Microsoft, really, really, really wants you to log in with a full, connected Microsoft account for Windows 11. It’s essential for tracking user data, feeding people ads, and generally making your PC experience much more frustrating (though it also enables ease-of-life features like OneDrive and account syncing between PCs). Users have been finding ways around this requirement for a while, and sharing their results. This is apparently a “harmful or dangerous” act, according to YouTube. That’s the inescapable conclusion one must draw from the fact that YouTube creator CyberCPU Tech has reportedly had a video on this topic removed from the platform, and all appeals to YouTube and Google have been denied, according to the creator. The same thing happened a week later for a guide on how to install Windows 11 25H2 on older, unsupported hardware, as reported by Tom’s Hardware. Both videos were flagged by YouTube’s automated system as a violation of its “Harmful or dangerous content policy.” Again, when the creator asked for a manual review, the appeal was denied. YouTube’s policy outlaws obvious things like “instructional theft” (piracy, defeating retail store theft prevention, etc), “hacking” with the intent to steal information, bypassing payment systems, and phishing. I haven’t seen the videos, of course — they’re gone. But as far as I can tell, none of CyberCPU’s instructions would have included any of this, assuming it was just telling people how to install Windows 11 on older hardware or install it without a connected user account, something Windows has been able to do for decades. According to the policy, a channel that gets three such strikes in a 90-day period can be terminated permanently. CyberCPU says that only one strike was applied to the channel, with the second video included in the original warning. The CyberCPU Tech channel is five years old and has 300,000 subscribers, which is considered mid-range for the platform, but many creators make a living from channels that size. After taking a class provided by YouTube, the channel will be in good standing with the platform by January 2026, and the creator has applied to get a personal representative assigned from YouTube. In a follow-up video posted two days ago, CyberCPU Tech claims that the second appeal was denied in less than a minute. Other YouTube creators that have covered similar Windows topics have also had their videos removed, according to yet another video from the channel. While they didn’t initially believe that Microsoft had anything to do with the takedowns, instead blaming YouTube’s “AI-enhanced” and notoriously unreliable automated system, they now think otherwise. “In fact, I believe they [Microsoft] are entirely responsible for this.” After outlining alternative video options, the creator said, “Are we not allowed to make videos about installing Windows on unsupported hardware because of some backroom deal with Microsoft? If that’s the case, then Microsoft’s own website shows how to do it. But fine, we won’t make those videos anymore, we just need to know the rules and make them clear.” No evidence for direct Microsoft involvement was offered, though YouTube’s labyrinthian processes for creators aren’t helping to assuage those fears. Copyright strikes, a separate but easily exploitable system, are often used by IP owners to shut down unfavorable YouTube videos even when they clearly fall under fair use. YouTube channel operators have to navigate an inscrutable system that offers little to no guidance on what specific part of a video constitutes a violation, whether actions were taken automatically or due to reports from viewers or third parties, and how they might avoid getting strikes in the future. CyberCPU Tech intends to continue making videos on similar Windows topics, though they may be posted elsewhere. The creator mentioned X/Twitter, Floatplane, a tech-focused platform owned and operated by Linus Media Group (owner of Linus Tech Tips), and Rumble, an alternative video site made for right-wing influencers. Rumble provides hosting for U.S. President Trump’s personal social network Truth Social, and is popular with influencers who have been banned from more mainstream platforms, like game streamer “Dr Disrespect” and alleged human trafficker Andrew Tate. The creator said that Rumble is not a realistic option for tech creators who want to move off YouTube. “…After two years and hundreds of videos, I’ve made a total of 43 cents.” Non-political content on YouTube alternatives struggles to maintain viewers (though more generalized competitors like TikTok and Instagram Reels are faring better). “But as long as people continue to upload to YouTube,” says CyberCPU, “YouTube will still be able to abuse their creators, because they have no incentive not to.” Whether automated or guided by human hands, YouTube’s policies continue to frustrate many of the creators who make the platform successful. Regular viewers are also becoming tired of the site’s many problems, including rising prices for ad-free viewing and a massive influx of AI slop, much of which is provided by YouTube itself. Even as the platform gets measurably worse in many different ways and faces increasing competition from services like TikTok, it remains the de facto home of user-uploaded video on the web. Read...

Earlier this week, Microsoft released optional update KB5067036 for Windows 11 users, adding a number of long-awaited features to the operating system, with the most notable improvement being a revamped Start menu design with new sections. Unfortunately, Microsoft’s developers have missed a bug that makes it impossible to close the Task Manager by pressing the X button without silently opening a new instance in the background. Windows Latest took a closer look at the bug and found that each instance takes up about 25 MB of working memory, so after a while it can negatively affect the performance of your computer. While waiting for a permanent fix, you can terminate all instances of Task Manager by opening the Windows Command Prompt and entering the following command: taskkill /im taskmgr.exe /f Read...

Stop your search! We’ve found an excellent gaming laptop deal and it comes in the shape of this Lenovo LOQ 17 that’s now $799.99 at B&H, slashed down from its original $1,129.99. That’s a no-brainer discount for a solid mid-range gaming machine, so consider jumping on it quick because B&H has it marked as “limited supply at this price.” This Lenovo LOQ 17 (model 83JH000JUS) comes with a 13th-gen Intel Core i5 processor alongside 12GB of DDR5 RAM and a 512GB SSD, but the real highlight is the Nvidia RTX 5050 graphics card. That’s a solid combo for well under a grand, unlocking access to Nvidia’s DLSS 4 features that’ll elevate your gaming experience while also pushing enough power to tackle your daily tasks without a sweat. Physically speaking, you’re looking at a large 17.3-inch IPS display with a standard 1080p resolution and a speedy 165Hz refresh rate, which is just what you need to take advantage of that RTX 5050. That means crisp visuals, smooth gameplay, and even high-res spreadsheets for better work productivity. Rounded out with USB-C video, four USB-A, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, 3.5mm audio, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.3, it’s relatively good on connections. Just note that it’s hefty (6.38 pounds), not very slim (0.99 inches thick), and nothing special battery-wise. Still, it’s a winning deal because RTX 5050 gaming laptops rarely come this cheap. Get this Lenovo LOQ 17 for $799.99 while you can! Save $330 on this RTX 5050 laptop before supply runs outBuy now from B&H Read...

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A new rumor suggests that Microsoft will offer a new Windows 11 26H1 feature release early next year — but chances are you won’t be able to get it. According a to a rumor by noted tipster PhantomofEarth, Microsoft will treat the Windows 11 2026 releases in much the same way that it handled 2025: features will be rolled out in a Windows 11 26H1 release to PCs, but only “enabled” in the second half of the year as part of a Windows 11 26H2 release enablement package. However, only a small subset of PCs will be able to test these new features, the tipster reports: People who own PCs with Qualcomm Snapdragon X2 Elite or Elite Extreme chips inside. The way Microsoft launches new features can be confusing. New features debut in one of four Windows 11 Insider channels, with the Developer and Canary channels dedicated to the more experimental features, and the Beta and Release Preview channels aligned towards testing features that will debut in the stable channel, aka the PC market at large. Right now, all of the various features Microsoft tested in the first half of 2025 are being officially pushed out as part of Windows 11 25H2. But chances are that those features were quietly preloaded on your PC earlier in the year. So when we write about “turning on” the new Start menu in Windows 11 25H2, that means simply downloading a tiny “enablement” update that signals Windows that it’s time to turn on those 25H2 features. If Phantomofearth is correct, that’s the same way that Microsoft is going to handle Windows 11’s 2026 releases, too. Moreover, what we thought was Microsoft scrambling to accommodate all of the delays associated with its Copilot+ features (such as Microsoft Recall) now appears more deliberate. With the launch of the Copilot+ PC program — which struggled with low sales — Microsoft essentially turned Windows on Snapdragon into its own beta channel, using the built-in NPU as a way to test new features. But Microsoft’s latest Copilot features also target all PCs, not just those with an NPU. That’s the end goal. (The release of Windows ML is designed to route AI features to whatever hardware your PC has available, which helps.) But if PhantomofEarth is correct, it sounds like new Windows features will continue being tested on Windows on Arm first, then moved to other PCs over time. Neowin noted that Phantomofearth’s latest claim appears as a comment in his YouTube overview of the new Windows 11 25H2 features, which places this squarely into the “rumor” category for right now. But it’s one of those rumors that sounds plausible. It does make you wonder, however, what this means for rival processors like Intel’s Lunar Lake and upcoming Panther Lake chips, plus AMD’s Ryzen AI (Strix Point and the upcoming Gorgon Point) which also have competing NPUs inside them. In any event, Microsoft will hopefully continue to clarify which new Windows features are arriving when, and for which processor platform. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Epic battery life, unmatched in the industry Solid cleaning performance Dazzling red paint job looks more like a Corvette than a pool janitor Operational mode options to handle most environments Cons Very expensive App and onboard controls need a makeover Must be retrieved via pole and hook Our Verdict iGarden’s latest pool robot has the best longevity of any robot we’ve reviewed, but its price tag  complicates a buying decision. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: iGarden Pool Cleaner K Pro 150 Retailer Price Check Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices “Set it and forget it” is something of a moving target in the world of robotic pool cleaners. While a few models have exceptional battery life—a bit more than six hours being about the best I’ve seen—many die after just a couple of hours in the water, requiring immediate retrieval and recharging. Even a six-hour runtime won’t get you very far. That’s just three two-hour scrubbings—not even a week of running time if you clean every other day. The iGarden K Pro 150 changes all that, and the underwater battery race is formally on: With a running time that easily stretches beyond 10 hours, you will not find another robot with this kind of lifespan on the market. And very few with a price tag this high. (I’m looking at you, Beatbot AquaSense 2 Ultra). The iGarden K Pro 150 ran for a full 10 hours—significantly longer than the 8.5 hours the manufacturer claims. Specifications The battery is the centerpiece here: The K Pro 150 contains a massive 14,100mAh (14.1Ah) cell that dwarfs anything else you’ll find on the market. Even iGarden’s long-lived K60, which we recently reviewed, tops out at 7,500mAh (which is good for 6.5 hours of operation). The iGarden K Pro 150’s onboard control panel is arcane and far from intuitive.Christopher Null/Foundry While the K Pro 150’s physical design is the same as the K60—with large wheels, thin treads, and a race car-inspired industrial design—it’s the new paint job that will really turn heads. It immediately drew attention from visitors who spotted it either in or out of the pool during my testing. The bright red color scheme is unlike anything else in the business, which is dominated by blue or black color schemes If nothing else, it will be interesting to see if other manufacturers start experimenting with more exciting colors going forward. At 24 pounds, the K Pro 150 isn’t overly enormous or heavy, and it features the same touchscreen control panel as the K60. It also works in the same fashion with the iGarden Robotics app while it’s within Bluetooth range (i.e. only when it’s not in the pool). Charging is courtesy of a small power brick that attaches to a front-mounted charging port (more on this later), and retrieval must be done with a hook (included) and pole. The K Pro 150’s debris basket is large but, as with the K60, awkwardly shaped. This makes cleanup more tedious than with other robots, though only slightly more so. Installation and setup The iGarden app is not much more useful than the onboard control panel; fortunately, you probably won’t need to use it much.Christopher Null/Foundry Aside from unboxing, initial charging (which can take up to 9 hours), and a simple onboarding with the iGarden app, there’s nothing much to set up. You’ll need to read the manual thoroughly, however: As with the K60, the K Pro 150’s control panel is arcane and far from intuitive, and you’ll want to have those instructions handy for your initial runs (and then probably for some time after). Note that as obtuse as the control panel is, the app interface isn’t really any better, and since the app doesn’t offer any real extras (even the battery meter is very basic, offering just three broad levels of remaining charge: low, medium, and high) there’s not much to be gained from using it. Using the iGarden Pool Cleaner K Pro 150 The iGarden Pool Cleaner K Pro 150’s debris basket fits inside this bay.Christopher Null/Foundry The K Pro 150 has such a big battery that I really needed to plan well to test it properly, so that I was awake for both the start and finish of each run. For my first test, I charged the robot overnight and dropped it into the pool in the morning, putting it on its highest-coverage mode that cleans floor, walls, and waterline (my standard operating mode). The bot ran for a full 10 hours—even longer than the 8.5 hours iGarden claims for this mode. iGarden specifies a 15-hour “maximum” running time, but this is only for floor-only runs, which use less power. When I tested the robot in floor-only mode, I almost got there, achieving an uninterrupted running time just shy of 14 hours. The robot is, of course, not really designed to be used in such a way, because it’s effective at cleaning the pool much more quickly than running for half the day. (It’s also a much better overall cleaner than the K60 was in my tests.) I next set out to find how long it took for the K Pro 150 to effectively clean the pool. With a synthetic leaf test, the robot picked up 90 percent of the testing debris within 90 minutes, 98 percent within 3 hours, and it fully cleaned the pool after about 6 hours (including some tough debris stuck in the corner that I didn’t think it would ever get). The hours beyond that were just gravy. The filter basket itself has multiple chambers, which renders it a bit difficult to clean.Christopher Null/Foundry Instead of running the robot until the battery dies each time, the smarter move is to use the “AI Timer” feature, though this is perhaps the most frivolous usage of the term “AI” I’ve encountered. A better name for this feature would simply be “Timer,” as it simply lets you specify automatic, repeating runs every 24-, 48-, or 72 hours after your initial running cycle. With this feature activated, you should be able to get five 2-hour cleaning runs out of the robot. With 48-hour repeat runs, that’s a solid 10 days of operation before you need to recharge it (assuming the filter basket doesn’t get full before then). While the control panel is busy, the only other function of note on it is the Turbo Mode feature, which basically just sets the robot to move faster in the water, which will potentially speed up the cleaning cycle. The difference in speed isn’t massive, but using Turbo Mode will take a big bite out of battery life, anywhere from 10- to 40 percent, depending on the cleaning mode used. Most users should probably stick with Standard. The rubbet plug that’s supposed to keep water out of the robot’s charging port is largely ineffective.Christopher Null/Foundry My only other real complaint with the K Pro 150 is related to its misguided power port. Just like with the K60, the fat rubber plug over the port didn’t keep water from getting into it, and after every run I would find a significant amount of fluid trapped inside. As with the K60, I eventually stopped trying to dry out the port after each run and just charged it with the water remaining inside, with no ill effects noted. And finally, it’s worth noting that the K Pro 150 has no waterline retrieval mechanism: It must always be fetched with the included hook. Should you buy the iGarden Pool Cleaner K Pro 150? You knew there would be a catch with this review, and it’s a big one. The iGarden K Pro 150 carries a list price of a cool $3,000. Even after the 25-percent off coupon presently available on iGarden’s website, this is still a $2250 pool robot, which is outlandishly expensive and even pricier than my more full-featured favorites like the Polaris Freedom Plus and Beatbot Aquasense Pro. That makes for an extremely difficult calculus that revolves mainly around convenience. Being able to drop the robot into the pool on Monday morning and not think about cleaning it again until two Fridays later is a game-changer, and there are times when my pool is indeed that dirty due to wind and rain. Most of the time, however, I’m happy to drop in a robot on demand and retrieve it when the job is complete—especially if it’s waiting for me at the waterline at the end. For me, the massive battery in the K Pro 150 is overkill, but your mileage may well vary. This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best robotic pool cleaners. Read...