October is the month that Apple releases new versions of macOS, and this month is no exception. The new version of macOS is called Catalina, and it will run on almost every Mac that can run the previous version of MacOS, Mojave. And, big news, this version of macOS will not include iTunes!

Although you should eventually install Catalina, I generally advise my clients to wait a few months before upgrading to the latest version of macOS - let the early adopters work out the bugs. However, in the case of Catalina, there is an additional complication. This is the first version of macOS that absolutely will not run 32 bit apps . Apps currently in the App Store are all okay, but many older 3rd party apps are not. You might need to consider the cost of purchasing upgraded software prior to installing Catalina.

The most common 32 bit apps I see are Microsoft Office 2011, and older versions of Adobe products like Photoshop and Lightroom. You may have noticed the pictured compatibility warning when opening those apps.  In order to determine if you are currently running any 32 bit apps, follow these steps:

• click on the Apple menu at the upper left corner of your screen
• choose "About this Mac" 
• click "System Report"
• Look down the source column on the left
• In the Software section click on Applications

If you currently use Office 2011, older Adobe products, or any other 32 bit apps, I recommend you uninstall the old versions and install the latest versions prior to installing Catalina. If you are unsure of your options, or need any assistance with this, please  give me a call.

Microsoft made the nightly news in September by issuing some high profile emergency updates, and I got quite a few calls and emails from you asking what to do.

Even though Windows updates sometimes create problems, there is no question that you are safer on the internet if you apply all updates and patches. In the past (Windows 7 and below) updates could be turned off, and systems could remain unpatched for years. Because this is a dangerous policy, Microsoft enforces automatic updates for Windows 10 users. Window 10 Home users (the majority of you) don't have the option to turn updates off permanently, although you can pause updates for up to 35 days. Windows 10 Professional users can override the automatic update policy (some businesses do this in order to keep all of their users on the same version) but I would doubt many of you have done so, as it's not easy to do.

Microsoft typically releases automatic updates on Tuesdays, generally twice a month.  The urgent updates were released out of schedule - Microsoft considered them important enough to offer them to users immediately, rather that waiting for the next   "Patch Tuesday".   If you feel safer installing this type of update immediately, simply type "check for updates" in the Windows search box and click on the result.  However, Windows 10 users should be fine simply waiting for the patch to be pushed to their machine - that's what I did for my own systems.

If you are still using Windows 7, this is a completely different issue. You should contact me ASAP to arrange for an upgrade to Windows 10!

PS - the most dangerous of the urgent updates patched a vulnerability in Internet Explorer that could allow hackers to take control of your computer if they could trick you into going to their website. Please, don't use Internet Explorer any more! Edge is built in to Windows 10, and Chrome and Firefox are easily installed. If you need help switching browsers, please give me a call!

Every month I post several articles of interest on  my Facebook page . For those of you who don't follow me on Facebook, here are some of the stories I've featured in the past few months.

• Microsoft is making it difficult to set up a new computer without connecting it to a Microsoft account. I'm happy to set up your new computer for you, but if you want to do it yourself and use a local account, don't connect your new system to the internet until you reach the desktop.

• I've recently done some buying and selling on Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace - paying with PayPal or cash only. If you do the same, watch out for people offering to pay with cashier's checks, now a key component of many scams. 

• We all know we shouldn't reuse passwords, and yet many people do so anyway. I highly recommend this extension to Chrome - it alerts me if the password I'm using to log into a site has been previously leaked in a breach.

• The last thing you want hacked is your Amazon account - the best way to protect it is to follow these steps to enable two factor authentication.