Ask Leo! #478 – Tracking what programs are starting, new year course corrections and more…

I've found that it my case it worked out to be the opposite. I've been using Classic Shell for many years as I preferred the Win 98 Start Menu to the one with XP. After using Classic Shell for a few months with Win 8, I decided to take off the training wheels and disable Classic Shell from starting with Windows. I find the "Just start typing" option in Windows 8 to be far superior to anything that has come before, including Classic Shell. I still think MS should have included the training wheels, as it all comes down to taste and it seems to me, the more people they make happy the better.

This is an excellent article! As an IT pro, I completely agree with you. I see everything you mention every day. I have people who try to turn down a new computer (and/or OS) because it's "different", and people who can't WAIT to get one. Guess which one gets the most out of their new machine?

I am impressed with all the technology-savvy seniors commenting on this article. My dad's first home computer was a TRS-80, one of the first ones to be sold where he lived. I was in college then (which makes me not quite a senior...) He used to be quite dismissive of anyone who called that computer a "Trash 80" or whatever - he would simply smile and say, "Garbage in, garbage out", implying that the problem was not the computer, but the user. He learned to program in Basic and COBOL and never looked back, though he was already retired at the time. He died in 1985, but I have no doubt that if he were still here, he would be buying the very latest devices and immersing himself in them.

I talk to many people who make all kinds of assumptions and judgments about Windows 8, whether or not they've really used it. I agree that the touchscreen UI isn't practical for most business users. But I have not found ONE application or tool that I use in my job that doesn't work in Windows 8. Everything is there; it just may be in a different place. Once you find it, you're good to go. In fact, I have downloaded and installed Start Menu 8, but usually use the new interface, to get myself used to it. The Windows 8 search is probably my favorite feature, but there are several things about it that I really like.

I have always looked forward to changes in the areas of my life that I can control, and I realize some people don't do that. But I see the difference in productivity every day between people who can't wait to jump into something new and use new features to make their jobs easier, and people who refuse to accept any change as a matter of course.

Thanks for all your articles and advice, Leo!

THANK YOU: For the awesome article on accepting the new changes that keep us up to date, and totally in command of our own destiny in the computer world. Oh yes we all have those moments of frustration, but getting with the changes excites me, it keeps me fired up, to roll with the flow. At 79 years of age I love new changes, I correct my self made mistakes and keep great people like you busy. Thanks again, and keep up the good work.==FRANK

I have used cryptoprevent successfully on all my machines and all the client machines I work on are immunized routinely. All it does is change system policies that prevent cryptolocker from executing. So far it has not interfered with anything, but if it does, it is easy to re-run the utility and revert to an unprotected state. Because the malware is constantly evolving, antivirus programs may not always be able to catch it. Cryptoprevent is another layer of protection for this most devastating type of malware. I strongly recommend it in addition to all other best practices.