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In This Issue |
Joe's Hours |
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Upcoming Holidays: Thanksgiving Nov 27th to Dec 1st Christmas Dec 24th to 29th |
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Windows 10 Retires Wednesday, October 15th! @Comcast.net - Xfinity Email moves to Yahoo Mail - click here for more information. Changes Coming in 2025: I have discontinued home visits in select communities that I did not have many clients in. This allows me to service the other communities that I have 100 or more clients. If you are in one of these communities you will be notified of these changes when its time for my next visit. Also, I am accepting new clients only in the Trilogy, Royal Highlands & Kings Ridge communities. All others will get an offer for Remote Service (PC's only) or be referred to a local vendor. Effective Sept. 15th 2025, I had pulled my ad from the Royal Highlands newsletter. I ran this ad once a month for 14 years. It helped me build my business in that community.
I am upgrading many of my clients computers to Windows 11. The actual upgrade occurs after I leave. I start the download process that takes an hour on average. I will be asking you to Restart your computer when you get a window like the one below. When you see it click on the Restart button. Click here to review the steps you must do after the update.
Recently my computer crashed - I traced the problem to Adobe Reader Sync program. Because of this & all of the ads that pop up when you use this product I am no longer installing it on new computer setups. The next time I work on your computer I will be removing this program. Below photo is what the new PDF program looks like.
If you want to remove the program yourself, please follow these instructions:
Please contact me if you have any questions. On an Apple Computer, open Finder, use your mouse to click hold drag n drop into trash icon on dock to remove. Type in your computer password if needed.
If there is an important message that I need to share with you, it will appear in the Important News Section of the newsletter above.
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My Newsletter has a new format, its a continuous
newsletter. When I started to write this newsletter it was emailed to my
clients monthly. Then I got stopped by gmail for sending out bulk emails
so I decided to post on newsletter on my website instead of emailing it.
It was a great solution and a big time saver!
In time, my clients complained that I changed the newsletter too often so my monthly newsletter became a Quarterly newsletter that then changed to a twice a year format. Now, when I feel I need to share important information with my clients I will post the item right away. That means that my clients should check my newsletter on a regular basis for new articles. If you click on Newsletter Past Issues in the top left corner you can read some of my earlier newsletters. Enjoy! |
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Rent-A-Geek, how it
works.
With Windows 10 retiring in October 2025, now is the time to start the process of replacing your Microsoft PC computer that cannot upgrade to Windows 11. I offer a free service that guides you through the steps safely. If you are on my Maintenance Plan, and when its time for your 6 month or 1 year visit, I will be using this Service to find the right computer for you. For everyone else, when you are ready, please contact me to get the process going. I start by reviewing my notes and any comments that we discussed on my last visit, in reference to what type of computer you want next. There are 3 styles of Computers: Laptop - The Cons and Pros of each: Laptop - Biggest Pro: Portable: can use plugged into power or without on battery. Biggest Con: Battery fails after two years in some cases, may need to be replaced ($150 additional cost). Desktop - Pro: can take off cover to add or remove parts. Con: Too many wires running from monitor to back of tower. All in One - Pro: compact design, no wires, webcam, speakers, etc. built in. 24" screen. Con: I cannot think of any, which is why I am recommending this type of computer. How it works: Most stores start the new sales on Sundays, so on Mondays I email my recommendations. The email contains suggestions like this (note that this offer has expired): $500 (sale, was $750) HP 23.8" All-in-One Desktop PC, AMD Ryzen 5, 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD
When you click on the link, your Internet browser will open to the store that sells that computer. There you can see details and a photo of the computer. As you scroll down there are also reviews from people who also purchased this computer. Then you purchase the computer that you like out of my suggestions. You can either buy it online and ship it to your home or go to the local store and pick it up. If you go to the store, just buy the computer. The salesperson may try to talk you into buying additional things that you do not need. If they offer to setup the computer for you, turn them down, that is my job. A store in Leesburg, FL recently tricked two of my clients into purchasing a "Bundle Package" that sold them programs that I did not recommend. Then they took it out of the box and spent 2+ hours "trying" to set it up. They screwed up the computer because they were asking for email addresses and passwords that the clients did not have with them. I am now Boycotting that store for taking advantage of Seniors! When the Computer arrives, you leave it in the box. Clients on my Maintenance plan get a reserved appointment from me to setup the computer within 2 weeks of purchase. When I arrive, I start on your old computer, backing up your files and photos onto flash drives or external hard drives. Then I confirm your wifi password and your Microsoft Account that is required to setup the new computer. The final step is to sync your browsers so your Favorites/Bookmarks can be moved to your new computer. Then I'll take the new computer out of the box, and ask you to turn it on. Then the fun begins. Please note, if you are on the Computer Maintenance program and you decide to keep Windows 10 after the expiration date, you will be dropped from the Maintenance Plan. Once Microsoft drops support of Windows 10, I will no longer be able to update the computer(s). In time, most of the software support will also end (Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox, etc will not load certain money related websites). If you would like to use this free Rent-a-Geek Service, please contact me when you are ready.
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"Stop-The-Scam-Sticker"
program. On recent home visits I have been taping these
"stickers" that I created to all my clients computers.
This is the one that I created for Windows PC computers:
This is the one that I created for Apple Mac Computers:
For remote Windows PC clients, I am emailing the stickers with the invoice to cut out and tape to computers. In my estimate, about 30% of websites in search engines online contain this bad link which turns off your mouse and tries to trick you into calling the phone number on the screen. They get onto your computer, and into your bank accounts, and then the trouble really begins. Never call the number on the screen! Always call me for help.
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The way it works is you give me your zip code, and I search for the right computer at your local stores. Then I email you what I find. You buy the computer that you like. If you buy it in the store, do not buy any additional software or services. Take the sealed carton home, do not let the store set it up. Then on our appointment, I'll give you the code number, and will take over your mouse on your old computer first. You will need a flash drive or external hard drive. I will then backup your documents, photos and important files. I will sync your Internet browsers so you can keep the Bookmarks/Favorites and website passwords. Finally I will confirm your wifi password and your Microsoft account information. Then the fun begins as I walk you through the steps setting up your new computer. Finally, when the desktop appears, I will have you open the Quick Assist program that is already on the new computer, and will take over the mouse and complete the setup.
The final step is to bring over your files that are on the flash drive or external hard drive. I will sign into the Internet browsers and set up everything the way it was on your previous computer. If you are tossing your old computer I will need to return to it to wipe it for you. When you are ready, please contact me for your Remote PC Computer setup.
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In March, many Yahoo email uses were shocked by this message above that their beloved email program has changed. The Semi-good news is you can switch back to Yahoo Basic email. Its is semi-good news because they took away what made Yahoo email fun to use. All formatting tools have been removed, no more Bold, Italic or smiley faces are offered. Below is what the new Yahoo email looks like. They now have room for three ads to show while you are checking your email, as in the past only one ad was shown. In my opinion, that is why they redesigned their app. They claim that its infused with AI (Artificial Intelligence) but to me it just looks like a dumb email program.
Follow the instructions below to Switch to the Yahoo basic email. Its not what you had, but the only option is to ditch Yahoo or use the AI Yahoo. Note, right after I logged in for the first time, a link appeared in the top right for a few minutes then it disappeared. It shows the "old Yahoo Mail". If you have this link, click on it instead of going to Yahoo Basic.
If you ditch Yahoo, you can try AOL, Gmail, MSN which are also free, but you cannot keep your current email address. You must create a new one.
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Frankenstein Computer - In 1995 I purchased my first Microsoft Windows computer, it was a Gateway. It had Windows 95 operating system on it. It came in a big box that was covered with Cow patterns. At the time I was attending a local college and taking classes on the Mac operating system, which was Unix Programming. But I could not afford a Mac computer so I purchased a $2,000 Microsoft PC. Then my hobby with computers took off. When that PC finally died I went to a local computer trade show with my Father-in-law and purchased the parts of a computer. The metal desktop box, the motherboard, sound cards, video cards, etc. Then we returned home and built the PC computer from scratch. That was a fun hobby that helped to build my troubleshooting skills. When I started my computer repair business in 2011 I restarted my computer building skills. When a client purchased a new computer they would donate the old one to me. I would then wipe the computer, upgrade it using spare parts then donate it clients who needed a new computer but could not afford one. Over 15 years I helped over 30 families. During that time I also built computers for myself out of spare parts. My last computer that I built had 2 1TB SATA hard drives, 32 GB of RAM, and the Windows 10 operating system. When I ran the PC Health check it said the computer was 14 years old. Then in September 2025 it crashed! So for the first time since 1995, I purchased a new computer from Staples. Here are the specs: HP 24" All-in-One Touch-Screen AI Desktop Computer, Intel Core Ultra 5-125H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD hard drive, Mouse & Keyboard. It was a $1,010 computer on sale for $800. I am very happy with my new computer. Its about time!
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Windows News and
Tips
On October 14th 2025, Windows 10 support from Microsoft ends. When that happens, the only way to keep your computer safe is to unplug it from the Internet. Ten years ago that would not have been a deal breaker, but in 2025 90% of the work we do on our computers is on the Internet. In time, Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome and other Internet browsers will stop updating. Then some websites, like bank and financial institutions will stop loading, stating that your operating system is no longer supported. This puts you at risk when you use your computer past the Oct 25 expiration. Office 365 will also lose compatibility and functions.
During this time, the bad guys in the world will be sending out bad emails trying to take advantage of Windows 10 users. Since Microsoft will no longer support Windows 10, they will not update your computer to patch it for these attacks. You are on your own. The other thing you will lose if you keep Windows 10, is the Maintenance visits from me. In November 2025, I also will stop offering computer checkups and updates on Windows 10 devices. If you are on my Maintenance plans, you will be getting a final email checkup from me. The programs on your computer can no longer be updated, and there is nothing I can do to your computer. Summer 2025 should be the deadline to purchase a new computer to replace your expiring Windows 10 computer. Please contact me for guidance using the Rent-A-Geek free Service.
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October 2025 to be released
Apple has decided to advanced the versions numbers so that all Apple devices have the same operating system number. Normally the new Mac OS would be version 16, but they are releasing the new version as 26. The Apple iPad and iPhone will also be version number 26.
I recommend waiting at least 4 weeks after an update is released before installing it on your device. Give it time for the bugs to be worked out! Click here for more information - https://www.apple.com/os/macos/.
Please note that I have stopped offering Maintenance home visits on Apple Computers running OS 13 or earlier.
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Computer Classes are on hold for now. The classes will be for Trilogy Residents only. Space is limited.
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Click on the NO or Cancel Button - Reminder!
Please click the "NO" button on the PC, and the "Cancel" button on the Apple/Mac to stay safe. It is safe to click on the "Yes" or "OK" button in the Admin Account (if you are doing your own maintenance). If you have any questions, please contact me. |
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Click here to view previous issues Note: The content of this newsletter is intended for clients of Joe McDonald only. Not intended for public use.
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| Website
Links: Computer Tips: https://www.computersbyjoe.com/Tips.html Backup: https://www.computersbyjoe.com/Backup.html |
| If you do not want to do your own computer maintenance, I can visit you, and take care of it for you on an annual or semi-annual basis. Please contact me for more information. Call 352-449-8561. Remote visits available on Windows PC computers. |
Desktop - 
New All in One - 
Its like I am sitting right next to you! 
