Q. My PC is displaying a message saying that my copy of Windows 7 is not genuine Windows software. What should I do?

A. Several things might be causing this. New hardware such as a new graphics card, or a replacement hard disk, might be the culprit, or you may have an incorrectly activated version of Windows. Click the Start button, right-click on Computer, and then left click on Properties. A window will open and I suspect that you will see something at the bottom of the window about a Windows Activation error. If there is, click on Start again, and then in the search box enter

slui 3

and press Enter. You will then be able to re-enter your Windows Product ID which will either be on a sticker on your PC somewhere, or with the manuals or disks that came with it. But if no activation error is shown, and it shows as activated, then there is a problem with the installed operating system, and you should speak to whoever sold you the PC.

Q. I have recently started using Windows 8.1, having moved from Windows XP, and I am baffled by what happens to applications that I have installed but do not seem to be available to click or tap on to use. Have they been installed, and how do I use them?

A. That is indeed a curious quirk of Windows 8; heaven knows what the designers were thinking of! On the Start screen click on the magnifying glass at the top right of the screen or, if looking at the Desktop screen move your mouse into, and out of, the top right of the screen when the magnifying glass will appear and then click on it. Now search for the application using the product name, e.g. Word, Outlook 2013, etc.. Suggestions of what you are looking for will appear under the search box on the right of the screen. Right click on the application that you are looking for and then left click on Pin to Start. The application icon will now have appeared on the right-hand side of the Start screen. If you can't see it, use the right cursor arrow to move the Start screen to the right. One can drag the icon to another position on the Start screen by moving the cursor over it, holding the left mouse button down and dragging it to the desired location. It is possible to add the application icon to the Desktop too by right-clicking on the search result and then left clicking on Open file location, then note the location and use that when adding the shortcut to the Desktop.

Q. Windows XP support ceased this month - on April 8^th., 2014 - but I am still using it. What should I do, and what risks do I face?

A. Well, the first reassuring point is that - with certain caveats - you are not in any immediate danger, though you will have to move off XP sooner rather than later. The two caveats are that you are using an up to date anti-virus (preferably full internet security suite), and that you installed all of the Microsoft Windows XP security updates issued before April 8^th.. (This will be the case if you had Automatic Updates turned on, which was probably the case since that is the default position.) The only anti-virus/internet security package that ceased to cover Windows XP - at least in terms of continuing to add new protections - that I am aware of is Microsoft's Security Essentials. This is not surprising, it is a free product so they don't want to invest more effort in an expired operating system and, of course, they want you to buy their latest operating system.

The dangers that you will be increasingly exposed to are from hackers who will be looking to exploit security weakness/flaws discovered in Windows XP since April 8^th., and that will not be patched by Microsoft, and can't be fully protected against by your internet security package.

When you do upgrade from XP, please bear in mind that it is extremely unlikely that the PC/laptop that you have been running XP on will support the latest Microsoft operating system - Windows 8.1 as I write this - and, even if it will install, the performance would be unacceptably slow. i.e. The sensible approach would be to buy a new PC/laptop. Yes, you could probably still buy a copy of the current oldest supported Microsoft operating system - Vista - and try upgrading your current PC/laptop to that, but be aware that Vista wasn't Microsoft's most successful operating system!

Another piece of possible bad news is that if your ancillary devices such as printer and scanner are elderly, the latest operating systems are unlikely to support them, and the manufacturers probably won't have issued (free) downloadable drivers for the latest operating systems (though it is always worthwhile using Google to check).

Summary: notwithstanding the perhaps reassuring words above, do take the situation seriously and upgrade over the next few months!