Hello all, People using Windows 10 Pro/Pro for Workstations/Enterprise/Education Version 2004 may have noticed that a combo box to delay feature update installation has been removed from Settings/Update and Security/Windows Update/Advanced (I can confirm this myself on numerous machines). According to ZDNet, it is not a bug – it’s a change in Version 2004 to (hopefully) simplify the life of IT professionals: https://www.zdnet.com/article/microsoft-removes-manual-deferrals-from-windows-update-by-it-pros-to-prevent-confusion/?ftag=COS-05-10aaa0g&taid=5ef40c2889f4230001ab6218&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter A related article from ZDNet (written by Ed Bott) notes that this is due to the change introduced by Microsoft in 2018 regarding when companies will get updates and how long a feature update will be supported: https://www.zdnet.com/article/when-will-you-get-the-next-version-of-windows-10/ To summarize what Microsoft said and subsequently covered by tech presses (and to some degree, posted on this forum): Windows 10 feature updates such as November 2019 Update and May 2020 Update (and upcoming Version 20H2) will be supported for at least a year and a half (18 months). Feature updates scheduled for first half of the year (such as May 2020 Update) will be supported for 18 months across all editions. Feature updates scheduled for second half of the year (such as November 2019 Update) will be supported for 18 months for consumers (Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations) and 30 months for enterprises (Enterprise and Education). As far as announcements on this forum goes, all feature updates are supported for 18 months, with fall (southern spring) feature updates receiving 12 months of extended support. Future feature updates will be optional if a user is running a supported feature update (as of time of this writing, Version 1903 or later is supported). If a user is not running a supported feature update or the version in use is about to go out of support (say, Version 1809), latest feature update will be offered and installed. As of time of this writing, anyone using October 2018 Update will be offered Version 2004. This means consumers can update to future feature updates every year (if they choose to), while enterprises can stay with a feature update for at least a year (note the difference), or if they choose to, upgrade to a fall feature update every two years. This does not apply to Windows Insiders as they are offered latest builds for the channel they have subscribed to. Frequently asked questions: Q. Can I force a feature update? Please don’t do this unless: You read what’s new, changed, and fixed in the offered future update. You read about reported and potential bugs with the feature update. You need to (or must) use a feature or two introduced in the feature update despite running into early bugs. Q. Where can I read more about what’s new and bugs in a feature update? Microsoft and tech presses have many resources about this. The authoritative source of information on feature update bugs is Windows Release Information dashboard for the feature update offered (Version 2004 dashboard is located at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/release-information/status-windows-10-2004). Q. How long should I wait until installing the new feature update? It is really up to you. Q. How can I defer feature updates? Depending on who you are and the edition you are using: Windows Insiders: you cannot defer updates. Windows 10 Home: simply do not click “download and install” if a new feature update is offered. Windows 10 Pro, Pro for Workstations, Enterprise, Education that is not part of a domain (standalone i.e. workgroup): in addition to not clicking “download and install”, you must edit Group Policy. Windows 10 Pro, Pro for Workstations, Enterprise, Education that is part of a domain: you have no real control over this, as feature update installation policy is managed by domain administrators. Q. How can I check if I’m running a supported version of Windows 10? You need to find o

Hello All, I know that most folks participate by e-mail, but there are some features related to how your individual messages or digests are delivered to you that cannot be controlled by the e-mail interface but where you must log in to your Groups.io account and go to your subscription page.  If you have never logged in to the site and don’t have a password, please see the section on doing just that, which is toward the end of this message, first. Using the Advanced Preferences for e-mail delivery gives you very precise control over which messages will make it to your inbox and can allow you to significantly decrease the amount of e-mail you receive from a high-traffic group while allowing you to decide what's important enough to keep an eye on. Advanced Preferences for Your Group Subscription   Once you get to the main Groups.io webpage, http://groups.io, you will need to navigate to the Log in (two words) button and activate it.  Once you’ve entered your username, which is the e-mail address you’ve used to subscribe to the group(s) you routinely read, and password, then hit the Log in button beneath them you will be taken to the “Your Groups” page. 1.        Do a screen reader find for “Your Groups” which takes you to the “Your Groups” dropdown button and activate it.  Arrow down through the list of groups to select the one for which you wish to set up your advanced preferences.  You will have to start back at this step for each group for which you wish to set up the advanced mail preferences. 2.       Do a screen reader find for “Subscription” link and activate it. 3.       Just so you’re aware these are on this page, there is a radio button cluster for the regular delivery options:  All Messages, Full Featured Digest, Plain Digest, Daily Summary, Special Notices Only, No email.  This is immediately followed by two checkboxes related to using a signature:  Use signature for web posting and Use signature for e-mail posting.  These are followed by the signature edit box, should you wish to set up a signature that goes on to all your messages if you check one of the previously mentioned checkboxes. 4.      Do a screen reader find for “Advanced” which will take you to the Advanced Preferences link.  Activate it. 5.       There are three major sections to the advanced preferences: a.       Message Selection.  There are two radio buttons:  All Messages and Following Only.  If the first is selected then every message sent to the group will be sent to you in the format you selected for e-mail delivery.   If you select Following Only then the only messages you will receive are messages you’ve chosen to follow.  There is a checkbox associated with “Following Only,” “First Message Also.”  If this checkbox is checked it serves as a selective override such that the first message in any new topic is sent to you so that you can see it  and elect to follow it with the link at the end of the message if you wish to keep monitoring this topic. b.      Replies.  There is a checkbox, “Auto follow replies,” which will make any topic that you start yourself, or any topic in which you reply to a message, followed.  This checkbox is generally only used if you have elected to use the “Following Only” feature for message selection. c.       Max Attachment Size (only for groups that allow attachments).  This is followed by a dropdown box that allows you to choose from four different maximum sizes for attachments to be delivered to you via e-mail.  The default is unlimited size.  If you’re using an internet service with data caps you may wish to change this.  If you choose the zero option it means that all attachments will be stripped before a message is sent to you. 6.      Find the “Save” button and activate it to save these settings. As you can see, if you choose a setup where you have elected to get messages with the “Following Only” option combined with the “First message also” checkbox this will greatly decrease the flow of e-mail you receive while allowing you to decide for each topic whether you wish to follow it to receive further messages or not.  If you do nothing then you will not receive any additional messages for that particular topic unless you hit the link to follow it at the end of the message or reply to it, if the “auto follow replies” option was checked.   Getting a Password to Log in to the Groups.io Website If you’ve subscribed via e-mail you have a Groups.io login id, your e-mail address, but you’ve never been assigned a password for the website.  To get one: 1.        In your web browser, go to the Groups.io main site login page:  https://groups.io/login 2.       Find the “Forgot your password?” link and activate it. 3.       A page with a single edit box, e-mail address will open.  Enter your e-mail address in it. 4.      Navigate to the one and only button on the page, “Email Link to Log In,” and activate it.   5.       Watch your e-mail, including your spam/junk box, for a message from Groups.io that will contain a link you need to activate that takes you to your Groups.io profile page where you set your password.  This is the password you’ll use to log in to any Groups.io group webpage where you wish to do something, such as changing your preferences, that requires you to be logged in to do.  You are, at this stage, actually logged in. -- Brian      Version 1703, Build 15063.296, Home 64-bit   Suppression of expression by the government is censorship. Suppression of expression by a publisher or broadcaster over what it disseminates is editorial oversight. Suppression of expression of children by their parents is necessary socialization and good parenting.

Hello everyone, First, I hope this message finds all of you well. The past year has been tough on many. Please know that, whatever it is that you may be experiencing, you are not alone. Please reach out to winaccess+owner@groups.io if there is anything you might need, or if you need to talk. Please also utilize the resources in your region, and reach out to your friends and family for support. Also, at the risk of politicizing what I know to be a controversial issue, if you have not been vaccinated, I would urge you to consider doing so. If you have questions about that, please do some research from reputable sources. If you need help finding those, please get in touch at winaccess+owner@groups.io. As a community, I'd like to think that we are all here to not only learn about, and discuss Windows accessibility, but also to support one another, to help lift one another up, and to be aware that, as a community, we are not alone. While I cannot pretend to walk in many of your shoes, I can say that struggles are real, what you feel is valid, and I, as the incoming forum owner/representative, am here to help in whatever way I can. I have found myself reflecting on a particular thread on this list that has seen over 30 messages, and has also seen a number of spun off threads. I would like to request each of you to consider the following: Misinformation, on any topic, is so very easily spread, sometimes unintentionally. And, once it is put out in the wild, it doesn't take much for it to spread. Please do some research before making any statements you believe are fact, and please link to any sources you've found that state such facts. This can help stop the spread of misinformation. If you have opinions, they should be clearly stated as such. If you believe that NVDA is superior to JAWS, it should be stated as such. If you believe that the Earth is flat, it should be stated as an opinion. If you wish to state this as fact, please link to reputable sources... in fact, discussing the flatness or lack of flatness of the Earth isn't even on topic for this list, so maybe don't discuss that at all. When someone writes an email and states something as fact, please take time to do research on such a topic, particularly if something doesn't ring true. Common sense is a great thing, and the more we can learn and ground ourselves in reality, the better off we all are. When writing or responding to an email, please take time to reflect on whether or not what you are saying ties in with the subject line. Subject lines are key to many people choosing whether or not to open a particular thread, and they are key for searching the list archives later on for new or existing members looking for support on a topic. Please, please make sure that subject lines are relevant, and the topic of discussion is relevant to this list. If the topic is not relevant, do not respond. If the subject line is not relevant, begin a new thread with the appropriate subject. This next point may seem like it contradicts the last one. Please do not create a new thread when responding to every new message. Press reply and reply to the existing thread, or use the web interface. Many of us rely on email threading, and do not appreciate receiving multiple emails broken up in different threads on the same topic. It is easier to bypass a particular thread, or to collate messages regarding a particular thread if all emails are in one thread. If the thread has completely derailed, and the subject is not relevant, by all means, start a new thread with a new subject line. If you have a question not relating to an existing thread, do not reply to that thread to ask your questions. Please consider composing a new message, with a new subject line, relevant to the topic you wish to discuss. Remember, simply writing help in the subject line isn't helpful. Try to be descriptive in the subject line. Please consider reading the entirety of a thread before responding. This can be easily done either through the web interface, or through threading support within webmail or your favorite mail

Hello, I'm forwarding this as a resource to check out for screen reader users of Windows. I cannot answer any further questions on this material, nor can I vouch for its accuracy, but do think that it is worth checking out nonetheless. ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: David Kingsbury <davidkingsbury77@...> Date: Thu, Feb 17, 2022 at 1:08 PM Subject: [nvda] My New Book Now Available for Download To: <nvda@groups.io> Hello all, My new book, “The Windows Screen Reader Primer: All the Basics and More” is now available for free from the Carroll Center for the Blind web site. You can download it using the following link: http://carroll.org/the%20windows%20screen%20reader%20primer/ Regards, David -- Best, Nimer Jaber Check out and subscribe to BlindTechAdventures in podcast audio form on YouTube for the latest happenings in tech. You can follow @nimerjaber on Twitter for the latest technology news. Thank you, and have a great day!