In This Issue

 Secure Boot Issues

Change LibreOffice to Tabbed 

Joe's Hours 
Mon to Fri - 9am to 5pm
Closed Saturdays & Sundays

 Dump Adobe

  The Passkey Push

Fake Ad Lockup Stickers 

Upcoming Holidays/Closings:   

Labor Day - Sept 7th & 8th

Special - Nov 2nd to 9th

Newsletter Past Issues 

Windows News

Apple/Mac News & Tips

August 2026 Tip:

If you purchased ink for your printer lately you know its getting very expensive. There is a simple change you can make on your computer to save you big bucks. Most printing programs are set to use Normal ink when printing. That looks great if you a printing photos to photo paper or other high quality printouts. But if you are just printing your food lists, medicine lists or articles from a website, you are wasting your money.

Next time you print out something from your computer look for the option to print in draft mode.

The photo above is from my printer, when I click on Printer Properties I am giving the option to print in Draft instead of Normal. You should be able to make this change on both Apple Mac Computers & Windows PC computers.

Note that the next time you print, the printer will use your Default setting, which is the Normal, ink wasting setting. To change the printer to always use Draft, you must find the Default Printer settings.

My printer lets me change the default setting to Fast/Economical Printing. Clicking on Apply in this window makes it Default for my computer. So all future printing will be draft. If I want to print in a higher quality (photo) then I can just change the setting in the first window to Normal, then it will default back to Draft the next time.

Please let me know if you have any questions about the cost saving tip.

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.  

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!

In the Fall 2025 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. You can view PDF's using Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome and other Internet browsers. The PDF opens quicker with no ads!

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.

"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.

All websites will start pushing you to create a Passkey. It is a log in method that is more secure then just using a password, but its tricky to use. I started a remote session recently using Quick Assist and QA tried to force me to create a Passkey, I clicked on cancel and it let me use my saved password instead. If you are a victim if a stolen identity, then a passkey would prevent the attacker from gaining access to your email, bank accounts, etc.

Another client got locked out of her email, she created a passkey then forgot she did it. To unlock her email we had to use the camera on her smart phone to scan a QR code on the aol email log in screen. It worked and unlocked her email, but she did not want to do that process every time she checks her email. So I went into her aol security settings and removed the passkey. Now she is back to using the saved password in her browser to check email.

I still recommend a password book (old fashion address book with A, B, C tabs) to write down your passwords. If you switch over to passkeys then get a new smart phone, there is a chance you may get locked out of all your accounts if the passkey does not recognize the new phone. Sounds like a nightmare to me, time will tell.

Windows 11 Secure Boot issue - June 2026 deadline

There has been many news stories about a Security problem with Windows computers that will hit some users in June 2026. For computers that are not supported, eventually those computers will be unsafe to use. For most users who own a computer that is 5 years old or less, you are safe. How can you see if your computer will be safe to use after June 2026, its easy. Follow the steps below to confirm that your computer is updated.

No matter what Anti-virus program is on your Windows 11 PC (Norton, McAfee, etc), you also have a program called Windows Security. This program  will show you your computers current status.

1 - Open Settings (Start menu - called PC Settings) 

2 - Click on Privacy & Security

3 - Click on Windows Security

4 - Click on Device Security

5 - Look at the Secure boot option. It should say that your computer is safe to use (message above). If your computer is not safe, then there will be a link to steps you can take to make it safe to use. 

Please let me know if you have any questions about this issue. Click here for more information from Microsoft. 

ReCap:

The good news: If you keep your PC updated, you probably won’t need to do anything. The bad news: Some older devices may not transition cleanly. Your PC won’t suddenly stop working, but over time it could miss important boot-level security protections without you realizing it.

“Will my computer stop working?”
No. This is the single most important thing to understand, because the rumor mill has been louder than the facts. If the deadline arrives and your PC is still running on the 2011 certificates, Windows will still boot, Windows Update will still work, and your PC will continue functioning normally.

What changes is that, in Microsoft’s own words, the device “will no longer be able to receive new security protections” for the early boot process, including updates to Windows Boot Manager, Secure Boot databases, revocation lists, and mitigations for newly discovered boot-level vulnerabilities.

In plain English: Your PC becomes harder to protect over time. It’s protected against today’s known boot threats, but not necessarily against the ones that will be discovered next month or next year.

LibreOffice now allows you to change the top toolbar to a Microsoft Office type Ribbon.

Click on View menu then click on User Interface then the picture below will appear. Click on Tabbed then click on Apply to All button to save your changes. Then you will see LibreOffice change instantly. You can come back to this window to change back at any time.

This is what the Tabbed View looks like:

October 2026 Microsoft will be upgrading your Windows 11 computer(s) to the latest Feature Update - 26H2. Until then Microsoft is releasing two to three security updates each month. One of these monthly updates might include a feature that was removed when they first released Windows 11 back in October 2020. Moving the Taskbar! I prefer it on the bottom, but many users prefer it on top, some like it on the left or right side of the screen. As you can see from the picture below, we will soon have this option at our fingertips.

 Apple/Mac News and Tips    

Fall 2026 Apple will be releasing two new devices that may eventually lead to Apple killing off the iPad. One will be a foldable iPhone and the other will be a Macbook with a touch screen. 

9To5Mac website has an interesting article related to this topic. Click here to read this it.

October 2025 released - safe to install on supported computers

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.

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. 

The End

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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Note: The content of this newsletter is intended for clients of Joe McDonald only. Not intended for public use.