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    How to find your BitLocker recovery key – and save a secure backup copy before it’s too late

    JuSun/Getty Images Windows 11, like its predecessor, includes easy options to encrypt your system drive. With BitLocker device encryption turned on for your PC’s system drive, your personal data is safe if your laptop is lost or stolen.  Also: How to upgrade your ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 If Windows determines that boot integrity has been […] More

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    Apple finally lets you migrate purchases between two accounts – here’s how

    ZDNETFor years, Apple users have been asking for a way to merge purchases from different accounts. If you’ve been around since the early days of iTunes, MobileMe, or .Mac, chances are you’ve got a few scattered accounts with old music, movies, or apps. Finally, Apple has introduced a way to migrate purchases from one Apple ID to another, and it’s about time.Also: How to clear your iPhone cache for a fresh (and faster) start in 2025Maybe you’ve got that one account with a single album you bought back in 2004 or an old work account where you accidentally bought your favorite game. This new feature lets you consolidate those purchases into a single, primary account. It’s a bit of a process, but once it’s done, you won’t need to remember multiple logins just to find your favorite content. How to migrate purchases from one Apple Account to another What you’ll need: A primary Apple Account, which you use regularly for iCloud, purchases, and subscriptions, as well as a secondary account with the purchases you want to move. You must be signed in to them to begin migration. You’ll also need an iPhone or iPad running the latest iOS 18.3.1 (or later) software. More

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    How to create a Windows recovery drive in 4 easy steps – before it’s too late

    Kerry Wan/ZDNETThere’s one immutable law of PCs: sh*t happens. And when it does, there’s usually a way to fix things, if you had the foresight to create one essential recovery tool first.Booting from a USB recovery drive allows you to perform basic troubleshooting repairs on any Windows system. And by adding Windows installation files to your bootable recovery drive, you can easily reinstall Windows and get back to work.Also: How to upgrade your ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 in 2025)You can use Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB flash drive with the latest Windows installation files. Go to the Download Windows 11 page, find the “Create Windows 11 Installation Media” section, click Download Now, and follow the prompts.You can also use the free, open-source Rufus utility to create a bootable installation drive for Windows 11, as long as you already have an ISO file.Also: Can your old PC handle the Windows 11 upgrade? How to find out – before you tryHowever, if you just want to use the tools built into Windows, I recommend a slightly different approach. Download the Windows 11 installer as a disk image file (in ISO format), use the built-in Windows Recovery Media Creator utility to create a bootable recovery drive, and copy the Windows installation files to that drive.The entire process takes four steps. More

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    Your next Apple Watch or AirPods could have life-changing features thanks to this new initiative

    Jason Hiner/ZDNETApple is exploring the connections between technology and health more deeply. On Wednesday, the tech giant launched the Apple Health Study, which explores how its iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods, and other third-party wearables can impact health advancements.What is the Apple Health Study?The study, conducted with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, examines the connection between mental health and heart rate, sleep and exercise, and more, according to the press release. Unlike clinical studies, which are confined by a limited number of participants, timeline, and data capture, the Apple Health Study utilizes a base of more than 350,000 participants and builds on other studies launched in the Research app.Also: Your next Apple Watch or smart ring could have a feature that transforms healthcareWearable health technology, like the Apple Watch or Oura Ring, has improved in recent years. These products were once merely step counters and sleep trackers, but in recent years, brands have developed features within their smartwatches and smart rings that monitor and predict illness and provide data users can bring to their doctor for diagnosis.Take the AirPods Pro 2, for example. The earbuds received FDA clearance to be used as hearing aids in 2024. In the comfort of their homes, people can now take a hearing loss test on their phone with the earbuds in, receive a diagnosis, and then bring that data to a doctor.  More