Wednesday Newsbytes: Latest Windows 10 Update Causing Problems, Windows Users Warned, Windows 11’s New Update, SSDs vs. HDDs… and more!
Every day we scan the tech world for interesting news in the world of technology and sometimes from outside the world of technology. Every Wednesday, we feature some news articles that grabbed our attention over the past week. We hope you find this week’s ‘Wednesday Newsbytes’ informative and interesting!
Windows 10 KB5017308 cumulative update is causing new issues
Windows 10 KB5017308 update is apparently causing issues for some users, according to reports. This patch is currently rolling out to everyone via Windows Update, but you can also download the offline installers of Windows 10 KB5017308 and manually install it.
According to the official release notes, KB5017308 contains “miscellaneous security improvements”. However, it also includes fixes from the previous optional cumulative update, which was released in August. As per the release notes of the last patch, Windows 10’s September 2022 Patch fixes many issues.
For example, Microsoft has fixed an issue where installations of certain games might fail abruptly. The company patched another bug where the list icons in the search app might render incorrectly. Another bug that causes error 0x1E when you shut down or restart a device has been fixed…
Windows 10 KB5017308 issues
Unfortunately, KB5017308 won’t install for many users. Like the previous updates, this patch also fails to install after the download is finished, with one of the users stating “2022-09 Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version 21H2 for x64-based Systems (KB5017308) is not installing and gives an error (0x800f081f)”…
Millions of Windows 10 and Windows 11 users issued with another urgent warning
It’s been a scary week for Windows users with Microsoft releasing an urgent update that fixes a dangerous flaw and security experts now warning millions that they could be at risk from a new attack affecting web browsers.
Anyone with a Windows 10 or Windows 11-powered PC needs to be aware of a shock new tactic being used by cyber criminals. According to security experts from Malwarebytes Lab, hackers have found a sneaky way to infiltrate web browsers – via the popular News Feed function – with Windows users being targeted by a fake support scam.
If tricked, the browser instantly displays a pop-up window showing an urgent warning that claims to be from Microsoft’s Defender Security Center.
The message states that access to the PC has been blocked due to security issues with users then urged to call a number to solve the glitch. Anyone phoning the fake hotline will then be put through to a scammer who will try and take a payment to fix the issues.
Of course, there is no problem in the first place with the pop-up window simply being used to scare victims and get them to hand over their hard-earned cash…
Is Windows 11 version 22H2 a free update?
Windows 11 version 22H2 is almost here, and it’s a packed update for Windows 11 users – and even more so if you’re still on Windows 10. It includes new touch gestures, Start menu folders, the return of taskbar drag-and-drop, and more. But with this being such a big update, you may be wondering whether you can get it for free if you’re running the initial release of Windows 11, or even a prior version of Windows. And the answer is yes, Windows 11 version 22H2 is a free update as long as your PC is compatible.
For those running Windows 11 already, the update to version 22H2 should be a breeze. Once it’s available to you, you can check for updates in Windows Update and it should show up as an optional update. You can just download and install it, which could take up to a couple of hours (it should be under one hour for most modern PCs) but otherwise, there’s nothing else to worry about. It likely won’t install automatically, but you can get it for free.
You’ll need to meet the Windows 11 system requirements
If you’re running an older version of Windows, most likely Windows 10, you might have a hurdle when it comes to the system requirements. Windows 11 version 22H2 doesn’t bring any major changes compared to the initial release of Windows 11, which means Windows 10 users still have some major things to worry about. Windows 11 requires newer CPUs, more RAM, and more storage compared to Windows 10 and earlier…
Are SSDs more reliable than HDDs? This research may have the answer
Solid state drives (SSDs) are more reliable than hard disk drives (HDDs) over five years of usage. But that’s not the only thing to think about when shopping.
Solid state drives (SSDs) are more reliable than hard disk drives (HDDs) – at least for certain use cases, according to cloud-storage firm Backblaze. But that might not actually make much of a difference when deciding what type of storage you should buy.
The company this year was looking to settle a debate over whether HDDs or SSDs are more reliable. Backblaze provides a cloud-backup service for laptops and computers and offers its B2 cloud storage to enterprises.
It uses a mix of SSDs and HDDs as storage server boot drives in the Backblaze Cloud Storage platform. Since 2018, it’s replaced failed HDD boot drives with mostly 2.5-inch SSDs (some are M.2 form factor drives). Backblaze’s SSD/HDD drives boot its storage servers as well as store log files and temporary files produced by the storage server. Today, Backblaze has over 2,500 SSDs (a mix of Crucial, Dell, Micron, Seagate and Western Digital) and stores over two exabytes of data.
Woman convinces scammer she’s on dangerous trip to meet him after he asks for £3,000
A witty Twitter user managed to make a scammer regret contacting her by convincing him she’d set out on a dangerous mission to meet him after he asked for money.
‘Hi, becky, how are you doing today? Happy weekend.’ That was the first message Becky Holmes received from her ‘one true love’, oil rig worker Zeltinis, earlier this month. Before long, she learned he needed a fee of $3,200 (£2,800) to ‘pay for his vacation’ from the oil rig.
‘I could have pay for it but my account is suspended I have to get home before it can be fix, what do you think? [sic],’ Zeltinis wrote.
A lot of people will probably be familiar with messages like these, and so is Becky. But rather than deleting Zeltinis and moving on, Becky decided to play along…
Thanks for reading this week’s Wednesday Newbytes. We hope you found these articles informative, interesting, fun, and/or helpful. Darcy & TC
Regarding Windows 10 last update.
Have you heard of any complaints about the update affecting external hard drives.
I updated two computers the day before the update and then again the day after. This time the hard drive was not recognized by either computers. Even tried different ports on each. I hear it and can feel it running, but no connection. I also tried another hard drive and it worked. The problem one is slightly older, but not that old.
Am I the only one and is there a way to fix this problem.
Thank you for your great assistance.
I have not heard of anyone having these issues, but that does not mean others are not having the same issues. I have Windows 11 on 2 computers and haven’t had any problems. You can try doing a search to see if anyone else is having the same issues as you are.
Windows 11 constantly changes my settings. Takes my sound and turns it off, takes my printer and turns it to uninstall, add programs, these updates are pityful.
My 10 is acting up the lest few days. I have to turn it off & on several times
You can do a Windows 10 reset and keep all your files and reinstall Windows. See this page.
After authorizing an “update” tp Windows 12, I found that I was no longer “ON LiNE’ an that my printer had been disconnected ( it had been set as “Wireless”)
What happened??? A neighbor geek pressed a few buttons, and I am now again ON LINE. but still no use of printer directly from my computer. Suggestions??
Help, Darcy!!!
No Windows 12 yet, so I’ll assume you meant Windows 11.To fix your printer, remove it from Windows Settings >Bluetooth & devices>Printer and scanners. Uplug the printer from its power supply. Go to the printer manufacturer’s website and download the correct installation software for your printer brand and model. Restart your computer. Plug the printer into its power supply. Run the installation software you downloaded from the manufacturer’s website. Follow the step-by-step as the installation software guides you through the installation of your printer.Essentially what you are doing is setting up the printer exactly the way you did when you first bought it and brought it home.