I have heard a number stories of users having problems with Windows 10 who upgraded from Windows 7 without a clean install. This has happened to people with notebooks, PCs and recently a server. It started a few updates back when rebooting took a long time, which was resolved with a subsequent update. A more recent issue has occurred for those who did not do a clean Windows 10 install, ie they directly upgraded from Windows 7 or 8, having problems ranging from slow to almost unusable speeds and even system lockdowns. If you find yourself having problems, backup your data and do a clean install directly from Windows 10. In short, reformat your system drive and install from scratch. For some this has been the only solution, others have been a little luckier.
The one aspect of computing you can count on is more memory storage for less. Toshiba and Western Digital are currently working on 96-layer flash memory. It wasn't all that long ago when memory came in two dimensions and now they are stacking it up like a memory tower in 3D using NAND chips with quad-level (QLC) cells, three and four bits wide. Read speeds are around the 3Gbps and writes in the 2-3Gbps range. We will see 3TB, 10TB and even 20TB SSD drives out next year. So faster and greater storage and at around the same prices you are currently paying today, this is what makes technology fun.
These latest announcements may also signal the end of regular hard drives. Not right away, but as the price per terabyte ratio shifts and eventually matches that of the solid state drives, it will certainly signal the end of many of the hard drive products we get today.
I have been trying out different audio players on my mobile phone and so far, I am underwhelmed. Some immediately turn off when you focus on another app. Others have controls so close together that trying to hit pause is just as likely to send you to the next track. Others have problems remembering where you are in the audio book chapter and for the most part the sound levels are way too low. To the next person creating one of these apps, make it simple, make the pause and play buttons large and make sure that when someone presses stop it will remember where you were. For those keeping score I've tried VLC, Music Player, Rocket Player and a couple of others I've already deleted and forgotten. I'll try a few more and if one finally makes the cut I'll let you know.
I recently ordered the Wacom Bamboo Pen for my Windows 10 notebook. It is easy to use, is of good build quality, will work with Wacom and Surface compatible devices and seems to be perfect as an alternate drawing pen. You can't turn it over and pretend to erase with the top but pressing a button on the side does the same thing. I wanted something where the size is better, in addition to the built-in stylus. It comes with some spare nibs but uses a 4A battery. Given the life and price of the batteries however, that shouldn't be a problem.
The Internet of Things or IoT is one of those buzzwords that keeps popping up everywhere. One description is a collection of endpoints interacting using the Internet Protocol or IP addresses. Items at those endpoints can be anything from your fridge, to the sensors in the road that detect your car, to video cameras. I've mentioned the IoT before because security was and still remains a huge issue, as each manufacturer does their own thing, sometimes very badly. Some like to connect everything, others realise that connecting everything may not be the best approach after all. Using security layers, subnets, static IP addresses and other things I've mentioned in previous articles can help but all it takes is one rogue device and your whole network could be open to attack or abuse. IoT may be the next favourite buzzword after artificial intelligence these days but be wary of both until the technologies have matured way more than they have to date.
Every now and then I read a crazy story. This week it is brought to you by the researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. They are warning that submarine communications cables are at risk from rising sea levels. No, not the undersea ones but the above ground sections and the onshore landing stations. Sea levels are currently rising at between 1-2mm per year or in 10 years between 1-2cm. That is slower than a lazy amoeba and even if it keeps up for decades the chance that it will take out the undersea cable network is zero. All I can think is that someone got some nice grant money for that computer modelling exercise. Don't worry, your internet connections will be safe.
James Hein is an IT professional of over 30 years' standing. You can contact him at jclhein@gmail.com.