Windows and most applications save their configuration in the registry database — or registry, for short. Whenever you change a setting, this affects the corresponding value in the registry, but there are also values in the registry for which there is no equivalent in a configuration tool. Many tech-savvy Windows users probably have some settings that they change immediately when they install Windows. Other adjustments are made more or less regularly — for example, to provide variety in the desktop design or because certain tasks require it. A search in the “Settings” helps to find the available options. However, it is still tedious to configure everything as desired. In addition, you sometimes have to dig through subcategories, and sometimes even use the Control Panel under Windows 11 or navigate through several tabs. All this makes it quite difficult to apply the familiar settings after a new installation of Windows or on other computers. However, some settings can be saved if you are logged in with a Microsoft account. Windows 11 Pro This article describes the basics of working with the Windows registry and precautionary measures that enable recovery in the event of defects. We also introduce readers to other tools that make it easier to work with the registry or customize a special set of settings, for example for more privacy. See also: How to clean your Windows registry and speed up your PC First orientation in the Windows registry The standard program for editing the registry is the Windows Registry Editor. You start it by pressing the Win-R key combination, regedit and confirm with “OK.” The tool displays the contents of the registry files in a tree view. The registry actually consists of several files, which are located in the folder “C:\Windows\System32\config,” plus the file “Ntuser.dat” with the user’s data, which is located in the user profile under “C:\Users\[username].” A look at the registry: The registry consists of five main keys. “Hkey_Current_User” contains the user’s configuration, “Hkey_Local_Machine” the global settings.Foundry The five branches of the registry: “Hkey_Current_User” contains the configuration of the logged on user. “Hkey_Local_Machine” contains the global settings for Windows and applications, which can only be changed with administrative rights and apply to all users. Changes in this branch usually only take effect after a Windows restart. “Hkey_Users” contains keys with user IDs of system profiles. The two longer IDs are those of the current user and correspond to the content of “Hkey_Current_User.” “Hkey_Classes_Root” contains file name extensions and the associated program shortcuts as well as keys for registered Windows components. “Hkey_Current_Config” is a link to the keys below “Hkey_Local_Machine\System\CurrentControlSet\Hardware Profiles\Current\.” This allows programs to access the values via a shorter path. Add keys and values: Use the “New” context menu item to select what you want to create. The correct data type is important for many settings.Foundry Keys and values: Registry branches contain subkeys, similar to folders in the file system. They contain values that are comparable to files. There are value types, for example “string” for text content or the “DWORD value (32-bit)”, which can hold four bytes. Change the content of the registry: Select a key in the tree on the left-hand side. Use the “New” context menu to create subkeys or values. On the right-hand side of the window, you can see the data that a key contains. Double-click on an entry to open an editor that can be used to change the data. Create a backup copy of the registry For a complete copy of the registry, use the Registry Backup Portable tool. First go to “Settings” and specify a storage location under “Backup Location.” If the program does not work correctly with the default settings, go to “Help & Support” and click on the icon under “Online Help & FAQ’s.” In the help you will find instructions on how to repair the VSS service. Then go to the “Backup Registry” tab and click on “Backup Now.” Registry Backup Portable: Use this tool to create a complete backup copy of all registry files. If problems occur, you can restore the files. IDG Restore the registry: In the event of a problem, restart Registry Backup, go to the “Restore Registry” tab, and select the last backup using the selection field at the top of the window. Click on “Restore Now.” You must then restart Windows. Using Process Monitor to analyze the registry You can find out which registry value belongs to which setting in the tips on numerous websites. You can use the Process Monitor from Microsoft Sysinternals to determine which registry keys are written when a setting is changed. When you start Process Monitor, the “Process Monitor Filter” window appears. Select “Operation” and then “is.” Enter “RegSetValue” in the input field or select the value from the list. Click on “Add.” Accordingly, you can set the filter “begins with” and “HKCU” (Hkey_Current_User) for “Path.” Process Monitor records selected accesses in the registry. This allows you to check which values change during an action.IDG Without a sensibly set filter, the window immediately fills up with thousands of entries and it is almost impossible to determine the relevant value. Click on “OK” to start recording. Change an option in the “Settings,” for example. End the recording as quickly as possible using the Ctrl-E key combination. You will see a chronological list of accesses with “RegSetValue” in the window. The tedious task now is to fish out the corresponding registry key and value from the still numerous lines using a plausibility check. Example: Customize the Explorer A freshly installed Windows is configured in a way that Microsoft considers useful for most users. Some settings are unnecessary for experienced users and may even be a security risk for less experienced users. One example of this is the missing display of file-name extensions in Windows Explorer. File names in Windows usually consist of the file name, a dot, and the file name extension. Windows uses the extension to recognize the file type and the application with which a file is opened by double-clicking. Views in Windows Explorer: Show file name extensions for security reasons. Foundry However, Windows Explorer shows a description in the “Type” column in the “Details” view. For executable files (“.exe”) “Application” appears here, for text files (“.txt”) you can read “Text document.” The file icons also provide an indication of the file type. However, files cannot be identified very quickly if you do not look closely or have set a view other than “Details.” For greater clarity, go to “View” in Windows Explorer and select the menu item “File name extension” under “Show.” In Windows 10, go to “View” and tick the box next to “File name extensions.” This also has the additional effect of making it easier to assign file name extensions. For example, if you create and save a text file, it is given the extension “.txt.” If you want to turn the text file into a batch file with the extension “.bat” or “.cmd,” you can now simply change the extension in Windows Explorer by renaming the file. If the file name extensions are hidden in Windows Explorer, this is not possible. If you append a “.bat,” the name is “Filename.bat.txt,” which means that the editor remains responsible for the file and it does not become a Windows batch file. The hidden file name extensions also represent a potential security risk. Windows Explorer displays “filename.txt.bat” as “filename.txt” by default. In the “Type” column, it says “Windows batch file,” but you may not notice this. If you don’t notice the difference in the icons for text and batch files, you may start a dangerous batch file instead of opening a text file in Notepad. Other useful tools The Windows Registry Editor is certainly sufficient for most tasks. However, it does not offer many convenient functions — a gap that other providers fill. Regcool is an advanced registry editor with a quick search function. You can use it to create bookmarks and add comments, compare registry keys, and create a registry backup. The Regshot function creates a snapshot of the registry, which can later be compared with a second snapshot. This allows you to see what has changed in the meantime. Alternative registry editor: Regcool offers a quick search and numerous convenient functions when working with the registry, such as bookmarks and registry comparison. IDG Registry Finder shines with a very fast search and remembers the search results in several tabs. Bookmarks can be provided with a description and additional entries such as “Category” and “Tags.” Reg Ownership Ex can change access rights in the registry. Click on “Search,” enter the desired key, and click on “Take ownership.” Click on “Restore” to restore the previous rights. Data that cannot be changed in the registry Microsoft is increasingly trying to prevent users and also the manufacturers of tuning tools from changing values in the registry. This may be partly for security reasons, even if this is not always recognizable. One example of this is “News and interesting topics” in the taskbar, which Microsoft calls “widgets” in Windows 11. The display can be hidden or shown via “Settings” and “Personalization > Taskbar.” If you try to change the associated value in the registry, access is denied. This is caused by the User Choice Protection Driver (UCPD). It prohibits write access to registry values that have been set by user decisions for certain settings, such as the choice of default browser or PDF reader. This seems sensible so that malware does not simply change links to these programs maliciously, for example to redirect to advertising sites. As of October 2024, however, there are methods to override the protection itself. The batch file “Switch_Taskbar_Widget_visibility.bat” together with the Powershell script “Set_Taskbar_Widget-visibility.ps1” shows how to do this. The trick is essentially to use a copy of “Reg.exe” — the registry editor for the command line, which UCPD does not monitor. With Windows 10 it is a little more complicated because a hash value must also be changed here. Use “Switch_Taskbar_Widget_visibility.bat” to hide the widgets and show them again when restarting. Settings for security and privacy Windows constantly transmits diagnostic data (telemetry) to Microsoft. This is used, for example, for the early detection of errors in Windows updates. However, a lot of data is also collected that can affect the user’s privacy. As a number of registry keys are used for configuration, it is better to leave the settings to specialized tools. One of these is O&O Shutup10, which provides a description of each setting. If possible, only use the recommended settings, otherwise you will have to reckon with the side effects described. An alternative is W10Privacy, which displays many settings on several tabs and offers more options than O&O Shutup. The recommended settings are highlighted in green, the conditionally recommended settings in yellow. Prevent spying: O&O Shutup10 can reduce or prevent the transfer of data to Microsoft and thus protect your privacy. O&O ShutUp10++ Read...

American consumers are in for a rough time as the Trump administration’s trade wars heat up. While many economists have predicted higher prices on most finished goods, individual companies have been hesitant to put numbers on exactly how big their bumps will be. In a recent interview with The Telegraph (spotted by Digital Trends), Acer CEO Jason Chen was a little more precise: retail prices on laptops in the US will go up 10 percent. “We have to adjust the end user price to reflect the tariff… we think 10pc probably will be the default price increase because of the import tax. It’s very straightforward.” Trump’s 10 percent tariff imposed on goods from China is in addition to other existing import fees. Consumers will see the higher prices on Acer laptops starting in March 2025. Trump has threatened increased taxes on goods and materials from several American trading partners, including close allies like Canada and Mexico and chip giant (and Acer home territory) Taiwan. Chen said that moving manufacturing centers out of China, as ASRock has already done, could be a solution. Though Chen floated US-based production as an alternative, labor and material costs would make the United States a poor substitute for all but the most expensive finished products. It doesn’t help that Trump has more targeted tariffs on essential import materials like steel and aluminum, further exacerbating manufacturing costs in domestic industries such as automobiles. Though the Biden administration tried to stimulate domestic chip production with the CHIPS Act, it’ll be several years before foundry capacity increases can scale up. Most laptops and other finished electronics are assembled in China, including the vast majority of lines from the industry’s biggest players, like Acer, Lenovo, Dell, Apple, Asus, and HP. All of them will face the same tariffs on finished laptops and other goods. As the Consumer Technology Association and others have noted, American buyers will have to get used to rising prices for computers and other electronics, possibly for the length of Trump’s four-year term. Read...

The AI chatbot ChatGPT from Open AI has triggered the hype surrounding generative artificial intelligence and dominates much of the media coverage. However, in addition to the AI models from Open AI, there are other chatbots that deserve attention. And unlike ChatGPT, these are also available for local use on the PC and can even be used free of charge for an unlimited period of time. We’ll show you four local chatbots that also run on older hardware. You can talk to them or create texts with them. The chatbots presented here generally consist of two parts, a front end and an AI model, the large language model. You decide which model runs in the front end after installing the tool. Operation is not difficult if you know the basics. However, some of the chatbots offer very extensive setting options. Using these requires expert knowledge. However, the bots can also be operated well with the standard settings. See also: What is an AI PC, exactly? We cut through the hype What local AI can do What you can expect from a local large language model (LLM) also depends on what you offer it: LLMs need computing power and a lot of RAM to be able to respond quickly. If these requirements are not met, the large models will not even start and the small ones will take an agonizingly long time to respond. Things are faster with a current graphics card from Nvidia or AMD, as most local chatbots and AI models can then utilize the hardware’s GPU. If you only have a weak graphics card in your PC, everything has to be calculated by the CPU — and that takes time. If you only have 8GB of RAM in your PC, you can only start very small AI models. Although they can provide correct answers to a number of simple questions, they quickly run into problems with peripheral topics. Computers that offer 12GB RAM are already quite good, but 16GB RAM or more is even better. Then even AI models that work with 7 to 12 billion parameters will run smoothly. You can usually recognize how many parameters a model has by its name. At the end, an addition such as 2B or 7B stands for 2 or 7 billions. Recommendation for your hardware: Gemma 2 2B, with 2.6 billion parameters, already runs with 8GB RAM and without GPU support. The results are generally fast and well structured. If you need an even less demanding AI model, you can use Llama 3.2 1B in the chatbot LM Studio, for example. If your PC is equipped with a lot of RAM and a fast GPU, try Gemma 2 7B or a slightly larger Llama model, such as Llama 3.1 8B. You can load the models via the chatbots Msty, GPT4All, or LM Studio. Information on the AI models for the Llama files can be found below. And for your information: ChatGPT from Open AI is not available for the PC. The apps and PC tools from Open AI send all requests to the internet. The most important steps Using the various chatbots is very similar. You install the tool, then load an AI model via the tool and then switch to the chat area of the program. And you’re ready to go. With the Llamafile chatbot, there is no need to download the model, as an AI model is already integrated in the Llamafile. This is why there are several Llamafiles, each with a different model. See also: The AI PC revolution: 18 essential terms you need to know Llamafile Llamafiles are the simplest way to communicate with a local chatbot. The aim of the project is to make AI accessible to everyone. That’s why the creators pack all the necessary files, i.e. the front end and the AI model, into a single file — the Llamafile. This file only needs to be started and the chatbot can be used in the browser. However, the user interface is not very attractive. The Llamafile chatbot is available in different versions, each with different AI models. With the Llava model, you can also integrate images into the chat. Overall, Llamafile is easy to use as a chatbot. IDG Simple installation Only one file is downloaded to your computer. The file name differs depending on the model selected. For example, if you have selected the Llamafile with the Llava 1.5 model with 7 billion parameters, the file is called “llava-v1.5-7bq4.llamafile.” As the file extension .exe is missing here, you must rename the file in Windows Explorer after downloading. You can ignore a warning from Windows Explorer by clicking “Yes.” The file name will then be: “llava-v1.5-7b-q4.llamafile.exe.” Double-click on the file to start the chatbot. On older PCs, it may take a moment for the Microsoft Defender Smartscreen to issue a warning. Click on “Run anyway.” A prompt window opens, but this is only for the program. The chatbot does not have its own user interface, but must be operated in the browser. Start your default browser if it is not started automatically and enter the address 127.0.0.1:8080 or localhost:8080. If you want to use a different AI model, you must download a different Llamafile. These can be found on Llamafile.ai further down the page in the “Other example llamafiles” table. Each Llamafile needs the file extension .exe. Chatting with the Llamafile The user interface in the browser shows the setting options for the chatbot at the top. The chat input is located at the bottom of the page under “Say something.” If you have started a Llamafile with the model Llava (llava-v1.5-7b-q4.llamafile), you can not only chat, but also have images explained to you via “Upload Image” and “Send.” Llava stands for “Large Language and Vision Assistant.” To end the chatbot, simply close the prompt. Tip: Llava files can be used in your own network. Start the chatbot on a powerful PC in your home network. Make sure that the other PCs are authorized to access this computer. You can then use the chatbot from there via the internet browser and the address “:8080”. Replace with the address of the PC on which the chatbot is running. Msty Msty offers access to many language models, good user guidance, and the import of your own files for use in the AI. Not everything is self-explanatory, but it is easy to use after a short familiarization period. If you want to make your own files available to the AI purely locally, you can do this in Msty in the so-called Knowledge Stack. That sounds a bit pretentious. However, Msty actually offers the best file integration of the four chatbots presented here. IDG Installation of Msty Msty is available for download in two versions: one with support for Nvidia and AMD GPUs and the other for running on the CPU only. When you start the Msty installation wizard, you have the choice between a local installation (“Set up local AI”) or an installation on a server. For the local installation, the Gemma 2 model is already selected in the lower part of the window. This model is only 1.6GB in size and is well suited for text creation on weaker hardware. If you click on “Gemma2,” you can choose between five other models. Later, many more models can be loaded from a clearly organized library via “Local AI Models,” such as Gemma 2 2B or Llama 3.1 8B. “Browse & Download Online Models” gives you access to the AI pages www.ollama.com and www.huggingface.com and therefore to most of the free AI models. A special feature of Msty is that you can ask several AI models for advice at the same time. However, your PC should have enough memory to respond quickly. Otherwise you will have to wait a long time for the finished answers. Msty Pretty interface, lots of substance Msty’s user interface is appealing and well structured. Of course, not everything is immediately obvious, but if you familiarize yourself with Msty, you can use the tool quickly, integrate new models, and integrate your own files. Msty provides access to the many, often cryptic options of the individual models, at least partially in graphical menus. In addition: Msty offers so-called splitchats. The user interface then displays two or more chat entries next to each other. A different AI model can be selected for each chat. However, you only have to enter your question once. This allows you to compare several models with each other. Add your own files You can easily integrate your own files via “Knowledge Stacks.” You can choose which embedding model should prepare your data for the LLMs. Mixedbread Embed Large is used by default. However, other embedding tools can also be loaded. Care should be taken when selecting the model, however, as online embedding models can also be selected, for example from Open AI. However, this means that your data is sent to Open AI’s servers for processing. And the database created with your data is also online: Every enquiry then also goes to Open AI. Chat with your own files: After you have added your own documents to the “Knowledge Stacks,” select “Attach Knowledge Stack and Chat with them” below the chat input line. Tick the box in front of your stack and ask a question. The model will search through your data to find the answer. However, this does not work very well yet. GPT4All GPT4All offers a few models, a simple user interface and the option of reading in your own files. The selection of chat models is smaller than with Msty, for example, but the model selection is clearer. Additional models can be downloaded via Huggingface.com. The GPT4All chatbot is a solid front end that offers a good selection of AI models and can load more from Huggingface.com. The user interface is well structured and you can quickly find your way around. GPT4All Installation: Quick and easy The installation of GPT4All was quick and easy for us. AI models can be selected under “Models.” Models such as Llama 3 8B, Llama 3.2 3B, Microsoft Phi 3 Mini, and EM German Mistral are presented. Good: For each model, the amount of free RAM the PC must have for the model to run is specified. There is also access to AI models at Huggingface.com using the search function. In addition, the online models from Open AI (ChatGPT) and Mistral can be integrated via API keys — for those who don’t just want to chat locally. Operation and chat The user interface of GPT4All is similar to that of Msty, but with fewer functions and options. This makes it easier to use. After a short orientation phase, in which it is clarified how models can be loaded and where they can be selected for the chat, operation is easy. Own files can be made available to the AI models via “Localdocs.” In contrast to Msty, it is not possible to set which embedding model prepares the data. The Nomic-embed-textv1.5 model is used in all cases. In our tests, the tool ran with good stability. However, it was not always clear whether a model was already fully loaded. LM Studio LM Studio offers user guidance for beginners, advanced users, and developers. Despite this categorization, it is aimed more at professionals than beginners. What the professionals like is that anyone working with LM Studio not only has access to many models, but also to their options. The LM Studio chatbot not only gives you access to a large selection of AI models from Huggingface.com, but also allows you to fine-tune the AI models. There is a separate developer view for this. LM Studio Straightforward installation After installation, LM Studio greets you with the “Get your first LLM” button. Clicking on it offers a very small version of Meta’s LLM: Llama 3.2 1B. This model should also run on older hardware without long waiting times. After downloading the model, it must be started via a pop-up window and “Load Model.” Additional models can be added using the Ctrl-Shift-M key combination or the “Discover” magnifying glass symbol, for example. Chat and integrate documents At the bottom of the LM Studio window, you can change the view of the program using the three buttons “User,” “Power User,” and “Developer.” In the first case, the user interface is similar to that of ChatGPT in the browser; in the other two cases, the view is supplemented with additional information, such as how many tokens are contained in a response and how quickly they were calculated. This and the access to many details of the AI models make LM Studio particularly interesting for advanced users. You can make many fine adjustments and view information. Your own texts can only be integrated into a chat, but cannot be made permanently available to the language models. When you add a document to your chat, LM Studio automatically decides whether it is short enough to fit completely into the AI model’s prompt or not. If not, the document is checked for important content using Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG), and only this content is provided to the model in the chat. However, the text is often not captured in full. Read...

In a few months, Windows 10 will take its final bow. That means folks will have to start paying for security updates, which has many people thinking about buying a new computer. One alternative to Windows 11 computers are Chromebooks, a laptop that exclusively runs Google’s Chrome OS operating system. There are many advantages to switching to a Chromebook. Not only are they largely virus-free, but they’re also very affordable. Google also has a new Welcome Back feature that summarizes your recent activity, formatting it as an easy-to-follow visual overview. What is a Chromebook? When the first Chromebooks were released just over a decade ago, these inexpensive, extremely stripped-down models were limited to services that could be run via a web browser. Since then, Chromebooks have grown and today’s models can even run Android apps. In other words, a Chromebook is similar to a smartphone or tablet and there are rumors that Google will start replacing Chrome OS with Android in its Chromebooks in the future. What’s new? A new version of the Chromebook was recently released with a focus on working more efficiently. Google is also investing heavily in AI (artificial intelligence) and has launched a new concept called Chromebook Plus. In addition to the company’s AI service Gemini, there’s also AI support in many other tools. For example, you can delete objects in your photos in the Photos app or get live subtitles for digital meetings and YouTube videos. Just like on the Windows side, we can also expect many more AI innovations in the near future. Other news Foundry Chromebooks now have a new smart feature called Welcome Back. When you switch on your computer, you’ll see a visual overview of what you were working on last time and get suggestions on what you can do. If you want, you can also connect your mobile phone or tablet to this feature. There’s also a new Focus mode to help you work more productively and a feature called Insert Easily, which allows you to paste links, emojis, image files, and much more. Insert Easily opens if you press the Launcher or Google Key together with the letter f or with the special Insert Key. How do I get started? Foundry When you switch on a new Chromebook, you’ll be taken through a getting started wizard where you’ll choose your language, agree to terms of service, connect to the internet, and more. You’ll also be able to make a variety of settings to personalize your Chromebook. You can change these afterwards via Settings. Do I need to log in? Chromebook relies on you being logged in and to get the most out of the system, you should use the same account as on your mobile and tablet. However, to protect your privacy, there’s nothing stopping you from creating a new Google Account so that your Chromebook isn’t linked to your other activities. When you set up a Chromebook, you can also use a guest login and you can choose to add more people to give each user their own identity. Connecting At the end of the installation, you will be given the option to install the same apps on your computer as you already do on your mobile/tablet. You can also pair your computer and mobile phone. This allows you to unlock your computer with your phone, for example, but this is completely optional. How do I install apps? Foundry Just like on a mobile phone or tablet, you get apps through the Google Play Store. To access it, click on the Play Store icon at the bottom of the screen. Tap Apps in the left-hand menu to display the categories or select Search if you know its name. Where are my files? Foundry Although a Chromebook is built around cloud services, you can store files on your own computer. You can access them via the built-in File Manager. This tool is the Chromebook equivalent of Windows Explorer. Files displays both documents stored on your computer and in Google’s Drive cloud service. Tap the Files icon at the bottom of the screen to open. How does AI work? Foundry In modern Chromebooks, Google’s AI service Gemini is built in and can be accessed via the icon at the bottom of the screen. Select Chat with Gemini and you can ask questions and give commands in the box at the bottom. The first time, you will have to accept the terms of use and make some settings. Read...

In a few months, Windows 10 will take its final bow. That means folks will have to start paying for security updates, which has many people thinking about buying a new computer. One alternative to Windows 11 computers are Chromebooks, a laptop that exclusively runs Google’s Chrome OS operating system. There are many advantages to switching to a Chromebook. Not only are they largely virus-free, but they’re also very affordable. Google also has a new Welcome Back feature that summarizes your recent activity, formatting it as an easy-to-follow visual overview. Further reading: Best Chromebooks 2025: Best overall, best battery life, and more What is a Chromebook? When the first Chromebooks were released just over a decade ago, these inexpensive, extremely stripped-down models were limited to services that could be run via a web browser. Since then, Chromebooks have grown and today’s models can even run Android apps. In other words, a Chromebook is similar to a smartphone or tablet and there are rumors that Google will start replacing Chrome OS with Android in its Chromebooks in the future. What’s new? A new version of the Chromebook was recently released with a focus on working more efficiently. Google is also investing heavily in AI (artificial intelligence) and has launched a new concept called Chromebook Plus. In addition to the company’s AI service Gemini, there’s also AI support in many other tools. For example, you can delete objects in your photos in the Photos app or get live subtitles for digital meetings and YouTube videos. Just like on the Windows side, we can also expect many more AI innovations in the near future. Other news Foundry Chromebooks now have a new smart feature called Welcome Back. When you switch on your computer, you’ll see a visual overview of what you were working on last time and get suggestions on what you can do. If you want, you can also connect your mobile phone or tablet to this feature. There’s also a new Focus mode to help you work more productively and a feature called Insert Easily, which allows you to paste links, emojis, image files, and much more. Insert Easily opens if you press the Launcher or Google Key together with the letter f or with the special Insert Key. How do I get started? Foundry When you switch on a new Chromebook, you’ll be taken through a getting started wizard where you’ll choose your language, agree to terms of service, connect to the internet, and more. You’ll also be able to make a variety of settings to personalize your Chromebook. You can change these afterwards via Settings. Do I need to log in? Chromebook relies on you being logged in and to get the most out of the system, you should use the same account as on your mobile and tablet. However, to protect your privacy, there’s nothing stopping you from creating a new Google Account so that your Chromebook isn’t linked to your other activities. When you set up a Chromebook, you can also use a guest login and you can choose to add more people to give each user their own identity. Connecting At the end of the installation, you will be given the option to install the same apps on your computer as you already do on your mobile/tablet. You can also pair your computer and mobile phone. This allows you to unlock your computer with your phone, for example, but this is completely optional. How do I install apps? Foundry Just like on a mobile phone or tablet, you get apps through the Google Play Store. To access it, click on the Play Store icon at the bottom of the screen. Tap Apps in the left-hand menu to display the categories or select Search if you know its name. Where are my files? Foundry Although a Chromebook is built around cloud services, you can store files on your own computer. You can access them via the built-in File Manager. This tool is the Chromebook equivalent of Windows Explorer. Files displays both documents stored on your computer and in Google’s Drive cloud service. Tap the Files icon at the bottom of the screen to open. How does AI work? Foundry In modern Chromebooks, Google’s AI service Gemini is built in and can be accessed via the icon at the bottom of the screen. Select Chat with Gemini and you can ask questions and give commands in the box at the bottom. The first time, you will have to accept the terms of use and make some settings. Read...

TL;DR: This week only, you can get Microsoft Office and Windows 11 Pro on sale for $54.97 (normally a $438 value). If your PC feels slower than usual, you’re probably eyeing the latest models. But do you really need a brand-new device, or is it just outdated software slowing you down? With this bundle, you can give your PC a performance boost, updated security, and new Office apps for only $55. Computers still running on Windows 10 are not only outdated, but they’ll no longer receive security updates or support from Microsoft later this year. Upgrading to Windows 11 Pro means you get the latest, most advanced operating system to date—a new user interface, productivity tools, and an AI-powered assistant, Windows Copilot. You’ll also get BitLocker device encryption to secure your hard drive in case of device theft or loss. After upgrading your OS, you can download eight Microsoft Office apps for lifelong use: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, OneNote, Publisher, and Access. If you have an older version of Office, 2021 brings both a classic yet updated version for day-to-day tasks and larger projects. Don’t miss out on this PC upgrade bundle: $54.97 this week only (reg. $438). No coupon is needed to get this discount.   The Ultimate Microsoft Office Professional 2021 for Windows: Lifetime License + Windows 11 Pro Bundle – $54.97 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

TL;DR: The Kinhank X2 is a retro console with over 70,000 games built-in, and it can even play movies. Pick one up for only $99.99.  Modern gaming consoles cost hundreds, and new games aren’t exactly cheap. If you want a more affordable way to play games you already know you’ll enjoy, check out the Kinhank Super Retro Console X2. This old-school console uses emulators to play its built-in library of over 70,000 games, and it’s on sale for $99.99 (reg. $159).  This console has its own library. You don’t even have to download anything. Titles include classics like Space Invaders and Sonic the Hedgehog along with many modern games like Dark Souls and Counter-Strike. It’s a huge mix of games spanning the generations. You don’t even have to buy a controller. Two are included.  Games are fun, but that’s not all this console can do. It also runs off the Android operating system, so you can download streaming apps. Can your Nintendo Switch play Netflix?  The X2 can connect to TVs, projectors, computers, or even laptops, but there aren’t many left in stock.  During this sale, it’s only $99.99 to get the Kinhank Super Console X2.    Kinhank Super Console X2 Pro Retro Gaming Emulator & Streaming Console – $99.99 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

TL;DR: The PC Transfer Kit gives you three tools to migrate computers, backup your data, and protect your privacy. It’s only $34.99, too.  Switching to a new PC doesn’t have to be annoying. Neither does protecting your data. The PC Transfer Kit gives you three tools to make migrating to a new computer or protecting the one you have a whole lot easier.   PCmover Professional handles the heavy lifting when moving to a new computer. It transfers all your files, settings, and even installed programs, so you don’t have to waste time manually downloading apps or searching for license keys. Just set it up, and it does the rest. DiskImage is your safety net. It creates a full backup of your system. If your computer crashes or gets hit with malware, you can restore everything—including your settings—onto a new device, even if the hardware is different. SafeErase makes sure your private data stays private. Simply deleting files isn’t always enough, but this tool permanently wipes sensitive information, whether it’s individual files or your entire hard drive. It’s perfect if you’re selling an old PC or just want extra security.  It’s only $34.99 to get the PC Transfer Kit with PCmover Pro, DiskImage, and SafeErase.    PC Transfer Kit Bundle feat. PCmover Professional, DiskImage, and SafeErase – $34.99 See Deal StackSocial prices subject to change. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Sleek, sturdy design Sharp OLED screen Pleasantly tactile keyboard Good battery life Cons AI features still lacking Some keyboard keys too cramped Too many pre-loaded apps Our Verdict The Acer Swift 16 AI is a capable machine with a big, beautiful screen, but its AI chops are still unproven. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Acer is all in with AI computers, having now released half a dozen machines with the AI oomph to qualify for Microsoft’s in-development Copilot designation. The largest of them so far is the Acer Swift 16 AI, which sports a lovely 16-inch OLED screen and the latest Intel Lunar Lake CPU. This laptop is thin and light with a gorgeous display and ample connectivity options. The keyboard and trackpad are solid, notwithstanding the rather unnecessary LED AI indicator. However, there are faster computers out there for the same price, and the AI features could be more robust. It’s good for the MSRP but even better if you can find it on sale. Further reading: Best laptops 2025: Premium, budget, gaming, 2-in-1s, and more Acer Swift 16 AI: Specs and features Acer has used several different chipsets for its AI PCs, and some machines have multiple options across the various SKUs. The Acer Swift 16 AI, however, plays it straight with an Intel Lunar Lake CPU, paired with 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD. There are no other versions of the machine, which is available at Best Buy, but it does have an expansive OLED screen, which is a big step up from the IPS displays on Acer’s cheaper AI PCs. CPU: Intel Core Ultra 7 256V Memory: 16GB LPDDR5X Graphics: Intel Arc 140V Display: 16-inch 2880×1800 OLED Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen 4 SSD Webcam: 1440p IR Webcam Connectivity: 2x USB-C (Thunderbolt 4, 40Gbps), 2x USB-A (5Gbps), 3.5mm audio jack, HDMI 2.1 Networking: Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 Battery capacity: 70Whr, 65W charging Dimensions: 14.02 (W) x 9.92 (D) x 0.58-0.69 (H) inches Weight: 3.37 lbs (1.53 kg) MSRP as tested: $1,199.99 The Acer Swift 16 AI is a competent laptop for all your general computing and productivity needs. Acer Swift 16 AI: Design and build quality IDG / Ryan Whitwam Given the large footprint, I was surprised how thin and light the Acer Swift 16 AI is. It’s always a balancing act with larger laptops, but Acer threaded the needle fairly well here. The machine is barely half an inch thick, and the entire chassis is aluminum. However, the metal body isn’t very thick. There are places like around the fan grilles where you can see the frame flexing a bit too much, but the build quality is noticeably improved versus the smaller Acer Swift 14 AI. When closed, the Acer Swift 16 AI looks elegant in an industrial way. The flat black lid is free of branding, save for a small acer logo and the AI “dots” badge in opposite corners. The edge of the machine is flat where the ports are, but it tapers along the rest of the body, making it easy to pick up this sizeable laptop. It’s not too hard to wrestle into a bag, though, weighing in at 3.37 pounds. That’s a bit less than the average 16-inch laptop. The hinge on this machine feels appropriate for its $1,200 price point. The laptop stays closed securely, but it only takes one hand to open the screen, which swings smoothly into place. There’s a small lip around the camera that helps open the laptop, too. The rear edge of the display frame has feet that boost the rear of the laptop a few millimeters, giving it a slight incline that makes typing more comfortable. The camera lacks a privacy shutter, which I’d like to see at this price. The 1440p webcam supports Windows Hello biometric login, and the video quality is good but not better than the 1080p cameras on most laptops. The Acer Swift 16 AI has a good selection of ports, including two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 4, as well as two legacy USB-A ports. There’s also a full-sized HDMI port and a headphone jack. I don’t love that both USB-C ports are on the left side, meaning the charging cable has to be on that side. The right side has just one USB-A and the headphone jack. Acer Swift 16 AI: Display and speakers IDG / Ryan Whitwam The Acer Swift 16 AI looks great, but it’s not quite the showstopper it could be. The 2880×1800 resolution is very sharp at normal viewing distances, and the touch response is fast and precise. It also supports an optional 120Hz refresh rate if you want smoother animations at the expense of battery life. As an OLED, the colors are gorgeous if slightly unrealistic. You can also enable HDR content on this display, but it might not pop quite like you expect. The brightness tops out at 340 nits, which is a bit on the low side for HDR. It is, however, a good bit brighter than the LCDs and IPS screens you normally see at this price. The brightness is good enough for use in all indoor settings, but the highly reflective screen makes outdoor use questionable. The speakers are on the underside near the front, a common location for speakers on notebooks. They sound good at low and mid volume levels, but there’s distortion and very little bass when you crank it up. They’re very average for a laptop in 2025 in spite of the DTS audio certification. Acer Swift 16 AI: Keyboard and trackpad IDG / Ryan Whitwam The quality of Acer laptop keyboards varies hugely across its product line. In the case of the Acer Swift 16 AI the typing experience is overall very good. The keys are stable, quiet, and quite tactile. The power button is in the far upper right corner, and despite the lack of any visual identification, it’s also a fingerprint sensor. It’s very accurate but sluggish like all Windows Hello biometrics. Most of the important keys are a good size, but I don’t care for having the up and down arrows crammed into a single key unit. There is a full number pad on this machine, but it’s quite squished. These keys are only about 75 percent as wide as the alphas, which makes it hard to rely on muscle memory to enter numbers on the pad. It’s still better to have it than not, given the ample surface area of this laptop. The trackpad doesn’t take full advantage of all that room. It’s a bit on the small side, though it is sturdy and accurate. The overall feel of the trackpad, as well as the click mechanism, are a big step up from the Arm-based Acer Swift 14 AI, which felt quite off to me. The trackpad has the same light-up AI logo in the corner as the company’s other AI-branded laptops. It blinks when you access AI features. It’s totally unnecessary, but you can turn it off in the Acer settings. Acer Swift 16 AI: Performance Acer loads its PCs with more software than most PC vendors—that has the potential to be good, but it’s mostly bad. There’s the McAfee suite, a few settings apps, a photo editor, a collection of third-party games, and several custom AI tools. It will take a bit to clear away the bloatware, but even Acer’s software won’t get much use. On one hand, I applaud Acer for actually bundling AI tools on its AI laptops. On the other, they don’t work very well. Apps like Acer Assist and VisionArt load an AI model locally to provide a chatbot and background generation, respectively. The model is about 5GB gigabytes in size, so it’ll leave you with very little free memory on this 16GB system. The model output is also extremely slow, and I wasn’t impressed with the chatbot’s capabilities or the lack of options in the wallpaper app. It’s also odd that these tools don’t use the Lunar Lake chip’s NPU—all the AI work is done on the GPU. Acer says it is planning to improve the on-device models soon, which will include support for running them on the NPU. The general system performance with the Core Ultra 7 is good. While Intel’s latest chips aren’t ideal for heavily multithreaded applications, the GPU is among the best you’ll see short of a dedicated chip. Thermal performance is also good, but Acer’s default power state is a bit slower than competing machines. When in high-performance mode, the laptop does get noticeably louder. It’s whisper-quiet in Normal mode. To give you a better idea of how the laptop performs, here are our standard benchmark tests. IDG / Ryan Whitwam PCMark 10 is designed to test a machine across a variety of metrics like web browsing, video chat, and photo editing. The Acer Swift 16 AI easily bests Meteor Lake chips here, but its default performance tuning makes it slightly slower than other Lunar Lake-based machines with a score of 6,539. The latest AMD Ryzen chips are also running ahead in this system benchmark. IDG / Ryan Whitwam Cinebench is a CPU-focused test that shows how a PC handles heavy but brief multi-core workloads. More CPU cores grant higher scores in Cinebench and cooling doesn’t matter very much. With Intel’s move away from hyperthreading, the Core Ultra 7 doesn’t do as well in this test, bringing up the rear with even the Meteor Lake TravelMate P4 ahead. However, switching to the Acer performance mode boosts the score to about 10,000, which is more in line with competing laptops. IDG / Ryan Whitwam The Handbrake test is similar to Cinebench in that it shows how a computer handles multithreaded tasks, but this is a longer-duration test where thermals matter more. While we don’t have any concerns with the laptop’s thermal performance, the eight-core/eight-thread design keeps this machine near the bottom of the heap. Switching to performance mode does shave a few hundred seconds off the encode, but AMD’s AI 300 parts run away with this one. IDG / Ryan Whitwam Our main gaming test is 3DMark Time Spy, a graphical benchmark that focuses on GPU performance. This isn’t a gaming computer, but Intel’s latest iGPUs are quite good. Here, the Acer Swift 16 AI is near the top at 3,988, besting even the Ryzen AI 9 with its Radeon GPU. The Acer Swift 16 AI is fast enough to play simple modern games or titles that are a few years old at lower settings. Acer Swift 16 AI: Battery life The Acer Swift 16 AI sports a 70Wh battery, which is average for a laptop of this size. It charges over USB-PD via either of the USB-C ports, with a peak speed of 65W. That’s standard for productivity laptops these days. The machine comes with a clunky charger, but we tested more compact third-party options, all of which charged the Acer Swift 16 AI just as well. IDG / Ryan Whitwam The Acer Swift 16 AI will last you an entire work day and then some. To quantify that, we ran our standard battery rundown test, which consists of playing a 4K video on a loop at set brightness until the machine dies. The Acer Swift 16 AI lasted 1,053 minutes (about 17.5 hours), which is very competitive. The display was in the default 60Hz mode for this test—switching to 120Hz will reduce battery life. Acer Swift 16 AI: Conclusion Like its smaller incarnation, the Acer Swift 16 AI is a competent laptop for all your general computing and productivity needs. Acer is trying as hard as any OEM to justify the AI hype with features like Acer Assist. However, even all this effort does not guarantee a good AI experience. Microsoft’s Copilot+ features are still barely there in Windows 11. Beyond all the marketing, the Acer Swift 16 AI is fast enough for almost everyone with a Core Ultra 7, but I wish Acer made this laptop in a Core Ultra 9 variant. Even then, the machine’s multithreaded performance would be lacking. If you’re going to be editing video, an AMD-based machine is your best bet right now. While this laptop shares a lot with the 14-inch Acer AI PC, it looks nicer. The step up to an OLED screen, with its vibrant colors and deep blacks, is appreciated as well. The keyboard is a delight to use, and it’s nice to see a full number pad, even if the keys are a bit cramped. The $1,200 MSRP feels slightly high for what you get, particularly when machines like the HP Omnibook Ultra regularly sell for around the same price. The Acer Swift 16 AI has dropped below $900 on sale, which is a steal. If you happen to catch it on sale for a few hundred off, this is a great purchase. Read...

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