With Cortana following you around -- from spamming helpful suggestions based on what you’re typing to displaying extremely precise and personalized ads based on your online search -- Windows 10 can often feel intrusive. Here are a few tips you can follow to leave Microsoft’s watchful eye behind.

Turn personalized advertising off

For those unaware, Windows 10 assigns each user an ‘advertising ID’ which it uses to personalize your ad experience based on your recent browser history. If you’re someone who is okay with seeing generic ads targeted to you based on demographics rather than your ID, we recommend turning this feature off.

1. To do so, head into your settings by clicking on the magnifying glass symbol next to the Windows logo, at the bottom left of your screen.
2. Next, type in Privacy -- click on it, and select General.
3. Then, slide the option which states ‘let apps use my advertising ID for experience across apps’ to Off.
4. Lastly, open your web browser and go to this link. Once there, select Off for ‘Personalized ads wherever I use my Microsoft account’ and ‘Personalized ads in this browser.’

This resets your ad ID, allowing you to experience the joys of web surfing without the creepy targeted advertisements.

Disable Cortana

Voice-controlled digital assistants have become big business. Microsoft aims to capitalize on this market with Cortana, an incredibly resourceful, built-in assistant that allows to you quickly set reminders, schedule events and send email, among many other intuitive features. It uses the information it collects similar to how Google's Android-based assistant does it. However, it can become overbearing at times.

1. To turn it off, click on the Cortana icon in the taskbar, followed by the notebook icon on the left hand side of the pop-up panel.
2. Click on Settings, this should present you with the first option which says, ‘Cortana can give you suggestions, ideas, reminders, alerts and more’, you can slide that to Off.

Once disabled, the Cortana option disappears and you’re now presented with a search bar which you can use to search for things online or on your desktop.

Stop peer-to-peer file-sharing

With P2P file-sharing enabled, Windows 10 shares downloaded updates to your PC with other Windows 10 users by default. This helps other users update their systems faster, and speeds up your upgrade downloads, as well. However, if you are unhappy with your files being utilized by other users, you can turn it off.

1. Head over to Settings once again.
2. Click on ‘Update and Security’, followed by ‘Windows Update’, then ‘Advanced Options’ and finally select ‘Choose how updates are delivered.’
3. By default, the ‘Updates from more than one place’ is on, followed by two options: distribute updates only to PCs on local network, and shut off P2P updates entirely.
4. If you want to disable this feature entirely without worrying about specifics, then move the slider to Off.

If you want to share your files with PCs on your in-house network only, leave the the slider in the On position and select the button which says ‘PCs on my local network.’ For more detailed instructions on how to stop P2P updates, click here.

Blunt Microsoft’s Edge

Remember Internet Explorer? Think of Microsoft Edge as the same, just on steroids. The tech giant’s fancy new browser is chock full of features -- such as Cortana Integration and typing prediction -- which may make you uncomfortable, since all the features send data back to Microsoft. To turn off these intrusive functionalities, open Edge and click on the menu icon in the far right corner (three horizontal dots).

Once in, click on ‘View Advanced Settings’. There you have the option to disable Adobe Flash -- which stops those Flash cookies from going anywhere. You’ll also encounter a bunch of settings you might want to disable under the ‘Privacy and Services’ section.

These simple security tips will stop Microsoft from tracking your online movements for good! In case you’re interested in protecting your privacy, don’t hesitate to contact us today for all matters security related.

The post How to turn off intrusive Windows 10 settings appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Despite security being one of Microsoft’s top priorities, it has been recently discovered that there are two vulnerabilities in computer chips, named Meltdown and Spectre, that put private data in jeopardy. As a solution, Microsoft has released an update to fix this vulnerability.

Issues with Microsoft’s Spectre and Meltdown patches

After the January 3rd announcement of unprecedented security vulnerabilities, Microsoft has been rushing to release security updates for its Windows operating system. At their most basic, these complex vulnerabilities, named Spectre and Meltdown, make it possible for a program installed on your computer to access any information stored on your hard drive, even if it is protected.

These flaws mean that anything you’ve typed into your computer is at risk: credit card numbers, passwords -- all of it. But don’t rush off to install fixes just yet. There are a few speed bumps you’ll have to navigate on your road to safety.

Incompatibility issues

According to reports, Microsoft’s patches have caused several problems to some users’ computers. For some, installing the new patches has resulted in computers with older processors to crash more often than usual. Users with newer processors have found their computers struggling to boot up, with some never getting past the Windows loading screen.

As a result, on more than one occasion, hardware and software vendors have recommended that its customers postpone installing the new patches.

Spectre and Meltdown can cause serious damage, but that doesn't mean anyone should run off to haphazardly attempt computer repair above their ability. Until the process for installing patches has been ironed out, we recommend enlisting help.

Hire a professional

Given the issues on patches, IT novices shouldn’t update their computers on their own. Without adequate experience, you might install the wrong patch and cause even more problems to your computer. Or worse, install one of the pieces of malware masquerading as Spectre patches. Instead, why not call a professional to update your computer and protect your system from Meltdown and Spectre?

Data and network security is no easy task. We offer advanced, multi-layer protection to keep your data safe and sound. Give us a call and we'll explain how we can help.

The post Issues found for new Windows patches appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..

Installing security patches is usually such a humdrum task that even the most inexperienced users handle it. Unfortunately, that has not been the case with the Spectre and Meltdown fixes. This time around, we recommend you skip installing the update and let an IT professional handle it for you.

Unsecured data storage

Spectre and Meltdown are the names given to two hardware flaws that allow hackers to see any piece of information stored on your computer. Although slightly different in execution, both take advantage of a hardware feature that computer chips use to access and store private information. For the last 20 years, security experts believed this information could not be stolen or spied on by malicious software, but that assumption was proven false on January 3, 2018.

Now that the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities are public information, hackers can use them to create programs that steal passwords, social security numbers, credit card numbers, and anything else you type into your computer.

Because these problems are hardware-based, none of the updates will be able to secure the vulnerable storage; they’ll simply prevent your computer from storing anything in it. Currently, there are patches for:

• Operating systems (Windows, macOS, and Linux)
• Web browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and IE)
• Chip firmware (low-level programs installed on the processor itself)

If you’re using an Apple computer, these updates are relatively easy to install. If you’re using a Windows or Linux-based computer, these patches may cause your machine to freeze, reboot unexpectedly, or significantly slow down.

Why should I wait to install the updates?

Intel, one of the chipmakers responsible for the Spectre and Meltdown flaws, has provided contradictory recommendations on more than one occasion. As recently as January 18, Intel recommended waiting for an updated patch, but in the same announcement also recommended “consumers to keep systems up-to-date.”

Experts believe detecting an attack that is based on one of these flaws will be relatively easy and represent an alternative to installing updates that could render your computer unusable.

What should I do?

IT support experts will be able to quickly and easily assess what is the best option for your computers. For example, our team can determine whether or not your hardware will conflict with the current patches, and either install them or set up a detection strategy that will help you mitigate the risks without ruining your computer.

If you need expert IT support for quick responses and ironclad security -- give us a call today.

The post Beware of the Meltdown and Spectre patches appeared first on Complete Technology Resources, Inc..