COMPUTERS & THE INTERNET – Page 2

WINDOWS 11–Microsoft Official PC Health Check App

Microsoft has released an updated PC Health Check App that advises whether your PC can be updated to Windows 11.

This is the site Upgrade to the New Windows 11 OS | Microsoft

Scroll down and near the bottom there is a section “Check for compatibility”. Click on the link “DOWNLOAD PC HEALTH CHECK APP”

This will download the installer to your Downloads Folder. Install the program in the usual manner.

When the program is installed and is opened, at the top you will see “Introducing Windows 11” and a “Check Now” button to click.

If your PC is compatible, you will see this:

If not, this is the screen:

You don’t have to upgrade to Windows 11 but it is a free upgrade and support for Windows 10 will end in October 2025.

UPDATE

I notice that you now get this on – All Settings / Update and Security / Windows Update

OR THIS (on my NUC with a 7th generation Intel CPU)

Windows 11 – TPM and Secure Boot

I have 3 computers running Windows 10, and I decided check to see if I can upgrade to Windows 11 when it comes out.

Even though there are third party programs to check on compatibility, I don’t think that Microsoft has issued an official checking program.

Nevertheless, according to Microsoft this is what is needed https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11-specifications

The main requirements are:

Intel CPU 8th generation or later (Similar requirements apply to other CPU brands)
TPM (Trusted Platform Module) Version 2
Secure Boot

Most recent computers should meet the other requirements (mine certainly do) so I carried checks for items 1,2 &3.

My Surface Pro 7 meets all requirements as does my most recent NUC.

However my original NUC has a 7th generation Core i5 CPU and Secure Boot is not available.You can turn on Secure Boot in UEFI but then the computer won’t boot into Win 10. Unlike my more recent NUC, where I just had to go into UEFI and turn it on.

HOW TO CHECK FOR TPM & SECURE BOOT

Open Command Prompt and

To check TPM, enter :

tpm.msc

This will bring up the TPM Management Screen (if available) which will show the version number.

Then enter the following to check Secure Boot:

msinfo32.exe

This brings up a System Information Summary screen that will show if Secure Boot is available and if it is on.

COMPUTER REFURBISH

Last year when the new video game consoles were announced by Sony and Microsoft, I decided to prepare by replacing my HTPC with a NUC to make room for the PlayStation 5. While the new Xbox will fit in the space occupied by my existing Xbox One X, the PS5 is much larger than the PS4 Pro.

I don’t know why I bothered as, six months later, both the X Box Series X and PS5 are nowhere to be found.

I remember ignoring the pre-order offers from EB Games. I thought that, when they were released, I could just call at any store and pick up one of each. This has not been the case and the lack of availability is more or less the same world-wide.

However, the desire to get the shiny new toys has worn off and I am much less enthusiastic about upgrading. Now I will wait until stock is available. My existing consoles are working just fine. In fact, I might even wait for later models hopefully with more internal storage.

In the meantime, I have been considering what to do with my old HTPC.

It is about 7 years old, and I built it using a SilverStone ML03 HTPC Low Profile case with a mATX Motherboard as well as a reasonable GPU, TV Tuner Card and Sound Card with 5.1 surround output. The Intel CPU was old and did not have integrated graphics.

It was starting to have some problems so instead of getting rid of it, I decided to upgrade the motherboard and CPU and install Linux. I will probably stick with Ubuntu or Mint.

I won’t re- install the TV Tuner and Sound Cards. My new NUC (HTPC) does not have them, and I do not miss them. There is nothing on Broadcast TV that I watch. In any case, all the stations have streaming web sites. Furthermore, I can’t find Linux drivers for the old TV Tuner card. The Optical Drive is Blu-ray, but Ubuntu will not play commercial Blu-ray discs. Again, the web site for the drive offers no software downloads for Linux. My NUC HTPC also has no optical drive and, if I want to play a Blu-ray, I use the Xbox.

I did not want to spend much money, so I bought the cheapest mATX MB and a core i3 CPU (with Graphics). This kept the cost below AUD$270. I also used 2 X 4gb sticks of RAM that I had from another RAM upgrade.

Naturally, things did not go according to plan. The 24-pin power cord from the PSU is too short to reach the MB and there is only one fan header on this low-cost MB. The case has 2 fans. Therefore, I had to buy an extension power cord and a double adaptor for the fans.

This increased the cost to about AUD$300.

I was interested to see how the integrated graphics performed particularly after some minor issues with the NUC. Consequently, I tested it on my large screen 4K HDR TV. It recognises the TV but is best at 1920 X 1080. Whilst not 4K, the picture is fine on the TV and excellent on a normal monitor. (I have also set the NUC to this resolution.)

So, the set-up is a Core i3 with integrated graphics + 8gb RAM on a low price Asrock mATX Motherboard.

I re-used the following items from the previous build + left over RAM –

· PSU (Silverstone SFX 600W);

· Case (Silverstone ML03B);

· Optical Drive (Pioneer BDR-209EBK Blu Ray);

· SSD (OCZ 480GB);

· RAM 2 x 4gb DDR4.

I went with Ubuntu as the OS. (It is the OS I am familiar with but I have a spare SSD that I can swap in to try other distributions – later when I get time.)

It works well, even with a large screen 4K HDR TV as a monitor. A Core i3 with 8gb of memory is more than adequate for a normal computer running Linux.

HEIC / HEIF IMAGE FILES

Apple has been using the HEIC file format for images for a while now, but I recently saved my first one to a Windows PC.

The image was sent iPhone to iPhone via text message and, as I wanted to save it, I forwarded it to my PC via Email. This is the first time I have had to deal with a HEIC image on a PC as, even though my iPhone camera format (camera capture) is set to “High Efficiency”, my iPhone seems to always produce .jpg files.

I tried to open the HEIC file first with Photoshop Elements then Paint.net and then the Win 10 photos App, without success.

I then tried to convert it via an online web site and, not only was it taking a long time, but it crashed before completion. So I went to the Microsoft Store and got the “HEIC to JPEG (FREE)’” App. This App provides 10 conversions a day before you have to pay. Even then, it only costs AUD$3-55.

The App works quickly and easily. In fact, I will buy it. AUD$3-55 is not much.

APPLE MAC – – BIG SUR / TIME MACHINE

My 2014 Mac Book Pro (MBP) has updated to Big Sur without any problems.

APFS FILE SYSTEM AND TIME MACHINE

Thanks to the podcast MacBreak Weekly Episode 740 that referred to an Ars Technica article that suggests that you should re-format your Time Machine drive to the new file system AFPS.

The Ars Technica article explains why you should re-format the drive to AFPS. However, I had a bit trouble in the re-formatting process so I will set out what I did.

When I tried to use Disk Utility on the MBP to erase the Time Machine drive and re-format as AFPS it kept failing and the reason shown was that the drive was in use. This was even after I removed the drive from Time Machine.

So, I attached the drive to a Windows Machine and used Disk Management to delete the partitions and re-format as NTFS. Then I re-attached to the MBP and used Disk Utility to Erase and re-format as AFPS. All went well and I renamed it – Time Machine- !!

I then set up Time Machine again with the re-formatted drive.

BLUETOOTH DRIVER UPDATE / MICROSOFT KEYBOARD PROBLEMS

I have always applied every Windows Update including Optional Driver updates.

However, I have encountered an optional Driver update that caused issues with my Bluetooth keyboard.

The keyboard is a standard Microsoft Bluetooth keyboard and mouse combo that I am using on my HTPC NUC.

The driver update was for the “Intel ® Wireless Bluetooth ® device.

Fortunately, I remembered what drivers had been updated and I was able to roll back the driver as soon as I noticed that the keyboard would not connect automatically at start and would regularly lose the connection, even though it was still noted as “connected” in All Settings. Surprisingly, the mouse was not affected.

As soon as I rolled back the driver the issue was resolved.

In future I think I will wait for driver updates via the normal Windows Update.

Windows 10 Mail App–Problems Update

Refer previous post.

I reset the App (All Settings / Apps / Apps and features / Mail and Calendar / Advanced options / Reset) a bit over 2 weeks ago. It seems to be better. However, sync problems with G Mail occurred again after a couple of days, but I deleted and re-installed G mail and it has worked OK since then. The only other issue was one time when I forwarded an Email. When I clicked “Forward” the text changed to one letter wide in a long descending column of single letters. However I selected the text and removed the formatting and that fixed it.

This how to remove formatting in Win 10 Mail App. First select the area (highlight) or Ctrl/A to select all and:

After the Reset, the App is working well enough. So, I will keep using the App rather than Outlook and post again if there are any more issues.

5th April. Issues with Gmail are continuing. Gmail stops syncing and the formatting issues seem to also be with Gmail. I give up.

SURFACE PEN–REPLACEMENT TIPS

I did not know this but you can buy a pack of replacement nibs or tips for the surface pen.

I note that there is a newer version with 4 nibs (2H H HB B)

The 3 pack that I bought was about AUD$30 at The Good Guys.

I recently upgraded from Surface Pro 4 to the latest Surface Pro 7 but was able to keep the keyboard/cover, mouse, dock and pen.

However my Surface Pen had been “broken” and I was looking online to decide whether or not to get the same pen for about $140 or shell out for the latest “slim” version for $235.

Although the “slim” version has a rechargeable battery, I don’t draw so the extra features on this more expensive one would be wasted on me.

However while searching for the best price, I came across the much cheaper replacement tips.

I knew it was the tip that was not functioning correctly not only because it still worked (sort of), but also from how it got “broken”. A visitor (who will remain nameless) asked if I had a pen she could use. I referred her to my desk that had 3 ball point pens on it in plain sight. Despite this, she decided to detach what was clearly a stylus magnetically clipped to the side of my Surface Pro 4 and attempted to use it to write on paper. When it would not write, she then proceeded to press down on it heavily and by the time I noticed she had bent the tip.

It did continue to work but was never the same. For example, it was hard to get straight edges when used with Photo Shop Elements. The very same person asked me to use Photo Shop Elements to remove a wine glass from a photo, but when I could not get a straight edge on the table she complained. When I tried to point out that the stylus she had damaged was the cause of the problem, her contemptuous reply was “a bad workman always blames his tools”. You can’t win!

The old tip can be pulled out easily with needle nose pliers and the new one is pushed in by hand. Don’t use pliers to insert the new one, but press reasonably firmly to make sure it is seated correctly. There are plenty of YouTube videos showing how.

We Can’t Sign into Your Account – And Other Computer Problems

Refer my previous post about my new NUC.

My old desktop computer started life when I built it in 2008 but the current iteration dates from 2013 when I kept the Lian Li case but replaced almost everything else.

Two problems surfaced at the same time. These were:

No 1 – We Can’t Sign into Your Account

On bootup, I kept getting the above notice. The suggested simple fix of signing out and signing back in did not work and the alternative seemed to be to carry out a number of changes to the registry. I did not want to do this and thought it would be easier to do a PC Reset.

However, the PC Reset process kept failing. At first, I thought that it might have something to do with the inability to sign into a Microsoft Account. However, later I discovered that the special partition on the C drive needed for a PC Reset was missing. Whether this was due to problems with the 2-year-old SSD and/ or if I did not copy it over to the SSD when I imaged the old drive for transfer to the new SSD, I can’t say. I am reasonably certain that I copied over all of the partitions, but I can’t remember.

In any case I resolved the issue by setting up a new user, elevating it to an Administrator/Microsoft Account and then deleting the old user account. Then I went to the Microsoft site the get the download tool and installed a fresh copy of Win 10.

Everything now works as it should, and a test PC Reset was successful.

No 2 – Computer Failed to Boot when shut down and re-started.

If I shutdown the machine and tried to restart after a short period, it would not send a signal to the monitor. Power was getting to the motherboard and the hard drive was working, just no monitor. My first thought was a problem with the GPU, and I tested this and resolved the issue by swapping out the GPU. The old GPU was a Gigabyte Radeon HD6850 that I bought in 2011 so I have had a fair run out of it.

OTHER THINGS:

Will Not Boot From DVD

As stated above I obtained the download tool to make a bootable DVD of Win 10 for a fresh install, but the computer would not boot from the DVD. It took more than a few minutes for “the penny to drop” and to realise that I had to go into EUFI and turn off fast boot.

Storage Spaces

As well as not being able to boot from DVD, I really started to panic when I pulled out the additional hard drives to recover and copy my data. All was not lost as I had current backups to other drives, one up to date using Win 10 Backup and another a week old via SyncToy. But again, it took more than a few minutes to put two and two together and remember that, back in the days of Win 8.1 (I think), you could create a “Storage Space” by combining physical drives into one big virtual drive. Why I did this I cannot say, but it was probably because I could. I think the last time I bought the OS was Windows 8 or 7 and the “Storage Space” survived the subsequent upgrades to Win 10.

However, I found out the hard way that you just can’t pull one drive out of the storage space and put it in another computer to view/copy the contents. It has to be properly removed and even then, the data on the removed drive is lost.

Anyhow, I had up to date backups, so I did not lose anything, but I have no real use for storage spaces, so I won’t be using it again.

Back Ups

I was using both the inbuilt Win 10 back up set to the default of every hour PLUS a separate back up using SyncToy that I performed when I remembered – usually about once a month. Both were to external USB drives with one (the Win 10 back Up) permanently attached and the other (SyncToy) plugged in just for the backup.

I will keep doing this for my new NUC.

One thing that I did learn is that the Win 10 Back Up system does not detect changes to files encrypted with VeraCrypt. SyncToy does, but only if you tick “Options/Check File contents”.

I tried the new “Personal Vault” in OneDrive but gave up as it becomes annoying with constant reminders about signing out and in.

So in the end, the silver lining is that I learnt some valuable lessons.

My New NUC 7i5BNH

A couple of days ago my old desktop computer became very troublesome. It would not always turn on and, when it finally started, a message would come up showing that “ We can’t sign into your account”. I’ll write a separate post about this but considering I built it in 2008, I thought it was about time for a new one.

I have been looking at those very small computers from Intel called a NUC.

I did not want to spend a lot of money so I looked for models that have been (or will soon be) replaced by newer versions.

I decided on the NUC7i5BNH which was at about a 30% discount at Umart. It is a “barebones” kit meaning that I have to buy and install the HDD and RAM.

I won’t go into the full specs but the CPU is a 7th generation Core i5 and it has USB C Thunderbolt 3, WiFi, Bluetooth, HDMI with 4K video output , SD card slot and plenty of USB3 ports. The “H” in the model number means that it has space for a second 2.5 inch SATA SSD.

The main thing about these “little” computers is the small size yet they have the functionality of a full size computer.

And when I say “little” I mean small – 11cm X 11cm X 5cm. (OR for us oldies who still think in feet and inches – about 4½ inches X 4½ inches X 2 inches)

I set it up with:

Main Hard Drive – 1 TB M.2 SSD

Second Hard Drive 2 TB 2.5 inch SATA SSD

RAM 2 X 16 GB SODIMs = 32 GB

Windows 10 Pro

Also, I ended up buying a USB DVD drive so I could buy a DVD OEM copy of Win 10 Pro. The cost of the DVD Drive PLUS the DVD OEM of Win 10 Pro was about the same as a retail USB version of Win 10 Home – and about 60% of the cost of the retail USB version of Win 10 Pro from Microsoft.

It was easy to insert the drives and RAM and my NUC is up and running using existing monitor, keyboard and mouse . It has only been a couple of days but so far so good. Umart had all of the items that I used on special so I paid about 30% less than standard retail.

To give an idea of size:

Next to the DVD drive with one of those small WD “My Passport Portable” USB external drives on top.