Gigabit Service

For Verizon customers, 1-gigabit service for $70 per month sounds so good. But it may not be the service of your dreams. There’s a lot going on here, so let’s try to sort it out.

First, the initial offer is for new customers only. That shouldn’t surprise any consumers for anything we buy. Businesses routinely offer deep discounts to get new customers in the fold, and it can have one of two effects: 1.) it can upset existing customers and encourage them to churn through all their service providers, and 2.) it can be an attractive sample to get customers addicted to a certain level of service and immune to steep price increases later on.

For new customers looking to sign up, it’s not simply a matter of paying your $70 and getting a fast internet connection. There may be additional fees and required equipment upgrades (we’ll get to those shortly) on top of the initial fee, and there is a lot of confusion about how long you can keep the introductory rate before you get a big price increase. Verizon may be offering 1-gig service to existing customers as you read this newsletter, but we haven’t seen a clear description of prices for various packages as we write it.

Second, do you need that big a pipeline? Most of us don’t. Large online stores that sell lots of things through ecommerce are likely to need it. Businesses that send massive amounts of data through business applications, such as enterprise systems for huge, highly automated manufacturing systems, need it. Big, upscale hotels that offer streaming capability for their guests need it. Smaller businesses that push less data through their applications and home users who stream movies and TV programming probably don’t need it. Netflix, for example, recommends the following download speed in megabits per second (MBPS) per stream for playing TV shows and movies through its service:

  • 0.5 required broadband connection speed
  • 1.5 recommended broadband connection speed
  • 3.0 recommended for SD quality
  • 5.0 recommended for HD quality
  • 25 recommended for Ultra HD quality

Do your own math for what you need.

Third, do you have a wired network in place to use all that speed? Only a wired network can do it, and that’s why we recommend wiring office and commercial space for business. We also recommend it for new residential construction, and we recommend it if you are building a theater in your home for a big Ultra HD system. If you have devices connected to your gateway or router, you’ll get the connection speed. Any devices connected through Wi-Fi will get a slower speed, which can still be adequate based on Netflix’s recommendations.

Fourth, you won’t get gig-per-gig speed from the source. If Netflix recommends 25 MBPS for Ultra HD quality, they’re not pushing it out at 1 gig. The big businesses that need to get their data pushed out at that high a speed take advantage of a limited number of pipelines, and they pay for it.

Finally, how will you match your service to the router and cable boxes from your internet service provider (ISP), whether it’s Verizon or Comcast, and what are you willing to pay? Streaming aside, you can pay a hefty monthly fee for cable boxes capable of delivering programming and recorded shows to multiple TVs in your home. You can reduce your monthly outlay by replacing the cable boxes with a cable card that can work with four or six TVs, depending on the card. You’ll give up On Demand programming and on-screen caller ID (if you have a landline through your provider), but that may better fit your needs.

We can review your internet-connection needs for business or home and help you match equipment options to fit your budget. We can do the installation and setup – or walk you through the process and then use remote technology to help you with the setup. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us for an appointment.

Tales from the SSD

When should you spend more money for an SSD (solid-state drive) hard drive? We’ve talked about speed and about having electronic components instead of mechanical components. Here are two examples of when an SSD makes sense.

One of our clients, an auto body shop, recently bought a new desktop computer, and complained, after a month, that it was running slowly. We checked for viruses and gave the new computer a clean bill of health, but the performance still wasn’t the client had expected.

As we talked, we learned that the computer was being taxed by the shop’s data needs. The client accesses a huge database that’s used to create estimates for repairs. The process is highly detailed, and the shop’s customers can be highly impatient.

We explored his options, which came down to two: buy a newer, more powerful desktop computer or install an SSD and tweak the settings for better performance. Our client chose the latter solution, and when we turned on the system, the screen came up much faster than it had when the computer was just out of the box. The faster speed has increased the shop’s estimating productivity exponentially, and our client considers it a successful upgrade.

Another client’s mishap led to the discovery that he had an SSD, and that saved his data and apps. He had just brought in his desktop computer for some tweaks a few days earlier, but we never opened up the unit. As he was carrying it up a flight of outdoor metal stairs to get to his second-floor office, he dropped it.

He brought it back, and to our surprise it booted up. When we looked inside, we found a lot of broken components – and we did found a solid-state drive. This was good fortune. Had it been a mechanical hard drive, the fall likely would have damaged it beyond recovery, and all of the data and apps stored on it would have been lost. All of the other broken pieces were repairable, and our client was very happy.

Today, we are selling more desktop computers with SSDs because more clients are finding they can earn a faster ROI, such as our auto body shop. We don’t expect that computers will be dropped or damaged in some other way, but you can always insure your data and apps remain accessible by backing up your hard drive – a separate issue. Having the SSD was a bonus in this case.

If you’re thinking about a new desktop computer, we can help you with a cost-benefit analysis to see which type of hard drive best serves your productivity needs and your budget. We can also help with ROI projections. Just give us a call – 973-433-6676 – or send us an email to talk about it.

Network Strength and Costs

With more and more devices in our homes – more than you think – you need to strike a balance between speed and cost. Keeping your network strong and secure is a given, but you should look at what you can hardwire into your gateway to maximize speed and free up wireless capacity for devices and systems that can’t be wired.

Many people have looked to simple solutions such as EERO, which plugs repeaters into power outlets in homes and offices. It’s known as a wireless mesh system, and it’s a technology that hasn’t won us over. The modules are repeaters, and the problem is that each time you repeat, you cut signal strength, and that diminishes the speed of the network to deliver signals to the target computer, TV, tablet or smartphone.

You might think you don’t have that many devices on your network, but you’d be surprised. In our house with four people, we have a dozen computers, tablets and smart phones, several automated systems for the doorbell and for turning on certain lights. We also have a Sonos sound system with seven speakers around the house. I haven’t added in smart TVs, which many households have. Most of them use a USB antenna to connect to their home wireless network, and then people use the wireless network to stream movies and shows – especially if they’ve cut the cord on cable TV.

Depending on your provider, you can get Internet connections ranging from 15 megabits per second (of data transmission) to 1 or 2 gigabits per second. Many users in moderately connected homes have service ranging from 50 to 300 megabits per second (mbs). The faster the speed, the more data it pushes through per second. However, your TVs, computers and devices on your wireless network may not be getting the full speed you’re paying for because of repeaters and the number of devices using the network at a given time.

You can maximize wireless performance and your Internet costs by hardwiring some computers and smart TVs and then determining how much speed you need to support your wireless devices. Wired computers and TVs will get the full benefit of your connection speed, and you may not need as fast (and expensive) a connection as you think.

To use our house as an example, we have a 150mbs connection, and we use it more for downloading large files than for streaming movies and shows. With hard wiring, it works fine. If I would double the speed to 300mbs, it would cost $90 per month more. That’s $1,080 more per year, and I wouldn’t get the full performance because of the wireless penalty.

With smart TVs and streaming becoming more popular, TV manufacturers are heading off potential problems with customer satisfaction by including Ethernet connections in their units. Taking advantage of the hardwiring capability can help you avoid problems elsewhere in your home.

In the office, hardwiring as many components of your system to the network is essential. Hardwiring grantees your computers and peripherals will work at the speeds you’re paying for, and it will free up wireless capacity for the devices that you must have, such as phones and tablets.

Regardless of whether you have a home or business network, remember that your service speed can be increased or decreased without a visit from a technician. You can see how one connection speed works and then have your provider raise or lower it from their service center.

We can help you by installing the wiring and connecting your equipment. We can also help you analyze your system’s performance to find the right combination of speed and cost. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to set up an appointment to discuss your needs.

Reasons to Reboot

We get a lot of calls and emails about computers not performing as expected. It’s amazing what a good reboot can do – if you really do it.

Rebooting cleans up a lot of the electronic junk that builds up as you go in and out of applications, open and close files and content from the Internet. Like anything else that piles up, all the electronic junk blocks access to your disk space and RAM (random access memory) for applications, files, email and Internet browsing. After two or three weeks of keeping email programs, applications and files and websites open, you’ve essentially clogged your system’s electronic arteries.

A reboot flushes all that stuff out of your RAM. One way to characterize RAM is that it’s like a pad of notepaper. When you run out, you need to erase some information on the pad or get another pad. Rebooting is like erasing the paper in the notepad. It lets your computer start with a fresh, clean slate when you restart, and in most cases, that solves a lot of performance issues.

We always ask our clients with performance problems if they’ve rebooted their computers, and they invariably say they have. When we get into their systems through remote access, we see something different. When we get into conversations, some people with laptops think that they have rebooted their systems just by closing the lid for a few seconds and then opening it back up. Others, with desktop computers, think that shutting off the monitor reboots the computer.

Unfortunately, neither of those actions will reboot a computer. Here’s what you need to do. First, save all open files and emails and bookmark web pages if you want to retain easy access to them. Then, close all applications. You should do the same with phones and tablets before rebooting them.

For a PC or Windows-based computer running Windows 10, click the Windows icon on the task bar on the lower left side of your monitor and then click on the “start” icon on the left. You’ll have the option to restart the computer, which will reboot it.

For Windows 8, point your mouse to the lower-right corner of the screen, move it up and click Settings. Click Power and then click Restart.

For a Mac, you can follow this simple, 3-step process:

  1. Press the power button (or press Control+Eject) and, when a dialog box appears, click the Restart button.
  2. Choose the Apple key and then click Restart.
  3. Press Control+Command+Eject (or Control+Command+Power button).

For phones and tablets, you can power off the device for 10 to 30 seconds and then power them back on.

For all computers, you can hold the power button until the unit shuts itself off. We consider this a last resort because it stops the system with an electronic jolt. But if nothing else works, this will do it. Let it stay off for 10 to 30 seconds and then restart it.

Sometimes, restarting in “Safe Mode” allows your computer to perform some diagnostics and verify basic systems are in good working order. With a Windows7 computer, press the F8 key when you turn on the computer, and then use the Arrow keys to navigate to “Safe Mode” and hit enter.

Windows 10 is more involved, but it’s not that hard once you get into the routine. Follow these steps:

  1. Click or tap the Start button, and then the Power button. You’ll see a Restart button. Hold down the Shift key when you select Restart
  2. When you get the full-screen menu with six options, select Troubleshoot>Advanced options>Startup Settings.
  3. Click the Restart to begin the reboot. You’ll get to a Startup Settings option.
  4. Use the Arrow key to navigate to Enable Safe Mode or Enable Safe Mode With Networking

For a Mac, immediately press and hold the Shift key. The white Apple logo will appear on your display. Release the shift key when you see the login window.

Because “Safe Mode” limits your computer’s capabilities, we recommend restarting in your regular mode once you see everything is functioning properly.

We recommend you reboot your systems no less than once a week as a preventive measure. It shouldn’t be much of an inconvenience. We still remember when we had to reboot computers several times a day. If your system is still sluggish after a reboot, contact us by phone – 973-433-6676 – or email for a remote diagnostics session.

Holiday Cheer from Microsoft and Apple

Microsoft and Apple have put some new, high-price goodies on the market for the holidays. In a word, they’re getting “touchier” as tablets get more computing capability and computers use more touchscreen technology.

If you’re looking for an apples-to-apples comparison…no pun intended…maybe that should be oranges-to-oranges comparison, that may be tough. Both are pricey and feature Intel i5 and i7 processors. Each will do fine for those willing to spend the money. That said, here’s what we like and what you can expect.

Microsoft is heavily promoting its Surface Studio as a highly creative tool for design tasks that have long been associated with Macs. A tablet that acts like a computer, it starts at $2,999 and can go up to $4,199, and it can be used with a variety of tools, including the Surface Dial and Surface Pen, which enable you to draw on the screen. Because it’s a Microsoft product, it comes with Windows 10 Pro and a 30-day trial of Microsoft Office.

The Studio has four USB 3.0 ports (one high power port), a full-size SD™ card reader (SDXC compatible), a mini display port and a headset jack, and it has a high-resolution display and graphics card for artistic and gaming applications.

If you don’t need all the Studio’s computing power, you can choose the Surface Book at $1,499 or the Surface Pro 4 at $899. The trend we see is that mobile users who need more computing power and the flexibility of a tablet for mobility and touchscreen/keyboard capability will be looking more closely at a Surface.

Microsoft is also rumored to be planning to release a Surface phone in the spring of 2017.

The MacBook Pro doesn’t have the Dial or a pen, but its more advanced models have the Touch Bar, which is a strip just above the keyboard. It’s more like something you would find on a tablet. It appears and disappears as needed to give you shortcuts to the controls, sliders, menus and tools that relate to the task at hand. As you tap, swipe or drag the Touch Bar keys, you see the results of your actions. Touch Bar can help you access favorite websites in Safari, answer (or reject) incoming FaceTime calls or get predictive suggestions of the words you may want to use when writing, just like with iOS devices.

With Touch Bar opened to outside app developers, you may see it for many apps, and you can still use versions of the physical function keys, such as for adjusting screen brightness or speaker volume, that used to reside above the keyboard.

MacBook Pro has a big track pad, which we rate as a plus, and the 15-inch model has four USB-C ports — that double as Thunderbolt 3 ports — which can be used for Thunderbolt, USB, DisplayPort, HDMI, VGI, and charging. The USB-C ports are new technology. The basic 13-inch model only has two USB-C/Thunderbird 3 ports. This means you may need a dongle to attach certain hardware. There’s no SD card reader, which could be a problem for photographers.

We’ll have a MacBook Pro in a few weeks, and we’ll see how it’s all set up.

If you’re thinking about either or both of these systems, contact us by phone – 973-433-6676 – or email to discuss how you plan to use it and your budget considerations. We’ll also be able to guide on what to expect when integrating your purchase(s) into your home or office network – and among multiple users.

Upgrade for Better Browsing

Browser performance is becoming a bigger issue as browser updates and website advances require new versions – and even new computers. Not upgrading can also present security issues.

The problem we are seeing is a combination of clients with older computers using older versions of their favorite browsers trying to view websites that have advanced features the browsers and computers can’t support. The problem manifests itself when visitors can’t access a site or they can’t move around the site and use all of its features. They also start to see pop-up messages to upgrade their browsers.

We all tend to keep using our older systems and make a lot of allowances until something has to give. In this case, it’s your browser and/or computer. If your computer is not woefully out of date, you likely can upgrade your browser, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Most important, don’t click on an upgrade pop-up message without being absolutely sure it’s a legitimate message. We have not heard of scammers and hackers using this type of pop-up to get your money or your data or both, but if they’re doing it already…

You can always go to the browser publisher’s website (Microsoft, Firefox/Mozilla, Chrome/Google, Apple, etc.) and download a browser upgrade from there. We believe it’s a safer way to do it. If you happen to download more than one upgraded browser, make sure you designate only one as your preferred or default browser. That will ensure that links you click – such as the link from our email message to get to this article – open in the browser you prefer to use.

If your computer cannot support a browser and a website you use, you should consider upgrading your computer. It’s not really an arbitrary suggestion; it’s all about security.

From the website owner’s point of view, they constantly need to incorporate new software to cover multiple platforms, such as Windows or Apple computers and a host of mobile devices. At some point, they just cannot incorporate the software needed to function properly on older browsers and older computers. Some of the reasons may include the ability to perform e-commerce transactions efficiently and securely, the storage of financial and medical records, the protection of encrypted messages and vulnerability to a variety of attacks.

Those needs take into account legal and insurance issues that affect their decisions about the software and systems they use and support. (We will discuss those in a future issue of Technology Update).

For you, the computer user, you need to consider costs – and that goes beyond just the cost of a new computer.

  • What is your cost if you cannot purchase business items online from your preferred vendors?
  • What is your cost if you cannot purchase any items online – personally or for business – because your browser (and computer) may have security risks?
  • What is your cost if you cannot bill customers and clients because of doubts about your security (see Protection in the Third-Party World)?
  • What is your cost if your data is breached?
  • What is your cost if you are found liable for others’ data breaches?

Browser requirements are likely to get tighter as we go deeper into our Internet-based world and as security becomes an even more important concern for website owners. We can help you get the most up-to-date browsers onto your computers, and we can help you plan an orderly upgrade of your personal and commercial systems to take advantage of any possible cost efficiencies. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to help keep your website browsing as safe and enjoyable as possible.

Disappearing Hard Drives?

Will your hard drive go the way of the floppy disk? Fifteen years ago, I never would have given it a thought. Now, I think it’s coming.

Mechanical hard drives have inherent problems. One is that they can wear and crash, and unless you have a good backup system in place, you can lose a lot of important data. Another is that they are slow – some slower than others by design and some slower because they fill up and don’t give your software space to search for the files you need.

The next alternative is the SSD (solid state drive), which is much faster but also much more expensive. While it always comes down to a cost-benefit analysis, the speed differential can be substantial. On startup, a computer with an SSD can be ready to work in 30 to 40 seconds. It can take three to four minutes for a computer with a hard drive to boot up.

The difference won’t seem that great until you experience it for yourself – or see somebody else’s system boot up faster. We love faster computers, and the more data we need to crunch, the more we crave that speed and performance. We have a number of clients who have made the switch and have found it worth the expense to increase their productivity.

If you’re not ready to commit to SSD technology, you could speed up your current technology by moving your data storage to the cloud. With fewer files taking up less space, your computer will have room to look through your hard drive to find the files you need. It will make it faster to save files, too. You could gain a significant time advantage by only keeping “working” files on your hard drive and then putting everything back onto your cloud’s server when you’re finished.

With technology changing so quickly, you may also want to think about changing your hardware more frequently to make more productive systems work more cost-effectively. Businesses depend on productivity increases to reduce costs and add profitability. We can help you look at the future and see what pathways will get you to your goals. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to talk about your evolving needs as the tech revolution continues.

Public Beta Testing is Here to Stay

Today’s computing environment is making everyone a test pilot. IT support specialists are accustomed to getting early versions of new software, such as the new Windows 10 and Apple’s El Capitan operating systems, and putting it through its paces. It helps us learn about issues we can expect to affect our clients while offering feedback to the publishers. But now, we have testing partners: you, the user.

Here’s why it’s better for everyone.

IT specialists, developers and high-level power users all know enough to see some problems and sometimes work around them. We also know how to explain the problems to a software publisher’s tech staff to help them better pinpoint the issue and find the solution.

The vast majority of users, however, just know something isn’t working properly – as we’ve seen in the releases of Windows 10 and El Capitan. You likely don’t know why, and it’s even less likely that you care about why. You just want it to work so you can do what you need to do.

To me, that makes you highly valuable to software publishers. When a large number of you point out a problem with the software, it gets somebody’s attention. In our data-driven world, a manager can see the size and scope of a problem and set a priority for its solution.

Your public pressure on software publishers, too, moves them to publish the patch or update in a timelier manner. While some of us professionals can grouse in our various forums, the publishers know that thousands and thousands of paying customers can add a sense of urgency to solving the problem. Then, they can push out the fix as soon as it’s ready – or ready enough – to make sure it works or see what else they need to do.

In that respect, this is a benefit of our on-demand way of life – especially when our need for instant gratification or using software and devices in ways not intended create other problems. Regardless of fault, a software publisher’s reputation relies on its product being functional and safe. The faster the fix is delivered, the better it is for the publisher and its users.

That, in part, is one reason why Microsoft eliminated Patch Tuesday in favor of sending and installing updates as soon as they’re ready. You make huge investments in technology. If you make them for your business, you can lose a lot of money if your apps and drivers don’t work right. If you make them at home, you can get awfully upset when you can’t play with your newest toy.

IT support specialists like immediate updates, too. When you call with a problem that ultimately relates to a glitch, we either suffer the pain of not being able to fix it or we provide some sort of temporary fix that may require us to come back again – which also doesn’t make us happy.

Every new product in any industry goes through a shakeout period before it runs smoothly. But if you join the beta brigade and provide feedback, you do yourself and fellow users – and their service providers – a big favor. We check the discussion groups and forums and learn about problems and fixes so we can serve you better. You see faster improvements. That’s why public beta testing is here to stay.

Of course, if you have a problem with your technology, don’t sit back and wait. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us if you have a problem. We likely have the solution because people like you helped us find it faster.

Two Essentials to Take Care of Business

Backing up your data files and keeping them from prying electronic eyes are essential. We have the tools and tips you need to take care of business at the office and at home. Here are some things to keep in mind.

The first tip is: Backup your data offsite. We never like to consider the “unthinkable,” but bad things do happen. A story from a recent sales call, a non-profit organization, drives home the point.

Non-profits can get a lot of software free or at a greatly discounted price. So, our client wondered why they needed to spend money to back up software on the cloud. As we were talking, the client mentioned that they had considered buying the house across the street from their office and converting it into their own space. They didn’t do it, and at some time after they made their decision, that house burned down.

We never talked about the cause of the fire. If the house was old, some failure of its electrical wiring, for example, could have played a role, and all of our client’s “free” stuff would have been gone. The cost of replacing and reinstalling all of their hardware and software – especially when you add the value of their time and the cost of lost service to their clients – would have been huge.

We’re happy this is a “could-have-happened” story, and we can’t emphasize backing up data offsite enough, but we have a tool to keep your data safe.

Our managed backup program includes automatic backup to the cloud through local data centers and daily monitoring. It is far less costly than post-disaster recovery and much more reliable than putting all of your data and pictures on an external drive that can fail or be lost in a fire or flood. It’s a proactive form of insurance.

Our second tip is: Never sacrifice protection for performance. In today’s hack-happy world, you can’t protect your data and yourself too much, but you must understand one thing: Any system can be hacked by any hacker willing to spend the time and effort to do it.

Just as you need doors and windows to enjoy the world outside of your home, you need pathways from your computer to the Internet. And, just as you have locks on your windows and doors to keep out most bad people and just as you take safe routes on trips, you need to use firewalls and passwords to lock your computer and data access, and you need antivirus software, malware protection and common sense to travel safely on the Internet.

At a recent security seminar, a presenter pointed out that people are agreeing to take on more bandwidth from providers for a free or a small fee. (You know our feelings about free stuff.) You can face problems if your firewall or Wi-Fi devices can’t handle the increased performance, and that can leave your security vulnerable.

We get questions from time to time, for example about the safety of storing data on Dropbox. Our question back to that is: Who hasn’t been hacked? Yes, Dropbox is as safe as you can make it as long as you and Dropbox take all the precautions and safeguards you can.

So, in this day and age of hyperactive hackers, how are you protecting yourself? Are you reading emails carefully before clicking on any links or attachments? Are you careful about signing up for online offers that are almost too good to be true? What kind of antivirus are you using?

We’ll address that last question. We have our partners, but no matter whose system you use, make sure they give you regular updates and act with blinding speed to fix a problem as soon as it’s discovered. Subscription services generally offer you better protection and faster fixes, and they are more likely to automatically update your virus and malware definitions.

If you accidentally click on a site or open an attachment, our recommendation is to push the power button on your computer or device IMMEDIATELY. This will stop any activity right away, and hopefully limit any damage. Then, call us without delay to find and fix any problems.

We can help you with all of your backup and antivirus needs, including installation of valid software and setting up automated functions. Call us – 973-433-6676 – or email us to discuss your needs and put a solution into action.

Windows 10…Rollin’, Rollin’, Rollin’

Windows 10 is continuing its rollout. If you have a qualified computer, you can upgrade to the new OS for Windows-based computers over the next 11 months or so. We’re seeing a lot of tips and tricks for Win 10 floating around the Internet, and that’s a good sign people are embracing it. Here are some remedies for some concerns.

For the most part, Windows 10 has been working fine for most installations. The biggest early problem we have seen is with application software that has been customized primarily for businesses. In all likelihood, the app software publisher should be the one to update their code to meet the needs of Windows 10. Check with them to see if they have updated their code. If enough customers let them know it’s a need, they’ll get it done to protect their business base, if nothing else. If they don’t do it, start planning for new app software because change is an ongoing process, and you’ll hit serious limitations with an outdated program.

Microsoft is pushing out updates and fixes as other issues are reported, so we don’t think it’s worth waiting for bugs to be corrected. It took less than two weeks for the company to start issuing the cumulative updates, and the new OS is designed to install them automatically.

However, if you want to turn off the automation and choose which updates to install and when to install them, you can select those options. You can also choose to update all Windows 10 computers on a network.

A number of users are concerned about Windows 10’s capability to share passwords for Wi-Fi networks. Again, you can turn off that function.

You can explore all of your options by going to the new Control Panel. Click on Settings and then click on Updates and Security. Then, click on Advanced Options. Choose “How Updates are Installed” and “How Updates are Delivered” customize them to your preferences.

Some problems with Windows 10 have involved drivers. Check with the manufacturers or Windows Updates to see if new drivers are available. They should be there, and everything works fine once you install the new drivers.

While we have seen a lot of complaints about having to pay for some features that used to be free, we’re seeing that many of them involve having to pay for games such as Solitaire. Our reaction: “Come on!”

The more important concern is whether to use Microsoft’s built-in (free) security software. We’ll just remind you that Microsoft is not in the security business. We strongly encourage you to get your security software from providers who specialize in that field.

Again, just to repeat the experience of loading Windows 10 on my son’s computer, all I did was start the process. While it was loading, I ran some errands. When I returned home, all I had to was accept the licensing agreement, and the computer was ready to go.

We know new technology has its quirks, and we know some people can be intimidated by it. We can talk you through some of the issues with a quick phone call – 973-433-6676 – or remote in to help you. We can also answer some of your questions by email. Just let us know how we can serve you.