Tag: Computer Services

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Passkeys – Coming to a computer near you!

I don’t know about all of you, but I have received numerous emails lately telling me that all of my Microsoft products will soon be switching to PASSKEYS. The email subject states: “Passkeys by default and retirement of Microsoft-provided SMS and voice authentication.”

To help with the many phishing scams Microsoft is retiring SMS and voice authentication. They claim these are more vulnerable due to AI. Everyone will need to move away from these by February 1, 2027. After February 1, 2027 — Users whose only available MFA method is SMS or voice will receive a blocking prompt to register a passkey before they can continue signing in. There is no opt out from this enforcement; it applies to all tenants. Not just Microsoft, but most other accounts you use on a daily basis on your devices will be going to these. 

Since this is relatively new technology for most of us, I did some research so that we can all better understand what this is, how it works, and how we keep from getting locked out of our accounts in the future. From what I found out this new technology will be helpful to most as long as it is set up correctly.

First of all, there are two kinds of passkeys: 

  • Synced passkey: Stored by a credential manager such as Microsoft Password Manager, Google Password Manager, Apple iCloud Keychain, 1Password, etc. The encrypted passkey is synchronized through that provider. When you replace your device, you sign into the same credential manager, and your passkeys can become available on the new device. 
  • Device-bound passkey: Stored only on that particular computer, phone, or hardware security key. Lose the device and you’ve lost that copy of the passkey. You need another passkey or another account-recovery method.

This just reinforces the need for a password manager. If you save your passkeys in a password manager, you will always have access to those by just signing into a new device with the password manager. If you use local passkeys like Windows Hello, you are in danger if that device dies or gets stolen. You could lose access to the accounts. For instance, if you use the Google password manager on your android phone when you sign into your new android phone all of your passkeys will be available.

This is a much better solution than the Microsoft authenticator that might not sync those accounts to your new phone. The big difference is using a SYNCED CREDENTIAL MANAGER. So, all of us that use Windows Hello on our computers are not saving our credentials to a synced credential manager but instead a local one. Those will not sync to your new device.

Another issue is if you switch platforms on devices. If you go from an Android phone to an iPhone your Google passwords might not come over and if you go from an iPhone to an android your apple keychain might not come over. This is the same with going from mac to pc or pc to mac.

The bottom line of all of this is that you really need to know where your passkeys are saved so you can ensure you have access even if you can’t access one of your devices. It is still best to set up all available options for account recovery to protect yourself from losing access to an important account.

As always, I can help with this as long as you reach out before there is a problem and an account is not accessible. When that happens, my methods might not be able to help. Make sure you are protected before something happens.

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A Simple Computer Setup Turned into a Big Problem

I wish this was the first time I had this situation, but it is not. I got a call from a customer that recently purchased a new computer. They bought it from a national electronics chain, so they decided to let their in-house services set it up for them.

Once they got home, they soon realized that it was set up with the wrong Microsoft account and all of her documents were now mingled with her husband’s OneDrive. They ended up having a remote session with the company to attempt to fix it and now there are no documents at all on their new computer. 

They called me and I looked all through her new computer and verified that her documents were not there. Now I am going to their house to copy all of her files from her dead old computer so she will have access to her stuff again. Luckily, they did not recycle their dead computer.

When my customer called me, they said the same thing others in the same situation said. Since I was already at the store, I figured this would be easier. Easier is not always better. 

Having someone take their old and new computers into some backroom to attempt to transfer everything without any communication, can’t compare to having someone, like me, who will sit next to you, asking you many questions and making sure it is set up the way you want it done.

I know my customers. And I know how they use their computers. I don’t follow a script to set up a new computer. I do it customized to how my customer wants it done. When I help someone set up a new computer, the process usually takes one to two hours and I encourage my customers to stay as I walk them through everything to make sure nothing is missed and everything on their new computer works just like it did on their old computer.

Save yourself some trouble and call me the next time you need a new computer. I also help many of my customers find their new computer. There is a lot more to think about than just the price. I would rather help you find a good computer that will do what you need it to do, than have to tell you why your new computer is so slow and that it can’t be corrected. This is something that happens occasionally also.

So, if you are thinking about a new computer, give me a call and I can coach you through what to look for, help you decide between a few choices, or even handle the purchase completely. Whatever works best for you.

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Is Your Laptop Really Just a Desktop Computer?

This comes up so often. I get a message from someone that says their laptop battery is only holding a charge for a couple minutes, or worse, not at all. Sometimes they think they need a new computer. 

This is what happens when you treat your laptop like a desktop computer. By that I mean they always leave it plugged in and they are constantly charging it. All laptop batteries are designed to be used for maximum life. That means you should plug it in and charge it 100% and then you should unplug it and use it until it is down to 10% or less. A good rule is to plug it in when the screen starts to dim. This is caused by the built-in battery saver.

This doesn’t mean you can’t leave it plugged in if you are doing something very important and you want to make sure it doesn’t die. You just need to regularly use your battery as much as possible. They sort of have muscle memory and if you only use the top 10% and constantly charge it eventually that 10% is all you will have.Another issue with leaving your laptop plugged in all the time is THERMAL RUNAWAY. Your battery can actually become damaged and begin to swell. In extreme cases the battery can even explode. Here is a picture of a couple batteries, one brand new battery on the right and one that has begun to experience thermal runaway.

The laptop keyboard and trackpad were not working any longer due to the bulging battery.

So, if you have been in the habit of always leaving your laptop plugged in, you might want to start using your battery to preserve its life. If it is too late and your battery is almost dead, I can help you replace it.

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Preventative Maintenance, Not Just for Your Car

I noticed a trend last year. I have two kinds of customers. Those that I see a few times a year and those I only see once every few years. The ones I see often usually have very small issues and they are easily solved. The ones I see every few years usually have larger issues and are much more difficult to solve. This isn’t always the case, but it is a trend.

Based on this, I have combined together the items that seem to come up most often and I am now offering a semi-annual maintenance plan to keep these things from becoming a major problem for my customers.

These items encompass: 

  1. Administration of the computer which can keep my customers from getting locked out of their computers due to corrupt files, bad updates, and encryption.
  2. Data issues include backups, space usage, and malware/viruses.
  3. Computer Tune up to ensure all updates happen, only necessary programs are running, and everything is working in the most efficient way.

I have found that my customers’ computers last longer and work better when I keep up with these things.

I have started this service with an initial on-site service to get everything set up and then the future visits can be completed remotely, which is more convenient and cost effective. My goal is to remove as many emergency calls as possible. Since many of these things, when ignored, become emergencies, this should help everyone.

If you are interested in this service, give me a call or email duane@callduane.com.

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Taming the Lightning Threat

I talk about this every year, but it still needs to be said again and again. Lightning can and does kill electronics. Taking precautions can save your devices.

Every year, thousands of people have to make a claim with their homeowner’s insurance due to lightning strikes that destroy their electronics. If these electronics are computers, the loss might even be greater than money if they lose precious data that can’t be replaced. Hopefully all of you have backups in place for that, but that is not what I am talking about today.

Today, I want to focus on protecting from power surges that can send too much electricity through your devices and actually destroy them. Lightning is a very dangerous thing and it can happen at almost any time.

Any electronic device in your household (computers, stereos, printers, televisions, routers, gaming systems and anything else that is plugged into an electric outlet) should be plugged into a surge protector instead. A surge protector is similar to a power strip except that it has a protection built into it that will cut the circuit to the devices if there is a dangerous amount of electricity going through the surge protector.

All surge protectors are power strips, but not all power strips are surge protectors. When purchasing a strip make sure it also offers surge protection. Many will also offer a warranty that includes an amount of protection for the devices connected if the surge fails. This protection can take the place of using your insurance in many situations. When shopping for surge protectors, look on the packaging for this type of added protection. This can save you from an insurance rate increase for a small claim.

I think most people have surge protectors for their electronics that are stationary like desktop computers, televisions, and printers, but many people forget about phone chargers and even laptops since they get plugged into the closest outlet whenever needed, instead of a permanent spot that has a surge connected. These devices can be affected by lightning just as much as the stationary devices, and might be more vulnerable since they are not stationary.

All of us should get into the habit of plugging phone chargers into a surge before charging our lifeline devices. I also recommend adding a surge protector to your laptop bag, so you always have one handy even when you are not at home. Lightning can strike at a coffee shop just as easily as your home. Plus it might be helpful to be able to plug in more than one device at the coffee shop sometimes.

You spend a lot of money on these devices, why not spend a little more to protect them.

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Laptop Battery Life, How to Keep It from Disappearing.

This is an issue that comes up frequently. Someone has a laptop that is only a couple years old, but the battery won’t hold a charge for more than about an hour when it used to last for many hours. 

What I usually find out is that this person leaves it plugged in almost all of the time. They only unplug if they want to use their laptop somewhere besides the desk or table they normally use. They think it might run out of juice.

That is the worst thing you can do with your laptop battery. It needs to be used. The entire battery, not just the top 10%. If you always keep it plugged in the battery will become useless. It is best to only plug it in when it is less than 10% left and then charge it until it is full. Once it is full, unplug it. By doing this your battery will last much longer and continue to give you hours of use per charge.

I know sometimes this is not possible if you are in an important meeting and can’t risk having the battery go dead. Leaving it plugged in once in a while will not cause damage but the constant plug in will. Another good thing to do is once a month let it die completely. This is like a reset for the battery.

One more reason to not leave your laptop plugged in all the time is that it can cause a chemical reaction that can break your laptop or in extreme cases cause a fire. Here is a picture of a battery I replaced recently. The one on the right is a new battery. The one on the left was removed from a laptop. It had actually broken one of the screws holding the bottom onto the laptop.

Here is a video I made a few years ago that talks about this.

So, what can you do if your battery is not holding a change any longer and your computer is not that old? It used to be easy to replace batteries since they were only held to the laptop with a couple clips on the bottom of the laptop. You can still replace batteries but now you need to remove the back cover of the laptop to do it. If you need help doing this, I can swap your battery for you.

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Microsoft Office 365 Desktop Applications – How to get the most out of it.

This topic could expand into both business and personal applications but today I am talking about the personal applications and the Microsoft subscription model.

There are two versions of this subscription for individuals. Office 365 Personal is for one person only and it can be installed on up to five devices for that individual. The annual cost is currently $99.99 per year, and it comes with the most popular programs and a terabyte of OneDrive online storage. Office 365 Family allows you to have the same as above and also share it with 5 family members for the annual cost of $129.99. I am writing about this because many people don’t understand how to use this product to its fullest.

I had a customer call me today because she kept getting notice that her OneDrive was full, but she has the Microsoft Office Family subscription. What we discovered was that she has two different Microsoft accounts and she used one of them to log into her computer and that account was attached to her OneDrive. Her other account was being used for her Office 365 Family subscription, and she had signed into her office applications with that.

Since she didn’t have her office 365 family plan connected to the account with her OneDrive, she only had 5 GB which is what Microsoft gives for free to everyone that has a Microsoft account in the hope that they will fill it up and then pay for storage. In her case we just had to log in with the correct account and that solved her problem.

Then she mentioned that her husband was using and paying for DropBox for his pictures, and she wondered if he could use some of her terabyte for those pictures. Since she has the Microsoft family plan she can just go into her Microsoft account and send him a share link for the family plan and he can sign into his own Microsoft account and get his own terabyte of storage and also get access to all of the Microsoft desktop applications too.

Then she mentioned that they have a computer connected to a TV for storing and playing movies and she wanted to know how she could add that computer to her family plan. We ended up creating another Microsoft account with a new free email from Microsoft and she then shared her family plan with that account and now that computer has its own terabyte of storage.

I have helped many families and even small businesses use this Microsoft Family subscription to share their Office very economically. If you have a situation where this would be helpful let me know and I can help you set this up.

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