2022 December eBytes
Microsoft Windows 11 Review
Wi-Fi Range Extender vs. Mesh Network: What's the Difference?
The Tech We're Most Thankful for This Year
Wi-Fi 7 Explained: Everything to Know About Tomorrow's Fastest Wireless Spec
Clear the Clutter: How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad
How to Choose the Right Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid for You
The Best iPhone Apps for 2022
The Best Apple Watch for 2022
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Microsoft Windows 11 Review
A radically modernized, more consistent design for Windows belies what is really more of an evolutionary update to the world's most popular desktop operating system.
https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/microsoft-windows-11
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Wi-Fi Range Extender vs. Mesh Network: What's the Difference?
Looking to increase the power of your current wireless connection? Learn the difference between a Wi-Fi extender and a mesh system to make a better decision.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/wi-fi-range-extender-vs-mesh-network-whats-the-difference
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The Tech We're Most Thankful for This Year
After 12 months and countless hours of testing, rating, and writing hundreds of reviews, we present our annual collection of the most exceptional technology products in 15 important categories. Don't start your holiday shopping without consulting our expertly curated list.
https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-tech-products
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Wi-Fi 7 Explained: Everything to Know About Tomorrow's Fastest Wireless Spec
Wi-Fi 7 devices will start appearing early in '23, and the next-gen standard promises peak speeds up to four times faster than Wi-Fi 6, which is itself still cutting edge. Here's what we know so far.
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Clear the Clutter: How to Free Up Space on Your iPhone or iPad
Is the storage full on your iOS device? Here's how to figure out what's taking up the most space on your iPhone and iPad so you can decide what to delete.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-free-up-space-on-your-iphone-or-ipad
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How to Choose the Right Over-the-Counter Hearing Aid for You
FDA-approved hearing aids are hitting major retailers with prices ranging from $199 to $2,000+. Here's what to look for before you buy.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-choose-the-right-over-the-counter-hearing-aid-for-you
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The Best iPhone Apps for 2022
The App Store hosts more than 2 million titles, so it's tough choosing which ones to install on your iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, or other Apple handset. We help you decide.
https://www.pcmag.com/picks/best-iphone-apps
25 iPhone Apps Worth Paying For - You spend $4 on coffee; what's 99 cents for an app you'll love?
https://www.pcmag.com/picks/26-ios-apps-worth-paying-for
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The Best Apple Watch for 2022
Can't decide between the Apple Watch Series 8, SE, Ultra, or an older model that's still on sale? We're here to help you figure out which Apple Watch is best for you.
https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-apple-watch
Buying a New Smartwatch? Ask Yourself These Questions First - Choosing the right smartwatch is all about your phone type, budget and usage plans.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/buying-a-new-smartwatch-ask-yourself-these-questions-first
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Links - News, Tips, & Downloads
How to Recycle Outdated Gadgets for Free - Upgraded to a new device on Black Friday? Don't throw your old gadget away. Here's what to do instead.
The Best Windows 11 Tips and Tricks - Windows 11 gives Microsoft's venerable OS a new look and adds a few features you'll want to tweak or customize.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/best-windows-11-tips-and-tricks
How to Switch Internet Providers as Painlessly as Possible - There are a few reasons to switch internet providers, but only one way to do it without excess headaches and hassles. Here's how.
https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/how-to-switch-internet-providers-as-painlessly-as-possible
10 Ways to Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal - Check out these quick tips to boost your wireless signal from your router, extend and optimize your Wi-Fi coverage, and speed up your surfing.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/10-ways-to-boost-your-wi-fi-signal
Why I Ditched My 5G Home Internet and Went Back to Spectrum - Commentary: The "killer app" for 5G isn't remote surgery or driverless cars. Its most appealing advantage for 5G right now is that it's finally challenging cable companies.
https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/why-i-ditched-my-5g-home-internet-and-went-back-to-spectrum
PC on the Fritz? How to Factory Reset a Windows 10 or Windows 11 Computer - If your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC is struggling, it might be time to restore the computer to its out-of-the-box settings.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/factory-reset-windows-10
Best Cheap Phones for 2022: Top Value-Priced Phones - We reviewed affordable phone picks that start as low as $160 from Apple's iPhone line, Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel.
https://www.cnet.com/tech/mobile/best-cheap-phones
Best Wi-Fi 6 Routers of 2022 - You'll need a Wi-Fi 6 router running your smart home in order to take advantage of the fastest speeds and the newest features. Here are the best ones.
https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/best-wi-fi-6-routers
Spec Showdown: The Original IBM 5150 vs. Today's PCs - Just for kicks, let's compare the specs of the 1981-vintage computer that inspired the birth of PC Magazine to some modern-day desktops.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/spec-showdown-the-original-ibm-pc-vs-a-lenovo-thinkcentre-aio
Nearly Half of Local Govt. Employees Use Old Android Devices - The slow uptake of new operating system releases means millions of government devices are vulnerable to cyberattacks.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/nearly-half-of-local-govt-employees-use-old-android-devices
What to Do When Your Printer Won't Print - Whether it's a software or hardware issue, here's how to troubleshoot your finicky printer.
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/what-to-do-when-your-printer-wont-print
I cut my video streaming bill in half, and so can you - Here's how to cut your bill dramatically, without cutting out the TV shows you love, in five steps.
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Ask a Question - Send any Tips & Downloads, Ask a Question, For Sale, or articles to: TheMiningPCC@gmail.com
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Q. From a PCC Member - I have an external SSD “Solid State Drive” that I Defrag. Do I need to DeFrag it so the files are not fragmented? It seems to load 6+ GB files faster after I do.
A. From Tom Kreuzer, a PCC Board member. Good article comparing SSD to HDD.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/ssd-vs-hdd-whats-the-difference-and-which-should-you-buy/
Should you defrag a SSD? NO and it shortens the life of the SSD.
https://www.crucial.com/articles/about-ssd/should-you-defrag-an-ssd
Lots of factors in SSD and HDD that affect performance. You have settings when the drive was formatted like sector size which is how big each chunk of data. It can range from 512 bytes to 32,768 kilobytes. Each sector then has the address for the next sector in the file. What size is best depends on the type of format (FAT32, NTFS, or exFAT) and how large the files will be.
The other major factor in performance is cache/buffer size for the drive. Depending on the software and how it interacts with the drive users can get better performance by turning it off or making it as large as possible. Which is best depends on the software you are using. When data on a drive is fragmented or even trying to read lots of small files that are located all over the place, turning off the cache/buffer can greatly increase speed by not reading data that is never needed. Sounds like your faster performance might be due to the defrag having more data in the cache/buffer.
The settings can vary by drive. Your drive may support one or more of the 3 levels of cache/buffer:
Windows setting for performance. Most drives support this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=680rz9kHdMQ
Some Device driver software have settings for Windows.
Memory built into the hardware and software on the physical drive. Usually set or changed with vendor management software that comes with the drive or using the device driver.
Not sure what software you are using to create/edit these large files, but there are many ways for users to manage files and not end up fragmented. One way: Only create new files on drive A and save any changes to drive B each with a different name for each change so files never get fragmented. Also, if your PC is running out of RAM, buy more RAM or move the Windows RAM swap files to a separate drive. Having separate drives is also important if the software creates temp files.
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Q. From a PCC Member - I recently purchased a laptop for personal use that has a Thunderbolt 4 port. Thunderbolt 4 dock modules are pricey, although I’m aware that USB-C connectors work with Thunderbolt ports. If I connect a USB-C dock module to the Thunderbolt 4 port on my computer, am I likely to see much reduction in picture quality with two 4K monitors that I plan to connect to the dock module? Thanks for any thoughts on this?
A. From Tom Kreuzer, a PCC Board member. From what I can tell the spec for Thunderbolt 4 supports up to 40 Gbps and 100 watts which can feed two 4K monitors. The USB C dock and monitor would depend on what version of USB standard it supports and what wattage is needed. USB 3.1 is 10 Gbps, USB 3.2 is 20 Gbps and USB 4 is 40 Gbps. So it looks like a USB version 4 would have the speed and wattage. Most docks offer multiple connections, you need to look at the details to see exactly what it supports.
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