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The name of the site may be Hot Hardware but you've got to have solid operating systems and apps to drive all that high tech gear. Whether you're a Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android or iOS user, here we'll cover the major updates, releases, patches and roll-outs for end user and enterprise IT types alike.
There are lots of computers out there that are still running Windows 7 even though Windows 10 has been out for a very long time and is now installed on 700 million devices globally. The reasons for staying on an old OS like Windows 7 are many and varied but some folks just feel their OS is working just fine and many...
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Microsoft is doing a lot of things with Windows these days, most of which is focused on the core Windows 10 experience—the first of two majors updates scheduled for this year will start rolling out any day now. In addition, Microsoft appears to be working on a stripped down version of Windows 10 called Windows 10 Lean...
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We've all been working under the assumption that Windows 10 Redstone 4 would called the Windows 10 Spring Creators Update. The Spring Creators Update naming was originally unearthed during a Microsoft Bug Bash, and fit in nicely with the previous Windows 10 Creators Update (Spring 2017) and the Windows 10 Fall...
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Microsoft has announced that Office 365 has gained some new security features that are meant to help protect users from online threats. These new features will go along with the security features already integrated with Office 365, like link checking and attachment scanning for viruses and phishing threats. Office 365...
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Microsoft has announced the launch of the Windows Server 2019 Preview. The preview build is available right now through the Insiders Program, while the full Server 2019 OS will be available in the second half of 2018 according to Erin Chapple, Director of Program Management, Windows Server.
Chapple gives some idea...
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If you've been following the tech or security news for the past few days, then you no doubt know of a security vulnerability that reportedly affects all Intel processors. OS vendors have been working to mitigate the issue with kernel patches, but those software Band-Aids can come with some performance handicaps as a...
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Microsoft has gone to great lengths to foster adoption of its Windows 10 operating system, and for good reason. In addition to it likely being one of the best iterations of the Windows OS in a long time--with better security, support for DX12 and host of other features--it’s clearly also a platform for MSFT to better...
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Say goodbye to CodePlex. Microsoft just recently announced that it will be shutting down CodePlex, the eleven year-old open-source project hosting website. Microsoft has disabled the ability to create new projects and will officially shut the website down on December 15th, 2017.
CodePlex was initially launched in...
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The design of Windows Update in Microsoft's latest Windows 10 OS hasn't been the best-received solution the company has released over the product's life cycle thus far. The updated mechanics for WU is one of the major sticking-points for even wanting to upgrade to Redmond's latest platform (but thankfully, there...
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Mac users that prefer to browse the Internet with Google Chrome (instead of Safari) can now sleep more peacefully at night. Google’s “Safe Browsing” is working to increase its protection of computers running macOS.
Google is now focusing more on macOS-specific malware and unwanted software. The most common abuses...
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When it comes to operating systems of the past two decades, Windows XP had a remarkably long run thanks to its robust app and hardware support (and ubiquity). Microsoft hoped to build on these strengths with its successor, Windows Vista, but ultimately failed. So, when Windows 7 came around, it was seen as a breath of...
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Microsoft has often said that Windows 10 offers the best security features and malware protection of any Windows OS to date. In case anyone doubts that claim, the Redmond outfit explained how Windows 10 with the Anniversary Update installed was able to thwart a pair of potentially dangerous zero-day exploits months...
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We’ve stated on many occasions that Windows 10 is an excellent operating system, albeit one with a few rough edges that could be smoothed-out. However, Microsoft has angered some users over the past year or so, in its willingness to dance right up to the line of what customers feel is acceptable practice for promoting...
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There has been quite a bit of noise and plenty of confusion online lately, since news broke that Microsoft would only be fully supporting Intel’s and AMD’s next-generation processor microarchitectures – codenamed Kaby Lake and Zen, respectively – with Windows 10. Some publications and scores of readers pegged the...
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If you are like me, the Aero themes under the Personalize menu in Windows 7 and Windows 10's minimalist design language are just not enough to give your PC a unique look. You want more than a new wallpaper, some icons, and simple color changes. There are utilities out there, both free and commercial, that will give...
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Dell's Alienware Steam Machine is under the microscope today. In partnership with several leading PC makers, Valve has finally taken their often-talked about Steam Machine with custom SteamOS to market, promising the depth and precision of PC gaming driven by a purpose-built operating system, that offers a...
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Dual drive setups are becoming more and more common as Solid State Drive (SSD) prices plummet. Pairing a solid state boot drive with a multi-terabyte hard disk drive affords fantastic performance without paying a premium for your extra bulk storage requirements. However, SSDs are not on price parity with mechanical...
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A few botched updates from Microsoft this week have us questioning their forced update strategy with Windows 10. If you've had issues logging into your Windows 7 computer, if Outlook is crashing randomly, or if you are unable to open documents from Sharepoint, the fixes are below. The troublesome KB's in question...
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The Internet is an ever changing congruous mass of standards, design, and interoperability challenges. Keeping on top of it all can be a daunting task. It's a delicate balance between features, security and performance. If you're considering swapping out your web browser for something new and fresh, but are uncertain over the real world performance...
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Welcome to the Windows 10 desktop! This marks the end of the upgrade process right? Well, almost. If you are a privacy-minded type, you probably have a few settings to disable, but finalizing the upgrade does not end there either, if you value your storage space. Let's look at some strategies to tidy up the file bloat...
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Amid the privacy concerns and arguably invasive nature of Microsoft's Windows 10 regarding user information, it's no surprise that details on how to minimize the leaks as much as possible have been requested. To this end, we've put together a quick guide to help out.
If you are using Windows 10, or plan to upgrade...
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Windows 10 is finally here. The new OS has been spit-shined and primed for an official release. As advertised, Windows 8/8.1 users can upgrade to the new operating system, provided that current Win8 installs have been properly activated. Make sure you check our comprehensive Migration Guide for details on...
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