Free Republic

What just happened? It's not just China that is replacing Windows on government PCs. Germany's most northern state, Schleswig-Holstein, has begun moving from the popular OS to Linux while also switching from Microsoft Office to LibreOffice. The state's Minister-President Daniel Gunther said the move from proprietary to open-source software was being made to ensure independence, sustainability, and security. "In addition to improved IT security, cost-effectiveness, and data protection, the use of open-source software also enables seamless collaboration between different systems," officials said. "Alongside open-source software development, the goal is to release future development results of the country under free licenses."The...

Scientists say they have created an experimental new high-tech window coating that works similarly to polarized lenses on sunglasses by allowing all of the visible light through while also reflecting unwanted heat. If added to existing buildings and car windows, the new coating could reduce internal temperatures in hotter climates without sacrificing any of the visible light while also reducing energy usage for indoor air conditioning by as much as 30%. The new coating was developed by researchers from Notre Dame University who were looking for a cheap yet viable way to reduce the use of air conditioning in cars...

The way Google has been stepping up its data collection game, it has prompted many people to opt for privacy-focused web browsers that respect their privacy by providing a secure browsing experience.Floorp is one such web browser that I recently came across that claims to be “the most Advanced and Fastest Firefox derivative” around.So, join me as I check out this browser.Floorp: Overview ⭐Being a fork of the popular Firefox browser, Floorp was built keeping privacy and user freedom in mind. It is a cross-platform web browser that prides itself in being completely open-source and not collecting any kind of...

Your PC without this CPU feature won’t boot Windows 11 24H2 KEY TAKEAWAYS Windows 11 24H2 update requires the POPCNT CPU feature, making it impossible to run on super-old PCs. Modern CPUs support POPCNT, so if you recently bought a new PC, you won't have any issues. PCs older than fifteen years will be affected by this change and won't be able to boot Windows 11 without POPCNT support. Windows 11 24H2 is the next big update that Microsoft will roll out later this year, and it might finally put an end to the practice of running Windows unofficially on...

Can a computer problem get any weirder? I'm running a fast Dell laptop with Win 11 Pro. If I play audio from YouTube while browsing with Brave (or Chrome), System sounds, test tones from Windows' troubleshooter, etc., play over a bluetooth speaker just fine, but the audio on the YouTube vid plays only over the tiny laptop speakers. (Nothing is connected to the headphone jack.) I've been all through Windows troubleshooting, and even a session with a MS tech support rep, to no avail, other than doing a Shift + Shutdown now results with (after booting back up and returning...

For those who aren't aware, this is a fast, easy way to clear your browser history on your Windows OS desktop/tablet computer. 1. Bring up your browser. 2. Press cntrl-shift-delete simultaneously. This will bring up the "privacy cleaner-clear browsing data" 3. Select "Clear Browsing History" and choose the time-range (how far back in time you want the history to be cleared.) Click "Clear Data". This should work for all, or most, browsers.

Windows 10 users worldwide report problems installing Microsoft's January Patch Tuesday updates, getting 0x80070643 errors when attempting to install the KB5034441 security update for BitLocker. Yesterday, as part of Microsoft's January 2024 Patch Tuesday, a security update (KB5034441) was released for CVE-2024-20666, a BitLocker encryption bypass that allows users to access encrypted data. However, when attempting to install this update, Windows 10 users are reporting getting 0x80070643 errors and the installation failing. When installing the KB5034441 security update, Microsoft is installing a new version of the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) that fixes the BitLocker vulnerability. Unfortunately, Windows 10 creates a...

Text Guide: 1. Go to the Releases page 2. In the latest release, go to the Assets section and download the Windows Subsystem For Android™ version of your choosing (do not download "Source code") 3. Extract the .7z archive and rename the folder (that you extracted) to WSA 4. Delete the .7z archive 5. Move the newly extracted folder to a suitable location (Documents folder is a good choice), as you will need to keep the folder on your PC to use MagiskOnWSANoteIf you're updating WSA, merge the folders and replace the files for all items when asked 6. Open...

I'm just wondering. With cameras getting to be on par with the human eye, why do I need a point of vulnerability to get into my home like a big picture window or bay windows, when I just put a camera in the most optimized location in the front and just shine its image on a blank wall?

Nikolai VV vladislav avv Yuri vov Ivan 0:08 pin guess what these Russian men have in common well had in 0:13 common they all were Rich anything else 0:20 they were connected to Russian government in some way or another anything else they stopped living at 0:28 fairly young age under mysterious circumstances howdy howdy everyone my 0:35 name is Constantine and welcome to inside Russia where usual Russia is 0:40 explained by the unusual Russian no propaganda BS lies here only 0:46 truth common sense and logic and some emotions too because I am a human being 0:51 after...

Microsoft has announced the launch of what they are calling “Windows app,” a new service designed to stream the full Windows desktop operating system from the cloud to various devices, including Chromebooks. This new offering from Microsoft signifies a major shift in how the company thinks users will be using Windows in the future and is clearly a response to the “Chromebook threat.”Let’s first dive into what this new service entails exactly. The Windows App is essentially a new remote desktop hub that enables users to stream Windows Cloud PC and remote desktop services on a range of devices. This...

I performed what appeared to be a normal reboot for a normal upgrade. Now I am blocked by the need for a bitlocker password. I do not recall ever messing with bitlocker. Is there a flowchart? I got as far as a system32 Cmv.exe prompt (not very far). Thanks!

The Justice Department is seeking 8 years in prison for a Pennsylvania woman accused of directing Jan. 6 rioters into the Capitol building with a bullhorn. Federal prosecutors said in a sentencing memo Wednesday that they are seeking eight years in prison for Rachel Marie Powell, 41, who was convicted of all charges brought against her in July. Obstruction of an official proceeding, destruction of government property, entering a restricted area with a weapon and engaging in violence on Capitol grounds were among her charges. The prosecutors said that they are seeking the eight-year sentence due to “her conduct on...

Why the cover-up? Workers at the Big Apple’s Roosevelt Hotel migrant shelter abruptly blacked out the windows of its former bar-turned-intake area Tuesday — fewer than 24 hours after The Post exposed that asylum seekers had been sleeping on its floor “for days.” The staffers — wearing “NYC” badges — scrambled to cover up every window and door that offered a glimpse into the hotel’s old Vander Bar, after it was revealed the area is now an overrun intake center for single adult migrants. As the windows were being taped up with black trash bags and sheets Tuesday, a shelter...

Here's how to use Windows To Go and Rufus to set up Windows 11 on a PC that doesn't meet its requirements. Windows 11 system requirements specify that it needs UEFI, Secure Boot and TPM. Many old computers are powerful enough to run Windows 11. Yet, they cannot install the OS because of these requirements. Windows 11 refuses to install and displays the message "this PC can't run Windows 11". There is a way to bypass these requirements and install Windows 11 on any powerful computer, even if it is old. The process is quite simple as well. Unlike earlier...

I have media files stored on a PC running Windows 10 Pro and also available for storage on a PC or laptop running Linux Mint. Photos, music files, videos, PDF books, and other eBooks. I would like to be able to access those files and view/listen to them on an iPad. It sounds like this is possible, but I was wondering if anyone has suggested ways to do this, along with any pitfalls to watch out for.

There seems to be no way to get certain desired exe files (apps) to show up in the "All Programs" list in the Windows 10 Pro Start Menu. (This is common to Win 7 also, I believe, and perhaps earlier OS's as well.) I can add such exe's* to the Start Menu "tiles" in Win 10 Pro, but not to the "All Programs" list. This seems quite odd, but maybe I'm missing something? *Examples of such apps / exe files are "IV_Player" (Irfan View Player, a very handy & lightweight media file player), as well as "Wavosaur", a handy and...

Someone has created a ChatGPT app for Windows 3.1 PCs. WinGPT brings a very basic version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT responses into an app that can run on an ancient 386 chip. It’s built by the same mysterious developer behind Windle, a Wordle clone for Microsoft’s Windows 3.1 operating system. “I didn’t want my Gateway 4DX2-66 from 1993 to be left out of the AI revolution, so I built an AI Assistant for Windows 3.1, based on the OpenAI API,” says the developer in a Hacker News thread. WinGPT is written in C using Microsoft’s standard Windows API and connects to...

Windows 10 just loves to create Log files. Those take up space on hard drive. In 28 years of using Windows, I never have found any use for these log files. May be Bill Gates looks at them from your PC. To me they are totally useless, taking up space and slowing down my PC by few micro-seconds for each access. I created this program to delete every one of those log files. Simply double click on the shortcut Logs-Del on your main desktop window and the program does the rest. This program deletes only LOG files, nothing else. Create...

As a separate question arising from my last "article" / question, I am about to make a recovery drive for a refurbished Dell desktop machine I purchased recently. (Dell Precision Tower 3420 - a fairly impressive little machine considering I got it in great condition for under $80 including shipping.) When I read about recovery drives, often it is stated they can be used to restore the machine to its "factory" state, software-wise, should one run into a software problem, corrupted drive, etc., not otherwise resolvable. But... This machine likely originally had WIN 7 Pro on it and then was...