Learning Linux Workshop
October 16, 2024
WEDNESDAY WORKSHOP
9 am PT, 10 am MT, 11 am CT, 12 pm ET
Tour of Linux Mint 22
Tom Burt, Vice President
Sun City Summerlin Computer Club
Linux Desktop Workflow
Cal Esneault, President
Cajun Clickers Computer Club
Wednesday, October 16, 2024, 11:00 am CT
Register here – https://forms.gle/
Registration closes on October 15 at 8:00 pm CT
Use SenCom’s official name when you register:
Senior Computer Users Group of Greater Kansas City
After you click Submit, you will receive a pop-up acknowledgment of your registration. On October 15, after registration closes at 8:00 pm Central Time, you will receive the encrypted Zoom link
Tour of Linux Mint 22
The Linux operating system has existed for a long time and is widely used on web and file servers. It has also continued to improve as an alternative to the Windows and MacOS desktop operating systems. With support for Windows XP, Vista, and 7, which are long gone from Microsoft, and Windows 10 support ending October 2025, Linux Mint 22 may be a viable alternative for keeping older computers useful while offering the security needed for web surfing.
Tom Burt’s presentation will tour the latest version (22) of the FREE Linux Mint “distro” with the Cinnamon desktop. Mint is a full-featured operating system with a Windows-like desktop and many built-in applications and tools. We’ll be running Linux Mint in a Virtual Box virtual machine. Tom will look at Mint’s many features and demo several of the built-in apps. He’ll review the online repository of free Linux apps and demonstrate installing one or two. As time permits, Tom will also look at how to extend desktop Linux Mint to make it a network file, database, and web server comparable to Windows 10 Pro.
Linux Desktop Workflow
Cal Esneault will share a presentation where he will compare common operations of the GNOME, Ubuntu, and Mint desktop environments to each other and show similarities to Windows 11.
We are looking forward to seeing you this Wednesday. Do you have a presentation you have given to your group? Please volunteer to give it at one of the WWs. Thanks, Judy & John (jtaylour@apcug.org — jkennedy@apcug.org)
Copyright © 2024 APCUG, All rights reserved.
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iPad/iPhone SIG
Central Resource Library
9875 W 87th Street
Overland Park, KS 66212
Conference Room 01
Friday, October 18, 2024, 2:00 ~ 3:30 pm
The main goal of our special interest group (SIG) is to share our knowledge of all things iPad and iPhone. The group is open to all. We encourage your questions on general and specific Apple-related topics/issues. Bring your questions to the meeting or send Ray a text or email before the meeting and he’ll add them to the agenda.
Ray Martinez convenes the iPad/iPhone SIG
(913) 286-3918, rpmartinez@ymail.com
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Android SIG
Oak Park Library
9500 Bluejacket St
Overland Park, KS 66214
Small Meeting Room
Wednesday, October 23, 2024, 2:30 ~ 4:00 pm
Please bring your questions, devices, friends, curiosity, and yourselves to a great learning environment.
Looking forward to seeing you on Wednesday,
Bob Bowser
Bob Bowser convenes the Android SIG
(913) 735-0623, bobbowser.rdb@gmail.com
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SenCom is on Facebook. See the access instructions below to find our Facebook Group page (SenComKC). Check it out! Share your favorite SenCom moment or interaction.
To access the group page:
- Log into your Facebook account.
- On your computer, click “Search Facebook,” left-hand corner (to the left of the home icon, on your mobile device, in the middle of the screen on top, then type SenComKC (not case sensitive).
- Search results should give you “Groups” and under that, you will see SenComKC. To the right of your search results, you should see a “Join” button. Click the button to request to be a member of this Facebook group.
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* Volunteers Needed *
SOS! NEEDED NOW! – Volunteers to help our Board of Directors fill the board positions of Vice President and Program Director. If interested, please email me or another Board Member. Our email addresses are on the “Board of Directors” page under the “About Us” menu. Remember, this is your organization; please help us keep it healthy and growing!!
LITTLE OR NO COMPUTER SKILLS REQUIRED.
Lou Risley, 913-298-0575 or sencomprez@gmail.com
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CDC information on the Coronavirus Outbreak →
GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
14 October, 2024
Extra Windows Security Features
Microsoft’s Windows Security, built into the Windows 11 operating system, has evolved into a full-service security suite capable of competing with third-party antivirus/antimalware programs. Some of the advanced features of Windows Security can even be used to enhance the protection offered by alternative programs. Windows Security used to be called Windows Defender, which later became just the name of the antivirus protection component of Windows Security. Windows 11 no longer uses the Defender name in the Privacy & Security settings. Note that the antivirus scanning component of Windows Security will be automatically disabled if you are using an alternative program, and automatically re-enabled if you later uninstall the alternative program. This was done by Microsoft to always ensure there is some form of protection in place.
The following article linked below explains how to use Windows 11 settings to enable 5 of the advanced security features available in Windows that can also be used in conjunction with alternative antivirus programs. The 5 features are:
Core Isolation
Smart App Control
Controlled Folder Access
Dynamic Lock
Reputation-Based Protection
I Made These 5 Changes to Windows Security for Optimal Safety
Windows 10 security settings also have some of the above-advanced features:
Core Isolation
Dynamic Lock
Reputation-Based Protection
And some others with different names:
Isolated Browsing (Application Guard for Edge)
Exploit Protection
If you want to maximize your protection, turn on some or all of these additional features and try them out. You can always turn off any that you decide are too restrictive for your liking.
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FOR~GO
(For Geeks Only)
By Joe Callison
27 May 2024
Hiren’s BootCD Updated!
Much more than a decade ago, a favorite software tool of mine was Hiren’s BootCD. It was a bootable CD full of the most popular software utilities, some of which were pirated. The last official update was in 2012. Fans of Hiren’s BootCD have updated it, with only legal software utilities included, to a Windows 11 PE (preinstallation environment) for booting on modern UEFI computers. I have tried it out and was pleasantly surprised by the huge assortment of software utilities available. The only issue I have found is when using it on a computer with a high screen resolution (3K horizontal or higher), the icons and text can be quite small. Unfortunately, I could not find any method to change the display settings with the installed display driver, though you can add other drivers. I did find that the Accessibility settings in Windows PE could still be used to enlarge the icons on the desktop and the Taskbar settings could enlarge the icons on the Taskbar, which helped.
The download and instructions for preparing a bootable CD or USB can be found at Hiren’s BootCD PE
I used my trusty-free utility Rufus to create the bootable USB. Be sure to use the UEFI and not MBR setting and the NTFS format in Rufus for booting only on a modern computer system. The dual boot MBR/UEFI method for compatibility with older computers is much more complicated to create if not needed. Windows Home computers should be able to boot from a boot selection menu without getting into BIOS/UEFI settings to turn off Secure Boot or adding the USB drive as a trusted device in the Windows Boot Manager as may be required on computers initially set for Windows Professional. The keyboard key used to get the boot menu varies by manufacturer but is often briefly displayed on the screen during the boot process. You can also look it up for your computer or refer to articles such as Boot Menu Option Keys For All Computers and Laptops | [Updated List 2021] | Techofide
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Thank you for all that you do
Hi Joe,
We hope you and your team are achieving all your year-end appeal goals (and more!) Remember, as you use our tools during this busy time, our team and our partners are here to answer your questions and help you find the best resources to meet the moment.
Our team is in awe of how the Senior Computer Users Group of Greater Kansas City Association, Inc. is making its mark on the world. We see how you are continually asked to do more with less, yet still create meaningful change in your community. It is such a joy to engage with you and the over 325,000 nonprofits around the globe who are leveraging Microsoft resources to drive this positive impact.
Your stories inspire us every day and we are grateful for your tireless work.
Thank you again for all that you do, and we look forward to deepening our collaboration in the year ahead.
Regards,
The Microsoft Tech for Social Impact Team
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SenCom gratefully acknowledges the
following organizations for their support:
Google Fiber
City of Shawnee:
Parks & Recreation Department
Johnson County Library:
Central Resource, Oak Park
SENCOM IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT KANSAS CORPORATION
UNDER THE IRS 501(C)(3) RULES
