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The name of the site may be Hot Hardware but you've got to have solid operating systems and apps to drive all that high tech gear. Whether you're a Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android or iOS user, here we'll cover the major updates, releases, patches and roll-outs for end user and enterprise IT types alike.

Modern browsers like Chrome make it a snap to open links in new tabs, and that's led to many a cluttered window. The next version of Chrome might ease the burden with automatic tab organization. Simply tell your browser to organize your tabs, and like magic, it'll (hopefully) create order from chaos. Most Chrome... Read more...
Windows XP is the operating system that just won't die. After its 2001 release, XP would go on to sell more than 400 million copies. Microsoft tried to end support for the OS several times over the years, but there were too many people still relying on it. In 2014, Microsoft finally moved past XP, but the community... Read more...
Stop me if you've heard this one: Microsoft released a Windows update recently, and it's causing the dreaded blue screen of death (BSOD) on some systems. Yes, it's a story almost as old as Windows itself, but Microsoft says it's investigating the issue currently plaguing Windows 10 systems after this month's Patch... Read more...
Are you tired of manually deleting files to make way for a Windows 10 update? A solution is on its way! Microsoft will now reserve at least 7GB of your device’s storage to help facilitate smooth Windows 10 updates. Windows currently does not check to see whether a user has enough space on their device before... Read more...
Microsoft is doing a lot of things with Windows these days, most of which is focused on the core Windows 10 experience—the first of two majors updates scheduled for this year will start rolling out any day now. In addition, Microsoft appears to be working on a stripped down version of Windows 10 called Windows 10 Lean... Read more...
We've all been working under the assumption that Windows 10 Redstone 4 would called the Windows 10 Spring Creators Update. The Spring Creators Update naming was originally unearthed during a Microsoft Bug Bash, and fit in nicely with the previous Windows 10 Creators Update (Spring 2017) and the Windows 10 Fall... Read more...
Microsoft has often said that Windows 10 offers the best security features and malware protection of any Windows OS to date. In case anyone doubts that claim, the Redmond outfit explained how Windows 10 with the Anniversary Update installed was able to thwart a pair of potentially dangerous zero-day exploits months... Read more...
Dual drive setups are becoming more and more common as Solid State Drive (SSD) prices plummet.  Pairing a solid state boot drive with a multi-terabyte hard disk drive affords fantastic performance without paying a premium for your extra bulk storage requirements. However, SSDs are not on price parity with mechanical... Read more...
The Internet is an ever changing congruous mass of standards, design, and interoperability challenges. Keeping on top of it all can be a daunting task. It's a delicate balance between features, security and performance. If you're considering swapping out your web browser for something new and fresh, but are uncertain over the real world performance... Read more...
Welcome to the Windows 10 desktop! This marks the end of the upgrade process right? Well, almost. If you are a privacy-minded type, you probably have a few settings to disable, but finalizing the upgrade does not end there either, if you value your storage space. Let's look at some strategies to tidy up the file bloat... Read more...
Windows 10 is finally here. The new OS has been spit-shined and primed for an official release. As advertised, Windows 8/8.1 users can upgrade to the new operating system, provided that current Win8 installs have been properly activated. Make sure you check our comprehensive Migration Guide for details on... Read more...
Conventional wisdom in years past was that hackers didn’t bother to exploit Apple’s OS X operating system because its relatively insignificant market share didn’t warrant wasting resources to exploit it. The reasoning was, why bother with OS X when Windows was pushing over 90 percent of the worldwide OS... Read more...
It has been a few weeks since Microsoft released its Technical Preview of Windows 10 -- which means we've had enough time to walk around the vehicle, kick the tires, and investigate the product in its current form. After the drubbing that Windows 8 took in the tech press and from angry users, Microsoft badly needs... Read more...
It has been a few weeks since Microsoft released its Technical Preview of Windows 10 -- which means we've had enough time to walk around the vehicle, kick the tires, and investigate the product in its current form. After the drubbing that Windows 8 took in the tech press and from angry users, Microsoft badly needs this new operating system... Read more...
As someone who's been using Windows 8 since its Preview release, I admit that I am not finding Windows 10 to be as impressive as someone who might have skipped over 8 entirely. To me, Windows 10 feels like Windows 8, and in many cases looks like it, too. Of course there's the new Start Menu, but that's not something... Read more...
There seems to be a recurring phenomenon in the technology press, where any trojan that affects Linux or Macs becomes front page news. On the other hand, trojans that affect Windows are mostly ignored, perhaps because this is considered to be the normal state of affairs.   There are two common statements made in the discussions... Read more...
We've been looking forward to Windows 8's Consumer Preview for months. This, after all, is Microsoft's big chance to show what they've been working on and unveiling bit by bit for the past year; a chance to evaluate the sum total of changes and advancements baked into the next-generation operating system. We'll discuss some of the features... Read more...
Apple is a funny beast. We say "beast" because it's hard to deny that this company is ripping through the tech world like no other that we've seen in the last decade. Our television programs are laden with Apple ads poking fun at Windows and seducing you into buying yet another iPod, and every quarterly earnings report is filled with... Read more...
When Windows Vista first hit the scene, it was quite a departure from Windows XP. It had been a while since a major desktop operating system release from Microsoft, and consumers along with many businesses, were slow to adopt the new OS, if at all. Add to that the new and sometimes cumbersome security features and reports that Vista... Read more...