Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show ...

If you get a new PC or tablet, it will have Microsoft's new OS pre-installed. Here's how to get the OS on an older or custom-build machine. I've been testing PC and mobile software for more than 20 ...

Microsoft’s decision to not tamper with the foundation of Windows 8 by leaving it largely unchanged helped the company bring forth dozens of crucial improvements alongside better app ecosystem in the ...

Microsoft has outlined the streamlined, from-60-down-to-11-clicks upgrade process for Windows 8 -- as in, the installer that appears when mom or pop insert a Windows 8 disc into their Windows 7 or ...

Microsoft’s Windows 8.1 may sound like a new operating system, but it’s really more like a Service Pack. The update includes new features, modifies old ones, and fixes flaws, but it doesn’t amount to ...

Windows 8 is here, but plenty of Windows users are still on the fence about whether to take it for a spin. In the wake of Windows Vista, you can’t blame Windows users for being cautious; upgrading ...

We may have a new version of Windows, but one story is still the same: buying a new Windows 8 PC means that you’re also buying a bunch of OEM-installed software that you didn’t ask for. This software ...

Building installers on Windows used to be complicated. It all depended on which installation tool were you using and how was your code being distributed. Could you wrap an executable around a Zip file ...

Crapware is a fact of life for Windows PC buyers. Most of the time, it’s relatively harmless: limited anti-virus subscriptions you don’t want, WildTangent games and demoware you don’t need, and ...

I’m writing this on an Asus Zenbook UX31A at a Peet’s Coffee on Stevens Creek Boulevard in the heart of Silicon Valley. In an adjacent table a man and woman have papers spread out on a table, talking ...

Windows has always boasted an impressive assortment of third-party programs that enhance its functionality. However, until recently there wasn’t a single way for users to get applications. Some ...