Xen 4.21 launches with enhanced cloud, automotive support, boosting performance, security, and compatibility across diverse architectures and platforms. Read...

Tessell has enhanced its multi-cloud database platform with AI features to simplify management and boost performance on Microsoft Azure for enterprises. Read...

Amazon’s kicking off its Black Friday deals early this year with discounts on laptops from popular brands like Dell, HP, and Microsoft. Honestly? These will probably be the best laptop discounts you’ll see all season. Whether you’re looking for a powerful gaming machine that can keep up with the latesttriple-A titles or a reliable laptop for the day-to-day stuff, Amazon has it all. You need Prime to take advantage of those discounts and perks, though, so make sure you sign up for it! Amazon is running deals on Prime during the holiday shopping season. The best part is the convenience Amazon offers. Free Prime shipping gets your laptop right to your door as quickly as lightning, and easy returns take the stress out of online shopping, which can sometimes be an unpredictable beast. Plus, with early access to those scrumptious deals, you can shop before the big Black Friday rush and snag what you want before it’s gone. Below you’ll find a carefully assembled list of the best Amazon laptop deals you can grab right now. Best Amazon Black Friday budget laptop deals Sometimes all you need is a respectable, baseline-level machine. Personally, I use a low-powered laptop for writing, watching Netflix, checking email, and so on. I just dig the simplicity. So, if you’re not a gamer and just need a lightweight machine for day-to-day tasks, check out the list below. Lenovo ThinkPad E14 (Ryzen 7 5700U), AMD Ryzen 7 5700U processor/14-inch 1920×1080/12GB RAM/256GB SSD, $239.99 ($460 off at Amazon) Acer Aspire Premium, AMD Ryzen 3 7330U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $379.05 ($20.94 off at Amazon) Asus?Vivobook?16 (F1605VA-ES56), Intel Core i5-13420H/16-inch 1920×1200/16GB RAM/512 GB SSD, $429.99 ($70 off at Amazon) Best Amazon Black Friday midrange laptop deals Looking for a little more oomph? A midrange laptop should do you just fine. These laptops typically offer more processing power and storage, and prices fall in the $500 to $800 range. Microsoft Surface Laptop (2025), Snapdragon X Plus processor/13-inch 1920×1280 touchscreen display/16GB RAM/256GB SSD, $549.99 ($350 off at Amazon) Samsung Galaxy Book4, Intel 7 150U processor/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $589 ($110.99 off at Amazon) Asus Vivobook 14, Snapdragon X Plus processor/14-inch 1920×1200 display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $649.99 ($100 off at Amazon) Apple 2025 MacBook Air, M4 chip/13.6-inch 2560×1664 display/16GB RAM/256GB SSD, $749 ($249 off at Amazon) Best Amazon Black Friday gaming laptop deals Calling all gamers! There’s no better time to scoop up a blisteringly fast gaming machine. The laptops below are both powerful and reasonably priced, and should be able to blitz through most games. HP Victus, AMD Ryzen 5 7535HS processor/RTX 2050 graphics/15.6-inch 1920×1080 display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $569 ($41 off at Amazon) Asus TUF Gaming F16, Intel Core 5 210H processor/RTX 4050 graphics/16-inch 1920×1200 display/8GB RAM/512GB SSD, $749.99 ($250 off at Amazon) Alienware 16 Aurora, Intel Core 7-240H Series 2 processor/RTX 5060 graphics/16-inch 2560×1600 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,099.98 ($300.01 off at Amazon) Asus ROG Strix G16 (2025), Intel Core i7-14650HX processor/RTX 5060 graphics/16-inch 1920×1080 display/16GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,199.99 ($300 off at Amazon) Best Amazon Black Friday premium laptop deals If you’re looking for more premium features like an OLED display or a 2-in-1 form factor, you’ve come to the right spot. Below you’ll find ultra-lightweight machines as well as laptops with high-resolution displays. Microsoft Surface Pro 2-in-1, Snapdragon X Elite processor/13-inch 2880×1920 OLED display/16GB RAM/512GB SSD, $999.99 ($500 off at Amazon) Dell 14 Plus, Intel Core Ultra 9 288V processor/14-inch 2560×1600 display/32GB RAM/1TB SSD, $1,049.99 ($350 off at Amazon) Microsoft Surface Laptop (2024), Snapdragon X Elite 12-core processor/13.8-inch 2304×1536 display/16 GB RAM/1 TB SSD, $1,099.99 ($500 off at Amazon) Black Friday: The best PC deals around Check out our roundups for the best PC-related deals in a wide variety of categories! Black Friday 2025: How to get the best prices on tech, and where to shop  Early Black Friday desktop computer deals Early Black Friday Thunderbolt dock deals Early Black Friday SSD deals Early Black Friday monitor deals Early Black Friday Chromebook deals Early Black Friday VPN deals Early Black Friday office chair and desk deals Early Black Friday power bank deals Early Black Friday USB flash drive deals Early Black Friday mini PC deals FAQ 1. When is Black Friday this year? Black Friday 2025 is on Friday, November 28. But make no mistake: The laptop deals have already begun, and the sales event that used to be just a single day might as well be called “Black Week.” Amazon’s Black Week kicks off on November 20th, in fact. 2. When is Cyber Monday this year? Cyber Monday 2025 is on Monday, December 1. To take advantage of the best deals, we suggest logging on at midnight. This gives you the best chance to snag a deal on something you want before stock runs out. 3. Which laptops does PCWorld recommend, the deals notwithstanding? Hey, the site is called PCWorld, so we test and review an insane number of laptops. To see our top picks, you can check out our master list of the best laptops of 2025. We also have more granular selections for the best laptops under $500, and the best laptops for students. Come Black Friday, there’s a good chance that many of our picks will be discounted, so if you’re looking for something that’s been tested and approved, check out these articles. Read...

Is nothing working on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 computer? Is an application hanging, or is your PC unresponsive? Many people will reach for the hallowed Ctrl + Alt + Del keyboard shortcut, which has been used since the earliest days of DOS to revive a frozen computer. You can also use the shortcut to call up the task manager (although Ctrl + Shift + Esc is faster at that). What many people probably aren’t aware of, however, is the emergency restart function Microsoft hid inside the Ctrl + Alt + Del screen. How to activate the hidden Windows emergency restart To get to the hidden emergency restart function, first press Ctrl + Alt + Del on your keyboard. The usual “lock,” “switch user,” “sign off,” and “Task manager” options will appear in a full screen. To initiate the emergency restart, hold down Crtl and click the power button.Foundry You don’t want any of those. Instead, at the bottom right, next to buttons for network settings and accessibility functions, there is a power button for switching off or restarting the computer. You can use this button to access the hidden function: Hold down the Ctrl key and click on the power button. Now the following note is displayed by Windows in full-screen mode: “Click OK to immediately restart. Any unsaved data will be lost.” It then ends with this dramatic-sounding message: “Use this only as a last resort.” Brad Chacos/IDG Click on the “OK” button and the expected happens: The computer restarts immediately without any further prompting. Why Microsoft added this feature to Windows 10 and 11 get windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro Apparently, Microsoft integrated this method into Windows as an additional way of subjecting the computer to a warm start. Depending on the reason why Windows is having problems at the moment, the other options for a Windows warm start might not work. Before resorting to the last resort of a cold start (i.e. holding down the physical on/off button on your PC or briefly disconnecting the device from the power supply), the hidden emergency restart could offer a way out. Many ways to shut down Windows I have not yet been able to discover where Microsoft documented this feature, but it’s nice to have another reboot option with the hidden Windows emergency restart. Here are a bunch of other ways you can restart Windows: Method 1: Click Start button and then click Power button Method 2: Press “Ctrl + Alt + Del” and then click on the power button in the bottom right-hand corner Method 3: On the Windows desktop, press the combination Alt + F4 and then select “Reboot” from the drop-down menu Method 4: Open the command prompt with admin rights, type -shutdown -r -t 00 and press Enter. Method 5: Go to the Windows Powershell, type “Restart-Computer” and press Enter. Method 6: The hidden emergency restart option For even more secretive goodies, be sure to check out our guide to 10 obscure Windows features that will blow your mind. This article was translated from German to English, and originally appeared on pcwelt.de. Read...

With the incoming holiday season and (hopefully) some PTO, it’ll be time to cozy up under a blanket with your favorite books… on a Kindle. Black Friday is here and you can get a brand-spanking-new Kindle for as little as $80 on Amazon, the best price we’ve seen for the newest series. The 6-inch 16GB Kindle with 16GB of storage space comes with a 27% discount, which means that instead of paying $110 for it, you can get it for $80—the new best price for this model. It’s lightweight, fast, and just about perfect to take with you anywhere you go. The 16GB Kindle is only $80 for Black FridayBuy via Amazon The 7-inch 16GB Kindle Paperwhite—my personal favorite of the Kindle devices—features a better lighting setup that’ll make reading at night an even better experience than the basic Kindle. The battery lasts several weeks, long enough to forget when you charged it last. Instead of $160, the Kindle Paperwhite is down to $125, its very best price. The 16GB Kindle Paperwhite dropped to $125 for Black FridayBuy via Amazon If you want a bit more storage space, auto-adjusting light, as well as wireless charging, the 32GB Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is on sale for just $150—that’s 25% off and also its best price. The 32GB Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition is now $150Buy via Amazon Besides the chance to get a new Kindle at an all-time lowest price, the best thing about these Black Friday deals is that you can get three months of Kindle Unlimited for free with your purchase. Kindle Unlimited unlocks access to over 5 million ebooks, audiobooks, comics, manga, and more. Don’t miss this hot opportunity! Read...

Microsoft is testing a new integration in Windows 11’s File Explorer that could allow AI apps—such as Anthropic Claude and Manus—to request access to files, reports Windows Latest. While the files aren’t uploaded to the cloud, the feature does let AI tools read content locally to do things like summarize documents, build websites, or create presentations based on files. Microsoft says that only the file contents are shared, not the files themselves. The first of these features, like summarizing documents via Copilot and Microsoft 365, will be rolled out in the coming weeks. It’s still not known when the full AI app integration will become widely available. Read...

Where’s the beef when it comes to AMD FSR Redstone? The much-touted next generation of AMD’s graphics-enhancing package, exclusive to the latest RX 9000-series GPUs, has taken its sweet time in getting here, only showing one feature in the newest Call of Duty title. But, according to a promotional post from an AMD representative, it should be rolling out more widely starting December 10th. Said AMD rep is Jack Huynh, who might be familiar to any tech-heads who follow the company, as he’s a senior VP for the Computer and Graphics Group. Over on Twitter/X, he posted a 30-second promo video (which is basically just the Marvel Studios intro logo, you don’t need to watch it) that ends with “FSR ‘Redstone,’ Premiering December 10th.” The post was spotted by KitGuru. Exactly what “premiering” means in this context isn’t super clear. Technically you can see Redstone, or at least one piece of it, if you’re playing Black Ops 7 on a PC with a Radeon RX 9000 GPU. The game launched with ML Ray Generation tech enabled. But it’s missing other crucial components of the suite, including terms that would twist the tongue of a Starfleet engineer: Neural Radiance Caching, ML Super Resolution, and ML Frame Generation. You can dive into the technical details elsewhere, but essentially this is Fidelity Super Resolution version 5 and it uses tons of different kinds of tech to make game lighting look better without bogging down framerates. Some or all of these features will need to be enabled by developers on a game-by-game basis. The stylized nature of the preview video doesn’t indicate which games might get it first, but I’m guessing I saw snippets of the previously-mentioned Black Ops 7, Red Dead Redemption 2, aaaaand… that’s it. There are a bunch of other games shown off, but sliding off the side of big blocky text I can’t tell which ones they are. Read...

On November 20th, 1985, a then not-so-big company called Microsoft announced that Windows was commercially available. Read the full story of the Microsoft operating system below. Windows 1 to 11: The history of Windows, blue screens, and Easter eggs We’re taking a look back at the history of the most widely used operating system. Why? Because Windows is full of surprises. When Bill Gates demonstrated the beta version of Windows 98, he ran into a blue screen. Windows 10 users fared only slightly better in fall 2018 with the Windows Fall Creators Update version 1809. It’s been a journey, to say the least. I present to you a floppy disc containing the VERY FIRST demo of what would become @Microsoft @Windows! It was coded by the little-known father of Windows, Rao Remala. I will have much more to share on this, but for now, I thought you might like to see this historical treasure! pic.twitter.com/lyWKFMYn2M-BetaCollector (@beta_collector) March 9, 2022 Timeline, curious: Microsoft forgets Windows Me in its own compilation.©Microsoft Windows 1.0: DOS gets a graphical add-on On November 21st, 1985, Microsoft officially presented Windows 1.0 (which also contained an Easter egg that named the developers and employees of the Windows team). One day earlier, on November 20th, 1985, Microsoft had announced the delivery of the retail version: “BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON—November 20, 1985—Microsoft Corporation announced today the retail shipment of the Microsoft Windows operating environment to dealers and distributors.” The Windows 1.0 desktop. On 20 November 1985, more than 35 years ago, Microsoft introduced the first graphical user interface for its MS-DOS environment under the name Microsoft Windows 1.0.©Microsoft This is how Windows 1 looked on the shelf in 1985©Microsoft Until then, MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) had been Microsoft’s operating system for IBM PCs. Windows 1.0 required a graphics card and 256KB of memory, the equivalent of 66 typewritten pages. For comparison, Windows 10 required a good 8GB of space on the hard drive. And by the way, Microsoft Word had already been around for a while by this time! Which version of @Windows is the first to include Easter eggs? Windows 3.0? Nope. What if I tell you there is an Easter egg in Windows 1.0 RTM? This is what I have recently discovered: pic.twitter.com/dbfcv4r7jj-Lucas Brooks (@mswin_bat) March 18, 2022 Images from Microsoft show the beginnings of more than just Windows The triggerThis is where it all begins: Microsoft’s co-founder Paul Allen discovers the Altair 8800 on the cover of “Popular Science” magazine in January 1975. The device is minimally equipped and has 256 bytes of RAM. Gates and Allen then worked day and night and developed the computer language “Altair BASIC” in just a few weeks.©Poptronix Nerds as they are written in the bookin 1978, shortly before the company moved to Albuquerque, one of the most famous photos of the Microsoft team was taken. The colourful bunch of long-bearded nerds hardly gives any indication that the team is about to establish a company worth billions.©Microsoft Microsoft Word for DOSthe first version of Microsoft Word was released in 1983, back then for the MS-DOS 1.0 operating system. The programme made use of the computer mouse for the first time. The peripheral device, which was not very ergonomic at the time, also came from Microsoft – it was the company’s first hardware product.©Microsoft The most important productin 1985, Windows 1.0 is released. Developed under the code name “Interface Manager”, the operating system offers a graphical user interface, unlike MS-DOS, and allows various applications to be run simultaneously. The Windows series is still one of the most important sales centres for Microsoft today.©Microsoft The new headquarters: Microsoft Campusin 1986, the rapidly growing company moves to a new headquarters in Redmond, Washington State. The picture shows the Microsoft campus after numerous extensions and expansions. Today, over 30,000 employees work on the 750,000 square metre site.©Microsoft Separate operating system for IBMMicrosoft develops the OS/2 operating system for IBM, which is released almost simultaneously with Windows 2.0. Although the operating systems compete with each other, Microsoft earns money from both products. microsoft ended its co-operation with IBM in 1991, but despite further development, OS/2 was ultimately unable to prevail against Windows.©IBM Clever acquisitionIn 1987, Microsoft bought the company Forethought, which had developed promising presentation software. A short time later, this would become Microsoft PowerPoint. The software is still a key component of the Office package today.©Microsoft Office 1.0 goes on saleMicrosoft Office version 1.0 is launched on the market in 1989. The software bundle includes Word 4.0, Excel 2.2, PowerPoint 2.01 and Microsoft Mail 1.37. To this day, Microsoft Office is one of the most successful and best-selling products from the Redmond-based corporation.©Microsoft Bill Gates presents Windows 3.0Bill Gates, who still lives up to the image of a nerd, presents Windows 3.0. The operating system is launched on the market in 1990, sells very well and now also conquers domestic computers. It contains games such as Minesweeper, Solitaire and Hearts for the first time.©Microsoft Microsoft EncartaThe first version of Microsoft Encarta is launched in 1993. The encyclopaedia, initially developed under the code name “Gandalf”, was published in a new version every year. The picture shows the 1998 edition, which also supported updates via the Internet. microsoft discontinued all Encarta offerings in 2009.©Microsoft More power, more freedom, more fun…More power, more freedom, more fun…… the release of the operating system was accompanied by the biggest advertising campaign that Microsoft had ever launched up to that point. It was a great success, with Windows 95 selling more than seven million copies in the first few weeks. This is also because Microsoft has recognised the signs of the times: Internet support and plug-and-play functions are included for the first time.©Microsoft Microsoft buys FrontPage with development studioin 1996, Microsoft bought the company Vermeer Technologies together with its HTML editor FrontPage 1.0 for 133 million dollars. A short time later, the programme was distributed by Microsoft in version 1.1 and was consistently developed further in the following years and added to the Office suite. Since the release of Office 2007, FrontPage is no longer part of the package and has been replaced by Microsoft Expression Web. ©Microsoft The strategic purchases continuein 1997, Microsoft paid 400 million dollars for the Hotmail e-mail service; at the time of the takeover, the webmail provider already had twelve million users. After the takeover, the service was repeatedly the victim of hacker attacks due to numerous security vulnerabilities. Hotmail was completely replaced by Outlook.com in mid-2012.©Microsoft Flagship for the browser warmicrosoft starts the browser war in 1995. Internet Explorer was to take market share away from the previously successful Netscape Navigator. The strategy worked, partly because Microsoft was able to spread its own browser quickly by linking it to Windows. Netscape loses out and is swallowed up by AOL in 1998. Internet Explorer is therefore mockingly dubbed the “Internet Destroyer”. The picture shows version 10.©Microsoft Another acquisitionIn 2000, Microsoft bought the Visio Corporation and the software of the same name for 1.3 billion dollars. The visualisation program can be used to create graphical representations using simple tools and templates. Visio is one of a long series of software acquisitions with which Microsoft earns a lot of money. The programme is not part of the Office package and must be purchased separately.©Microsoft Steve Ballmer becomes the new Microsoft bossAlso in 2000, Bill Gates appoints Steve Ballmer (pictured right), who has been President of the company since 1998, as the new CEO. The hot-tempered Ballmer repeatedly attracted attention with his eccentric appearances, earning him the nickname “Monkey Boy”.©Microsoft Proud of the new operating systemin 2001, Bill Gates can hardly wait for the release of the new Windows XP, which goes on sale at the end of the year. Microsoft now undeniably dominates the market for home computer operating systems. Windows XP, like other versions before it, is criticised because it again contains program types that cannot be uninstalled and were previously distributed by other providers.©Microsoft Windows VistaWindows Vista hits the shops in 2007. With the new Aero user interface, a new search function, the Flip 3D view and, for the first time, control functions for parents, Vista brings many new features. In 2006, the European Union threatened to force Microsoft to stop selling the operating system if EU requirements (such as the disclosure of communication interfaces) were not finally implemented.©Microsoft Windows 7 enters the race quicklyWindows 7 is coming onto the market just two years after Vista. On board are new options for working with windows, such as docking or peek and shake, as well as an improved user interface and taskbar. With Windows Touch, touchscreen PCs are also supported for the first time. ©Microsoft Courage for the new user interfaceIn the competition with Apple and Google for share of the mobile market, Microsoft is focussing on the new “Metro” user interface. The typography-based “tile design” is intended to satisfy PC, smartphone and tablet users alike. The reception is mixed. Microsoft later renamed the design “Modern UI”.©Microsoft Microsoft prevailsBill Gates, who still lives up to the image of a nerd, introduces Windows 3.0. The operating system is launched in 1990, sells very well and now also conquers domestic computers. It contains games such as Minesweeper, Solitaire and Hearts for the first time.©Skype The first tablet from Microsoft2012 sees the launch of the “Surface”, Microsoft’s first tablet. The device, which was manufactured entirely in-house, received mixed reviews with its powerful computing power, high-quality workmanship, but also high weight and short battery life. The third generation of the tablet is now available.©Microsoft The new Windows 8in 2012, Julie Larson-Green, a Vice President at Microsoft, presents the new Windows 8. It contains both the Windows 8 Modern UI (formerly “Metro”) for touchscreen PCs and a classic desktop view. With the Windows RT operating system for tablets and Windows Phone 8 for smartphones, Microsoft is thus offering a standardised design for all devices.©Microsoft The evolution of Microsoft logosThe logo of the software pioneer from Redmond has changed several times in the company’s almost 40-year history. After 25 years with the same logo, a symbol in a tile design was added for the first time in 2012. It underlines the company’s efforts to standardise its products.©Microsoft Third generation of the games consoleThe Xbox One, the third generation of Microsoft’s successful games console, goes on sale in 2013. The device competes with Sony’s high-performance Playstation 4 console, and the “Kinect” add-on module allows players to control the console using body movements or voice commands. Three million Xbox One units will be sold worldwide by the end of 2013.©Microsoft Net profits since 2002In the last calendar year alone, Microsoft generated a net profit of 21.86 billion dollars. A look at the past few years reveals fluctuations and shows the company’s difficulties in gaining a foothold in the mobile market.©en.statista.com This man should fix itSatya Nadella, Steve Ballmer’s successor as head of Microsoft since this year, has to make up for the botched entry into the mobile device market. With personnel changes and a new motto focussing more on cloud services and mobile technologies, he wants to make Microsoft a pioneer in the IT industry again.©Microsoft Windows was initially only intended to make DOS easier to use The first Windows was sold as a graphical add-on for the MS-DOS operating system. The aim of the still-young company Microsoft with its boss and founder Bill Gates was to make DOS PCs easier to use: users no longer had to type in command-line commands to get things done. The “Interface Manager”—as Windows was originally called—brought a small word processor, a drawing program, a card index box, a calendar, a clock, and some service programs in addition to file management. The Windows 2.0 desktop©Microsoft Windows 2.0 arrives in 1987 On December 9th, 1987, Microsoft released Windows 2.0 with desktop icons and expansion memory. Thanks to improved graphics support, users could now arrange windows to overlap, control the screen layout, and use keyboard shortcuts to get their work done faster. Windows 2.0 was developed for the Intel 286 processor. Bill Gates presents the newly released Windows 3.0©Microsoft Windows 3.0/3.1: A legendary operating system with 16 colors Windows 3.0©Microsoft Windows 3.0 was launched on May 22nd, 1990 together with Microsoft Solitaire. Windows 3.1 followed in 1992. Windows 3.1 computers are still in operation at Paris Orly Airport today. Microsoft announced that a total of 10 million copies of both systems were sold in the first two years. Windows 3.1: Before Windows Explorer, there was the Programme Manager, in which applications could be grouped and collected in every conceivable way.©Microsoft Windows 3.x offered better performance, extended graphics options with 16 colors, and visually improved icons. Users enjoyed a modern interface with 3D-looking icons and new programs. The cult games Solitaire, Hearts, and Minesweeper, which are still popular today, now also made Windows a favorite at home. From a technical point of view, however, Windows was still an add-on for DOS. Spent the entire day today reverse engineering early Windows binaries to hunt for Easter eggs. Here is a list of the Easter eggs in various builds of Windows 1.0 – 3.0 and the keystrokes required to trigger them. https://t.co/ecqLN1NoDg. Try them yourself! pic.twitter.com/lr5Cfd5XLu-Lucas Brooks (@mswin_bat) March 19, 2022 Windows 95: Bringing the PC into the living room©Microsoft Windows 95: Bringing the PC into the living room Windows 95©Microsoft When Windows 95 was officially launched at a major event in Redmond in the summer of 1995, the world’s press was there. The launch was accompanied by the Rolling Stones hit “Start Me Up,” the most important topic at the time was the internet, and the most urgent task that an operating system had to fulfill was communication: “More than half of all new features in Windows 95 revolve around communication, for example electronic messaging (electronic mail), Internet access, and the ability to dial into your system decentrally,” said Bill Gates at CeBIT 1995. Bill Gates presents Windows 95microsoft Windows 95 allowed several programs to run simultaneously. Internet Explorer for surfing the web also appeared during the lifetime of Windows 95. In addition, longer file names were possible and 32-bit became available. Settings were no longer set via INI files but in the Registry. Windows 95 introduced the Start menu, the taskbar, and buttons for “minimize”, “maximize,” and “close.” Also new were the Plug & Play functions, which simplified the installation of hardware and software. The 32-bit operating system also offered enhanced multimedia functions. The following images show screenshots of early Windows versions Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows1985: Windows 1.01With the very first version of Windows, Microsoft still had to be careful not to come into legal conflict with Apple’s MacOS. For example, a recycle bin icon was omitted and windows were not allowed to overlap. But the very first version of Windows also had a taskbar.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows1987: Windows 2.0With Windows 2.0, Microsoft slightly improved the graphics and, for the first time, windows could overlap. The taskbar from Windows 1.0 was removed again. A number of useful helpers were included for the first time. These included a clock, Paint and Terminal and the file manager, which was still called MS-DOS Executive. Shortly after the release of Windows 2.0, Microsoft also brought out Word and Excel for Windows.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows1990: Windows 3.0Windows 3.0 included Solitaire, which is still popular today, for the first time. It also included the Program Manager, support for VGA and virtual memory. Visually, Windows 3.0 came in a 3D look. More and more software and hardware manufacturers began to support Windows from Windows 3.0 onwards.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows1992: Windows 3.1Windows 3.1 was significantly improved compared to its predecessor Windows 3.1. For example, scalable fonts with TrueType fonts were included for the first time. Drag-and-drop functionality and multimedia support have also been improved and OLE (Object Linking and Embedding) has been integrated. And – oh yes: Minesweeper celebrated its premiere.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows1992: Windows for Workgroups 3.1This version of Windows was based on Windows 3.1 and added native network support, particularly for LAN networks. Various network tools were also added.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows1993: Windows NT 3.1The work that had previously been done for OS/2 was channelled into Windows NT. It was a completely new 32-bit operating system. All previous versions of Windows had been graphical user interfaces for MS-DOS. Windows NT 3.1 was aimed at workstations and servers. Although Windows NT 3.1 resembled Windows 3.1 in appearance, it was ultimately a completely new operating system.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows1995: Windows 95For end users, Microsoft continued to rely on a DOS-based operating system and developed Windows 3.1 into Windows 95. For the first time, no separate DOS installation was necessary. The new taskbar and the Start menu celebrated their première. Many other improvements were also made. Windows 95 was a success and heralded the triumph of the Windows platform.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows1996: Windows NT 4.0With Windows NT 4.0, the stable server Windows was given the interface of the consumer Windows 95. The very stable Windows kernel was further improved. The NT operating system became a success with Microsoft’s corporate customers.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows1996: Windows CE 1.0Windows CE 1.0 was the first version of Windows for small devices. It was an operating system that was completely independent of other Windows versions that had previously been released and was used for handheld devices in the mid to late 1990s. Windows CE 1.0 ultimately formed the basis for the later Windows Mobile.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows1998: Windows 98With Windows 98, the Internet Explorer browser became part of the operating system for the first time, along with support for USB and the quick launch bar.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows2000: Windows 2000The NT Windows family was further developed in 2000 with Windows 2000. Web support from Windows 98 was now added to the server operating system as standard. It was also a relatively secure operating system that Microsoft developed for servers and workstations. Nevertheless, Windows 2000 was also often used on desktop PCs. An important new feature of Windows 2000 was that the reboots that were previously often necessary after installing new software or changing system settings were a thing of the past.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows2000: Windows MEWindows users from the early days still remember Windows 2000, which was released in 2000, with nostalgia, but Windows ME, which was released in the same year, still inflames people today. Windows ME aimed to increase multimedia support and user-friendliness. However, the operating system was also very unstable and slow.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows2001: Windows XPWith Windows XP, Microsoft combined the stable NT family with the 9x family for end users for the first time. The result was the most successful operating system to date – and Windows XP still has a large following today. A great achievement for software that has been around for over 10 years.There was also criticism when Windows XP was released. For example, the new, colourful Luna interface.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows2003: Windows Server 2003The NT family was continued in 2003 with Windows Server 2003, which offered improvements to the interface that Microsoft had already introduced two years earlier with Windows XP.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows2007: Windows VistaIn 2007, the visually sophisticated interface of MacOS X stole the show from the ageing Windows XP. Microsoft’s answer to this was Windows Vista, which introduced the Aero interface, gadgets, a new Start menu and more stylish icons. There were also many improvements under the bonnet. However, Windows Vista failed to win over the masses. However, Windows Vista laid an important foundation for the next version of the Windows operating system for desktop PCs: Windows 7.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows2008: Windows Server 2008Windows Server 2008 was primarily the server version of Windows Vista. However, the Aero interface was omitted.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows2009: Windows 7Criticism of Windows Vista prompted Microsoft to quickly start work on a successor that would address all the criticisms levelled at Windows Vista. The result was Windows 7, which has now been well received by the masses and is becoming increasingly popular.©2014 Windows 1.01 to Windows 8: 25 years of Windows2012: Windows 8Windows8 was released as the successor to Windows 7 on 26 October 2012. With Windows 8, Microsoft built on its highly successful predecessor and increased stability, security and speed. Microsoft developed the new tile interface for use on touch devices. Two major updates followed with Windows 8.1 on 18 October and Windows 8.1 Update 1. With these, Microsoft significantly improved the operation of the operating system, among other things.©2014 Windows 102015: Windows 10 Windows 10 took over the legacy of Windows 8 in 2015. Microsoft justified the version number jump by saying that Windows 10 was not just a successor, but heralded a new era for Windows. Windows 95 becomes a success despite its many crashes Even though Windows 95 was a standalone operating system, it still required some DOS technologies. And Windows 95 was by no means stable—crashes are simply part and parcel for Windows users. However, this did not detract from its sales success, as Microsoft sold around 40 million copies in its first year. The Windows 98 desktop©Microsoft Windows 98: Windows in the age of the first internet cafés Three years after Windows 95, on June 25th, 1998, Microsoft launched Windows 98 (codename Memphis). It was the successor to Windows 95 and had Internet Explorer integrated into the operating system for excursions into the still relatively new World Wide Web. A browser war promptly broke out between Internet Explorer and the then-widely-used Netscape Navigator, which is now defunct. Windows 98©Microsoft Fun fact: When Bill Gates presented a beta version of Windows 98 at the US computer trade fair Comdex on April 20th, 1998, he actually looked at a blue screen. This sight was later shared by many millions of users, as Windows 98 remained susceptible to crashes but always recovered. The blue screen and the associated computer restart were commonplace for Windows 98 users. The Windows 98 SE upgrade, which appeared a year later, did nothing to change this. Windows 98 not only offered simplified access to the internet, but also supported reading and writing DVDs and automatic hardware recognition of many USB devices for the first time. A new feature was the quick launch bar (“taskbar”), which allowed Windows programs to be launched more quickly than via the Start menu. Windows 98 also had native support for USB and FAT32. The breakthrough on the market came with Windows 98 Second Edition (SE), which was the first time Microsoft used the CD-ROM and said goodbye to floppy disks as an installation medium. However, users still needed a boot disc with CD-ROM drivers because the Windows 98 retail CDs themselves were not bootable—and blue screens were still part of everyday life for Windows users. Windows 98 was the last version of the operating system based on MS-DOS. Windows 2000: Standardization of Windows for businesses Back in 1993, Microsoft launched Windows NT, an operating system designed to meet the requirements of companies for business computers. The Windows 2000 Professional operating system offered companies a standardized IT platform. Based on the code of Windows NT Workstation 4.0, Windows 2000 offered greater reliability and improved usability. Microsoft also simplified hardware installation with broad support for USB devices and new network and wireless products. Windows 2000©Microsoft Windows Me: Who asked for this? Windows Me, which was released in 2000, was the first to introduce system recovery, a feature where the configuration of PC software could be reset to a point in time before problems occurred. Movie Maker provided users with tools for digitally editing, saving, and sharing home videos. And with the help of Microsoft Windows Media Player 7 technologies, digital media could be searched, organized, and played back. However, users weren’t very enthusiastic about Windows Me. Technically speaking, Windows Me was the last Microsoft operating system based on the Windows 95 code base. Microsoft announced at the time that all future operating system products would be based on the Windows NT and Windows 2000 kernel. The Windows XP Home Edition desktop©Microsoft Windows XP: Still fondly remembered Windows XP was launched on October 25th, 2001 with a common code base shared between Windows for end users and Windows for servers and businesses (formerly Windows NT). With XP, Windows became significantly more crash-proof and blue screens less common. For Microsoft, Windows XP became the best-selling Windows of all time in the following years, with millions and millions of users loving it. Many users found the navigation in the Start menu, the taskbar, and the Control Panel intuitive—and many years later still didn’t want to give up their Windows XP for later versions like Windows 8. Windows XP: XP wallpaper “Bliss”©Microsoft Microsoft also provided regular security updates online and launched the Trustworthy Computing initiative in 2002. With Windows XP, Microsoft increasingly integrated digital entertainment media in 2001. Later versions of Windows XP, such as the Media Center Edition, could even be controlled using a remote control. Windows XP©Microsoft Windows XP was available in two versions: Home and Professional. Windows XP Home came with Network Installation Wizard, Windows Media Player, Windows Movie Maker, and advanced features for digital photos. Windows XP Professional contained additional features especially for use in companies. Windows XP consisteds of 45 million lines of code. Even 20 years after its launch, a small number of computers still run Windows XP. However, as they no longer receive security updates, they pose a huge security risk as soon as they’re connected to the internet. The Windows Vista desktop©Microsoft Windows Vista: A huge flop with users In January 2007, Microsoft revealed the secret behind the new operating system codenamed “Longhorn”: Windows Vista with its new Aero design. Microsoft redesigned the Start menu and taskbar, while User Account Control ensured that potential malware didn’t harm the PC. But user enthusiasm was limited with Vista, as it was with Windows Me. Windows Vista©Microsoft The Windows 7 desktop©Microsoft Windows 7: The first step on the way to the cloud Windows 7 was released in 2009, together with Windows Live Services and the “online hard drive” SkyDrive (which would later be known as OneDrive when Microsoft had to change the name of its online storage due to legal problems). Windows 7 was such a huge success that nobody wanted to move on to its successor, Windows 8. Windows 7microsoft Windows 8 – now with apps and tiles©Microsoft Windows 8: Optimized for mobile use In 2012, Microsoft brought tiles out of the bathroom and onto the Windows desktop—with Windows 8 and apps in tile form. Windows could now be operated via touch input. The Windows Store was also integrated, allowing apps to be downloaded. Windows 8©Microsoft Microsoft wanted to bring together desktop PCs, laptops, and tablets (where Windows didn’t play a major role). However, users gave Windows 8 the cold shoulder. With the subsequent release of Windows 8.1, which went on sale on October 17th, 2013, Microsoft tried to correct the worst flaws of Windows 8 and also bring back the Start button. The desktop could now also be used again as standard. Microsoft discontinued support for Windows 8.1 on January 10th, 2023. Windows 10: A new attempt at success On July 29th, 2015, Microsoft released a new generation of its operating system: Windows 10. It offered a uniform software platform for all devices and took into account the specific characteristics of tablets, laptops, phones, and the Xbox through to the Internet of Things and the development of holograms. Developers now just needed to create one app for Windows 10—known as a Universal App—to use on all Windows devices, which could be made available via the Windows Store. Microsoft also released its digital assistant Cortana and the Edge browser, plus the Start menu was also back with Windows 10. Windows 10©Microsoft Windows 10 was made available as a free upgrade for qualified Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 devices in 190 countries worldwide. Windows 10 users received the first major update automatically and free of charge on their PCs and tablets as part of Windows-as-a-Service. Microsoft followed this up with the Anniversary Update for Windows 10 in August 2016, which was followed by two further updates per year. Major feature updates for Windows 10 were released regularly in spring and fall. The most notorious of these was the Fall Creators Update version 1809 from 2018, which turned into a tour of bankruptcies and mishaps, leading Microsoft to finally end the update. Windows 11: How the story continues Windows 11 review: An unnecessary replacement for Windows 10 Windows 11 2022 Update review: Subtle upgrades in weird places Windows 11 2023 Update review: The rise of the AI PC Windows 11: Over 30 hidden new features you probably missed Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Super simple for the average user Available with any Dropbox account, including free One-way sync with file versioning Cons Teams version of Backup moves your data before backing it up Version retention is limited without additional outlay On the pricey side for more than 5GB Our Verdict Dropbox Backup is a nice perquisite for one-person account users, despite surcharges for long-term version retention. But the Backup feature for teams is entirely too cavalier with your data, moving it about before backing it up. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Dropbox Backup Retailer Price Dropbox Free View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Best Prices Today: Check today’s prices Though well known as a sync service, Dropbox now offers a backup function — after a fashion. It’s actually one-way sync with versioning, which would be tantamount to the same thing if older file versions were retained indefinitely. However, there are surcharges to retain older versions of files beyond 30 (Plus) or 180 days (Pro). Versioning aside, while the Plus and Professional tier backup operate politely and as expected — simply backing up data online, the Standard tier for teams account moves your original stuff before backing it up. That’s a recipe for disaster, which almost cooked this author’s data. Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best online backup services for comparison. What are Dropbox Backup’s features? Dropbox Backup is available at every level of the service, including the free 5GB tier. But as mentioned, it’s actually one-way sync with limited versioning. Versions are retained only for 30-days with a Plus plan and 180-days with a Pro account. You can extend those retention times — for a fee (see the “How much…” section below). How is one-way sync different from the standard Dropbox sync? First off, it doesn’t sync to or with other devices — just the online account from the device being backed up. Secondly, changes made online aren’t reflected locally. In practice, I found the backup function for the personal plan polite and easy, though I wasn’t completely in love with the user interface. It stays always on top, forcing you to minimize it to access other programs. The selection process is also a bit restrictive. This is the Backup dialog with various settings and options. To use the Dropbox Backup function, open the Dropbox client, click on your user name icon at the top right, select Preferences from the drop-down menu, then Backup from the navigation pane on the left of the dialog. (Why such a convoluted path under Preferences when Backup could be added to the main context menu? Don’t know.) Then select Choose folders and you’re presented with the somewhat limited selection (you can’t browse at the drive level) shown below. This dialog evolved over the time I tested the program. During my first look, you couldn’t drill down from the listed folders. Note that it’s not referred to as Beta in the image, though later in testing “beta” appears in some locations. Unfortunately, you’re currently unable to freely select folders to backup, only the main Windows repositories. This should be enough for many users, but it’s not enough for those that store data elsewhere. If you plug in an external drive, you’ll get a pop-up that asks if you want to back it up. Nice. The folder selection dialog for external drives does allow you to select any folder on the drive. Dropbox Backup is pretty much limited to selecting data and backing it up at intervals of 15 minutes, daily, or weekly. There are no email warnings, compression, or encryption settings, or any of the other bells and whistles that few people outside of IT actually need. Dropbox is cross-platform and offers numerous other features, including top-notch document preview and editing as well as the collaborative touches found in the versions for teams and enterprise. But those features are not directly associated with the Backup function, hence I’ll leave those for a review of the entire service. If you can’t wait for that, you can read more about those other features here. How much does Dropbox Backup cost? Dropbox Backup is included as part of normal Dropbox sync/storage plans, so pricing is the same: $10 monthly for Plus with 2TB of storage, and $16.58 monthly for Professional with 3TB of space. There’s also a free 5GB tier if your data needs are minimal. I’ve had one for years. It’s very handy. Dropbox Standard for teams with 5TB of storage is $15 monthly per user, while the Advanced tier for enterprise accounts are $24 per user starting with 15TB of shared storage for the team. The teams and enterprise plans include features most users don’t need such as advanced key management, compliance, and end-to-end encryption. As to the aforementioned long-term version retention charges, they’re $4 a month for one-year retention, and $6 a month for 10-year retention. Annual pricing is a bit less at $40 a year for one-year and $60 for 10-year. How does Dropbox Backup perform? Using the free personal plan, Dropbox Backup was quick and suffered nary a hiccup. I had no issues with it other than the inability to select any folder I wanted. But, as mentioned, I experienced a near data disaster with the teams account that the company thoughtfully provided for testing. That encounter is described below. Dropbox Backup for teams takes chances While my first bout with the Standard tier of Dropbox Backup proved a bad day for me, it was also fortuitous in that I discovered that it does something absolutely verboten in the world of backup — moves the source data around before actually backing it up. Not copy, not cache — move. I was gobsmacked, as this runs counter to the very concept of backup, which is to make a copy of your files before some action or event destroys them. The moving bit me big time, though it was partially my fault for being hasty. In my defense, not in a million years would I have suspected that the warning, “You might see stuff move around…” could possibly refer to my existing source data. The accident happened with the Mac version, but the same basic move-before-backing up MO is used by the Windows version of Standard Backup. Not in a million years would I have thought that “move around” referred to the source data for the backup. Why? It went down like this: I installed Dropbox Backup, selected my existing 225GB Documents folder to be backed up and watched things get under way. Soon after, however, I noticed that my M4 Max Studio (a very, very fast machine) was slowing down a bit. Checking, I saw that my internal SSD was nearly full when there should have been at least 400GB free. For the life of me, I couldn’t conjure up a reason why, but I assumed it was related to the recently intitiated Dropbox Backup. I stopped the process, and deleted/trashed the suddenly huge Dropbox Standard folders to get the space back. Alas, after emptying the trash I noticed that some of my email folders were missing in Thunderbird. I went looking and discovered that my original Documents folder was nearly empty. Not a few unkind words were uttered in Dropbox’s direction. Fortunately, I was backed up as of a few hours prior and nearly everything was recoverable. But the incident raises several questions: 1. Why does Dropbox Standard assume that something I want backed up was something that I wanted to share? 2. Why risk moving the data before backing it up when someone hasty (or a power failure, or other disaster) might interrupt the process and delete or corrupt the new folders? What if the backup was an emergency for a failing system? Dropbox Backup working before the storm. The plain fact of the matter is that Dropbox Standard Backup for teams takes reckless chances with your data. Not everyone has great backup habits, Murphy’s Law is eternally a thing. Flat out, messing with people’s data before you know it’s safely backed up is something you should not do. To be fair, on a brand new machine with no data, this would not be an issue. No moving can occur when there’s no data to move. Note that Dropbox Backup is now technically a beta, though it’s not listed as such everywhere and I don’t remember it being called that when I first started with it. Regardless, I talked extensively with the company about the move-before-backup methodology and there didn’t seem to be any rush to change it, or even an acknowledgement that it was a bad idea. If there is a change, I’ll be sure to let you know. Should you use Dropbox Backup? Dropbox Backup with the single-user Plus and Professional plans — yes, especially as it’s free if you already have the service. Just be aware of the versioning limits. It’s not true point-in-time backup without extending those. As for the Standard tier of Dropbox Backup, I wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole on a computer with existing data until the company stops it’s move-before-save practice. If you’re starting from scratch on a clean computer, still exercise caution. Read...

I tried to find flaws in today’s hot Lenovo gaming laptop deal, but I came up empty. I mean, what’s not to love about this? Right now, you can score this 15.6-inch Lenovo Legion LOQ for $780 on Amazon with a crazy good 34% discount, down from its original $1,180 price. Thank you, early Black Friday deals! Don’t pass this one up. View this Amazon deal It’s one thing to save $400 on a gaming laptop. It’s another to save that much on a machine that’s as powerfully specced as this one. With an Intel Core i7-13650HX processor and impressive 24GB of speedy DDR5 RAM, you can confidently run Windows 11 without any slowdowns while breezing through your daily tasks, from browsing to gaming to streaming movies to everything else. And with the 1TB SSD, you have all the storage space you need for apps, games, documents, and more. But the crown jewel of the Legion LOQ 15IRX10 is the GeForce RTX 5050 that unlocks cutting-edge features like ray tracing, upscaling, and multi-frame generation via Nvidia DLSS 4. If you want to play the latest 3D and triple-A titles with more than passable performance without breaking the bank, this is the config you want—and getting it for well under $1,000 is just insane, especially with hardware prices spiking lately. What else do you need to know about it? It has a gorgeous 15.6-inch IPS display running at 1080p and 144Hz. It’s relatively portable at 0.94 inches thick and about 5.3 pounds. It’s pretty good on ports, too, with triple USB-A 3.2 and a USB-C video with 140W of power delivery, plus HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, and 3.5mm audio. If this doesn’t excite you, well… I don’t know what to tell you. This is the ultimate Black Friday deal if you’re itching for an excellent RTX 50-series gaming laptop that won’t destroy your wallet, so get it for just $780 while you still can. Otherwise, take a gander at our roundup of the best budget gaming laptops under $1,000 if you want more options. Save 34% on this RAM-packed RTX 5050 gaming laptop by LenovoBuy via Amazon Read...