7 Helpful Tips and Tricks for Windows 11

Enhanced Audio, Focus Assist, Keyboard Shortcust, Ophtek, Snap Layouts, teams, Windows 11, , , , , ,
08
Nov 2022

Each new edition of Windows comes with a range of features to make life easier, and Windows 11 is no different. But do you know all its tips and tricks?

Windows 11 was released in October 2021 and instantly became the go-to operating system for PC owners. With enhanced accessibility, beautiful visual aesthetics, and optimizations in almost every area, it’s easy to see why Windows 11 has proved to be such a success. However, as with any new software, there’s a lot to be learned when it comes to getting the best out of Windows 11. Thankfully, we’ve done the hard work for you and tracked down 7 helpful tips and tricks for Windows 11 which will make life easier.

Enhance Your Windows 11 Experience

Make sure you start incorporating the following tips and tricks into your daily usage of Windows 11 to get the best out of it:

  1. Avoid distractions with Focus Assist: it’s easy to get distracted by notifications on a modern PC, with Teams notifications and Outlook popups being two of the major culprits. The built-in Focus Assist app, however, allows you to minimize and even eliminate all notifications when you need to concentrate.
  • Pin your most used apps: Windows 11 gives you the opportunity to pin your most regularly accessed apps to either your Start menu or taskbar. All you have to do is find the app within your Start menu, right-click it and then select either ‘Pin to Start’ or ‘Pin to taskbar’ for quick access.
  • View all your apps: previously, accessing the Start menu in Windows would have allowed you to view all of your apps at once. However, with Windows 11 the layout is slightly different. If you want to view all of the apps on your PC, you need to open your Start menu and then click the ‘All Apps’ button in the top right corner.
  • Snap Layouts: Microsoft have enhanced the ‘snap and resize’ ability of previous Windows versions by introducing Snap Layouts. This feature provides enhanced options such as hovering over apps and accessing layout options.
  • New keyboard shortcuts: the new features of Windows 11 mean that there are a new series of keyboard shortcuts associated with them:
  • Windows key + c: opens the Teams chat box
  • Windows key + n: opens your notifications center
  • Windows key + a: opens quick settings
  • Windows key + z: opens snap layouts

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Read More

A Fake Windows 11 Upgrade Site is Spreading Malware

official upgrades, Ophtek, redline stealer, Suspicious links, upgrade software, Windows 11, , , , ,
15
Feb 2022

Windows 11 is Microsoft’s latest operating system and PC users should download it as soon as possible. But how do you know your download is legitimate?

Over the last few months, users of Windows 10 will have been prompted to upgrade their operating system to Windows 11. As the upgrade is free, it makes sense to take advantage of this. Not only are there new features and functionality, but there is also an enhanced level of security when running Windows 11. However, not everyone has taken the step of downloading and installing this new version of Windows. As a result of this hesitance, hackers have decided to throw their hat into the ring by setting up a malicious website which promises Windows 11, but delivers malware.

Malicious Promises

The malicious website at the center of the story was ‘windows-upgraded.com’ and, thankfully, it has now been deactivated. Nonetheless, it was live for some time and had the capacity to cause damage to any IT systems it managed to infect. Therefore, we’re going to look at how it operated and the tell-tale signs you need to look for.

By creating a genuine looking website, which used Microsoft’s trademark presentation style, the hackers were able to convince visitors that it was legitimate. A large “download now” button was prominently placed and, when clicked, it would appear to be downloading the Windows 11 upgrade files. However, while the file being downloaded was named ‘Windows11InstallationAssistant.exe’, the true identity of the download was very different.

Visitors who had gone through with the download would actually be downloading a malware tool known as RedLine Stealer. This piece of malware is a classic data thief and, as such, targets sensitive data including login credentials, credit card details and cryptocurrency data. All three of these data types have the potential to cause major damage when they fall into the wrong hands, so the ‘windows-upgraded’ website was considered a significant threat.

The link to this website was spread by several different campaigns. Spam emails, forum posts and instant messaging systems were all used to point potential victims towards ‘windows-upgraded.com’ and, as with all malware campaigns, the hackers knew that a small percentage would click the infected links without investigating further.

Protecting Your PC from Malicious Websites

Although the ‘windows-upgraded.com’ website has now been closed, it’s likely that similar websites will soon be set up to replace it. And, again, people will fall victim to it. But you don’t have to see the security of your data be compromised. By following the advice below, you should be able to remain safe:

  • Always Use Official Upgrades: if, for example, you are upgrading a Microsoft product, you need to make sure it’s an official upgrade. A new version of Windows will only be available through an official Microsoft website or the ‘check for updates’ section of Windows. Other sources may look genuine, but it’s likely their offerings are far from legitimate.
  • Check Suspicious Links: all links need to be double checked to make sure they are genuine. While a link may look as though it’s taking you, for example, to an official Microsoft website, the data contained within that link may be sending you somewhere else. But, if you hover your mouse cursor over a link, a popup window will display the true location of the link. Alternatively, if you are suspicious of a link, you can always copy and paste it into a Google search to identify any stories relating to its security credentials.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Read More

Windows 11 Is Here and There Are Plenty of Changes

Microsoft, Microsoft 365, Ophtek, power automate, Security, teams, upgrade, upgrade software, widgets, Windows 11, Windows Task Scheduler, , , , , , , ,
01
Feb 2022

The latest version of Microsoft’s operating system Windows has now been rolled out; and Windows 11 comes with plenty of changes for PC users.

Windows 10 was released in 2015 and, since then, there have been many changes in IT. While Windows 10 is still more than capable of dealing with modern IT, there always comes a point where an overhaul is needed. And this is why Windows 11 has been released. It’s available as a free upgrade to anyone currently running Windows 10 and contains both updated applications and functionality.

Upgrading to a new operating system has always represented a major shift in the way that PCs operate, so it’s important to understand what happens when you hit that ‘install’ button.

Why Are Upgrades Necessary?

Taking advantage of operating system upgrades allows you to harness numerous benefits. Firstly, an older operating system is always up against a ticking clock of being discontinued. Once support has been discontinued, an older operating system is more at risk of security threats. Secondly, new operating systems are better positioned to cope with the demands of modern IT. Therefore, installing an upgraded version ensures you have a better user experience.

What’s Changed with Windows 11?

As with all previous upgrades on Windows, there are a significant number of changes. Many of these are unlikely to be noticed by your average PC user, but others will be more obvious. The most important changes are:

  • Microsoft Teams: during the Covid-19 pandemic, Microsoft Teams became a valuable tool for employees to communicate through. But it had never been an in-built part of the Windows operating system. Starting with Windows 11, however, it is now included by default.
  • Power Automate: Windows 11 has a new feature called Power Automate which allows PC users to program ‘flows’ which create automated tasks such as notifying team members when new files are added to a specific location.
  • Widgets: the interface of Windows 11 now allows you to harness the power of widgets, a type of software which has been common on mobile devices for some time. These new desktop widgets allow you to install widgets which provide information “at a glance” on a slide-out menu such as calendar updates.
  • Security: one of the major security features of Windows 11 is that it will only run on new machines. Therefore, if your hardware is starting to look even slightly old, it’s unlikely Windows 11 will run on it. This means that Microsoft is setting a strong baseline to ensure PCs running Windows 11 are as up to date as possible. Built on top of this security foundation are several background security processes including updated stack protection and enhanced bootup security.
  • Interface Design: the most notable changes in Windows 11 relate to the visual aesthetics of the interface. The start menu has been overhauled to provide quicker access to the apps you need, notifications are now grouped together to make accessing them quicker and File Explorer has been redesigned to look smarter and more intuitive.

Final Thoughts

Installing updated software is always recommended to ensure your PC is running with the best protection and functionality. And upgrading to Windows 11 is no different. It’s an essential upgrade and one which, although certain features will require some adjustment time, will provide you with enhanced productivity and a smoother user experience.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Read More

Microsoft Announces 97 Vulnerabilities in Windows

Microsoft, Ophtek, patches, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server, zero-day, , , , , , , ,
25
Jan 2022

Windows is one of the most popular operating systems around and, as it’s a Microsoft product, you would like to think it’s safe. But this isn’t quite true.

As part of their January 2022 ‘Patch Tuesday’ report, Microsoft announced that 97 new security vulnerabilities had been discovered across its range of operating systems. And with an estimated 1 billion Windows PCs in use across the globe, this is very concerning. Any operating system, of course, is a highly complex piece of software. The sheer amount of coding required, to deliver high quality functionality, means that mistakes are inevitable. And then there are the hackers, individuals who are determined to find new and innovative ways to breach Windows.

What Were the Vulnerabilities?

Nine of the reported vulnerabilities were classed as critical by Microsoft, with the remaining 88 being classed as significant threats. Technical details are yet to be released, but it’s known that some of the critical vulnerabilities were associated with Microsoft Exchange Servers and the HTTP Protocol Stack. And, in particular, the HTTP Protocol Stack vulnerabilitiy is one which would allow hackers to allow remote code execution i.e. taking control of an affected PC from a remote connection.

Six of the vulnerabilities discovered have also been categorized as zero-day vulnerabilties. These affect a range of Windows background processes and, as they are classed as zero-day, it’s believed that they were known to hackers before Microsoft’s announcement. Collectively, the 97 vulnerabilities are believed to have impacted the security of major Microsoft applications including Excel, Word, Edge, Windows Defender and all manner of network tools. As a result, it’s believed that users of Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2019 and even Windows Server 2022 are all at risk.

How Can Windows Users Stay Safe?

Naturally, any user of Windows is likely to be very concerned after reading the above. But the good news is that Microsoft’s January 2022 patch addresses all of these vulnerabilities. Installing it, therefore, should be the number one priority for any PCs running Windows. And that will be nearly all of them. Unfortunately, for those running Windows Server 2019 and Server 2022, this patch was withdrawn due to bugs it was generating in these environments. Users of these operating systems should remain extra vigilant and ensure that automatic Windows updates are in place.

Final Thoughts

The last few months have been relatively poor for Microsoft when it comes to patching vulnerabilities. In September 2021, it was revealed that their patch for the ‘PrintNightmare’ flaw contained bugs which negatively affected numerous printers. And, now, it appears to be history repeating itself with Windows Server users left vulnerable to both security risks and buggy updates. These issues will, no doubt, be rectified quickly but, as ever, time is of the essence when it comes to PC security. Ultimately, installing each and every security update remains the very best practice for protecting your IT devices.

For more ways to secure and optimize your business technology, contact your local IT professionals.

Read More