Joel Folgner - Fresh From Cache (Page 2)

A laptop on a desk showing the blue Windows update screen: “Working on updates 27%. Don’t turn off your PC.”

News

Windows 11 has a disk-eating bug. Tuesday's update fixes it.

A hidden Windows 11 file has been swallowing disk space, up to 500GB in the worst cases, and Windows gives you no way to see it happening. The repair arrives automatically July 14. Two minutes in Settings tells you if you're affected.

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Check your email's recovery info before you get locked out

Password resets for everything else land in your inbox, which makes your email account the master key. The recovery phone and backup email on that account are how you get back in, and most of us set them years ago.

A Starlink satellite dish on a metal mount against a blue sky, with trees behind it.

News

Starlink is about to get competition

Amazon says its satellite internet service turns on later this year. Here is what it is, how it differs from the satellite internet you may remember, and how to think about it if your internet provider options are bad.

A girl looks at her phone at the kitchen table while her parents cook in the background.

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Most teen safety features don't work. Here's what does.

An independent audit tested 86 safety features across TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. Most failed. These are the ones worth turning on, and the ones you can skip.

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You bought it, but do you own it?

When you click Buy on a movie, book, song, or game, you usually get a license, not the thing itself. What that means, and where you can still own what you pay for.

A person lying in the dark, face lit by the glow of a smartphone.

Blog

Can OpenAI Be Held Responsible When ChatGPT Is Blamed for a Death?

The first lawsuit to blame a chatbot for a death is forcing a question the law has not answered: when an AI is blamed for harm, who is responsible?

newsletter

Your computer probably isn't dying

How to find what's actually dragging it down before you spend a cent, plus the Edge add-ons that turned on their users.

A closed brass padlock on a gray metal door.

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Freeze your credit before someone else uses it

Breach notices arrive constantly, and most people answer with credit monitoring. A freeze is the free step that stops new accounts in your name before they open, and almost nobody sets it up.

News

Windows 11's new rewind button works, but it is not a backup

Windows 11's new Point-in-Time Restore can roll your PC back to yesterday. It is handy, but it is not a backup.

News

Google is changing how Android apps get installed.

A countdown clock says your Android phone is about to be locked down. Here is what Google's new app verification actually changes, and what it does not.

A person's hand unplugging the yellow network cable from the back of a white Wi-Fi router on a desk.

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Why rebooting your router works, and when it won't

Restarting the router clears out clutter and starts every connection fresh. That fixes most home internet hiccups. When a reboot doesn't work, here's what to do.

5-Minute Tech Tip card: analog clock with the headline "Are your browser's strongest settings turned on?"

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Your browser can block trackers and scam sites. The strongest settings just aren't on by default.

Your browser can block trackers and warn you off scam sites. In Chrome the strongest settings are off by default; in Edge they are turned down. Five minutes fixes both.