PCs, for a long time, had a bloatware problem. The major PC manufacturers—Dell, Asus, Acer, and the like—had a bad habit of including "free trials" of software like Norton AntiVirus on new devices.

Remember installing Windows 7 and not getting a metric ton of bloatware? Those were the good days. Nowadays, modern Windows versions come bundled with all sorts of third-party apps pinned to the Start ...

When you're planning a fresh Windows 11 installation, a bit of preparation can save you time and hassle later. From backing up important files to downloading drivers, getting everything ready makes ...

A clean Windows install is a great way to keep your PC feeling snappy. However, every time you do this, certain critical features are reset to their Microsoft defaults—including some that could lock ...

To clean-install Windows 11 without Bloatware, boot your PC with the Windows 11 USB drive and press any key to continue. When Windows Setup asks you to select the Time and Currency format, from the ...

No affiliation and I usually avoid "tools" because of the way most work, but I've been using "O&O ShutUp10++" since Windows 10 and I find it to be very helpful in ...

It’s that time of year again—temperatures are dropping, leaves are changing color, and Microsoft is gradually rolling out another major yearly update to Windows 11. The Windows 11 25H2 update is ...

Above and beyond the benefits of a fresh do-over, clean installing Windows 11 improves security, exposes new features, and more. With the Windows 10 end of support date arriving on October 14, ...

As part of its recent campaign to make Windows the platform of choice for "hybrid work," Microsoft is rolling out a new security feature. It's called Smart App Control and it's kind of like Windows ...

Windows Activation helps verify that your copy of Windows is genuine and hasn’t been used on more devices than the Microsoft Software License Terms allow. 1] Are you using the right product key? Make ...