Hartland Computer Services

03/25/2026

If you're confused by the new Foreign Wi-Fi Router Ban, you should be, it's weird. My guess is it was developed by a committee that doesn't understand the router market or desktop security, it's the only thing that would make sense.

My advice is to do nothing until this gets modified or reversed. These companies have deep pockets, they'll pony up.

If you own your own router, not supplied by Spectrum, Metronet or Widstream, do make sure the login isn't Admin/Admin or whatever default it came with. If you don't know how to do that, don't sweat it, this will increase your computer security by the same amount as asking your spouse if they locked the front door before going to bed.

To say this another way, routers may indeed be vulnerable, but this is not how residential users "get hacked".

EXCEPTION: If you own a business and are using a consumer type router in your office(s), you may want to take this opportunity to review your security.

: Unfortunately, there aren't many options unless you're Starlink

03/13/2026

Apple just released the MacBook Neo at $599 — their cheapest laptop ever — and it's genuinely worth a look if you're a Windows user in the market for a new computer. I haven't had one on my bench yet (but I will), so take this as informed first impressions rather than a personal recommendation. For everyday tasks like email, web browsing, video calls, and light document work, it looks like a strong machine at a price that used to be impossible for Apple.

That said, the main compromise is memory — it ships with 8GB RAM and there's no option to add more. That's fine for casual use but worth knowing upfront, especially if you tend to keep a lot of browser tabs open or multitask heavily. If you know you need more RAM, the MacBook Air is still available and can be configured with plenty — just at a higher price point. The $700 model adds Touch ID and doubles the storage, which is probably worth the extra $100 if this is your main machine.

The bigger consideration for most of my customers is the platform switch itself. Moving from Windows to macOS isn't just a learning curve — it's a different way of thinking about how your computer works. File management, software compatibility, and even basic shortcuts all behave differently. Most people adapt fine, but it takes time, and some software you rely on may not have a Mac version. If you're open to that transition and mostly use your computer for everyday tasks, the Neo is a genuinely compelling option.

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11/30/2025

𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗼𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵

Six weeks after the “end” of Windows 10 in October, we are still daily fielding questions about it so I’ve decided to describe what I’m personally doing in my house about it.

𝗗𝗮𝗱
I have 4 computers assigned to me: a Windows desktop (also used for work), a Windows laptop, an Apple MacBook Air, and a Linux desktop (mostly used for work). Here’s my plan:

• 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗸𝘁𝗼𝗽 – Stay on Windows 10 until October 2026, enrol in Microsoft Extended Update Program for Windows 10
• 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗟𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗽 – Ditto
• 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 – Move most of my personal computing to this platform
• 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘅 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗸𝘁𝗼𝗽 – Stay the course, use for special projects only

𝗠𝗼𝗺
Mom has a really nice Lenovo ThinkPad that cannot be upgraded to Windows 11; this machine will go on the Extended Update Program and probably remain in service until October 2026 running Windows 10.

However, Mom does the books. For reasons that I suspect are a result of conspiracy rather than technical or security issues, TurboTax, Quicken, and QuickBooks will no longer support Windows 10. It’s not clear how this will play out, but Mom probably needs access to Windows 11 to install TurboTax for the coming tax season. My original plan was to upgrade Mom to a new computer with Windows 11 on it, but that means I would have to support this ridiculously unstable, insecure, and moving-in-the-wrong-direction OS. So instead, I’ve decided to roll out a temporary Windows 11 computer on which we’ll install Windows 11 and TurboTax, with the expectation of wiping the whole thing later.

𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗿
No change. This is MacBook Air.

𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗿
No change. Hand-me-down MacBook.

I think with AI entering the chat, we are moving into a space where it’s going to become impossible to know what’s happening on your computer, what data is private (probably none), and just what and how information is being exfiltrated. I believe that the big IT companies are currently foisting retrograde encryption and VPNs on us because these give us the appearance of security while still leaving all our data and behaviors available for them to harvest.

The good news is that it’s probably too late to do anything about this and any effort now is just closing the barn door after the cows get out. But St. Jude and I have always had a close relationship, so I’ll keep trying.