I have many but I don’t waste them.
Accepting updates is like going to bed and leaving your back door wide open hoping that someone will come in a decorate your lounge…
OK, I’ll help keep it going. 
Not accepting updates is like going to bed and leaving your back door wide open and maybe finding that someone has come in and decorated your lounge…
Edit: decorated or rubbished, it could be either.
From The Metro of a few months back:
The Government and NHS bosses have been facing increasingly urgent questions about whether they could have prevented the crippling cyber attack that caused chaos across the NHS network yesterday.
Experts have suggested that preventative measures – namely installing an update from Microsoft – could have been taken as much as two months ago.
Read more: Crucial Windows update should have been installed by NHS in March | Metro News
Yes I agree Purwell, on something as important and secure as the NHS computers I would expect them to be working very closely with Microsoft in order to keep the computers secure and up-to-date. It would be foolhardy not to, and as you point out…they did not.
Would you not agree though that receiving updates for the private user can be a two way street, there are hackers at large who could easily piggyback on microsoft updates and deposit spywear and other corrupting stuff on your machine. Allowing any kind of program access to your puter can be a dangerous thing, and can we really be sure that even Microsoft haven’t got a hidden agenda. After all, they are in the business for making money…
Thanks Mart, it’s not that I don’t believe microsoft, or that their updates are not blessed with good intention. But the whole concept of allowing new programs to access my computer and upset the delicate balance I’ve spent a few years to perfect is too risky…
I don’t have a downer on Windows 10 Mart, and come the day when I will need to purchase a new computer, I will accept Windows 10 or the current O/S at the time. But I will not change the existing Operating Systems on my present computers while ever they are doing everything that I need from them.
Like it Mart…:-D:-D:-D…Why aren’t you out on your bike…
I was earlier …but only rode as far as the pub. Walked back of course. 
Sounds good to me Mart…:-D:-D:-D
A couple of times recently I have been having pixels show up on the screen or stars right across it. I suspect it is the Gforce GTX560ti graphics card as it is 5 years old.
before I do anything I will swap monitors if it gets really bad to eliminate one or the other
Having built the computer swapping parts holds no fear apart from the cost as i can easily do it myself. And yes I do have an earth wrist strap I use every time
Re NHS computers:
Mrs LDs has to have a minor op next week so she rang to confirm the appointment. The woman on the end of the phone apologised that a confirmation letter had not been sent. This was because their computer system had been upgraded but it wasn’t compatible with the system in the hospital she will be attending.
Funny you should say that. I’m just watching a documentary about the development of robots and the progress and improvements that have been made over time.
Any shortcomings of both robot developments and the successful integration of NHS computer systems cannot be blamed on the robots/computers themselves; it is the inability or even incompetence of the humans involved in organising and setting up the systems.
Some people would pour scorn on the computer operating systems (like Windows) for not working properly, but even then it is really the programmers who have fallen short of expectations.
At the end of the day, it all boils down to the human factor.
How did your monitor swapping trial go?
Without a doubt. Who was the clown that decided to upgrade a system so that it wasn’t compatible? Of course this happens all the time on personal computers.
No idea, but it seems we have thousands of clowns sitting behind desks ticking boxes, and who have no idea of how things work.
My laptop had me a bit worried just recently. It kept telling me the fan wasn’t working and turning itself off. I kept turning it back on and carrying on as normal. Today I thought I will get to the bottom of this, so did a bit of searching around before deciding I had to take the laptop in to be fixed. I found that it was really quite simple. All that was wrong was that there was fluff in the ventilation and my laptop wanted me to give it a dusting out - I even found the instructions which told me how to do it. Marvellous. 
You could always explain to us lesser mortals “how things work”
Not uncommon. The fans, or heat sinks, just need clearing with some compressed air. You can buy a can of compressed air and blow this in through the vents, so there is no need to dissemble the laptop.
I am fortunate, I have a son who was a software developer and so is a computer whizz!
What does make me mad is when I ask for help, he always says that he has told me before how to fix this or that, do I not listen?
My wife’s just the same: she doesn’t listen either! 