A few days after security researchers discovered a massive flaw in Microsoft’s malware protection engine Windows Defender — which is used in almost every recent version of Windows — the company has issued a fix that it believes will keep attackers out. [More]
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Microsoft Issues Fix For Massive Malware Vulnerability That Affects Most PCs
By 5.9.17 — Updated: 5.11.17
Windows Vista Still Exists, But Will No Longer Have Microsoft Support April 11
By 3.16.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Are you out there, Windows Vista users? If so, prepare yourself for the end: Microsoft will be pulling support for the operating system on April 11, sending it to wherever poorly received software goes when it dies. [More]
Microsoft Bringing Android Notifications To Windows 10 PCs
By 4.1.16
For those times when your Android smartphone isn’t clutched safely in your hand or resting at an accessible distance nearby, you may experience moments when you’re unaware if you’ve just received a text or missed a phone call. Microsoft says it’s going to ameliorate any uneasiness you may feel by funneling Android phone notifications over to PCs running on Windows 10. [More]
Microsoft Makes Good On Plan To Push Windows 10 Upgrades More Aggressively
By 2.2.16
Last October, Microsoft told Windows 7 and 8 users that it was only a matter of time before they’d be pushed a bit more aggressively to upgrade to Windows 10. That time is now, as the company will be recategorizing Windows 10 as a “recommended update.” [More]
It’s Almost Too Easy To Install Windows 10 — Even If You Weren’t Planning On It
By 10.16.15
There are many reasons someone might choose to delay installing Microsoft’s Windows 10: maybe you just want to stick with Windows 7 or 8 a little longer, or you don’t feel like making space on your PC to accommodate the new OS. But if you aren’t paying attention, you could end up downloading the OS installer anyway. [More]
Kids These Days Would Rather Play Video Games On Mobile Devices Than On PCs, Consoles
By 9.24.15
Are the days of fighting over the best video game controller over? Perhaps, says a new report: though consoles and computers used to be the most popular for gaming, smartphones and tablets now rule the roost among the younger set. [More]
Walmart Knocks $1 Off Price Of 2-Year-Old Gaming Computer, Adds 44 Of Something
By 9.11.15
Sure, most people in search of the finest gaming computer that $1,200 can buy wouldn’t head to Walmart, but that apparently doesn’t stop Walmart from stocking this machine from Alienware. As all lovers of obsolete technology know, Walmart is the place to go for that sort of thing. What this computer lacks in age, it makes up for in strangeness. [More]
More Google Searches Are Done On Mobile Devices Than PCs For First Time
By 5.5.15
In the beginning, a person with a question that needed to be answered would shout, “To the Google!” and that would most often mean sitting in front of a desktop computer or opening a laptop. Not so, anymore: For the first time, U.S. Googlers are Googling more on mobile devices than personal computers. [More]
If You Have $25,364 Lying Around, This Is What You Should Do With It
By 1.10.14
While navigating the madness of CES this week, Consumerist boss Meg encountered one particularly swanky PC gaming setup sponsored by (who else?) nVidia. [More]
U.S Homes Now Have More Than Half A Billion Devices Hooked Up To The Internet
By 3.19.13
We’ve barely dipped our toes into the tablet pool and already it seems like they could combine with smartphones to start that robot revolution everyone is secretly dreading. A new report from a research firm says there are now more than half a billion home-based devices connected to the Internet in the U.S. [More]
What’s The Difference Between A Tablet And A Netbook? Tiger Direct Doesn’t Know
By 7.16.12
Buying refurbished electronics can be a money-saving way to get like-new items at a great price. Or it can be a money-losing nightmare of defective products, wrong parts, and missing accessories. Guess which category Ralph’s recent purchase of a tablet from TigerD irect falls under? The fun began when they shipped him a netbook instead of a tablet PC…and couldn’t get anyone to understand the difference. [More]
Man Installs Windows 1.0 Through 7 To See What Happens
By 3.3.11
A man decided to try installing every single major upgrade version of Windows in consecutive order just to see what would happen, and made a video documenting the amazing results. Quite a dose of nostalgia. I like how the attention to seeing how the color scheme preferences are maintained or not maintained across installs is a major point of focus. [More]
Does Logitech Disable Keyboard Combos To Stifle Gamers?
By 11.23.10 — Updated: 3.20.13
Greg bought a Logitech keyboard, hoping to use it on first-person shooters. He discovered that a common shift+W+space bar combination, which apparently is often used by gamers, doesn’t work on its lower-end products. [More]
Dell Accused Of Cutting And Pasting Text, Withholding Emails, In Defective 11.8 Million PCs Suit
By 8.13.10
Dell is accused of providing altered and incomplete emails from among its top execs, the latest turn in a lawsuit that alleges the computer maker of selling and then covering up 11.8 defective PCs. [More]
Security Patching For XP Service Pack 2 Ends Today
By 7.13.10
If you’re still using Windows XP SP2, you’re about to be on your own. Today Microsoft releases its final security update for Service Pack 2 (the 32-bit version, at least). [More]
54,000 More HP Batteries Recalled
By 5.24.10
Hewlett-Packard doesn’t just make props for cringeworthy feature length commercials; the company also sells batteries that sometimes catch fire. A year ago HP recalled about 70,000 bad batteries, and now it’s added another 54,000 to the list. [More]
Don't Let Your Battery Charger Expose Your PC To Hackers
By 3.9.10
If you’re using the Energizer Duo battery charger, and have connected it to your PC to check the charge levels of the batteries, you may have inadvertently exposed yourself to a program that could give hackers access to your computer. The charger has been discontinued, and Energizer recommends removing the software along with the file that enables the backdoor. [More]
Don't Let An Unknown Caller Talk You Into Downloading Software
By 1.26.10
In the wide world of scams, this combination of a phone call and computer malware is sort of a novel twist. Jay likes to string phone scammers along to waste their time, so he managed to get quite a few details about how this particular scam works. If you’ve got naive family members with access to computers, either take away their computers or tell them never to download software from a stranger on the phone. [More]
