Stay Safe Online – Updating to Windows 11
From October 2025, Windows 10 will not be supported by security updates which means your computer will be open to cyber attacks. Some of you with newer computers will already have updated to Windows 11 (whether you wanted to or not! Windows assumes everyone wants to update so you have to be vigilant and keep saying no to options to update). Older computers – those with older hardware – are incompatible with Windows 11 and won’t be able to use the new operating system.
There is an option to pay £30 a year for 3 years to get updates for Windows 10 – but after that older computers will be defunct. Scandalous isn’t it! All that technology on the scrapheap!
There is another alternative – you could switch to a Linux operating system. Linux is free open-source software made by the community and is very safe (probably safer than Windows). Linux is perfectly fine if you want to keep your old computer to surf the internet, for email and banking and to do basic stuff.
So why do many of us use Windows instead of Linux? Linux is incompatible with many popular programs such as Sage – and it won’t work with Microsoft Office. However, there is a program for Linux called Libre Office which is an alternative – and has a program similar to Microsoft Word.
So what’s the best thing to do? It’s only older computers that can’t be updated to Windows 11 and your computer won’t last forever – so you could keep it for another 3 years and pay for annual updates. And you could keep your old computer and switch it to Linux.
We can recommend a new computer to suit your needs (and the best place to buy it), take all your files and programs off the old one and instal them on the new one – and convert your old computer to Linux so you can still use it safely. Just give us a call for free advice.
How to spot Fake Ads on Facebook
Facebook competitions and freebies are common – fake Facebook pages run by scammers impersonate well-known brands and then ask ‘winners’ of fake giveaways to supply personal data which they then use fraudulently. Here’s how to check a Facebook page is genuine:
- Is it too good to be true? Is it a realistic offer? If it sounds too good to be true – it probably is!
- Is it a new Facebook profile. Facebook has been going for over 15 years and most brands would have set up a profile years ago. To find out the date a page was created go to the page and click on the ‘About’ tab to see the creation date.
- Check the Terms and Conditions. Genuine competitions will have a link to T&Cs – usually as a PDF.
- Does the brand have a verified profile? Facebook has a verification scheme for businesses to prove they are who they say they are – look for a small blue tick next to the page name.
- Don’t hand over payment details. No genuine giveaway requires payment details to release a prize or to cover postage costs or for verification. Legitimate prizes should be provided free.
Report scams using this Which? Scam Sharer tool: You can report any kind of scam – online, email, text, phone, etc. here: Scam Sharer – free Which? tool
If you have been affected by a scam – help is out there – Victim Support has a free confidential helpline 0808 168 9111 and so does Mind 0300 123 3393.
Sign up for Which? Scam alerts: https://campaigns.which.co.uk/scam-alert-service/
Find details of recent scams here:
www.actionfraud.police.uk and on our Facebook page: Rainford-it-stay safe online
#staysafeonline #WeFixMacs #Windows11 @actionfrauduk @WhichUK
Published in the December edition of the Whitchurch gossip