I love Google. I love all the info at my fingertips, it's simply amazing. However, it's also full of crap. 

Nobody is really in charge of cleaning out the old, outdated information on the internet. And nobody is really policing the info there either. I can look up a Microsoft support phone#, but what comes up first is an Ad, barely noticeable as such, and it offers a phone# pretending to be Microsoft support, but it's not.

You can do the same with anything, Intuit, Amazon, Google. It's not straightforward getting actual support numbers. Unfortunately, some of the companies doing this are not honest. Seems hard to believe, but it happens ALL THE TIME. I was at work and the person in the office with me was calling Intuit for help with something. She started talking about the $370 charge they wanted and that's when I knew it was a scam. She was just asking a question. 
​
Like phone calls and pop-ups, you really need to be careful who you call and who you let onto your computer. I've said it before, don't let anyone you don't know on your computer. 

I've been talking about Windows aplenty. Let's talk about something else.

So, how are you? We haven't chatted in so long. I hope you are doing well.

OK, enough of that. Believe it or not, there are alternatives to Windows. I like Win 10, but I understand that not everyone does. While Apple computers, which are fantastic, do not account for more than 10% of the market, they are certainly beloved by those that use them. Well, mostly. I know Eileen isn't thrilled with hers. It took me a while to get used to it but it's a fine alternative, and indeed, an excellent computer. 

Many people get an iPad and practically never go on their computer anymore. It doesn't need to be an iPad, it could be an Android tablet, or even your phone. I think I saw that Samsung is coming out with a phone that will have a full TERABYTE of storage on it. And 6 cameras. At what point is a computer just superfluous? 

You can cast your phone screen to a larger screen or TV, you can use a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse with it. At that point, it seems like you wouldn't need a computer. And considering you can do word processing and spreadsheets for FREE in Chrome, then there can be a real cost savings involved. Also, you don't need to use your current phone, you could use the last smartphone or tablet you had, as a computer. That's only a little bit out there, but seriously, what's a computer really needed for these days?

Another computer option is the Chromebook, which is generally a Google product, though several computer hardware manufacturers make Chromebooks. Basically, the Chromebook turns on and it's running the browser Chrome. Pretty much everything you do is done via Chrome. It runs really fast, it's simplicity is wonderful, and it generally costs much less than a Windows or Apple PC.

Finally, there is a flavor of Linux. There are MANY. I only know one person that uses Linux. What is really neat about it is that it works pretty well on very little hardware. That means you can keep your old computer going by converting it to Linux. It's a little different, but once installed, it will be 'familiar' to use. It generally will have the look and feel of a Windows computer,with a desktop, and associated icons.

Those are a few thoughts about alternatives to Windows, if you are so inclined.

Windows XP has an update.  Take a minute to ponder that one.
Apparently, there is a vulnerability so dreadful that Microsoft decided to make a patch for it. You might think, well, who's still using XP? It turns out, there are quite a few users. Hospitals, Businesses, Utilities, the Military. Yikes, you say? And with good reason.
A link to that interesting article is HERE.

It's important to keep up. 

I was reading an article about the May update that will be trying to install soon. If you are like me, these Windows updates are about as annoying as when Windows 10 first came out and relentlessly tried to force itself down your throat. That said, I really like Win 10, and think it’s the best OS that Windows has had so far. The one thing I hate is the inability to not update if I don’t want to.

Not that it’s going to change in the next update, but apparently Windows will be allowing some flexibility in its update. I’ll post a very good article on the subject HERE. 

I’m a believer that you should be keeping up with your operating system and app/program updates. Not just for security, but also for performance. That goes for Apple’s MacOS as well as the PC’s Windows OS. I also recommend putting MalwareBytes and CCleaner on both these platforms. Each has a free version, which is more manual. I buy MalwareBytes so it automatically runs in the background. Again, they are both available for Macs and PCs.

Finally, both the Mac and PC have built-in backup programs. Use them, or another program of your choice. You can do various cloud based backups as well.
​
If you are on Windows 7 still, or Vista, or Windows 8.1, then you are definitely behind in the Windows lifecycle. However, they aren’t going to stop working on any particular date, just because Windows doesn’t support it. As I’ve said in the past, if you use an old OS that runs some important programs or hardware, then keep using it. Just don’t go on the internet with that computer.

I've written about getting off of Windows 7. It's not required, but highly recommended. Whether you go to a Windows 10 PC or an Apple PC, it's definitely time to move. Generally, folks stick with one or the other, so let's assume you will be going to Windows 10.

You may be able to buy Windows 10 and UPGRADE your current PC to Windows 10. That is an option in the Win 10 software. If you can do this, then pretty much everything is right there on your computer. If you are buying a new computer, then it's all done for you, except for everything on the old computer.

There are several ways to transfer data, although a really good way, Windows Easy Transfer, was not included with Win 10. So there you go. I suggest using a backup of the old data and just copying it to Windows 10. It's straightforward, simple, and it works pretty well. There's an option I haven't tried in decades, using a transfer cable. That's what has replaced the Windows Easy Transfer. 

​There are other ways which Windows advises you on HERE. And of course, you can hire someone to do it for you. If you buy a computer at Best Buy, for instance, I'm sure their Geek Squad would be able to transfer your data.

Whatever you do, it's likely time to start thinking about this, if you are on Windows 7.

note: Walter pointed out an issue when removing Internet Explorer from your computer. He had an issue with Quickbooks no longer working. He ended up reinstalling IE. If you plan on removing IE instead of disabling it, make sure you don't have any programs that still use it. If you have any problems, you'll need to reactivate it.