PCWorldの August 2021 の目次

Microsoft has published its hardware requirements for Windows 11, adding strict new security requirements for its next operating system. Here’s what you’ll need to run Windows 11 when Microsoft releases it in the fall. Microsoft will release Windows 11 by holiday 2021, so you’ll have ample time to prepare. Microsoft is working with PC makers to develop Windows 11–ready PCs, and you may be able to upgrade to Windows 11 for free with your existing PC—provided it meets the minimum hardware requirements. Fortunately, if your PC doesn’t meet those requirements, you’ll have several years to replace it, as Windows 10 will be supported until 2025. New Windows 11 PCs will also ship this fall. We’ve updated this story to note that Microsoft has published a multipage document listing the detailed…

Microsoft typically releases updates for Windows as part of its monthly “Patch Tuesday” blitz, but the company recently took the unusual step of releasing an emergency out-of-band security update to fix the critical “PrintNightmare” vulnerability published (and deleted) by researchers—even for Windows 7. Bottom line? Update your Windows PC pronto…but the patch may not fix all PCs if your system is connected to a local network. PrintNightmare attacks the Windows Print Spooler service, which runs by default. “A remote code execution vulnerability exists when the Windows Print Spooler service improperly performs privileged file operations,” Microsoft’s executive summary states. “An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could run arbitrary code with SYSTEM privileges. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.”…

President Joe Biden issued a sweeping executive order on Friday, July 9, that encourages government agencies to begin enacting reforms across the tech spectrum, including reenacting net neutrality, enforcing broadband competition, enacting “right-to-repair” laws, and more. According to a fact sheet released by the White House, several aspects of the order will directly affect consumers and how they use technology. Below, we’ve summarized the executive order and listed how its contents may affect consumers’ daily lives. (The order appears on the Federal Register of Executive Orders.) It’s worth noting, however, that the order simply “directs” or “encourages” federal agencies to begin enacting rules, shying away from a direct order. Commissioners serving on the Federal Trade Commission, for example, are appointed by the president but must be confirmed and act independently. The…

The Lenovo ThinkBook 14s Yoga is a capable 2-in-1 convertible that could be a great fallback option if your budget manager rejects your request for a ThinkPad X1 Yoga or another premium 2-in-1 business convertible. It keeps the spirit of the product line with its sturdy chassis and comfortable keyboard. Productivity performance is strong. The tradeoffs for the lower price are a mediocre display and battery life. As long as your job doesn’t involve field work or prolonged stretches away from AC, budget-conscious business users will still find a good value here. SPECS AND FEATURES Based on its specifications, the Lenovo ThinkBook 14s Yoga model we reviewed (20WE001DUS) has a middle-of-the-road configuration that doesn’t skimp on important things like memory, storage, or connectivity. Here are the details: CPU: Quad-core Intel…

The diminutive Garmin Dash Cam 57 reviewed here is the top of the line for the company’s new generation of mainstream dash cams. It’s on the expensive side ($230 from Garmin), but you get what you pay for. This dash cam is the culmination of several years of steady improvement from a company that’s in it for the long haul—and it shows in the design and performance, as well as the long warranty. It’s easily the best overall front-only dash cam we’ve tested. The big adds for Garmin’s latest generation, including the 57, are a parking mode (wake on G-sensor) and temporary cloud storage for your important captures. DESIGN AND FEATURES The first thing you’ll notice about the Dash Cam 57 is its small size. It’s not tiny like its…

Are all USB-C cables the same? That’s what we wondered when we found two different Amazon Basics models, one priced at about $9 and the other at $19. Is the cheaper USB-C cable just as good, or are we getting something extra with the more expensive one? To complement our related story on how to buy a USB-C cable, we tested the $8.62 Amazon Basics cable as well as the $18.99 upgrade to find out what you get and what you give up. We applied the same rules for the two Amazon Basics cables in charging speed, data transfer speed, and connecting to a display. In the end, we did find reasons why the more expensive cable might be worth it—and a few scenarios where the cheaper cable would be…

A Wi-Fi extender is a gadget that sucks in a Wi-Fi signal, and then spits it back out on the same network name and frequency. Think of it as a radio repeater, because that’s essentially what it is. It’s a relatively easy and inexpensive way to extend your network into those hard-to-reach spots in your home, and it’s much less expensive than a full mesh system. But setting it up isn’t always a straightforward process. Here are some basic tips on how to get started, and advice on how to make the most of these handy devices. BUYING THE RIGHT WI-FI EXTENDER When buying a Wi-Fi extender, you want to make the most out of the connection you already have. So check your current Wi-Fi router—either the one you got…

A new operating system incompatible with older hardware—that’s surely another MacOS announcement, right? Not this time. Windows users could soon find themselves in the same boat as Apple fans: Following close behind the official announcement of Windows 11 was the reveal of much stricter hardware compatibility (see page 7) for Windows 10’s successor. Unlike previous generations of the operating system, Windows 11 tacks on tougher security requirements, like the presence of a Trusted Platform Module 2.0 and the ability to use Secure Boot. In a mild surprise, Microsoft has already named specific processors that are cleared for the next era of Windows. Much remains to be explained—such as the criteria for getting the green light, though we’ve sniffed out some strong clues about processor security features—but for now, if you’re…

Windows 365 is Microsoft’s name for the Cloud PC, a new Microsoft service that will stream Windows in the cloud to Android phones, tablets, Macs, and more. Windows 365, available to businesses starting August 2, was announced at Microsoft Ignite, Microsoft’s partner conference. The concept is simple enough: Just like you can now stream Xbox games from Microsoft’s Azure cloud to either your phone or your browser, now you can do the same for Windows 10 and eventually Windows 11. The Cloud PC won’t depend on local hardware to run Windows; instead, you’ll need a dependable, persistent Internet connection to reach Windows 365. For now, Windows 365 will be a business offering, though you’ll be able to run it on personal devices—just like you can access your company’s SharePoint files via…

If you’ve held off on playing Microsoft’s latest Flight Simulator game because of its crazy performance requirements, we have good news: Developer Asobo Studios has dramatically improved the game, allowing it to work on an average gaming PC. Asobo doubled the frame rate and significantly reduced the memory requirements, making Flight Simulator accessible to even more gaming PCs. Specifically, the upcoming Update 5 allows a gaming PC with a Core i7-9700K and GeForce RTX 2060 Super to get a fairly stable, stutter-free 58 to 60 frames per second, about double the frame rate on the same system on the current Update 4. Just as important, Asobo also reduced the memory requirement. That 60 fps on Update 5 is achieved with 4.5GB of RAM, compared to 16GB on Update 4. You…

The Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition gets all A’s: AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX, AMD Radeon RX 6800M, and AMD Advantage, meaning it’s the first machine to meet AMD guidelines designed to make midrange gaming laptops better. And yes, it’s made by Asus, too. We’ll say this as a public service announcement right now: If you’re on the hunt for an affordable yet stupidly fast laptop on a medium budget, you may want to skip the rest of this and simply buy the Asus ROG Strix G15 Advantage Edition right now ($1,650 at Best Buy) because of its stunning price-toperformance ratio. But if you prefer to be a little more cautious and actually finish reading this review, we’ll break down what’s inside. SPECIFICATIONS Asus doesn’t skimp with the ROG Strix…

Most free password managers are only free up to a point. Typically, they restrict the number of passwords that can be saved or devices that can be synced for free users. Bitwarden bucks that trend, letting you save unlimited vault items and sync your vault across all your devices without spending a penny. There’s also a paid version that includes extra but not trivial security features, which costs only $10 a year. There are some tradeoffs for that affordability: Bitwarden isn’t as polished or turnkey as some of its more well-known competitors, and we ran into some issues using its browser extension. But overall, it’s a good option for users on a budget, and the best option among free password managers. SETTING UP BITWARDEN To start using Bitwarden, you first…

Having your laptop stolen isn’t just stressful because you need to replace a pricey piece of hardware—it also poses a threat to your digital security. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to protect yourself both before and after your laptop goes missing. Read on to learn about how to prepare yourself against the possibility of notebook theft, how to report the theft if your laptop is stolen, and how to protect your data after it’s in the hands of thieves. HOW TO PREPARE FOR POSSIBLE LAPTOP THEFT Obviously, nobody expects their laptop to get stolen, but it can happen to anyone. It’s important to take steps to protect yourself while your computer (and your sensitive data) is still in your possession, as it makes recovering from a notebook theft…

High Dynamic Range, or HDR, is often casually brought up by game studios touting the cutting-edge visuals of a new title, as if it’s a common feature PC gamers can easily enjoy. That’s not the reality. Awesome HDR gaming is still difficult to achieve on a Windows PC. Yet it’s a goal worth pursuing. At it’s best, HDR is a rare example of a truly game-changing technology. HDR can smack you straight across your face with the single most noticeable gain in gaming visuals. This article will explain what you need to know about HDR gaming on PCs, from technology to cable and GPU concerns to settings tweaks. But before hurtling into HDR gaming goodness, let’s pump the brakes. I’m about to discuss nuances that may be hard to understand.…

If you don’t like Windows 11, you’ll have a 10-day time frame to roll back to Windows 10, according to Microsoft and its customers. So far, what we’ve seen of Windows 11 feels surprisingly good (see page 35), though Windows 10 users may be surprised by the sparer interface. We know Windows 11 removes a number of Windows 10 features. The official preview build of Windows 11 does away with dynamic Live Tiles, replaces the Start menu with rows of simplified icons, and more. We also know that Microsoft plans to add more Windows 11 features in future beta builds, such as Teams integration into the Taskbar, and PC gaming features like Auto HDR. This all assumes that you’ll want to use Windows 11 when it rolls out. Fortunately, you can…

Razer has launched the latest generation of its Razer Blade 17 gaming PC, though with numerous enhancements that the company says will make it usable for both work and after-hours gaming. Razer’s Blade 17 (previous generations were known as the Razer Blade Pro 17) will be available on July 30 in seven configurations, starting with a base price of $2,399 up through $3,699. You can preorder now on Razer.com. The most expensive configuration, known as the RZ09-0406A*R3, will add a Core i9 for the first time, specifically the 8-core, 16-thread Core i9-11900H. A representative of the company said that the i9-11900H uses a PL1 setting of 65W, which for that specific part is the maximum allowed by Intel. Otherwise, the configurations will be based upon the Intel Core i7-11800H, with…

A few weeks ago, we went hands-on with an unofficial leaked build of Windows 11. Now Microsoft has officially released Windows 11 to Windows Insiders, with many brand-new features we haven’t seen before, including entirely new looks for the gorgeous Settings app, File Explorer, the Notification Center, and more. Behind the scenes, there’s even more. If you’re interested in downloading Windows 11 for yourself, the process is simple: Simply join the Windows Insider program, make sure that your PC meets the Windows 11 compatibility requirements (see page 7), and then download the Windows Insider beta. In this report, we’ll show you what we saw in the official build, and what’s really new from the leaked beta. Microsoft has also indicated additional features that will show up under specialized conditions, such…

So why on earth, in this day of uber-fast portable SSDs and fast-enough, readily portable 2.5-inch hard drives, would anyone want to purchase a 3.5-inch external hard drive such as Seagate’s Backup Plus Hub? You sacrifice some portability, but the upsides are significant: nearly three times the capacity and faster sustained throughput than 2.5-inch models offer. Seagate’s Backup Plus Hub comes in flavors from 4TB to 14TB. The 8TB version I tested is currently about $217 on Amazon. By comparison, portable 2.5-inch hard drives, while equally affordable, are currently limited to 5TB. Portable SSDs max out at 8TB, but only if you’re willing to shell out a cool $2,000. Ouch! DESIGN AND SPECS Sporting a 3.5-inch hard drive and an AC adapter, the Backup Plus Hub is hefty, weighing about…

We indeed live with first-world problems in the United States. I know this because amid a global chip shortage and a 1,000-year drought of GPUs, I stumbled across a fully functional gaming PC literally thrown in the gutter. Nerd’s honor (which you properly say with a Vulcan salute)! Yes, I know you think I’m telling you fish stories when I say I found a liquid-cooled, 6-core Core i7-5930K on an X99 motherboard, 32GB of DDR4, a 128GB SSD, and 1TB hard drive while walking the dog. The gem was the graphics card: an EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 ACS. For real: I am not lying. The previous owner didn’t just abandon it haphazardly, but where I live, the city offers bulk disposal days where you can toss out appliances, mattresses, and…

Protecting your personal data isn’t just smart these days—it’s a necessity. As the world grows more and more connected, your private info becomes more and more valuable. Whether it’s using leaked info from website breaches to hack into your other accounts or holding your personal computer ransom for money, malicious evildoers won’t hesitate to ruin your day if it puts profits in their pockets, as evidenced by the massive Kaseya ransomware attack that brought over a thousand businesses to their knees. All is not lost, however. Following some basic security principles can help protect you from most of the attacks you’ll find on the World Wild Web. Better yet, these five tasks should take only a short while to get set up. Do them now and sleep easier at night. 1.…