Last week we received a comment asking who writes this column and how to get in touch.   A little about what we do (mostly Brian).  

Brian Bondy started Abiquiu Computers in 2008.  Since that time he has given away 393 computers.  These were computers that were recycled, cleaned, sometimes upgraded at his expense and given away with no strings attached.  They have been provided to locals and local organizations.  It stemmed from a desire to give back to our community, keep computers out of the landfill, and give them a new life.  It also involves taking once or twice monthly runs into Santa Fe to Goodwill to recycle those items, often old printers that could not be fixed.

In addition Brian also does computer consulting. Brian repairs and upgrades computers at a competitive rate and you don't need to leave Abiquiu!  Estimates are free.  

Just have a question.  Email Brian at [email protected]  

In 2012 when I began Abiquiu News and it was a natural to include a tech tip from Brian and occasionally from myself.  He often sees the same issues - files lost, malware, hard drive failure (with no back up).  He writes the tech tip to, in part, help you avoid problems or to work more efficiently. 

So if you have a question drop an email or give us a call and leave a message.

If a new computer is in your future this holiday season keep Brian in mind to give that computer a new home.

Carol ​

This week we've gotten several calls with questions about upgrading to Windows 10. October 25th we talked about the Window 10 Upgrade Assistant.  Please look back.  

Our tech tips come from questions we get weekly or computer issues we see that are often repeated. 

Back up your files.  Remember, backing off your files is not the same as a back up.  It's only a back up if your files are kept in more than one place. 

Keep you computer updated. 

Don't click on a link in emails unless you are sure it's safe. 

​Don't share your personal information. 

That's all for this week

You can cut down on the number of notifications you’re getting—not just from your phone but also from your computer and other gadgets. Do you really want to give apps and websites the permission to interrupt you whenever they feel like it?
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With the newly upgraded Do Not Disturb features in Android and iOS, plus the notification management tools you get in the settings of these mobile OSes, it’s easier than ever to put a lid on apps you don’t want to hear from constantly. You can still let people reach you in an emergency without having Snapchat pinging every two minutes.

Check the notification settings inside the apps you use as well. In Gmail for Android and iOS, for instance, you can have alerts only for emails sent to your primary folder; in Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, you can mute conversation threads for a certain number of hours until you’re ready to read them; and so on and so on.

The most straightforward way I can think of to upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7 is to use the Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant. You can find it HERE:

Click to download the update assistant. This will lead you to download the Windows 10 upgrade program, without actually doing the upgrade immediately, so you have time to ponder the whole thing. It will take hours to complete, so let it run. At some point you will be asked what type of install, which likely means you will select to KEEP all your programs and files.

Then you will be asked to actually update to Win 10. Hopefully it will work for you. I did have someone who had a problem with the update, so please backup what’s important to you, just in case. It will also take quite a while to complete the upgrade, after which, Win 10 will guide you through some questions. When it completes, you should have a nice clean version of Windows 10, version 1903.

When it’s all done you may or may not have an activated copy of Windows 10. In any case, it will work just fine. If it comes up with a watermark at the bottom right corner, your Windows will still work. (Microsoft suggests you purchase a licence). I had a valid copy but when I swapped out my motherboard it decided it was no longer activated and the automated phone support wouldn’t give me an activation code. That was 2 years ago and it’s still running.