Eliana Willis

Jada Jones/ZDNETDuring Apple’s September hardware event last year, the company announced the iPhone 16 lineup, new AirPods, and an upgraded Apple Watch. I was most happy to see the AirPods 4 model, which introduced noise cancellation to the lineup for the first time and upgraded software features — but I was secretly hoping for the AirPods Pro 3.Also: Turn your AirPods Pro 2 into hearing aids: Testing and tracking hearing health in iOS 18.1Unfortunately, a new AirPods Pro model didn’t appear. Instead, Apple announced auditory health features and valuable software upgrades available to the AirPods Pro 2 earbuds, which has kept the device relevant even after years since launch.With the AirPods Pro 2 More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Pre-orders for the Galaxy Book5 Pro start at $1,349. It sports a brilliant 3K touchscreen and large touchpad, plus Intel’s Lunar Lake chip delivers next-gen performance. Despite the better hardware, this laptop shares some of the design flaws as its predecessor. –> Whenever a new laptop comes out, consumers expect it […] More

ZDNETAmong Windows experts, a clean install is a time-honored ritual, a way to wipe out accumulated cruft and restore an old PC to new life.You can find plenty of perfectly good reasons to do a clean install. You might be repurposing an old but still serviceable PC for use by someone else in your family or your organization. Perhaps you’ve decided to replace a conventional hard disk drive with a fast solid-state drive to extend the life of an older PC. Or maybe you just want a fresh start.Also: How to upgrade your ‘incompatible’ Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 in 2025A clean install is the ultimate troubleshooting technique, virtually guaranteed to eliminate performance or compatibility problems caused by third-party software, temporary files, configuration errors, and garden-variety malware. Done right, the result is a PC that starts from a known good state, with either the default Windows 10 configuration or a previously tested configuration that includes specific third-party software and drivers.By my count, there are four ways to do a clean install (short of buying a new PC). Here are the pros and cons of each method, along with some advice on when to employ each one.(A quick note up front: This article covers the full range of installations on hardware that was originally designed for Windows 10 or Windows 11. Unless otherwise specified, all instructions assume that you’re installing or reinstalling Windows 11 version 24H2.)1. Use a recovery image from the OEMIf you purchased a PC with Windows preinstalled, you might have the option to revert to the original image that the manufacturer supplied.The good news is that the saved image includes all the drivers, utilities, and hardware support so that (in theory, at least) all your devices work as designed as soon as you sign in for the first time.The bad news is that the saved image also includes whatever crapware the manufacturer was paid to preinstall alongside your otherwise pristine Windows installation. That might not be a dealbreaker if you have a business-class PC with minimal unwanted software, but it can be a royal pain for a consumer device overstuffed with games and trial versions of software.Besides the aforementioned crapware, the biggest disadvantage of this option is that you’re likely to end up with a Windows installation that’s out of date, leading to the need for a tedious full feature update, followed by the latest cumulative update, after your recovery is complete. That’s especially true if the PC you’re working with came with Windows 10 and you upgraded it to Windows 11.Also: How to clear the cache on your Windows 11 PC (and why it makes such a big difference)This option is preferred if you’re getting a machine ready to sell or give away, or if you’re experiencing hardware issues that require repair or return of a device as part of a warranty claim.The option to restore an OEM image might be available from a dedicated partition when you start your PC in recovery mode, or your OEM might include a utility that downloads the latest image from its servers. As an alternative, your OEM might be able to supply you with a bootable recovery image that you can install on a USB flash drive. (See “How to get a free Windows (or Linux) recovery image for your OEM PC” for details on where you can get recovery images for Dell, HP, Lenovo, and Microsoft Surface devices.)2. Restore from a backup imageBy definition, this option is only available if you’re a well-prepared person who used the legacy Windows Backup program (Sdclt.exe) or an alternative third-party backup program immediately after setting up your PC when it was brand new.If you count yourself among that small group, you are probably reading this article from your lavishly appointed fallout shelter, with a 12-month supply of canned food, medications, and bottled water neatly stacked on the shelves. As a well-prepared person, what you did immediately after setting up your PC was create a backup image of your completed Windows installation, in anticipation of the day when something would head south and you would want to start over.Also: How to set up God Mode in Windows 11 – and the wonders you can do with itThis option is especially appealing if you rely on a large collection of third-party software, including custom device drivers that are not available through Windows Update. Capture that image after completing installation of all those third-party programs but before restoring any personal data files.The disadvantages of this technique include the extra time and effort required to create the backup, as well as the organizational chops required to keep that backup safe and easily accessible when it’s needed. As with an OEM recovery image, the backup doesn’t necessarily include the most recent feature update. However, if the image reflects a previous Windows version that you want to use while you defer installation of later feature updates, you might see this as a plus. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways The JBL Tour Pro 3 earbuds offer clear and strong sound, powerful noise cancellation, and a battery life that will last you your entire work week. The earbuds come with many improvements, like a Smart-Charging Case compatibility that plugs into in-flight entertainment or laptops for instant Bluetooth connectivity, as well as […] More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways At $12, this is the cheapest quality USB meter I’ve tested. It’s as accurate as meters that cost ten times as much. The display is on the small side, but it’s still completely readable. –> This $12 USB-C Power Meter<!–> has quickly become one of my absolute must-have tools. These little […] More

Screenshot by Lance Whitney/ZDNETMicrosoft has been pushing people to upgrade to Windows 11 but it doesn’t want you running the OS on an unsupported system. For security reasons, only PCs with Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 are supported by the latest version of Windows. To dissuade you from skipping past that requirement, the company has removed the steps for a Registry hack workaround from a Windows 11 support page.Also: Microsoft has a big Windows 10 problem, and it’s running out of time to solve itTitled “Ways to install Windows 11,” the page has been around for several years. The current version explains how to install the OS using Windows Update, the Installation Assistant, and a USB drive or DVD. However, a previous edition of the page also included steps for changing the Registry to bypass the TPM requirements, as spotted by Neowin.Seen through the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine, a version of the page from Dec. 12, 2024, shows the following now missing information, albeit with several warnings from Microsoft:Warning: Microsoft recommends against installing Windows 11 on a device that does not meet the Windows 11 minimum system requirements. If you choose to install Windows 11 on a device that does not meet these requirements, and you acknowledge and understand the risks, you can create the following registry key values and bypass the check for TPM 2.0 (at least TPM 1.2 is required) and the CPU family and model.Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMSetupMoSetupName: AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPUType: REG_DWORDValue: 1Note: Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.This doesn’t mean the Registry hack no longer works; simply that Microsoft no longer wants to publicize it. Beyond the Registry tweak, there are other ways to sneak past the hardware restrictions to install Windows 11 on an unsupported PC. I’ve used third-party tools such as Rufus and Flyby, which I’ve found more effective than other methods. More

<!–> ZDNET’s key takeaways Nomad’s Universal Cable for Apple Watch lets you charge your favorite Apple devices in multiple configurations. This 1.3m, Kevlar outerwoven cord features an Apple Watch fast charger and USB-C ends This cable is travel-friendly, and lets you charge devices from your iPhone. –> If you’re an Apple user who’s on the […] More

Antivirus and anti-malware are two names for the same thing. Traditionally, antivirus software protects against known security threats, but as threats evolve, so do the programs that fight them. Most current antivirus software stands up to more sophisticated malware like spyware, rootkits, and ransomware, and cloud-based programs can be frequently updated as threats emerge. Malware removal is part of anti-malware, and paid antivirus, along with some free plans, typically offers on-access or real-time protection. Alternatively, you can use an on-demand scanner that will detect and clean up any threats that are present.  More