Eadwig
24 Feb 2020
LLOYDS is going to FLY skiking37: If this spreads into the likes of the UK or Germany then we will have issues. I have news for you, it already has. It just isn’t very apparent yet. We’ll have numbers of cases peaking around end of April, May probably. Just when I was hoping to put a house on the market. I can see that being postponed.
J_Westlock
24 Feb 2020
LLOYDS is going to FLY PrefInvestor1: Which is better having Microsoft working on any known vulnerabilities and issuing urgent updates when appropriate or having an unknown (and likely increasing) set of vulnerabilities with no one working on them ?. There’s little or no transparency or stats on what MS fixes actually are for so we don’t know. Yes, I’d agree in general that supported software is better than unsupported software for obvious reasons. In terms of purely security, the op system itself can only do so much is my point. eg. if you have habits of always using an account with admin privs rather than one with lower privileges (and potentially exposing that) or downloading items you aren’t 100% sure of the source/content then nothing is going to help you if you are unlucky and running without good virus protection … not the latest op system or the oldest. PrefInvestor1: There are risks on any system if you click on a bad link or visit a malware affected web site but your internet security software is your only defence against those risks. That’s why you need the very best security software that you can get and update it frequently. Agreed. I have that. PrefInvestor1: A VPN does not provide any protection against a keylogge Agreed. It does help on devices when you are on wifi not your own and as I have to travel and work with one of my laptops then it’s essential . PrefInvestor1: Keeping data in the cloud can be a problem – but generally isn’t if you don’t store any personally sensitive or financial information there. Yep… well that’s one of the ways that most people lose their data and get hacked. PrefInvestor1: Backups might be able to restore a corrupt or infected system to a known good state but will do nothing to mitigate any damage caused while malware was present. Don’t care. I can recover easily unless I got attacked by some ransomware attack which is highly unlikely and even if I was I would just build the m/c from scratch again as I have all the keys/disks necessary to do that. PrefInvestor1: Having a WiFi connection to your computer is a security risk in it own right. No WiFi network can ever be considered totally immune to hacking. I counter this by blocking all devices connected via WiFi from accessing my computers using my firewall. Yes, same here. I have two routers… one from ISP and the other acting as a firewall and the one I connect to.
J_Westlock
24 Feb 2020
LLOYDS is going to FLY trader_jack: One thing that I would have liked to have done on my spreadsheets but was unable to fathom, even with all the help provided by Prefinvestor, was to somehow get my spreadsheets to update themselves automatically which would save me some time in ploughing through everything I wanted to update manually Why do you think that upgrading and paying more for Excel is going to help you in setting up the formula and automation to pull in prices etc? You are certainly able to do that in Excel 2007 and earlier versions.
PrefInvestor1
24 Feb 2020
LLOYDS is going to FLY trader_jack: Currently I have Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007 which has served me well for my limited needs but has now been retired by Microsoft and will no longer receives support. As Prefinvestor points out that could lead to problems the longer I stay using it although why anybody would want to hack me is beyond me. I have various protection programmes in place but how effective they would be if someone wanted to break into my computer I have no real idea. I simply hope that I am somewhat protected against most threats. Hi Again @trader_jack, I dont think that you should be sticking with Office 2007 as this will expose you to security issues which I dont think is an ideal scenario for you. So I thinkj that you need to upgrade to something, and to me there looks to be 3 options:- Full Office 365 - this would cost you ~£80 a year which makes it a very expensive option. I also dont see you making any use of the cloud features and the frequent functionality updates would probably just confuse you. I dont think this is a goer myself. Office Home & Student 2016. This is a one time purchase and not a subscription service like Office 365. From what I can see online includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote 2016 only. So no Outlook you would have to stick to the Outlook 2007 that you already have. This is a cheap option at around £25-£30 and from what I’ve read you should get 5 years worth of security updates (till October 2025). Also it will run on Windows 7, 8 or older editions of Windows 10 which 2019 (see below) will not. You should also check that the hardware requirements are met, I dont know what PC spec you have so I cant do that. You are still going to have to download and install it which should be pretty straightforward TBH , see this video:- This solution would give you a relatively up to date Office fully supported with security updates for 5 years for a reasonable price. I think its probably the best option for you. Office 2019 Home & Student. Again a one time purchase of something like £120 by the look of it and not a subscription. Same set of programs but slightly more modern versions than with 2016 from what Ive read. Requires a more up to date version of Windows 10 than 2016, which just might be an issue for you ?. I dont know what operating system you are using ATM but if its not Windows 10 then you would need to upgrade. A much bigger job. Again you would also need to check that the hardware requirements are met. Going with this would give you a more modern set of programs and longer security support but for quite a lot more money. On the face of it it doesnt seem worth it to me. Anyway those seem to me to be your main options to me. There are MANY MANY other variants of Office 2019 that you could buy but with the same sort of issues and I have omitted all except 2019 Home & Student because they look much more expensive to me. See link below:- [link] Hope thats useful summary ands that I havent omitted anything. Whatever option you go with dont forget to do some googling to get the best price, thats always a prerequisite when buying these things. Make sure you are buying from a reputable company but it doesnt have to be Microsoft, from whom all you will get is expensive list prices. ATB Pref
trader_jack
24 Feb 2020
LLOYDS is going to FLY skiking37: If this spreads into the likes of the UK or Germany then we will have issues. Markets will plummet. Hi skiking37 God forbid this spreads to the U.K. What would poor Prefinvestor do if he found himself unable take his constittutional to the local hostelry as he likes to do? Best regards TJ
john.a.reeves
24 Feb 2020
LLOYDS is going to FLY TJ - hi trader_jack: I just wonder whether the UK flu jab might just give a teeny bit of protection Not sure it will have any effect. My wife (ex nurse) explained to me that the normal (UK) flu jab is produced to counter 4/5 of the main flu strains predicted to hit each year. ATB JAR
john.a.reeves
24 Feb 2020
LLOYDS is going to FLY soi - agree quote=“soi, post:4249, topic:1144884â€] so no point worrying much about it. [/quote] Good luck anyway JAR
skiking37
24 Feb 2020
LLOYDS is going to FLY john.a.reeves: the media will play this up with as much sensationalism as it can think of! God forbid that the media (red tops especially) will do to town on this!! Due to how quick it appears to be spreading there is real concern. We are already seeing events cancelled. A recent mobile convention in Barcelona, F1 GP in China postponed, Japan Olympics has question marks hanging over in, Italian football postponed, Venice festival being shortened, Austria putting boarder up with Italy. If this spreads into the likes of the UK or Germany then we will have issues. Markets will plummet.
trader_jack
24 Feb 2020
LLOYDS is going to FLY john.a.reeves: Problem (I guess like always) is that the media will play this up with as much sensationalism as it can think of! This obviously will feed into market sentiment and this will over react accordingly. Good morning John a Reeves, Precisely, I noticed that one news programme last night ( either BBC or Sky) reporting on the number of cases now in the U.K. They stated that the number had JUMPED to 13 rather than a rather more moderate “risen.†I think it is obvious that there is no vaccine for this particular virus as it has only been around for a couple of months or so but as the media likes to, on occasions, liken it to influenza I just wonder whether the UK flu jab might just give a teeny bit of protection against the more extreme eventualities portrayed in the media. Best regards TJ
soi
24 Feb 2020
LLOYDS is going to FLY Hi JAR Thanks, appreciate and follow what your saying. it is not a fear of coronavirus I have, more a fear of potential travel restrictions should things get worse. I would rather be in Italy where medical standards are high than in Thailand where they are of a lower standard. See what happens, out of my control really so no point worrying much about it. ATB soi
john.a.reeves
24 Feb 2020
LLOYDS is going to FLY skiking37 - hi skiking37: However, this new strain doesn’t have a vaccine at the moment and appears to be highly infectious which is why areas and being locked down. This prevents people from working, spending, driving etc. Good point - I don’t deny there’s an economic effect. My assumption is that a vaccine will be developed (but not soon) to mitigate these going forward. Problem (I guess like always) is that the media will play this up with as much sensationalism as it can think of! This obviously will feed into market sentiment and this will over react accordingly. Best wishes JAR
skiking37
24 Feb 2020
LLOYDS is going to FLY Your comments about UK flu is true and something I’ve been pointing to when people are fretting about the number of deaths in China. The province affected alone is about the same size as the UK in terms of population. UK has a vaccine for common flu as they learn from Australasia where the strain starts and passes around the world. However, this new strain doesn’t have a vaccine at the moment and appears to be highly infectious which is why areas and being locked down. This prevents people from working, spending, driving etc.
trader_jack
24 Feb 2020
LLOYDS is going to FLY Good morning, Thanks to all who have contributed to my lack of computer & software knowledge and my general confusion over the issue. Currently I have Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007 which has served me well for my limited needs but has now been retired by Microsoft and will no longer receives support. As Prefinvestor points out that could lead to problems the longer I stay using it although why anybody would want to hack me is beyond me. I have various protection programmes in place but how effective they would be if someone wanted to break into my computer I have no real idea. I simply hope that I am somewhat protected against most threats. One thing that I would have liked to have done on my spreadsheets but was unable to fathom, even with all the help provided by Prefinvestor, was to somehow get my spreadsheets to update themselves automatically which would save me some time in ploughing through everything I wanted to update manually. Whether I would be able to manage this with say Microsoft Office 2019 I do not know but the thought that the company has now “retired†the version I use worries me somewhat. I could just plough on with MS2007 as the only problems I have encountered with it have been entirely of my own ham-fisted attempts to work out formulae that I feel I need sometimes with that well known publication Excel 2007 for Dummies - many a time far too technical and complicated for my limited abilities. Now that many organisations only sell their software as a download rather than on a DVD many of the reviews on Amazon suggest that this is not quite as simple as the manufacturers would have you believe and almost certainly there are also non -original or perhaps even “fake†programmes being advertised on Amazon. With the MS Office 2019 which is being offered at £98.12 I noticed that the offer states "Microsoft support included for 60 days at no extra cost. " So there is little or no support after having had the programme for 2 months, hardly the best user support. I assume that there is no monthly subscription with this as appears to be the trend with manufacturers these days. I also use Outlook 2007 which I hope I can stay with as I do not need it for anything else than to receive and send my e-mails. I do not use any other srvice on it. Perhaps the simplest method would be to get my long time computer engineer out and pay him to do this download for me and to get it all up an running fully and safely. Markets in a mess today over this corona virus, I seem to recall reports a couple of weeks ago saying that outbreaks of normal flu often run to 10percent plus ending in deaths against the reported figures for this virus of 2-3 percent. Are we getting a tad over excited? We (I) have the annual flu jab so hopefully this country may have some protection from the worst of it. The reports of the cruise ship and the rising toll there should be worrying but I notice that in all the reporting nothing has been said about the air conditioning units that pass air and heating / cooling through all the cabins and public and private spaces on the vessel. Surely this must have had a very large part to play in the rise of victims as I doubt that the air conditioning has any air “purification / cleansing†equipment that is designed to combat such a virus. My thoughts only on this and I hope that these comments do not offend anyone, if they do please accept my sincere apologies. Best regards TJ
john.a.reeves
24 Feb 2020
LLOYDS is going to FLY soi, sorry to hear about your problems with coronovirus in Italy. To put things into some perspective. In UK some 600 people annually die of flu ‘complications’ - (source virus knowledge). The same subset of the population is vulnerable to coronovirus (elderly with pre-existing other conditions whose immune system has naturally deteriorated with age). Nobody has yet died of coronovirus in the UK The chances are it’s likely (if it happens), to be somebody who could die of flu anyway! Do we need to panic? Best wishes JAR
jackdawsson
24 Feb 2020
LLOYDS is going to FLY Talking of computers, operating-systems, virus protection software, et al, obviously two golden rules always apply: don’t ever open any unusual links & be sure to have all your important, financially-sensitive sites bookmarked. Always enter them via said bookmarks. That said, I have no virus protection on my two main trading/financial transaction computers. A Mac & a much cheaper Chrome box. It’s never been necessary over many years of online activity. I’ve never been infected for simply following the usual common sense. I do have a virus checker on my Windows 10 PC, mostly used for gaming. It’s MS’s own brand, comes pre-installed for free with W10 & has so far never let me down in the admittedly fairly limited areas I might be exposed.
