Computer technology - ever changing, both good & bad

our goal is to help you have a better computer experience

In an ever changing computer world, there is constant new information coming out. If we do not keep up on that information, as computer users we fall behind very quickly. likewise, with new information and new ideas come new issues and new problems that we as computer users have to deal with. We do not profess to have all the answers, but it is our desire to help our customers to the best of our ability.

Nov 5, 2025 - Post NO.3 - is linux more secure than other systems?

Is Linux more secure than other systems? Many people ask this same question. Many people have given answers to this question online. While I am not claiming to be a top authority on this subject, I do have an opinion based on may years of experience working on computers, and dealing with the messes people get themselves into. So, my short answer to this is yes. I believe Linux is more secure than other systems. Now with that said, there are policies and practices that need to be followed in order to make this true. Understand that the user is the biggest threat to any computer. So the following practices I am going to talk about are directed at the user.

1) the Linux system is open source. That means it is free and open to the public. In other words, more scrutiny, more transparency. Also with Linux, you will never see TERMS & CONDITIONS that you are forced to agree with before you can use it. Unlike proprietary software where you have to check "I Agree" to use the software. Yes you can check "I Disagree", but the software will not finish setting up, and you will not be able to use it. It's kind of like, extortion of your rights for the privilege of using their software. 2) All the of the software that you could install except maybe printer software, should come from your Linux Distribution's Repository. This is thoroughly vetted, safe, and secure. With thousands of software options, there is no reason to look elsewhere. Furthermore, many of these software packages are high end and are equal or better than their proprietary counterparts. Again, no "TERMS & CONDITIONS" no data transferring going on in the background. Printer software if needed you would get it from manufacturer. While there is proprietary software made for Linux, I recommend you don't use it unless there is no alternative knowing that this would open communications in the background (remember TERMS & CONDITIONS) that would not normally be there, making it a higher security risk. 3) What you do online can be a deal maker or a deal breaker when it comes to security. This one is a pet peeve of mine, cloud storage. If you think your cloud storage is safe secure and private, well, it's not. You are not the only one with access to your cloud storage. The company you have the storage with has back door access. And sometimes that access gets used even though it's not supposed to. Then there is all the breaches of data that you are always hearing about. In my book this is not safe, secure, or private. You may not agree with this, so I will ask a question that is more direct. Why in the world would you want your personal, and private data stored on a computer half way around the world, controlled by someone you have no idea of just for the sake of convenience. Would it not be better to have an external drive to put your files on, and keep it in your own possession, where you are the only person who has access to it? Remember with cloud storage, or any other online service, there is the potential for an open connection to your computer as long as it is running.

In short, you need to be in 100% control of your computer in every way. Unfortunately that is not possible with Apple or Windows, or smart phones and tablets. But with Linux this is possible depending on what you are willing to do or not to do. Do you want security and privacy, or do you want convenience. Remember anything that is automatic has a good possibility of breaching security and privacy. I will leave you with this last thought. When the idea of computer technology was first beginning, long before Microsoft or Apple ever existed, as far back as WWII and the B-29 bomber, computers were designed to assist in productivity in various places. Yes computers can check email, do online purchases, online banking, watch videos, and a whole host of other things. But this is not the reason they were designed, but rather for productivity. If people would keep that in mind they could save themselves a lot of heartache. So for the reasons I have explained, yes, I do believe Linux can be more secure than other systems

Sep 4, 2025 - Post NO.2 - Microsoft making bitlocker encryption active by default.

The newest version of Windows 11 activates BitLocker encryption by default. That is, Windows 11 Enterprise, Pro & Home is being encrypted without your consent, or knowledge. Although legally, you gave your consent when you agreed to their TERMS & CONDITIONS. As far as your knowledge. Nowhere is Microsoft warning or telling people that their systems are being encrypted. Total silence. Simply put, encryption is the scrambling of all your data so that it is not ledgable, or accessable. Only the encryption key (very long password, say 48 characters or more) makes it ledgable and accessable. So how does encryption protect you? Well, if your computer or storage drive is stolen, the thief can not access your data without the encryption key. However they can still format the drive and re-install the system, ending up with a free computer. So encryption will protect your files from being stolen, but will not protect you from viruses and getting your computer compromised should you click on something that you shouldn't.

Many people ask, should I encrypt my computer? Let me pose a question to you. Do you have any files on your computer that would result in a catastrophic disaster should they be stolen and opened by someone else? If your answer is no, then, no do not encrypt your computer. As many people now are finding out, if your computer locks down and you don't have the key, you have lost everything. No key, no access. There are several things that can cause Microsoft BitLocker software to lock your computer down. A change of hardware. A firmware update. A simple Windows update. Booting to another system such as a anti virus rescue disk. Any of these can leave you on a blue sceen asking you for your BitLocker Encryption key. If you don't have one, you have lost all your data. Without it you can not get back into your computer. See the problem here is: the BitLocker software made by Microsoft, interperates one of these actions as an intrusion when it's not. When Windows is encrypted with BitLocker, a 48 character numerical password is created, and not by you. You then have to retrieve that password. There are three ways to retieve it depending on which edition of Windows 11 you have. 1) Send it to your online microsoft account. 2) Back it up to a USB thumb drive. 3) Print it to paper. This has to be done using the same computer and before you encounter a problem.

If you need encryption, what should you know before hand? 1) A Windows computer encrypted with BitLocker can loose up to 45% of its performance. 2) If you are using encryption, you should have 0ne 0r two backups of your data that are not on the same computer. More backups for more critical data. The encryption process can become corrupted for no apparent reason. The computer would be locked down, however the encryption key would not work. 3) It is my experience that about 95% of all people do not back up any of their files ever. This also means most of these same people even if they did retrieve their encryption key, they would probably misplace it. In short. If an encrypted computer locks down, and there is no key. All is lost. Fortunately at this time Microsoft is allowing you to turn off or disable BitLocker encryption. Here at R&R Computer Solutions we are helping our customers with this situation. For the majority of people it is more than they want to deal with. In conclusion, don't encrypt your computer if you are not willing to do the other necessary things to go with it. It will only end in disaster, a loss of all your files.

jul 31, 2025 - post no.1 - the benifit of using an ssd (solid state drive) instead of an hard drive.

Is it now better to use a SSD (Solid State Drive) rather than a HDD (Hard Drive Disk)? The answer to that question is yes. There are several reasons for using a SSD. No. 1. While they can still be fairly expensive, there are many options that are reasonably priced, even as low as an equivalent hard drive. No. 2. Technology has come a long way. Life expectancy for a SSD is much more than when they first appeared on the market. For example. A 1TB SSD could have an endurance of 180TB, or as much a 400TB. In other words: the entire drive could be over written 180 times, or as much as 400 times. That would be excluding any other issues the drive could have. No. 3. An SSD is much faster than a hard drive. The fastes hard drives for desktops run at write speeds of 150 - 200 MBps. SSD's with SATA3 connections run at write speeds of 400 - 550 MBps. M.2 style SSD's run at write speeds of about 1500 MBps and up. Higher end more expensive M.2 style SSD;s can run write speeds of 5000 MBps and up. And No. 4. A SSD processes data differently that a hard drive does. All modern OS's newest version are being written for the use of SSD's. A hard drive may work, but very well could be very slow. With Windows 11 an SSD is a must. With Windows 11 a hard drive is abnoxiously slow, to the point of being totally unacceptable. So with R&R Computer Solutions, all computers built or factory purchased are with SSD's. So again, an SSD is the option for an installed system. However, hardrives are still a very valid option for data backup. Because of the constant writing & overwriting of data in this enviroment, the hard drive may still out last the SSD. I am sure at some point in time that will no longer be the case.