As you probably know by now, The US, in general, is way behind most of the world in Covid-19 recovery. The US isn’t testing enough, and also, many folks just refuse to believe it. Countries doing much better than us typically were more forceful in testing, contact tracing, and quarantining. These are things many people in the US just aren’t willing to do, for various reasons.

If, however, you are a believer in this virus and the pain and suffering it has caused hundreds of thousands of people here, then read on, otherwise, don’t.
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So, you think Covid-19 is real. So do I. Also, I’d like to be a part of the reason it gets better in this country. Like you, I care about my fellow person, and I want to help. I stay home when possible, wear a mask around anyone, and if I somehow still manage to get it, I want folks around me to know.

One of the best ways to do this is with contact tracing apps. Google and iPhone have “partnered” to create a way to ANONYMOUSLY do contact tracing using an app in your phone. It has to be downloaded and activated to work, and of course, if you end up with Covid-19, you need to tell the app. A link to an explanation for this is HERE.
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Now, there are conspiracy theories about how it’s being forced on you secretly and it’s really so the government can track you. That is false, and an article on that is HERE.

Let me clarify, the government can spy on you already, they don’t need this app. This app is legitimate. I don’t mean to scare anyone, or ‘prove’ conspiracy theories. Remember phone taps? That’s a thing you plainly know about, and it’s been around ‘forever’. J. Edgar Hoover was famous for them. He bugged EVERYONE. Like it or not, we live in a world of intense advertising and info sharing. Facebook is another place people are freely giving away all kinds of information about themselves. If you want to live in a cave, that’s fine. If you want to live in this world, there are precautions you can take, and there is info you will be giving. It’s currently still a fair trade. I don’t know how long it will stay that way.

The Covid-19 tracing app is a good thing right now (although not currently available in NM). The more folks that use it, the better it will work, like mask wearing. 

I encourage folks to backup their computers. Many people do not. I also say to NEVER EVER let anyone have access to your computer unless you sleep with them, or they sprang from your loins. If they are your paid IT person, that’s OK too.
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Backing up can be as simple as copying and pasting to a thumb drive, or, you can setup regular backups using Windows or Apple’s built in programs, which are very good. You might prefer using a third party program, and external drives generally come with one.

I like to clone my drive. If my drive fails, I take my clone and plug it in, and I’m back to where I was, whenever that clone was created anyway.
System images are also a great way to back up, and I found a nice article on that HERE.

In particular, it’s an article on RESTORING from a system image. The beginning of the article has a link to CREATING a system image. Whatever way you choose, you will need a source device to backup your data. Depending on your needs, that could be a thumb drive, or an external drive. Remember, you only have a backup if it’s in at least two places. If you take it off your computer and store it on an external drive, that’s just moving the data, not duplicating the data. And don’t partition your big drive into 2 drives and back it up on the second partition, it’s still the same drive when it fails.

I know there are some folks out there still on Windows 7. I loved Windows 7 too. But if you are still on Windows 7 and connecting to the internet, then read this article HERE.

It talks about how Win 7 is no longer maintained, no longer secure, and it’s a target for naughty folks trying to take advantage. The article also has an explanation on how to upgrade for FREE to Windows 10, if your computer is capable.
 
Big thank you's go out to CC, Terri, Paul F at Ghost Ranch, and Paul R. The computers for students were picked up Wednesday by Jamie and delivered. 

I criticize Chrome all the time. Google is definitely trying to get as much info from you as possible. They are quite successful.  I do like Chrome though, as I am very used to using it as my primary browser. There are things you can do to help with that, though I doubt there's anything that is fully protective. I found a useful site that has a number of suggestions to help use Chrome. You can read about it HERE.

Also, a blurb about computer donations. We get requests for refurbished computers. This has been a slow year in that regard. Please consider donating your computer to me so I can clean it up and give it away. Buy yourself a new computer, you deserve it. Send that old computer my way.

​Thanks!

​Bloatware is the software that comes with your new computer that you don’t want and did not ask for. Often, your computer is subsidized by makers of software that get their trial programs, or even full programs on your computer. They can be used to advertise, collect data, or maybe they are useful to some, but clutter to others. Sometimes, the programs can be uninstalled using Windows, via System/Apps and the uninstall process. Occasionally, the programs may come with their own uninstaller.

Sometimes, they are more mysterious and don’t appear to be uninstallable. There is a free program out there that can be used to uninstall some of the Microsoft bloatware. Please don’t frivolously go at it though, some things really need to be there. An article about the program is HERE.

I downloaded the program HERE.
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There are other uninstaller programs as well, like Revo Uninstaller, which I have also used. Get it HERE.