From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

I'm making major progress on a problem I've posted about before, and I
just need you guys to tell me what to do next, and it will work, I'm
sure.

I've been gettting occasional messages in the lower right corner that
Windows Security has blocked access to various folders. I finally have
looked in detail at the list. Recently it was %userprofile%\Documents,
even though I was not aware I had tried to look at anything there. Also %userprofile%\Pictures\AnyDesk even though I used Anydesk 3 months ago
with no problem, though I don't know if I looked at any pictures.

More relevant is that is also blocked access to
%userprofile%\Pictures\reolink and in the process it blocked
reolink.exe. This is the program I've asked about before.

unlike %userprofile%\Pictures\ and \documents, in this case it doesn't
offer the option of granting access. Is there a way to do that anyhow?
It does offer turning off Controlled Folder Access completely. Can I
safely do that? Is that some new feature we never had before. Is there
some new threat that makes it important to keep running.


BTW, I've asked on the reolink community forum and gotten 3 answers but
this seems more a windows question than a reolink one and it's likely
beyond them.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

micky wrote:

I've been gettting occasional messages in the lower right corner that
Windows Security has blocked access to various folders.

There is an extra level of protection, that I suspect very few users are
aware of, or make use of, it's quite convoluted to reach ...

Start
Settings
Windows Security
Virus & threat protection
Manage Ransomware protection
Controlled folder protection = on/off

Do you have that enabled? To be clear, I'm not recommending that you
enable it.





--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

And why is it blocking explorer.exe from accessing Pictures or
Documents. Explorer is a microsoft program. How else is one upposed to
see the pictures in the file manager?

Does this have something to do with my using Explorer Patcher? If so,
since I'm the one using EP and not some ransomware guy, shouldn't I
freely give it all the authority of Explorer?

OR, google says I can

Select Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Ransomware protection.
Select Manage Controlled Folder Access.

-- I get this far.

Either disable controlled folder access by switching it off or click
Allow an app through Controlled Folder Access which allows you to add explorer.exe

But I'm not offered Allow an App, only disable. Is that because I have
not installed 25H2? Do you have the ability to allow an individual
program?


In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Tue, 02 Dec 2025 12:56:45 -0500, micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

I'm making major progress on a problem I've posted about before, and I
just need you guys to tell me what to do next, and it will work, I'm
sure.

I've been gettting occasional messages in the lower right corner that
Windows Security has blocked access to various folders. I finally have >looked in detail at the list. Recently it was %userprofile%\Documents,
even though I was not aware I had tried to look at anything there. Also >%userprofile%\Pictures\AnyDesk even though I used Anydesk 3 months ago
with no problem, though I don't know if I looked at any pictures.

More relevant is that is also blocked access to >%userprofile%\Pictures\reolink and in the process it blocked
reolink.exe. This is the program I've asked about before.

unlike %userprofile%\Pictures\ and \documents, in this case it doesn't
offer the option of granting access. Is there a way to do that anyhow?
It does offer turning off Controlled Folder Access completely. Can I
safely do that? Is that some new feature we never had before. Is there
some new threat that makes it important to keep running.

BTW, I've asked on the reolink community forum and gotten 3 answers but
this seems more a windows question than a reolink one and it's likely
beyond them.

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Tue, 2 Dec 2025 18:15:57 +0000, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

micky wrote:

I've been gettting occasional messages in the lower right corner that
Windows Security has blocked access to various folders.

There is an extra level of protection, that I suspect very few users are >aware of, or make use of, it's quite convoluted to reach ...

Start
Settings
Windows Security
Virus & threat protection
Manage Ransomware protection
Controlled folder protection = on/off

Do you have that enabled? To be clear, I'm not recommending that you
enable it.

I did, by default, until 5 minutes ago. I turned it off, tried to start Reolink. I didn't get another security error but again Reolink did not
start. Maybe I should restart windows (though this seemed like
something that would not require that.)
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Tue, 12/2/2025 1:23 PM, micky wrote:

Does this have something to do with my using Explorer Patcher?

Why is it every time I talk to you, I ask about Explorer Patcher ?

You have enough computers at your house, you should keep
a "reference OS", unaltered, for testing Reolink.

That would at least tell you that the program works (for some
version of the program).

Paul

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

micky wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

Controlled folder protection = on/off
Do you have that enabled? To be clear, I'm not recommending that you
enable it.

I did, by default, until 5 minutes ago. I turned it off

My feeling is that controlled folder access is far too "tight" for
normal humans to deal with, e.g. it might allow Office365 access to
documents in the documents folder because the program is on the "trusted
cos we say it is" list, but Reolink likely won't be on the list,
LibreOffice wasn't on the list from what i remember, so I turned it
straight back off ... but I think all problems then went away.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

micky wrote on 12/2/2025 10:56 AM:

I'm making major progress on a problem I've posted about before, and I
just need you guys to tell me what to do next, and it will work, I'm
sure.
It does offer turning off Controlled Folder Access completely. Can I
safely do that?

Yes.

Is that some new feature we never had before?

No. CFA has been included in Windows for over 8 years(October 2017,
Windows 10 1709 Fall Creators Edition).

CFA has been disabled on all my devices shortly after its release in 2017.

CFA monitors:
User: Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, Desktop, Favorites
Public: Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, Desktop

Once CFA is disabled, if suspect file is still present in one of those folders, Windows Security may still require exemption for the suspect
file. Ensure the suspect file is safe prior to exemption.
i.e. Note: CFA may not be entirely related to all of your problems
--
...w¡ñ§±¤ñ
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Tue, 2 Dec 2025 18:00:05 -0700, ...w�񧱤� <winstonmvp@gmail.com> wrote:

micky wrote on 12/2/2025 10:56 AM:

I'm making major progress on a problem I've posted about before, and I
just need you guys to tell me what to do next, and it will work, I'm
sure.
It does offer turning off Controlled Folder Access completely. Can I
safely do that?

Yes.

Is that some new feature we never had before?

No. CFA has been included in Windows for over 8 years(October 2017,
Windows 10 1709 Fall Creators Edition).

Then I've had it all that time, but never turned it on or off. And
never had any warning messages. when I go upstaris I'll see if it's on
or off, on both win10 boxes.

CFA has been disabled on all my devices shortly after its release in 2017.

If you don't want it, I don't want it.

CFA monitors:
User: Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, Desktop, Favorites
Public: Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, Desktop

Once CFA is disabled, if suspect file is still present in one of those >folders, Windows Security may still require exemption for the suspect
file. Ensure the suspect file is safe prior to exemption.

I will look at every entry in "protection history". There are about
56, but I'm sure many oare reptitions. And I think I'll just look in
the 11 folders you list.

i.e. Note: CFA may not be entirely related to all of your problems

Okay. Turning it off didn't help and maybe even rebooting won't, but
I'm getting closer.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Tue, 2 Dec 2025 20:51:25 +0000, Andy Burns <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

micky wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

Controlled folder protection = on/off
Do you have that enabled? To be clear, I'm not recommending that you
enable it.

I did, by default, until 5 minutes ago. I turned it off

My feeling is that controlled folder access is far too "tight" for
normal humans to deal with, e.g. it might allow Office365 access to >documents in the documents folder because the program is on the "trusted
cos we say it is" list, but Reolink likely won't be on the list,
LibreOffice wasn't on the list from what i remember, so I turned it
straight back off ... but I think all problems then went away.

I have and have used Libreoffice on the win10 computer, or both of them,
and never got a warning. I'll check if CFP is on or off when I go
upstairs.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Tue, 2 Dec 2025 15:01:32 -0500, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

On Tue, 12/2/2025 1:23 PM, micky wrote:

Does this have something to do with my using Explorer Patcher?

Why is it every time I talk to you, I ask about Explorer Patcher ?

Because it has a sketchy reputation. In fact I ccouldn't install 24H2
or now 25H2 wihtout uninstalling it first. So every time something goes
wrong, I suspect it. But in this case, the problem shares the word
"exploer" with the program.

You have enough computers at your house, you should keep
a "reference OS", unaltered, for testing Reolink.

It works on the win10 computer. Both of them if I tried to install on
both.

That would at least tell you that the program works (for some
version of the program).

It woroks fine on win10. That's why I don't crosspost this to the win10
group. <:-)

Paul

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Tue, 2 Dec 2025 18:00:05 -0700, ...w�񧱤� <winstonmvp@gmail.com> wrote:

micky wrote on 12/2/2025 10:56 AM:

I'm making major progress on a problem I've posted about before, and I
just need you guys to tell me what to do next, and it will work, I'm
sure.
It does offer turning off Controlled Folder Access completely. Can I
safely do that?

Yes.

Is that some new feature we never had before?

No. CFA has been included in Windows for over 8 years(October 2017,
Windows 10 1709 Fall Creators Edition).

CFA has been disabled on all my devices shortly after its release in 2017.

CFA monitors:
User: Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, Desktop, Favorites
Public: Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, Desktop

I lost track but I have either no files or 1 file in all of these 11
folders.

I'm still going to check out all the warnings I got. They are all
isted as Low danger.

Once CFA is disabled, if suspect file is still present in one of those >folders, Windows Security may still require exemption for the suspect
file. Ensure the suspect file is safe prior to exemption.
i.e. Note: CFA may not be entirely related to all of your problems

But I'm making progress. Strange though. I'm 99% sure I didn't get
CFA alert most or all of of the times I tried to run Reolink, and it was
a different file and .exe that brought my attention to CFA. Yet %userprofile%\Pictures\reolink is listed in one of the last 4 warnings.
I haven't checked the other 50 yet, but i'm sure it's there several
times.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Tue, 02 Dec 2025 21:05:07 -0500, micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Tue, 2 Dec 2025 20:51:25 +0000, Andy Burns ><usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

micky wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

Controlled folder protection = on/off
Do you have that enabled? To be clear, I'm not recommending that you
enable it.

I did, by default, until 5 minutes ago. I turned it off

My feeling is that controlled folder access is far too "tight" for
normal humans to deal with, e.g. it might allow Office365 access to >>documents in the documents folder because the program is on the "trusted >>cos we say it is" list, but Reolink likely won't be on the list, >>LibreOffice wasn't on the list from what i remember, so I turned it >>straight back off ... but I think all problems then went away.

I have and have used Libreoffice on the win10 computer, or both of them,
and never got a warning. I'll check if CFP is on or off when I go
upstairs.

So I checked on both win10 computers, home and pro, and they both say,
Page not available Your IT administrator has limited access to some
areas of this app, and the item you tried to access is not available.
Contact IT helpdesk for more information.

I thought I was the IT adminstrator, but I guess you guys are the
helpdesk. But it's not important. I'm phasing out the win10 ocmputers
and Controlled Folder Access was never an issue with them anyhow.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Wed, 12/3/2025 1:28 AM, micky wrote:

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Tue, 02 Dec 2025 21:05:07 -0500, micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Tue, 2 Dec 2025 20:51:25 +0000, Andy Burns
<usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

micky wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

Controlled folder protection = on/off
Do you have that enabled? To be clear, I'm not recommending that you >>>>> enable it.

I did, by default, until 5 minutes ago. I turned it off

My feeling is that controlled folder access is far too "tight" for
normal humans to deal with, e.g. it might allow Office365 access to
documents in the documents folder because the program is on the "trusted >>> cos we say it is" list, but Reolink likely won't be on the list,
LibreOffice wasn't on the list from what i remember, so I turned it
straight back off ... but I think all problems then went away.

I have and have used Libreoffice on the win10 computer, or both of them,
and never got a warning. I'll check if CFP is on or off when I go
upstairs.

So I checked on both win10 computers, home and pro, and they both say,
Page not available Your IT administrator has limited access to some
areas of this app, and the item you tried to access is not available.
Contact IT helpdesk for more information.

I thought I was the IT adminstrator, but I guess you guys are the
helpdesk. But it's not important. I'm phasing out the win10 ocmputers
and Controlled Folder Access was never an issue with them anyhow.

Well, my "Organization" keeps doing things to my computer.
What is a lowly Administrator to do ?

It looks like Windows Security is where to start.

[Picture]

https://i.postimg.cc/V68fbFsW/Controlled-Folder-Access.gif

By "phasing out", I would presume you will be leaving them on the curb ???

Paul


--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

micky wrote on 12/2/2025 11:28 PM:

So I checked on both win10 computers, home and pro, and they both say,
Page not available Your IT administrator has limited access to some
areas of this app, and the item you tried to access is not available.
Contact IT helpdesk for more information.

I thought I was the IT adminstrator, but I guess you guys are the
helpdesk. But it's not important. I'm phasing out the win10 ocmputers
and Controlled Folder Access was never an issue with them anyhow.

In almost all cases with consumer editions of Windows(10/11) the first configured user(logon) of the device is the administrator(the first
account is an admin account) and also the administrator capable of
creating additional Standard accounts(Lodal or Microsoft) and giving
those accounts administrator rights.

Unless the device was purchased used with an existing admin account the message 'Your IT administrator has limited access' is due to the current
admin accounts user having configured/changed Windows or one or its
settings and/or installed 3rd party software(including presence of 3rd
party AV/AM[1]) changing a default Windows settings.

[1] CFA requires Windows Security and its Windows Defender client and
enabled as the AV/AM client (i.e. no other AV/AM program or app should be running resident and active).
--
...w¡ñ§±¤ñ
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Wed, 3 Dec 2025 02:43:47 -0500, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

On Wed, 12/3/2025 1:28 AM, micky wrote:

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Tue, 02 Dec 2025 21:05:07 -0500, micky
<NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Tue, 2 Dec 2025 20:51:25 +0000, Andy Burns >>> <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

micky wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

Controlled folder protection = on/off
Do you have that enabled? To be clear, I'm not recommending that you >>>>>> enable it.

I did, by default, until 5 minutes ago. I turned it off

My feeling is that controlled folder access is far too "tight" for
normal humans to deal with, e.g. it might allow Office365 access to
documents in the documents folder because the program is on the "trusted >>>> cos we say it is" list, but Reolink likely won't be on the list,
LibreOffice wasn't on the list from what i remember, so I turned it
straight back off ... but I think all problems then went away.

I have and have used Libreoffice on the win10 computer, or both of them, >>> and never got a warning. I'll check if CFP is on or off when I go
upstairs.

So I checked on both win10 computers, home and pro, and they both say,
Page not available Your IT administrator has limited access to some
areas of this app, and the item you tried to access is not available.
Contact IT helpdesk for more information.

I thought I was the IT adminstrator, but I guess you guys are the
helpdesk. But it's not important. I'm phasing out the win10 ocmputers
and Controlled Folder Access was never an issue with them anyhow.

Well, my "Organization" keeps doing things to my computer.
What is a lowly Administrator to do ?

It looks like Windows Security is where to start.

[Picture]

https://i.postimg.cc/V68fbFsW/Controlled-Folder-Access.gif

I couldn't get to Ransomware Protection either. it gave the same
message.

By "phasing out", I would presume you will be leaving them on the curb ???

I'm not going that far. I mean I moved my email and newsgroups to the
win11 computer, and I keep t he win10 laptop next to where I sleep, for
when I think of something I want to check before I sleep or when I wake
up. The other win10 computer has 32gigs of RAM and runs well, but the monitor, which I bought cheaply at a hamfest 10 years ago is not working
well, sometimes, and I have to buy another one, but there are so many
choices I don't know what to buy.

I've found if you watch youtube, especially police chase videos, etc.,
on the laptops, and they already have subtitles but then y ou add the
youtube real-time subtitles, they are often one on top of another. Yet
you need them both because often the ones proivided don't capture the
parts that are hardest to hear, that youtube subtitles do preey well on.
But when I watch those videos on the bigger monitor they are not on top
of each other, but one is below the other. I have a 20" monitor now and thinkI'll get 22". Bigger than that and I think I'd have to sit farther
from the screen and the keyboard, and my arms won't grow anymore.

Paul

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

Wio0 added. This starrted out as a win11 question but moved to win10
too.

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Wed, 3 Dec 2025 11:00:19 -0700, ...w�񧱤� <winstonmvp@gmail.com> wrote:

micky wrote on 12/2/2025 11:28 PM:

So I checked on both win10 computers, home and pro, and they both say,
Page not available Your IT administrator has limited access to some
areas of this app, and the item you tried to access is not available.
Contact IT helpdesk for more information.

I thought I was the IT adminstrator, but I guess you guys are the
helpdesk. But it's not important. I'm phasing out the win10 ocmputers
and Controlled Folder Access was never an issue with them anyhow.

In almost all cases with consumer editions of Windows(10/11) the first >configured user(logon) of the device is the administrator(the first
account is an admin account) and also the administrator capable of
creating additional Standard accounts(Lodal or Microsoft) and giving
those accounts administrator rights.

Unless the device was purchased used with an existing admin account the

I got it, from a friend, with a bad harddrive, and I replaced that and
did a fresh install. I maxxed out the RAM to 8gigs. also and everything
was good for several years.

message 'Your IT administrator has limited access' is due to the current >admin accounts user having configured/changed Windows or one or its
settings and/or installed 3rd party software(including presence of 3rd
party AV/AM[1]) changing a default Windows settings.

I installed AVG Free. Could that do it? You answered that already! See pargraph starting with *****. (Because of AVG's increased popups, I'm
trying to switch to Windows Security now, which I've heard is good
enough to rely on now, for low risk users.)

[1] CFA requires Windows Security and its Windows Defender client and >enabled as the AV/AM client (i.e. no other AV/AM program or app should be >running resident and active).

I'm trying to install Windows Defender now. I downloaded it, and tried
to install it, but iiuc it won't finish installation until I log into
the MSoft store, and it won't let me log into Microsoft using my Skype
userid and password. I thought that was supposed to work. Or it insists
I subscribe to something-365 and pay monthly!

***** Aha. Well, there you go. So it seems to me not that I need
Windows Defender to turn off CFA, but that since I haven't used Windows Defender, I don't even have CFA to begin with. No wonder it has not
caused any trouble. :-)
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Sun, 07 Dec 2025 00:46:56 -0500, micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

Unless the device was purchased used with an existing admin account the

I got it, from a friend, with a bad harddrive, and I replaced that and
did a fresh install. I maxxed out the RAM to 8gigs. also and everything
was good for several years.

message 'Your IT administrator has limited access' is due to the current >>admin accounts user having configured/changed Windows or one or its >>settings and/or installed 3rd party software(including presence of 3rd >>party AV/AM[1]) changing a default Windows settings.

I installed AVG Free. Could that do it? You answered that already! See >pargraph starting with *****. (Because of AVG's increased popups, I'm >trying to switch to Windows Security now, which I've heard is good
enough to rely on now, for low risk users.)

[1] CFA requires Windows Security and its Windows Defender client and >>enabled as the AV/AM client (i.e. no other AV/AM program or app should be >>running resident and active).

I'm trying to install Windows Defender now. I downloaded it, and tried
to install it, but iiuc it won't finish installation until I log into
the MSoft store, and it won't let me log into Microsoft using my Skype
userid and password. I thought that was supposed to work. Or it insists
I subscribe to something-365 and pay monthly!

I missed the fine print. It says I have to have a personal microft
account with a microsoft-365 personal or family subsciption. But in
win11, I'm using Windows Defender without microsoft-365!!!!

***** Aha. Well, there you go. So it seems to me not that I need
Windows Defender to turn off CFA, but that since I haven't used Windows >Defender, I don't even have CFA to begin with. No wonder it has not
caused any trouble. :-)

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Sun, 12/7/2025 12:20 AM, micky wrote:

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Wed, 3 Dec 2025 02:43:47 -0500, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

On Wed, 12/3/2025 1:28 AM, micky wrote:

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Tue, 02 Dec 2025 21:05:07 -0500, micky
<NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Tue, 2 Dec 2025 20:51:25 +0000, Andy Burns >>>> <usenet@andyburns.uk> wrote:

micky wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

Controlled folder protection = on/off
Do you have that enabled? To be clear, I'm not recommending that you >>>>>>> enable it.

I did, by default, until 5 minutes ago. I turned it off

My feeling is that controlled folder access is far too "tight" for
normal humans to deal with, e.g. it might allow Office365 access to >>>>> documents in the documents folder because the program is on the "trusted >>>>> cos we say it is" list, but Reolink likely won't be on the list,
LibreOffice wasn't on the list from what i remember, so I turned it >>>>> straight back off ... but I think all problems then went away.

I have and have used Libreoffice on the win10 computer, or both of them, >>>> and never got a warning. I'll check if CFP is on or off when I go
upstairs.

So I checked on both win10 computers, home and pro, and they both say,
Page not available Your IT administrator has limited access to some
areas of this app, and the item you tried to access is not available.
Contact IT helpdesk for more information.

I thought I was the IT adminstrator, but I guess you guys are the
helpdesk. But it's not important. I'm phasing out the win10 ocmputers
and Controlled Folder Access was never an issue with them anyhow.

Well, my "Organization" keeps doing things to my computer.
What is a lowly Administrator to do ?

It looks like Windows Security is where to start.

[Picture]

https://i.postimg.cc/V68fbFsW/Controlled-Folder-Access.gif

I couldn't get to Ransomware Protection either. it gave the same
message.

By "phasing out", I would presume you will be leaving them on the curb ???

I'm not going that far. I mean I moved my email and newsgroups to the
win11 computer, and I keep t he win10 laptop next to where I sleep, for
when I think of something I want to check before I sleep or when I wake
up. The other win10 computer has 32gigs of RAM and runs well, but the monitor, which I bought cheaply at a hamfest 10 years ago is not working well, sometimes, and I have to buy another one, but there are so many
choices I don't know what to buy.

I've found if you watch youtube, especially police chase videos, etc.,
on the laptops, and they already have subtitles but then y ou add the
youtube real-time subtitles, they are often one on top of another. Yet
you need them both because often the ones proivided don't capture the
parts that are hardest to hear, that youtube subtitles do preey well on.
But when I watch those videos on the bigger monitor they are not on top
of each other, but one is below the other. I have a 20" monitor now and thinkI'll get 22". Bigger than that and I think I'd have to sit farther
from the screen and the keyboard, and my arms won't grow anymore.

The monitors I've seen at the store, trend towards the larger
sizes. I wanted to replace my 1440x900 monitor with another, but
there is nothing like that for sale. It is generally 1920x1080 minimum.
The next size would be 2560x1600, and after that comes 3840x2160.
And for that last 4K choice, you might want a 32" monitor to be using
that many pixels.

17", 19" probably not (check around Jan10 for stock of those in Staples)
22", 27", 32", bigger (1920x1080, 2560x1600, 3840x2160).

I don't really consider this "choice" any more. There are fewer choices
at least at retail stores. And online, a smaller monitor might be a
"special order".

Keep an eye out for the color. My new monitor, the color is off.
My 20 year old monitor still has good color, and that's how I
detected the new monitor was off. A gray might be rendered as a
light shade of purple.

And as for whether they make really really bad panels, they
save those for cheap laptops. 1366x768 panels, yes, they still
make those. And, they make those with 40% of the normal color range.
That would be a cheap twisted nematic (TN).

The standalone monitors are IPS (edge lit) and VA. The VA might be a
bit slower on GTG (gray to gray) time. The IPS has 178 degree viewing angle, which means the intensity variation is 10:1 at 178 degrees or so.
Translated into English, that means you can move your head a little
bit from side to side, without a lot of color or intensity shift.
Whereas with a TN panel, the panel has to be tilted at just
the right angle, your head can only be in one spot, and then...
you can read it.

Paul
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Sun, 12/7/2025 12:51 AM, micky wrote:

I'm trying to install Windows Defender now. I downloaded it, and tried
to install it, but iiuc it won't finish installation until I log into
the MSoft store, and it won't let me log into Microsoft using my Skype
userid and password. I thought that was supposed to work. Or it insists
I subscribe to something-365 and pay monthly!

I missed the fine print. It says I have to have a personal microft
account with a microsoft-365 personal or family subsciption. But in
win11, I'm using Windows Defender without microsoft-365!!!!

***** Aha. Well, there you go. So it seems to me not that I need
Windows Defender to turn off CFA, but that since I haven't used Windows
Defender, I don't even have CFA to begin with. No wonder it has not
caused any trouble. :-)

Windows Defender is a default protection on W10 or W11.

If you install a third party product, that bumps Windows Defender
out of the way.

And this has no dependency on anything 365.

I haven't tested this (but I could if you need it), it would
be my guess this never left. The materials should be present

*******

cmd.exe # Use a Command Prompt, for the next cd to work.

cd %ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender

dir

Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 9,398 AmMonitoringInstall.mof
Sat, 09/27/2025 01:36 PM 214,456 AMMonitoringProvider.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 21,004 AmStatusInstall.mof
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 2,460 ClientWMIInstall.mof
Sat, 09/27/2025 01:36 PM 292,248 ConfigSecurityPolicy.exe
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 456,064 DefenderCSP.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 257,648 DlpUserAgent.exe
Mon, 04/01/2024 03:06 AM <DIR> en-US
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 1,189,248 endpointdlp.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 1,070,400 EppManifest.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 361 FepUnregister.mof
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 210,240 MpAsDesc.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 1,574,272 MpAzSubmit.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 1,287,552 MpClient.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 1,608,808 MpCmdRun.exe
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 370,064 MpCommu.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 183,272 MpCopyAccelerator.exe
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 1,418,736 MpDefenderCoreService.exe
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 185,640 MpDetours.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 112,008 MpDetoursCopyAccelerator.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 1,291,648 MpDlp.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 389,872 MpDlpCmd.exe
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 699,768 MpDlpService.exe
Sat, 09/27/2025 01:36 PM 144,824 MpEvMsg.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 881,576 mpextms.exe
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 509,328 MpOAV.dll
Sat, 09/27/2025 01:36 PM 202,152 MpProvider.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 1,979,784 MpRtp.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 918,912 MpSenseComm.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 4,105,608 MpSvc.dll
Sat, 09/27/2025 01:36 PM 112,024 MsMpCom.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 133,592 MsMpEng.exe <=== this is what scans, all day long
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 21,904 MsMpLics.dll you can see that in Task Manager
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 21,920 MsMpRes.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 3,174,840 NisSrv.exe
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 3,322,760 NpRep.dll
Sat, 09/27/2025 01:38 PM <DIR> Offline
Sat, 09/27/2025 02:58 PM <DIR> Platform
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 779,664 ProtectionManagement.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 109,566 ProtectionManagement.mof
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 2,664 ProtectionManagement_Uninstall.mof Sat, 09/27/2025 01:36 PM 468,352 shellext.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 1,091 ThirdPartyNotices.txt

MpCmdRun.exe -removedefinitions -dynamicsignatures # Prepare for signatures MpCmdRun.exe -SignatureUpdate # Get signatures

W11

Settings : System : System Components
Windows Security <=== Presumably this makes the Security panel.
That's in case the Security icon is missing
from the ^ overflow area of Taskbar.
*******

So you're probably here then:

https://aka.ms/WindowsDefender

https://apps.microsoft.com/detail/9p6pmztm93lr?hl=en-US&gl=CA

Approximate size
199.5 MB

Well, not really. You get a shitty little stub instead, with the blocker in it.

Name: Microsoft Defender Installer.exe
Size: 1,106,976 bytes (1081 KiB)
SHA256: 181491542E467B90A19575803D1ED1F08E45A94A9CD4EA5A63E9D875C7C728FA

And the reason it is prompting for an account, is the operation is going
to wipe out the sign-in information.

*******

You can try this recipe instead.

https://www.elevenforum.com/t/reset-windows-security-app-in-windows-11.7363/

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.SecHealthUI*


Name : Microsoft.SecHealthUI
Publisher : CN=Microsoft Corporation, O=Microsoft Corporation, L=Redmond, S=Washington, C=US
Architecture : X64
ResourceId :
Version : 1000.29429.1000.0
PackageFullName : Microsoft.SecHealthUI_1000.29429.1000.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe InstallLocation : C:\Program Files\WindowsApps\Microsoft.SecHealthUI_1000.29429.1000.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe
IsFramework : False
PackageFamilyName : Microsoft.SecHealthUI_8wekyb3d8bbwe
PublisherId : 8wekyb3d8bbwe
IsResourcePackage : False
IsBundle : False
IsDevelopmentMode : False
NonRemovable : True
Dependencies : {Microsoft.VCLibs.140.00_14.0.33519.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe, Microsoft.UI.Xaml.2.8_8.2501.31001.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe}
IsPartiallyStaged : False
SignatureKind : Store
Status : Ok

I'm not going to do this, but this would reset the application. The first half of the
command, generates a "PackageFullName" which is passed to the second command.

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.SecHealthUI* | Reset-AppxPackage

Paul
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Sun, 7 Dec 2025 02:27:21 -0500, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

On Sun, 12/7/2025 12:51 AM, micky wrote:

I'm trying to install Windows Defender now. I downloaded it, and tried
to install it, but iiuc it won't finish installation until I log into
the MSoft store, and it won't let me log into Microsoft using my Skype
userid and password. I thought that was supposed to work. Or it insists >>> I subscribe to something-365 and pay monthly!

I missed the fine print. It says I have to have a personal microft
account with a microsoft-365 personal or family subsciption. But in
win11, I'm using Windows Defender without microsoft-365!!!!

***** Aha. Well, there you go. So it seems to me not that I need
Windows Defender to turn off CFA, but that since I haven't used Windows
Defender, I don't even have CFA to begin with. No wonder it has not
caused any trouble. :-)

Windows Defender is a default protection on W10 or W11.

If you install a third party product, that bumps Windows Defender
out of the way.

Aha. After reading this I uninstalled AVG and WinDefender wanted to be enabled. Before then it had been silent.

And this has no dependency on anything 365.

Just found this: So-called AI says ". While a separate Microsoft
Defender app with extra features (like cross-device protection and VPN) requires a Microsoft 365 subscription, the core antivirus functionality
in Windows 10 is always included at no extra cost. " When I was
downloading before, it said nothing about *extra* protection,and I
thought I was dl'ing the only version.

But everything is good now. Thanks and thanks all.

I haven't tested this (but I could if you need it), it would
be my guess this never left. The materials should be present

*******

cmd.exe # Use a Command Prompt, for the next cd to work.

cd %ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender

dir

Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 9,398 AmMonitoringInstall.mof
Sat, 09/27/2025 01:36 PM 214,456 AMMonitoringProvider.dll
Mon, 04/01/2024 02:22 AM 21,004 AmStatusInstall.mof

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Sun, 12/7/2025 12:51 AM, micky wrote:

I missed the fine print. It says I have to have a personal microft
account with a microsoft-365 personal or family subsciption. But in
win11, I'm using Windows Defender without microsoft-365!!!!

I made a CoPilot question out of this, as follows.
You should not have to reinstall Windows Defender.
The Security panel should indicate that the thing is running again.

*******

CoPilot Question:

I am trying to understand some Windows Security items in Windows 11.

This appears to be Windows Defender.

%ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender
MsMpEng.exe
MpCmdRun.exe

Is the following item the "Windows Security" panel ?

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.SecHealthUI*

When a person installs AVG Free, some registry location is
set, indicating to Windows Defender that it is not needed
for real time scanning of files.

When AVG Free is removed, does MSMpEng start scanning
again all on its own ?

Does "Windows Defender" need to be reset, to make MsMpEng.exe work again ?

What are the user responsibilities, for this sort of transition?
(Windows Defender to AVG Free and back to Windows Defender only again.)

******************************

CoPilot Answer:

**Quick Answer:**

Yes, `Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.SecHealthUI*` refers to the **Windows Security app**
(the panel you see in Settings). When you install a third‑party antivirus like AVG Free,
Windows Defender (Microsoft Defender Antivirus) disables its real‑time protection automatically.
Once AVG is uninstalled, **MsMpEng.exe (Antimalware Service Executable)** resumes
scanning on its own - no manual reset is required. Your responsibility is mainly to
ensure that either AVG or Defender is active, updated, and not left disabled during
the transition.

### Breaking Down the Components

- **MsMpEng.exe**
- This is the **Antimalware Service Executable**, the core scanning engine of
Microsoft Defender Antivirus. It runs background scans and provides real‑time protection.

- **MpCmdRun.exe**
- A command‑line utility for Microsoft Defender. It lets administrators run scans,
update signatures, and configure Defender manually.

- **Microsoft.SecHealthUI**
- This package is the **Windows Security app** (formerly called Windows Defender
Security Center). It provides the graphical dashboard where you manage antivirus,
firewall, and other protection settings.

### Behavior with Third‑Party Antivirus (AVG Free)

- **Automatic Disable:**
When AVG Free is installed, Windows Defender detects it via registry/Windows
Security Center integration and **turns off its real‑time scanning** to avoid conflicts.

- **Automatic Re‑Enable:**
Once AVG Free is uninstalled, Windows Defender **reactivates automatically**.
MsMpEng.exe resumes scanning without requiring a reset or manual intervention.

- **No Reset Needed:**
You don’t need to “reset” Defender. The service is designed to monitor the
system state and re‑enable itself when no other antivirus is present.

### User Responsibilities During Transition

1. **Verify Protection Status:**
- After uninstalling AVG, open the **Windows Security app** to confirm that
Microsoft Defender Antivirus is active.

- Check that real‑time protection is turned on.

2. **Update Signatures:**
- Ensure Defender updates its virus definitions (done automatically via Windows Update).

3. **Avoid Gaps in Coverage:**
- Don’t leave the system without any antivirus.
Make sure Defender is active immediately after removing AVG.

4. **Optional Manual Scan:**
- Run a full scan with Defender after uninstalling AVG to ensure no threats
slipped through during the transition.

### Summary

- **Yes**, `Microsoft.SecHealthUI` is the Windows Security panel.
- **Yes**, MsMpEng.exe resumes scanning automatically after AVG is removed.
- **No reset is required**—Defender is self‑managing.
- **Your role** is simply to confirm Defender is active, updated, and performing scans after the switch.

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/techtips/how-to-stop-antimalware-service-executable-from-high-cpu-disk-usage/
https://wphtaccess.com/2025/08/13/stop-or-remove-antimalware-service-executable-on-windows-11/

Paul

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

Thanks, Paul.

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Sun, 7 Dec 2025 04:20:21 -0500, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

On Sun, 12/7/2025 12:51 AM, micky wrote:

I missed the fine print. It says I have to have a personal microft
account with a microsoft-365 personal or family subsciption. But in
win11, I'm using Windows Defender without microsoft-365!!!!

I made a CoPilot question out of this, as follows.
You should not have to reinstall Windows Defender.
The Security panel should indicate that the thing is running again.

*******

CoPilot Question:

I am trying to understand some Windows Security items in Windows 11.

This appears to be Windows Defender.

%ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender
MsMpEng.exe
MpCmdRun.exe

Is the following item the "Windows Security" panel ?

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.SecHealthUI*

When a person installs AVG Free, some registry location is
set, indicating to Windows Defender that it is not needed
for real time scanning of files.

When AVG Free is removed, does MSMpEng start scanning
again all on its own ?

Does "Windows Defender" need to be reset, to make MsMpEng.exe work again ?

What are the user responsibilities, for this sort of transition?
(Windows Defender to AVG Free and back to Windows Defender only again.)

******************************

CoPilot Answer:

**Quick Answer:**

Yes, `Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.SecHealthUI*` refers to the **Windows Security app**
(the panel you see in Settings). When you install a third?party antivirus like AVG Free,
Windows Defender (Microsoft Defender Antivirus) disables its real?time protection automatically.
Once AVG is uninstalled, **MsMpEng.exe (Antimalware Service Executable)** resumes
scanning on its own - no manual reset is required. Your responsibility is mainly to
ensure that either AVG or Defender is active, updated, and not left disabled during
the transition.

### Breaking Down the Components

- **MsMpEng.exe**
- This is the **Antimalware Service Executable**, the core scanning engine of
Microsoft Defender Antivirus. It runs background scans and provides real?time protection.

- **MpCmdRun.exe**
- A command?line utility for Microsoft Defender. It lets administrators run scans,
update signatures, and configure Defender manually.

- **Microsoft.SecHealthUI**
- This package is the **Windows Security app** (formerly called Windows Defender
Security Center). It provides the graphical dashboard where you manage antivirus,
firewall, and other protection settings.

### Behavior with Third?Party Antivirus (AVG Free)

- **Automatic Disable:**
When AVG Free is installed, Windows Defender detects it via registry/Windows
Security Center integration and **turns off its real?time scanning** to avoid conflicts.

- **Automatic Re?Enable:**
Once AVG Free is uninstalled, Windows Defender **reactivates automatically**.
MsMpEng.exe resumes scanning without requiring a reset or manual intervention.

- **No Reset Needed:**
You don�t need to �reset� Defender. The service is designed to monitor the
system state and re?enable itself when no other antivirus is present.

### User Responsibilities During Transition

1. **Verify Protection Status:**
- After uninstalling AVG, open the **Windows Security app** to confirm that
Microsoft Defender Antivirus is active.

- Check that real?time protection is turned on.

2. **Update Signatures:**
- Ensure Defender updates its virus definitions (done automatically via Windows Update).

3. **Avoid Gaps in Coverage:**
- Don�t leave the system without any antivirus.
Make sure Defender is active immediately after removing AVG.

4. **Optional Manual Scan:**
- Run a full scan with Defender after uninstalling AVG to ensure no threats
slipped through during the transition.

### Summary

- **Yes**, `Microsoft.SecHealthUI` is the Windows Security panel.
- **Yes**, MsMpEng.exe resumes scanning automatically after AVG is removed.
- **No reset is required**�Defender is self?managing.
- **Your role** is simply to confirm Defender is active, updated, and performing scans after the switch.

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/techtips/how-to-stop-antimalware-service-executable-from-high-cpu-disk-usage/
https://wphtaccess.com/2025/08/13/stop-or-remove-antimalware-service-executable-on-windows-11/

Paul

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

In alt.comp.os.windows-11, on Sun, 7 Dec 2025 01:27:46 -0500, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

I'm not going that far. I mean I moved my email and newsgroups to the
win11 computer, and I keep t he win10 laptop next to where I sleep, for
when I think of something I want to check before I sleep or when I wake
up. The other win10 computer has 32gigs of RAM and runs well, but the
monitor, which I bought cheaply at a hamfest 10 years ago is not working

Cheap because it was second hand. Even has a noticeable scratch on the
picture part, but luckily, can only see that when there is no image on
the screen.

well, sometimes, and I have to buy another one, but there are so many
choices I don't know what to buy.

I've found if you watch youtube, especially police chase videos, etc.,
on the laptops, and they already have subtitles but then y ou add the
youtube real-time subtitles, they are often one on top of another. Yet
you need them both because often the ones proivided don't capture the
parts that are hardest to hear, that youtube subtitles do preey well on.
But when I watch those videos on the bigger monitor they are not on top
of each other, but one is below the other. I have a 20" monitor now and
thinkI'll get 22". Bigger than that and I think I'd have to sit farther
from the screen and the keyboard, and my arms won't grow anymore.

The monitors I've seen at the store, trend towards the larger
sizes. I wanted to replace my 1440x900 monitor with another, but
there is nothing like that for sale. It is generally 1920x1080 minimum.
The next size would be 2560x1600, and after that comes 3840x2160.
And for that last 4K choice, you might want a 32" monitor to be using
that many pixels.

They would happy to sell that to you. Higher price, more profit.

A friend has, since 2017, a large curved monitor, and I thought they
might become very popular, but I don't think I saw any for sale.

17", 19" probably not (check around Jan10 for stock of those in Staples)
22", 27", 32", bigger (1920x1080, 2560x1600, 3840x2160).

I don't really consider this "choice" any more. There are fewer choices
at least at retail stores. And online, a smaller monitor might be a
"special order".

Keep an eye out for the color. My new monitor, the color is off.
My 20 year old monitor still has good color, and that's how I
detected the new monitor was off. A gray might be rendered as a
light shade of purple.

Years ago, when black clothes faded in the washing machine, I think they
came out purple. Dyes are better now, or maybe I have no new clothes.

And as for whether they make really really bad panels, they
save those for cheap laptops. 1366x768 panels, yes, they still
make those. And, they make those with 40% of the normal color range.
That would be a cheap twisted nematic (TN).

The standalone monitors are IPS (edge lit) and VA. The VA might be a
bit slower on GTG (gray to gray) time. The IPS has 178 degree viewing angle, >which means the intensity variation is 10:1 at 178 degrees or so.
Translated into English, that means you can move your head a little
bit from side to side, without a lot of color or intensity shift.
Whereas with a TN panel, the panel has to be tilted at just
the right angle, your head can only be in one spot, and then...
you can read it.

I'm probably okay with that. I do rotate the laptop when I use it
during the midday hours** that the outdoor images reflect off the
screen. (Room is on the north side of the house, and I think this is
only bad on sunny days.) The stand-alone monitor that needs replacing
is already at 90^ from the window, so it doesn't reflect images in my
direction anyhow, and I sit pretty much in only one place.

**It's almost 9AM now and there is a reflection, but it's not bright
enough to be a distraction. Even in midday it probably has to be a sunny
day for me to notice the reflection. When I do I rotate the laptop
some so that angle of view changes. But I'm not shopping for a new
laptop.

Paul

--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Sun, 12/7/2025 12:20 AM, micky wrote:

... The other win10 computer has 32gigs of RAM and runs well, but the
monitor, which I bought cheaply at a hamfest 10 years ago is not working
well, sometimes, and I have to buy another one, but there are so many
choices I don't know what to buy.

I've found if you watch youtube, especially police chase videos, etc.,
on the laptops, and they already have subtitles but then y ou add the
youtube real-time subtitles, they are often one on top of another. Yet
you need them both because often the ones proivided don't capture the
parts that are hardest to hear, that youtube subtitles do preey well on.
But when I watch those videos on the bigger monitor they are not on top
of each other, but one is below the other. I have a 20" monitor now and
thinkI'll get 22". Bigger than that and I think I'd have to sit farther
from the screen and the keyboard, and my arms won't grow anymore.

On 2025-12-07, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

The monitors I've seen at the store, trend towards the larger
sizes. I wanted to replace my 1440x900 monitor with another, but
there is nothing like that for sale. It is generally 1920x1080 minimum.
The next size would be 2560x1600, and after that comes 3840x2160.
And for that last 4K choice, you might want a 32" monitor to be using
that many pixels.

17", 19" probably not (check around Jan10 for stock of those in Staples)
22", 27", 32", bigger (1920x1080, 2560x1600, 3840x2160).

I don't really consider this "choice" any more. There are fewer choices
at least at retail stores. And online, a smaller monitor might be a
"special order".

For workbenches in the shop, where you want a screen for each station,
I'm generally happy with the cheapest monitor on the shelf at BestBuy,
which is usually a 22" 1080p. That also works well with the older
smaller computers in those slots.

For my desk, I have in recent years gone with a 42" 4K Roku TV.
To make that work, you need a newish computer that can do the 4K
resolution, or you have to add a 4K video card, which costs more
than a cheap TV. In practice, I may set the desktop resolution on the
computer lower, especially if I am using a remote desktop app like
TigerVNC, because the screen updates get way slower when using too high resolution. For a smaller screen (32"?) you could go to FHD resolution
(1080p, 1920x1080 pixels).

The larger screen with high resolution allows me to keep 3 or 4 windows
open on the screen. In my workflows, this works very well. For example,
for my "work" work:
- one window for email (Thunderbird)
- one or two for webpages (Edge or Chrome)
- one for a spreadsheet (OpenOffice or LibreOffice)
- one for a text document (OpenOffice or LibreOffice)
Or for working on my home photo library:
- one file manager window for the folder I just imported to (generally a
on the local PC)
- one file manager window to browse around in the main archive
- one file manager to the album I am working on
- one command window for running scripts (Perl scripts that I write)
- one picture manager window (digiKam, showFoto) for tagging, face
recognition etc.

TVs are much cheaper than dedicated monitors in the same size.
I can find TCL Roku or Google TVs 40"-43" from USD 150 to USD 250
at this moment; prices fluctuate, with a string of sales from ëarly
black friday" via "Thanksgiving", "Christmas", "after Christmas" and "Superbowl" all being good excuses for reducing prices on TVs.
I do not do gaming, so the frame rate is irrelevant to me.

As for "too close" - that is mostly an outdated idea. For movies, you
want to have the screen small enough in your field of vision that
you can see the whole screen without turning your head. For information
work, you move your gaze from window to window, and the windows you look
at less often, can be moved to the upper corners, just like you might
put a reference book on a side table.

Keep an eye out for the color. My new monitor, the color is off.
My 20 year old monitor still has good color, and that's how I
detected the new monitor was off. A gray might be rendered as a
light shade of purple.

And as for whether they make really really bad panels, they
save those for cheap laptops. 1366x768 panels, yes, they still
make those. And, they make those with 40% of the normal color range.
That would be a cheap twisted nematic (TN).

The standalone monitors are IPS (edge lit) and VA. The VA might be a
bit slower on GTG (gray to gray) time. The IPS has 178 degree viewing angle, which means the intensity variation is 10:1 at 178 degrees or so.
Translated into English, that means you can move your head a little
bit from side to side, without a lot of color or intensity shift.
Whereas with a TN panel, the panel has to be tilted at just
the right angle, your head can only be in one spot, and then...
you can read it.

I had to Google VA and IPS - never heard about them.
https://www.rtings.com/monitor/learn/ips-vs-va
--
Lars Poulsen - an old geek in Santa Barbara, California
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Sun, 12/7/2025 9:18 AM, Lars Poulsen wrote:

On Sun, 12/7/2025 12:20 AM, micky wrote:

... The other win10 computer has 32gigs of RAM and runs well, but the
monitor, which I bought cheaply at a hamfest 10 years ago is not working >>> well, sometimes, and I have to buy another one, but there are so many
choices I don't know what to buy.

I've found if you watch youtube, especially police chase videos, etc.,
on the laptops, and they already have subtitles but then y ou add the
youtube real-time subtitles, they are often one on top of another. Yet
you need them both because often the ones proivided don't capture the
parts that are hardest to hear, that youtube subtitles do preey well on. >>> But when I watch those videos on the bigger monitor they are not on top
of each other, but one is below the other. I have a 20" monitor now and >>> thinkI'll get 22". Bigger than that and I think I'd have to sit farther >>> from the screen and the keyboard, and my arms won't grow anymore.

On 2025-12-07, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

The monitors I've seen at the store, trend towards the larger
sizes. I wanted to replace my 1440x900 monitor with another, but
there is nothing like that for sale. It is generally 1920x1080 minimum.
The next size would be 2560x1600, and after that comes 3840x2160.
And for that last 4K choice, you might want a 32" monitor to be using
that many pixels.

17", 19" probably not (check around Jan10 for stock of those in Staples)
22", 27", 32", bigger (1920x1080, 2560x1600, 3840x2160).

I don't really consider this "choice" any more. There are fewer choices
at least at retail stores. And online, a smaller monitor might be a
"special order".

For workbenches in the shop, where you want a screen for each station,
I'm generally happy with the cheapest monitor on the shelf at BestBuy,
which is usually a 22" 1080p. That also works well with the older
smaller computers in those slots.

For my desk, I have in recent years gone with a 42" 4K Roku TV.
To make that work, you need a newish computer that can do the 4K
resolution, or you have to add a 4K video card, which costs more
than a cheap TV. In practice, I may set the desktop resolution on the computer lower, especially if I am using a remote desktop app like
TigerVNC, because the screen updates get way slower when using too high resolution. For a smaller screen (32"?) you could go to FHD resolution (1080p, 1920x1080 pixels).

The larger screen with high resolution allows me to keep 3 or 4 windows
open on the screen. In my workflows, this works very well. For example,
for my "work" work:
- one window for email (Thunderbird)
- one or two for webpages (Edge or Chrome)
- one for a spreadsheet (OpenOffice or LibreOffice)
- one for a text document (OpenOffice or LibreOffice)
Or for working on my home photo library:
- one file manager window for the folder I just imported to (generally a
on the local PC)
- one file manager window to browse around in the main archive
- one file manager to the album I am working on
- one command window for running scripts (Perl scripts that I write)
- one picture manager window (digiKam, showFoto) for tagging, face
recognition etc.

TVs are much cheaper than dedicated monitors in the same size.
I can find TCL Roku or Google TVs 40"-43" from USD 150 to USD 250
at this moment; prices fluctuate, with a string of sales from ëarly
black friday" via "Thanksgiving", "Christmas", "after Christmas" and "Superbowl" all being good excuses for reducing prices on TVs.
I do not do gaming, so the frame rate is irrelevant to me.

As for "too close" - that is mostly an outdated idea. For movies, you
want to have the screen small enough in your field of vision that
you can see the whole screen without turning your head. For information
work, you move your gaze from window to window, and the windows you look
at less often, can be moved to the upper corners, just like you might
put a reference book on a side table.

Keep an eye out for the color. My new monitor, the color is off.
My 20 year old monitor still has good color, and that's how I
detected the new monitor was off. A gray might be rendered as a
light shade of purple.

And as for whether they make really really bad panels, they
save those for cheap laptops. 1366x768 panels, yes, they still
make those. And, they make those with 40% of the normal color range.
That would be a cheap twisted nematic (TN).

The standalone monitors are IPS (edge lit) and VA. The VA might be a
bit slower on GTG (gray to gray) time. The IPS has 178 degree viewing angle, >> which means the intensity variation is 10:1 at 178 degrees or so.
Translated into English, that means you can move your head a little
bit from side to side, without a lot of color or intensity shift.
Whereas with a TN panel, the panel has to be tilted at just
the right angle, your head can only be in one spot, and then...
you can read it.

I had to Google VA and IPS - never heard about them.
https://www.rtings.com/monitor/learn/ips-vs-va

I got a video card just yesterday, for $100 CDN and it is
HDMI 2.0 (4K60). Apparently, the computer store chain bought
at least three hundred of those (they put a piece of tape on
the side of the box, and they write an item count on the tape as
the item is removed from the pallet). That's cheaper
than a lot of current generation cards. It replaces a similar
kind of card bought years ago for $40 CDN (now that was a gutless
card!).

https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/geforce-gt-1030.c2954

The too-big monitor is a reference to placing multiple
monitors on a desktop and the edge of one monitor, blocking
a second monitor. The combination of all the sizes, has to fit
for you to use them all properly. There isn't room to replace
the 1440x900 monitor with a 27" 4K one.

So while it is OK to go crazy with a single monitor in front
of you, there are monitor combinations where you have to
fit them all in. I have other stuff on the desktop besides monitors,
so the monitor arrangement has to work around the other objects.
For example, I have two computers, one stacked on top of the
other, and that tends to block out some of my view.

My desk is 56" wide and 48" deep, and there are still limits
on the monitor arrangement, due to other stuff on the table
The reason the desk is 56" wide now, is I built an extension
on the side of it this summer. Now stuff doesn't fall off it
any more :-)

Paul
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

Paul wrote:

On Sun, 12/7/2025 12:51 AM, micky wrote:

I missed the fine print. It says I have to have a personal microft
account with a microsoft-365 personal or family subsciption. But in
win11, I'm using Windows Defender without microsoft-365!!!!

I made a CoPilot question out of this, as follows.
You should not have to reinstall Windows Defender.
The Security panel should indicate that the thing is running again.

*******

CoPilot Question:

I am trying to understand some Windows Security items in Windows 11.

This appears to be Windows Defender.

%ProgramFiles%\Windows Defender
MsMpEng.exe
MpCmdRun.exe

Is the following item the "Windows Security" panel ?

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.SecHealthUI*

When a person installs AVG Free, some registry location is
set, indicating to Windows Defender that it is not needed
for real time scanning of files.

When AVG Free is removed, does MSMpEng start scanning
again all on its own ?

Does "Windows Defender" need to be reset, to make MsMpEng.exe work
again ?

What are the user responsibilities, for this sort of transition?
(Windows Defender to AVG Free and back to Windows Defender only
again.)

******************************

CoPilot Answer:

**Quick Answer:**

Yes, `Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.SecHealthUI*` refers to the
**Windows Security app** (the panel you see in Settings). When you
install a third-party antivirus like AVG Free,
Windows Defender (Microsoft Defender Antivirus) disables its
real-time protection automatically.
Once AVG is uninstalled, **MsMpEng.exe (Antimalware Service
Executable)** resumes
scanning on its own - no manual reset is required. Your
responsibility is mainly to
ensure that either AVG or Defender is active, updated, and not left
disabled during
the transition.

### Breaking Down the Components

- **MsMpEng.exe**
- This is the **Antimalware Service Executable**, the core scanning
engine of Microsoft Defender Antivirus. It runs background scans
and provides real-time protection.

- **MpCmdRun.exe**
- A command-line utility for Microsoft Defender. It lets
administrators run scans, update signatures, and configure
Defender manually.

- **Microsoft.SecHealthUI**
- This package is the **Windows Security app** (formerly called
Windows Defender Security Center). It provides the graphical
dashboard where you manage antivirus, firewall, and other
protection settings.

### Behavior with Third-Party Antivirus (AVG Free)

- **Automatic Disable:**
When AVG Free is installed, Windows Defender detects it via
registry/Windows Security Center integration and **turns off its
real-time scanning** to avoid conflicts.

- **Automatic Re-Enable:**
Once AVG Free is uninstalled, Windows Defender **reactivates
automatically**. MsMpEng.exe resumes scanning without requiring a
reset or manual intervention.

- **No Reset Needed:**
You don't need to "reset" Defender. The service is designed to
monitor the system state and re-enable itself when no other
antivirus is present.

### User Responsibilities During Transition

1. **Verify Protection Status:**
- After uninstalling AVG, open the **Windows Security app** to
confirm that Microsoft Defender Antivirus is active.

- Check that real-time protection is turned on.

2. **Update Signatures:**
- Ensure Defender updates its virus definitions (done automatically
via Windows Update).

3. **Avoid Gaps in Coverage:**
- Don't leave the system without any antivirus.
Make sure Defender is active immediately after removing AVG.

4. **Optional Manual Scan:**
- Run a full scan with Defender after uninstalling AVG to ensure no
threats slipped through during the transition.

### Summary

- **Yes**, `Microsoft.SecHealthUI` is the Windows Security panel.
- **Yes**, MsMpEng.exe resumes scanning automatically after AVG is
removed.
- **No reset is required**-Defender is self-managing.
- **Your role** is simply to confirm Defender is active, updated, and performing scans after the switch.

https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/techtips/how-to-stop-antimalware-service-executable-from-high-cpu-disk-usage/
https://wphtaccess.com/2025/08/13/stop-or-remove-antimalware-service-executable-on-windows-11/

Paul

START "" /WAIT "C:\Program Files\Windows
Defender\MpCmdRun.exe" -SignatureUpdate -MMPC
START "" /WAIT "C:\Program Files\Windows Defender\MpCmdRun.exe" -Scan -1
Echo off
cls

if %errorlevel%==0 goto :NoThreats
if %errorlevel%==2 goto :ThreatsFound
:NoThreats
Echo No Threats.
goto :gotoend

:ThreatsFound
Echo Threats Found.
goto :gotoend

:gotoend
Pause

I do not know if this batch does any good but I have it as an icon on my desktop and it is the first thing I run when I start my computer. It is quicker than opening Windows Security. I am lazy.
--
<Bill>

Brought to you from Anchorage, Alaska


--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On 2025-12-07, Paul <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

I got a video card just yesterday, for $100 CDN and it is
HDMI 2.0 (4K60). Apparently, the computer store chain bought
at least three hundred of those (they put a piece of tape on
the side of the box, and they write an item count on the tape as
the item is removed from the pallet). That's cheaper
than a lot of current generation cards. It replaces a similar
kind of card bought years ago for $40 CDN (now that was a gutless
card!).
https://www.techpowerup.com/gpu-specs/geforce-gt-1030.c2954

When I put the 42" up at work a couple of years ago, the 4K video card
was $250 from Neweggg.

The too-big monitor is a reference to placing multiple
monitors on a desktop and the edge of one monitor, blocking
a second monitor. The combination of all the sizes, has to fit
for you to use them all properly. There isn't room to replace
the 1440x900 monitor with a 27" 4K one.

Yes, in that situation it may make sense to use one of the tandem stands
with two monitors. My son-in-law uses one of those at his home desk; and
his laptop's screen is the third screen.

So while it is OK to go crazy with a single monitor in front
of you, there are monitor combinations where you have to
fit them all in. I have other stuff on the desktop besides monitors,
so the monitor arrangement has to work around the other objects.
For example, I have two computers, one stacked on top of the
other, and that tends to block out some of my view.

I have two computers as well: A Windows, and a Linux. But I use a KVM
switch. I mostly use the Windows desktop and then have an SSH session
into the Linux box as well as a browser window and a file manager window
into the Samba mount, when I am working with files in Linux. Mostly, the
only thing I use from the Linux desktop is digiKam; all the other things
I use, run in server mode.

My desk is 56" wide and 48" deep, and there are still limits
on the monitor arrangement, due to other stuff on the table
The reason the desk is 56" wide now, is I built an extension
on the side of it this summer. Now stuff doesn't fall off it
any more :-)

Mine is not that deep; if it were, both computers would be behind the
monitor instead of the Linux box being under the desk.
--
Lars Poulsen - an old geek in Santa Barbara, California
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: alt.comp.os.windows-11

On Mon, 8 Dec 2025 00:52:44 -0000 (UTC), Lars Poulsen wrote:

I have two computers as well: A Windows, and a Linux. But I use a KVM
switch. I mostly use the Windows desktop and then have an SSH session
into the Linux box as well as a browser window and a file manager window
into the Samba mount, when I am working with files in Linux. Mostly, the
only thing I use from the Linux desktop is digiKam; all the other things
I use, run in server mode.

I've got a 4 channel KVM. The current configuration is Lenovo EndeavourOS laptop, Acer Windows 11 laptop, Fedora tower, and Ubuntu mini. There are
never enough channels so I currently SSH or VNC into the RPi 5, and SSH to
the RPi 3+ on the PiDog. The old Acer netbook is a standalone.

I need more machines, Santa.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2