Tag Archives: Microsoft

Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Sudden Bluetooth Issues Could Be Due To Microsoft Update

Be advised, according to a recently published Microsoft support document, certain Bluetooth devices may experience pairing and connectivity issues after installing the latest Windows 10 update.

The bulletin reads in part, as follows:

“These security updates address a security vulnerability by intentionally preventing connections from Windows to unsecure Bluetooth devices.  Any device using well-known keys to encrypt connections may be affected, including certain security fobs.”

The reference to security fobs in the bulletin refers to Google’s BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) Titan Security Keys with a T1 or T2 code and to the Feitian Multipass CTAP1/U2F Security Key.  These were recalled last month when it was discovered that “an attacker who is physically close to you at the moment you use your security key – (within approximately 30 feet) – to a) communicate with your security key or b) communicate with the device to which your key is paired.”

Microsoft has blocked the pairing of these Bluetooth Low Energy keys with the pairing misconfiguration. If you experience a connectivity issue, check your Event Log to confirm that your device is affected.  If it is, you’ll find the following message:

“Your Bluetooth device attempted to establish a debug connection.  The Windows Bluetooth stack does not allow debug connection while it is not in the debug mode.”

The following updatees could lead to pairing and connectivity issues for some Bluetooth devices:

  • KB4503293 or later LCU for Windows 10, version 1903
  • KB4503327 or later LCU for Windows 10, version 1809 and Windows Server 2019
  • KB4503286 or later LCU for Windows 10, version 1803
  • KB4503284 or later LCU for Windows 10, version 1709
  • KB4503279 or later LCU for Windows 10, version 1703
  • KB4503267 or LCU for Windows 10, version 1607 and Windows Server 2016
  • KB4503291 or later LCU for Windows 10, version 1507
  • KB4503276 or later Monthly Rollup for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2
  • KB4503285 or later Monthly Rollup for Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard
  • KB4503290 for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2
  • KB4503263 for Windows Server 2012 and Windows Embedded 8 Standard.
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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Apple iCloud App Now Available On Windows 10

Great news for inter-operability.  Apple has brought their new iCloud app to the Microsoft Store for Windows 10 devices. Even better, the app is designed such that it’s deeply integrated with Windows 10, even allowing you to access iCloud files from inside other Windows apps.

The version available on the Microsoft Store is identical to the desktop version available online, but it offers a new iCloud experience on Windows 10. It allows Apple users to store and access their files across both Microsoft and Apple devices seamlessly.

When you install the app, you’ll be asked what types of content you’d like to integrate with the Windows OS.  Configuration is a snap, and once you’ve got the app up and running, you can access its various features simply by clicking on the Taskbar icon which will bring up a menu of your available options.

Key features of the new iCloud app for Windows 10 include:

  • The ability to share any file from File Explorer and collaborate with others with any and all edits being synced across all of your devices.
  • Store all your files in the iCloud Drive and access from your Apple device or other iCloud apps
  • Choose the files and folders you want to keep on your PC

Microsoft announced that the new iCloud Drive experience utilizes the same technology as OneDrive’s Files On-Demand feature, which means that iCloud users can temporarily download and use files from Apple’s online storage system.

If you work from a homogenous set of devices, this change won’t impact you in the least. If you have a constellation of devices that utilize both Apple and Windows technology, this is absolutely huge.  It represents a big leap forward and makes it orders of magnitude easier to manage your data across both platforms and devices.  Kudos to both Apple and Microsoft!

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Microsoft Says Office 365 Users Should Use Spam Filter

Microsoft recently updated their support page and offered additional guidance to network admins as it relates to Office 365’s built-in spam filters.  The gist of the update is that they strongly advise against turning the auto-filters off.

They provided some additional guidelines if you decide to bypass them for one reason or another.

Here are the most relevant portions of the recent update:

“If you have to set bypassing, you should do this carefully because Microsoft will honor your configuration request and potentially let harmful messages pass through.  Additionally, bypassing should be done only on a temporary basis.  This is because spam filters can evolve and verdicts could improve over time….”

If you decide you want or need to bypass anyway, the company offered the following additional suggestions:

  • Never put domains that you own onto the Allow and Block lists
  • Never put common domains, such as Microsoft.com and office.com onto the Allow and Block lists
  • Do not keep domains on the lists permanently, unless you disagree with the verdict of Microsoft

You and your IT staff are likely already aware of this. If not, Microsoft maintains a living document on their support website where they keep a comprehensive list of security best practices for Office 365.  If you haven’t seen it before, or if it’s been a while since you reviewed it, it pays to take some time to look it over.

On a related note, the company recently sent out a bulletin advising all Office 365 customers and admins to report junk email messages for analysis using the Microsoft Junk Email Reporting add-on. This is in order to help reduce the number and effect of future junk email messages.  If you and your team aren’t already in the habit of doing this, now is an excellent time to start.

 

 

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Old Drivers Could Cause WiFi Issues After Windows 10 Update

Does your computer contain a Qualcomm wireless network adapter?  If so, be aware that Microsoft is warning you that your system may suffer a sporadic loss of Wi-Fi connectivity after installing the Windows 10 update.

The update was released in May 2019, stemming from an issue with out-of-date network drivers.

If you haven’t yet installed the May 2019 update and you want to, you’ll need to jump through an extra hoop by going to device’s manufacturer and downloading the latest Wi-Fi driver. Note that you will not be able to install the May 2019 Windows 10 update without taking this step.

According to the official Microsoft bulletin on the matter: “To safeguard your upgrade experience, we have applied a hold on devices with this Qualcomm driver from being offered Windows 10, 1903, until the updated driver is installed.”

Here’s another thing to bear in mind about the May 2019 Windows 10 update.  Once it is installed, you will start seeing alerts in the form of pop-up boxes any time you connect to Wi-Fi networks that are secured with TKIP (Temporal Key Integrity Protocol) or WEP (Wired Equivalent Privacy).  These are older protocols with several known, serious security flaws.

According to Microsoft, “In a future release, any connection to a Wi-Fi network using these old ciphers will be disallowed. Wi-Fi routers should be updated to use AES ciphers, available with WPA2 or WPA3.”

In other words, the end is nigh for any technology that uses TKIP or WEP protocols for Wi-Fi connections.  If that’s what you’ve got, it’s time to upgrade your equipment.

Overall, most technology experts regard this as a good move.  Sure, it comes across as a bit heavy handed, but as past experience has shown, if Microsoft didn’t take a rather aggressive step like this, nothing would change.  Kudos to Microsoft!

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

New Microsoft Excel Feature Could Be Useful For Some

In the earliest days of the smartphone, there were only a few apps that people could use to perform genuinely useful work.  Sure, they were handy for keeping your contacts all in one place and reminding you of appointments, but beyond that, your pickings were fairly slim. That changed quickly with the explosion of apps that brought the smartphone into the mainstream.

In what felt like the blink of an eye, suddenly people found themselves able leverage their phones to do a broad range of work from anywhere.  While laptops are obviously still better for some things, the lines are continuing to blur.

Earlier this year, Microsoft took another step in that direction, adding an ‘Insert Data from Picture’ to Android devices, which suddenly opened a world of new possibilities for using smartphone users.  Unfortunately, Apple users were left out of the equation.

That, however, has changed.  Microsoft just announced that it’s porting the ‘Insert Data from Picture’ feature to the iOS system as well.  In fact, the process has already begun.

Whatever type of smart device you have, if you haven’t heard of the feature before now, here’s a quick overview:

  • Open Excel on your phone or tablet and tap the ‘Insert Data from Picture’ button
  • Tweak the capture field, zooming in on the data until a red border appears around it, then tap it to capture.
  • Excel will process the image data and convert it into a table.
  • From there, the software will give you an opportunity to correct any issues it discovered during the conversion process. You can choose to either ignore, edit, or correct it.
  • Once you’ve decided, press ‘Insert’ and Excel will finalize the data.

If you’re like most people, the first time you use it, you’ll wonder how you ever got along without it.  It is simply a superb addition to the software.

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