Computerniks - Computer Repair Lancaster PA

Yesterday I ran into an issue trying to use a data transfer cable (from Insignia) to copy data from a Windows 10 pc to a new Windows 11 pc. The built-in software worked fine with the Windows 10 system, but wouldn't launch on the Windows 11 system. After several failed attempts, I tried an older cable I carry (The Tornado) and had similar results. It worked with 10, but not 11.

It's a rare month that I am not copying data to new computers, so this was really baffling. Looking online I learned that Microsoft has been doing several things to harden security over the last couple years. These include...

Portable EXEs from USB devices requiring explicit approval.
Auto-launch from virtual CD devices being blocked by default.
Legacy USB-bridge devices being blocked.
Unsigned kernel-mode drivers not loading at all.
EXEs without modern signatures being blocked.
No loading of deprecated USB-bridge chipsets.
Mandatory driver signature verification.
Blocking of 32-bit helper services.

So, it seems I need to find a transfer cable that isn't impacted by these changes. I asked Copilot what other devices are likely to be impacted by these changes. I will post it's reply as the first three comments as it's a bit lengthy. For most computer users, they won't likely run into much, if any, issues. But if you are trying to use older equipment, you may want to read that list.

And as for how I resolved copying data from the old pc to the new, I ended up copying the data to an external hard drive and then copying it from that to the new pc.

(Image is not of the actual model cable I was using)

This is to inform people, if they didn't already know, they can continue to get Windows 10 security updates from Microsoft until October 13, 2026 at no cost. Click on the link to read the details as you do need to sign up for the ESU plan. Do this if you need more time before switching to Windows 11.

Microsoft Confirms Free Windows 10 Security Updates — How To Get Them Although Windows 10 is no longer officially supported, Microsoft says users can now sign up for free security updates. Here’s what you need to do step-by-step.

I decided that I wanted to post about learning a couple months ago that Comcast hasn't been offering new Xfinity customers email account since June of 2024. Existing customers still have access to their email accounts.

THEN I learned (just now) that EVEN THAT isn't going to be true for long. Apparently, back in June of this year, Xfinity has started to transition existing comcast.net email accounts to Yahoo. By the end of 2026, Xfinity will be out of the email business. This is similar to what Verizon did in 2017 with migrating all their email accounts to AOL.

Read the link to learn what you will need to do to not lose your comcast.net email address and how to move saved emails to Yahoo.

https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/yahoo-email-migration-overview

Xfinity Email move to Yahoo Mail Starting in June 2025, Comcast will begin moving all comcast.net email accounts to Yahoo Mail. Yahoo will host and support these accounts moving forward. Customers will be notified before the move and given multiple options.

https://www.newsweek.com/16-billion-logins-stolen-data-breach-apple-facebooks-google-2088231

16 billion logins stolen in one of largest data breaches: What to do now Researchers said that the breach could be the largest of its kind in history.

On average, how long can you count on the hard drive or SSD in your computer to last? Will data on a DVD or Flash drive still be accessible 10 years later?

Watch this video to get a better understanding about long various storage media can last and why you can't just back something up and assume it will still be still accessible years later without some maintenance.

Storage Media Life Expectancy: SSDs, HDDs & More! Lifespan of hard drives, SSDs, and other magnetic, solid state and optical media.My 2023 video “Explaining SSDs” is here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8k_...

Here is a very informative video explaining the threat of having your cell phone account compromised and how it can lead to your money being stolen.

Nowadays our cell phones have become the gatekeeper to much of our lives. Gaining access to it is a goal many scammers have.

The Sneaky New Phone Scam That’s Draining Bank Accounts (And How to Protect Yourself) Picture this: you’re scrolling your phone late at night, sipping tea, when suddenly—your service vanishes. Days later, $38,000 is gone from your account, and...

A "stomach-dropping" feeling at the worst time...

While helping a client deal with the aftermath of a scam that started as an email purporting to be an PayPal invoice listing an unauthorized payment and ended with accessing a Google Doc fake "Refund form" and an aborted phone call, I found that the contents of my client's various personal data folders such as Documents, Downloads and Pictures were emptied. The client was smart enough to have a backup process in place, but when I opened the backup program, this is what I saw. What made it even worse is the client had renewed his subscription 6 months ago.

This is one of the downsides of cloud storage. You think you are doing everything right and still fall victim to items beyond your control. I'm not knocking cloud storage, but convenience does mean giving up a level of control.

(luckily my client's story is ending on a good note with my being able to restore his data despite this message.)

Computerniks - Computer Repair Lancaster PA Computerniks comes to your home or small business to help with a variety of computer problems, such

Wow. I didn't realize how long it's been since my last post.

If anyone is having problems finding their Office 365 icon on their desktop, here is an article discussing Microsoft's decision to rename it to "365 Copilot".

Microsoft just renamed Office to Microsoft 365 Copilot on Windows 11 for everyone Microsoft 365 app has been rebranded to Microsoft 365 Copilot. While the change feels unnecessary, it brings significant AI-driven updates and UI improvements.

This evening I decided to search my business on Google. Much to my surprise, it listed that my business was permanently closed! This is obviously not true. I was able to log into my account and saw that yes indeed my business has been marked as permanently closed. I have edited the entry. Hopefully it will update the listing within the 10 minutes they said it takes.

Unbelievable!

I wonder how long this has been listed like that. I also would like to know WHY it happened in the first place.

Computerniks has no plans to close anytime soon. Sorry for any confusion this has caused anyone.

I was checking several websites for the latest reviews on antivirus programs. In an article from Forbes (link to article below), they gave a list of what security threats antiviruses do and do not protect against. I thought this list would be useful to share. There are other interesting tidbits in the article as well. Click on images to see their full content.
https://www.forbes.com/.../software/best-antivirus-software/