The June 2020 PC Updater News is available now, here. Missed issues and the free newsletter signup page are here.
This issue covers how to recognize both a trojan horse attempting to breach the city gates, and how to recognize a file claiming to be something you want, when it’s just another attempt to breach computer security, usually ransomware, banking and mail login capture software, or cryptominers.
Well, the whatever that is from my last post would appear to be Microsoft’s answer to Google’s Doodle, except if it were second-to-market, minimalistic, and intrusive on the desktop. I still haven’t found Microsoft’s announcement of this feature, whatsit, or whatever. But “Search Highlights” does sometimes pop up search results on mouseover, just not immediately. Triggering the search related to the search image is done by mousing over the image and pausing for at least one second. Apparently, it changes daily.
Here’s the turtle version, for May 23rd, World Turtle Day.
And today, May 24th, is apparently for the European Day of Parks.
Again, it can be turned off by right-clicking the start bar, and next to Search, unchecking ‘Show search highlights.’
There’s a picture in the Windows 10 Search bar. This started after the May 2022 Windows Update, and so far, I’ve seen either owls, a swimming turtle, tennis, a tea cup with what might be mint, or a purple flower and a bee. No idea what this kiddy cartoon is called other than looking very much look a toolbar added by malware. Or a BHO, also known as a browser helper object. Maybe a widget, a gadget? Maybe it’s a distant relative of the old Clippy, the Talking Paper Clip from Office ’97? Microsoft has used so many names for extra screen clutter over the years that this is clearly a Whatever. Yes, whatever that is.
Here’s how to turn off the Whatever: Right-click the Search box, and the menu will pop up as below. Uncheck ‘Show search highlights’. Done.
If anybody knows what that setting changes beyond adding cartoons to the bar, let me know and I’ll update this.
Updated May 21st with the tea cup. And on May 22nd with the Tennis image. And so on…