2013-08-08T23:08:02Z

Some call them spam. Others call them scams. But they both amount to the same thing: unwanted e-mail, some with the potential to fool you into taking an action you might later regret.

If you want a quick list of things to look for, go straight to [[#Spam]]

== But first... ==

Let's dispel a myth. Provided that your e-mail client is not configured to download linked images with incoming mail, no e-mail that lands in your Inbox is ''instantly'' harmful. It is what you do with it that can lead to problems. But your careful attention to detail will help you avoid them.

== Scams ==

Scams, especially via e-mail but also via social media, are an ongoing problem. Everyone needs to exercise a high degree of awareness about them and their potential to be harmful.

The point of a scam is to somehow gain an advantage from you. It may be remittance of money, or just simply giving away personal details. But if you look at an incoming e-mail and it is correctly addressed to you, then you are already on a list somewhere that is being distributed or sold. Apart from abandoning that particular e-mail address, there little you can do about it.

PCUG clearly states that we will never ask you for sensitive details (login, passwords, etc) via e-mail. If there is ever a problem with your account, we will ask you to ring or drop-in at the PCUG Centre to resolve it, where both we and you can confirm who you are working with.

Most reputable organisations (banks, credit unions, trade unions, clubs etc) have similar policies of never requesting sensitive information to be supplied electronically, as it is just too easy for spammers to forge such messages.

A few PCUG members have fallen for such scams. As a result, their accounts were used to send many thousands more SPAM e-mails, which resulted in PCUG being placed on blacklists for a time, thus blocking some e-mail delivery for all users. So please exercise caution, as carelessness by one member can inconvenience and disrupt usage for all!

== References ==

For some guidance on how to avoid being caught by scams, see:

* Stay Smart Online,[http://www.staysmartonline.gov.au/] the Australian government site, or report a scam [http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/reportascam]
* ACCC Scamwatch free book [http://www.accc.gov.au/publications/the-little-black-book-of-scams] or report a scam to them [http://www.scamwatch.gov.au/reportascam]
* Financial scams recorded by ASIC [http://www.moneysmart.gov.au/]
* AFP information [http://www.afp.gov.au/policing/cybercrime/internet-fraud-and-scams.aspx]
* Wikipedia's lists [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_confidence_tricks] and [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_email_scams]

(as at 8 Aug 2013)

== Scam Warnings ==

Most scams use well-known brands to try to convince you of their trustworthiness - the Australian Government and its agencies, ANZ, NAB, Westpac and Commonwealth banks, Woolworths, Coles and the list goes on. If you are in doubt about any company-branded email, find their real site and visit it. Most have gotten over their shyness about scammers trying to steal their identities, and are quite up front about the attempts being made to con readers.

== Spam ==

Wikipedia defines spam: "Spam is the use of electronic messaging systems to send unsolicited bulk messages, especially advertising, indiscriminately" The term "spam" covers many different styles of unsolicited communication.

You should be suspicious of e-mails, texts, or social media messages that arrive:

* without a subject
* from a sender you do not know or recognize
* offering something too good (even $20 or $50 for a survey) to be true
* without greeting you by name
* containing poorly written English or typos
* having a file attachment of any kind
* containing a link that, when you hover over it with a mouse, displays a link that seems inappropriate in the context
* containing a link inviting you click - unless you have a very good idea where it will lead you
* asking for your personal details.

Also be suspicious where the "To:" list is "undisclosed recipients" but the e-mail attempts familiarity - "with the same last name as you".

'''When in doubt, delete.'''

While this page is about e-mails, don't lose sight of spam that comes from web browsing. Offers of 'free' toolbars, registry cleaners, things to brighten your teeth or reduce flatulence are to be avoided because the offerings are often not what they seem. These often come when you are installing a new app or utility. We tend to fly through such installs, and may regret this later on. Keep your wits about you.

== What Can You Do About E-mail Spam? ==

* Given that preventing Spam is extremely difficult, you can take steps to try and reduce the impact of spam on yourself. However nothing you do can stop it completely (unless you simply decide not to accept any form of electronic communication). Also note that the more effort you make to block spam, the more likely it is that you will also block a fraction of legitimate messages to yourself.

* Make use of your ISP's anti-spam measures. Different ISPs employ varying amounts of spam counter-measures, depending on their resources and philosophy on to what extent they believe in "intercepting/analyzing" their user's e-mails. However, please note that whilst PCUG/TIP utilize some anti-spam measures, we do not employ spam filters that scan the message content, as this requires greater system and administrative resources than we have available. Brief details of the measures we use are given on the TIP Wiki Spam page. Or you can try:
** Make use of the spam filtering capabilities of your e-mail client. Many e-mail clients come with spam filtering capabilities. However you need to activate and train these to make use of them. Once enabled, you need to tag messages as ''spam'' or ''not spam'' so your program learns your selection process. With sufficient training, this can help classify e-mails fairly well. The disadvantage of this approach is that this classification is done on just one system, and doesn't help if you use several systems, and/or webmail to access your e-mail.
** Forward your e-mail to another ISP, or to a large web e-mail provider (eg. gmail, yahoo, hotmail) who have the resources to run more agressive and nuanced e-mail filters, and then access and read your e-mail from this site.
** Use something like Mailwasher...it can stop problem e-mails even getting to you. you will need to 'train' it for what you like and don't, to avoid blocking genuine e-mails.

== A short lesson in looking around for yourself... ==

Here's a recent e-mail that came via Outlook:

[[File:pcug_sc_1.jpg|center|Fig. 1]]

Things looked pretty normal at first, allowing for the small typo. A Verizon user (Verizon is a large communication company) had created a Google document, and wanted to share it. But then I passed the mouse pointer over the link, and the popup box told me that it would take me to 'latinamericainvest.com' where the reader would be connected to a Wordpress file.

By now my suspicions were raised, so I went to look at the headers of the e-mail. ('''Tell how to get them in assorted clients''')

[[File:pcug_sc_2.jpg|center|Fig. 2]]

This looked more useful. The rule here is to read up from the last line. Now, the things to note...

# The e-mail, purporting to come from Google, was written with Outlook Express - Microsoft's free (and deprecated) e-mail client. That certainly seems not to fit with what Google would use.
# "From" looks like the topmost line, and is just meaningless and is often a fudge because...
# Here is where any reply will go. It might be real, but there's no guarantee of that. But look and see if it matches the supposed sender - a mismatch should ring bells.
# These are the transmission 'hops', where the file gets passed along the chain to you. Not a lot of interest, but if you want to know where point 3. originated, put the URL (in this case 216.59.19.48) into something like http://whois.domaintools.com/ you will find it.
# Another 'hop'
# TIP found this came from an source unknown to it, so requested a resend. This is 'greylisting' which TIP has in place.

That's not the sum total of what you might find in a header. But if you do read one, break it up into parts and try to see just what has been delivered to you. If you find anything worth sharing, please post it here.

== Finding headers ==

Open the e-mail you want to inspect, then:
* In Microsoft Office Outlook, looks for ''Tags'' on the ribbon, and click the small downpointing arrow in the lower right-hand corner of the Tags panel
* In Thunderbird:
# For the open e-mail, select ''View Source'' from the ''Other Actions'' menu
# To reveal all headers that you open subsequently, click on ''View'' in the top menu, then ''Headers'' then tick ''All''
* In Windows Mail, Live Mail and Outlook Express:
# Highlight the message of interest
# Right click on the message
# Select ''Properties'' in the context menu
# Switch to the ''Details'' tab
* In Evolution, click on ''View'' in the top menu, then ''All Message Headers''
* In Forte Agent, tap the H key
* In Claws-Mail, do Ctrl+H
* In Pegasus Mail, right-click on the message and select ''Message headers...'' from the window that opens.
* In Mac Mail, click ''View'', select ''Message/All Headers''

== Odd things ==

Google's Gmail service omits the sender IP address information from all headers. Instead, only the IP address of Gmail's mail server is shown in Received: from. This means it is impossible to find a sender's true IP address in a received Gmail.

Microsoft's Hotmail service provides an extended header line called "X-Originating-IP" that contains the sender's actual IP address.

E-mails from Yahoo contain the sender's IP address in the last Received: entry.

Technical Info

2013-08-08T23:07:49Z

Pblair: /* Email */

__NOTOC__
This page is to support a wide variety of technical IT related hints, help guides, howtos and tips, contributed by members on a range of IT related topics of interest.
Some selected categories of information are shown below. Member contributions are encouraged, see [[Info_Wiki:About|About this Wiki]], [[Getting Started Editing Wiki Pages]], and the navigation [[Help:Contents|Help]] page for guidance on doing this.

Please note that '''information related specifically to''' accessing and using the '''PCUG's 'The Internet Project' (TIP) ISP Services''' are provided on the '''[http://www.tip.net.au/wiki/ TIP Wiki]'''

Please include a link to <nowiki>[[</nowiki>{{ns:category}}:Technical Info]] at the bottom of any page you create in this area.


{|style="border-spacing:8px;margin:0px -8px"
|class="MainPageBG" style="width:25%;border:1px solid #cedff2;background-color:#f5faff;vertical-align:top;color:#000"|

{|width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#f5faff"
|-
|style="margin:0;background-color:#cef2e0;border:1px solid #a3bfb1;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;"|
===Computer Systems===
|-
|style="color:#000"|

==== Android ====
* [[Getting Started with Android]]
* [[Android_App_Recommendations]]
* [[Connect Android to Computer]]

==== Apple ====
* [[iPad_App_Recommendations]]
* [[iPhone_App_Recommendations]]

==== Linux ====
* [[Linux at PCUG Centre]]
* [[Additional HDD]]
* [[Dual-Booting]]
* [[Emergency_Boot - Including for Dual-Boot]]
* [[GPT Partitioning]]
* [[KDE 4 Desktop Environment]]
* [[Linux_Distribution_64-bit_v_32-bit]]
* [[Linux_Distribution_Recommendations]]
* [[Netbook_Linux_Installation]]
* [[PC_21C & Secure_Boot]]
*[[Printing]]
*[[Scanning]]

==== Smart devices====
* [[QR codes]]

==== Windows ====
* [[File sharing between Win7 and XP]]
* [[File sharing between Windows and other OS]]
* [[Two Page Display]]
* [[Win7 Snipping Tool]]
* [[Win7 Hardware Recommendations]]

==== Windows 8 ====
* [[Do I need Windows 8?]]
* [[Editing Windows 8 - Usefuls]]
* [[Safe mode]]
* [[Install a Start button]]
* [[Confirmation of file delete]]
* [[File history]]
* [[Storage Spaces]]
* [[MRU]]
* [[CD/DVD player]]
* [[Computer icon on desktop]]
|-
|}

|class="MainPageBG" style="width:25%;border:1px solid #cedff2;background-color:#f5faff;vertical-align:top"|
{| width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#f5faff"
|-
|style="margin:0;background:#fef2e0;border:1px solid #a3bfb1;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;"|

=== Internet ===
|-
|style="color:#000"|

==== Access ====
* [[Internet Access Alternatives]]

==== E-mail ====
* [[Spam and scans: unwanted e-mail]]
* [[Scams]]
* [[Spam]]
* [[Long URLs]]
* [[Macros]]

==== Family Trees ====
* [[Sharing Family Tree Information]]

==== Web ====
* [[Webmail attachments]]

==== Web Hosting ====
* [[Web hosting]]
** [[Web hosting in action]]
*** [[A real project]]

==== Microsoft Web Platform Installer ====
* [[Web PI]]

==== Wikis ====

* [[Getting Started Editing Wiki Pages]]
* [[More_on_Working_with_Wikis]]
* [[Wiki Skins]]

|-
|}

|class="MainPageBG" style="width:25%;border:1px solid #cedff2;background-color:#f5faff;vertical-align:top"|
{| width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#f5faff"
|style="margin:0;background-color:#cedff2;border:1px solid #a3b0bf;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;"|

=== Peripherals ===
|-
|style="color:#000"|

==== DVDs and Bootable USBs ====
* [[Booting from Removable Media]]
* [[Using dotISO Files]]

==== External Drives ====
* [[External_Drives]]

==== Monitors & Projectors ====
* [[Using an External Display or Projector with a Notebook]]

==== Printers ====
* [[Cleaning Printheads]]
* [[Parallel Port Printers]]
* [[Sharing Printers via CUPS]]

==== Scanners ====
* [[Scanning Slides using CanoScan]]
* [[Scanning via Network]]

|-
|}

|class="MainPageBG" style="width:25%;border:1px solid #cedff2;background-color:#f5faff;vertical-align:top"|
{| width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#f5faff"
|style="margin:0;background-color:#cefff2;border:1px solid #a3b0bf;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;"|

=== Software ===
|-
|style="color:#000"|

==== Backup ====
* [[Interesting_Techniques]]

==== Firewall ====
* [[Firewall_Software]]

==== General ====
* [[Interesting_Programs]]
*

==== Image and Photo Editing ====
* [[GIMP]]
*

==== Office ====
* [[OpenOffice]]

==== Vector Drawing ====
* [[OpenOffice Draw]]

* [[Inkscape]]

|-
{| width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#f5faff"
|style="margin:0;background-color:#cefff2;border:1px solid #a3b0bf;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;"|

=== Hardware ===
|-
|style="color:#000"|

==== Disks ====
*[[Advanced Format (AF) Drives]]

*[[Solid State Drives (SSD)]]

==== Gateway_Router ====
*[[Commercial]]
*[[DIY]]

==== Programmable Controllers ====
*[[Arduino]]

==== Sub-Compact Computers ====
*[[Android MK802 Pocket PC]]
*[[Raspberry Pi]]
|-
|}
|}

== Related Pages ==
[[Category:Technical Info]]

File:Pcug sc 2.jpg

2013-08-08T23:06:41Z

Pblair:

2013-07-29T00:27:24Z

Pblair:

Connect Android to Computer

2013-07-29T00:26:47Z

Connect Android to Computer

2013-07-28T22:54:37Z

Pblair: Created page with " This is a placeholder.... Paul"

This is a placeholder....

Paul

Technical Info

2013-07-28T22:54:18Z

Pblair: /* Android */

__NOTOC__
This page is to support a wide variety of technical IT related hints, help guides, howtos and tips, contributed by members on a range of IT related topics of interest.
Some selected categories of information are shown below. Member contributions are encouraged, see [[Info_Wiki:About|About this Wiki]], [[Getting Started Editing Wiki Pages]], and the navigation [[Help:Contents|Help]] page for guidance on doing this.

Please note that '''information related specifically to''' accessing and using the '''PCUG's 'The Internet Project' (TIP) ISP Services''' are provided on the '''[http://www.tip.net.au/wiki/ TIP Wiki]'''

Please include a link to <nowiki>[[</nowiki>{{ns:category}}:Technical Info]] at the bottom of any page you create in this area.


{|style="border-spacing:8px;margin:0px -8px"
|class="MainPageBG" style="width:25%;border:1px solid #cedff2;background-color:#f5faff;vertical-align:top;color:#000"|

{|width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#f5faff"
|-
|style="margin:0;background-color:#cef2e0;border:1px solid #a3bfb1;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;"|
===Computer Systems===
|-
|style="color:#000"|

==== Android ====
* [[Android_App_Recommendations]]
* [[Connect Android to Computer]]

==== Apple ====
* [[iPad_App_Recommendations]]
* [[iPhone_App_Recommendations]]

==== Linux ====
* [[Linux at PCUG Centre]]
* [[Additional HDD]]
* [[Dual-Booting]]
* [[Emergency_Boot - Including for Dual-Boot]]
* [[GPT Partitioning]]
* [[KDE 4 Desktop Environment]]
* [[Linux_Distribution_64-bit_v_32-bit]]
* [[Linux_Distribution_Recommendations]]
* [[Netbook_Linux_Installation]]
* [[PC_21C & Secure_Boot]]
*[[Printing]]
*[[Scanning]]

==== Smart devices====
* [[QR codes]]

==== Windows ====
* [[File sharing between Win7 and XP]]
* [[File sharing between Windows and other OS]]
* [[Two Page Display]]
* [[Win7 Snipping Tool]]
* [[Win7 Hardware Recommendations]]

==== Windows 8 ====
* [[Do I need Windows 8?]]
* [[Editing Windows 8 - Usefuls]]
* [[Safe mode]]
* [[Install a Start button]]
* [[Confirmation of file delete]]
* [[File history]]
* [[Storage Spaces]]
* [[MRU]]
* [[CD/DVD player]]
* [[Computer icon on desktop]]
|-
|}

|class="MainPageBG" style="width:25%;border:1px solid #cedff2;background-color:#f5faff;vertical-align:top"|
{| width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#f5faff"
|-
|style="margin:0;background:#fef2e0;border:1px solid #a3bfb1;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;"|

=== Internet ===
|-
|style="color:#000"|

==== Access ====
* [[Internet Access Alternatives]]

==== Email ====
* [[Scams]]
* [[Spam]]
* [[Long URLs]]
* [[Macros]]

==== Family Trees ====
* [[Sharing Family Tree Information]]

==== Web ====
* [[Webmail attachments]]

==== Web Hosting ====
* [[Web hosting]]
** [[Web hosting in action]]
*** [[A real project]]

==== Microsoft Web Platform Installer ====
* [[Web PI]]

==== Wikis ====

* [[Getting Started Editing Wiki Pages]]
* [[More_on_Working_with_Wikis]]
* [[Wiki Skins]]

|-
|}

|class="MainPageBG" style="width:25%;border:1px solid #cedff2;background-color:#f5faff;vertical-align:top"|
{| width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#f5faff"
|style="margin:0;background-color:#cedff2;border:1px solid #a3b0bf;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;"|

=== Peripherals ===
|-
|style="color:#000"|

==== DVDs and Bootable USBs ====
* [[Booting from Removable Media]]
* [[Using dotISO Files]]

==== External Drives ====
* [[External_Drives]]

==== Monitors & Projectors ====
* [[Using an External Display or Projector with a Notebook]]

==== Printers ====
* [[Cleaning Printheads]]
* [[Parallel Port Printers]]
* [[Sharing Printers via CUPS]]

==== Scanners ====
* [[Scanning Slides using CanoScan]]
* [[Scanning via Network]]

|-
|}

|class="MainPageBG" style="width:25%;border:1px solid #cedff2;background-color:#f5faff;vertical-align:top"|
{| width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#f5faff"
|style="margin:0;background-color:#cefff2;border:1px solid #a3b0bf;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;"|

=== Software ===
|-
|style="color:#000"|

==== Backup ====
* [[Interesting_Techniques]]

==== Firewall ====
* [[Firewall_Software]]

==== General ====
* [[Interesting_Programs]]
*

==== Image and Photo Editing ====
* [[GIMP]]
*

==== Office ====
* [[OpenOffice]]

==== Vector Drawing ====
* [[OpenOffice Draw]]

* [[Inkscape]]

|-
{| width="100%" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="5" style="vertical-align:top;background-color:#f5faff"
|style="margin:0;background-color:#cefff2;border:1px solid #a3b0bf;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;"|

=== Hardware ===
|-
|style="color:#000"|

==== Disks ====
*[[Advanced Format (AF) Drives]]

*[[Solid State Drives (SSD)]]

==== Gateway_Router ====
*[[Commercial]]
*[[DIY]]

==== Programmable Controllers ====
*[[Arduino]]

==== Sub-Compact Computers ====
*[[Android MK802 Pocket PC]]
*[[Raspberry Pi]]
|-
|}
|}

== Related Pages ==
[[Category:Technical Info]]

File:Andd 1.jpg

2013-07-27T02:52:55Z

Pblair:

Web hosting

2013-07-20T00:41:12Z

Pblair:

Sharing Family Tree Information

2013-06-25T00:40:29Z

Pblair:

Gathering information about present and previous members of your family has become quite popular. A whole industry has grown around family research and recording, aided by the internet and a number of commercial interests.

Storage methods vary. Many folk are quite happy to have a supply of index cards in a shoe box. Others prefer some computerised method, and there are relatively inexpensive software programs available to fill that role.

For many people, that is enough. They may not want to broadcast or even share what they know. But there are others who do want to share - as much to tell others what they have discovered as to seek help in correcting misinformation that might have crept in. The thought begins - could this be shared via the web? And how would you make web pages?

One way of achieving this is through commercial channels. You will be offered space to upload your data. At that point, most commercial channels then claim your data as their own, and in giving them the data you give them the right to charge for other people to view it. As well, you might find that you no longer have any editing rights, so any errors or omissions cannot be amended. Among serious researchers, these sites are known for their errors, not their facts.

Or you could do it yourself. This has many pluses and a few minuses.

The two main pluses are that you are in control - you can add or subtract facts as you discover them (and family trees are never static). And then you can control who has access to your data, if you wish, so you can protect privacy.

The main minus is that you have to learn a few new tricks!

This takes us into the world of hosting - where you contract with a supplier to sell you some web space and some software to help create useful things in that space.

If you would prefer to experiment at home first, you can set up your own server - see the wiki items [http://pcug.org.au/info/index.php/Web_hosting at].

If you want you could also register a domain, so that your hosted site is personalised. But that's not essential.

'''The New Tricks'''

The online process is simplicity itself. You create a database to hold the data, and you have some scripts to take the data and deliver it to the world in a presentable format.

The data and the scripts live in the hosted web space, so there are a few things you will need to learn to help manage them.

The data comes from direct entry - you type it into the database - or you import it from the program you use at home on your computer.

You don't need to create any web pages - the scripts create them on the fly. And if there is a change in the data - someone dies or a baby is born - you amend the data and the web pages recreate themselves to reflect these changes. If there was one strong reason to use an online system, that is it.

'''To Whet Your Appetite'''

There are a number of application offerings - the main two being ''webtrees'' and ''The Next Generation'' (TNG).

webtrees is at http://www.webtrees.net/index.php/en/, where there is a demo - or a showcase to see how others use it. webtrees is free.

TNG is at http://lythgoes.net/genealogy/software.php and again, there are examples. TNG is about AU$30.

[[Category:Technical Info]]

Do I need Windows 8?

2013-06-18T09:59:08Z

Pblair: /* An addition from Canberra */

== What is Windows 8? ==
Windows 8 is the latest version of Microsoft Windows. It comes after Windows 7 (which came after Windows Vista, which came after Windows XP). Windows 8 brings a big change in the appearance of the operating system. It now has two main screens, a new one (which Microsoft at first called Metro, but now calls Modern) and a more familiar desktop screen. It starts up in the new 'Modern' screen.

== What is Windows RT? ==

Windows RT is a version of Windows 8 that runs on ARM processors (which are common in mobile devices including Microsoft's Surface RT tablet). It presents the Modern interface and only runs programs downloaded from the new Microsoft App Store, in addition to a suite of pre-installed programs which includes Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote).

== Do I need to move on from my present version of Windows? ==

If you can do everything you want to do with your present setup, there's no need to upgrade to Windows 8. If you are still using Windows XP, it's good to plan to move on well before April next year (2014) when Microsoft will stop issuing security updates for Windows XP, but that still gives you time to watch how Windows 8 beds down.

== If I want to upgrade from my current version of Windows to Windows 8, how can I find out if my computer can cope with Windows 8? ==

Microsoft will test your computer for you. Go to the Microsoft
[http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/upgrade-to-windows-8"Upgrade to Windows 8] page
and click on the "Download Upgrade Assistant" link and follow the instructions. The Assistant checks your hardware for compatibility with Windows 8. You can install and run the Assistant without having to download the full operating system if you do not want to.

== Do I need a touch-screen computer or tablet to use Windows 8? ==
The new Modern interface is designed for use with a touch-screen but it can also be controlled with a mouse and keyboard. You do not have to have a touch-screen to use Windows 8.

== How do I buy Windows 8? ==

If your computer passes the test and can cope with Windows 8, you can buy Windows 8 as an upgrade to your present operating system (which may be anything from Windows XP Service Pack 3, through to Windows 7). If your operating system is older than Windows XP, it's very likely that your computer will not pass the test for Windows 8 compatibility, and you will need to purchase a new computer if you want to use Windows 8.

== Should I download the upgrade or buy it on a DVD? ==

The download costs less, but if you choose it, you will receive the version of Windows 8 that matches your older operating system. If your old OS is the 32-bit version, you will receive the 32-bit version of Windows 8. Provided that your computer hardware can cope with the 64-bit version of Windows 8 (the test result will tell you) you can make better use of your computer's resources by upgrading to the 64-bit version even if your current OS is 32-bit. But to do that you will need to purchase the DVD. Members who have very slow internet connections such as dial-up, or who have limited internet data allowances, will also need to purchase the DVD. (The size of the Windows 8 download is about 3 gigabytes.)

== Should I upgrade or do a clean reinstall of Windows? ==

The easiest way to upgrade is to download Windows 8 and install it as an upgrade over your old OS. If you do that, the installer will do its best to keep your old settings, program installations etc. (If you are upgrading from Windows XP, only your data will be preserved; if from Vista, your settings and data will be preserved; but in both those cases you will need to reinstall your programs.) A clean install of your new Windows 8 involves a fresh start: it requires you to reinstall all your programs, and to fetch your data files from your backup, and redo your settings. You would have to do this anyway if you purchased a new computer. A clean install minimizes any risk that old information on your hard disk could confuse Windows 8 even after installation. Whichever you choose, It's very important to have a full backup before you install Windows 8.

== Will Windows 8 allow me to use all my old programs? ==
If you accept the download and you have Windows Vista or Windows 7, all your old programs will run under Windows 8. Also, if you move from 32-bit to 64-bit Windows, your 32-bit programs will still run (as they will under Vista or Windows 7 64-bit). If you are moving from Windows XP, and are still using some old DOS-style 16-bit programs, these will not run under Windows 8 without the help of an additional program to provide the 16-bit environment these programs need.

== With Windows 8 installed on my computer, how can I learn to use the new features? ==

When you install Windows 8 and start it up you will be given some introductory information on your screen. Windows 8 also has a built-in help system, with advice on using the new interface, which you can access by pressing the Windows key and the F1 key together.

== I have purchased a new computer with Windows 8 already installed. How do I find the desktop? ==

On the Modern interface clicking on the bottom left pane opens the desktop. To return to the Modern screen from the old-style Windows desktop, just press the Windows key on your keyboard.

'''Text courtesy of the Melbourne PC User Group'''

== An addition from Canberra about Windows 8 protection inclusion ==

Windows 8 comes with Windows Defender built in.

Defender incorporates Early Launch Antimalware (ELAM) protection, Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Secure Boot, Bootkit Detection and anti-virus protection.

Defender will disable itself if you install another antivirus suite. This is to stop multiple (often conflicting) AVs/AMWs getting underfoot.

To find the management window, tap the Windows key and type Defender on the screen.

Updates are vigorous (almost daily).

[[Category:Technical Info]]

Do I need Windows 8?

2013-06-17T03:07:25Z

Pblair: /* An addition from Canberra */

== What is Windows 8? ==
Windows 8 is the latest version of Microsoft Windows. It comes after Windows 7 (which came after Windows Vista, which came after Windows XP). Windows 8 brings a big change in the appearance of the operating system. It now has two main screens, a new one (which Microsoft at first called Metro, but now calls Modern) and a more familiar desktop screen. It starts up in the new 'Modern' screen.

== What is Windows RT? ==

Windows RT is a version of Windows 8 that runs on ARM processors (which are common in mobile devices including Microsoft's Surface RT tablet). It presents the Modern interface and only runs programs downloaded from the new Microsoft App Store, in addition to a suite of pre-installed programs which includes Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote).

== Do I need to move on from my present version of Windows? ==

If you can do everything you want to do with your present setup, there's no need to upgrade to Windows 8. If you are still using Windows XP, it's good to plan to move on well before April next year (2014) when Microsoft will stop issuing security updates for Windows XP, but that still gives you time to watch how Windows 8 beds down.

== If I want to upgrade from my current version of Windows to Windows 8, how can I find out if my computer can cope with Windows 8? ==

Microsoft will test your computer for you. Go to the Microsoft
[http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/upgrade-to-windows-8"Upgrade to Windows 8] page
and click on the "Download Upgrade Assistant" link and follow the instructions. The Assistant checks your hardware for compatibility with Windows 8. You can install and run the Assistant without having to download the full operating system if you do not want to.

== Do I need a touch-screen computer or tablet to use Windows 8? ==
The new Modern interface is designed for use with a touch-screen but it can also be controlled with a mouse and keyboard. You do not have to have a touch-screen to use Windows 8.

== How do I buy Windows 8? ==

If your computer passes the test and can cope with Windows 8, you can buy Windows 8 as an upgrade to your present operating system (which may be anything from Windows XP Service Pack 3, through to Windows 7). If your operating system is older than Windows XP, it's very likely that your computer will not pass the test for Windows 8 compatibility, and you will need to purchase a new computer if you want to use Windows 8.

== Should I download the upgrade or buy it on a DVD? ==

The download costs less, but if you choose it, you will receive the version of Windows 8 that matches your older operating system. If your old OS is the 32-bit version, you will receive the 32-bit version of Windows 8. Provided that your computer hardware can cope with the 64-bit version of Windows 8 (the test result will tell you) you can make better use of your computer's resources by upgrading to the 64-bit version even if your current OS is 32-bit. But to do that you will need to purchase the DVD. Members who have very slow internet connections such as dial-up, or who have limited internet data allowances, will also need to purchase the DVD. (The size of the Windows 8 download is about 3 gigabytes.)

== Should I upgrade or do a clean reinstall of Windows? ==

The easiest way to upgrade is to download Windows 8 and install it as an upgrade over your old OS. If you do that, the installer will do its best to keep your old settings, program installations etc. (If you are upgrading from Windows XP, only your data will be preserved; if from Vista, your settings and data will be preserved; but in both those cases you will need to reinstall your programs.) A clean install of your new Windows 8 involves a fresh start: it requires you to reinstall all your programs, and to fetch your data files from your backup, and redo your settings. You would have to do this anyway if you purchased a new computer. A clean install minimizes any risk that old information on your hard disk could confuse Windows 8 even after installation. Whichever you choose, It's very important to have a full backup before you install Windows 8.

== Will Windows 8 allow me to use all my old programs? ==
If you accept the download and you have Windows Vista or Windows 7, all your old programs will run under Windows 8. Also, if you move from 32-bit to 64-bit Windows, your 32-bit programs will still run (as they will under Vista or Windows 7 64-bit). If you are moving from Windows XP, and are still using some old DOS-style 16-bit programs, these will not run under Windows 8 without the help of an additional program to provide the 16-bit environment these programs need.

== With Windows 8 installed on my computer, how can I learn to use the new features? ==

When you install Windows 8 and start it up you will be given some introductory information on your screen. Windows 8 also has a built-in help system, with advice on using the new interface, which you can access by pressing the Windows key and the F1 key together.

== I have purchased a new computer with Windows 8 already installed. How do I find the desktop? ==

On the Modern interface clicking on the bottom left pane opens the desktop. To return to the Modern screen from the old-style Windows desktop, just press the Windows key on your keyboard.

'''Text courtesy of the Melbourne PC User Group'''

== An addition from Canberra ==

Windows 8 comes with Windows Defender built in. To find the management window, tap the Windows key and type Defender on the screen.

Defender incorporates Early Launch Antimalware (ELAM) protection, Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Secure Boot, Bootkit Detection and anti-virus protection.

Defender will disable itself if you install another antivirus suite. This is to stop multiple (often conflicting) AVs/AMWs getting underfoot.

Updates are vigorous (almost daily).

[[Category:Technical Info]]

Do I need Windows 8?

2013-06-17T03:06:26Z

Pblair: /* I have purchased a new computer with Windows 8 already installed. How do I find the desktop? */

== What is Windows 8? ==
Windows 8 is the latest version of Microsoft Windows. It comes after Windows 7 (which came after Windows Vista, which came after Windows XP). Windows 8 brings a big change in the appearance of the operating system. It now has two main screens, a new one (which Microsoft at first called Metro, but now calls Modern) and a more familiar desktop screen. It starts up in the new 'Modern' screen.

== What is Windows RT? ==

Windows RT is a version of Windows 8 that runs on ARM processors (which are common in mobile devices including Microsoft's Surface RT tablet). It presents the Modern interface and only runs programs downloaded from the new Microsoft App Store, in addition to a suite of pre-installed programs which includes Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office 2013 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote).

== Do I need to move on from my present version of Windows? ==

If you can do everything you want to do with your present setup, there's no need to upgrade to Windows 8. If you are still using Windows XP, it's good to plan to move on well before April next year (2014) when Microsoft will stop issuing security updates for Windows XP, but that still gives you time to watch how Windows 8 beds down.

== If I want to upgrade from my current version of Windows to Windows 8, how can I find out if my computer can cope with Windows 8? ==

Microsoft will test your computer for you. Go to the Microsoft
[http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/upgrade-to-windows-8"Upgrade to Windows 8] page
and click on the "Download Upgrade Assistant" link and follow the instructions. The Assistant checks your hardware for compatibility with Windows 8. You can install and run the Assistant without having to download the full operating system if you do not want to.

== Do I need a touch-screen computer or tablet to use Windows 8? ==
The new Modern interface is designed for use with a touch-screen but it can also be controlled with a mouse and keyboard. You do not have to have a touch-screen to use Windows 8.

== How do I buy Windows 8? ==

If your computer passes the test and can cope with Windows 8, you can buy Windows 8 as an upgrade to your present operating system (which may be anything from Windows XP Service Pack 3, through to Windows 7). If your operating system is older than Windows XP, it's very likely that your computer will not pass the test for Windows 8 compatibility, and you will need to purchase a new computer if you want to use Windows 8.

== Should I download the upgrade or buy it on a DVD? ==

The download costs less, but if you choose it, you will receive the version of Windows 8 that matches your older operating system. If your old OS is the 32-bit version, you will receive the 32-bit version of Windows 8. Provided that your computer hardware can cope with the 64-bit version of Windows 8 (the test result will tell you) you can make better use of your computer's resources by upgrading to the 64-bit version even if your current OS is 32-bit. But to do that you will need to purchase the DVD. Members who have very slow internet connections such as dial-up, or who have limited internet data allowances, will also need to purchase the DVD. (The size of the Windows 8 download is about 3 gigabytes.)

== Should I upgrade or do a clean reinstall of Windows? ==

The easiest way to upgrade is to download Windows 8 and install it as an upgrade over your old OS. If you do that, the installer will do its best to keep your old settings, program installations etc. (If you are upgrading from Windows XP, only your data will be preserved; if from Vista, your settings and data will be preserved; but in both those cases you will need to reinstall your programs.) A clean install of your new Windows 8 involves a fresh start: it requires you to reinstall all your programs, and to fetch your data files from your backup, and redo your settings. You would have to do this anyway if you purchased a new computer. A clean install minimizes any risk that old information on your hard disk could confuse Windows 8 even after installation. Whichever you choose, It's very important to have a full backup before you install Windows 8.

== Will Windows 8 allow me to use all my old programs? ==
If you accept the download and you have Windows Vista or Windows 7, all your old programs will run under Windows 8. Also, if you move from 32-bit to 64-bit Windows, your 32-bit programs will still run (as they will under Vista or Windows 7 64-bit). If you are moving from Windows XP, and are still using some old DOS-style 16-bit programs, these will not run under Windows 8 without the help of an additional program to provide the 16-bit environment these programs need.

== With Windows 8 installed on my computer, how can I learn to use the new features? ==

When you install Windows 8 and start it up you will be given some introductory information on your screen. Windows 8 also has a built-in help system, with advice on using the new interface, which you can access by pressing the Windows key and the F1 key together.

== I have purchased a new computer with Windows 8 already installed. How do I find the desktop? ==

On the Modern interface clicking on the bottom left pane opens the desktop. To return to the Modern screen from the old-style Windows desktop, just press the Windows key on your keyboard.

'''Text courtesy of the Melbourne PC User Group'''

== An addition from Canberra ==

Windows 8 comes with Windows Defender built in. To find the management window, tap the Windows key and type Defender on the screen.

Defender incorporates Early Launch Antimalware (ELAM) protection, Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) Secure Boot, Bootkit Detection and anti-virus protection.

Defender will disable itself if you install another antivirus suite. This is to stop multiple (often conflicting) AVs getting underfoot.

Updates are vigorous (almost daily).

[[Category:Technical Info]]