Articles by Darren Allan

TP-Link Deco 8 Ultra mesh router unit placed on a wooden cabinet in a living room

TP-Link reveals 'world's first Wi-Fi 8 lineup' at IFA 2026 with Archer 8 Ultra router and Deco 8 Ultra mesh Wi-Fi system

By Darren Allan Published 1 September 26

Wi-Fi 8 delivers important advances in dealing with wireless signal interference and managing more devices effectively.

Nvidia DLSS 5 leak sparks major turnaround among PC gamers — as some brand it an 'insanely huge graphical update' that means 'there's no going back'

By Darren Allan Published 29 August 26

'Remarkable difference in tone of the reactions': the negativity around DLSS 5 is melting away, it seems.

A woman getting frustrated by her laptop

Windows 11 update arrives with much-wanted features — and very-much unwanted bugs that mess up the mouse cursor and wallpaper

By Darren Allan Published 28 August 26

Miss Microsoft's old-style chunky white mouse pointer? A weird Windows 11 bug turns the cursor retro — and it's messing with wallpapers too.

Time for gamers to upgrade to Windows 11? Nvidia GPU driver support for Windows 10 ends in two months — here's what you need to know

By Darren Allan Published 27 August 26

Nvidia GPU driver support is coming to an end for Windows 10 — here's what that means for security and your favorite PC games.

2 Comments

The Valve Steam Machine, pictured on a dark marble worktop.

Nvidia's GeForce Now is officially coming to the Steam Machine — here's why that's great news for gaming in your living room

By Darren Allan Published 26 August 26

Some gamers have been hoping for official GeForce Now support on Valve's PC — and that dream is now a reality.

Microsoft just gave PowerToys a nifty new feature — and I think it's high time some of these goodies came to Windows 11

By Darren Allan Published 26 August 26

Microsoft is busy improving Windows 11, and there's an obvious easy win it's missing: porting over smart PowerToys features.

Young woman using laptop, looking annoyed

'The version Microsoft will build should be known as Copilot OS': Windows built around AI may not be happening, but leaked concept remains a grim portent for desktops

By Darren Allan Published 25 August 26

Remember Microsoft's vision of Windows built around AI? That recent leak has been raked over — and fresh details of 'Copilot OS' make me more nervous about the future.

Amazon security engineer hacks PC accessories with Claude Opus to make them work better — Asus, Insta360 and Elgato products reverse engineered in hours for 'better control', but engineer admits this also 'scares me'

By Darren Allan Published 25 August 26

Some nifty tricks are pulled off by the security engineer — but the dark side of all this is worrying to say the least.

Microsoft's latest move to pay people to use Edge looks desperate — and an odd new Bing app is worrying too

By Darren Allan Published 24 August 26

An app has been spotted that makes Bing your default search, and some users see it as another reason to leave Windows 11.

A header image depicting the best Mac antivirus brands of 2025

Best Mac Antivirus of 2026: Expert Reviews and Top Recommendations

By Benedict Collins last updated 23 August 26

macOS We've tested and reviewed all the best Mac antivirus, so you can protect your Apple device from harmful malware and viruses.

HP Chromebook Plus 15.6-inch on table with pink wall and plant in background

Should you buy a Chromebook now or wait for the Googlebook?

By Darren Allan Published 23 August 26

Don't understand what a Googlebook is, or how it's different from a Chromebook? We cut through the confusion for those hunting out a new laptop.

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Solar Panels mounted on roof with streaks of rain visible, on a cloudy day

I just did a full solar install instead of waiting for plug-in solar in the UK — here's why

By Darren Allan Published 22 August 26

I'm loving my solar panels, battery and gateway setup so far, although admittedly it's still early days.

Cyberpunk 2077 on ROG Zephyrus G14 laptop

'Took me months to work this out': Redditor explains how Windows 11 can end up stripping out the GPU driver on your gaming laptop

By Darren Allan Published 21 August 26

Windows 11 removed the driver for an Nvidia RTX 5070 Ti laptop graphics card, and you can blame Eco mode.

4 Comments

Upset young man plays computer games at home.

Are your PC games crashing after the latest Windows 11 update? Microsoft is investigating whether a nasty new bug is the cause — but there are workarounds

By Darren Allan Published 21 August 26

Microsoft is investigating reports of a nasty bug that breaks some PC games following the latest Windows 11 update.

First plug-in solar kits get regulatory green light in the UK ahead of legal lift-off on August 27 — and they'll start at £699

By Darren Allan Published 20 August 26

'Safety, quality and after-sales support need to matter': UKSOL's ground mount plug-in solar panels are on sale in a week.

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Close-up of webcam on MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+, with pink wall in background

Windows 11 is getting a much-needed change to privacy settings — but it's something Microsoft should have sorted a long time ago

By Darren Allan Published 20 August 26

Microsoft is finally changing app permissions to make sense for all software.

Microsoft is massively improving Windows 11's right-click menu — but it should have been like this from the start

By Darren Allan Published 18 August 26

'Probably has a lot to do with figuring out how to get Windows 11 working on 8GB': Microsoft debloats right-click menu in a big way, but the cynics still aren't happy.

PC gamers are asking 'what's next?' as RAM crisis sparks further rumors of GPU price hikes, and gaming monitors could get more expensive

By Darren Allan Published 17 August 26

Graphics card maker warns that GPUs are due 'substantial' price hikes, and I'd buy now rather than wait — the same might be true of gaming monitors.

SSD price pain predicted to last until 2030 — as worrying report shows DDR5 RAM is now five times more expensive than a year ago

By Darren Allan Published 17 August 26

Expect the worst for RAM and SSD costs — latest DDR5 pricing and a storage exec's fresh prediction are bleak.

Epic Games Store is going to support Linux 'soon' — and that's great news for Steam Deck owners

By Darren Allan Published 14 August 26

2026 just gets better for Linux gamers, as Epic is making a native version of its launcher, plus the GeForce Now app has officially arrived.

Angry man ripping out his hair in front of his laptop

1 in 3 Windows users have 'fallen into a reset trap' and can't escape Edge — I think it's high time Microsoft stopped messing around with default browser choices

By Darren Allan Published 13 August 26

Users report encountering 'challenges' when trying to change their default browser, and being stuck with Edge when they don't want it.

Leaked IdeaPad looks like a proper MacBook Neo rival — but I don't think Lenovo can beat Apple on price

By Darren Allan Published 13 August 26

'Pretty sure it won't share the same build quality': Lenovo's new laptop with MacBook Neo vibes is leaked, but skeptics are worried it won't match Apple's quality.