Windows Security Center Stops Working - Windows 11

I have run into a problem repeatedly recently. On a client computer running Windows 11, if I go to open the Windows Security Center, it won't open and I will get the following message/error:

Some websites will recommend the following:

"Go to the Settings. Select App > Apps & features and type in ‘security’ in search menu box. An icon for Windows Security will pop open. From there, click on the options (three dots) and select Advanced options. Now scroll down to Reset section and click on Reset.

You’ll get a confirmation asking if you really want to reset the app, along with your whole app data. Click on Reset to go with it."

However, so far what I have found is that "Windows Security" is not in the application list at all! 

So how can I reset the app?

Well, what I have found was a simple command you can run from the Windows PowerShell (with administrative privileges) that ultimately solved the problem for me, as well as for some of my clients who have run into this same issue as well.

• Using Windows' search, just type in "PowerShell"

• Right-click on its icon, and select "Run as Administrator"

• Next, copy and paste (or type in) the following script:

Get-AppxPackage Microsoft.SecHealthUI -AllUsers | Reset-AppxPackage

• Hit Enter, and you should get a screen like this:

That should do the trick!
Your Windows Security Center should now be working again!

Pacific NW Computers
www.pnwcomputers.com
360.624.7379

Ransomware Infection? This could help!!

Ransomware infections are a very real and very serious problem that general computer users, and businesses alike, should be prepared for!

• First off, the best prevention to start with is to have good security software installed that can protect you from Ransomware infections (such as Malwarebytes Anti-malware, Kaspersky Antivirus, etc).
• Secondly, have a good data backup system in place that follows the 3-2-1 backup rule to keep your data safe! 
• The 3-2-1 backup rule simply states that you should have:
• 3 copies of your data (your main data and 2 backup copies)
• On two different media types (NAS drive and a thumb drive)
• With one copy off-site for disaster recovery (cloud backup, etc).

If you do get hit with a ransomware infection, the website below can help you identify which ransomware you were infected with and if there is a de-encryption tool available to help get your data/files back: https://id-ransomware.malwarehunterteam.com/

Pacific NW Computers

www.pnwcomputers.com

360.624.7379

Simple Automatic Backup

Quick Computer/Laptop Tip:

If your laptop has an SD card slot and you don't have a data backup system in place, you can use an SD card to set up an automatic backup of your Windows computer!
No clunky external hard drive is needed if you aren't storing a ton of stuff! 

• Snag a compatible 128, 256, or 512GB Class 10 U3 V30 or better SD card off of Amazon
• Pop that little chip into the card reader slot on your laptop.
• Open up the "Backup and Restore (Windows 7)" system utility from the Windows Control Panel. 
• Select the installed SD card as your backup destination and continue with, and complete, the backup configuration! 
• Then just leave the SD card plugged in, and the computer will automatically backup to the installed SD as scheduled!

That's it! 🙌
Easy peasy, lemon squeezy; your data is now automatically backed up! 

Pacific NW Computers

www.pnwcomputers.com

360.624.7379

Upgrade your Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 NOW!

No need to wait for the Windows Update to come along... You can download and install Windows 11 RIGHT NOW!

All you have to do is use Microsoft's Windows 11 Installation Assistant, and you can upgrade your computer today!

You need to make sure your system is compatible and meets the minimum system requirements for Windows 11. You can check your computer's compatibility by using Microsoft's PC Health Check application!

Windows 11 System Requirements:

• Processor 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC).
• AMD Compatible CPUs
• Intel Compatible CPUs
• RAM Minimum of 4 gigabyte (GB).
• Storage: 64 GB or larger storage device.
• System firmware UEFI, Secure Boot capable. Check here for information on how your PC might be able to meet this requirement.
• TPM Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0. Check here for instructions on how your PC might be enabled to meet this requirement.
• Graphics card Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver.
• Display High definition (720p) display that is greater than 9” diagonally, 8 bits per color channel.

Winning Against Windows 10: Fight Microsoft and Win!

Ever since the release of Microsoft’s “Free Upgrade” to WIndows 10 (which came to and end August 1st 2016), I have fixed dozens of computers for people which had system damage or issues stemming from an unwarranted upgrade of their computer to Windows 10. The upgrade to Windows 10 was free for Windows Vista and Windows 7 users for almost a year, but was supposed to be an optional decision. The end user was supposed to decide on whether or not, or when, to install Microsoft’s “latest and greatest operating system”.

As well all know from either the news, friends, family, or even personal experience, Windows was tricky with this OS upgrade and many people were automatically upgraded without direct and clear consent or without any knowledge until it was too late. If they did agree, some users had major issues with system stability, hardware, and software following the upgrade to Windows 10. Not the smooth process Microsoft said it to was to be... This means repair costs for folks as well as the inconvenience of downtown, as well as lost work and income for business.

Well recently I had a customer whose business computer went down due to a non-user initiated Windows 10 upgrade. The upgrade actually didn't complete correctly, killing the Windows OS upgrade installation (mid-install) requiring the system to be brought into the shop, have Windows 7 re-installed and onsite service to get everything set back up again. Well my client did some research and found a ebook on Amazon called "Winning against Windows 10".

"Winning against Windows 10" is the story of a woman named Teri Goldstein and specifically lays out how Teri fought back against Microsoft (due to a Windows 10 upgrade that messed up her system) and she actually was able to win; forcing Microsoft to reimburse her $10,000!!

Using the book (which gives you the specifics on her court case), my client was able to fight back against Microsoft themselves and was able to get Microsoft to reimburse them for all of the repair costs; onsites and all!

So if you have had any issues with Windows 10 "damaging" your computer and you had to get it fixed and/or can prove lost income from downtime, etc you could get Microsoft to pay you back!!

https://www.amazon.com/Winning-Against-Windows…/…/B01IU0A2N6

Any questions or comments?? Feel free to get in touch!
www.pnwcomputers.com

How to Clean up a Slow Performing Computer ~PLUS~ a few Mac tips too ;)

Many think that when a computer starts performing poorly that it's time to buy a new computer. Does your desktop or laptop often hang on the hourglass or swirling circle for several minutes at a time? Does "Not Responding" sound familiar to you? Is it slow to load files or applications, and does it take a long time to boot? Even if you're extremely careful about how you use your computer and never download questionable material, over time it is inevitable that your system will accumulate unwanted registry entries, errors, clutter, and debris. Here's how to clean your computer up and get it running faster again!

Steps To Take:

1. Update your antivirus software and run a full scan. Antivirus software helps protect you from viruses and other suspect files that can spread by simply opening an email. It performs regular system checks and detects when foreign files are trying to infiltrate your computer. Click the link below for a list of the security software that Pacific Northwest Computers recommends and uses:
   
   Pacific NorthWest Computers' Recommended Software to Have and Use!
   
   
   **Do not use Registry Optimizers or so called Clean Reg Tools.!! 
   Most of these cause more harm than good in the future with your PC!!!
   
   
2. Clear up some space on the hard drive. Deleting unnecessary files that your computer stores is an easy and simple way to free up memory and improve overall performance. To do this, access Disk Cleanup in Windows and delete Temporary Files on a Mac.
   
   *For Windows XP, Windows 7, and Vista: Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and then click Disk Cleanup. If several drives are available, you might be prompted to specify which drive you want to clean.
   
   *For Mac: Go to Applications, click Utilities, and click Command Prompt. In the Command Prompt, type in "sudo rm -fr /tmp/*" and hit Enter. The temporary files that have been left behind on your computer will now be cleared.
3. Uninstall useless programs or programs you rarely use. These can include games or media files that you or your children never use, as well as programs that have become redundant or obsolete.
   
   
4. When uninstalling programs be sure you don't need them! Some programs are needed for the operation of the computer. So if you are unsure about a program then leave it alone or do a quick search on Google to see if you can find out whether it's good or bad.
5. For Windows: Follow the Start Menu to Settings and then to Control Panel. From this screen click on Add/remove programs or Uninstall a program and uninstall programs that are no longer needed.
   
   *When uninstalling programs, be sure you don't need them before removing them! Some programs are needed for the operation of the computer. So if you are unsure about a program then leave it alone or do a quick search on Google to see if you can find out whether it might be good or bad.
   
   *For Mac: Kill unwanted or redundant programs by dropping the program files into the Recycle Bin.
   
6. Remember to empty your Recycle Bin after deleting these files because they are still on the hard drive and taking up space; just right-click the icon and navigate to “Empty Bin.”
   
7. Download and install and run spyware removing programs like Spybot Search and Destroy. Spyware is a kind of malicious software installed on computers that track certain information without the user's knowledge. For both privacy implications and the health of your computer, it's best to delete spyware and other "malware."
   
   
   *You can download Spybot and other security software for your computer for free by using this link:
   Pacific NorthWest Computers' Recommended Software to Have and Use!
   
   
8. Defragment your hard drive. Fragmentation basically is when your computer's files get disorganized, hurting your computer's ability to lay data out sequentially. Defragmentation is the correction to this process.
   
   
   
   *For Windows: click on My Computer, then click Properties, then click the "Tool's" tab. From this tab just click on the Defragment button and then run the program. You can set it up so that your computer automatically defragments at set intervals.

   
   

   *Besides the Windows Defragmentation utility, we recommend MyDefrag (formerly JKDefrag). MyDefrag is a disk defragmenter and optimizer for Windows 2000/2003/XP/Vista/2008/X64 computers. It's very easy to use, fast, low overhead, with several optimization strategies, and can handle floppies, USB disks, memory sticks, and anything else that looks like a disk to Windows!
   

   Pacific NorthWest Computers' Recommended Software to Have and Use!
   *For Mac: Mac operating systems rarely, if ever, need to have their disk space defragmented.
   
   
9. Check your RAM. RAM stands for Random Access Memory. These are the computer's memory chips. If there are not enough of them or they are not very large in size, your computer will use your hard disk to store intermediate results. But this is a much slower process. The computer will appear busy and will also be slow to write and read things from the hard disk. You can hear it, and the LED on the computer itself will light up and just stay on. Right-click on the My Computer icon, then select properties, then read what is said on the 'General' tab. For Windows XP it should be 1GB or more and 2GB's or more for Windows 7 or 8. Anything less than those numbers might be the problem.
   
   *If RAM is the real problem, your computer will be slow whenever you start a new application. If your computer is only slow when you turn on your computer or reboot, it is more likely that it is some other problem.
   
   *Before you rush out to get some additional RAM in a computer shop, make sure you know exactly what type fits in with your computer, and convince yourself that there are still empty slots (inside your computer) that can be used to put the RAM in. For most people it is best to make a computer repair shop responsible for all this; you can give us a call and you can bring your system if you need help!!

Tips!

• Never install software that you don't intend to use regularly.
• Be careful about what you install; most free downloads from certain sites can come with some form of spyware/malware/grayware or possibly a virus.
• Make an effort to defrag your computer weekly.
• To ensure safe broadband internet browsing install a firewall program (Microsoft has one built in with XP) or buy an external firewall router.
• Always perform a spyware scan and virus scan weekly if you do minimal file/program downloads. If you do many downloads weekly, then the suggested performance is daily.

!!!Warnings!!!

• When uninstalling programs be sure you don't need them; some programs are needed for the operation of the computer.
• When using the spyware removal program, be sure to go over the directions thoroughly. Since this program makes changes to the registry you can actually make the computer perform worse than before. If you are not an avid computer user, just clean the detected items that appear in red, or consult a friend who knows about computers.