The world of Humphs & MFW-Services

If you see (Not Responding) pop up in the title bar of a program you are using, it doesn't mean that the program has crashed, it's the computer saying this it is busy doing something else, so has just paused the program you are currently using. This normally happens during update downloads or installs. Windows 10 and 11, have a habit of just doing the download and then installing it without showing or telling you that this is what it is doing.  You do have the option of pausing updates, but to be honest it's not something I would recommend as the updates can include security tweaks to Windows, and even include Firmware updates for your PC, so should be done (as should be updates to your Anti-Virus and Anti-Malware programs). Updates are normally released by Microsoft on 2nd or 3rd Tuesday of the month, but it can take a few days (or longer) before your PC will download them (unless you have paused updates!), so don't expect your PC to always do the updates as soon as th...

 A customer asked me the other day if I knew anything about Cyber Essentials. It rang a bell, but I couldn't really think why. A quick search online and found it.... What is Cyber Essentials? It is an effective, Government backed scheme that will help you to protect your organisation, whatever its size, against a whole range of the most common cyber attacks. Cyber attacks come in many shapes and sizes, but the vast majority are very basic in nature, carried out by relatively unskilled individuals. They're the digital equivalent of a thief trying your front door to see if it's unlocked. There are two levels of certification: Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus. So, what does this mean? Well I went through the questionnaire to find out, and after answering all the questions and in the end got a readiness report with 15 pages giving me an outline on what I should do to become certified.  Does it cost anything? Yes! Anything from £300+VAT to £500+VAT (depending on the si...