Microsoft is set to automatically encrypt all Windows 11 computers with BitLocker! Here is what you need to know!
Microsoft to auto encrypt all Windows 11 devices with BitLocker!
Microsoft is set to automatically encrypt all computers with BitLocker device encryption, in the next major update of Windows 11.
Microsoft began making BitLocker device encryption enabled by default on new PCs with the Windows 11 23H2 update. That will be expanded to include clean installs of Windows 11, and Microsoft is also reducing the hardware requirements for automatic device encryption.
Starting with Windows 11 24H2, BitLocker encryption will be open to PCs running the Home edition, and it will no longer require features like Hardware Security Test Interface (HSTI), or Modern Standby. BitLocker encryption will also be enabled even if untrusted direct memory access (DMA) buses / interfaces are detected.
In short – if you buy a new Windows 11 PC, which comes with version 24H2 installed, or you do a clean installation of Windows 11 version 24H2 when it is made available in late September 2024 (or so), device encryption will be enabled by default.
Automatic BitLocker encryption in Windows 11 : Good or bad?
BitLocker isn’t a new feature – Microsoft introduced it in Windows Vista in 2004. But like Windows Vista, it was rather terrible at that time – slow and buggy, and could only encrypt the system partition.
But it has come a long way since then, and now, many people choose to use BitLocker to securely protect their data. Encrypting a drive, or drive partition, with BitLocker ensures that even if someone steals the drive, they cannot access the encrypted data.
That said, encrypting data using BitLocker has some computational cost, which can be significant for older PCs. Newer processors support hardware acceleration for the AES algorithm that BitLocker uses, so any performance deterioration is greatly reduced.
While Tom’s Hardware says BitLocker can reduce SSD performance by up to 45% for certain workloads, but that is frankly not a big concern for most users, who cannot “feel” the difference on SSDs that are already super fast these days.
After all, Android and iOS smartphones and tablets have long implemented device encryption using slower processors and slower eMMC / UFS flash storage, and no one complained, right? Unless you are comparing an encrypted device with one that isn’t, you can’t tell the difference.
The biggest concern is, arguably, the danger of losing all of your data if you get locked out (by a Windows 11 bug, for example), and lose your BitLocker recovery key.
Windows saves the BitLocker recovery key in your Microsoft account, so you can retrieve it if you ever get locked out for any reason. That solves the problem for people who sign up for, or log into, their Microsoft account when they setup a new Windows 11 PC.
However, those who choose to use a local account will have to either print the recovery key, or save it to a USB drive, which could get lost. That could explain why Microsoft is so adamant about getting people to register for, and sign into, a Microsoft account when you setup a new Windows 11 PC.
Of course, you can always prevent the loss of important data even in that rare circumstance, by regularly backing up your data. That’s good practice even if you prefer to leave your computer unencrypted.
But here’s the good news for those who insist on not encrypting their computers – you can avoid automatic BitLocker device encryption by using a local account. When you set up Windows 11 to use a local account for the first time, you will be asked to log into a Microsoft account to encrypt the machine. If you skip that, your Windows 11 computer will remain unencrypted.
Techies can also disrupt the automatic device encryption during the Windows 11 installation wizard by using the Command Prompt (Shift + F10) and using the Registry to change the BitLocker “PreventDeviceEncryption” key to 1.
Of course, even after your machine is encrypted, you can also manually disable BitLocker device encryption in Settings under Privacy & Security -> Device encryption.
But if you ask me – it’s time to get on with the rest of the world, and encrypt your Windows 11 systems. There is really no reason to leave your data unencrypted, even if you have “nothing to hide”.
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Is the WEF plotting a catastrophic grid outage to permanently reset American before the 2024 Presidential Election?! Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : WEF plots grid outage to reset America before election!
People are sharing an article (archive) by The People’s Voice (formerly NewsPunch), which claims that the WEF is plotting a catastrophic grid outage to permanently reset American before the 2024 Presidential Election!
Here is an excerpt of the (intentionally?) confusing article. Feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
WEF Plotting ‘Catastrophic Grid Outage’ That Will ‘Permanently Reset America’ Before Election
The World Economic Forum in Davos is planning what they describe as a “catastrophic grid outage” with the stated goal of “creating a permanent reset” in the US before the November election.
According to insiders, the CrowdStrike outage was the final preparation for a devastating cyber attack on the US power grid that will disconnect the public from the internet, wipe out savings, and plunge the nation into chaos for years, allowing the elite to roll out the next phase of their totalitarian master plan.
Evil never sleeps and we are seeing Schwab’s modus operandi play out before our eyes. The WEF has infiltrated governments across the globe, with every Western nation falling under their control.
Davos has also infiltrated the corporate world, centralizing power and influence around their puppet businesses including Blackrock which owns a huge stake in CrowdStrike.
CrowdStrike, a WEF company with very close ties to the DNC and three-letter agencies, is also operating on a massive level, integrated into the grid, government, financial, transportation, and hospital systems.
Now the globalist elite have ordered a series of devastating cyber attacks and they are using WEF-afiliated companies including CrowdStrike to attack America from the inside.
Truth : WEF is not plotting grid outage to reset America before election!
This is yet another example of fake news created / promoted by The People’s Voice, and here are the reasons why…
WEF is not plotting grid outage in America
Let me start by simply pointing out that the WEF (World Economic Forum) is not plotting any grid outage to reset America, or any other nefarious purposes, before or after the 2024 US Presidential election.
If such a plot exists, it would have been widely reported by the mainstream media, not by a well-known fake news website! In fact, it would have triggered a criminal investigation! Yet none of that happened, because… it was all made up!
Unsurprisingly, The People’s Voice article did not provide any evidence to back up its “fact checked” claim.
CrowdStrike outage was due to buggy update
The People’s Voice article claims that the CrowdStrike outage was “the final preparation for a devastating cyber attack on the US power grid”, but provided no evidence to back up its claim.
That’s likely because the CrowdStrike outage was due to a buggy driver update, and was not a cyberattack at all! In fact, the buggy driver was only pushed to Windows-based system, and did not affect CrowdStrike clients who used Linux or Mac computers.
While the threat of a cyberattack on U.S. utilities is a real possibility, it won’t be caused by a buggy driver update being issued by CrowdStrike or other software companies.
CrowdStrike outage did not disrupt electricity supply
While the CrowdStrike outage impacted the U.S. Department of Energy, and a number of American utilities, it did not disrupt electricity supply. The outage only impacted ancillary services at those utilities (source):
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio was also experiencing issues, they said, impacting their docketing information system and call center. The City of Corpus Christi said its utility billing software and development services software, including customer portals, are both down. The Department of Energy’s website was down for a couple of hours. Avangrid subsidiary New York State Electric & Gas said its customer electricity outage information is not available due to the outage.
That’s not surprising as the CrowdStrike outage only affected Windows-based computers running its Falcon software, which would naturally only be installed in computers connected to the Internet.
It is not easy to take down entire power grid
While the The People’s Voice article suggests that it would be pretty easy for nefarious parties to take down the American power grid, it isn’t simple at all.
Critical systems are air-gapped (not connected to the Internet), and American utilities have to follow the Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Reliability Standards developed by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC).
American utilities therefore have separate networks, so hackers or malware gaining access to the IT network, would not be able to get to the OT (Operations Technology) network that keeps the lights on for everyone.
The Ukrainian blackout of 2015 was the first-ever confirmed case of hackers causing a power outage. But even though that cyberattack likely required months of planning, and dozens of hackers working together, the attack only affected three facilities, with the blackout only impacting 250,000 Ukrainians for just six hours (source).
The cover image used in The People’s Voice article and video has a screenshot which purportedly shows the World Economic Forum posting on X (formerly Twitter) that:
The next CrowdStrike outage will result in a #PermanentReset
That is a fake screenshot, because there is no such post on X by the World Economic Forum! If the WEF actually made such a shocking post, it would have been reported by the media across the world, and mocked and criticised on social media.
But of course, that didn’t happen, because the WEF never made such a bizarre post! Why would The People’s Voice article use a fake screenshot???
The People’s Voice is the current name for NewsPunch, which possibly changed its name because its brand has been so thoroughly discredited after posting numerous shocking but fake stories.
Founded as Your News Wire in 2014, it was rebranded as NewsPunch in November 2018, before becoming The People’s Voice. A 2017 BuzzFeed report identified NewsPunch as the second-largest source of popular fake news on Facebook that year.
Its articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should never share anything from NewsPunch / The People’s Voice. Here are some of its fake stories that I fact checked earlier:
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Is Microsoft or CrowdStrike to blame for the global IT outage of Windows-based systems?! Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Microsoft Is Responsible For Global IT Outrage, Not CrowdStrike!
On Friday, 19 July 2024 – a day that will live in digital infamy, businesses and organisations worldwide were hit by an IT outage on their Windows-based systems. Inevitably, some people are blaming Microsoft for this debacle…
Circulating on WhatsApp : Very interesting to see how the media is playing down on the disaster.
Question remains “Not sure how microsoft is going to rollback the update or to install the patch as affected pcs have locked themselves out.”
S.L. Kanthan : Blue screens of death all over the world, from airports and ATM machines to grocery stores and even vending machines!
Thanks, Microsoft! 🤡 #outage
BRICS should create alternative operating systems. Very dangerous for the world to rely on one company.
Max Tegmark : With their impeccable safety culture, never letting things get deployed before they’re properly tested, I’m confident that @Microsoft is ready to safely handle the smarter-than-human AI that they’re trying to build with @OpenAI
Sumit Singh Rajput : This is serious! How a single tech outage can bring the world economy to its knees.
A glitch in Microsoft’s server caused a computer failure around the world. Today, everything is blue
Truth : CrowdStrike, Not Microsoft, Is Responsible For Global IT Outrage!
This appears to be complete misunderstanding of the global IT outage that’s happening only to systems and cloud services based on Microsoft Windows, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Global IT Outage Caused By CrowdStrike, Not Microsoft
Let me start by simply pointing out that the global IT outrage that started on Friday, 19 July 2024, was caused by CrowdStrike, not Microsoft.
Soon after the outage occurred, CrowdStrike announced (and again) that it was caused by a bug in an update to its Falcon threat detection system.
The IT outage notably did not affect all Microsoft customers and users, only those who purchased and installed CrowdStrike Falcon, which is an “endpoint detection and response” software. This kind of software is designed for large organisations, and that is why this global IT outage is mainly affecting those organisations.
The scale is massive, because CrowdStrike is a leading provider of Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) software. However, home users and small business users are not affected, because they rely on the built-in Windows Defender software, or consumer-grade software from the likes of Norton and McAfee.
Blaming Microsoft for the buggy update that CrowdStrike issued would be like blaming BMW for defective third-party tyres that leak air, and asking the automotive company to replace or fix those tyres.
Fact #2 : Microsoft Denies Responsibility For Global IT Outage
A Microsoft spokesperson has officially denied responsibility for the global IT outage caused by the CrowdStrike update:
CrowdStrike update was responsible for bringing down a number of IT systems globally. Microsoft does not have oversight into updates that CrowdStrike makes in its systems.
Fact #3 : Global IT Outage Caused By Bug In CrowdStrike Update
As CrowdStrike explained (and again), the infamous Windows Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) that is caused by a bug in an update meant for Windows-based systems.
The outage was caused by a defect found in a Falcon content update for Windows hosts. Mac and Linux hosts are not impacted. This was not a cyberattack.
We are working closely with impacted customers and partners to ensure that all systems are restored, so you can deliver the services your customers rely on.
CrowdStrike further confirmed that the buggy code was introduced in a single channel file – C-00000291.sys, with the timestamp of 0409 UTC.
As former Google engineer Arpit Bhayani explained, the buggy code was trying to access an invalid memory location, triggering a panic and causing the BSOD.
I saw many engineers blaming the outage on Microsoft 🤦♂️ SWEs blaming without knowing the root cause is concerning.
It is not Microsoft, it is Crowdstrike who released an update for Windows that had a bug. The patch runs in Kernel mode to monitor system activity at a low level.
Because it was running in Kernel mode, the buggy code was trying to access an invalid memory location that triggered a panic and which showed Blue Screen of Death.
The name of the driver file that had the buggy update is “C-00000291.sys”, deleting it fixes the issue and unfortunately this needs to be done manually.
Microsoft has nothing to do with it.
Deleting the file, or replacing it with the previous or newer version, fixes the problem. However, it has to be done manually, as the affected computers and servers have “bricked” and cannot be remotely accessed.
Fact #4 : Microsoft Is Supposed To Vet Driver Updates
While Microsoft may not be responsible for the bug in the CrowdStrike update, some cybersecurity experts believe that it may hold some responsibility.
Costin Raiu who worked at Kaspersky for 23 years and led its threat intelligence team, says that Microsoft is supposed to vet the code and cryptographically sign it. This suggests that Microsoft may have also missed the buggy code in the CrowdStrike Falcon kernel driver update.
It’s surprising that with the extreme attention paid to driver updates, this still happened. One simple driver can bring down everything. Which is what we saw here.
Raiu also noted that past updates to Kaspersky and Microsoft’s own Windows Defender antivirus software have also triggered similar Blue Screen of Death crashes in previous years.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Was Bill Gates just destroyed in an ABC News interview with Sarah Ferguson?!
Take a look at the viral video, and find out what the facts really are!
Updated @ 2023-10-07 : Updated with new information after video went viral again Originally posted @ 2023-03-08
Claim : Bill Gates Was Destroyed In ABC News Interview!
People are sharing a TikTok video with the title “Bill Gates caught in corner”, which shows Bill Gates getting destroyed in a recent ABC News interview.
Here are the accompanying subtitles from the interview, but it’s rather long, so feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!
ABC News : So Mr Gates, in your own words, what have you contributed to the world?
Bill Gates : Um I’m not sure if you’re aware, but I created the world’s most popular computer operating system.
ABC News : No, of course, but as we all know, it wasn’t actually you who created it as a matter of fact, the predecessor of Windows, Emma’s [sic] DOS was created by Gary Kildahl, which you then basically stole from him for a couple of dollars.
Bill Gates : It’s not just development, there’s a whole lot of important factors to running an enormously successful company like Microsoft.
ABC News : So then let’s leave the computer world for a moment. You have been a major spokesperson for COVID vaccines during the pandemic yes [sic], what exactly makes you, a computer engineer who didn’t even programme his initial product himself, a valid representative of the pharmaceutical industry?
Bill Gates : I have read a lot of books about that topic, yes, how does that, wait, wait a second, and met with specialist from the field all over the world.
ABC News : Mister Gates, with all due respect, how do you feel about it now, now that it’s becoming more and more evident that the medication you were promoting whilst having heavily invested in it yourself thus making billions of [sic] it, has caused countless injuries, side effects and death.
Bill Gates : That’s a very immature way of looking at it.
ABC News : Quite frankly, so here’s my final question to you, is this a behavioural pattern?
Bill Gates : What do you mean exactly?
ABC News : Taking technology from other people that you don’t understand, selling a product full of bugs, causing massive damage, and profiting from it in a spectacular way.
Bill Gates : No no no no no no this is not how the world works.
ABC News : Can you sleep at night?
Bill Gates : Okay that’s enough. This interview is over. Thank you.
Truth : Bill Gates Was NOT Destroyed In ABC News Interview!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created to go viral on TikTok, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : ABC News Interviewed Bill Gates On Jan 31, 2023
First, let’s start by sharing some basic context on the ABC News interview with Bill Gates.
The interview was conducted by Australian Broadcasting Corporation journalist, Sarah Ferguson, on her current affairs show – 7.30, and released on Tuesday, 31 January 2023.
Fact #2 : ABC News Did Not Destroy Bill Gates In That Interview
Anyone who watches the actual ABC News interview of Bill Gates will be puzzled by the viral video and claim, because Sarah Ferguson never “destroyed” Bill Gates.
You can read all about her interview and even watch the video in an article written by Sarah Ferguson and her colleague Myles Wearring. In her interview, she only asked Bill Gates about:
COVID-19 conspiracy theories
Elon Musk buying Twitter
the rise of artificial intelligence
climate change and renewable energy
his association with Jeffrey Epstein
his philanthropy, and pledge to give away most of his wealth
Sarah Ferguson ended the interview by thanking Bill Gates, who only nods. He never quit the interview in frustration as shown in the viral video.
Fact #3 : Gates Foundation Called Viral Video Fake
The media department for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation labelled the viral video as fake:
We confirm that the audio in this altered video is fake.
Fact #4 : Viral Video Was Edited Using Artificial Intelligence
The viral video was created by a TikTok creator called bdti989, who posted it with the caption:
How dangerous AI can be 😱 #BillGates #billgates #microsoft #Microsoft #followformore #follow #msdos #uops #ups #ops #world #interview #interviews #artificialintelligence #ai
bdti989 also stated several times that he edited the ABC News interview using artificial intelligence. It is basically a deep fake video.
Yes, it’s AI generated!
Fact #5 : Fake Video Was Not Satire
While some people are trying to justify the creation and/or sharing the video as “satire”, that is not true. Even the content creator himself did not call it satire.
bdti989 does not appear to create satire. His account is full of typical edited news content pushing right wing conspiracies, not satire.
Most of his videos aren’t particularly popular, typically with less than 3,000 views. Only his AI-generated fake video of the ABC News interview of Bill Gates has gone viral, with over 1.4 million views.
It is likely he created it to test his ability to create fake videos using artificial intelligence. Hopefully, it does not inspire him to create more of such deep fake videos to increase the popularity of his TikTok channel.
Did this journalist just destroy Bill Gates in an ABC News interview?! 😆
Regardless of what we may think of Bill Gates as a businessman and/or person, he was well regarded as a programmer. Both Gates and Paul Allen developed Altair BASIC – a BASIC programming interpreter for the MITS Altair 8800 and S-100 computers.
Paul Allen would famously write a bootstrap program for it during a flight to demonstrate their Altair BASIC interpreter, but Bill Gates would famously win the bet on who could write the shortest possible bootstrap program.
Fact #6 : MS-DOS Was Not Created By Gary Kildall
Gary Kildall (wrongly named as Gary Kildahl in the fake video) was the creator of the CP/M operating system that was once considered by IBM for its first PC.
Bill Gates not only did not steal MS-DOS from Gary Kildall, it was Gates who suggested that IBM should purchase CP/M-86 from Kildall for its forthcoming PC.
However, Gary Kildall famously went flying on his private plane instead of meeting IBM representatives, and they failed to reach an agreement.
Fact #7 : MS-DOS Was Based On 86-DOS
MS-DOS (wrongly named as Emma’s DOS in the fake video) was based on 86-DOS from Seattle Computer Products.
After IBM and Digital Research failed to reach an agreement on CP/M-86, IBM lead negotiator Jack Sams asked Bill Gates to find a usable operating system for the IBM PC. Gates later proposed using 86-DOS.
Microsoft then purchased a non-exclusive licence for 86-DOS in December 1980 for US$25,000, and hired Tim Paterson to port it to the IBM PC, so it would work on the Intel 8086 processor. IBM would submit over 300 change requests before accepting the final port.
It was only in July 1981 – a month before IBM released the PC, that Microsoft purchased all rights to 86-DOS from Seattle Computer Products for US$50,000. Microsoft then licensed the modified 86-DOS to IBM, and it became PC DOS 1.0.
In short, MS-DOS (rebranded from PC DOS) was based on 86-DOS, which was a different operating system from CP/M invented by Gary Kildall.
Kildall would later persuade IBM to offer CP/M-86 with the PC. That would not be possible if Kildall really sold CP/M to Microsoft “for a couple of dollars” as the fake video alleges.
Fact #8 : COVID-19 Vaccines Have Been Proven Safe + Effective
Anti-vaccination proponents are not interested in your health, which is why they keep lying about the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.
The truth is – COVID-19 vaccines were only approved AFTER they have undergone extensive safety and efficacy tests, involving tens of thousands of volunteers.
The reason why doctors and health authorities STRONGLY advocate vaccination is because the vaccines have been PROVEN to protect the vast majority of people from getting COVID-19 in the first place.
And even if you do get infected after vaccination, the vaccine will protect you against hospitalisation and death from COVID-19.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Can the new Approve New Participant feature in WhatsApp block hackers?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Turn On WhatsApp Approve New Participant To Block Hackers!
WhatsApp started introducing a new feature called Approve New Participant, on 11 March 2023.
This new feature was only available to WhatsApp Group administrators, and went pretty much unnoticed by most WhatsApp users, until this claim went viral on WhatsApp and social media platforms:
CYBER SECURITY ALERT Announcement
Let’s look sharp all admins* WhatsApp has added a new security feature to prevent hackers from joining Groups. I Hope Admins will take advantage of this feature.
*Admins* should go to group settings and ‘TURN ON’ Approve New Participant.
This will prevent unauthorized access for hackers.
WHATSAPP ADMINS ALERT!!!
That WhatsApp cybersecurity alert was unsigned, so we have no idea who created it. But once it went viral, WhatsApp users started asking their group administrator to turn it on to block hackers.
But does the new Approve New Participant feature really block hackers from attacking WhatsApp groups?
Truth : WhatsApp Approve New Participant Does Not Block Hackers!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Approve New Participant Is Not A Cybersecurity Feature
First, let me just point out that Approve New Participant is not a cybersecurity feature. WhatsApp introduced the this feature to help group administrators “grow, moderate, and protect their groups“.
The Approve New Participants setting empowers admins to help grow, moderate, and protect their groups. Turning on the setting in Group Settings requires the admin to review every request to join the group before a participant is allowed to join. This feature enhances privacy and security for all participants in the group.
This feature is designed to protect private groups by preventing people from simply joining them using an invite link.
This is a major security concern for private groups, as it exposes the group chats to people who may not be authorised to view them. However, this is not a concern for open groups, as they are open to one and all.
Fact #2 : Approve New Participant Cannot Block Hackers
When a group turns on Approve New Participant, admin approval is required to join a group. People who attempt to join the group will see a Request to join button, with the message “An admin must approve your request”.
After clicking on Request to join, those who wish to join the group are allowed to share their Reason for the request, or Cancel Request.
Once the group administrators get the request, they can either approve or reject the request. Group administrators can also start a chat with the person to request more information.
All that is great for vetting people who want to join an exclusive WhatsApp group, but this new feature does not block hackers, as the group administrator will not know who is, or is not a hacker. It’s not like those WhatsApp accounts have a “hacker” or “not a hacker” label!
Hackers can use social engineering techniques to trick the group administrators into approving their requests, or they can simply use phishing attacks to take over the WhatsApp accounts of existing group participants!
Fact #3 : Approve New Participant Is Disabled By Default
Cybersecurity features that are designed to block hackers will always be enabled by default – why would they be optional?
Yet, the new Approve New Participant feature is OPTIONAL in WhatsApp, and is DISABLED by default. That is because this is not a cybersecurity feature designed to block hackers.
Many WhatsApp groups are open for anyone to join, and turning on Approve New Participant would be pointless as group administrators would not know the identity of the people joining their groups.
This is why it is up to the WhatsApp group administrators to determine if it is suitable for them to use the new Approve New Participant feature, or not.
Private groups will want to turn this on, to vet people who request to join. But open groups will want this feature disabled, or their administrators will be overwhelmed with joining requests.
Fact #4 : Group Participants Can Always Be Removed
Here’s another reason why blocking new participants joining automatically does not block hackers – group participants can always be removed.
Let’s say a hacker, or an unauthorised person, gains access to your WhatsApp group. It doesn’t mean he/she can stay in your group forever. Any group administrator can remove that person.
This new feature only helps group administrators pre-vet people who want to join their group, instead of kicking them out after they have already joined.
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
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Explore Gyr Abania, the Ruby Sea, Yanxia, and the Azim Steppe
New primals and beastmen: Lakshmi and the Ananta, Susano and the Kojin
New dungeons
A new 8-man raid: Interdimensional Rift─Omega
A new alliance raid: Return to Ivalice
The Forbidden Land, Eureka
New gear and crafting recipes
A new residential district: Shirogane
Expanded item inventory
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Final Fantasy 14 : How to get FREE Stormblood DLC!
Steam
You do not need the paid base game, Final Fantasy 14 (XIV), to add the Stormblood DLC to your Steam account. However, you will need to purchase the base game to play it.
Make sure you follow these steps to get this DLC for FREE until 6:59 AM PDT/ 13:59 GMT on 9 May 2023!
Log into your existing Steam account, or create a new account.
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This free DLC offer is limited to the EU, North America, South America, Oceania and India regions only. But you can try this trick (at your own risk, because it could get you banned on Steam):
Install and use a VPN to change your IP to a supported country (e.g. US)
Add the Stormblood DLC to your shopping cart, but don’t buy it
Open your shopping cart, and click on your country and currency (on the top middle right corner of the shopping cart.
Change your country and currency to United States ($) and (US), and proceed to change country when asked (it will only be applied temporarily)
Open Final Fantasy XIV Stormblood store page and claim it (it will now be unrestricted)
Change the country back to your original country.
PlayStation
You do not need the paid base game, Final Fantasy XIV, to add the Stormblood DLC to your PlayStation account. However, you will need to purchase the base game to play it.
Make sure you follow these steps to get this DLC for FREE until 6:59 AM PDT/ 13:59 GMT on 9 May 2023!
Log into your existing PlayStation account, or create a new account.
Log into the Mog Station with your Square Enix Account: https://sqex.to/Msp
If you have multiple service accounts, please select the service account you wish to register your code to.
Select the “Enter Expansion Registration Code” button and enter your 20-digit code.
Confirm the details and proceed through the remaining steps.
Note : This method will only work on North American Square Enix accounts.
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Please watch out for a new malware called SVCReady that is being embedded in Microsoft Word attachments!
Here is what you need to know about the new SVCReady malware!
Watch Out For SVCReady Malware In MS Word Documents!
The HP Threat Research just uncovered a new malware called SVCReady, which they first picked up on 22 April 2022 through HP Wolf Security telemetry.
SVCReady is being distributed in phishing emails with Microsoft Word attachments. On opening the infected Word document, an embedded Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) AutoOpen macro is used to run shellcode stored in the properties of the document.
Splitting the macro from the shellcode is a way to evade security software that would normally detect the malicious code.
Document properties containing shellcode, namely a series of nop instructions as represented by 0x90 values. Credit : HP
The SVCReady malware begins by downloading and loading its payload from the web, and connecting to its Command and Control (C2) server.
It then starts gathering and sending information to the C2 server like :
The SVCReady malware also connects to its C2 server every 5 minutes to report its status, send information, receive new instructions, or validate the domain.
Currently, the malware appears to only gather and send information. However, that will change as the malware persists in the system, and is capable of receiving both updates and instructions from the C2 server.
In fact, the HP team observed the SVCReady retrieve and load a Readline stealer payload on an infected computer. It’s a sign of things to come.
The HP team believes that the SVCReady malware is still in early development, with an influx of updates adding features like encrypted C2 communications, and detection evasion.
They also found evidence linking SVCReady to past malware documents by the TA551 (Shatak) group from 2019 and 2020.
SVCReady will eventually be used for more nefarious purposes once it is good and ready. Until then, the malware will stay hidden, lurking and waiting for its master’s commands.
How To Avoid SVCReady Malware In MS Word Documents?
The HP team discovered that the malware creates a new registry key, which could serve as a signature for security software to detect it : HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{E6D34FFC-AD32-4d6a-934C-D387FA873A19}
But until security software are updated to detect SVCReady, the best way to avoid this malware is simple – do NOT open Word document attached to emails!
If you regularly receive Word documents in your emails, please VERIFY with the sender before opening them.
These phishing emails are designed to look legitimate. So be very careful about what you open!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Don’t miss the opportunity to check out Magic: The Gathering VR Art Exhibition, which ends in a few days!
Magic: The Gathering VR Art Exhibition : Don’t Miss It!
Wizards of the Coast just launched “Magic: The Gathering Virtual Art Exhibition – 83 Artists Who Drew The World of Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty“.
Available across selected Asian countries, this Virtual Reality (VR) Exhibition allows you to experience the futuristic sci-fi plane of Kamigawa and enjoy the artwork and gameplay developed for the new set.
This interactive art exhibition can also be enjoyed online on a PC (Windows only), or using your own VR headset!
You can actively enjoy the art from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty through VR and gameplay elements, while interacting with other participants around the world remotely.
The coming-to-life concept art locations from the Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty story,
a new art viewing experience,
a 3D experience where players can summon creatures from cards to life,
a gallery with over 30 items of unpublished materials from the Wizards of the Coast Development Studio World Guide, and
a community gathering area for players to meet up virtually.
The VR art exhibition also features 134 pieces of card art from Kamigawa: Neon Dynasty drawn by 83 artists. Among the famed artists are Tetsuo Hara (“Fist of the North Star”), Yoji Shinkawa (Art Director of KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS Co., Ltd.), Katsuya Terada (character designer of “Kamen Rider W”) and others.
Magic: The Gathering VR Art Exhibition : Where To Catch It?
The Magic: The Gathering VR Art Exhibition will end on 24 February 2022, so make sure you hurry!
Here in Malaysia, you can catch it at selected Wizards Play Network (WPN) stores in the Klang Valley.
You can also catch it online here, but note that this online VR experience will only work with :
Windows PC
Meta Quest 2 (Oculus Quest 2)
Oculus Rift 2 / Rift S
HTC Vive / Vive Pro 1 / Vive Pro 2
And here’s a nice bonus – those who visit the exhibition will stand a chance to win a B2-sized poster signed by Tetsuo Hara!
The five lucky winners will be selected randomly upon completing the entry requirements.
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Acer just launched the Aspire Vero – a new green laptop for environmentally-conscious consumers and companies!
Take a look at the 2021 Acer Aspire Vero, and find out how it differs from other laptops!
2021 Acer Aspire Vero : Green Laptop With 30% PCR Chassis
The 2021 Acer Aspire Vero is a new laptop, designed to meet the discerning requirements of environmentally-conscious consumers and companies.
Its chassis is made from 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR) plastic, while its keycaps contain 50% PCR plastic. This allows the Aspire Vero to save about 21% in CO2 emissions.
The Acer Aspire Vero is also designed to eliminate electronic waste by making it easy to disassemble, repair or upgrade – a far cry from some other brands.
https://youtu.be/U_6t8_JyIUQ
The 2021 Acer Aspire Vero also ships in a box made from 80-85% recycled paper pulp, and it swaps plastic bags for paper sleeves instead.
The single piece of plastic in the box – a thin protective sheet between the keyboard and screen – is made from 100% industrial recycled plastic.
All graphics on the box are also printed with soy ink, and Acer did away with any printing on the laptop chassis. On top of that, users can convert the 100% recyclable packaging into a DIY laptop stand!
The laptop comes with a 99% recyclable 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display, and is powered by the 11th Gen Intel Core i7 or Core i5 processor with Intel Iris Xe Graphics.
For greater energy efficiency and longer battery life, you can switch on the Eco+ mode in the Acer VeroSense software.
It features the latest connectivity capabilities – Wi-Fi 6 with Bluetooth 5.1, and even an RJ-45 ethernet port, as well as two USB Type A ports, a USB Type C port, a HDMI port and a 3.5 mm audio jack.
The 2021 Acer Aspire Vero runs on Windows 11, and comes pre-installed with Microsoft Office Home & Student 2021
2021 Acer Aspire Vero : Specifications
Acer is offering two variants of the Aspire Vero laptop in 2021. For your convenience, I prepared this table comparing their key specifications :
Specifications
Acer Aspire Vero
(Core i5)
Acer Aspire Vero
(Core i7)
Model
AV15-51-522W
AV15-51-75SA
Display
15.6-inch IPS display
Full HD resolution (1920 x 1080)
OS
Microsoft Windows 11 Home
Processor
Intel Core i5-1155G7
Intel Core i7-1195G7
Memory
8 GB LPDDR4X
16 GB LPDDR4X
Graphics
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Storage
512 GB PCIe NVMe SSD
Networking
Intel Wireless Wi-Fi 6 AX201
Bluetooth 5.1 RJ-45 Ethernet Port
Connectivity
1 x HDMI 2.0 port with HDCP
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A (with power-off USB charging)
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1
Type C
1 x 3.5 mm audio jack
Webcam
Acer HD webcam (1280 x 720)
Battery Life
Up to 7 hours
Dimensions
363.4 mm wide
238.5 mm deep
17.9 mm thick
Weight
1.8 kg
Price
RM3,399
RM4,299
2021 Acer Aspire Vero : Price + Availability
The 2021 Acer Aspire Vero is available for purchase with immediate effect, with these official launch prices :
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Acer just introduced the 2021 Spin 3 and Spin 5 convertible laptop models, with the latest Intel processors!
Take a look at both new Spin 3 and Spin 5 laptops, and find out what they offer!
2021 Acer Spin 3 + Spin 5 : What You Need To Know!
The 2020 Red Dot Design Award-winning Acer Spin 5 was just refreshed, and so is its sibling – the Acer Spin 3.
Convertible Design
They are both convertible laptops, with 360-degree hinges that lets them transform into different form factors to suit your requirements.
You can take notes in the tablet mode, watch movies in the tent mode, or use the clamshell mode for a more ergonomic typing experience!
Performance
Both models offer the latest 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor with Intel Iris Xe Graphics, and come with up to 16 GB of LPDDR4X memory and 512 GB of fast PCIe NVMe SSD storage!
The 2021 Acer Spin 5 models, in particular, come with the latest PCIe Gen 4 SSD, which offers double the transfer speed of PCIe Gen 3 SSDs.
Both models are Intel Evo platform-certified, which means they have designed to deliver better CPU, GPU and Wi-Fi performance, instant wake-up, and longer battery life!
This gives you a desktop-like computing performance, in a slim and light convertible form factor.
High Resolution Touch Display
The 2021 Acer Spin 5 offers a 13.5-inch QHD IPS display, with an impressive 80% screen-to-body ratio, with multi-touch and AES pen support.
The 2021 Acer Spin 3, on the other hand, comes with a 13.3-inch WQXGA IPS display, also with multi-touch and AES pen support.
Both displays support 100% sRGB colour gamut, and DC dimming, which allows for no-flicker image quality in low light conditions!
Acer Active Stylus
Both 2021 Acer Spin laptops come with the Acer Active Stylus in a built-in dock, that gives it a 90 minute battery life with just 15 seconds of charging!
With two configurable buttons, this active stylus supports 4,096 pressure levels, and offers a pen-to-paper like writing experience!
Antimicrobial Coating!
The 2021 Acer Spin 5 laptop is coated with a BPR and EPA-compliant silver-ion coating on the keyboard, fingerprint reader and palm rest, with its touchpad and display are protected by Antimicrobial Corning Gorilla Glass.
Both the antibacterial coating and the antimicrobial glass inhibit and reduce bacterial growth on all surfaces that we may touch.
This is an important feature, because the Acer Spin 5 laptop will actually reduce the amount of bacteria we come into contact!
Embedded Fingerprint Reader
A fingerprint reader is embedded directly into the touchpad, giving you an easy and secure way to verify your identity using Windows Hello, without typing in a password.
This is very useful when you are using the laptop in public, where typing out a password is not recommended.
High-Speed Connectivity
Both 2021 Spin 5 and Spin 3 laptops come with Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 built-in, for the fastest possible WiFi connectivity with lower latency.
On top of that, it all comes with dual Type-C with Thunderbolt 4 ports. These are ultra-fast ports that offer data and video transfers of up to 40 Gb/s – four times faster than USB 3.2!
Both these Thunderbolt 4 ports also allow you to output up to two 4K external displays for even greater productivity.
Light + Tough
The 2021 Spin laptops are built with an aluminium chassis, offering a slimmer profile and lighter weight.
The Spin 5 is only 14.9 mm thin, and weighs only 1.2 kg, while the Spin 3 is just 15.9 mm thin, and weighs only 1.4 kg.
Not only will they fit comfortably into any tote or laptop bag, you will have no problem carrying them in your hands for hours on end.
Ultra-Long Battery Life
Both 2021 Spin 5 and Spin 3 laptops have a long 15-hour battery life, based on the MobileMark 2014 test.
They also support fast charging technology, to keep you going wherever you are. A quick 30 minute charge will give you 4 hours of use!
2021 Acer Spin 3 : Specifications
Specifications
Acer Spin 3
(Core i7)
Acer Spin 3
(Core i5)
Model
SP313-51N-714D
SP313-51N-56CM
Display
13.3-inch IPS
touch display
2560 x 1600 pixels
Supports multi-touch and AES pen
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home
Processor
Intel Core i7-1165G7
Intel Core i5-1135G7
Graphics
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Memory
16 GB LPDDR4X
8 GB LPDDR4X
Storage
512 GB PCIe 3.0 NVMe SSD
Wireless
Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX 1650i
Bluetooth 5.1
Ports
1 x HDMI 2.0 port with HDCP support
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (Type A)
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (Type C)
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port (Type A)
1 x microSD card reader
1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack
Camera
Acer HD webcam (720p)
Stylus
Acer Active Stylus Pen
– 4096 pressure levels
– 2 configurable buttons
– up to 100 minutes battery life
Battery Life
Up to 15 hours
Warranty
2-year local warranty +
1st year international travellers warranty
Dimensions
302 mm wide
222.5 mm deep
15.9 mm thick
Weight
1.4 kg
2021 Acer Spin 5 : Specifications
Specifications
Acer Spin 5
(Core i7)
Acer Spin 5
(Core i5)
Model
SP513-55N-74VY
SP513-55N-53Q7
Display
13.5-inch IPS
touch display
2256 x 1504 pixels
Supports multi-touch and AES pen
Operating System
Microsoft Windows 10 Home
Processor
Intel Core i7-1165G7
Intel Core i5-1135G7
Graphics
Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Memory
16 GB LPDDR4X
8 GB LPDDR4X
Storage
512 GB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD
Wireless
Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX 1650i
Bluetooth 5.1
Ports
1 x HDMI 2.0 port with HDCP support
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (Type A)
2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 port (Type C)
1 x USB 3.2 Gen 1 port (Type A)
1 x microSD card reader
1 x 3.5 mm headphone jack
Camera
Acer HD webcam (720p)
Stylus
Acer Active Stylus Pen
– 4096 pressure levels
– 2 configurable buttons
– up to 100 minutes battery life
Battery Life
Up to 15 hours
Warranty
2-year local warranty +
1st year international travellers warranty
Dimensions
300 mm wide
235 mm deep
14.9 mm thick
Weight
1.2 kg
2021 Acer Spin 3 + Spin 5 : Price + Availability
Both the 2021 Acer Spin 3 and Spin 5 convertible laptops are available with immediate effect at these price points :
HONOR just launched two new MagicBook X 15 laptop models. Let’s take a closer look and see what they really offer!
HONOR MagicBook X 15 : What You Need To Know!
Together with the HONOR 50 and HONOR 50 Pro smartphones, HONOR also launched two new MagicBook X 15 laptop models.
These basic laptops are part of the HUAWEI 1+8+N strategy, back when HONOR was a HUAWEI subsidiary.
And these two models appear to be a legacy of their HUAWEI heritage. We will show you why we say that…
Legacy Of HUAWEI Ban Persists
Despite being new models, the HONOR MagicBook X 15 are still powered by the 10th Gen Intel Core processors from 2019.
This appears to be a legacy of their HUAWEI heritage – HUAWEI was banned from purchasing new processors from Intel since September 2020.
They had already stocked up many processors in advanced of the ban, but can no longer purchase newer Intel processors.
The new HONOR, which was sold to Shenzhen Zhixin New Information Technology, is no longer affected by this ban. But it looks like they were not able to source for the latest Intel processors in time.
Performance
There are two HONOR MagicBook X 15 models, based on their processor and storage configurations :
10th Gen Intel Core i5, 8GB RAM, 512GB storage
10th Gen Intel Core i3, 8GB RAM, 256GB storage
HONOR claims that they come with a Supersized Shark Fin 2.0 Fan with up to 38% higher air intake, for better cooling performance.
They use DDR4 memory and come with a PCIe NVMe SSD, but that’s standard for laptops these days.
Display
The HONOR MagicBook X 15 comes with a large 15.6-inch display, with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.
Thanks to its narrow 5.3 mm bezels on the left and right side, this display offers a 87% screen-to-body ratio.
Battery Life
The 2021 MagicBook X 15 models come with a 42 Wh battery, which HONOR says will deliver just over 7.5 hours of 1080p video playback or just over 7 hours of web browsing.
They will come with a new compact 65 watt fast charger that weighs just 200 grams. It can recharge the battery to 53% in just 30 minutes.
Other Features
Despite its low cost, it boasts an aluminium alloy body, which allows for a thinner profile and a lighter weight at just 1.56 kg.
It also comes with a fingerprint sensor built into the power button, that lets you quickly log into Windows.
Finally, it supports Multi-Screen Collaboration – another legacy of its HUAWEI heritage.
HONOR MagicBook X 15 : Price + Deal
The HONOR MagicBook X 15 is available in Malaysia starting 19 June 2021, at these price points :
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) features the first-ever InfinityEdge display with Gorilla Glass 6 protection.
Find out why we think it’s an incredible ultra-light laptop worthy of our Reviewer’s Choice Award!
Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Featuring The InfinityEdge Display
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) continues the evolution of the XPS 13 line, with an ultra-light chassis built from machined aluminium and woven glass fibre, with Gorilla Glass 6 protection.
With the first-ever InfinityEdge display, the XPS 13 (9300) offers a 13.4-inch display in an 11-inch form factor, that fits neatly on an airplane’s seat tray.
Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Colour Options
Our unit comes in the Frost White colour with an Arctic White woven glass fibre palm rest.
Dell also offers the Platinum Silver colour option, with a Black carbon fiber palm rest.
Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Specifications + Options
Specifications
XPS 13 9300
Display Size
13.4-inch
Display Options
4K touch screen (3840 x 2400)
Full HD touch screen (1920 x 1200)
Full HD non-touch (1920 x 1200)
Display Features
WLED backlight
60 Hz refresh rate
500 nits max. brightness
35 ms response time
1200:1 contrast ratio
Realtek ALC3281-CG audio chip
2 x 2.5 watt speakers
Dual microphone array
3.5 mm audio jack
Wireless
Killer Wi-Fi 6 AX1650 (2×2)
Bluetooth 5.1
External Ports
2 x Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type C) ports
– with Power Delivery and DisplayPort
1 x 3.5 mm audio port
1 x microSD card slot
Camera
HD webcam
Fingerprint Sensor
Yes, capacitive 500 dpi sensor
Keyboard
Backlit keyboard
19.05 x 18.05 mm key pitch
Touchpad
1300 x 722 pixel resolution
Battery
4-cell 52 Whr lithium-ion battery
Charger
45 watt USB Type C charger
Dimensions
296 mm wide
199 mm deep
14.8 mm thick
Weight
1.27 kg (touch screen)
1.20 kg (non-touch)
Unboxing The Dell XPS 13 (9300) Laptop
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) comes in a premium white cardboard box. Once you fully unbox it, you will find these items :
Dell XPS 13 (9300) laptop
Dell USB Type C to USB Type A dongle
45 watt charger with integrated USB Type C cable
Power cord with localised plug
XPS 13 9300 Quick Start Guide + Safety and Regulatory Information
Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Hands-On Experience!
This Dell XPS 13 (9300) is an eminently thin and light laptop. It offers a 13.4-inch display in an 11-inch form factor that weighs only 1.27 kg, and is less than 15 mm thick.
It easily fits into the smallest laptop bag, and even a large handbag. And when you can fly again, you will love how it fits onto the airplane’s seat tray!
Once you try it out, you will find it hard to go back to regular laptops – you will find them heavy and unwieldy!
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Dell XPS 13 (9300) : A Closer Look!
13.4-inch Display In 11-Inch Form Factor
This Dell XPS 13 (9300) model comes with a 4K UHD+ touch display, with a resolution of 3840 x 2400 pixel, a colour gamut of 90% DCI-P3 and DisplayHDR 400 certification.
The incredibly high resolution and wide colour gamut allow your high resolution photos and HDR content to really pop.
Dell also offers a Full HD+ display, with a resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels and 100% sRGB colour gamut; in both touch and non-touch options.
All three display options are 25% brighter at 500 nits, and are protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6 against scratches and impact.
Cameras + Security
The thin bezel at the top conceals two cameras – a regular 720p webcam, and an infra-red camera for facial recognition.
So you can either unlock the XPS 13 using the IR camera and Windows Hello, or the fingerprint sensor, which integrated into the power button.
While its 720p webcam may be rather low in resolution, it uses a new 4-element lens for sharper image quality. It also supports temporal noise reduction to improve video quality in low-light conditions.
We hope that Dell would look at upgrading it to a 1080p camera, with a physical or electronics privacy shutter.
Performance
Our Dell XPS 13 (9300) is powered by the Intel Core i7-1065G7 – a 4-core, 8-thread processor with 8 MB of cache and built-in Iris Plus Graphics.
You can opt for a Core i5-1035G1 or the Core i3-1005G1, both of which come with integrated UHD Graphics.
A redesigned cooler keeps things cool, using a single heat pipe and evaporator design with dual condensers and GORE thermal insulation. The hot air is exhausted through the hinge at the back.
It can get a little toasty from the hot exhaust when you use it on your lap, especially if you’re doing compute-intensive tasks like rendering videos.
It also comes with 16 GB of dual-channel LPDDR4X memory running at 3733 MHz. The memory is soldered onto the motherboard and cannot be upgraded.
Our unit came with a 1 TB SK hynix PC611 PCIe NVMe SSD, but you can opt for a smaller 512 GB SSD, or a larger 2 TB SSD.
Ports
Due to its ultra-slim profile – 14.8 mm at its thickest point, the XPS 13 has very limited ports.
On the left side, you will find a microSD card reader; as well as a single Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type C) port, which supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort output
On the right side, you will find a 3.5 mm microphone and headphone combo port, with a second Thunderbolt 3 (USB Type C) port, which also supports Power Delivery and DisplayPort output.
You can plug the USB Type C charging cable into either Thunderbolt 3 port. But unless you are using it on-the-go, you really only have one free port to use.
The good news is Dell actually bundles the XPS 13 (9300) with a free USB Type C to USB Type A dongle, so you can use your USB Type A drives and devices (including cables) with it.
Keyboard + Touchpad
The Dell XPS (9300) comes an edge-to-edge keyboard, and a 17% larger touchpad for maximum working comfort. The keyboard is backlit, and comes with larger key caps!
It definitely offers a far superior typing experience to the horrible butterfly switch keyboard used in Apple MacBook Pro laptops.
[twenty20 img1=”43631″ img2=”43632″ offset=”0.5″]
Connectivity
Our XPS 13 (9300) comes with the Killer AX1650 module, which offers Wi-Fi 6 connectivity with 2×2 antennas, and Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity.
It is much too thin to support a LAN port, but you can add LAN connectivity using a USB-C dongle.
The two long stripes on both sides of the XPS 13 are not cooling vents, but ports for its 2.5 watt stereo speakers, which are tuned with Waves MaxxAudio Pro.
Its 3.5 mm microphone / headphone combo jack is also optimised with the 360-degree Waves NX 3D virtual surround sound with head tracking.
Finally, its dual microphone array is powered by Waves MaxxVoice Pro, which supports VOIP and is Cortana Farfield-capable.
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Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Performance
Our Dell XPS 13 (9300) is powered by the 15-watt Intel Core i7-1065G7 (Ice Lake) with 4 cores and 8 threads, and Iris Plus Graphics with 64 Execution Units.
It comes with 8 MB of cache, and has a 1.3 GHz base frequency that ramps up to 3.5 GHz during intensive tasks.
Our review sample came with 16 GB LPDDR4X-3733 dual-channel memory, and a 1 TB SK hynix PC611 PCIe NVMe SSD.
Work Performance : PCMark 10
The Intel Core i7-1065G7 is a 25 watt processor that can be configured to run at a lower TDP of 15 watt – to improve battery life and reduce thermal output.
At the full 25 watt TDP, it should deliver PCMark 10 scores in excess of 4700. It is obvious now that Dell configured it for the cooler 15 watt TDP. This is why benchmarks are important.
The integrated Intel Iris Plus Graphics sounds powerful on paper – with 64 Execution Units – but it is only about as fast as the NVIDIA GeForce MX130 / GeForce 940MX.
So this is most definitely NOT a gaming laptop, although you should have no problem playing older games and games that are not 3D graphics-intensive like DOTA 2.
Battery Life : YouTube + Modern Office
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) comes with a 4-cell smart lithium-ion battery that is rated for 52 Whr.
Dell claims a battery life of up to 18 hours and 49 minutes with the Full HD+ display, and up to 12 hours and 13 minutes with the 4K UHD+ display.
In our general use, we have no problem working a full day on it without recharging, which makes it really convenient when travelling.
That said, we locked the brightness at 50% – higher than the average of 40% – to see how it performs in these worst-case scenarios :
YouTube Streaming
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) lasted 8 hours 15 minutes streaming YouTube videos in theatre mode using WiFi, before its battery dropped to 10%.
PCMark 10 : Modern Office
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) lasted 6 hours 36 minutes before it powered off while running the Modern Office benchmark.
Battery : Recharging Speed
Its 65 watt fast charger took about 52.5 minutes to hit the mid-point (55%), but 2 hours 23.5 minutes to fully recharge its battery from 10%.
Here are the times it takes to recharge from 10% :
15% – 5 minutes 57 seconds
20% – 11 minutes 53 seconds
25% – 17 minutes 45 seconds
30% – 23 minutes 22 seconds
35% – 29 minutes 25 seconds
40% – 35 minutes 8 seconds
45% – 41 minutes 22 seconds
50% – 46 minutes 56 seconds
55% – 52 minutes 39 seconds
60% – 58 minutes 27 seconds
65% – 64 minutes 13 seconds
70% – 70 minutes 15 seconds
75% – 76 minutes
80% – 81 minutes 58 seconds
85% – 89 minutes 41 seconds
90% – 100 minutes 50 seconds
95% – 118 minutes 45 seconds
100% – 143 minutes 20 seconds
This gives it a battery life : recharging time ratio of 3.45 : 1 for video streaming, and 2.76 : 1 for office work.
As a rule of thumb, you will need to recharge its battery about 22 minutes for every hour of battery life.
Dell XPS 13 (9300) : Verdict + Award
The Dell XPS 13 (9300) is a really great ultra-light laptop for people who are always on-the-go.
It packs serious processing power, memory and a huge SSD with the latest wireless connectivity built-in, in a very thin and light package.
It is less than 15 mm at its thickest point, and weighs less than 1.3 kg. But this is something you have to hold in your hand to actually get a feel of how much engineering went into the XPS 13.
Even the latest 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro, powered by the new Apple M1 SoC, is larger, thicker at 15.6 mm and weighs more at 1.4 kg!
The extremely thin profile offers some challenges to first time users – limited physical ports. Yet the XPS 13 (9300) managed to squeeze in an extra microSD card reader over the new 13-inch MacBook Pro (M1).
Even so, you will have to live with just two USB Type C ports – one of which is not available when you recharge its battery. Fortunately, the XPS 13 (9300) comes with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1 wireless connectivity.
Thankfully, Dell threw in a free USB-C to USB-A dongle, so at least you have ready access to your USB Type A drives and devices out-of-the-box.
Security-conscious users will love the fingerprint sensor and IR camera, which allows for easy and secure logins. However, the webcam lacks a physical shutter, and the lid clearance is too tight to safely use a third-party shutter.
As far as battery life is concerned, the XPS 13 (9300) will last more than full day’s work without recharging. After a while, you will get used to leaving the office without the charger!
All-in-all, the Dell XPS 13 (9300) is an engineering marvel that must be experienced to truly understand. If you want the very best Windows 10 ultra-light laptop money can buy, this should be right at the top of the list.
That is why we wholeheartedly award it our Reviewer’s Choice Award!
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank Dell for sending us this review unit, and making us part of the #DellInsideCircle
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Windows gaming on the ARM-based Apple M1 is possible!
Watch how well the Apple M1 runs The Witcher 3 using CrossOver 20!
Apple M1 Gaming : Watch It Run The Witcher 3 On CrossOver 20!
MrMacRight successfully ran The Witcher 3 on CrossOver 20, using the 2020 Apple MacBook Pro with the new ARM-based Apple M1 SoC.
Here was his recorded gameplay of The Witcher 3 at the 1080p resolution, with the Medium graphics and post-processing presets, and VSync enabled.
He could not get the FPS counter to work, but it looks smooth and very playable, albeit with some visual artefacts.
Basically – Apple M1 gaming is not only possible, it is possible to play Windows games!
Video Credit : MrMacRight
Windows Gaming On Apple M1 : Rosetta 2 + Windows API Translation!
That quick gameplay showcase of The Witcher 3 shows that Windows gaming is possible on the Apple M1.
The ability to run The Witcher 3 on CrossOver 20, and at such playable frame rates, is important for two reasons.
Windows App Compatibility
The Witcher 3 is a 64-bit Windows-only game, so you wouldn’t expect it to run well on the ARM-based Apple M1, right?
Running it on the Apple M1 involves translating Windows API calls using CrossOver, and then translating x86 instructions to ARM instructions using Rossetta 2.
Yet it not only worked, it ran pretty well on the Apple M1!
Performance
While AppleGamers was not able to obtain a frame rate, The Witcher 3 appears to run pretty well at the 1080p resolution.
That shows that the Apple M1’s integrated 8-core GPU is fast, and will have no problem handling native ARM games at 1080p, and likely 1440p as well.
Apple M1 : A Quick Primer
The Apple M1 is the first ARM-based SoC (System on a Chip) designed by Apple for use in Mac computers.
Packing 16 billion transistors, it is the first chip to be manufactured on the new 5 nm TSMC process technology.
It comes with 4 high-performance Firestorm CPU cores, 4 power-efficient Icestorm cores, an 8-core GPU, and a 16-core Neural Engine.
As the M1 is based on the ARM architecture, you can natively run iPhone and iPad apps on it. However, existing macOS apps will have to be ported over, or translated on-the-fly using Rosetta 2.
It is currently available in these Apple Mac computers :
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Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
The language game, Influentand 3 DLCs, are FREE for a limited time!
Find out how to get Influent and the three DLCs for FREE, and make sure you tell your friends!
If you missed this, well, next time join theTech ARP Facebook page to get these updates quickly!
Influent
Influent immerses players in a fully interactive 3D environment where the names for absolutely every object in the game can be gleaned with a single click! Even more information can be learned with a double-click!
Every door, drawer, and cabinet can be opened with a right-click here and a right-click there, revealing more and more things to be learned!
Packed to the brim with hundreds of native audio pronunciations (painstakingly recorded specifically for this game), Influent offers players a unique opportunity to enjoy learning both vocabulary and pronunciation in the language of their choice.
Audio from native speakers
Synonym swap functionality
Learn at your own pace!
Fully interactive modern apartment
Over 420 words to collect and master
Includes Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbs
15+ Languages to choose from (more to come!)
Influent : How To Get It Free!
Adding to your Humble Bundle Account
Humble Bundle is giving away Influent for FREE up till 1 December 2020, at 4 PM MYT (GMT+8).
Log into Humble Bundle, or create your free account.
Open the Console in your web browser
– in Google Chrome, use Ctrl+Shift+J (Windows) or Ctrl+Option+J (Mac)
– in Firefox, use Ctrl+Shift+K (Windows) or Command+Option+K (Mac)
In the Console, copy and paste the code below, and press Enter
If you like our work, you can help support us by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
You may be wondering why your WD NAS is no longer visible in Windows 10.
Where did it go? How do you get it back?
Find out why your WD NAS cannot no longer be seen in Windows, and what are the solutions!
WD NAS Can’t Be Seen In Windows : What Happened?
You may have been using your WD NAS for some time, but one day, its network share – the “drive” that you directly access – can no longer be seen in Windows 10.
The NAS links in Windows File Explorer will only lead you to the login page for the WD NAS management page, not the actual drive where you can directly read, copy, write or edit your files.
All these NAS issues are happening because Microsoft disabled the Network Browse function from Windows 10 v1709 onwards.
The problems started after Windows 10 Fall Creators Update 1709, which :
The Computer Browser service relies on the SMB 1.0 protocol to discover network devices and display them in the Windows Network Neighbourhood.
Disabling SMB 1.0 breaks the Computer Browser service, so it is automatically uninstalled and your NAS drives “disappear” from Network Neighbourhood.
Disabling guest access prevents guest or public access to your NAS drives, even to folders you specifically set to allow for public access. Hence, the Public folder they had access to earlier “disappears”.
Why Did Microsoft Disable Those Network Features?
The SMB1 network protocol was first implemented in Windows back in 1992, so it’s old… very old.
It’s so old that it lacks encryption. Everything transmitted via SMB1 can be captured and read, and even modified, by any attacker who gains access to the network.
Guest logins even on SMB2 do not support standard security features like signing and encryption. This makes them vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks.
That’s why Microsoft (finally) disabled them both, starting with the Windows 10 Fall Creators Update 1709.
WD NAS Can’t Be Seen In Windows : Before We Start…
Preliminary Step #1 : Update Your NAS
Before you do anything, you should log into your WD NAS management system and update its firmware, in case it’s not already set to automatically update.
Updating its firmware will ensure that your NAS supports at least SMB 2, if not SMB 3 as well.
WD NAS
Windows URL
macOS URL
My Cloud EX2100
http://wdmycloudex2100
http://wdmycloudex2100.local
My Cloud DL2100
http://wdmyclouddl2100
http://wdmyclouddl2100.local
My Cloud EX4100
http://wdmycloudex4100
http://wdmycloudex4100.local
My Cloud DL4100
http://wdmyclouddl4100
http://wdmyclouddl4100.local
Preliminary Step #2 : Use A Higher SMB Protocol
Then, enable the highest SMB protocol your WD NAS supports (Settings > Network). Set it to SMB 3 if possible.
This will ensure that both your WD NAS and your network support the most secure network protocol possible, for your security.
WD NAS Can’t Be Seen In Windows : The Solutions!
Best Solution : Map Your WD NAS By Device Name
The best way is to manually map your WD NAS by its device name. This lets you use the more secure SMB2 or SMB3 network protocols, with direct access to your files as usual.
Determine your WD NAS network path, which is based on the device name.If you changed your WD NAS device name to TechARPCloud (for example), the network name will be \\TechARPCloudHere is a list of default network paths for different WD NAS :
WD NAS
Default Network Path
My Cloud Home
\\MYCLOUD-last 6 digits of serial number
Example : \\MYCLOUD-123456
My Cloud Home Duo
My Cloud
\\WDMYCLOUD
My Cloud Mirror
\\WDMYCLOUDMIRROR
My Cloud Mirror Gen 2
My Cloud EX2
\\WDMYCLOUDEX2
My Cloud EX2 Ultra
\\MYCLOUDEX2ULTRA
My Cloud EX4
\\WDMYCLOUDEX4
My Cloud EX2100
\\WDMYCLOUDEX2100
My Cloud EX4100
\\WDMYCLOUDEX4100
My Cloud DL2100
\\WDMYCLOUDDL2100
My Cloud DL4100
\\WDMYCLOUDDL4100
My Cloud PR2100
\\MYCLOUDPR2100
My Cloud PR4100
\\MYCLOUDPR2100
Open Windows File Explorer and click on Network on the left pane.
Key in the network path of the WD NAS, which is based on its device name. Make sure you include \\ before the network path.
You will be asked to key in a user name and password.
This can be the administrator’s login, or the login of any registered user of your WD NAS.
Remember – Windows 10 no longer allows guest logins or public access. So you will need to create a password-protected account even for guests to use.
Once you successfully authenticate your user name and password, the network shares of your WD NAS will become visible in File Explorer under Network!You can stop here, but you will need to keep keying in the network path and login to access your NAS every time you boot into Windows.
For more convenience, you can create a password-protected Private Share.Start by right-clicking on a network share from your WD NAS and select Map network drive…
Select a drive letter for the network share.
Check Reconnect at sign-in if you don’t want to automatically log into the drive.
Then click Finish to map the drive.
That’s it! If you expand This PC in Windows File Explorer, you should now see that the WD NAS network drive has now been mapped by its device name!
Alternate Solution : Enable Network Discovery Without SMB1
This Windows 10 workaround can be used if your WD NAS supports SMB2 or SMB3 and you prefer not to map the network drives.
Go to Windows Services.
Start these two services :
– Function Discovery Provider Host
– Function Discovery Resource Publication
Set the Startup type for both those services to Automatic (Delayed Start).
Open Windows File Explorer and go to Network.
When prompted, enable Network Discovery.
Your WD NAS shares should now be visible in Windows File Explorer.
Worst Case Solution : Enable Network Discovery Without SMB1
This should only be attempted if your WD NAS simply cannot support SMB2 or SMB3, and can only use SMB1.
Go to Control Panel > Programs.
Click on Turn Windows features on or off.
Expand the SMB 1.0/CIFS File Sharing Support option.
Check the SMB 1.0/CIFS Client option.
Click the OK button.
Restart Windows 10
After Windows 10 restarts, your WD NAS shares should now be visible in Windows File Explorer.
If you like this review, please support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The PPM Mode BIOS option allows you to change the operating mode of the Processor Power Management (PPM).
When set to Native, the operating system will use its native PPM support to directly control the processor’s performance states and power management.
When set to SSM, the operating system will revert to the ACPI System Management Mode (ACPI SMM), leaving power management to the processor.
If you are using an older operating system like Windows 98 or Windows 2000, you should set this BIOS option to SSM.
You should also select SSM if you are using Windows XP or Windows 2003 in a multi-processor or multi-core environment.
On the other hand, you should select Native if you are using a newer operating system that supports ACPI 3.0. This includes Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows 7, Windows 2008, and Windows 10.
PPM Mode Details
Prior to Windows XP, Microsoft operating systems cannot directly control the processor’s power management. They can only put the processor into its SMM (System Management Mode), whereby the processor would then perform its own power management routines.
Support for ACPI 2.0 processor performance states was first introduced in the Microsoft Windows XP operating system. It finally allowed the operating system to directly control the processor’s power and performance through the Advanced Configuration and Power Interface (ACPI).
However, Processor Power Management in Windows XP is limited to a single processor with a single core and running a single thread. It does not support multi-processor systems, or multi-core processors, or even multi-threading.
Support for multi-processor systems and multi-core processors was eventually added to the ACPI 3.0 specifications. Microsoft Windows Vista was the first Microsoft operating system to offer native support for PPM of multi-processor systems or multi-core processors. This includes systems using processors with multiple logical threads, multiple cores or multiple physical sockets.
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This is where the PPM Mode BIOS option comes in. It allows you to change the operating mode of the Processor Power Management (PPM).
When set to Native, the operating system will use its native PPM support to directly control the processor’s performance states and power management.
When set to SSM, the operating system will revert to the ACPI System Management Mode (ACPI SMM), leaving power management to the processor.
If you are using an older operating system like Windows 98 or Windows 2000, you should set this BIOS option to SSM.
You should also select SSM if you are using Windows XP or Windows 2003 in a multi-processor or multi-core environment.
On the other hand, you should select Native if you are using a newer operating system that supports ACPI 3.0. This includes Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003, Windows 7, Windows 2008, and Windows 10.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
You may recall our extensive coverage of Intel’s buggy Spectre 2 patches that were causing random and spontaneous reboots in over 800 CPU models. It’s gotten so bad that Microsoft was forced to issue KB4078130 – an emergency update to disable the Intel Spectre 2 mitigations that were causing the spontaneous reboots.
Spectre Variant 2
Colloquially known as Spectre 2, it is more accurately known as Spectre Variant 2, Google Project Zero Variant 2 (GPZ Variant 2), or officially as CVE-2017-5715.
After deploying the Spectre 2 patches in their new microcode updates, Intel started receiving reports of “higher than expected reboots and other unpredictable system behaviour“.
Microsoft confirmed this, stating further that their “own experience is that system instability can in some circumstances cause data loss or corruption“.
KB4078130 : Update To Disable Mitigation Against Spectre, Variant 2
Unwilling to wait for Intel to fix the problem, Microsoft decided to issue KB4078130 – an “out of band” or emergency update. All it does is disable the mitigation against Spectre 2.
Their tests proved that this update is sufficient to prevent the random and spontaneous reboots experienced by the affected Intel processors.
If you are a system administrator, or a 1337 techie, Microsoft is making available a new registry key to manually disable and re-enable the mitigation against Spectre 2.
Instructions for Windows administrators –KB4073119
Instructions for Windows Server administrators – KB4072698
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The Alibaba Group is taking their Dingtalk enterprise communication and collaboration platform worldwide. DingTalk CTO, Hugo Zhu and their Head of Global Business Development, Chris Wang, flew in to demonstrate how DingTalk will help businesses small and large improve their staff communication and collaboration.
What Is DingTalk?
Alibaba created DingTalk in January 2015 as a proprietary enterprise communication and collaboration platform that enables text, photo, voice and video communication, workflow management and collaboration among team members and enterprises of various sizes. More than 5 million companies and organizations are currently using it in China.
DingTalk Security
As a Chinese app targeted at enterprises, Alibaba is eager to assure users of the security of the DingTalk platform. It features end-to-end 256-bit AES encryption over SSL/TLS connections. It is also one of the first Chinese apps to have obtained the ISO/IEC 27001:2013 standard.
Enterprises that require additional security can opt for third-party encryption services that will provide assurance that the messages and data sent or shared on DingTalk cannot be accessed, even if their servers are compromised in any way.
DingTalk Communication Features
Phone / Chat: DingTalk can support up to 3,000 members in a single group chat.
Voice Conferencing: Multi-party participation with ease of clicking a button on the group chat for up to 50 people. Voice service is currently only available via VoIP for users outside of China.
Video Conferencing: High-definition video conferencing equipment for up to 16 parties, view conference status at a glance and easily switch between training and discussion mode, supports both desktop and file sharing. Video services is currently only available via VoIP for users outside of China.
Ding Mail: Effective email messaging and receive email notifications in chats. Ding Mail makes email messaging more like chats instead of threads.
Organization Chart: View organization’s structure in a glance, find people and contacts with ease.
Read/Unread Status: All types of messaging display read / unread statuses for improving communications efficiency.
Secret Chat: Send a traceless secret message for ultimate privacy and protection. Once read, the message automatically delete itself after 30 seconds. No Copy& Paste is allowed during Secret Chat mode. Both profiles within the Secret Chat are masked, hence the identities remain concealed.
DingTalk Office Automation Features
Attendance: User-friendly and smart Clocking-In and Out system, automatically generates attendance reports, approvals for business trips and leave are automatically.
Approvals: all your workplace tools in one place – requests for leaves, applications for business trips or reimbursements at the convenience of your phone. Recommended process templates are provided for each industry. Approval functions lets you view pending applications, keep track of all your approved applications and submit your own applications for approval.
Ding Drive: quick and easy file collaboration, integrated company chats, making sharing files between colleagues even easier. Easy and sharable files between companies through your external contacts or keep files only accessible to employees. Free storage for every registered organizations. Different permission settings available in regular chars, private chats or organization chats.
Check-In: More of a field-force feature. NO setup is required and it captures all check-in records in one report.
Log: View work reports from previous days, weeks or months to help identify problems
Announcement: Announcements can be made within your department / organization. Members will receive notifications once announcement has been posted.
DingTalk Collaboration Features
DING Message: Send important messages via SMS, phone or in the app ( DING message via phone is only available for a few customers and the function is available only to a “White List” of users and is not available to the general public)
DING Tasks: create and assign work tasks in seconds
DING Meetings: Book offline meetings, video conferences and conference calls (voice and video services are currently only available via VoIP for users outside of China)
External Contacts: Batch add from Phone Contacts / import from PC, Add manually or Scan Business Card to add external contacts to your DingTalk. Under the Scan Business Card function, all you need to do is scan the business card and all information will be automatically extracted and saved under External Contacts.
Hot Line: Local hotline number for customers in Malaysia is +603 20929588
Field Support: When required, DingTalk’s local team will provide onsite deployment service or training for organizations and companies.
DingTalk Smart Office Devices
Enterprises, small and large, can further leverage the capabilities of DingTalk with the addition of these DingTalk Smart office Devices :
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With the C1 Smart Wi-Fi Router, users can complete the 4-step configuration in 5 minutes. With one-click setup and seamless roaming, the router enables smart network traffic control and supports up to 256 devices.
Besides screen sharing between offices powered by DingTalk, users can also use D6 Wireless HD Projector or V1 Wireless Portable Projector for presentation.
DingTalk enables enterprises to conveniently record attendance in the workplace and at external meetings with the M1 Finger Print Attendance Machine and M2 Facial Recognition Smart Receptionist.
DingTalk Price & Availability
Originally designed as a Chinese app, DingTalk is now available as an English app in Google Play Store, and the Apple App Store. It is also available on the desktop for Windows and Mac systems.
The native features of DingTalk are FREE for all enterprises to use, irrespective of their size. Optional third-party, or value added services (e.g. additional Ding Drive storage) may be applicable.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The Gate A20 Option BIOS feature is used to determine the method by which Gate A20 is controlled. The Normal option forces the chipset to use the slow keyboard controller to do the switching. The Fast option, on the other hand, allows the chipset to use its own 0x92 port for faster switching. No candy for guessing which is the recommended setting!
Please note this feature is only important for operating systems that switch a lot between real mode and protected mode. These operating systems include 16-bit operating systems like MS-DOS and 16-bit/32-bit hybrid operating systems like Microsoft Windows 98.
This feature has no effect if the operating system only runs in real mode (no operating system currently in use does that, as far as I know!) or if the operating system operates entirely in protected mode (i.e. Microsoft Windows XP or newer). This is because if A20 mode switching is not required, then it does not matter at all if the switching was done by the slow keyboard controller or the faster 0x92 port.
With all that said and done, the recommended setting for this BIOS feature is still Fast, even with operating systems that don’t do much mode switching. Although using the 0x92 port to control Gate A20 has been known to cause spontaneous reboots in certain, very rare instances, there is really no reason why you should keep using the slow keyboard controller to turn A20 or or off.
Details
The A20 address line is a relic from the past. It came about because the father of x86 processors – the Intel 8088 had only 20 address lines! That meant that it could only address 1 MB of memory. Of course, in the 8088 days, 1 MB of memory was a LOT!
When the Intel 80286 processor was introduced, it had 24 address lines. This represented a tremendous leap in the amount of addressable memory. Although there were only four extra address lines, that allowed the 80286 to address up to 16 MB of memory.
To maintain 100% software compatibility with the 8088, the 80286 had a real mode that would truncate addresses to 20-bits. Unfortunately, a design bug prevented it from truncating the addresses properly. Thus, the 80286 was unable to run many 8088-compatible software.
To solve this problem, IBM designed an AND gate switch to control the 20th address bit. This switch was henceforth known as the Gate A20. When enabled, all available address lines would be used by the processor for access to memory above the first megabyte.
In the 8088-compatible real mode, the Gate A20 would be used to clear the 20th bit of all addresses. This allowed the 80286 to function like a superfast 8088 processor with access only to the first megabyte of memory.
Even today, Gate A20 is still an important part of the computer. The processor needs to turn A20 on and off when it switches between real mode and protected mode. Since operating systems like Microsoft Windows 98 switch a lot between real mode and protected mode, relying on the understandably slow keyboard controller was not acceptable.
The motherboard chipset’s I/O port 0x92 (System Control Port A) was summarily recruited to take over the job. A lot faster than the keyboard controller, the 0x92 port allows the processor to switch much faster between real mode and protected mode. This translates into faster memory access and better system performance.
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The Gate A20 Option BIOS feature is used to determine the method by which Gate A20 is controlled. The Normal option forces the chipset to use the slow keyboard controller to do the switching. The Fast option, on the other hand, allows the chipset to use its own 0x92 port for faster switching. No candy for guessing which is the recommended setting!
Please note this feature is only important for operating systems that switch a lot between real mode and protected mode. These operating systems include 16-bit operating systems like MS-DOS and 16-bit/32-bit hybrid operating systems like Microsoft Windows 98.
This feature has no effect if the operating system only runs in real mode (no operating system currently in use does that, as far as I know!) or if the operating system operates entirely in protected mode (i.e. Microsoft Windows XP or newer). This is because if A20 mode switching is not required, then it does not matter at all if the switching was done by the slow keyboard controller or the faster 0x92 port.
With all that said and done, the recommended setting for this BIOS feature is still Fast, even with operating systems that don’t do much mode switching. Although using the 0x92 port to control Gate A20 has been known to cause spontaneous reboots in certain, very rare instances, there is really no reason why you should keep using the slow keyboard controller to turn A20 or or off.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The year-end and new year holiday season is upon us! From now until the first few days of 2016, the Internet will be replete with a ton of offers and freebies to celebrate the end of 2015, and a new start to 2016.
Here at Tech ARP, we will be posting some of the best offers and freebies, so check back often! In the meantime, enjoy this freebie from Creatable and MacPhun Software!
Creatable + MacPhun Design Freebie Bundle
Creatable and MacPhun Software have jointly released a Design Freebie Bundle of 27 resource packs worth $456, but is now FREE to download and use!
The Creatable + MacPhun Design Freebie Bundle consists of the following software :
Focus CK for Mac – $60 value
Simple Icons Set – $50 value
Photoshop Actions by Filterlicious – $24 value
UI Kit for Apple Watch Apps – $29 value
Mac Mockups Set – $18 value
Monobrand iOS UI Kit – $38 value
Lightroom Presets by CreativePresets – $19 value
Retro Jam UI Kit – $19 value
Exeo UI Kit – $35 value
Workspace Hero Images – $12 value
Gradient Presentation Template – $9 value
Royal UI Kit – $9 value
Tech Brochure & Newsletter Template – $23 value
Party Vector Icons – $4 value
Combinations UI Kit – $6 value
Boost UI Kit – $28 value
Winter Watercolor Backgrounds – $8 value
48 Watercolor Backgrounds – $10 value
Artistic Backgrounds – $5 value
Sketch Art Photoshop Action – $5 value
Realistic Painting Action V2 – $5 value
Anaglyph PS Action – $3 value
Creative Design Business Cards – $3 value
Creative Corporate Design Letterhead – $3 value
Quick Paint PS Action – $3 value
Stationery Mockups – $3 value
Christmas Infographics & Illustrations – $20 value
Business Infographics – $5 value
Although some of them are Mac-specific, many of the resources can be used with Windows and Linux PCs.
How To Download The Design Freebie Bundle
Just click here to get to the Creatable + MacPhun Design Freebie Bundle landing page. Once you are there, just click on the Get This Free > link, and this screen will pop-up :
Just key in your email address and click Continue >>
You will receive an email with a secure link to download those resources.
Please note that you only need to do this once, because the offer is for ALL 27 resources. You do not have to “purchase” each free resource individually.
