There has been much activity since my last update.  This is the “summer rush” before the typical fall product announcements and updates.

Microsoft released their June 2020 patches which fixed 129 vulnerabilities, which is a record for the most fixes in a single patch in the company’s history.  There were no zero day (a security hole that hackers exploit before Microsoft or the vendor can mitigate) issues.  The good news is that there have been no major problems with the June 2020 patches, so please install it immediately as it does close many security loopholes.  As always, remember to backup your PC and create a system restore point before installing the June 2020 patches.

The same cannot be said for the latest version of Windows 10, version 2004 (released about 3 weeks ago).  Please do NOT install this Windows update/version as there have been many issues.  Delay upgrading to version 2004 until Microsoft has addressed the bugs.  Among the worst bugs according to user complaints:

• Bluetooth connectivity may not work
• Unable to print using a USB connection
• Audio driver issues with popular Synaptics and Conexant drivers (found on laptops)
• Problems with Intel graphics drives (common on desktops and laptops) resulting in crashes
• Using Thunderbolt devices may also result in a STOP blue screen/crash

Sad to say that Windows version 2004 causes Microsoft’s latest Surface hardware, the Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3 to shutdown unexpectedly!

If you are a fan or owner of a Chromebook, Google is working with Parallels to create a Chromebook emulator that will enable Chromebooks to install and run the Windows versions of Microsoft Office.  This is a significant change from the Chromebook model where applications are run in the cloud with only a locally installed “shell.”  There is an existing version of Microsoft Office applications for Chromebooks but they have a different user interface and are not as feature rich as their Windows versions.  This also represents a major security and design change for Google.

Next week Apple will be holding their annual World Wide Developers Conference which has moved online due to COVID-19.  Apple is expected to announce new versions of MacOS, iOS and iPadOS which are usually available in August or September.  Rumors suggest that Apple may also announce new hardware including iMacs and iPad Airs.  The iPhone is usually updated in the fall.  I will include any significant Apple announcements in my next update.