ThrowAwayMail
http://tinyurl.com/pykzlb9
If you want to get a perk or promotion but don’t want to receive a lifetime of
spam emails, you should use a throwaway email. When used in conjunction
with a password generator, they are also useful for burying accounts which
have no delete
function.
This site gives you
an address and an
inbox, both of
which will remain
active for as long
as you keep the
tab open.
OneLook Reverse Dictionary
http://tinyurl.com/5c2o5
“It’s on the tip of my
tongue!”
How many times do we say
that every week? You know
what a word is, but you
just can’t place it. This
reverse dictionary might
help – type the concept or
definition and it’ll throw
back a list of possible
words that match.
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Newsletter 305
12 Insanely Useful Websites (cont.)
ManualsLib
http://tinyurl.com/7mgro4a
Instruction books get lost –
it’s a fact of life. In the
excitement of bringing home
a new tech toy, DIY tool, or
kitchen gadget, they often
get thrown out along with
all the packaging.
Fear not, ManualsLib has
almost 2 million manuals for
40,000 brands – all free to
access and available for
download.
Curiosity
http://tinyurl.com/pkknpgg
Curiosity killed the cat. And my productivity. And my New Year’s
resolutions, and, and, and…
This site complies videos on almost any topic from all the various video
services out there, presenting them all on one easy-to-digest webpage. Just
create an account, tell the site what you’re interested in, and their algorithms
will do the rest.
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Newsletter 305
12 Insanely Useful Websites (cont.)
Library of Congress
http://tinyurl.com/pypm75k
The Library of Congress was the United States’ first established cultural
institution and has since gone on to become one of the largest free libraries in
the world.
They have collections on everything from ancient manuscripts to sound
recordings, masses of video content, and millions of books.
Virtual Tourist
http://tinyurl.com/jd2nrzn
Want content similar to
TripAdvisor without the
paid-for reviews, biased
comments, and fake top
tens?
Virtual Tourist is a great
alternative. It focuses on
user-generated travel
content and includes
reviews, photos, videos,
and guides. Each member
has their own profile and each destination has multiple categories, thus
making site-wide navigation a breeze.
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Newsletter 305
12 Insanely Useful Websites (cont.)
Pogo
http://tinyurl.com/3t4ny
Pogo has free games galore. Whether you want puzzle games, board games,
hidden object games, word games, arcade games, or casino games, this site will
have it.
Members can play against their friends and record their top scores.
Cartoon
http://tinyurl.com/j3lk3z9
Page 40