Random Software topics

[Colif]

What I always wanted... stupid helper

Now to work out how to stop it helping.

I found this which shows two services it can't run without... it seems to manage fine without one, and I need the other for other services

Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps for home: your data and privacy - Microsoft Support

Learn about how Copilot, which provides AI-powered assistance in your Microsoft 365 apps, uses your data.

support.microsoft.com

 

[Brian Boru]

What I always wanted... stupid helper

Hey that's cool that they found such a compatible match for you!

Windows 10 one year extended support for $30

W10 goes obsolete 2025-10-14. Consumers can buy an extra year of updates for $30, per MS blog—down at the very end.

"ESU program for consumers will be a one-year option available for $30. Program enrollment will be available closer to the end of support in 2025."

 

[Colif]

That has existed as a choice for over a year now.

AI meant to be in Outlook but I haven't seen it in there yet. I only really see it at all in Word. I don't really use any of the other programs, besides excel.

 

[Brian Boru]

That has existed as a choice for over a year now

True, but price was unknown until now.

Excel 365

If you have a category column and want to enter one for a row, r-click in the cell and press K on KB.
This provides a pop-up of all previous entries in that column for you to select—no need to create a drop-down list.

Doesn't work if something in clipboard—stupidly, 'K' does double duty as a shortcut then —in that case, select from r-click menu near bottom.

 

[Colif]

Copliot half works on my PC now, it shows the prompts to use it to help create a document but it doesn't go any further as it wants to re enable that service I closed

Seems it only works in 4 of the programs currently

• Powerpoint
• teams
• Excel
• Word

Since I am doing two courses that both say I can't use AI, I am not in a rush to enable it again.
I have also advised both course providers as more people will get this going forward. And I wanted to cover my back, as they could use programs that detect AI and I can't fully turn it off without breaking other things I do use.

 

[Brian Boru]

MUO warns re new Winos4.0 malware "disguised as game installation and optimization tools":

A New Sophisticated Malware Is Targeting Windows Gamers

Users are infected when they install certain performance-enhancing gaming applications.

www.makeuseof.com

 

[Colif]

common approach, pretend to be something everyone wants.
It detects other AV but if they see it first, it won't get a chance to run.

Really, I have too much protection... Malwarebytes and Bitdefender. Might slow me down a little but I can't tell.

 

[Colif]

Onedrive appears to have been neglecting an action... updating files that change. So its currently making 70k changes. I am sure I don't have that many files so it must be every little change I have made since last time it run the operation.

No idea when that was.

I think its uploading the changes as I should have the newest version on PC. It creates all my files in the one drive folder, and then copies it to Onedrive server but it clearly wasn't updating them. Just as well I haven't needed them.

took 2 hours for it to complete the operation as a few times it would find more changes. So by end it was easily over 100k changes. I wonder where they were were stored.

So even though my Onedrive folder location is E drive, there are still files associated with it in my user folder, and it appears it has all my music there as well. So I have two copies of all my MP3 files which I don't even use anymore.

If I was running out of space, I could get some space back there but I don't need to with over 6tb free still.

 

[Colif]

So the fan control software that is pushed around internet has two problems'
1. it has too much access, it has ring 0 access to the CPU, which I doubt it really needs. It could stop other programs running if it so chose.
2. It conflicts with HWINFO

I use the CPU CCD (TDIE) sensor on my board to set the fan speed for my AIO.
Fan Control sees its temp as 33c
HWINFO reports it as higher... often 10c higher.
they are never the same.
which is true?

Tonight I went looking for an answer.
Loaded the System Info Viewer for my Motherboard which along with showing info, can also run the fans

Now its temp for CPU matches the one HWINFO shows, so the sensor temp I have been believing on my fans has been wrong for how long? About 11 months lol.

I will probably remove the Fan Control software since this program can run the fans for me... though it does think my CPU fans are currently at 0rpm... but I can hear them change speed and see them moving. Once I install my new fans I might use its software instead. This is just backup.

 

[Kaamos_Llama]

The Gigabyte software works OK for me too, I havent bothered with Fan Control for quite a while because A: It didnt work with Ryzen 5000 well when I first put in this motherboard and B: The Gigabyte software has done what I want it too just fine.

Looks like you have the older SIV running there, theres an updated version with a nicer looking UI out that I got recently. Not sure if theres much difference beyond that if youre only controlling fans. It has PBO and GPU overclocking included now, but I aint touching software OC and I dont need it anyway.

 

[Colif]

That is the latest version for my motherboard, as I got it off the App Centre last night. Its not offering me anything newer. I can't OC my CPU anyway as its only the latest x3d chips that allow it. Could be why its missing features?

I noticed I was looking at the wrong sensor on CPU.

CPU_OPT can see my fan speeds as well as, if I click icon next to the RPM, my AIO flow rate which isn't something I was expecting to see on this AIO.

It seems I don't have anything running off CPU_FAN which I found suprising as I thought PC wouldn't boot with it empty. It might all change tomorrow when I install the Lian Li fans - even with new software the current fans make noises I can live without.

The two system fans seems to be running off the System 1 sensor. Seems I missed the steps in SIV to set which sensor they use. That explained one mystery, where my sensors are:

I slowed the rear exhaust down as it makes more noise than top exhaust. Then I saw my nvme temps increase so I changed its speed back to what it was before.

 

[Colif]

I changed AIO fan curve so its always running the pump at 100%
40% fan speed = 100% pump speed on my AIO

now fans can run at 1900 max so 50% of that is 950.
cpu temp in box is just where you change points, the green marker is actual temp. it tracks the outside of the CPU, and I never seen it below 30c yet so I can't see that being a problem anytime soon.

I changed fan curve so that fans are at 100% by 80c as I ran Cinebench earlier and it hit 85c. Only as the fans weren't set to hit 100 until 90c. Max CPU can run at is 90c so need a little more wiggle room.

Had to use SIV to alter the chassis fans speeds, the rear one doesn't like running very fast so I have set it slow and the top one at 200 rpm faster to make up for it. PC is quieter now as well.

Added Lconnect, removed the RGB software for Motherboard from running. I only really used it for AIO fans anyway.

since I can't link the NVMe to a chassis fan now, I added the sensor they do run to my taskbar (its the red one), the green one next to it is my nvme which wasn't that cool for long

Pc so quiet now I can hear other noises. The chassis fans most likely.

 

[Colif]

A few weeks ago windows was acting odd so I installed malwarebytes to check it out. It didn't find anything and I eventually figured out the cause and stopped it... but left malwarebytes running.

There is a problem, both it and Bitdefender both want to do same jobs, and would fight... especially annoying when one does a scan and the other reacts.

Anyway, Malwarebytes did 3 scans today and I decided I didn't need both so removed it again. It is more likely one to be removed as its easier to install again. Its just my 2nd opinion scanner. its not often Bitdefender misses anything... but its not great at adware.

PC will be cooler too without all the activity

Why does every application think start up is the best time to run all its updates?

 

[Colif]

Now bots are real people on Facebook. I guess its one way to look like its got life. I wonder if advertisers like pages full of bots
they making the AI appear to be human. Giving them a history and profile and links...
Eventually all the old people will be replaced by AI sharing cat photos.

 

[Colif]

Tonight I got something that I have had so few of that I can count them all on one hand with a few broken fingers. A virus somehow infiltrated my system... though it may have been there a while and AV just noticed. As i haven't updated that program it was in since I installed it 2 years ago.

Tonight I decided to swap the colors on RGB in PC.
Changed it on ram
Went to change colour on GPU and my Bitdefender blocked Devilzone as a PUP and also found some file in it. Had to restart PC to clean it.
After restart, ran program again... same thing happened. I assumed AV would clean that?

I uninstalled the program, and after the second restart, I went to Powercolor site to see if I could find a new version... and they seemingly don't make it anymore for my card? I searched Google and it showed same download page... so it was there at some stage.

I tried the App they had there for older version GPU and after it was installed, ran it again and got the same PUP warning. Unisntalled it again. restarted windows.

3 restarts now, I am going to wave a flag at that program.
I have also done a full scan of C and apart from password protected folders it looked at all of them. Some install packages password protect themselves. Wonder how I find them. I deleted almost all my downloads that I didn't need anymore. That should remove some.

edit: RGB solved, seems they discontinued the app I was using and replaced it with something called Keystone which does same thing.

took longer but RGB is different now.

 

[Colif]

Last December I discovered people from China had been trying to logon to my Microsoft Account, and that didn't make me feel very safe. The problem is my email address is 25 years old... and pretty much the entire world knows it now.
The solution was to create a new email address and make it the primary email on the Account, and don't use it anywhere else. Also set up 2 step so even if they knew email address, they also need my phone.
No one has tried in 5 months now

So I did the solution but part of the answer didn't include a new password and trying to use old one on account didn't work. The answer to that was simple, reset the password.

I just stalled for a while... as resetting it can cause problems elsewhere. I kept thinking, I do it mid week and then I would forget until Friday lol.

Until tonight as I am making a new PC and it would really help to know what my password is.
So its set now, the only program that appears to have upset is Office but all I needed to do was logon again. I see what logon is like tomorrow but PC uses a PIN which was set day after I swapped emails, so part of it worked.
I think what should have happened is the screen where I set PIN should have asked me to set both it and a password, not give a choice of one only.

 

[Zed Clampet]

I wonder how many people are using that CoPilot feature where it just hangs out and scans whatever you are doing and supposedly helps you, but in what way I was unclear.

It's becoming abundantly obvious that the people who make AI want to create a world where you don't do anything by yourself, and you rely on AI for everything.

 

[Colif]

but in what way I was unclear.

indeed

I don't ever see co pilot. Its on here somewhere but as I don't have a need to ask it anything, and its help a lot of the times used to be just to show you the steps, and not actually do it... I didn't need it. If it did actually do the steps for me, I would have used it more.
Perhaps in future it will be more useful. If they let it be more helpful.

I don't want to rely on AI for everything but its unclear how many others feel same way and future might not give people much choice.

Two nights ago I made a list of all the programs on this PC. Tonight I downloaded the installers for a lot of them and put it on a USB, It was only later I realised I really only need the Wifi password and I can download them all on new PC. Oh well, its unclear if Win 11 has the right drivers for Wifi 7 so they might be useful on the USB.

 

[Zed Clampet]

indeed

I don't ever see co pilot. Its on here somewhere but as I don't have a need to ask it anything, and its help a lot of the times used to be just to show you the steps, and not actually do it... I didn't need it. If it did actually do the steps for me, I would have used it more.
Perhaps in future it will be more useful. If they let it be more helpful.

I don't want to rely on AI for everything but its unclear how many others feel same way and future might not give people much choice.

Two nights ago I made a list of all the programs on this PC. Tonight I downloaded the installers for a lot of them and put it on a USB, It was only later I realised I really only need the Wifi password and I can download them all on new PC. Oh well, its unclear if Win 11 has the right drivers for Wifi 7 so they might be useful on the USB.

I think Microsoft wouldn't hesitate to remove the ability to do things on your system without CoPilot. For example, they might remove the power settings and require you to talk to CoPilot for that. I think this is the future that Microsoft envisions, that you have no control over your PC except through CoPilot. And just to be clear, if I'm still alive when this starts, I'll be switching to Linux, probably SteamOS. Massive numbers of people who are tech savvy will switch.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Also, I use CoPilot as a game wiki and for weird questions that I'm just curious about. For instance, why is cheese yellow in the US? It's (usually) quicker for these types of things and pulls from multiple sources to give you your information, and gives you a better organized answer. Google's answer is "because it is dyed"? Yes, but WHY is it dyed.

 

[Colif]

For all those people who think a PC is like a phone

It doesn't make any difference. Most of the things these things remove aren't even running. Just cause its on the PC doesn't mean its running... Win 11 has a built in fax machine, but it only runs if you look for it.

 

[Colif]

I think Microsoft wouldn't hesitate to remove the ability to do things on your system without CoPilot. For example, they might remove the power settings and require you to talk to CoPilot for that. I think this is the future that Microsoft envisions, that you have no control over your PC except through CoPilot

They would also like to lock people into only using their store to download apps. A recent Apple decision might make them second think that.

I know you don't appreciate EU laws and all that but if they have one good use, I expect they would be against allowing co pilot being the only interface with your computer. They seem concerned about privacy of users and trusting an AI to know everything about you is a step some of us don't want to take.
I wouldn't trust a product made by a corporation whose main aim is to make money, with all my info as I see it as a great way to sell that info. I also am not silly enough to think they aren't doing that now (but since I don't see advertising, I really don't care who knows my buying habits).

Younger people won't have a choice unless someone steps up and says no.

 

[Zed Clampet]

Well, I said this is what Microsoft envisions, not what will happen. Much like their desire to turn the PC into a closed system where you have to buy everything from the Microsoft store (which they've given up on), what Microsoft wants and what they are actually able to do are two different things. They realize there are other companies waiting to pounce and steal their golden goose.

 

[Colif]

One drive can save your desktop... great... but what if you don't have the exact same apps on every PC? Easy, you get them all anyway. Its dumb, it should remember each device and not make it so every PC has to have all of them. And if you delete on one, its gone on the actual PC it might be installed in.

I already encountered this when I had a Virtual Machine of windows 10. Now I had it again on 11. I should really only use one PC from now on... but 99% of the time I can't see desktop icons. The number of times I used any in last 5 years probably equals number of times I used DDU. Not many.

I just deleted a bunch on my new PC as I didn't install everything from before. And some that I did, it marked the new shortcut as copy... why not just merge the new installs if you going to remember the shortcuts.

Its either that or not back it up at all. Make it more granular.

 

[Colif]

in the past when I was bored I would run defrag and watch it fix my drives... not anymore, nvme don't really need you to run it, they can look after themselves.
Another thing I used to do was run an Anti Virus scan... that only takes 7 minutes to do the system now. I can recall running Bitdefender on my I6 4690k and it taking 2 hours to do it all.

What am I supposed to do now when I am bored?
Currently downloading some of my Steam games and a few Xbox ones I might look at one day.