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XBOX SERIES X/S – EXPANSION SSD

I have written about the cost of Expansion Drives for the Series X previously.

When I was listening to Windows Weekly recently, Paul Thurrott advised that the price of expansion drives on Xbox Series X/S had been reduced.

Refer https://www.thurrott.com/games/282761/seagate-storage-expansion-card-xbox-series-x-price-drop

In addition, he said that Western Digital will also have an expansion drive. To date, Seagate has been the sole manufacturer.

The drop in price for Seagate will be:

1 TB – USD$70 (From USD $219-99 down to USD $149-99)

512 GB – USD$50 (From $139-99 to USD$89-99)

2 TB – USD $120 (From $399-99 to USD$279-99

I could not find any pricing for Western Digital, but Gamespot.com said that there was a leek that the price of a 1TB WD Series X/S Expansion SSD card was USD$180 (AUD$270).

EB Games have the following prices:

1 TB AUD$429-95 (USD as at date of post USD$286-47)

512GB NOT ADVERTISED

2 TB AUD$749-95 (USD as at date of post USD$499-74)

As can be seen, prices have not come down here. The Western Digital reported price is more than the reduced price of the Seagate 1 TB Card. However, Western Digital might reduce their price to compete.

You can buy an ordinary external USB 1 TB drive for under AUD$90, and a 2 TB drive for a bit over AUD$100. The convenience of being able to play from the expansion drive might be worth paying more – PERHAPS!!

REFER NEW POST https://whysun.com/x-box/x-box-series-x-s-expansion-ssd-continued/

MacBook Pro Continued

Refer previous post https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/new-macbook-pro/

I have been using my MacBook Pro for over 3 months now, and I have the following further comments.

TOUCH BAR

I do not know why people complain about this feature. In fact, people complained so much that Apple has removed it from many models.

I admit that I watched a number of on-line videos to learn how to use it properly.

But I like it. In fact, it is one of the features that I like the most, particularly the fingerprint reader.

OTHER COMMENTS

Battery life is very good and a Mac comes with most, if not all the Apps people usually need. These factors, along with build quality and an excellent operating system, make the Mac very attractive.

However, just like Windows, you probably have to consider buying extra on-line storage via iCloud to complement local backup via “Time Machine”.

I pay for Microsoft (Office) 365 that comes with a large amount of OneDrive storage. I have it installed on my Mac Book Pro.

Like One Drive, iCloud has only 5GB of free storage which is not enough for a second “off premises” backup. Dropbox has a smaller amount at 2GB. Google Drive has a much more generous 15GB free, but this includes Email and Photos and is still not enough for backup.

Microsoft 365 is probably the best value. The basic plan provides a full copy MS Office plus 1TB of OneDrive storage on 5 Devices (Windows, Mac and Android) for AUD $99 per year.

iCloud ranges from –

50GB AUD $17.88 per year – NOT ENOUGH;

200GB AUD $53.88 per year – Will do at a pinch;

2 TB AUD $179.88 About double the cost of OneDrive with 1TB plus Office.

The large iCloud jump from 200GB to 2TB with no options in between is a bone of contention.

I am happy with Office 365. This program works on my Windows machines plus my MacBook Pro as well as my iPhone and iPad – and at half the price of the 2TB iCloud package.

I would never use 2TB as I only use a fraction of the 1TB on Office 365. I could get away with 200GB by being careful but, even so, as a user of both operating systems, I see Office 365 as the best value for money. However, if you were Apple only and used to using Pages, Numbers etc, I would buy the 200gb iCloud package.

Google drive pricing is:

100GB AUD $24.99 per year

200GB AUD $43.99 per year

2TB AUD $124.99 per year.

NEGATIVE

The only negative for me is the lack of Facial Recognition combined with the need to type in the password when you boot the Mac. (You can’t use the fingerprint reader on first boot from full shutdown.)

Windows Hello with a compatible web cam is why I still favour my Surface Pro 7 (SP7). A touch screen along with a stylus to draw on the screen is a “nice to have” (on the SP7) but Windows Hello facial recognition is the reason I still favour the SP7. Apple fans hype the OS but, in my opinion, it is the OS that you are familiar with that counts. I have used both for years and I don’t think one is better than the other.

I do not know why Apple cannot do face recognition on a MacBook Pro. After all, it works well on my iPhone. My iPad is old and does not have it, but later models do.

CONCLUSION

If you want a Mac, I recommend the model I have as it is not all that expensive and does the job well for normal use – (13 Inch MacBook Pro with M2 CPU, 512 GB Hard Drive and 8 GB RAM).

It only has 2 USB C (Thunderbolt) ports but that has not been a problem. The inexpensive dock (I bought) expands connectivity to all that the majority of people want.

PASSWORDS

Please refer to previous post https://whysun.com/uncategorized/password-manager/

I have finished changing my passwords. I admit that I slowed down towards the end when I got to the less important sites – but it is now finished.

I want to document some rules that will now apply to any future accounts that I open:

· I will NEVER give credit card details. If they don’t have PayPal then I won’t open. Luckily, I had been doing this;

· I will also NEVER open an account that does not have easy to see provisions to close it and change password etc.;

· Overall I will give careful consideration to opening any on line account.

I was surprised at the number of sites that did not provide email notice of a change of passwords. There were not that many BUT ONE is TOO MANY!

PASSWORD MANAGER

A PASSWORD MANAGER IS ESSENTIAL – NO ARGUMENTS and will remain so until the new “passwordless” system “Passkeys” is fully implemented. It is encouraging to see that all the big tech companies are supporting Passkeys.

I first became fully aware of the need for a password manager from the host of the Security Now podcast, Steve Gibson. He recommended LastPass and that is what I have been using for years.

LastPass has had issues and customers’ encrypted vaults have been stolen. This is a concise explanation from Gizmodo. https://gizmodo.com/hackers-lastpass-users-password-vaults-change-now-1849926968

If you had a weak master password, you are very much at risk. The danger is that the hackers have all the time in the world to attempt to crack the encrypted vaults and you should start to go through and change passwords now.

Even if you had a stronger password, it is still advisable to change your passwords starting with the important ones and then working through the others. Importantly, you have to do this even if you change to another password manager.

Even though problems were reported some months ago, going on the information made available at the time, Steve Gibson said he was retaining LastPass. As a result, I continued to follow his advice and still have been using LastPass until his podcast episode 904. Steve is now moving to Bitwarden.

I have given it a lot of thought and considered three possible courses of action:

1. Staying on LastPass (but changing all passwords);

2. Moving to Bitwarden (and also changing passwords);

3. Moving to 1Password (and also changing passwords).

No 1 Staying on LastPass.

First, if you have the time, listen to the podcast and read other reports on the breach of LastPass. The main risk is having a weak master password that makes it easier to “brute force” the encrypted vaults that were stolen. I had a strong master password, and my financial passwords were not stored on LastPass. Therefore, my risk would be low. On the other hand, my email passwords, government accounts and other important passwords were stored there.

The main reason why most security pundits are recommending to people that they leave LastPass, is lack of trust in LastPass. The first reports, some months ago, suggested that problems were not that serious. However more recent reports have changed that.

Initially, I was not going to move, but instead, change all my passwords. I have a strong master password and do not have my financial log in credentials in LastPass.

However, what influenced me the most were comments that the current breach will open up LastPass to lawsuits that could force it to shut down. Also, strong passwords may be OK now, but there can be no guarantee that cracking technology will not improve.

LastPass started out as a mainly “free” program that relied on selling a more advanced version – i.e the “Freemium” model. It was later sold and then on sold. A few years ago, I decided to pay as I do not trust “FREE”. You get what you pay for.

Sometimes, but not always, a buyer is more interested in maximising income than the original founders.

No 2 Moving to Bitwarden

Bitwarden also operates under the Freemium model and that is why I thought long and hard about a move. Steve Gibson mentions this, but he says that, as an “Open Source” program, there is less likelihood that someone would be willing to buy it. Also, the first tier of payment is very reasonable, so, hopefully, people will pay. Premium Membership is USD$10 per year and comes with 2FA on log in, 1gb of storage and a couple of other things. This compares to about USD$30 per year for others.

No 3 Moving to 1Password

This is a very well regarded and popular program and has no free tier. Therefore, there is an established profit model from the outset, thereby reducing the chance that the founders will “cash in” by selling it. On the other hand, as it grows in popularity, there is no guarantee that it won’t sold.

DECISION

I have decided to:

1. Cancel my paid subscription with LastPass but leave the account open for the present time;

2. Start using Bitwarden and pay the small Premium Membership fee of USD$10 (AUD$15-50) per year;

3. Immediately change the passwords (using Bitwarden but not LastPass) for Emails, Government Accounts, Domain and shares. Then go through all the others and gradually change all (and at the same time set up 2FA if available).

4. Then, after the passwords are changed, there is little point in keeping LastPass (as it will have the old passwords).

I will give Bitwarden a long trial and, if satisfied, I will keep it at least until I hear it has been sold. If I do not like it or it gets sold, I will move to 1Password.

RECOMMENDATION

I will leave up to the individual whether or not to leave LastPass. These breaches can happen to anyone and hopefully they will learn from the experience. But I do strongly recommend you complete the following at the very least:

Ensure the master password is strong. At least 16 characters – mixed and random and not used for anything else;
Immediatley change the passwords for all important accounts. Emails, Government Accounts, Finance, Banking, PayPal etc, and any site that you might have given credit card information to;
Then go through the remainder and change those passwords;
Take the opportunity to use long strong passwords (generated by the password manager) to include all characters;
Also set up 2FA if available;
Be very careful of Emails and texts etc, TRUST NO ONE. The hackers got all the web site URLs – this information was not encrypted;
AND if you stay with LastPass do this – Log into LastPass and go to Account Settings (Left Panel) / Advanced Settings (bottom)

Scroll down (on the way, make sure Country Restrictions are set for your country) until you get to “Password Iterations”. The default should be set to 100100. BUT I set mine to 300101. Make sure to click Update whether you make any changes or not. Old master passwords were set to a lower “Iteration” number.

NOTE – Generally, changing passwords is not too hard but time consuming. My main issue is that I am still getting used to Bitwarden. LastPass is easier – but I am used to it.

ALSO BE CAREFUL to the read the pasword rules. I came across one that only allowed 16 charachters. I was trying to use many more charachters and I got locked out.

Also, from bitter experience, do not trust the automatic update offered by the Password Manager (Both Bitwarden and LastPass). Record the old and new passwords on say a Word document. Then after the change , update the Password Manager manually and test a log in before deleting the Word document. ALSO with Bitwarden, after you change the details in Bitwarden, go to Settings and run a Sync – Settings (Bottom right) / Sync (click the arrow thing) / Sync Vault Now.

P.S. 13^th Jan 23

I have completed password changes for all important accounts and am progressing well with the others.

One thing I have noticed is that I have opened very many shopping accounts. I thought that I would just close them but – no such luck! It is impossible to simply close this type of account, almost without exception. In future, I will be far more cautious before I open any account. Luckily, I used PayPal as the method of payment, so I don’t have to worry about credit card details.

BUT, I have learnt a valuable lesson.

SEE UPDATE PASSWORDS – Whycal’s Blog (whysun.com)

NEW MACBOOK PRO

After having problems with my old (2014) MacBook Pro, I have replaced it with a new 13 Inch MacBook Pro with M2 CPU, 512 GB Hard Drive and 8 GB RAM.

The old one was starting to have issues. Not only was I prevented from upgrading to the latest OS, but the screen had a big dull patch. Previously, I had the keyboard replaced and problems with the touch pad had re-developed. Also, I dropped my Apple mouse and broke it.

So, I took advantage of the Boxing Day sales and got a new one.

I could still boot the old one (using another USB Mouse) and Apple has made the set up and transfer to the new machine easy. It is just like upgrading to a new iPhone. After you connect to the same Wi-Fi network, the transfer is done over Wi-Fi.

I did not have any problems, but after being stuck on an old version of OS X, there were some new features that had me scratching my head – but nothing too serious.

One thing to be aware of – The 13 inch model only has 2 X USB C ports (and a headphone jack) – nothing else including no power plug on the 13inch model – you have to use one of the USB C ports. Both are “Thunderbolt”, so a dock works well.

The 14- and 16-inch models have the headphone jack, a card reader, a HDMI and 3 X Type C Thunderbolt ports plus a Mag Safe power plug. These versions also have better specs BUT are much dearer. They don’t have any USB Type A, so you would still have to buy a dock or adaptor.

The shop where I bought it (The Good Guys) was sold out of USB C portable external drives (for Time Machine). As a result, I thought about this and decided to get a dock to connect to one of the USB C ports. I got one from Office Works that has 4 X USB 3 Type A ports, a HDMI 4 K port plus one USB C port that can be used for power. The price was about half of a USB C hard drive, and I could keep using my existing USB 3 Type A Time Machine hard drive.

As it has about 20 hours of battery life, the lack of a separate power port on the 13inch model is not a great problem, but it is good to have the dock so that I do not tie up a USB C port for power and can also use this USB C port for multiple purposes.

Immediately, I was attracted by two features that were not on the old MacBook. The first is, it has a fingerprint reader. I set this up immediately and use it all the time. The second is also good. Even if you shut it down, as soon as you open the lid, it re-boots automatically.

AND I must mention that Siri is alive and well. When I say “Hey Siri Open Excel” she obeys promptly. Unlike the disappeared Cortana on Windows.

Everyone raves about the M2 CPU, but the way I use it, I can’t see any difference – but that is just me. However, this is my new toy. My Surface Pro 7 (SP7) is now officially neglected- although the facial recognition and touch screen, that my SP7 has but not on my new MacBook, are hard to neglect.

I did try to do a wipe and reset of the old one to give it to someone. However, I had no luck. It just would not work. I took the old one apart (#) to remove the battery and hard drive. I transported the battery (along with another spent rechargeable battery) to the council dump. The local council has free battery disposal at their Waste and Recycling Depots. You often hear of garbage trucks catching fire from people putting these types of batteries in the rubbish bin.

(#) I have a full set of different screw bits so I can undo most screws.

FURTHER COMMENTS See – https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/macbook-pro-continued/

NBN SCAM CALLS

I received 3 phone calls yesterday supposedly from NBN trying to arrange for a “technician” to call with a new modem and advising that the “old” modem/connection box will stop working in 7 days.

With any new scam, I try to lead them on to find out what the angle is. Alas, I am not as skilled as those YouTube people who can lead them on for hours.

By what I can make out, they must be calling numbers in suburbs earmarked for the FTTP roll out. Refer my previous post https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/nbn-upgrade-to-fttp/

First up, you can hardly understand them – thick foreign accents. But they start by telling you that your old modem / NBN Connection Box will stop working in 7 days and you need a new model. Then they try to arrange a time for a technician to call with the new modem. I haven’t managed to get past this point, but I bet that once they have made a time for a “technician” to call they will then start asking for money / personal information / banking information.

REMEMBER NBN WILL NOT CALL YOU See https://www.nbnco.com.au/learn/protect-yourself-from-scams – From this page

· nbn will not call to confirm an appointment and ask for payment to secure your booking, or ask you to pay the postage costs for new hardware.

If you want to be kept up to date, subscribe to the NBN news letter using this link

https://www.nbnco.com.au/residential/upgrades/fttp-upgrade-with-higher-speed-tiers

Under – Check to see if you can upgrade to nbn’s fast fibre today – Type in your address and check – after which, a section will appear for an email address.

PS4 Error Code CE-34878-0 – Continued

Please refer to previous post about this topic.

It has happened again with Tomb Raider (Definitive Edition) on my PS4 (Pro), also at the same place when I was about 83% completed (Shipwreck Beach).

This time I was able to launch the game but when I clicked “Continue” and selected the related “Save”, it would not load and the above error code was displayed.

I had another Save on the drive and it loaded OK.

I re-read the suggested fixes but the only solution was to delete that particular “Save” and start again or use the old “Save”- but the old one was 100% complete.

During my investigations, I looked at the price of the game on X Box and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was on special at AUD $6-23 (marked down from the usual AUD$25).

You can’t even buy a glass of beer at this price, so I bought it on Xbox. I have started replaying it and, as I can remember where everything is, I am progressing very quickly. After a short time I am at 45% (start of Shanty Town) with all maps up to Shanty Town 100% complete. It won’t be long until I get up to the point where the errors occurred on PS4 (Shipwreck Beach) and I will add to this post at that time.

Although the game has had bugs in the past, they have been reported on PS, Xbox and PC. Therefore the problem is probably not the PS4. I have never had any problems with any other game on PS4. Also I was careful to check for updates both for the game and PS4 before I started. There was an update for the game.

This time I got the parachute fall first time (see previous post) but I had to have half a dozen goes at the “Hall of Ascension” Tomb.

FINISHED

I have now finished the game. The only glitch was at the escape from the Solarii Fortress where Lara jumps onto the helicopter. The game froze but a reboot of the Xbox solved the problem.

The secret is to find the treasure maps for each section and it helps when you can remember where things are.

Be sure to return to the Tomb of the Lost Adventurer in the Coastal Forest map well before you get to the point of no return. There is a wall in a cave that can only be blown open with the grenade launcher and you will also need the shotgun to get all the stuff. Behind this wall is another cave that has large amounts of ammo and weapons upgrade parts. I recommend you do this when you get the grenade launcher (and shotgun). You will then be able to upgrade weapons and replenish ammunition before the final fights.

P.S.

This is a great game. Don’t be put off by the problems – which are not confined to the PlayStation.

It is a game that I have no problems with replaying. In fact I enjoy it more knowing where everything is.

Win 10 Cumulative Update Preview KB5020030 – PROBLEM

I had problems with the Optional Update KB5020030.

I noticed that there was an Optional Quality Update – Cumulative update preview for Win 10 22H2 KB5020030 – when I recently checked All Settings / Update and Security / Windows Updates.

I clicked on Download and Install but, afterwards, the computer would not re-boot. It tried to fix the error automatically but, after a number of failed attempts, I had to do a Reset PC.

Bleeping Computer has details on the update here https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/windows-10-kb5020030-preview-update-released-with-ten-improvements/

I will not try again until it becomes NON Optional.

A Reset PC is now easy BUT I could not re-download SyncToy from Microsoft. See previous posts about this topic https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/windows-11-update-9-synctoy-alternative-syncfolder/ AND https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/windows-11-update-8-synctoy-backup/

I could have used SyncFolder, BUT I found a copy of the SyncToy 2.1 installer on Major Geeks .com https://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/microsoft_synctoy_for_windows_xp.html

Major Geeks is a well known and reputable site and the program installed without any issues. Even UAC said it was from Microsoft.

I have been caught before with optional Driver updates – BUT now I will never install any optional updates.

WINDOWS 11–UPDATE 11

Windows 11- Local Backup to External Drive – Refer previous posts. Most recent https://whysun.com/computers-and-the-internet/windows-11-update-10-local-backup-to-external-drive/

One of my Win 11 computers has been updated to the latest version (of Windows 11) – 22H2. My other one, Microsoft Surface Pro 7, still has not been updated. (The Surface Pro 7 was updated about 2 weeks later.)

The very first thing I did was to see if Settings had been updated to include the backup option to a local external drive.

It has not.

Access to this function remains via (the old) Control Panel / File History .

NBN Upgrade to FTTP

NBN – National Broadband Network – Types of connections in order of performance :

FTTP – Fibre to the Premises
HFC – Hybrid Fibre Coaxial
FTTB – Fibre to the Building
FTTC – Fibre to the Curb
FTTN – Fibre to the Node

There are also Fixed Wireless and Sky Muster Satellite but these are limited by the technology.

I recently noticed that the Telstra Communication Pits (now owned by NBN) in my suburb had all been identified and marked with painted arrows. This piqued my curiosity and I searched the NBN site for a reason. I found this https://www.nbnco.com.au/residential/upgrades/fttp-upgrade-with-higher-speed-tiers . Certain areas with FTTC & FTTN are being upgraded to FTTP. It is unclear, but it seems that Fibre will be connected to the outside pit and if you want the fibre into the house, you may have to arrange with your retailer (Telstra / Optus etc) for a high speed plan and either :-

Pay for the installation – Said to be $200 (Seems too cheap);or
Enter into a fixed term contract for a high speed tier (More likely) and/or;
Pay extra with the plan for the connection.

BUT IT IS NOT CLEAR.

My suburb is on the list to be upgraded to FTTP.

As my current FTTN will provide speeds for the 100/40 20 plan (100Mbps down / 40 20Mbps up ## See Update) which is the minimum speed to qualify for the FTTP upgrade, I have altered my existing 50/20 plan to 100/20. It does not cost much extra – $15 per month.

But I must say that I have had no issues with my current connection and plan. In fact, I just did a speed check and my current speeds are 55 down / 19.1 up. Also I can’t remember any dropouts or problems (touch wood). The 50/20 plan is probably enough for most people but I have more money than sense.

The people I know who have FTTP all have the equipment in the garage. However apparently you can put it almost anywhere inside, so I intend to have mine mounted next to my modem router set up.

I have also registered for NBN updates via Email. Now I will wait.

UPDATE – UPLOAD SPEED

I made a mistake with the Upload Speed. Even though I could get 40Mbps up, the plan has a speed cap of 20 Mbps up. It seems to be the same for the next plan – 250/20. I recall that it used to be 40 Mbps up, but that must have changed.

These are my speeds now:

This article provides some more information https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2022/03/nbn-fibre-upgrade-eligibility/

NBN Links

https://www.nbnco.com.au/residential/upgrades/fttp-upgrade-with-higher-speed-tiers

NOTE! On the above link, you can check your address AND, after you input the address, a section becomes visible to provide an Email to be kept informed.

https://www.nbnco.com.au/blog/the-nbn-project/australias-digital-backbone-is-evolving

https://www.nbnco.com.au/residential/upgrades/fttp-upgrade-with-higher-speed-tiers