In a report published by security company GuidePoint Security, they’ve issued a warning that hackers can effectively bypass Microsoft Defender to install and deploy Akira ransomware.This is done by exploiting a vulnerable driver called rwdrv.sys, which is a legitimate driver used by an Intel CPU tuning tool called ThrottleStop. By exploiting this driver, a hacker can gain kernel-level access to the PC.With kernel-level access, the hacker can then load their own malicious driver—in this case, hlpdrv.sys, which modifies the Windows Registry and causes Microsoft Defender to disable its...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2871304/hackers-can-bypass-microsoft-defender-to-install-ransomware-on-pcs.html

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Those “gentle” reminders to stop sharing HBO Max passwords are about to get tougher, the top exec from the streamer warns. Warner Bros. Discovery streaming CEO JB Perette, who’s in charge of HBO Max, told investors this week that the streamer’s “soft” approach with password-sharing users will get “much more aggressive” in the months to come, according to Deadline. Perette has long been insisting that HBO Max will get serious with password sharers. He issued a similar warning in May following Warner Bros. Discovery’s first-quarter 2025 earnings report, and he took the...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2777073/sharing-a-max-password-those-gentle-warnings-are-about-to-get-firmer.html

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A portable monitor is becoming an increasingly useful accessory — and one of the most popular mobile displays on Amazon is nearly half off for Prime Day.KYY’s portable 15.6-inch 1080p mobile display is just $69.98 on Amazon for Prime Day, which is an outstanding deal for a display that wasn’t too expensive in the first place. KYY’s display already sells more than 10,000 units per month, according to Amazon, with over 10,000 ratings assigning it an aggregate score of 4.4 out of 5 stars.Mobile computing is increasingly turning to mobile displays while on the road — but so is mobile...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2845470/this-69-portable-display-is-ideal-for-travel-and-switch-gaming.html

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Most gaming laptops with RTX 4050 graphics cost anywhere from $800 to $1,000, but the Acer Nitro V breaks the mold. It’s currently $649.99 on Amazon, which is $150 off the original $799.99 price. It’s an exclusive Prime Day deal, so make sure you’ve got an Amazon Prime subscription to access it.The RTX 4050 card is a step up from the older RTX 3050, and it supports DLSS 3 (to boost your FPS) and ray tracing for more realistic-looking lighting effects. You should be able to play most modern games at 1080p on the high settings without issue. The Nitro V also comes loaded with 8GB of DDR5...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2841370/this-rtx-4050-acer-gaming-laptop-is-just-649-for-prime-day.html

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Online multiplayer shooter Call of Duty might not be the 800-pound gorilla of the gaming industry that it once was, now that games like Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox have more players than the populations of most countries. But it’s still a pretty big deal, so when hackers manage to take down an entire game, it raises some eyebrows. Such is the case with Call of Duty: WWII. The multiplayer portion of the game has been going strong since its release way back in 2017, or at least it was until last week. TechCrunch reports that the version of the game available on Game Pass and the Microsoft...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2843356/call-of-duty-got-hacked-so-bad-that-activision-took-it-offline.html

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Tiny design, tiny price. Mini PCs are growing ever more popular for how they pack so much power into such an affordable package. I mean, just look at this: the Acemagic K1 mini PC is on sale for $309 on Amazon, a sizeable 36% discount on its $484 MSRP. For what you’re getting in terms of specs, the original price was okay—this deal price is great.Acemagic’s K1 mini PC isn’t a full-on powerhouse, but it’s good enough that you’ll have no issue swapping it for your wimpy laptop or aging desktop PC. Expect good performance with this under the hood: AMD Ryzen 7 5700U, Radeon RX Vega 8...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2836200/this-ryzen-7-mini-pc-with-32gb-ram-is-on-sale-for-its-lowest-price-yet.html

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Amazon’s Prime Day offers some of the best opportunities to score Chromebook deals, and the earliest Chromebook deals are already rolling in.Although Amazon Prime Day(s) officially run from July 8th to July 11th, Amazon and its vendors rarely confine themselves to the actual event dates, and Prime Day 2025 is no exception. I’ve already found several early deals, and popular Chromebook vendors have already begun announcing early deal pricing.We already test and recommend the best Chromebooks available, which means that we already understand what makes for a great Chromebook. I personally...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2832600/best-early-prime-day-2025-deals-on-chromebooks.html

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GPUs are getting insanely expensive. With the latest increases in prices and gaming demand, some gamers were already scoffing at 8GB of VRAM on allegedly mid-range cards. But if sales data is any indication, there’s a shocking lack of interest in that part of the market, with a 16GB card outselling the 8GB variant by more than 10-to-1.The RTX 5060 Ti is the subject of this particular chunk of data. When it launched in April, Nvidia offered it at two different memory capacities: 8GB for $379 and 16GB for $429. (Those are the base retail prices. Real prices are significantly higher for most...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2834998/gamers-dont-want-8gb-graphics-cards-according-to-sales-data.html

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Smart home technology is designed to make our lives easier, taking chores off our list and giving us more time to enjoy other pursuits. With the rapid onset of AI technology, autonomous tech is smarter than ever. Gadgets like Beatbot’s line of robot pool cleaners take over one of life’s necessary but time-consuming tasks, freeing you up to take full advantage of the summer sun.At the top of Beatbot’s robot pool cleaner line is the Aquasense 2 Ultra, a cordless model designed for effortless operation that does away with the safety concerns of tangled, damaged or trip-hazard cords. It...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2802182/free-up-time-with-beatbot-aquasense-2-ultra-the-first-robot-pool-cleaner-with-hybrid-ai-mapping.html

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As announced a few weeks ago, Microsoft has officially discontinued the Skype messaging service as of today, May 5th. Apparently, there wasn’t enough user interest to keep the once-iconic video call app alive.If you’re one of the dwindling few who still used Skype in 2025, you might be wondering what you can do going forward. Naturally, Microsoft recommends switching to Teams, which is free to use and conveniently installed on every Windows PC with Microsoft 365. But if you don’t want to use Teams, you have other options, too.Switching from Skype to TeamsMicrosoft offers the ability for...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2627780/skype-is-dead-heres-how-to-migrate-to-teams-or-pick-another-app.html

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Over the past few years, Microsoft has been moving towards a passwordless future. Back in 2021, they introduced passwordless sign-ins for Microsoft accounts, and earlier this year, they streamlined the Microsoft account sign-in experience with an emphasis on passwordless security via so-called passkeys.Honestly, it’s a good move. Most passwords are absolutely terrible and offer little defense against hackers. A passkey, on the other hand, is an auto-generated credential that can’t be intercepted or stolen, and you don’t have to memorize anything to use it. It’s quick, easy, and secure...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2770749/microsoft-is-now-forcing-new-users-to-adopt-a-passwordless-future.html

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With Thunderbird version 136 for Windows, macOS, and Linux, Mozilla is officially launching a new desktop release channel, which will now be the standard deployment channel for updates.As with Mozilla’s Firefox browser, there will be monthly updates that include new features and improvements along with bug fixes and closed security flaws. Thunderbird’s current version number will correspond to Firefox’s current version number.In Thunderbird 136, the developers have eliminated at least 11 security vulnerabilities, which are documented in Mozilla’s 2025-17 Security Advisory, of which four...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2629380/thunderbird-136-officially-switches-to-monthly-releases-matching-firefox.html

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We’re in the middle of an AI revolution, and while the new technology’s benefits are clear, figuring out where to get started can be confusing. You’re faced with buzzwords and lingo, and a nonstop stream of AI-related news makes it difficult to resolve how AI applies to you.But here’s the good news: GeForce’s RTX 50 Series GPUs serve as a great hardware platform to explore generative AI right on your own PC. From running large language models to playing AI-enhanced games, RTX 50 GPUs make generative AI more accessible than ever before.Follow along as we explain Generative AI, show you...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2626133/generative-ai-nvidia-rtx-50-series-gpus-make-it-easy.html

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Slowly but surely, OLED monitors are dropping down to attainable prices. Dell and Alienware consistently deliver some of the best prices in the category, and Alienware’s new 27-inch 1440p OLED is the cheapest yet. The new design debuts this summer with a price of just $549.99.That’s an amazing price for an OLED monitor, especially with its 280Hz refresh rate and 0.03ms response time. The Alienware AW2725D gives you the usual gaming goodies like G-Sync and FreeSync compatibility, and the “sweet spot” 1440p resolution that’s extremely popular at the moment. Alienware is using a new...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2626719/alienware-next-1440p-oled-gaming-monitor-will-be-the-cheapest-yet.html

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Snapdragon X Series processors redefine what modern portable computing can be by delivering both extensive battery life and unparalleled performance on a single processor. With up to 12 Oryon CPU cores, up to 4.6 TFLOPS of power from the onboard GPU, and 45 TOPS for AI calculations, the new Snapdragon processors can deliver incredible results in professional workloads and entertainment alike.What sets these chips apart is the incredible combination of power and efficiency – even amongst stiff competition from the latest generation of MacBooks and x86 Windows devices. Workers with high-powered...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2594739/forget-performance-versus-efficiency-pcs-powered-by-snapdragon-let-you-have-both.html

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The annual Consumer Electronics Show is always a massive event that sees dozens of laptops announced, but CES 2025 was especially notable. Nvidia, AMD, Intel, and Qualcomm all made significant hardware announcements, and those announcements meant every laptop maker had a hoard of refreshed, upgraded laptops to show.But the show wasn’t just about the hardware. CES 2025 also saw Lenovo debut the world’s first rollable OLED laptop, a serious new MacBook Air competitor from Asus, and a flagship gaming laptop that seems a bit too obsessed with Skyrim.Much like we did with our roundup of the best...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2571992/10-best-laptops-of-ces-2025.html

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Microsoft will bring Phi Silica to the Windows runtime this quarter as part of Copilot, according to Microsoft’s head of Windows devices, who presented on Monday at CES 2025 in Las Vegas.Microsoft debuted Phi Silica at its Build conference in Seattle last May, showing off the Small Language Model (SLM) that’s meant to complement its Large Language Model (LLM) that runs in the cloud. Phi Silica paves the way for a local version of Copilot to run on Windows PCs.Typically, LLMs are faster and more accurate than SLMs. However, they need to run in the cloud and can require expensive...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2569111/microsoft-wants-to-run-copilot-locally-on-your-pc-starting-early-2025.html

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Time is running out for older PCs running Windows 10, with less than a year to go until the operating system gets the axe. If you’ve no interest in buying a new computer, an upgrade to Windows 11 may sound like the smartest, easiest choice… but you’d be wrong.Sure, you can install Windows 11 on just about any PC, as the news this week emphasized. It doesn’t mean you should. The operating system won’t behave the same across the board.Newer hardware will get Microsoft’s full support. Computers unable to meet the minimum system requirements (aka a whole bunch of aging PCs) won’t and...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2556052/installing-windows-11-on-old-hardware-is-risky-heres-why.html

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Last month, Microsoft officially announced the coming end of its Mail, Calendar, and People apps. If you’re still using those apps, you’ll start receiving pop-ups notifying you that end-of-support is coming up on December 31, 2024, and you’ll be urged to switch over to the new Outlook app that Microsoft is focusing on.More recently, Microsoft has started pushing users in that direction even harder. According to Windows Latest, business-oriented Microsoft 365 users are being urged to switch from classic Outlook to the new Outlook app, despite it lacking several features from the legacy app...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2551776/classic-outlook-gets-an-official-death-date-and-users-are-urged-to-switch.html

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Upgrading to 4K doesn’t have to cost a fortune anymore. Right now, you can score this 27-inch 4K monitor by Dell for just $199 on Amazon, which is slashed 34 percent off its usual $300 price.The Dell S2721QS features a gorgeous 3840×2160 IPS display with a super-thin bezel. That’s always good, not just because it looks sleek and stylish but because it lets you put two of them side by side with minimal interruption down the middle. Note that it only has a 60Hz refresh rate, though, so don’t expect to game above 60 FPS on this thing.This monitor’s IPS panel with HDR10 support delivers...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2545045/upgrade-to-4k-for-just-199-with-this-27-inch-dell-ips-monitor-deal.html

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At a glanceExpert's RatingProsLong 10-hour campaignVery well writtenExcellent actors who bring CoD to James Bond levelFinally staged on a much larger scale againBeautiful locations: casinos, coastal towns, luxurious villasBooming 7.1 soundGraphically on a new level for CoDConsAI glitches here and there when Sadam’s guard simply runs in front of our assault rifleRare object pop-ins, for example in the Iraq levelOur Verdict Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is a genuine epic-action single-player experience with a campaign that’s not only the longest in the series’ history at 10 hours, but also full...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2515282/call-of-duty-black-ops-6-campaign-is-a-feast-for-james-bond-fans.html

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Microsoft’s mail app is currently struggling with two problems. For a few days now, Outlook users haven’t been able to use the Ctrl + C keyboard shortcut to copy text in emails, otherwise the app freezes.Now, another issue has cropped up: Outlook is crashing when many different emails are opened at once. Microsoft is aware of both problems and currently working on permanent fixes for both. Fortunately, while waiting for those fixes, you can use a temporary workaround.Outlook crashes with too many emailsAccording to Microsoft’s support page on the issue, Outlook is crashing when more than...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2512421/outlook-will-crash-if-you-open-too-many-emails-at-once-heres-why.html

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Unless you’re an avid gamer or creative worker, you don’t really need an absolute rocket of a laptop for everyday use. You can get by with a capable daily driver laptop with a decent configuration that won’t cost you an arm and a leg.I’m talking about a versatile productivity laptop like this 15.6-inch touchscreen HP laptop that’s only $550 at Best Buy right now. For a limited time, you can snag it at a $250 discount (31 percent off), bringing it down from its original $800 MSRP.This laptop runs on an Intel Core i7-1255U processor that’s powerful enough to handle demanding tasks...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2497221/this-versatile-hp-laptop-is-only-550-and-perfect-for-work-and-fun.html

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In order to get the most out of your CPU, you need a compatible motherboard with the best parts and settings tuned to take advantage of what your CPU can do. Gigabyte is doing just that with the latest firmware on its X870 and X670 motherboards with AM5 processor sockets.Gigabyte’s new “Turbo Mode” setting allegedly improves gaming performance of the best AMD Ryzen chips by up to 35 percent. That’s the best-case scenario, of course, using the newly announced Ryzen 9000X3D series of CPUs that are launching next month.But Gigabyte claims that AMD’s AGESA firmware should see significant...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2495734/gigabytes-new-turbo-mode-could-boost-ryzen-performance-by-35-percent.html

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It’s never been easier to get classic games running on your PC, but “easier” is a relative term when it comes to one specific category of classic games. Some titles made in the DOS era (that’s the 1980s for you whippersnappers) go absolutely nuts on anything faster than a Casio watch — so one builder decided to ditch the emulation and just make an ITX motherboard that can run DOS games natively.The ITX Llama is a do-it-yourself project that puts classic PC hardware into a mini-ITX form factor that can be installed in any current desktop case. It’s a labor of love that began on the...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2474334/this-itx-motherboard-plays-dos-games-on-native-hardware.html

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After Microsoft successfully acquired Activision Blizzard for $75.4 billion about a year ago, it’s been interesting to see what the company would do with all the intellectual property that came with it, including franchises like Call of Duty, Diablo, Overwatch, and Spyro.Well, here’s one development that might turn some heads: Polygon reports that both StarCraft Remastered and StarCraft 2: Campaign Collection will be available on Game Pass starting November 5 (which follows Diablo 4 being added to Game Pass back in March).Come November 5, Game Pass subscribers will be able to play all of...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2471539/microsoft-is-adding-the-starcraft-games-to-game-pass-soon.html

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The Steam Deck might be the most popular Linux PC ever, though you’d be forgiven if you haven’t realized that its SteamOS software is technically Linux. The Proton compatibility layer is the Steam Deck’s special sauce, allowing games made for Windows to run on Linux without a massive headache. Now Valve is apparently testing a version for ARM hardware. “Proton-arm64ec-5” is not public, but was spotted in the SteamDB.info database (reported by Tom’s Hardware), with that “arm64” label being indicative of a version of the tool designed specifically for ARM-based devices. ARM...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2465907/arm-version-of-steam-decks-proton-layer-spotted-in-testing.html

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At a glanceExpert's RatingProsFantastic 4K captures front and rear, day and nightCrisp display and efficient phone appIntegrated GPSAffordable for the quality of its capturesConsRear camera isn’t detachable from its sticky mountOur VerdictIf you want the best captures — front and rear, day and night — then look no further than Miofive’s surprisingly affordable S1 Ultra. If only the app didn’t insist on you providing your phone number. Best Prices Today: Miofive S1 Ultra Dash Cam Retailer Price Miofive $199.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2444181/miofive-s1-ultra-dash-cam-review.html

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For months, internet rumor mills have claimed that AMD’s next-generation Radeon RX 8000 graphics cards would cede the high-end market to Nvidia’s GeForce lineup, after the GeForce RTX 4090 stomped all over the competition this time around.Now, AMD’s senior VP and general manager of the computing and graphics group, Jack Huynh, all but confirmed it when he responded to Tom’s Hardware’s question about whether Radeon will compete with Nvidia at the “top of the stack”:“My number one priority right now is to build scale, to get us to 40 to 50 percent of the market faster. Do I want...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2451584/amd-exec-says-radeon-will-prioritize-market-share-not-high-end-gpus.html

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Gaming can be pretty pricey as a hobby, especially if you want a top-notch machine loaded with all kinds of goodies and accessories. That’s why we’re always hunting for great gaming deals.The Acer Predator Helios Neo isn’t just a fantastic gaming laptop, but today it’s on sale with a superb discount: currently available for $1,200 at Best Buy, which is $300 off its usual price.What makes this laptop so great? For starters, it comes with an Intel Core i9 processor that’s bolstered by 16GB of DDR5 RAM, making it more than capable of handling performance-intensive tasks and multitasking...

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2439749/this-rtx-strapped-acer-gaming-laptop-just-got-a-big-price-cut.html

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