PCWorld June 2024

Windows 11 Moment 5 is the latest version of Windows 11, released on April’s Patch Tuesday. Moment 5 prepares for the update to Windows 11 version 24H2, which will be released later this year, and adds some new features intended to simplify and streamline everyday tasks in Windows. This is accompanied by the new update KB5036893, which activates the new features from Windows 11’s Moment 5 on compatible computers. In addition to the new features listed below, Microsoft also made some improvements under the hood with this new Windows 11 update. USB ports can now deliver up to 80Gbps, but the hardwired connections in your laptop or desktop must be technically capable of handling the higher specification. HOW TO GET WINDOWS 11 MOMENT 5 FASTER If Windows 11 Moment 5…

Let me tell you a quick story. I like Johnston & Murphy shoes. I’ve been trying to get this pair for weeks, but since it seems a lot of other people like it too, it’s been out of stock in my very common shoe size. So I did a Google search to see if I could find other stores that had it in stock. And wouldn’t you know it, there was another Johnston & Murphy site, with “USA” added to the URL. It looked similar to the other site, but it had every single size of that shoe in stock, ready to buy. And it was half off the original price, what a deal! It must be an overstock outlet for the brand. I put the shoes in my cart…

Passwords suck. If they’re easy to remember, they’re the simplest to guess. If they’re difficult to crack, they’re the hardest to recall. Even if you use the strongest passwords possible, they’re ineffective if they become known. Which is why I’ve stopped using them as much to log into my accounts. But I haven’t weakened my online security by doing so. In fact, I’ve improved it—and sped up my login times, too. How? I set up passkeys for my accounts. It takes just a few minutes, doesn’t cost anything, and can be done using your smartphone or PC. Using them is equally painless. When logging in, you choose the passkey option, then approve the login request with your thumbprint, face scan, or PIN. It’s fast. This authentication method is secure, too. A…

Microsoft is pushing advertising into every possible corner of Windows 11 that it can find, and the Start menu is definitely not a safe space. We reported a few weeks ago that Windows Insider builds were showing “Promoted” applications once again. In a shockingly short amount of time, that function has been pushed into the current Windows 11 wide release build. The Verge spotted the update as part of the documentation for build KB5036980, which is an optional update at the moment, but will be headed to all current builds as Windows Update propagates. The Recommended section of the Windows 11 Start menu, normally reserved for apps you’ve just downloaded or frequently accessed user files, will add oh-so-helpful links to the Microsoft Store. And by “helpful,” I mean they’re apps that…

Microsoft is packing more and more advertising into its Windows operating system. In Windows 11, ads now even appear in the Start menu (though Microsoft calls ads for apps or Windows services “recommendations”)—see page 15—and you’ll see full-screen ads for the Edge browser. You can sift through Windows settings and find individual options to turn them all off, but the flood of ads has encouraged resourceful programmers to develop tools designed specifically to eradicate them. Meet OFGB (Oh Frick Go Back). After starting the small program, OFGB displays a selection menu (see the image above) that lets you select which Windows adverts you no longer want to see using checkboxes. For example, you can switch off ads in File Explorer or on the lock screen, and deactivate ads that appear…

By now you’re probably on high alert every time you get an actual phone call from someone you don’t know. If it isn’t the usual “we’ve been trying to contact you about your car’s extended warranty” recording, then it’s probably someone from “Windows” trying to get you to install a remote access program. If they mix it up a bit and tell you they’re from LastPass, yeah, it’s the same old BS. Ars Technica reports that phishing scammers have expanded their operations to impersonate the password saving service LastPass. Calls alert users that their account has been accessed from a new location, and they need to press one or two to stop this presumably nefarious hacker. According to an alert from LastPass itself, follow-up calls from real, live humans will then…