Blog - Home Computing

15
Aug 25
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Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) program

The Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for Windows 10 provides customers with a more secure option to continue using their Windows 10 PCs without updating to Windows 11, mitigating the risk of malware and cybersecurity attacks. ESU program enrollment provides access to critical and important security updates as defined by the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) for devices running Windows 10, version 22H2. ESU enrollment does not provide other types of fixes, feature improvements, or product enhancements. It also does not come with technical support.

The last day of support for Windows 10 is October 14, 2025. If you need more time to move to Windows 11, we recommend you enroll your Windows 10 device in ESU. You can enroll in ESU any time until the program ends on October 13, 2026.

Prerequisites

To enroll in the consumer ESU program, make sure your device meets the following requirements:

Devices need to be running Windows 10, version 22H2 Home, Professional, Pro Education, or Workstation edition
Devices need to have the latest update installed
The Microsoft account used to sign in to the device must be an administrator account
- The ESU license is tied to your Microsoft account, so you may be prompted to sign in if you typically sign into Windows with a local account
- The Microsoft Account can’t be a child account

Consumer ESU program cost

You can enroll in ESU by one of the following three ways:

At no additional cost if you are syncing your PC Settings
Redeem 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points
One-time purchase of $30 USD or local currency equivalent plus applicable tax

All enrollment options provide extended security updates through October 13, 2026. You will need to sign into your Microsoft account in order to enroll in ESU. You’ll be given these options to choose from when you enroll in the ESU program. You can use your existing ESU license on up to 10 devices.

Enroll in ESU

ESU is rolling out to all Windows 10 devices that are running Windows 10, version 22H2 starting with Windows Insiders.

To enroll your device in ESU:

Go to Settings > Update & Security >Windows Update. If your device meets the prerequisites, you’ll see a link to enroll in ESU.
Once you select Enroll now you’ll start the ESU enrollment. If you are signed into Windows with a local account, you will be prompted to sign into your Microsoft account. If you are already backing up your PC Settings, you will see a prompt to enroll your device.
If you aren’t backing up your Windows settings, you can choose if you want to begin backing up your settings, redeem Rewards, or make a one-time purchase to enroll in ESU.
1. You can use your existing ESU license on up to 10 devices once you enroll in ESU. Just go to Settings > Update & Security >Windows Update and select Enroll now.

30
Apr 25
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Bigpond / Telstra Email Issues

Since Monday Telstra were having major issues with Bigpond emails.

Most are back working fine.

But many are still having issues.

Log in to webmail which seems to be working for most.

But in Outlook the problem might not be.

So what you need to do is to login to Telstra and change your email password.

Then add that back into Outlook and your email should be back working.

I’ve just done this myself and it has worked for me.

05
Mar 25
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Cyclone update

Please stay safe during the storm and keep a check on the updates from the QLD Government

I will endeavor to try and stay working as and when might be needed via teamviewer as long as I have power and an internet connection…

I have been in Hospital for a couple of nights with an infection from a previous surgery but I’m now finally back at work but only doing remote support this week.

Hopefully back to normal next week…

Here’s hoping we get through the storm with no loss of life and keep the damage limited.

After the Christmas storm which is still in our minds from not long ago

24
Feb 25
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Outlook Classic is being phased out?

Yes, Outlook Classic is being phased out, and Microsoft plans to support it until at least 2029. Microsoft is encouraging users to switch to the new Outlook.

How will Outlook Classic be phased out?

Automatic switch: Users with personal Microsoft accounts will be automatically switched to the new Outlook.

In-app notifications: Business users will receive notifications to switch to the new Outlook.
Toggle: Users can toggle between classic and new Outlook.

How can I prepare for the switch?

Get familiar with the new Outlook.
Export emails, calendar events, and contacts from classic Outlook.
Import emails, calendar events, and contacts into the new Outlook.

Why is Outlook Classic being phased out?

Microsoft phases out older interfaces to improve the user experience and add new features.

What can I do if I’m not ready to switch?

Users can opt out of the automatic switch.
Users can keep using classic Outlook until at least 2029.

If like many others outlook classic as been removed…

Click here to download it again –> Outlook Classic

Then you’ll be back and working in the good old way not the NEW OUTLOOK which sucks

29
Nov 24
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Telstra Email Issues

Some are having email issues with Telstra / Bigpond

Don’t try and change the password.

Telstra know about the issue and are working to fix ASAP

Check outages here for an update

Telstra Outages

05
Nov 24
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After a PC for Christmas

Christmas is not far away now…

I have some great PC’s in stock and ready to go…

I have 2 amazing refurbished Gaming PC’s

AMD Ryzen 9 3900X

32GB DDR4

500GB SSD

Brand New AMD Radeon RX 660

Win 11

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Intel i7-10700K

16GB DDR4

250GB SSD

1TB SSD

2TB HDD

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070

Win 11

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1 outstanding refurbished gaming laptop

Gigabyte Aorus

i7-12700H

64GB DDR5

1TB NVME SSD

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080Ti

Win 11

Brand new screen installed due to damaged hinge…

————————————————————–

5 mini ASUS NUC PC’s i3 to i7 From $900

New Desktop towers 7 available From $1,000

New Laptops 15 available From $900

Refurbished Laptops 5 available From $250

Refurbished PC’s 10 available From $250

All correct at the time of posting this…

14
Aug 24
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Action Needed – You may lose access to some of your third-party mail and calendar apps

Microsoft will no longer support the use of third-party email and calendar apps which ask you to sign in with only your Microsoft Account username and password. To keep you safe you will need to use a mail or calendar app which supports Microsoft’s modern authentication methods…

What that means is that Outlook.com will require Oauth2 (“Modern” Authentication) just like Gmail and Yahoo already do. If your current email client will natively work with either of those, it will work with Outlook.com after the switch-over, though you may need to re-create the account. If your email client does not do Modern Auth, both Gmail and Yahoo will supply (allow you to generate) and require you to use an Application Specific Password instead of your normal password. Outlook.com also has a generator for these password

10
Aug 24
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Intel’s crashing 13th and 14th Gen CPUs get two additional years of warranty coverage

Intel is committed to making sure all customers who have or are currently experiencing instability symptoms on their 13th and / or 14th Gen desktop processors are supported in the exchange process “We stand behind our products, and in the coming days we will be sharing more details on two-year extended warranty support for our boxed Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors

Here is Intel’s full statement:

Intel is committed to making sure all customers who have or are currently experiencing instability symptoms on their 13th and/or 14th Gen desktop processors are supported in the exchange process. We stand behind our products, and in the coming days we will be sharing more details on two-year extended warranty support for our boxed Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors.

In the meantime, if you are currently or previously experienced instability symptoms on your Intel Core 13th/14th Gen desktop system:

For users who purchased systems from OEM/System Integrators – please reach out to your system manufacturer’s support team for further assistance.

For users who purchased a boxed CPU – please reach out to Intel Customer Support for further assistance.

Intel is also investigating options to easily identify affected processors on end user systems and will provide additional guidance as soon as possible.

At the same time, we apologize for the delay in communications as this has been a challenging issue to unravel and definitively root cause.

10
Aug 24
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Intel’s BIOS updates for crashing CPUs are now rolling out

Asus and MSI have both released beta BIOS updates today to address Intel’s crashing 13th and 14th Gen Raptor Lake desktop processors. While the BIOS updates won’t fix CPUs that are already damaged, they include Intel’s new microcode update that should help further address the instability issues

Asus has released its beta BIOS updates through its ROG forums for a variety of Z790 motherboards. These are also typically posted to Asus’ support pages a few days after they’re posted to its ROG forums. MSI’s BIOS updates can be found on the individual motherboard support pages for its motherboards

While I wouldn’t normally recommend using a beta BIOS update, given that this addresses an “elevated operating voltages” issue, you might want to go ahead and install these as soon as possible

If you use a board other than MSI and Asus, or the microcode BIOS update isn’t available for your particular motherboard right now, make sure you’re on the latest BIOS update either way. Even if they’re missing the latest fix, recent BIOS updates should already include Intel’s recommended power delivery profiles, which could reduce the likelihood of your chip getting damaged

02
Jul 24
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End of Support for Windows 10

After 14 October 2025,

Microsoft will no longer provide security updates or technical support for Windows 10.

Your PC will still work,

But we recommend moving to Windows 11

End Of Life

End of life and end of support are terms that refer to the end of technical support and security updates for Windows 10. After 10 years, this older version of Windows will no longer receive free software updates from Windows Update, technical assistance or security fixes. For consumers, end of support means that Microsoft recommends updating to the latest version of Windows for the latest critical updates and support that can keep you secure online.

Compare Windows 10 & 11

See new Windows features and get help selecting the best PC for your needs.

If you can’t upgrade to windows 11

I have plenty of options.

Brand new Laptops and Desktop computers to suit your needs…

Check out PC’s or Laptops

Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) program

Aug 25

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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Prerequisites

Consumer ESU program cost

Enroll in ESU

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