Tag: microsoft

Claim your free 15GB of OneDrive storage

Microsoft has grudgingly agreed to let current OneDrive users keep their 15GB of free cloud storage and 15GB of free Camera Roll “bonus” storage, rather than dropping you to 5GB as previously stated, but only if you’re aware of the offer and don’t mind a bit of spam.

To take advantage of the offer, visit this Microsoft page. Microsoft representatives said the company does not have a supplementary explanatory blog post or statement to add at the present, but they did supply the webpage address, whose URL lists it as a “preview” at the moment.

You’ve already navigated the first hurdle: since users have to manually opt in to the offer, OneDrive users who are unaware of the deal won’t be able to take advantage of it. And there’s a small catch: by selecting the offer, you agree “to receive promotional emails from OneDrive,” although Microsoft immediately says that you can unsubscribe as well—how to do that, however, isn’t exactly clear.

It appears that un-checking the “promotional email” box, then clicking the “Keep your free storage” button also appears to work. In response to a question from PCWorld, a Microsoft representative said that the wording is being changed to “make it more clear”.

To read the full article please click the link below.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/3014183/data-center-cloud/microsoft-will-let-you-keep-your-free-15gb-of-onedrive-storage-if-you-claim-it.html

Stop Skype Automatically Starting Up on Windows 10 Boot?

Whether you’re on a Windows system or a Macintosh, there’s little more frustrating than the parade of apps that seem to start up every time you boot your computer. Worse, many of them are hidden behind-the-scenes, little “helper apps” that enable certain functions, listen for incoming queries, etc. For some, it’s almost impossible to figure out what they do and some of those might well be malware of some sort of another. It stinks!

Even benign programs like Skype, a very helpful video chat application, can exhibit the same sort of behaviors, starting up even if you don’t have an account and sitting on the Taskbar on your new Windows 10 system even if you never want to use the program. Any one program likely doesn’t have that much impact on your performance, but when you get 4, 5 or more starting up automatically, that’s going to have an impact on how your computer works.

Let’s just focus on your specific complaint, however. Skype automatically starting up on Microsoft Windows 10.


Read more at http://www.askdavetaylor.com/stop-skype-automatically-starting-up-on-windows-10-boot/#k4GOE4cZFYwDFDes.99

via Stop Skype Automatically Starting Up on Windows 10 Boot? – Ask Dave Taylor.

Use Windows 7 Event Viewer to track down issues that cause slower boot times

Greg Shultz shows you how to use some of the new features in Windows 7’s Event Viewer to investigate a slow boot time.

Overview

Windows 7’s Event Viewer includes a new category of event logs called Applications and Services Logs, which includes a whole host of subcategories that track key elements of the operating system. The majority of these subcategories contain an event log type called Operational that is designed to track events that can be used for analyzing and diagnosing problems. (Other event log types that can be found in these subcategories are Admin, Analytic, and Debug; however, describing them is beyond the scope of this article.)

Now, within the operating system section is a subcategory titled Diagnostic-Performance with an Operational log that contains a set of a Task Category called Boot Performance Monitoring. The Event IDs in this category are 100 through 110. By investigating all the Event ID 100 events, you will be able to find out exactly how long it took to boot up your system every time since the day you installed Windows 7. By investigating all the Event ID 101 thru 110 events, you will be able to identify all instances where boot time slowed down.

Getting started

You can find and launch Event Viewer by opening the Control Panel, accessing the System and Security category, selecting the Administrative Tools item, and double-clicking the Event Viewer icon. However, you can also simply click the Start button, type Event in the Start Search box, and press Enter once Event Viewer appears and the top of the results display.

Check out the full article.

via Use Windows 7 Event Viewer to track down issues that cause slower boot times – TechRepublic.

8 TIPS FOR PROTECTING YOUR PC FROM HACKERS

by The Windows Club

When it comes to the Internet, there is nothing called 100% security. One of the best method to keep Hackers out of your computer, would be to turn off Javascript and Flash as these two are widely used to inject malicious scripts into your system.

But that may be impractical for some, as the Internet relies on Javascript and Flash for quite a few features or functions – from logging in to websites, to browsing, serving search functions and more. Turn off Javascript and you will find that you cannot do much on the Internet. So how do we keep hackers away? Here are some tips to prevent hacking without having to restrict yourself by turning off Javascript and Flash.

Apart from following the basic steps like keeping your Windows operating system and software up-to-date, keeping your Firewall turned on, using a good antivirus software or a Intenet Security Suite, here are a few precautions you should follow.

Turn off JavaScript and Flash
If you can disable JavaScript and / or Flash, good! It will make your system more secure. There is also a Group Policy setting to disable Java.

Use a strong password for user and online accounts
Easy passwords make it easier for anyone to log into your account and take it over. In most cases, the hackers will change the password after taking over your machine so that you cannot log in. What happens afterwards to reclaim the machine is a tedious process. It is always recommended to use strong passwords, that contain alphanumeric characters and also include special characters.

You can force it on the Windows users to harden the login password policy and create a strong password. You can also make it possible that the account is locked down after three attempts. Read our article on restricting login attempts.

For online accounts, I will recommend using a password manager software such as LastPass that generates secure passwords and stores them safely so that you can use them without having to remember each. Further, it is better to have different passwords for different sites so that if one account is compromised, others are still safe. The first among all tips to prevent hacking is to use a strong password.

Remove crapware
You never know what kind of programs are installed on your computer when you buy a new one. Lenovo presented a good example by installing Superfish that made it possible for cybercriminals to initiate Man in the Middle Attacks. A new computer comes with plenty of software that you won’t ever need. The first step after getting a new computer is to remove all crapware and the programs that you won’t need. There are certain third-party crapware removal tools that let you decide what programs to keep and automate the removal of crapware. You can use any such program or you can remove unwanted programs and toolbars manually. The manual method is safer though it takes some perspiration on your part. If you see a program that you can’t understand, it is better to consult someone and then remove it.

Article Continued Here

Two-Factor Authentication

I am a strong proponent of two-factor authentication but the worrying thing is the way it’s being advertised or pushed as a holy grail of security. The weakest link is still the person using the service/device and if they continued to use weak passwords then it just become the matter of loosing your token device or mobile.

When enabling two-factor authentication users still must advised to setup secure passwords with at-least 10 digit length containing Alphabets, Numerals and Special Characters.

It’s a good thing that Microsoft is building two-factor authentication directly in the OS and it will help the IT administrators to better manage and protect the device in their network.

See the link below for more detail about the implementation of two-factor authentication in Windows 10.

Windows 10 to get two-factor authentication built-in