Get Me Out of This Menu Maze!

Battle Born Tech

00:00 / 00:29:17

Get Me Out of This Menu Maze!

This week on Battle Born Tech℠ we recruit Suzy, Brian, and Lee to the battle. A brand-new security camera recorder demands a password its owner never set, a taskbar that Windows nailed to the bottom of the screen five years ago finally comes loose, and a new laptop survives a weak power supply and a tumble off the desk, then asks which recovery option you trust.

Suzy in Carson City is wiring up her security cameras, and the recorder box (the NVR) wants an administrator password. The manual with the factory default is at home and she is at work. Christy walks through where defaults hide, the reset button inside the case, and the three things to do the minute you get in: change the password, keep the recorder off the open internet, and update its firmware. The French supermarket fridge hack this month went through controllers running old firmware, so that last one is not optional.

Brian is back about his taskbar. Last time the fix was a third-party program. This time Windows 11 26H2 lets you put the taskbar on the top, left, or right side again: Settings, Personalization, Taskbar, Taskbar behaviors, Taskbar position. If you are still on 24H2 Home or Pro, that version stopped getting security updates on October 13, so run Windows Update first.

Linux Lee bought a new laptop that came with Windows, and Windows gave him a workout: a charger that was too weak, a trip over the cord, and a blue recovery screen. Clicking Continue worked, but the real lesson is what sits behind Troubleshoot: System Restore, which you have to turn on yourself, and Safe Mode with Networking, the fifth option in Startup Settings. Hold Shift while you click Restart to get to that menu anytime.

Corrections

From last week: In our spyware story, the researchers who exposed the scheme were Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, working with the ad-security firm Confiant. The company delivering the spyware through ads was an Israeli ad agency called Discover-Tech, whose ads reached more than 120,000 websites and 75,000 apps. And before you buy, give away, or keep using a laptop, check for BitLocker. The command is in the Battle Plans.

From this episode: We said Windows versions last 18 months. That was the Windows 10 rule. Windows 11 Home and Pro versions get 24 months of security updates; Enterprise and Education get 36.

We also said the refrigeration hackers had attacked U.S. military bases. What is confirmed: the Pentagon is investigating freezer failures at base commissaries in late August as a suspected cyberattack. Investigators have not confirmed a hack, identified the equipment, or tied it to the French supermarket attack. The same goes for other European incidents: none has been confirmed as part of the same campaign.

On the iOS 18 update for older iPhones: the most recent iOS 18 security release we could confirm is iOS 18.7.8 from April 2026. Check Settings, General, Software Update for anything newer, and install it.

We are often in the studio Saturdays 9 am to 11 am and Sundays 7 pm to 9 pm Pacific. Have your smart phone or speaker remind you to call! Call direct to studio then or anytime at 775-241-3571 and set up a time to battle your tech!

“It’s AI agents all the way down.”

“A zero day is now a zero minute.”

“Please change it right away, because we’ve already said two on the air.”

“I said, wait a minute, I better call Battle Born Tech.”

“If you have safe mode, I guess the other mode is unsafe mode.”

“Laptops don’t like to go bungee jumping off the power cord.”

AI assisted to make us sound more human.

Battle Born Tech℠,
where the Wi-Fi is strong,
the fonts are good-looking, and the passwords are above average.

BATTLE PLANS
with help from Claude.ai

NVR

Network video recorder: the box that collects and stores video from your security cameras over your home network. The older cousin, a DVR, takes a direct wire from each camera.

Default Password

The password a device ships with. It is in the manual, on a sticker, or on the maker’s website, which means everyone else can find it too. Change it the first day, and write the new one down where only you can find it.

Firmware

The built-in software that runs a gadget like a camera recorder or a fridge controller. Updating it closes the holes attackers use to get in.

BitLocker Check

Settings, Privacy & security, Device encryption. Or open Command Prompt as administrator and type:
manage-bde -status C:
If it says Protection On, make sure you have the recovery key before you reset, repair, or hand off the machine.

Windows Version

Microsoft’s yearly editions of Windows 11, named by year and half: 24H2, 25H2, 26H2. Home and Pro get security updates for two years each; Enterprise and Education get three. Check yours under Settings, System, About.

Shift + Restart

Hold the Shift key while you click Restart in the Start menu. Windows reboots into the blue recovery menu with Troubleshoot, Startup Settings, System Restore, and reinstall options. Turn off BitLocker before major repair work.

Restore Point

A snapshot of Windows settings and drivers you can roll back to after a bad update or driver. Off by default on many machines. Search for Create a restore point, turn protection on for drive C, and make one now.

Safe Mode with Networking

A stripped-down start with only the basics loaded, plus internet. It is option 5 in Startup Settings. Malware usually cannot run there, and sometimes a normal restart afterward is all it takes.