Note: There will not be a General Meeting in January, February, July, or August. All other meetings and classes will continue as usual.
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iPad/iPhone SIG
Central Resource Library
9875 West 87th Street
Overland Park, KS 66212
Conference Room 02
Friday, February 20, 2026, 2:00 ~ 3:30 pm
The main goal of our special interest group (SIG) is to share our knowledge of all things iPad and iPhone. The group is open to all. We encourage your questions on general and specific Apple-related topics/issues. Bring your questions to the meeting, or email Ray before the meeting, and he’ll add them to the agenda.
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Ray Martinez convenes the iPad/iPhone SIG
rmartinez@kcsenior.net
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Do you have a computer that can’t be upgraded to Windows 11, and don’t know what to do with it?
Would you like to learn about a different Operating System called Linux?
If you’re a senior using a Windows 10 computer, now is a great time to consider switching to Linux. Windows 10 has reached the end of its support, which means no more security updates – leaving your system more vulnerable unless you enroll in Microsoft’s Extended Security Updates for one more year of support. Linux is a free, secure, and easy-to-use alternative that runs well on older machines, helping you avoid the cost and hassle of buying a new computer. Many versions of Linux, like Linux Mint or Zorin OS, are designed to feel familiar to Windows users, making the transition smoother. With Linux, you can continue browsing the internet, sending emails, watching videos, and more – without worrying about viruses or forced updates. It’s a smart, budget-friendly choice for staying safe and productive online. If everything you do on your computer is done inside a browser (Edge, Chrome, Firefox, etc.), Linux can easily handle your needs.
Please let us know your interest! SenCom is considering holding workshops and developing classes on Linux. Contact either Joe Callison (jcallison@kcsenior.net) or Frank Mundt (fmundt@kcsenior.net).
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SenCom is on Facebook. See the access instructions below to find our Facebook Group page (SenComKC). Check it out! Share your favorite SenCom moment or interaction.
To access the group page:
- Log in to your Facebook account.
- On your computer, click “Search Facebook” in the left-hand corner (to the left of the home icon, or on your mobile device, in the middle of the screen on top, then type SenComKC (not case sensitive).
- Search results should give you “Groups,” and under that, you will see SenComKC. To the right of your search results, you should see a “Join” button. Click the button to request to be a member of this Facebook group.
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* Volunteers Needed *
SOS! NEEDED NOW! — Volunteers to help our Board of Directors fill the board positions of Vice President, Program Director, and Hospitality Director. If interested, please email me or another Board Member. Our email addresses are on the “Board of Directors” page under the “About Us” menu. Remember, this is your organization; please help us keep it healthy and growing!!
LITTLE OR NO COMPUTER SKILLS REQUIRED.
Lou Risley, 913-298-0575 or sencomprez@gmail.com
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GEEK FREE
By Joe Callison
28 January, 2026
Microsoft Office Security Update
Microsoft has issued a high-risk security update on January 26th for Office 2016, 2019, 2021, and 2024. Office 2021 and 2024 will receive the security updates through automatic updates. Older versions of Office must be manually updated using downloads from the Microsoft Update Catalog. Links to the appropriate pages follow. Look for the January 26 update for your Office installation, either x64 for 64-bit installation or x86 for 32-bit installation. To determine which installation you have, see About Office: What version of Office am I using? – Microsoft Support
Office 2016
Microsoft Update Catalog
Office 2019
Microsoft Update Catalog
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(For Geeks Only)
By Joe Callison
10 January 2026
Creating Bootable USB Drives
I have used Rufus: Rufus – Create bootable USB drives the easy way to create bootable USB drives for trial or installation of operating systems or utilities for several years. The only downside is that it utilizes the whole USB space to create one bootable ISO file. It does have some handy options in the settings for bypassing the Windows 11 requirements that would otherwise prevent installation on an unsupported computer.
Ventoy: Download – Ventoy is another option for creating multiple bootable ISO files on a single USB drive. Using a 64GB USB drive, I was able to put 4 different Linux ISO distributions on it after creating the bootable Ventoy drive, and Ventoy created a menu to choose the distribution to load, which you can then run from the USB for trial. Of course, it loads much slower from the USB drive, but once loading is complete, it responds reasonably well. Within the trial version of Linux is the option to install to the main storage drive, with options for either replacing the existing operating system or creating a dual-boot installation. The unused space on the USB drive can be used for additional ISO files or any other files you want to add.
For either of these two vendor options, be very careful not to click on any of the large in-your-face “download” displays that are actually ads that download unwanted junk. Use only the menu or download links that are clearly part of the Rufus or Ventoy sites. Also, know that creating the bootable USB drive will wipe any existing files that were on the drive.
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SenCom gratefully acknowledges the following organizations for their support:
Google Fiber
City of Shawnee:
Parks & Recreation Department
Johnson County Library:
Central Resource, Oak Park
SENCOM IS A NOT-FOR-PROFIT KANSAS CORPORATION
UNDER THE IRS 501(C)(3) RULES
