Articles by Darren Allan

Microsoft solves case of vanishing Windows 11 desktop — fix is rolling out for blank desktop, taskbar freezes and other flakiness

By Darren Allan Published 22 May 26

Fed up with bits of Windows 11 being flaky of late? Microsoft has fixed bugs that cause a blank desktop, taskbar freezes and more.

Nvidia really doesn't seem to care about gaming GPUs any more — the company won't even bother to break down graphics sales in its big investor reports

By Darren Allan Published 21 May 26

There have been a few signs that Nvidia feels that gaming GPUs are less of a priority, and here's one more.

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Redditor warns they 'almost started a fire' when metallic watch strap made contact with Steam Controller's charging puck

By Darren Allan Published 21 May 26

Valve does warn about this in the Steam Controller's manual — but how many people actually read documentation?

RAM crisis could soon get worse as disruption in Strait of Hormuz shipping hits supply chain hard

By Darren Allan Published 21 May 26

Fresh RAM price hikes could be imminent as the memory chip supply chain comes under more pressure.

Computer memory RAM on motherboard background

We may only have a year of the RAM crisis left if this ex-Samsung boss is right

By Darren Allan Published 20 May 26

Ex-Samsung exec says it's possible the RAM crisis 'will change starting from the second half of next year' as supply and demand begin to correct.

Microsoft is fixing one of the most baffling things about Windows 11 — 'spam' in search results

By Darren Allan Published 20 May 26

In an important – if long overdue – move, Windows 11 search is finally giving up spamming you with web results.

LG UltraGear 25G590B monitor shown in a press shot highlighting that it offers a 1,000Hz refresh rate

LG reveals 'world's first native 1,000Hz' gaming monitor — but good luck trying to find a GPU to drive it without breaking the bank

By Darren Allan Published 19 May 26

LG's 1,000Hz gaming monitor is designed for shooters with tech that 'makes fast-moving objects sharper and easier to track'.

The Windows 11 battery life indicator on a Dell 16 Plus

Microsoft's plan to fix Windows 11 drivers is falling into place — and that includes some great news for your laptop's battery life

By Darren Allan Published 19 May 26

New 'Driver Quality Initiative' aims to shore up quality and prevent bad drivers from proving to be an unnecessary battery drain.

An Acer Swift Go 14 laptop keyboard showing the Copilot button

Microsoft's finally letting you change the Copilot key back to what it was before Windows 11's AI assistant existed

By Darren Allan Published 19 May 26

'Oh, yes: steal the Right Ctrl and now return it as an improvement': Microsoft's finally letting you revert Windows 11's Copilot key back to what it used to be.

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girl using laptop hoping for good luck with her fingers crossed

Windows 11 is getting some much-wanted features for the Start menu and taskbar, and that's great to see — but it's not the change I really want

By Darren Allan Published 18 May 26

What dare we hope for next from Microsoft? The company is clearly serious about making Windows 11 better.

Googlebook has only just been revealed, but here are 5 things that people hate about the laptop already

By Darren Allan Published 16 May 26

Should Google be booking a plot in the 'Google Graveyard' in advance? Some folks think the Googlebook will be DOA.

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Young woman sitting on the floor with a laptop biting nails, nervous and very anxious

Microsoft's Copilot can now peek into your open tabs in Edge — if you let it — as part of new AI features for the browser

By Darren Allan Published 14 May 26

Microsoft has ditched Copilot Mode from Edge — but if you're cheering that move, you won't like what's replaced it.

Microsoft is asking for your help to fix Windows 11 — and I'm hopeful this isn't just a desperate move

By Darren Allan Published 14 May 26

This is the clearest sign yet the company is serious about making the 'fix Windows 11 campaign' work.

Microsoft reveals another way it's making Windows 11 faster, with more performance boosts promised for the likes of File Explorer

By Darren Allan Published 13 May 26

'It's a long-term commitment for fundamentals and quality': Microsoft is working to make Windows 11 faster in multiple ways, including in-depth honing of the interface.

The latest Windows 11 update is here boasting 4 features I'm very pleased to see

By Darren Allan Published 13 May 26

This is a useful update from Microsoft with a notable addition which will excite many PC gamers.

Dell laptops reportedly hit by nasty bug causing repeated crashes, and this time it's not Windows 11's fault — here's what's causing it, and how to fix it

By Darren Allan Published 12 May 26

Don't blame Windows 11 for your Dell laptop crashing — ironically it's a nasty bug with Dell's SupportAssist app.

Mature man using laptop in a cafe, looking annoyed

'All modern operating systems do this, including macOS and Linux': Microsoft exec fires back at critics accusing it of 'cheating' with Windows 11 speed boost feature

By Darren Allan Published 11 May 26

Microsoft defends CPU trick to boost Windows 11 performance after critics label it a fudged fix.

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Samsung Odyssey OLED G6 G60SF monitor on a desk in a home office

I'm impressed that Microsoft keeps on improving PowerToys with smart additions — but I wonder why the newest monitor trick isn't in Windows 11 by default

By Darren Allan Published 10 May 26

Power Display is a smart add-on that's arrived in the PowerToys suite of utilities, accompanied by another equally useful tool.

The Wayback Machine faces another threat from AI — ridiculously expensive hard drive prices

By Darren Allan Published 8 May 26

This is yet another example of the far-reaching nature of the AI-driven component crisis.

Microsoft is fixing one of the worst problems with Windows 11 updates — those dreaded installation failures

By Darren Allan Published 8 May 26

Some Windows 11 updates might be slower in the future — but it's for a good reason.

A woman sitting in a chair looking at a Windows 11 laptop

Microsoft's rumored 'Low Latency Profile' CPU trick could make Windows 11's menus and apps load up to 70% faster

By Darren Allan Published 8 May 26

Want Windows 11's menus and apps to just work faster? Microsoft could be moving a key piece of the puzzle into place.

MacBook Neo laptop on a desk with plant in background

Budget Windows 11 laptops vs MacBook Neo — Microsoft-commissioned report points out Neo weaknesses, as Apple's rumored to double production to 10 million

By Darren Allan Published 7 May 26

Are budget Windows 11 laptops a better bet than the MacBook Neo? A new report suggests that, but skeptics aren't happy with it at all.

AMD's CEO predicts 'higher memory and component costs' later this year — so brace yourself for Radeon GPU price hikes

By Darren Allan Published 6 May 26

Following Lisa Su's revelation, a disgruntled Redditor predicted: 'The RAM economy will permanently change and data centers will be a nuisance for the rest of recorded time'.