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TechHelpKB.com - Technical help knowledgebase, tech news, how-to articles & video tutorials for common issues.

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Testing new software on your main system is risky. A lot can go wrong. Containers, like the ones managed by Docker, solve this by running apps in isolated environments giving you a safer and more stable way to experiment.

www.xda-developers.com/containers-s...
Containers are the safest way to test new software
They let you test new software without setting your OS on fire
www.xda-developers.com
February 4, 2026 at 1:04 AM
Microsoft still has the opportunity to make Windows 11 objectively better in the (eventual) lead-up to Windows 12. The company can show it's actually listening to what its core users want by following through on these 5 long-standing issues.

www.pcmag.com/opinions/hey...
Hey Microsoft, You Need to Fix These 5 Things in Windows 11 ASAP
Microsoft's 2026 roadmap for Windows 11 reveals some exciting innovations, but those shouldn't overshadow the long-standing issues that affect everyday PC users.
www.pcmag.com
February 3, 2026 at 9:14 PM
It was exciting to see a leaked first glimpse at Google’s Aluminium OS last week, which combines Android and ChromeOS into a single operating system. Unfortunately, according to court documents, it may not see a full release until 2028.

www.theverge.com/tech/869659/...
Aluminium: Why Google’s Android for PC launch may be messy and controversial
The Verge is about technology and how it makes us feel. Founded in 2011, we offer our audience everything from breaking news to reviews to award-winning features and investigations, on our site, in vi...
www.theverge.com
February 3, 2026 at 7:40 PM
Malwarebytes is now available inside ChatGPT, bringing real-time threat intelligence to your AI conversations. With Malwarebytes in ChatGPT, you can check suspicious links, emails, phone numbers, and messages -- all in a chat.

www.zdnet.com/article/malw...
How to turn ChatGPT into a scam detector using the new Malwarebytes integration - for free
Are you being scammed? This new ChatGPT trick scans suspicious numbers, emails, and links to keep you safe.
www.zdnet.com
February 3, 2026 at 6:17 PM
YouTube's war on ad blockers took a new turn late in January, when it started serving "This content isn't available" errors. Now, the streaming giant has confirmed that it is blocking a widely-used background play loophole as well.

www.androidpolice.com/youtube-is-o...
YouTube slams the door on free browser background play
Pay, or keep the screen on
www.androidpolice.com
February 3, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Chrome and Firefox house layers of experimental and advanced configuration options. Tucked away beneath their standard menus, you can find some switches that can improve performance and unlock subtle, yet valuable, QoL upgrades. Here's how you can do it.

www.xda-developers.com/your-browser...
Your browser has a secret config page, here's how to access it and what to change
Watch out for the hidden menu under the hood!
www.xda-developers.com
February 3, 2026 at 1:58 AM
On February 24, Mozilla will roll out Firefox 148, which will include an AI controls section in the desktop browser settings. From here, you’ll be able to block current and future generative AI features, or only enable select tools.

www.engadget.com/ai/firefox-w...
Firefox will soon offer a way to block all of its generative AI features
Thanks for that, Mozilla.
www.engadget.com
February 2, 2026 at 10:55 PM
Microsoft Copilot wants to collect your data to personalize its responses, but to also train its model. You may want tap into a variety of privacy settings to limit what Copilot knows about you. Here’s how to control your privacy with Copilot.

www.pcmag.com/how-to/use-m...
Use Microsoft Copilot? 7 Settings I Changed Right Away to Protect My Privacy
Intrigued by AI but concerned about giving it too much of your personal data? Here's how to tweak Copilot's memory, opt out of model training, and more.
www.pcmag.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:27 PM
Apple is about to introduce a new feature in iOS 26.3 called Limit Precise Location. As the name implies, this is designed to reduce the information that can be gleaned from your location, and instead provides much more vague data to cellular providers.

www.techradar.com/phones/ios/i...
Your iPhone is about to get a new privacy feature to protect your location data from prying eyes
The iOS 26.3 update has a new Limit Precise Location feature designed to protect your privacy.
www.techradar.com
February 2, 2026 at 7:00 PM
The upcoming Windows 11 February 2026 update will include the ability to resume Android apps on your computer, pushes a major upgrade to Windows MIDI Services, expands Windows Hello enhanced security for external devices, and more.

www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/wi...
8 new Windows 11 features expected to arrive with the February 2026 update
Microsoft's February "Patch Tuesday" for 2026 brings some quality changes to Windows 11, and this is what you need to know.
www.windowscentral.com
February 2, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Chrome may soon get a new scam-fighting upgrade that leans on Gemini. Google is testing Gemini antiscam protection in Chrome as an extra check that kicks in only after the browser already thinks a site looks risky.

www.digitaltrends.com/computing/ch...
Chrome may soon use Gemini antiscam protection to flag scams, but it won’t watch every site you visit
Google is testing Gemini antiscam protection in Chrome, a server-side scam check that activates only when a page already looks risky. It’s off by default and requires Enhanced Safe Browsing.
www.digitaltrends.com
February 2, 2026 at 2:56 PM
Last week, Microsoft issued the latest non-security update for Windows 11 versions 24H2 and 25H2. Shortly after, Microsoft updated the release notes to explain that the update introduced a new security feature: an extra layer of security for system files.

www.neowin.net/news/windows...
Windows 11 quietly gets a new security feature to protect system files in KB5074105
There is a new security feature in Windows 11 to protect system files, which was quietly rolled out in the latest update.
www.neowin.net
February 2, 2026 at 12:10 AM
Microsoft promised to improve Windows 11 and focus on "pain points" of the OS flagged by users. Somewhere between stock prices falling, Windows 11 having a disastrous January, and people complaining about AI, Microsoft listened.

www.windowscentral.com/microsoft/wi...
Microsoft finally reads the room — right as it loses $440 billion
Between a historic stock slide and a sudden pivot to fix botched updates, Microsoft spent the week looking in the mirror.
www.windowscentral.com
February 1, 2026 at 6:55 PM
On Friday, a Reddit-style social network called Moltbook reportedly crossed 32,000 registered AI agent users. It lets AI agents post, comment, upvote, and create subcommunities without human intervention.

arstechnica.com/information-...
AI agents now have their own Reddit-style social network, and it's getting weird fast
Moltbook lets 32,000 AI bots trade jokes, tips, and complaints about humans.
arstechnica.com
February 1, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Mozilla has been trying to find a middle ground between adding AI without forcing AI, allowing people to choose their tools, and giving them a big 'nuke all AI' button. Now they're creating a "rebel alliance of sorts" against current AI trends.

www.xda-developers.com/mozilla-form...
Mozilla is forming a rebellion as more companies add AI to their browsers
It's not quite as rebellious as some might like.
www.xda-developers.com
January 31, 2026 at 2:59 PM
A new website takes Apple’s most persistent software bugs and reframes them as a scoreboard, using intentionally over-the-top math to estimate how many collective human hours they’ve supposedly wasted over the years.

9to5mac.com/2026/01/30/b...
Someone turned Apple’s most annoying bugs into a scoreboard - 9to5Mac
A new website takes Apple’s most persistent software bugs and estimates how many collective human hours they’ve supposedly wasted.
9to5mac.com
January 31, 2026 at 4:54 AM
Despite the negativity surrounding Windows 11, it remains the most widely used operating system on the world’s desktop and laptop computers. Windows 11 now has over 1 billion users worldwide, hitting the milestone a few months sooner than Windows 10 did.

arstechnica.com/gadgets/2026...
People complaining about Windows 11 hasn't stopped it from hitting 1 billion users
Windows 11 clears a milestone as Windows 10 continues its slow fade.
arstechnica.com
January 30, 2026 at 8:36 PM
Mozilla, developers of Firefox browser, says it envisions a "rebel alliance" against Big Tech that will "push AI in a direction that is trustworthy, human-centered and shaped by all of us."

www.pcgamer.com/software/bro...
Mozilla says it's building a 'rebel alliance' to challenge the direction Big Tech is taking AI
I'm here for it, if it's not all talk.
www.pcgamer.com
January 30, 2026 at 5:37 PM
Browsers are a classic example of how enshittification is affecting our digital lives as part of Google and Microsoft's push to get us to adopt their AI tools. It's easy to disable most of these features, and the tools to do so are built into the browser.

www.androidpolice.com/how-i-stripp...
Your browser is full of AI bloat, here's how to reclaim it
It's easier than you think
www.androidpolice.com
January 30, 2026 at 2:15 PM
Gaming on Linux has already come a long way over recent years, with improvements to Valve’s Proton and more gamers switching to Linux, but the newly-formed Open Gaming Collective (OGC) is aiming to take it even further.

www.theverge.com/tech/870159/...
Linux gaming developers join forces to form the Open Gaming Collective
An open-source gaming alliance
www.theverge.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:14 AM
Who wants AI? Not DuckDuckGo users. The privacy-focused search engine asked its users whether they wanted to use AI in search. Of the 175,354 votes submitted, over 90% chose the No AI option.

www.pcmag.com/news/duckduc...
DuckDuckGo Asked Its Users How They Feel About AI Search. 90% Hate It
Of the 175,354 votes submitted, over 90% chose the No AI option.
www.pcmag.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Vivaldi made some noise last summer when it said that it would never integrate AI capabilities into its web browser. Vivaldi 7.8 adds features that solve real problems for users instead of just adding AI features no one wants.

www.thurrott.com/cloud/web-br...
Vivaldi 7.8 "Extends the Middle Finger" to AI
The latest Vivaldi release adds features that solve real problems for users instead of just adding AI features no one wants.
www.thurrott.com
January 29, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Microsoft is clearly hard at work on new features for Windows 11, as evidenced by recent Insider builds. But the desktop OS still needs to make some big changes that PC users have wanted both recently and for many years.

www.pcmag.com/opinions/5-t...
5 Things Microsoft Still Needs to Fix in Windows 11
I'm encouraged by Microsoft's 2026 roadmap, but these long-standing Windows 11 issues still matter most to everyday PC users.
www.pcmag.com
January 29, 2026 at 6:42 AM
Google on Tuesday announced an expanded set of Android theft-protection features, designed to make its mobile devices less of a target for criminals.

techcrunch.com/2026/01/27/a...
Android phones are getting more anti-theft features | TechCrunch
Google says Android devices will get new security features, like stronger authentication safeguards and enhanced recovery tools.
techcrunch.com
January 28, 2026 at 4:42 PM
'Stanley', the malware-as-a-service kit, enables malicious Chrome extensions to overlay pages on real websites without changing the visible URL, signaling a fresh challenge for enterprise security.

www.darkreading.com/remote-workf...
'Stanley' Toolkit Turns Chrome Into Undetectable Phishing Vector
The malware-as-a-service kit enables malicious overlays on real websites without changing the visible URL, issuing a new challenge for enterprise security.
www.darkreading.com
January 28, 2026 at 12:37 AM