Upgrading to Windows 10 The following table shows which version of windows upgrades to which edition of Win 10
Minimum System requirements necessary to install Windows 10 PROCESSOR 1GHz or faster (1Ghz processors will technically run Windows 10 but will be very slow. Ideally, should be 2.8Ghz or higher) The processor must also support these technologies/instructions: PAE (Physical Address Extension – allows 32 bit processors to access more than 4GB memory) NX (No eXecutable Page Protection, some times called XD - a feature which stops some memory pages from being executed and provides extra security against malicious software from running. . PAE is required for this) SSE2 (Streaming Simd Extensions version 2 SIMD - Single Instruction, Multiple Data allows new processors to handle multiple data elements for a single instruction) If your existing OS is Windows 8.1, these features will be present. If the existing OS is Windows 7, need to check if processor has these features In addition, the following are only required for 64bit Windows 10: CMPXCHG16b (Compare and Exchange bytes) PrefetchW (Required for 64bit operation and allows data to be fetched into cache ahead of when it is actually required) LAHF/SAHF (Load status flags into register AH /Store AH register into flags – required for 64bit operation floating point operations) HOW TO CHECK THE PROCESSOR FEATURES: Find the type of CPU (Central Processor Unit) on your machine and ‘Google’ it by “is xxxxx processor suitable for Windows 10” (Download and run ‘Speccy’ or ‘SIW’ from File Hippo to find out which processor you have) Download ‘coreinfo.zip’ from MajorGeeks and extract the files to the root folder of the C-drive (http://www.majorgeeks.com/files/details/coreinfo.html) Coreinfo.exe has to be run from the Command Line as follows: Click ‘Start’ In the text box type ‘CMD’ and press return In the black window which opens type ‘cd..’ (note the 2 full stops after the d) Press ‘Enter’ Repeat until the screen shows C:\> Type ‘coreinfo.exe /k’ (note there is one space between the last e in exe and the /k) Press ‘Enter’ This will list all the features of your processor (Speccy and SIW may not show all the features necessary) If the features listed above are all present, then the processor is suitable for all versions of Windows 10 If the last 3 features are not present but the first three are, then the processor should support only the 32-bit version of Windows 10 RAM 1 GB for 32-bit OS (ideally should have 2GB or more) 2 GB for 64-bit OS (ideally should have 4GB or more) HARD-DRIVE 16GB for 32-bit 20GB for 64-bit GRAPHICS CARD Must support DirectX 9 or later with WDDM driver DISPLAY At least 800 x 600 EXISTING OPERATING SYSTEM Windows 7 must have SP1 (Service pack1) Windows 8.1 must have latest Win 8.1 update If your existing operating system is Windows 8.1 with the latest update then it should run Windows 10 without problem If your existing operating system is Windows 7, then you need to check your processor details (see above) If your existing operating system is Windows XP or Windows Vista or Windows 8, then it either won’t run Windows 10 or won’t be eligible for the free upgrade MOTHERBOARDS If you have purchased a new computer without an operating system and intend to install a legal copy of Windows 7 prior to upgrading free to Windows 10, and that computer uses UEFI instead of BIOS, make sure that the ‘Secure Booting’ is TURNED OFF in the UEFI settings screen BEFORE attempting to install Windows 7 – major booting problems otherwise because Windows 7 does not support Secure Booting. End Procedure for un-installing old anti-virus program and installing Avast 7 free It is important that the correct sequence is followed to ensure that the computer is not put at risk and that the old program is properly removed. (1) Go to Filehippo and download and save the latest version of the required anti-virus program (I will use Avast as an example). Note where the program has been saved on your computer (normally in 'Downloads') (2) Disconnect your computer from the internet. You can do this by one of 2 ways: (i) if your computer is connected to your router/modem by a cable, then just unplug this cable at either end (it doesn't matter which end) (ii) if your computer is wirelessly connected to the router/modem, then unplug the telephone cable from the router. If you use a BT Homehub then you may find that after you re-connect the telephone cable to the router, the speed of your connection may be a little slower for a few days until the system re-sets itself. (3) Now un-install your old anti-virus program as follows: EITHER Go to 'Start', 'Control Panel', 'Add or Remove Programs' ('Programs and Features' in Windows 7') Click on AVG (or whatever program you wish to remove) to highlight it Click on the 'Remove' button ('Uninstall' button in Windows 7) Wait until the program is successfully removed as indicated by a return to the Control Panel window OR Open Ccleaner (This is the same for both Windows XP and Windows 7) Click on 'Tools' in the left-hand vertical menu Click on the 'Uninstall' button at top of left-hand vertical menu When the list of programs is displayed, click on the AVG entry to highlight it Click on the 'Run Uninstaller' button at top of the right-hand menu Wait until the un-install is complete. If AVG toolbar is also listed then repeat the above to remove this as well. (4) (5) (6) (7) You will be asked if you wish to back-up the registry - click 'yes' You will now see a screen with a 'Save' button on it - click 'Save'. Now click on 'Fix issues' and wait until the issues are fixed ( usually only an a few seconds). (8) Close Ccleaner and any other open applications especially your browser if it is open. (9) Navigate to where the downloaded latest version of Avast was saved and DOUBLE click on the 'avast_free_antivirus_setup.exe' file. (10) Follow the on-screen instructions and select the 'Express Install' option but DON'T install any of the optional toolbars if offered, nor the Chrome Browser. Towards the end of the process you may receive a message that Avast cannot connect to the internet. At this point, reconnect your internet cable. Avast will now do a quick scan of your computer which will take a few minutes depending on the size of your hard-drive and your processor speed. (11) Once the scan has finished, click the 'Finish' button (12) After a few seconds, you will see the Welcome screen. Click on the 'Continue with free protection’ button (the grey one) (13) On the next screen which shows, click the 'Register Now' blue text hyperlink (14) Click on the grey Base Protection 'Select' button (15) Complete the registration form (16) Click the 'STAY WITH BASIC PROTECTION' button You don’t need to create an Avast Account – the product still works without this DON'T click any of the 'Upgrade' buttons or trials of their retail product. The virus protection is the same in both products Your computer should now be protected with the latest updated version of Avast and will automatically update on a daily basis or manually when you wish. -o0o- Minor Problem in the Latest Version of Thunderbird (ver 17.0) To rectify this requires a change to the settings in the Config Editor as follows: Start Thunderbird in the usual way Click on 'Tools', 'Option', 'Advanced' tab, 'General' tab Click on the 'Config Editor' button (1st button above the 'Cancel' button) Click on the 'I'll be careful, I promise!' button Scroll down the very long list and find the entry 'mail.tabs.drawlnTitlebar' DOUBLE click on this entry to change the setting from 'True' to 'False' DO NOT MAKE ANY OTHER CHANGES! Close the Config Editor and re-start Thunderbird The Titlebar should now be as normal.    Internet search Privacy (10th March) Further to my previous item about internet privacy, there has recently been released a new add-on for Firefox which is fascinating (and at times, worrying!) and gives an interesting idea as to who is tracking you when you are searching on-line. The add-on is called 'Collusion' and can be downloaded from: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/collusion/ Installation is quick and easy. When you click on the little red-ringed white circle If, however, you have turned off third-party cookies in Firefox (as I have) the tracking is much reduced. PeeKay Google Accounts and other web accounts For those of you who wish to access and/or edit your Google Account details, logon to the Google Dashboard by typing in, in your browser address bar, the following: www.google.com/dashboard Also, when creating new accounts on websites you are interested in, please consider carefully what details you are giving about yourself . Only give the minimum details which are required (as distinct from 'requested) by the website. In addition, do make sure you read carefully the whole website form and un-tick or tick, as appropriate, any options available. It is important that you should read the 'Terms and Conditions' for whatever you are signing up for, so you know exactly to what you are committing yourself. Being cautious and aware is particularly important when signing up for social networking and similar sites (Facebook, Twitter, Skype, LinkedIn, My Space, Google+, and so on) where there is the opportunity to create a profile about yourself: keep this profile content to an absolute minimum and avoid photographs, telephone numbers, addresses, and birth dates. It's better, often, to use a 'screen name' rather than your actual name to display on the site. Once it's 'out there' you can't get it back!! If you are completing on-line forms where an email address is required but which you are only interested in for a short time (say, for example, if you are requesting some information from a purchasing website), then consider using a free disposable email address (these are time limited, temporary email addresses) such as Mailinator.com, YOPmail or similar. This will significantly reduce the amount af advertising spam email you get later. Keep safe online! PeeKay |
http://www.foolishit.com/vb6-projects/cryptoprevent/
Sophos virus removal tool download site
Information about Cryptolocker
http://websearch.about.com/od/musicsearc1/qt/freemusic.htm
It might be worth mentioning that there are also many sites from which you can download free music scores as pdf files which you can then print out, ranging from classical to modern pop and covering just about every musical instrument or music style. Many of these also allow the listening to the music via .mp3 or .wmv files before downloading the score. Nearly all the works of Bach and many other classical composers, for example, are available and there is also much by lesser known composers which is very good but rarely heard or played.
Again, one good 'starter' site (but there are many more) is
http://imslp.org/wiki/Main_Page
Remember also, that YouTube is also a good place for listening to and watching music being played - some by professionals, some by good amateurs (and some by 'musicians' who shouldn't be allowed to play!!)