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No Copilot, no ads, no bloat, no AI — and seven extra years of official support. It sounds too good to be true, but there's a reason most haven't heard of it. Microsoft won't advertise it, and you're highly unlikely to stumble across it by accident, but there's a version of Windows 10 that drops the ads, the AI, and will be officially supported for years to come — long after most are forced to upgrade to Windows 11. For those unaware, Windows 10 is due to be retired by Microsoft on October 14, 2025. Beyond this date, the operating...

Microsoft is saying hello to the Black Screen of Death error message instead.The Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) has held strong in Windows for nearly 40 years, but that’s about to change. Microsoft revealed earlier this year that it was overhauling its BSOD error message in Windows 11, and the company has now confirmed that it will soon be known as the Black Screen of Death. The new design drops the traditional blue color, frowning face, and QR code in favor of a simplified black screen.The simplified BSOD looks a lot more like the black screen you’d see during a...

Microsoft has confirmed that the Windows 11 version 24H2 update is now in its final rollout phase and will soon be delivered automatically to millions of Home and Pro users around the world. As of May 2, 2025, any unmanaged device running Windows 11 versions 21H2, 22H2, or 23H2—or even Windows 10—will see the 2024 Update download in the background. After the download completes, users can choose when to install the update or postpone it by going to Settings, then Windows Update.SNIPTo avoid disruptions, Windows Update offers a four‑week postponement option. Should you need more time, you can use command‑line...

Can someone help with getting the notification popup window at the bottom right of the screen to show the notifications again? For instance, I used to get the popup window notification to show immediately when a Youtube video was downloaded. Not getting the window anymore. Now, up at the top right on the Youtube page there is a bell that will show the number of new videos since the last time I checked but if I don't constantly check, I never know. Not to mention the bell has when the videos were loaded all messed up - 1 hour ago,...

Hackers just hit a massive jackpot: 184 million accounts across Apple, Google and Microsoft were exposed in a sweeping data breach. I’m talking email addresses, usernames, passwords, device info (the whole buffet), now up for grabs on the dark web. Before you say, “I’m safe, I use strong passwords,” or “I’ve never been hacked,” take a second to think. These weren’t obscure services. This breach hit the biggest names in tech. Household-name-level oopsie. If your login credentials got caught in the cross fire, hackers are already trying to use them to break into your other accounts. The hidden risk It’s...

Microsoft has announced that it has open sourced the Windows Subsystem for Linux. WSL, as it's commonly called, allows users to run Linux apps directly on Windows. All you need to do to install WSL is run the following command in a terminal: wsl --install Refer to this article for additional details regarding how to set up WSL. WSL was first announced at the Build 2016 developer conference, and shipped with the Windows 10 Anniversary update. While the original release was based on lxcore.sys, a pico process provider that Windows used to run ELF executables natively. Microsoft released WSL 2...

Long story short – the problem began after Microsoft’s August 2024 Patch updates, which included a mitigation for a known GRUB2 vulnerability (CVE-2022-2601). The flaw allowed malicious actors to bypass UEFI Secure Boot protections using a compromised GRUB2 bootloader.To address this, Microsoft deployed a Secure Boot Advanced Targeting (SBAT) update (KB5041571) to block vulnerable bootloaders. Unfortunately, this had unintended consequences.While it was supposed to detect and exempt dual-boot configurations from being affected, this detection failed in several scenarios. As a result, many dual-boot users with Windows and Linux on the same machine suddenly found themselves unable to get into their...

What is PCPartPicker?PCPartPicker is a popular online platform that assists users in selecting compatible PC components, such as CPUs, motherboards, RAM, graphics cards, power supplies, storage devices, and more. It offers a user-friendly interface with powerful tools that help streamline the process of building a PC. Key features of PCPartPicker include:Component Compatibility Checking: PCPartPicker automatically checks the compatibility of selected components to ensure they work together seamlessly.Price Comparison: It provides real-time price comparisons from various retailers, allowing users to find the best deals on components.Build Guides: PCPartPicker offers pre-configured build guides for different budgets and purposes, making it easier for...

[H/T openurmind]PlacesEventsDIY InstallSupport for Windows 10 ends on October 14, 2025.Microsoft wants you to buy a new computer.But what if you could make your current one fast and secure again?If you bought your computer after 2010, there's most likely no reason to throw it out. By just installing an up-to-date Linux operating system you can keep using it for years to come.Installing an operating system may sound difficult, but you don't have to do it alone. With any luck, there are people in your area ready to help!Find someone to help you → [ransomnote: I removed the link. Only one...

With Microsoft ending support for Windows 10 in October 2025, millions of Windows 10 users will be left behind by the company. Upgrades to Windows 11 may be out of the question, due to stricter system requirements. While these can be bypassed, many Windows 10 users may lack the expertise to do so. This leaves Microsoft's recommendation to buy a new Windows 11 PC or subscribe to one year of extended security updates as the only options that Microsoft highlights in its recommendations. There are at least two additional options available to users, but Microsoft makes no mention of them....

"How can I help you today". That is what you see when you open Microsoft Edge's new tab page in the latest development version. Microsoft is replacing the traditional new tab page with a page that is all about Copilot. It is the second Copilot feature that has been added to Edge recently by Microsoft. Currently, that is only an experiment, but there is a chance that this new AI-powered page is replacing the classic new tab page, at least as an option. Snip.... Many of the interactions with Copilot redirect you to the Bing website where the results are...

Microsoft released security updates for Windows 11 and other company products earlier this week. If you have installed the security update on a Windows 11 PC, you may have noticed something peculiar after the mandatory restart. After opening the root of drive C in File Explorer, you may have stumbled upon the inetpub folder, a newly created folder. The creation date and time of the folder aligns with the installation of the update. When you open it, you will notice that it is empty. Update: Microsoft says here that the folder is created intentionally and that it should not be...

I’m writing this article mainly for Windows users who’ve decided to switch to Linux. If you’re already a Linux user, chances are you’ve learned most of what I’m about to share—whether the easy way or the hard way.The main goal of this article is simple: to help you figure out whether a “Linux for Windows users” really exists—and to bridge the gap between what you might expect and what you’re actually likely to experience.Let’s start by taking a quick look at a niche group of Linux distributions that insistently want to look like Windows and then explain why that makes...

Never mind blocking workarounds to sign in with a local account, just give us a straightforward choice in the installation process. Microsoft just blocked a popular workaround to install Windows 11 with a local account Some people like to avoid having a Microsoft account linked to the OS due to privacy (or other) concerns While alternative workarounds remain, it’s likely they could be cut off too – and Microsoft is very much going down the wrong path here Microsoft appears to be moving to block Windows 11 users who want to install the operating system using a local account, meaning...

Since the last auto-update of my Firefox browser, emails that contain forwarding URL, those URL will not execute. For example, I get a daily trivia question. When I click on the link to answer the quiz, Firefox locks up. The same happens with a Facebook link. If I use a different browser (e.g., Opera), the links work fine. I've tried to notify Firefox, but getting a link for them is a bad joke. Has anyone else experienced this?

It’s 2026. You just bought a new laptop, and unlike your last one, this device is an “AI PC.” The distinction means you can now run all the latest AI applications directly on your device without draining your battery, keeping your data private and secure. AI PCs If you stopped by a Sears circa 1960 to buy a television, the sales clerk’s first question for you would’ve been, “Color or black and white?” Only after hearing the answer could they help you find the television that was right for you. Today’s computer buyers are facing their own fork in the...

We all, at some point, have fantasized about giving our employers a big middle finger on the way out the door, whether we leave on our own volition or are pushed out. Well, a 55-year-old Texas man allegedly built an automated bird flipper in the form of a kill switch that crashed his company’s systems and locked people out of their accounts when he was fired. Satisfying as that may have been, he now faces up to 10 years in prison, according to the Department of Justice, for setting the trip wire on his way out the door. Here’s the...

Every time I boot up my Windows 11, I'm greeted by MS Edge. I can't seem to shut it down for good. I searched the internet, followed all the advice, but it doesn't work.I tried the following tips I found on the internet:1. Press Windows + R to launch the Run application. Type “regedit” in the dialogue box and press Enter.2. Once in the registry editor, navigate to the following file path: Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\NlaSvc\Parameters\Internet3. Now, look at the right side of the screen where different keys are listed. Search through them until you find “EnableActiveProbing”. Double-click it to open its properties.4....

Previous thread HEREBACKGROUND: Mozilla, maker of Firefox browser and Thunderbird e-mail client, had long claimed that it "never has, never will sell" users' personal information In late February, Mozilla changed its policies to delete that assertion and made other confusing changes to its ToUs that tended to indicate going forward, Mozilla would "sell" its users' personal data that was entered in the Firefox browser. These murky changes ignited an uproar among Mozilla's user base NOW (condensed version): Mozilla asserts that it had to delete the assertion that it "never has, never will sell users' personal information" because of broad definitions...

As noted a few months ago, Mozilla -- maker of the Firefox browser and Thunderbird e-mail client -- is facing an 80% revenue drop due to investigations into its “revenue-sharing” deals with Google. That revenue drop is apparently prompting Mozilla's all-out search for alternate revenue streams. Mozilla's changes last week to the Firefox browser's privacy notice and usage terms indicate that users' privacy may be sold out. Specifically, Mozilla's new use terms provide: “When you upload or input information through Firefox, you hereby grant us a nonexclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use that information to help you navigate, experience, and...