Map of recent visitors to Betty's

[Betty]

W10 is so malicious, that this will be the first time in history, since the usenet days that started in the 1980s, that some sites & services have blocked an OS, or blocked some sections & features from an OS. I will not have them put that crap on my other windows machines. If I have to, I'll go all Linux, android, & hackintosh & just give up my favorite windows compatible software. More likely though, if it becomes to difficult to keep their W10-style malware & spyware out of my windows machines, I run them all in XP or even a modified version of terrible Vista for 64 bit. Tweaked & hacked versions of Vista aren't all that bad.

I see there's a few browsers that won't support XP or Vista anymore. Considering there's millions of machines still running XP, & more still running Vista, that's just plain nuts. A good updated browser is one of the best ways to make those old machines more secure. Your browser, antivirus, other anti-malware, firewall, & their settings will be your best security, not the OS itself. Any OS can be attacked & hacked, no matter how old or new it is. The most popular ones, or the ones most likely used by careless & stupid people are the ones most targeted. Clearly, clicking on ads, pop-ups, or email offers from places they don't know, or sites offering movies, porn, & pictures that seem suspicious or seem to be spending too much time loading stuff, cookies, or scripts is dangerous.

I noticed MS started drifting away from mainstream standards over 10 years ago with their Explorer browser. They would design their browsers whatever way they want, then expected every website & server in the world to rewrite their software so it was compatible with explorer & every update, rather than design their browser to conform to international web standards.

It's not like it was a better design or something. Explorer, & now Edge browsers have consistently been one of the world's worst, least secure, & dangerous browsers.

Here at Betty's we gave up trying to support Explorer over a decade ago. It got to be about every month or 2 a windows update would change explorer, & every website in the world had to research & write pages of code to make the site compatible with the latest explorer update again.

Explorer & edge probably work good enough to get by here, but when it gives you problems, it's because the browser does not conform to well established international web standards, not Betty's. We will not re-write our entire sites every month or 2 just to get it to work well with Explorer, & Edge or their latest updates. They're not the center of the universe, & are terrible, unsafe browsers.

If you're not getting windows updates, you're also not getting Explorer & Edge updates, which make them even more un-secure. All the more reason to not use it & get another browser.

Explorer & Edge are also an integral part of Windows. Windows can't function without it, so you can't fully remove it. It's very dangerous to surf the web with an integral part of your OS. Don't use it on the web.

I stand corrected. My primary machine hasn't got a Microsoft update since Christmas eve. There is a recent C+ update. That was packaged with some video software required to make it run. I have several types of media software, they each run best with a specific version of C+, so there's several versions of it on the machines. There is also other software I manually update directly from the software company, not from MS. MS updates stay off these days. I don't even manually update from MS anymore for now.

Beware if you download & install any of the progams in the list below, some of it may contain some type of malware, that you must remove afterwards with your antivirus or malwarebytes, then clean up the registry with CCleaner. Even AVAST antivirus will try to install a google browser that you may not really want, that you will have to manually uninstall. I use a very old version of uTorrent (2009 or 2011 I think). New versions have adware, unless you get the paid version. The old versions are identical to the adware-free paid version, except it's free.

Always manual or custom install your software, never use the default or automatic installation. They will almost always try to install something you don't want. Read the wording of the installation carefully, they will try to trick you into installing something you don't want.

Format Factory & Freemake-Audio will always install malware even if you deny it (adware, toolbar, & data mining). So if you use them, you must be able to remove the malware yourself after installation. Almost any software you download from download.com/Cnet, they put malware into the packages. Download.com & cnet cannot be trusted anymore. Even their reviews & articles are no longer useful because they're paid for & bribed by their advertisers. Whenever possible try to download your software directly from the maker. If you must download from a service, Sourceforge, Filehippo, or even torrents are a bit safer than Cnet.

Screenshot - primary computer:

[Betty]

Meanwhile in China, they had banned windows 8 because they say it collects too much data & sends it to Microsoft. It was determined that W10 is even worse, so it also is banned. I imagine if they install this data mining & spyware on W7 too, it will also get banned.

Ironically, microsoft still supports XP in China until 2019, but in the lands of the free it is no longer "officially" supported. However, if you can fool your XP into thinking is a business or financial transaction machine, or a government machine, it will also be supported until 2019. My workaround was just to make XP think it was a "visiting" Chinese machine. About 1/4 of all PCs in China still run XP, & they're not getting infected or hacked any more that the newest OS out there. The machines aren't crashing either, & seem to last forever.

Since 2015, 40% of all new Dell computers sold in China are now running Chinese-made Linux, "NeoKylin". It looks like & imitates XP. The OS is gradually replacing the OS's on all their government machines, as China's official OS. It boasts privacy & security far beyond most western computers. They may not offer much freedom there, but they do place a high priority of privacy. I guess in a land of strict government control, even the people in control don't want microphones, cameras, & trackers in their home, office, & computers watching their every move.

Good news for China though. Microsoft has released a version of Windows 10 without any telemetry, spyware, adware, & tracking just for China, called Windows 10 Zhuangongban. But they won't release this good, friendly version to us in the land of the free. Just like with XP, they'll give China whatever they want, but screw the rest of us over. So I guess if I'm forced off of W7 someday, & XP no longer works but still need windows for some stuff, I'll have to make my computers think they're Chinese again, to get a good version of Windows or Linux.

But the fun didn't last long for the Chinese. Many of them were happily using W7, or illegally having W8 on their computers. It's illegal to sell W8 or a W8 computer in China, it's not illegal to have one or order one from outside the country. As soon as the Chinese approved the good safe version of W10, MS immediately started forcing or tricking the Chinese to upgrade just like they did here. Many did not know they were being upgraded using up all their internet bandwidth, wiping out their files, & sometimes crashing or bricking their computers (bricking-turning a device into dead weight to be used as a door stop, paperweight, or brick). Within a week, they racked up millions of complaints about forced W10 upgrades.

There's still a push to ban W10 in Russia.

In France last month they ruled that W10 violates their privacy laws. Microsoft has 2 more months to comply with their privacy laws, or risk getting sued, fined, & banned.

What happens when they find out MS is trying to infiltrate W7 & W8 with the same crap?

A realtor in the USA just successfully sued microsoft for $10,000 for damages to her computer, files, & lost business because of a forced W10 upgrade. But reports say the attorneys got most of the money. 3 men in Florida just filed a similar lawsuit.

MS insiders, "off the record" claim MS is deliberately trying to wipe out W7 & W8 in favor of their spyware, adware, & cloud-computing W10 model. The updates are designed to gradually erode, ruin, & infect older versions of Windows. They will deliberately make them MORE vulnerable too. Over time you'll find most of what you use in W10 will only be available by a subscription paid by the month or year. Even the cloud based computing will cost more to use.

I hate to say it people, but the best thing so far that you can do for your non-W10 windows machine is to not get any microsoft updates until MS stops this insanity, or governments & lawsuits intervene enough to knock some sense into them. When MS updates primary goal is to degrade W7 & W8, render them obsolete, & load you up with spyware or crap you don't want, the only sensible choice is to disable & block all MS updates, & probably remove most of your recent ones.

To keep secure, use a good anti-virus, anti-malware program, firewall, & some common sense. I am using windows firewall, but with no more updates, I may consider disabling it & getting a third party one in the future. Windows built-in defender anti-virus is useless. Disable or remove it. I'm connected through a router, routers offer some firewall protection too.

If China can force them to make or support a better OS why can't we? Why is France the only free country willing to stand up to MS & say this ain't right? Could all these other governments in the free world be so ignorant about this outrage, or could it be that they just love the ability to excessively spy on everyone with a push of a button?

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."  -  Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

They're pushing W10 to get several monthly checks from you in the future. Big corporate & goverment contracts are backing the adware & spyware too. This has been a long time in planning since W8. We didn't like it back then, so they're way behind schedule. So now they're pushing like hell, harder than ever to get W10 down our throats, even if they have to destroy W7 & W8 to do it.

I wonder if these geniuses ever considered that many would just drop them, go to mac, google, Linux, or Android instead?

Among their other plans was to break into to phone & portable device market. But the geniuses tried one OS for all & failed. Who wants the OS to turn their PC or laptop into a giant phone, or have their phone try to be a PC? Besides, who wants a phone or PC that imitates an android, when android already does it better, more reliably, & efficiently (android is also Linux)?

A recent survey conducted by OnePoll reveals that two-thirds of the Windows-based population would consider switching to a Mac due to the privacy concerns over Microsoft’s latest platform, Windows 10. I wonder how many would consider the cheaper route of Linux, android, or a chromebook, if they knew the transition would be easier than they thought. Some may already have. Some hours of some days, we have more android users here than any other OS. More people on an older ipad, & iphone than a more expensive mac too. Let's not forget when the new model of macs & iphones come out, the price of the older models drop considerably.

Take note that my 2005 Acer laptop currently sells quickly used, in working order for $125-$150. A 2005 mac ibook in working order sells for $50-$65 with no offers. A status symbol, is no longer a status symbol after the new model comes out.

[Betty]

Windows updates, including W7, which install telemetry are, KB3125574, KB3118401, KB3080149, KB3075249, KB3068708, KB3022345, KB3021917, KB2999226, and KB2952664. Either uninstall them, or opt out of installing them. Some of these updates gather telemetry about EVERYTHING which you do on your computer. In other words, these updates will still record a deep and detailed history on your computer of everything you do. There were professional tests done on windows "telemetry" for a half hour. After a half hour, over 300 separate telemetry data transmissions were sent from the computer to several dozen servers located around the world. MS has actively participated in the NSA's PRISM program for years. This is a KNOWN fact!

Thanks to the miracle of data compression, they can collect tons of data, store it in a small space, & send it around the world, in bits at a time, or when the machine is off, unattended, or in sleep/hibernation. If I can compress a 2-3 hour movie down to 200-300mb in size at 24 frames per second, with audio, that is still watchable, don't you think MS, & spies can too? Shrink that movie down to 6 frames per second, at VHS quality, with low-fi sound, & they can collect or transmit 3 hours of video with audio in a 50mb package. If there's cameras, & microphones in your computer, phone, tablet, or house, this "telemetry" can tap into it, & broadcast it to whoever they like.

I can broadcast 40 minutes of music in a 4-5mb package. 2 hours of "voice only" phone quality voice in a 5 mb package. Your conversations can be easily recorded, saved, & transmitted in an insignificant space that you wouldn't even notice. An easily recognizable snapshot of your face, or scratching your butt can be only 1-5kb in size.

Most shrug this stuff off saying, "Let them watch, I got nothing to hide". But do you? If you get a tax audit, will something you jokingly said or do, not realizing MS turned on your camera or phone microphone, be used to prosecute you for a crime you didn't commit? What if, you, a relative, or friend was going through a divorce, & some recording of something you said in jest threw the case?

You had a neighbor down the street who was a drug dealer or molester, but you had no idea. Seemed like a nice guy. You got along with him & try to get along with all your neighbors. But MS recorded you having conversations with them, exchanging an email, or chat with him, or perhaps borrowing his weed whacker. Suddenly when he's arrested, they claim you were involved, & as a co-conspirator. Something you innocently said or did, taken out of context, lands you in jail with him.

Even if later found "not guilty" you're still shamed by your neighbors & town for being "involved" & arrested. It may even be difficult to get a new job, or girlfriend because of it.

Apply for a job & you can get turned down by something you said in jest 5 years ago. Maybe you can't pass security clearance for a job, service, or opportunity because you said something bad about a politician or something in the government you didn't like a couple years back.

Even a recording or evidence of a discussion about your financial situation, taxes, or assets can get you rejected for a loan, mortgage, or insurance. You can get cheaper insurance or lower interest credit if they think you're a reliable nice safe person. What evidence will they use to determine that, & how was it collected? And who decides what is nice & nasty? Something you feel you is innocent harmless, safe behavior, someone else may determine is very bad behavior in their eyes, or may look very bad when taken out of context.

You may have had a heated discussion about a politician you hate. But if the politician is attacked the next day, suddenly you're a prime suspect who has to go bankrupt to pay a lawyer, & lose your job before you're proven innocent. What if the attacker was someone involved in the conversation? Suddenly you're nailed as a co-conspirator.

We all think we're innocent, & have nothing to hide, until someone comes to your door with a summons, warrant, or to take you away. Read the news. All too often, the wrong house was raided, the wrong guy shot, or the wrong guy went to prison. Many times the mistake isn't discovered for decades. How many times has the mistake never been revealed or discovered?

All this spying may be a great tool for law enforcement or security, but more often than not, the evidence collected is taken out of context, then twisted around to suit the needs & desires of the spies or prosecutors rather than to reveal the truth.

This is why most free countries have strict privacy laws.

[Betty]

I see facebook posted a banner on most people's "recent" page saying "25 years connecting people", which at first glance it makes people think FB has been around for 25 years. Nope, FB is relatively new to the internet. Newer than twitter, myspace, & google. Google only came around this century.

Then after misleading people who tap around & go on their portable devices, it goes on in small print to say the internet is 25 years old. Nope, that's wrong too.

I was on the internet on a computer at work in the late 1980s, & on the usenet since 1981. In the late 1980s the internet websites were mostly provided by universities, & some media giants. I remember visiting the Star Trek NG website on a friend's computer in the late 1980s.

Except for Yahoo, Betty's, & a few university run sites, I'm not aware of any other sites that still exist from even the mid 1990s anymore.

Don't believe everything you read on the internet, especially if it's hype, from a fad site, or facebook. The internet has been around a lot longer than 25 years kids, & the usenet was around even longer. You can see in the graph below there were 1,000 internet hosts by the mid-1980s, & 10,000 just before 1988.

[andyg0404]

Hi Betty,

I uninstalled the updates and I've also convinced my employer not to accept Windows 10.

Thanks for your help with this.

Andy G.

[Betty]

Unfortunately if they combine all updates into one big update like they said they will do, even in other versions of windows, you will no longer have a choice as to which update to accept, block, or remove. You'll have to accept the whole update package as 1 update, or deny it. Then in a few weeks when they come out with another update package, it will also include all the other updates you denied before. Already many of the updates you choose to remove or block, they try to unblock, or reinstall the next month. Or, they just rename the update & give it a new "KB" number so you don't know it's one of the bad ones you blocked before.

Just when you thought your windows machine was finally safe again, when they stopped nagging & forcing you to upgrade to W10 at the end of the July, It turns out Microsoft will continue to be relentless to get you to off W7 & W8.

They will ruin your W7 & W8 machines by loading it up with so much spyware, malware, & bloatware through their updates, you'll have no choice but to give up the OS & switch. In another words, many of the things people hated the most about W10, they will now try to dump into your W7, & W8 machines. They're under agreement to support W7 until 2020, & W8 until 2023. To get out of that, they'll just ruin it for you so you get to hate it.

If anybody else were to try to dump this kind of extreme spyware, data mining, trackers, & adware into our machines, we'd immediately block them or remove the malware. But it's supposed to be OK if it's from Microsoft? MS is not your friend & does not care about you or your older machine.

They & Apple have come right out & said that they expect people to get a new computer & device every 2 years. Can you imagine the size of the landfills if we were supposed to throw out all our devices every 2 years? But that is their goal. Can you imagine all the pollution generated, & resources wasted to make all those replacement devices for everybody every 2 years? It's not economically or ecologically sustainable to throw out everything every 2 years, & buy new. But that's what MS & Apple feel you should do, & now base their business models on it.

To refuse all updates on a company or corporate computer may cause some risks. There will always be some staff member doing careless or stupid things on the company computer. People visit porn sites, file share, or even read a dirty story at Betty's on their company computer.

Updates are supposed to make machines more secure & run better. But the largest source of malware is coming directly from Microsoft updates. Some of their other updates may ruin or break the computer, disable or remove features. It is far safer to block or shut off all their updates which are already known as malware dangers & risks, even if it means that without those updates, there's a small remote chance you may get malware those updates are "supposed" to protect you from.

MS insiders off the record claim that MS plans to get you off W7 & W8 at all costs, even by spoiling & ruining them with their updates. They say some updates are deliberately designed to slowly erode, ruin, & destroy W7 & W8. I wouldn't be surprised if some of their security & other patches are deliberately flawed to make the machines less secure, & less reliable. With the ruthless game they've been playing this past year, it would fit into their plan well.

I see no difference in the amount of computers getting infected, attacked, or hacked between people who regularly get MS updates & those who don't. Most infected & attacked computers are running W8, W10, windows servers, or Linux servers that were updated.

There are millions of people still using XP. Over 90% of the ATM machines & automated financial machines are using XP. When was the last time you read about just one of these XP machines getting hacked or infected? Sure, people have attached skimmers on them or other external devices on them to steal with. But we're not getting people hacking the machines themselves. Surely if they were as un-secure as the hype told us XP is, somebody would be making lots of money hacking them by now.

Yet, we still read on the news that if you're still using XP, you're at risk.

[Robyn Jodie]

Interestingly, Microsoft makes a special veresion of (pre-Windows 10) Windows for China, and China has actually outlawed the use of Windows 10 because it sends too much information to "a foreign power" (the US).  And I understand some European countries with strict privacy laws are getting ready to sue Microsoft.  It may be that they will release a European version of Windows 10...which one might be tempted to try to sneak across the border. :-)

[Betty]

Yep. I give full details about that & the lawsuits above,
http://buffalobetties.com/sissyboys/index.php?topic=860.msg10681#msg10681

Sorry about being missing for a few days.

Earlier in the week it got cooler & drier (before it got sticky hot again). It made me breathe a bit better. So I had to drop everything to do physical projects I was falling behind on, like house chores, while my breathing was still good enough. I can't really schedule anything physical, or even sleeping with COPD. When my breathing improves, I have to drop everything do as much as my physical chores as I can because I don't know when it will get worse, or how long it will last.

If I'm breathing best in the middle of a cool night, that's when I get some chores done, & take a nap in the heat of the day.

Checking the weather helps predict my breathing, because hot humid or damp days are the worst, even inside with air filters & AC. But sometimes it's bad for no obvious reason. The AC & air filters helps compared to outside air, but it isn't a perfect solution. The AC & air filters are small, so don't do enough on the worst days. But over time, the indoor air gets stale, O2 depleted, & must be refreshed with outside air, or eventually gets as hard to breathe as the outside air. Yep, even in the winter, I have to crack open a window to refresh the air at least a couple times a day.

Basically you can't use/recycle the same air over & over again, or it eventually becomes bad air.

Anyway, after a few days it got hot & muggy again. Although I said I don't get microsoft updates since Christmas eve, & even stopped Linux updates because they would cause problems, I decided to update my Linux OS's... all at the same time.

Just like last time, the Linux updates screwed up the Linux OS's. After days of trying to fix them, & get them back to the way I liked them, I gave up & decided to wipe all Linux out, & do a clean install of them just the way I like them.

But to do a clean, proper install of Linux & not have problems crop up later, you literally have to remove every bit of the old Linux, & the previous drive partitions they were on.

I have all my Linux installed alongside or Windows. In a dual boot configuration. It's the normal & easy installation to have Linux installed as a second OS on a machine alongside of windows, rather than installing it on the entire drive & wiping out windows.

In dual boot, Linux controls the boot-up to choices of which OS you want. Once you get rid of Linux on the machine, it won't boot to windows anymore. So then you have to put in a rescue or the original install disk, to try to repair windows boot (MBR)... which may work. What always works with a rescue or install disk, is you're able to get into command prompt, to fix MBR, just by looking up what to do on google on a second machine or tablet.

This why I always insist that everyone has 2 real computers, even if the old one is used or made around the turn of the century. It gives you a way to get online look up solutions, download software or repairs, access your files, burn repair or install disks, or get at your externally saved files.

So, after fixing that, I did a clean install of the Linux OS's. But this time I had burned the newest versions of my favorite Linux onto the install disks. I thought that would make them more compatible with new Linux updates. During the installs they downloaded & installed some updates, like when it discovers it needs drivers for the hardware.

After the installs, they say they need updates, about 330mb of them. I let them download & install the updates. After they were done, I rebooted them. Damnit! The updates broke them again! Linux would still run, but I was getting lots of error messages & bugs.

I am not willing to spend weeks writing code, typing tons of instructions in console, & tweeking to get an OS to work well. This is what scares people away from alternative OS's.

I decided to wipe out the linux installs again, fix windows MBR again, & do clean installs again. I still allowed it to download & update during the install. But after the install was complete, I will not allow it to download recommended updates. I will download some WINE, some other essential updates, & download some cool gadgets though.

The Linux I'm using took years for scientists & astronomers to perfect. It was written ontop of Ubuntu 12 & 14. Recommended updates try to install bits made for Ubuntu 16.1 or replace 12 & 14 with 16.1. The newest version of the custom Linux I use, isn't designed for 16.1 or 16.1 apps.

16.1 is also still pretty new. It is still chock full of bugs & problems. It shouldn't have been released except in Beta form for testing. Indeed, if you must use Buggy Ubuntu, I recommend sticking with latest  versions 12 or 14, because they had lots of time to fix problems in those. They seem to run pretty smooth in my tests. They are also likely to run better on older or smaller machines.

All the more reason to keep a couple cheap older machines around. It gives you something to poke around & experiment with, plus gives you a back-up machine. If something goes wrong, you can just wipe it out on the old machine, do a re-install, or install something else.

Don't have a windows install disk? If your machine is licensed for windows, just download it from a torrent & burn it on a DVD ISO disk. It's NOT illegal if your machine is already licensed to have it. If your machine rejects it or windows won't approve the installation, many of the downloads come with a file to work around that, or you can download the workaround separately.

I used to like Linux Zorin. But all their new versions aren't as good, & are too resource hungry. But even the older versions will not run on a 1.8ghz single core. You need at least 2.5ghz & 2GB of RAM for Zorin.

Linux Disto Astro is my current favorite. But you can delete the science programs & change the background, if you don't like that kind of stuff. After it's updated itself during the install, do not auto update with the recommended updates. Choose only the ones you want, google about any problems with them, or just don't update them at all. There is no system restore, or undo in Linux. If you screw it up, & you may not be able to fix it. You may have to save your essential files externally, & do a clean install all over again.

If you are not installing it on a machine by itself, but installing it alongside windows, do back up your important files. Make sure you have a windows repair disk, & a windows install disk in case something goes wrong. Even without linux, something can & usually does eventually go wrong. Familiarize yourself with how to repair your booting software (MBR), or know how to google for it & find the best way.

For very old or small machines you want a lightweight OS. Light versions of Ubuntu 12 or 14 will work good on them, & best for beginners. I find Xubuntu 12 or 14 works pretty good on most old or small machines, & is easier for beginners. I'm not a fan of Ubuntu because of their design, & bugs, but many love them. The version of mine, Astro, built over Ubuntu 14.1 & tweaked by scientists does well for me on dual core machines. But 16.1 updates, & other updates breaks all the work done to the OS. Ubuntu 16 was not ready yet. It should still be in Beta, & not for the general public. 12 & 14 are the reliable versions.

I had some of my own Linux tweaks too. I manage to install .net framework, C++ visual, to my Linux, along with a few .dll files I copied right from a windows OS, & put in a Linux WINE folder. With that, I can run many windows programs/apps, & software right in Linux. Even Irfanview ran perfectly on it without any bugs.

I believe I am the only one in the world to successfully run Freemake video converter in Linux. I don't use it often, I usually prefer other programs. But it's nice to see I can run it in Linux. It was a challenge because the Linux wizards said it can't be done except in VM (virual machine).  VM for Linux is very buggy though, so I don't use it. I guess someday I'll have to modify a version for macs to use in Linux.

[Angela M...]

It is pretty cool tonight in my part of Ontario and I am loving that I can open the windows again. The A/C has been running quite a bit this summer and my hydro bills are huge but like you Betty I need to keep the humidity out of the house or I get sinus headaches that cripple me for days. It is also a bit bad for my arthritis some times. I was out today for awhile and got caught in a rain shower but it was over in about 45 minutes. I was sure it would get more humid again but not so for now anyway. If it isn't cooling bills, it is heating bills so I can't win either way. I just need to be more frugal in my spending habits.

[Betty]

We've started getting some cooler evenings, nights, & mornings too. But at those times the humidity was way up to 83-96% being downwind from the warm lakes, so didn't help my breathing much. So I still need to run the AC to keep the humidity down.

I'm opening the windows for a time at night & in the mornings to refresh the air. But after, it takes hours for the AC & air filters to get the air dry & clean for me again. The AC is a small window unit, which stays installed year-round to dry out & help filter the air. The filter on it it isn't that good, & is not for trapping small particles or pollutants. But it does draw out some pollutants while it's condensing out the humidity, as they get caught on the damp cold core, & dribbled to outside.

My 2 air filters, are small tabletop units. They're only designed for a small bedroom. The disposable filters, designed to last 30-60 days, are prohibitively expensive. Those paper pleated filters cannot be washed & re-used. They'll just fall apart. They can make a paper filter that can be washed & reused a few times, or a synthetic filter that can be washed & reused many times at no additional costs. But it's more profitable for companies to force you to buy overpriced paper filters every 30-60 days.

I figured out a way to get those paper filters to last over 2 years. But they finally wore out & got too clogged this spring. Now I use an elaborate homemade filter in them. I use the original re-usable/washable foam pre-filter, behind that is a cloth filter I cut out of old t-shirts. Behind that for fine particles, I used the thinnest toilet paper I could find, so air can pass through it good enough. I scotch tape, "Scotch -1,000 sheet" toilet paper behind the cloth filter.

It seems to work as good as the store-bought filter, plus increased air flow - - it blows harder now. I see it definitely traps more dirt, particles, & even cat hair than before. I replace the paper every 4-6 weeks when I notice the air flow decreasing due to dirt clogging the filter. The foam & cloth pre-filters should need cleaning out about every season.

Being run almost all day & night almost every day for over 2 1/2 years, the units exceeded their life expectancy. By this spring, if they were left off for an hour or more, they would start up running slow until warmed up for a few minutes. They would make a whine or whirr like the bearings were shot or dried out until they warmed up.

I managed to take apart the motors, clean all the old goo out of the bearings, & pack them with high temperature lithium grease. That's a little too thick for a small high RPM motor, so I added a couple drops of 3 in 1 oil to thin the grease down a little... the oil can version, not the spray can oil.

Wow, they got up to full speed faster than they did when they were new (almost instantly), & they're quieter than new too. The high quality lithium grease made a big difference. Maybe it's almost time to do the same overhaul to my window fan motors too. They're 9 years old.

I'm afraid of new machinery. Many top brands have even gone to plastic bearings. Even Briggs & Stratton small gasoline engines have gone to plastic bearings, plastic cam hubs, & plastic gears/ timing gears. Your Sears weed whacker may only have a 50 hour life expectancy. Many shops won't even rebuild small gas engines newer than 10 years old because they're all built like crap these days. That $200-$500 generator may only get you through 1-3 power failures, while my father's generator built in 1963 still runs fine.

It seems most manufacturers, even Apple & Microsoft claim we should be replacing all our gadgets every 2 years. That may be very profitable to them in the short term, but is not economically & ecologically sustainable for the world in the long term.

My 2 recent model TVs I got almost for nothing because they died shortly after their warranty expired. I replaced their power supplies with ones that had capacitors designed to last longer than a year or 2, & they still run as good as brand new. The one has been going strong for me for 3 1/2 years, while it lasted the original owner only around a year. The other is working great over 5 years for me while it only lasted the original owner under 2. They both double as my monitors so are on longer than they're off every day.