Jeff has a Microsoft Windows Surface Pro 2 and he wants to know how he can change out the storage memory for a larger one. Leo says that you can clean out your hard drive to get rid of unwanted cruft. Look for a folder called Windows.Old. You can get rid of that. Run Windows Disk Cleanup. Windows Key, cleanup.
Gary recently reformatted his hard drive as part of annual maintenance. Now, though, he is having issues using an online database using his Microsoft account. If he uses a different account, it's fine. Leo says that it could be that Microsoft is copying settings the online database doesn't support. And Microsoft is making it harder to use Windows 10 with a local account. Leo also says that the database is misconfigured. Gary also can't use Internet Explorer, which the database requires. Leo says that Microsoft has killed IE, and as such, it's no wonder Gary is having issues.
Timmy has heard that Microsoft is going to kill support for Windows 7 on January 14th. Is that going to be a security problem? Leo says essentially, yes. You'll be on your own as Windows 7 goes end of life. You can get Windows 10 for free in most cases if you still own Windows 7, and Microsoft is hell-bent on getting everyone to WIndows 10. Also, after January, most other browsers and other software updates will stop supporting Windows 7 as well. But if you take it offline, you can still use Windows 7. Just not for the internet.
Caller wants to know why her and her sister's phones are so slow. While their husband's are faster. Leo says if both you and your sister are using a specific app, that could be running in the background and slowing things down.
She also has an issue where in Office 365, the font size is so small, she can't read it. Leo says you can change the font. It's in the settings. But the caller says they've taken that option out of Outlook in Office 365. Leo says that can't be.
Absent that, change the zoom. That'll at least let you read it.
Jim updated to Windows 10 vs. 1903 and now he's lost sound support and can't record. Can he downgrade? Leo says he could, but not for long. Microsoft is going to force it on him sooner or later. There is a known issue with sound in gaming. Leo recommends updating to the subsequent updates after 1903. KB4515384 is a technote that talks about fixing sound issues in games, and Leo suspects it should solve Jim's problem.
Grant is interested in a Virtual Reality desktop experience. Microsoft was looking to push that idea with their Hololens for VR, but Leo believes they are backing off on that idea as people believe there's still a ways to go with VR. Having to wear VR goggles for so long can potentially make you sick and that you can't see the world around you. Augmented Reality, or Mixed Reality as Microsoft is calling it, is a possible fix around Microsoft is pushing since it overlays information onto your display while enabling you to still see the world around you.
Microsoft has gotten back into the phone game with a new, hinged dual-screen mobile phone. Instead of running Windows though, it will run Android. It opens and closes like a book, and gives users dual screens that can work separately or together tablet-style. It's called the Windows Surface Duo. But here's the thing: the phone won't hit the market until late 2020.
At a surprise event, Microsoft announced two new Surface products, one like a digital book, the other a 5.5" dual screen mobile phone. Dubbed the Surface Neo and Surface Duo respectively, both devices will run on Windows 10X, a new mobile version of the OS, and will be available Christmas 2020. Microsoft says it will fold together like a book, or open up to be both screens on either side, or close facing each other. Unlike the overpriced Samsung Galaxy Fold, the Surface duo is hinged, rather than folding the screen.
Manny has a 17" Dell laptop running Windows 7. With Microsoft stopping support for it in January, he's concerned about it. Should he turn it into a Linux laptop? Leo says that if you can put Windows 10 on it for free, then it would give it a few more years. But if you have to buy Windows, Leo would advise not doing that and going with installing Linux on it. Leo likes PopOS by System 76. If that doesn't work because it's a bit heavyweight, then Xubuntu or Lubuntu is designed for older machines.
If you are using Windows 10, you will need to upgrade to the new version 1909 soon. Version 1803, which came out Spring 2018, is already going out of support! It will reach its end of service on November 12, 2019. The reasoning is likely because Microsoft really believes in users keeping their Windows systems updated, secure, and safe. Even though you may not be able to discern the differences in 1909 (or use the new features), the security patches are the most important aspect of this situation.
