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Windows 11, aka Windows 21H2, is due out later this year but is already causing deep concern among many users. For some, it’s that their PCs failed the prerelease (and now withdrawn) Win11 hardware-compatibility checker. For others, it’s the knowledge that the stated prerelease hardware requirements would prevent their machines from being able to use…

CCleaner — the popular system-cleanup tool — recently added automated software and driver updaters to its features. A subscriber set out to see whether they’re any good. Plus: Another subscriber’s laptop is stuck at 79% battery charge and won’t charge any higher; and a third seeks advice on how to obtain the fastest possible PC-to-smartphone…

Keeping a PC up to date gets harder as the system ages, especially when OEM and vendor update tools start missing things entirely — or actively making bad suggestions! Here are several ways to help ensure that your PC’s BIOS, hardware drivers, operating system, and software are getting all the updates they need — and not getting…

An upgrade from Home to Pro edition costs around US$100, but is it really worth it? What does Pro edition offer that Home lacks? What does a Pro edition user give up in switching to Home? And, besides price and somewhat differing features, do the dissimilarities really matter in normal day-to-day Windows operation? Read the…

As our extensive OneDrive coverage winds down, many excellent reader-submitted reports continue to pour in, filled with interesting tips, questions, and observations! Today’s column deals with several OneDrive topics: unexpected behavior from the OneDrive status-indicator icons; issues between and among OneDrive, Dropbox, and OEM updater apps; and more on redirecting or moving OneDrive’s default local…

From Will Fastie, Editor: “It turns out our AskWoody series on OneDrive got longer than expected, with more to come. Almost immediately after Lance Whitney’s kickoff article, Fred Langa was deluged with questions about Microsoft’s complicated service. He delved into the dark corners of OneDrive and turned on the lights. “For this special issue, we…

There’s no such thing as a small permissions problem in Windows! When things go wrong, they can go very, very wrong, as today’s first reader-submitted question illustrates. Another reader wonders whether he should try updating his PC’s firmware via Windows’ Device Manager. Finally, a reader seeks help when his device fails to restart after a power outage….

An outpouring of reader mail turned what was planned as a one-off item into a multi-issue conversation! In today’s column, readers share their experiences in working around some of the worst omissions in Microsoft’s thin OneDrive documentation. Topics include overcoming a too-full C: drive, more detail on the use and removal of symlinks, and unexpected delays in syncing files to the…

One of the most confusing aspects of OneDrive’s operation is its creation of a second Documents folder. Most Microsoft (and many third-party) apps automatically accept OneDrive’s Documents folder as their new default save-to location, but some apps may still continue to use the original Documents folder. This means your PC can have two different, active, in-use folders…

Does it feel like rolling the security dice when you save your files to a cloud-based service? When the files move out of your control and protection and into who-knows-what security measures the cloud-provider is using? You feelin’ lucky? It doesn’t have to be a gamble. Here’s how to take charge of your cloud-based file…