James Milner will equal the Premier League appearance record if he features for Brighton on Sunday, 24 years after making his debut as a 16-year-old. Read...

It’s time to raise those monitors off your desk and enjoy all that extra space. This Huanuo dual monitor arm stand makes it easy to adjust your displays exactly how you need them, and it’ll only cost you $54.99 if you get it right now thanks to a 21% discount on Amazon. The mount is designed to hold two flat or curved screens ranging from 13 to 32 inches, which is pretty much most home office monitors excluding ultrawides (in which case you might prefer this other Huanuo monitor arm instead). This dual monitor arm stand can hold up to 19.8 pounds per arm, which should support nearly all in the supported size range. This Huanuo stand features a heavy-duty dual C-clamp and grommet base to secure to wooden desks. The monitors will be stable, and you’ll be able to adjust them exactly how you need them. The full-motion arms allow for extensive adjustments, including tilts, swivels, and full 360-degree rotations. In this way, you can bring your screens to optimal eye level (and your eyes, neck, and back will thank you). Take advantage of this fantastic limited-time deal while you can! Get the Huanuo dual monitor stand for just $54.99 on Amazon. Save 21% to put your two monitors on arms and never look backBuy now via Amazon Read...

Know what will make your home office experience so much better? A laptop docking station that’ll make it way easier to connect, disconnect, and reconnect all your accessories and peripherals at once. All it takes is a single USB-C and you’re ready to go. And what better docking station than this 12-port Baseus monster that’s now on sale for $75.99? That’s 24% off and the lowest price it’s ever been. This Baseus docking station features 12 ports: dual 4K/60Hz for monitors, four USB-A ports for peripherals and drives, dual USB-C data ports for drives, a USB-C power port with 100 watts of charging, SD and microSD card slots, and a Gigabit Ethernet port. This all-in-one hub is built to make life so much easier for laptop users who have tons of extra gadgets. You’ll be able to attach several more external displays, hook up flash drives and SSDs, move data from SD and microSD cards, and more. And when you need to leave home, just unplug the docking station from your laptop and go. When you come back, plug it in again and everything’s ready. Bam! There’s also a button on top that lets you quickly lock your laptop and enter energy-saving mode. Perfect for when you step away. Grab this 12-port Baseus docking station for $75.99 quick because this is a limited-time deal and it’s going to go soon. Score this laptop docking station for only $75.99 (24% off)Buy now via Amazon Read...

Microsoft is apparently integrating System Monitor (Sysmon) directly into Windows 11. This pro-level tool allows you to detect suspicious processes caused by malware or hackers on a Windows PC. Part of the popular Sysinternals suite, it’s free to download directly from Microsoft. Developed by software engineer Mark Russinovich, Sysmon is a proven system tool for ambitious, professional users that allows you to analyze all processes running on a Windows PC for suspicious activity. It significantly outperforms the built-in Windows event log. (Learn more about why Sysinternals is the best for troubleshooting Windows issues.) Sysmon is now native to Windows 11 In recent Windows Insider blog posts, Microsoft announced that Sysmon is now natively integrated into the operating system starting with Windows 11 Insider Preview Builds 26300.7733 (Dev Channel) and 26220.7752 (Beta Channel). Microsoft writes: “Windows now brings Sysmon functionality natively to Windows. Sysmon functionality allows you to capture system events that can help with threat detection, and you can use custom configuration files to filter the events you want to monitor. The captured events are written on the Windows event log, enabling them to be used with security applications and a wide range of use cases.” If the standalone version of Sysmon is already installed on your Windows PC, you must uninstall it before enabling the native version. Users can enable and start using Sysmon in Windows Settings under Settings > System > Optional features > More Windows features (where Sysmon is disabled by default). Alternatively, you can enable Sysmon using the command line via either Command Prompt or PowerShell: Dism /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:Sysmon Afterwards, enter the following command: sysmon -i This will install the native Sysmon on your system using default configuration, start monitoring system activity, and start logging events. Further reading: I decided to reset my Windows due to these signs Read...

If I’m stuck using a single screen—which can happen on a laptop while on the go—it can take forever to get my tasks done. If you find yourself in the same predicament and wish there was a solution, have I got the deal for you: KYY’s dual-screen laptop extender conveniently adds two screens to either side of your laptop. Even better, it’s on sale! Get it now for $235.99 (was $299.99), the lowest price it’s ever been. This KYY laptop extender is portable, so you can easily take it with you anywhere, including coffee shops and libraries. It features two 15.6-inch 1080p IPS displays that attach to your laptop and turn it into a triple-screen setup for maximum productivity. It fits laptops from 12 to 17 inches, so no worries unless your laptop is an extreme outlier. A single USB-C cable is all it needs to handle both power and video, and it only weighs 4.85 pounds. The part that fits onto your laptop even comes with an adjustable kickstand, allowing you to angle the extra screens to your perfect preference. Note, however, that it’s only compatible with Windows laptops. Mac users avoid! Again, the price of this thing has never been lower. Get the KYY dual-screen laptop extender for $235.99 while this deal’s still active! Add two 15.6-inch 1080p screens to your laptop so easilyBuy now via Amazon Read...

ExpressVPN just launched a whole bunch of new products, officially expanding the popular VPN service into a full-blown security and privacy suite. The company behind one of our favorite VPNs is entering a new phase in its evolution—from a single-product VPN to an all-encompassing digital protection platform. Now with just one subscription to ExpressVPN, you’ll gain access to not only the VPN itself, but three other protections: ExpressKeys, ExpressMailGuard, and a revamped Identity Defender app. Additionally, the company has plans to roll out its own AI platform called ExpressAI to subscribers at a later date. All of these tools are available for Android and iOS users and while most of the new products are included with all subscription tiers—Basic, Advanced, and Pro—additional features for each are unlocked with the more expensive plans. ExpressKeys ExpressKeys password manager is a new standalone app for Android or iOS included with an ExpressVPN subscription. ExpressVPN ExpressVPN introduced its password manager as an extra security feature within its VPN in late 2023. But now it’s separating the two and giving ExpressKeys room to grow on its own as a dedicated app for Android and iOS.  This move signals a shift from “nice-to-have feature” to more of a core product for the company. The new ExpressKeys app is designed to allow for faster updates, deeper functionality, and more focused development. The new app delivers all of the essentials users expect from a password manager—secure password generation, password autofill, secure credential storage for payment information, biometric unlock on mobile devices, automatic syncing across devices, and password health features. These are all alongside zero-knowledge encryption meaning only the user can access their data.  Existing users of ExpressVPN’s Keys will be able to seamlessly switch as the integrated password manager sunsets after March 5 of this year. ExpressKeys will be available to all subscribers of either ExpressVPN’s Advanced or Pro tiers. ExpressMailGuard ExpressVPN The other new addition to ExpressVPN’s lineup is ExpressMailGuard, an email aliasing and inbox protection service. For those who aren’t familiar with an email protection system like this, they work by allowing users to generate disposable email aliases giving them much more control over spam, tracking, and unnecessary exposure online. At its core, ExpressMailGuard is about total control over your inbox. Email aliases can be used for sign-ups, subscriptions, or any other dodgy online service. Messages sent to these aliases are then forwarded from ExpressMailGuard to the user’s real inbox such as Gmail, Outlook, etc. Aliases can be blocked with the click of a button should they ever start attracting spam or suspicious traffic. A central dashboard shows which aliases are tied to which service, what’s being forwarded or blocked, and how email flows can be filtered or automated.  ExpressMailGuard allows you to create aliases that act as an extra layer of protection for your email accounts. Sam Singleton ExpressMailGuard also works with any email service and any device, making it dead simple to create and manage aliases across all of your existing email accounts. As Shay Peretz, COO of ExpressVPN states, “ExpressMailGuard is like a VPN for email. We’re making it easy for anyone to protect their real email address, reduce unwanted exposure, and manage aliases in one place, no matter which email provider they use.” ExpressMailGuard will be available to subscribers of all ExpressVPN tiers with unlimited aliases. Recipient email addresses, bandwidth limits, and alias domains are available to all tiers as well, but Advanced and Pro plans will include larger limits on all of these. Additionally, subscribers to the higher tiers will gain access to custom rule settings and other tweakable features. Identity Defender Finally, ExpressVPN is re-launching its Identity Defender security feature set as a standalone app. This will include all of the privacy and security tools it previously had such as monitoring of credit, public records, and online exposure, plus data removal services and identity theft insurance. Rather than bundling all of these into the VPN and website, users can now access them via a fully distinct app. It might now sound like a big change, and for many users this is the least impactful upgrade. But from a developer’s point-of-view, making Identity Defender a standalone app allows ExpressVPN to streamline future iterations and updates without worrying about integration with either the VPN or website. Think of it as the company taking the training wheels off and allowing Identity Defender and its developers to expand on their own. The new Identity Defender app is available now to all U.S.-based ExpressVPN subscribers. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Solid performance for Lunar Lake Speedy integrated GPU 32GB of RAM Great price for the hardware Cons Battery life doesn’t impress Not optimized for multi-threaded CPU performance Our Verdict The Acer Aspire 16 AI is seriously good value, with lots of capable hardware at a good price. But this machine trades some of Lunar Lake’s battery life for higher performance. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Acer Aspire 16 AI Retailer Price $1,096.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices The Acer Aspire 16 AI, available for $1,099 at Costco, is a 16-inch productivity laptop with generous hardware for your dollar. With an Intel Core Ultra 9 processor, this machine delivers impressive single-threaded CPU performance for a Lunar Lake system and an NPU fast enough to run Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC features. The integrated Intel Arc GPU punches above its weight, too. While Acer is pushing the AI angle here — and this machine does have an NPU — Acer’s marketing is underselling how good the GPU is here. On a recent walk-through Costco’s laptop section, I saw a wide variety of laptops around the $1,000 mark. But they weren’t all capable of modest gaming like this machine is.                  Acer Aspire 16 AI: Specs The Acer Aspire 16 AI we reviewed came with an Intel Core Ultra 9 288V CPU. This isn’t like most Lunar Lake CPUs I’ve benchmarked in machines like the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360. This particular CPU is a higher-tier processor that cranks the TDP to 30W. This is Intel’s fastest Lunar Lake CPU, but it also uses more battery power. This has Lunar Lake’s impressive Intel Arc 140V integrated graphics and an NPU capable of delivering Copilot+ PC features on Windows 11. The single-threaded CPU performance on this Intel Core Ultra 9 processor is greater than what you’d expect from the average Lunar Lake processor, although the multithreaded CPU performance still lags older Intel processor architectures. Combine that with 32GB of RAM and a 1TB solid-state drive and, for $1,099, this machine has seriously impressive hardware for the money, especially when RAM and SSD prices are so high. Model number: A16-52MT-91B0 CPU: Intel Core Ultra 9 288V Memory: 32GB LPDDR5X RAM Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc 140V NPU: Intel AI Boost (48 TOPS) Display: 16-inch 1920×1200 IPS display with 30Hz to 120Hz variable refresh rate Storage: 1TB PCIe NVMe 4 SSD Webcam: 1080p webcam Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4 (USB Type-C), 2x USB Type-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1), 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x MicroSD card reader, 1x combo audio jack Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Biometrics: IR camera for Windows Hello facial recognition Battery capacity: 65 Watt-hours Dimensions: 13.97 x 9.85 x 0.63 inches Weight: 3.4 pounds MSRP: $1,099 as tested At an MSRP of $1,099, the Acer Aspire 16 AI is excellent value for a midrange laptop. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Design and build quality Foundry / Chris Hoffman This machine, in a “Steel Gray” color, won’t win any design awards. It’s a big piece of gray plastic. Acer has chosen to allocate this laptop’s budget to the hardware, not a fancy chassis. However, plastic is fine. The chassis feels good and doesn’t have a lot of flex. It’s a solid machine that inspires confidence. The hinge is solid and doesn’t wobble as you type. At 3.4 pounds and 0.63 inches thin, it’s fairly light and compact for a 16-inch laptop. It’s quite good for a midrange laptop that opts for a plastic chassis and strong internal hardware. The display hinge will let you lie it flat, too, opening to 180 degrees for extra flexibility. The taskbar and Start menu are a little cluttered with bloat out of the box. The taskbar has a shortcut to Booking.com, for example. Even if you use Booking.com to book travel, I doubt you use it so often that you need it pinned to your taskbar! Likewise, the Start menu comes with shortcuts to free-to-play games like Forge of Empires. They’re still easy to unpin with a right-click. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Keyboard and trackpad Foundry / Chris Hoffman The Acer Aspire 16 AI has a full-size keyboard complete with a number pad at the right side. Some people prefer having a number pad on a 16-inch laptop, while others find it cramped. That’s a matter of personal taste. This machine’s keyboard is fine — the keys don’t feel mushy, and there’s clear physical feedback when you hit the bottom. A more premium keyboard would feel “snappier” when you hit the bottom of the key, but again, this one’s totally fine. It also has a white backlight. This machine’s trackpad is a substantial size that’s larger than the trackpads on some competing 16-inch laptops I’ve reviewed. The surface is smooth and responsive, and the large size makes it easy to perform multi-touch gestures, like swiping up with four fingers to activate Task View and see your open windows. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Display and speakers Foundry / Chris Hoffman The Acer Aspire 16 AI has a 16-inch 1920×1200 IPS display. The standout feature here is a variable refresh rate from 30Hz up to 120Hz, which is nice to see. The image quality and colors here are fine. They’re about what you’d expect from a productivity-focused 16-inch laptop — no better and no worse. If you’re looking for colors that really pop, you’ll want to hunt down a laptop with an OLED screen. If you want higher detail, you might look for one with a 4K panel. But this is a solid panel. This display delivers up to 350 nits of brightness. That’s middle of the road, but the display’s matte surface, which makes it more resistant to reflections, helps a lot. Acer managed to include a touchscreen, too. Touchscreens are normally glossy and prone to reflections, so that’s an extremely practical choice. The speakers are better than the average midrange laptop I review, with a substantial amount of volume and a clear sound. Bass is lacking, but the sound quality is better than I expected it to be. However, I’d still recommend headphones or external speakers when you really want to enjoy your media. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Webcam, microphone, biometrics Foundry / Chris Hoffman The Acer Aspire 16 AI has a 1080p webcam. For a midrange laptop, the image quality here is good — maybe even better than average in this price range. And, as this is a Copilot+ PC, you get Windows Studio Effects for AI effects that tweak your webcam’s picture in real time. The webcam also has a physical privacy shutter you can close to block it. This machine’s microphone also sounds better than average for a consumer laptop in this price range, picking up clear audio. The webcam, microphone, and speakers are the little touches where a lot of laptops cut corners, and it’s nice to see Acer delivering a solid baseline here. The Acer Aspire 16 AI has an IR camera for Windows Hello, so you can quickly sign into your PC with your face. It worked well. There’s no fingerprint reader on this machine. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Connectivity Foundry / Chris Hoffman The Acer Aspire 16 AI offers a good selection of ports. On the left side, this machine has two Thunderbolt 4 (USB4 Type-C) ports, a USB Type-A (USB 3.2 Gen 1) port, and an HDMI 2.1 out port. On the right side, Acer included a microSD card reader, a combo audio jack, a second USB Type-A port (also USB 3.2 Gen 1), and a security lock slot. This is a good number of ports with modern specs — it’s a nice setup. This machine charges via USB-C, so you’ll be plugging into one of the ports on the left side to power it. Thanks to Intel’s Lunar Lake platform, the Acer Aspire 16 AI supports modern Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 5.4 wireless standards, too. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Performance The Acer Aspire 16 AI is a fascinating machine performance-wise. While Intel’s Lunar Lake processors are normally slow and sip power, the Intel Core Ultra 9 288V processor here runs at higher power and delivers more performance with lower battery life. The machine performs well and, honestly, if you’re not looking for 24-hour battery life, this Lunar Lake CPU is probably a better choice than the other ones. We ran the Acer Aspire 16 AI through our standard benchmarks to see how it performs. I set the Aspire 16 AI to “Best Performance” mode while plugged in via the Windows Settings app, as that’s how you’ll likely want to use it. Foundry / Chris Hoffman First, we run PCMark 10 to get an idea of overall system performance. With a PCMark 10 score of 8,923, the performance was surprisingly high. The results here outperform what I’d expect to see any Lunar Lake system deliver. Foundry / Chris Hoffman Next, we run Cinebench R20. This is a heavily multithreaded benchmark that focuses on overall CPU performance. It’s a quick benchmark, so cooling under extended workloads isn’t a factor. But, since it’s heavily multithreaded, CPUs with more cores have a huge advantage. Unsurprisingly, the Acer Aspire 16 AI stumbles here. While this CPU runs at higher power, it’s still a Lunar Lake chip with only eight cores, four performance cores and four efficiency cores. The higher power helps single-threaded performance, but it can’t compete in multithreaded performance without more cores. (Intel’s next-generation Panther Lake hardware doesn’t have that same problem, but it’s just starting to arrive on the market.) Foundry / Chris Hoffman We also run an encode with Handbrake. This is another heavily multithreaded benchmark, but it runs over an extended time. This demands the laptop’s cooling kick in, and many laptops will throttle and slow down under load. The Acer Aspire 16 AI took an average of 1,405 seconds to complete the encode — that’s a bit over 23 minutes. The results here are a bit better than the Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360 and its Intel Core Ultra 7 258V processor, likely because this machine’s CPU is running a bit faster with that extra power. These benchmarks are focused on multithreaded performance. This machine’s single-threaded performance is quite impressive, as shown by the PCMark benchmark, and it’s snappy in day-to-day desktop use. Foundry / Chris Hoffman Next, we run a graphical benchmark. This isn’t marked as a gaming laptop, but the Intel Arc 140V GPU here can deliver decent gaming performance in many games. This isn’t the slow integrated graphics you’ll find in Intel’s Arrow Lake or Meteor Lake platforms. We run 3DMark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. With a 3DMark Time Spy score of 4,621, this machine delivered better 3D gaming performance than the average Intel or AMD laptop with integrated graphics. This is as good as it gets without a discrete GPU in this price range, and that’s awesome to see. Even Doom: The Dark Ages was playable on this laptop, although I would’ve had a better experience with a few more FPS. But most PC games are less demanding than that. Overall, the Acer Aspire 16 AI delivers solid performance at its price level, complete with a variety of modern features. While multithreaded performance suffers, I think a lot of PC users would rather have the strong single-threaded performance alongside the speedy GPU here than better multithreaded performance and a slow integrated GPU. This machine can play games that an Arrow Lake or Meteor Lake laptop with integrated graphics just can’t. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Battery life The Acer Aspire 16 AI has a 65 watt-hour battery. It delivered okay battery life for a 16-inch laptop, but not the kind of battery life you’ll see from the average PC with a Lunar Lake CPU — and not the up to 23 hours, as Acer advertises. But our battery life rundown test is more demanding than what Acer likely uses internally. Foundry / Chris Hoffman To benchmark the battery life, we play a 4K copy of Tears of Steel on repeat on Windows 11 with airplane mode enabled until the laptop suspends itself. We set the screen to 250 nits of brightness for our battery benchmarks. In many ways, this is a best-case scenario for any laptop since local video playback is so efficient, and real battery life in day-to-day use is always going to be less than this. The Acer Aspire 16 AI lasted an average of 702 minutes in our tests — that’s just under 12 hours. The Qualcomm Snapdragon version lasted 15 and a half hours when we benchmarked it. That was a lower-than-expected result for a Snapdragon machine, too, and this Intel-powered machine has a more power-hungry CPU. 16-inch laptops tend to have lower battery life, the large display uses more power. Plus, the Intel Lunar Lake CPU here uses more power than the average Lunar Lake configuration. But, while this is low for Lunar Lake, it’s also more than enough battery life if you want to primarily use this laptop at a desk. Just don’t count on keeping it unplugged all day long. Acer Aspire 16 AI: Conclusion The Acer Aspire 16 AI is a serious value at $1,099, combining a CPU with speedy single-core performance, a surprisingly fast GPU that can play more games than you might expect, and an NPU that lives up to Microsoft’s Copilot+ PC requirements. Plus, you get 32GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. It’s tempting to overlook this machine’s strengths because of Lunar Lake’s compromises. Yes, you aren’t getting the battery life you would on other Lunar Lake machines. And yes, the multithreaded performance here is low because Lunar Lake doesn’t have enough cores. However, for the average PC user picking up a 16-inch machine with integrated graphics, this is one of the absolute best options. Between the solid single-threaded CPU performance, impressive GPU, and all-around decent hardware, the average PC user would be happier with this machine than a laptop with a faster CPU and a GPU that can’t handle modern games. At an MSRP of $1,099, the Acer Aspire 16 AI is excellent value for a midrange laptop. Read...

TL;DR: Microsoft Office 2024 for Mac or PC gives you the latest Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook in a one-time purchase you can use offline forever. Subscriptions are everywhere, but productivity software doesn’t have to be one of them. Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business brings the classic Office experience back to a one-time purchase, with modern upgrades that actually make day-to-day work easier. This version includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote—installed directly on your Mac or PC so you can work online or offline. Office 2024 builds on what people already like, with noticeable improvements. Excel handles larger datasets faster and adds smarter data insights. PowerPoint now supports recording presentations with voice and video, making it easier to create polished remote presentations. Outlook includes better search and accessibility tools, while the refreshed Fluent Design keeps everything consistent and easy to navigate. There’s also deeper collaboration, from real-time co-authoring to built-in comments and Teams integration—helpful whether you’re running a small business, managing family logistics, or juggling school and work projects. If you want dependable productivity tools that don’t lock you into a subscription cycle, Office 2024 Home & Business delivers familiar apps and modern features. Get a Microsoft Office Home & Business 2024 lifetime license for just $99.97 (MSRP $249.99) for a limited time. Microsoft Office 2024 Home & Business for Mac or PC Lifetime LicenseSee Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

There are a few important options that you should check and configure correctly in the settings in order to run Windows 11 effectively. Here are some helpful tips for additional Windows 11 features that should remain permanently active in everyday use — or be deliberately deactivated to avoid unnecessary data collection, performance slowdowns, and distractions. Remove recommendations and account notifications from the Start menu By default, Windows 11 displays recently used files, app recommendations and account-related notifications in the Start menu. This content creates distraction and requires additional usage data. Open the settings with Windows key + I, switch to Personalization and then to Start. Deactivate “Show recently added apps”, “Show most used apps” and all switches in the “Recommended” area. In Windows 11, you can also select the “Show most used apps” layout to completely suppress the recommendation area. Sam Singleton Control system-wide notifications and app pop-ups Notifications are one of the biggest distractions. Open Settings, go to System and Notifications. First, disable the global “Notifications” option. If you want individual applications to continue sending messages, activate “Do Not Disturb” instead and configure individual apps specifically under this option. In the same menu, scroll down to “Additional settings” and deactivate “Receive tips and suggestions when using Windows”. This will permanently remove setup pop-ups and advertising notices. Microsoft regularly expands this area and sometimes changes the names of the menu items. However, this does not change the fact that it is worth taking a look here. Sam Singleton Protect your lock screen from data leaks Notifications on the lock screen can display content in plain text. Open Settings, go to System and Notifications and deactivate “Show notifications on the lock screen”. This will keep content hidden as long as the device is locked. Sam Singleton Disable advertising ID, language list and app tracking By default, Windows creates usage profiles for personalized advertising and app statistics. Open Settings, go to Privacy and security and General. Disable “Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID”, “Let websites show me locally relevant content by accessing my language list” and “Let Windows improve Start and search results by tracking app launches”. The system will continue to function as before, but will not create profiles. Microsoft also changes the names of the settings at regular intervals. Sam Singleton Keep Inking & typing personalization local The “Inking & typing personalization” function analyzes keyboard and pen inputs. Open Settings, go to Privacy and security and Inking & typing personalization. Deactivate the “Custom inking and typing dictionary”. Input remains fully usable without text entries being evaluated. Strictly limit diagnostic data and turn off feedback Open Settings, go to Privacy and security and Diagnostics & feedback. Leave only “Send required diagnostic data” enabled. Deactivate “Send optional diagnostic data”. Expand all other areas and set “Feedback frequency” to “Never”. Use “Delete diagnostic data” to remove any information that has already been stored. Sam Singleton Disable or restrict location services Open Settings, go to Privacy and Security and Location. Disable location access completely or restrict it to individual applications. Weather apps will continue to work with a manually set location. Under Privacy and security, you will find the areas “Camera”, “Microphone”, “Contacts” and other sensors. Open each category and revoke access for applications if it’s not absolutely necessary. It is important to check apps from the Microsoft Store, which often request more permissions than necessary. Limit background activities of apps Many applications continue to run in the background. Open Settings, go to Apps and Installed apps. Open the Advanced options for individual programs and set “Background app permissions” to “Never”. This noticeably reduces memory and CPU load. However, these options are not available for all apps. Sam Singleton Restrict app installation to verified sources For systems used by less experienced users, it’s advisable to restrict app sources. Open Settings, go to Apps and Advanced app settings. Under “Choose where to get apps from”, set the option to “Microsoft Store only”. This will allow only verified applications to be installed. Consistently clean up autostart Right-click on the taskbar and open the Task Manager. Go to Startup apps and disable all programs that are not absolutely necessary for system startup. Manufacturer tools and update utilities in particular slow down the startup process. Thomas Joos Open Settings, go to Apps and Installed apps. Go through the entire list and uninstall any software that is not used. This reduces background services, autostart entries and security risks. Permanently display file extensions To immediately recognize dangerous file types, open File Explorer, click on the three dots and select Options. Go to View and deactivate “Hide extensions for known file types”. Confirm with “Apply”. Restrict delivery optimization for updates By default, Windows also distributes updates to other computers. Open Settings, go to Windows Update, then to Advanced options and Delivery optimization. Disable “Allow downloads from other devices” or restrict the function to the local network. Consciously control update restarts Under “Windows Update” and “Advanced options”, you can specify whether Windows automatically restarts after updates. Enabling automatic restarts increases security, but can interrupt ongoing work. Set the behavior to suit your own working style. Optimize power settings Open the Control Panel, go to System and Power and battery. Click on “Lid, on/off, and standby mode button controls” and adjust the settings to your requirements. Here, Windows also shows the power consumption of individual applications in detail. Identify conspicuous apps and limit their background activity. On notebooks, this significantly extends the runtime. Configure user account control sensibly Enter “User Account Control” in the search field and open Change User Account Control settings. Select a level that allows queries for app installations but not for internal Windows actions. This reduces queries without completely removing protection mechanisms. Disable game background recording Open Settings, go to Gaming and Captures. Disable background recording. This reduces GPU and CPU load, even when no games are actively being used. Use night mode permanently Open Settings, go to System and Display and enable “Night light”. Configure the schedule so that the mode is activated automatically. Alternatively, it can be switched on directly via Windows key + A. Enable advanced clipboard Open Settings, go to System and Clipboard. Activate “Clipboard history”. You can then paste multiple copied items using Windows key + V. Read...

If you buy storage like the way you buy bottled water — by getting the most for your money regardless of brand — a new site called BuyPerUnit.com might be worth watching. Established by former Microsoft and Docusign exec Jon Levesque, the origin of BuyPerUnit came when he was trying to buy hard drives in bulk. Instead of focusing on the end price (as we do), the site simply organizes SSDs and hard drives by the amount you’ll pay per gigabyte or terabyte. Right now, Levesque notes that the site is in its early stages — “a rough V1,” as he puts it. Instead of paying for API access, BuyPerUnit has been scraping sites like Best Buy and Amazon for the best prices, which isn’t always the most efficient way of proceeding. Still, the site favors a barebones approach, simply offering a list of filters for various products (at press time: 332 hard drives and SSDs, 108 SD cards, and 79 USB drives) by size, form factor, and other criteria. You can sort by price per terabyte or price per gigabyte, see what you’ll pay in bulk, and then link back to the site to make the purchase. One thing that the site has taught me already is that a refurbished SSD might actually be the best bet in keeping costs low, if you’re shopping aggressively for bulk storage. BuyPerUnit’s page for buying internal SSDs. BuyPerUnit.com performs a useful service to counter the ongoing storage shortages that currently plague the PC industry. Still, the site doesn’t (currently) make any provisions for criteria that enthusiasts might find useful such as read/write performance or just which interface an external USB drive uses, beyond USB-A or USB-C. You’ll have to perform such research yourself. As commenters point out, there are other competing sites to check out such as the extremely-responsive DiskPrices.com, which updates prices every four hours, but seems to exclusively pull from Amazon alone. Levesque says that he’s soliciting advice, so here’s mine: separate “hard drives” into separate categories for SSDs and rotating drives, and consider expanding the site into memory modules. Performance should be measured. Levesque has a roadmap in store, though, so presumably those features will arrive some day. Either way, BuyPerUnit just came online within the last few days. It already looks like something to bookmark if you’re in the market for additional storage. Read...