FlexITechs Newsletter

Tech News from FlexITechs

Aug. 13, 2015

In This Issue

OUR 11TH YEAR!

Windows 10 Not Ready

Out of the Office

BizTech -- Office 365 Solution

SERVING DELMARVA
SINCE 2004!

FlexITechs has been providing computer and IT services to Delmarva residents and businesses since 2004!

After two years as the computer services arm of our sister company, Sussex County Online, FlexITechs was formed to better define the computer services offered by owner Eric Magill.

We thank all of our customers who have made it possible for us serve you for more than a decade!

Quick Links...

Our Website
End-User Security

Services

More About Us

15% Off Office 365 Installation!

Dear (Contact First Name),

Thank you for your continued interest in FlexITechs. If you'd prefer not to receive our occasional email newsletters, use the "Unsubscribe" link above.

Also, be sure to:

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Sincerely,

Eric Magill, FlexITechs

Windows 10 Not Ready

As expected, Windows 10 is not yet ready for mass distribution as the slew of issues, mainly involving the Internet and peripherals, continues to pile up.

To date, Windows 10 upgrades have created issues with logins, the Internet, battery life, default file associations, printing, peripherals, graphics cards, touchpads, third party applications, rebooting in loops ... even Office applications and plain operating system craziness.

The problems seem to be more acute for those upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10. And, as one customer put it, it's a big change from the Windows 7 interface so there is a learning curve as well.

My advice from my last newsletter remains -- DO NOT UPGRADE to Windows 10 unless you are having major issues with Windows 8.1. If you're on Windows 7, wait until you buy your next computer to get Windows 10.

Here's a good rundown of what Windows 10 upgrades have caused so far.

What if I Upgraded and Hate It?

If you've already upgraded and can't get it to work or just don't like it, you can call us to try to fix it or revert to Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 depending on which one you upgraded from.

But know that you only have 30 days from the time of your upgrade to Windows 10 to revert before Microsoft wipes the files required to revert your operating system.

So, if you upgraded on the first day, July 29, you have until Aug. 28 to revert or you'll be stuck with Windows 10.

How to Prevent the Upgrade

Microsoft has been, for some time now, downloading bits and pieces of Windows 10 to users who reserved their free copy of the new operating system online.

It did that to prevent a deluge of downloads on its servers on the release date, July 29. When the download completes, it then offers the ability to install the upgrade.

For now, continue to deny the upgrade.

Major Privacy, Security Issues

Microsoft has initiated a couple of major new practices with Windows 10 that has raised the hair on the back of privacy advocates' necks.

Chief among them are the ability for Microsoft to use YOUR bandwidth

to ease the load on its download servers and the ability to send increased data from your computer to Microsoft servers.

Here's a more in-depth look at these issues

as well as the settings to change to keep Microsoft out of your business.

If there has been one constant over the years of major Microsoft releases, it's that the early testing by Microsoft employees, beta testers, and technicians, bears little resemblance to the way average users use their computers, which results in big headaches upon the first mass distribution.

If you want to upgrade in the near future or need help fixing your upgrade or reverting to Windows 7 or 8.1, give us a call at 302-537-4198 or email me at ericm@flexitechs.com.

Out of the Office Aug. 17

I'll be out of the office all day on Monday, Aug. 17, to take my daughter to the airport for a four-month semester abroad.

I will be back in the office on Tuesday, Aug. 18. If you need something done by then, contact me at 537-4198 in the next two days.

I also expect to be out of the office for a mini-vacation Sept. 3-4. If you need something before then, please contact me now.

BizTech Talk -- Office 365 for Business

I often write about how Internet service in Sussex County isn't cloud-grade, meaning you can't rely on it to provide reliable and quick access to your data if it's in the cloud.

One way around this is a hybrid approach to the cloud -- storing only data that needs to be available anytime anywhere in the cloud while storing data that only needs to be available in the office on local servers and computers.

There are other variables that would determine what to store in the cloud and what to store locally, but that's a good general rule to start with.

Office 365 from Microsoft is one of those application suites that fits neatly into the cloud-local hybrid model.

Based on a monthly or annual subscription, Office 365 provides its familiar Office lineup of Word, Excel, Outlook, Powerpoint, Publisher and OneNote in the 2013 version for desktop computers, while also providing the same applications in a web browser interface for accessing and editing documents and email over the web.

In addition, advanced bundles provide hosted Exchange as opposed to on-premise server-based Exchange, hosted Sharepoint for company intranets, Skype for Business for video conferencing as well as phone calls, and OneDrive for file sharing inside and outside your organization or for storing and retrieving files while on the road or at home.

Each Office 365 user license allows installation of the various Office 365 products on up to five devices including computers, laptops, SmartPhones and tablets.

For Sussex County businesses stuck with mediocre Internet service, which is most of us, Office 365 offers the ability to access documents anywhere we have Internet while offering the stability in the office of a local server that likely remains up and running when the Internet is down.

We offer Office 365 subscriptions for all of the Office 365 varieties, from the Business editions to the Enterprise editions. Better yet, you get local technical support from FlexITechs rather than going through the nightmare of Microsoft's overseas tech support system.

Call me at 302-537-4198 for more information on our Office 365 offerings or view our flier.

We thank you for your business the past 11 years and hope we can continue to fulfill your technology needs in the future. If you have any questions about current technology issues, feel free to contact us at 537-4198.

Sincerely,

Eric Magill
FlexITechs

http://www.flexitechs.com

Microsoft Small Business Specialist

	15% Off Office 365 Setup Now through Sept. 2, 2015, you can receive 15% off installation services to install Office 365 for your organization. Print out this coupon and call us at 302-537-4198 to schedule an appointment.
Offer Expires: Sept. 2, 2015