MakeUseOf - Devices

After this update, your Windows PC will demand a 48-digit key, and most people can't produce one

Tashreef Shareef — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 22:00:13 GMT

Windows PCs have supported automatic device encryption for a couple of years now. For this to happen, though, your PC had to meet strict hardware requirements, and you needed to sign in with a Microsoft account so the encryption key was backed up to the cloud.

I can finally copy text from almost anywhere in Windows with this tiny tool

Sagar Naresh — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 19:30:13 GMT

When you encounter a Windows error, you're often shown a wall of text or codes you can't select or copy. Ctrl+C does nothing, forcing you to manually switch back and forth between the message and your browser to search for a fix.

I checked 3 years of phone storage use — I've been overpaying this whole time

Tashreef Shareef — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 18:00:13 GMT

Most flagship phones these days have similar specifications, so you don't look much at the hardware, but rather the brand. However, one thing I still stop and think about before purchasing a new phone is the amount of storage I need.

7 pointless Windows tools Microsoft still refuses to remove

Pankil Shah — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 16:00:13 GMT

Windows 11 looks clean and modern, but if you dig deep enough, you'll find all sorts of legacy tools from the Windows 7 era. And I'm not talking about tools like Control Panel, Disk Cleanup, Resource Monitor, and Reliability Monitor — those are still useful today. I'm talking about tools like dial-up modems, Credential Manager, File History, and the likes. They still work, but they're largely pointless.

My Galaxy can record straight to an SSD and I wish every phone could

Pankil Shah — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 14:01:13 GMT

My Galaxy S26's camera is good enough that I don't have to think about the hardware limiting it anymore. What I do worry about, constantly, is storage. Every time I switch to 8K or turn on slow-mo, there's always that nagging fear about the storage it'll take. And it's not like I can just pop in an SD card to fix it. Samsung has ditched expandable storage for good, so whatever I bought is what I'm stuck with.

I tried Android's first alternative app store from Google Play — and I wouldn't recommend it

Tashreef Shareef — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:00:13 GMT

If you have ever thought of degoogling your Android phone, you know how hard it is to give up the Google Play Store. Its ease of use and security are hard to match, and until recently, it was almost impossible to even download a third-party app store from Google Play itself.

I checked Windows 11's version number and found it still thinks it's Windows 10

Oluwademilade Afolabi — Mon, 31 Aug 2026 10:00:13 GMT

Ask Windows 11 the right way which version it’s running, and the answer still comes back as 10.0. Nearly five years after launch, Microsoft's newest OS officially identifies with the same internal version number as Windows 10.

The reason Windows 11 requires a Microsoft account is actually pretty boring

Afam Onyimadu — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 22:00:13 GMT

It's common knowledge that Windows 11 steers you towards a Microsoft account. Most people explain this as data collection or lock-in, and that explanation feels tidy. But what happens when you give in or keep refusing to sign in doesn't always match this narrative. More importantly, you should be asking why Microsoft made the account so central in the first place. The explanation isn't as dramatic as you may expect, but it's also more practical than the conspiracy versions.

Linux is great for laptops, but it still struggles with these 5 hardware features

Oluwademilade Afolabi — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 19:30:13 GMT

Installing Linux on a laptop no longer feels like signing up for a weekend of driver roulette. Pick hardware with decent Linux support and the essentials will usually fall into place right away, which makes it tempting to think laptop compatibility has finally become a mostly solved problem.

Microsoft said I can’t install Windows 11 on my device, so I installed Linux instead

Gregory Gibson — Sun, 30 Aug 2026 18:00:13 GMT

My old Samsung Galaxy TabPro S LTE is the sort of device that’s an absolute shame to leave behind. It has an incredible display, a usable Intel processor, touch input, a detachable keyboard, and a modest 128GB of storage.