Piltch Point (Video)

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is famously Avram's favorite laptop and the one that he owns personally. This week, we're getting a closer look at the newest version of the laptop - the 9th Generation.

The new model has a number of changes over its predecessor, but the most immediately noticeable is the screen. The size has changed because instead of the 16x9 aspect ratio, the 9th generation is using a 16x10 aspect ratio. This means that instead of 1920x1080, it has 1920x1200. We've seen more laptops go this direction, offering more vertical real estate instead of giving it all to the horizontal.

This generation also offers several choices for screens. You can get an FHD+ (WUXGA) or UHD+ resolution, and you can it with and without touch capability. For some, touch is an absolute necessity, while others prefer to skip the feature entirely. Lenovo is known for giving the option, and this model is no different. The FHD+ screen offers a theoretical 400 nits (though tests show closer to 350), while the UHD+ screen has a theoretical 500 nits.

Another major feature of the new generation is its battery life. On the Tom's Hardware tests, they consistently got 15.5 hours of continual use. This is a big improvement over its predecessor. On a number of tests, it is averaging about 3 hours more than its 8th Generation counterpart. Those extra hours can be a benefit for those who work a long day on the go, such as being on the show floor of a trade show, or traveling cross-country or intercontinental.

The X1 Carbon offers a lot in its small body. Coming in at just 2.5 pounds slightly above a half inch thick, this laptop really packs a punch. It's got its big screen, but also offers the famous Lenovo keyboard. Lenovo laptop keyboards are regarded as the best in the industry, and the X1 Carbon does not disappoint. It also offers a new, bigger touchpad, giving a larger hit box so you have to lift your finger less often when going across the screen.

In addition, we get a ton of full-size ports - something that is becoming less common on these small format laptops. In addition to a pair of USB-C ports, both of which can be used to charge the laptop, you also get two USB-A ports - one on each side of the laptop. There is also a full-size HDMI port, meaning you will not need a special cable or an adapter to hook up to a monitor or television. As a business class laptop, needing less specialty cables makes presentations and travel easier. It also has a headphone jack, another port that is slowly disappearing from electronics of all types.

The newest generation of ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a great laptop for general use or business applications, which is who it is intended for. However, remember that, with integrated graphics, this will not be the right choice for video editing or videogaming, unless you're using something like Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Avram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.

Allante - also well known as Wolff - is the newest member and co-host for PLuGHiTz Live! Radio. A gifted artist, he is usually found drawing up a character or two or sketching up whatever comes to mind. Do not think that he is not a hardcore gamer because he is about as hardcore as it gets! His favorites range from fighting games to RPGs, adventure and even a racing game here and there. Fighting games are his forte and he relays this message for all who oppose: You mess with the Wolff and you get the fangs!

Xbox Live - Enigmatic Wolff

PSN - Tsukuyomi_Okami

One of the tasks that many computer users want to do is share the content on their screens. This can be for a presentation, to create a tutorial video, or simply to save something that is not easily savable otherwise. However, even though the demand is high, most computer users don't know all of the different ways you can accomplish your goals. The good news is that Avram is here to show you how to do it.

The most common need, of course, is for still images. For many, a whole window or whole monitor is sufficient, but for others, a small section is better. There are different ways to accomplish this.

If you want to capture the entire computer's display (all monitors currently connected, minus protected content), the easiest way is with the Print Screen key on your keyboard. By pressing this key, everything that exists (except your mouse pointer) will be captured and saved to your clipboard. From there, you can paste it into an email, chat program (like Teams or Slack), or a graphics program (like Photoshop or Paint). You also have the ability to save it directly to a file by adding the Windows key to the Print Screen key. The file is saved to your Photos folder under Screenshots.

A similar built-in function is the ability to capture just the active window. This will capture everything that is not protected content. Pressing Alt + Print Screen will capture the current window directly to your clipboard. You can again paste it into your choice of program to share or edit. Just like the full computer option, you can also directly create a file by adding the Windows key.

If you want to capture only part of the screen, this can be accomplished using the Snip & Sketch tool built into Windows. The quickest way to this feature is to press Windows + Shift + S and the tool will open to the snip feature. You can then select a rectangle, custom shape, current window, or full display. The best use is to draw a rectangle around the content you want, and it will be saved into your clipboard for external use.

You can also set a delay on the screenshot using the full tool. Search for Snip & Sketch in the Search box (not Snipping Tool). From there, you can determine a 3 or 10-second delay. This allows you to get things into place before the screenshot is taken. Once again, the image is saved to your clipboard.

Sometimes you want to save an entire window, but more than can be seen on the screen at once. That's one of the places where PicPick comes in. In addition to being able to do all of the above tasks. this freemium app also allows you to pick a scrolling window and capture all of its content. The window scrolls in segments and the app stitches together a single image. The longer the window,'s content, the longer it takes to capture, and the longer the image.

Built into Windows 10 and Windows 11 is the Xbox Game Bar. This tool gives a number of features, but the one most useful to non-gamers is the screen recorder. You can open the Game Bar by hitting Windows + G, or you can go directly to recording the screen by hitting Windows + Alt + R. This feature will record the active window and only the active window. If you select out of the window that is being recorded, the recording will end. The recordings are saved to your Videos folder under a folder called Captures.

The more advanced (and more complicated) way to record your screen is with the open-source OBS. While the software is designed for streaming and smaller-scale broadcasts, it also handles screen recording well. You add your monitor as an input, select it as active, and hit record. You can also zoom in, create scenes, and a whole lot more.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Avram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.

With the upcoming Windows 11, Microsoft is introducing a lot of new features, as well as updated interfaces for long-time aspects of the operating system. While some updates are receiving praise, like the updated Microsoft Paint, others are not being received so well. One of those unpleasant changes is the default apps process. In the past, changing a default app, such as your browser, was a pretty easy process. In fact, in most browsers, you would receive a banner across the top saying, "This is not your default browser. Would you like to make it default?" If you clicked the button, you would receive a dialog allowing you to choose your new browser.

Today, however, this process is different. Unfortunately, it seems to be based around the terrible iOS 14 system, in which you need to choose the application from the default programs settings menu, rather than the task at hand (default browser). Under those settings, you get a ton of new options, rather than just choosing the default for the task. Among them is one option for HTTP and another for HTTPS. While there are two options available, they seem to be linked, meaning if you set one, the other changes.

So, you might be wondering why there are two options, and you would be right to wonder that. You might also wonder why the option isn't called "Default Browser" rather than mentioning specific protocols, which are tied together. All of this indicates a level of insight that Microsoft seems to be missing right now.

The company claims that the changes are intended to bring finer granularity to the control of which browser does what. In fact, you can have *.htm files open in a different browser from *.html files. Why you would want that is a mystery, but it is still an option. You can also change what program opens PDF files, and a whole lot more. But all of this was available before, just hidden behind an advanced menu - not available for your parents to get confused by.

There is also the issue of certain parts of the OS completely ignoring your default browser selection. For example, if you do a Windows Search and click on a result, it will not open in your default browser. Instead, it opens in Edge - no matter what. The same situation exists for the new Widgets panel - all links always open in Edge. Neither of these are new issues, but they are annoying nonetheless.

Fortunately, there is a tool called EdgeDeflector, which takes requests from Search and News and redirects them from Edge to your default browser. This works in current versions of Windows as well as Windows 11. Avram has a tutorial on how to install and configure EdgeDeflector, as well as how to change the default browser in the new Windows 11 interface available over on Tom's Hardware.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Avram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.

If you are using a laptop, you likely do not have a number pad on the right side of your keyboard. However, most standard keyboards have it, despite many people not using the section at all. Sure, accountants and programmers use it all day every day, but for the rest of us, it would be great to be able to use those keys for something else. Luckily, Avram has a couple of great tools to be able to put those 14 keys to your right to work for you.

First up is a tool called SharpKeys. This tool is designed specifically to remap one to another. So, for instance, maybe you want to turn your number pad plus and minus keys into Windows volume up and volume down keys instead. Using SharpKeys you can do exactly that.

The benefit of using this particular tool is that it does not have to run in the background, using system resources. Instead, it makes changes to your Windows registry to actually tell Windows to treat the keys differently. This will reduce system lag while giving direct access to the computer's functionality. The downside of this is that it means you cannot do anything terribly advanced with the keys. It is a direct one-to-one map, and nothing more. If simple is your preference, then SharpKey is for you.

However, if you want to do more advanced functions with your keyboard, then you might want to give AutoHotkey a shot. With AutoHotkey, you can do a lot more than just map keys to one another. You can create macros, write common phrases, open programs, and run commands that do not have their own keyboard shortcuts.

Let's pretend that Notepad didn't have the ctrl + s keyboard shortcut for save. You could also type alt, f, s to access the menu manually. But, with AutoHotkey, you could turn one of the keys on your keyboard, or even a keyboard combination, into that same command. So, you could reprogram ctrl + s to manually type out alt, f, s and save the file.

Even more interesting, you can limit the scope of your keyboard macros. Perhaps you only want a particular shortcut to work in Microsoft Edge. You can set the context of ctrl + s to do something completely different, like clicking on a save button on the screen. Then, you could use the same key combination to do something else in Notepad.

If you've ever thought that using your keyboard to move your mouse pointer might be a great use of your time and patience, then Windows Mouse Keys is available. You can search for "mouse keys" in the Windows 10 menu, or in the Settings app. This Windows feature allows you to use your number pad's arrow keys to move the mouse up, down, left, right, and all of the diagonals. Clearly this feature is not for everyone, but it could possibly put those keys to work.

Avram has a lot more information, including step-by-step instructions on how to install and use these tools over at Tom's Hardware.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Avram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.

It's been a while since Avram brought us a new laptop, and this week we have the 6th generation of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga. The Yoga family is known for its bend-backward design, allowing you to convert from a laptop into a tablet. But, it also allows for various other configurations, such as a tent (which is great for presentations). The newest model of the family, and has been upgraded with a new processor, adjusted screen resolution, and a lot more. While the official review will hit this week on Tom's Hardware, Avram gave us a preview of what to expect.

First and foremost, the X1 Yoga has unbelievable battery life. In the Tom's Guide tests, the model they are testing ran for 16 hours. When talking about a laptop, that will give you more than all-day battery performance. For a business-focused laptop, that means you'll be able to use it throughout your entire workday.

Another important topic for Avram is the keyboard, and the X1 Yoga does not disappoint. This new model has a keyboard that vo users will recognize, as the company is known for its quality laptop keyboards. In addition, the computer features the eraser-head track pointer. While this may not be a big selling point for all users, those who love the older-style mouse alternative will appreciate its inclusion.

Of course, nothing is quite as important as the specs of the computer, and these are great. The company has upgraded the processor to the 11th generation Intel Core, with choices to configure the way you want. Models start out with the Core i5-1135G7 but can be configured up to the Core i7-1185G7. In addition, you can get both 8GB and 16GB of RAM. It is important to note that this RAM is soldered onto the board, so it cannot be upgraded later. You will want to spend the extra money and upgrade to the 16GB of RAM, because a computer is not usually a short-term purchase, and 8GB is not enough today, let alone in the future.

One of the most obvious changes in specs, though, is the screen. Rather than a more traditional 16:9 aspect ratio, the newest model has taken on a 16:10 aspect ratio. This will give you as much horizontal screen real estate while adding a noticeable amount of vertical real estate. The traditional aspect ratio has been seeing a decrease in use outside of televisions, which many consider a win.

Lenovo chose to allow the X1 Yoga to be a little thicker, coming in at 0.6 inches, in order to give us some much-needed ports. While many modern laptops have been going thinner at the expense of ports, the X1 Yoga includes 2 USB-A ports, 2 USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, and an HDMI port. The laptop comes in at just about 3 pounds, only a half-pound more than the X1 Carbon, which is one of Avram's top choices. The availability of the extra ports will be useful in a business environment and are therefore much more appreciated than a slightly thinner or lighter computer.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Avram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.

With any new version of Windows comes an updated UI. Windows 11 has introduced some of the biggest UI changes since Windows 95 (with Windows 8 set aside since Windows 10 undid almost all of that paradigm). Avram has been living inside of the latest Windows 11 build and has some of the most important changes, as well as ways to restore previous Windows UIs (for now).

With change comes discomfort for many, and Windows 11 has a lot of big changes. The biggest and most obvious is the Start Button and Start Menu. First, let's talk about the position: the Taskbar, and therefore the Start Button, is centered by default. This is a major change, as Start has been in the lower-left corner since Windows 95. One of the biggest complaints with this positioning is that the Start Button moves around based on how many apps are open. If Microsoft had decided to place the Start Button in the middle of the taskbar and apps stretched out left AND right from that position, it might have had a different reaction, but that is not the case. Instead, it is left-justified in a centered world, meaning it doesn't have its own place. The good news is that you can easily change this back to left justification in the Taskbar settings.

The Start Menu itself is the next major change. By default, it is bigger than the Start Menu in previous Windows versions (except Windows 8, which was full screen). But, while there is more space on the new menu, there is less information available. Only 18 apps appear pinned on the screen, followed by recent and recommended content. To get the full app list, you must click a button in the top-right corner, and then you get the alphabetized list. In Windows 10, you can have the full list appear on the left with your pinned Tiles on the right. This gives a lot more access without clicks. Now, the majority of the Start Menu is hidden behind a click.

Adding to that, Search has changed, as well. In Windows 10, you can hit the Windows key on your keyboard and start typing to search your computer and the web. Now, Search and Start are different screens, and switching between them requires another click. When you click in the search bar at the top of Start, you are switched out of Start and into the new Search experience. The Search panel is larger than Start, and positioned differently, so the transition is a bit jarring. You can access the menu directly by using Windows+S, but that will, of course, require more keys and changes to behavior that has been taught for the last number of versions of Windows.

There are ways to get a classic Start Menu back, as well as a classic or custom Start Button, using some tools available online. You can also get the full Windows 10 taskbar back using a Registry key change, though many aspects no longer work, such as Search and Task View. These hacks could always be undermined, as Microsoft keeps taking things away with updates.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Avram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.

Recently, Tom's Hardware has begun covering 3D printers. As such, Avram has been doing a deep dive into the world of 3D printers and what it takes to use them effectively. What he has learned is that they are not exactly straightforward, but also not exactly complicated. There are choices that need to be made, processes that need to be followed, and you'll be able to accurately predict the end result.

First and foremost, you need to choose your printer. There are tons of companies that are in the 3D printer space these days, and there is a whole spectrum of printers available. There are a number of conditions to take into consideration: size, print surface, materials, method, and price. Size and print surface are often tied together - a smaller printer will likely be able to print smaller items, so you'll need to decide what it is you're going for.

Next is deciding the type of printing you want to do. There are several ways of printing, including extrusions (usually through spools of plastic) and resin (using a liquid and lasers). Extrusion printers are the ones most people are familiar with, and offer the less expensive entrance into the experience. They are similar to a standard inkjet printer. Resin is more expensive to get started but offers a more detailed print, as well as a lower cost to operate over the long run. This would be more like a standard laser printer.

All of these choices lead to possibly the most important aspect: price. Larger printers, more detailed tools, and better print technology will lead to higher prices. But, for those who are just getting started, beginning with a less expensive device might be the right way to go.

Now that you've got your printer and all of your supplies, it's time to put the printer to use. There are several places where you can download existing models for items, but the most popular is Thingiverse from MakerBot. On this site, you can find everything from a wall hanging of Homer Simpson's face to a chassis for a remote controlled car. Starting here gives you the ability to test out your printer and get comfortable with the concept.

Once you're comfortable with your hardware, you can start customizing. There are software products designed specifically for 3D modeling. They range from free to incredibly expensive, offering a wide range of features and precision. Unless your printer comes with a license for a paid version, it's best to try out one of the free ones in order to get used to it. If you're like Avram, though, the free products will not provide the precision that you need.

Tom's Hardware now has a lot of detailed information about 3D printers, including a number of reviews of printers. Use this information to help you make a smart, informed decision about which one is right for you and your needs. Then, make sure to share with us the items you make with your printer!

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Avram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.

This week, Avram Piltch talks about the newly announced Windows 11 (Sun Valley), the new features, and the confusion around the release.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Avram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.

When Windows 10 was announced, one of the biggest changes was to the distribution model. Rather than being a multi-year development cycle with major updates bringing a new version number and a new charge, Windows 10 would be the last version of Windows. All updates would come under that moniker and would not cost - instead, these updates would be bi-annual and be distributed through Windows Update. This week, some of that has been walked back, but not the important part - Windows 11 will be a free update for Windows 10 owners.

If you use a computer, you've experienced some sort of a crash. Even Apple, despite its marketing, experiences hardware failures, software conflicts, or driver issues. But, there's a very famous and painful type of computer failure that nearly everyone is familiar with: the Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). This is the screen that Windows shows when something has gone tragically wrong. To recover from one of these failures can be a challenge, but Tom's Hardware has got a lot of information to help you get back up and running.

One of the best ways to recover from a BSOD is to keep the stop code or the QR code on the error screen. This can give you a lot of information about what happened because the screen can be caused by a lot of different issues. The debugging process is different for CRITICAL_PROCESS_DIED, versus IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (or the various other errors). You can then head to Microsoft's page for some next steps. But, Windows is set by default to reboot after a failure, so you're up against a clock. If you lose the details, it's okay - there's another way.

Windows creates a memory dump during a crash, and you can use the minidump file to debug your issue. There is software available to read and interpret the file to give you insight into what happened so you can undo it. But, even with all of the information, you might need the trial and error method.

Safe Mode is a great tool for trial and error. It prevents a bunch of possibly problematic aspects of Windows from loading. From here, you can turn things on one at a time to determine if a new driver, Windows Update, or piece of software has caused the issue.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Avram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.

If you follow the cryptocurrency world, you've likely encountered Chia - the new currency that works differently from all the others. Normally, coins are mined through a process called "proof of work." This requires a lot of computing power, which in turn requires a lot of electrical power. The reward is a coin in the corresponding currency, whether it be Bitcoin, Etherium, Doge, or others. But Chia doesn't use proof of work, and instead uses a Proof of Time and Space algorithm.

This altered process doesn't rely heavily on processing power, but instead on storage. Tom's Hardware has a rundown on what is needed, but the concept is modeled on farming. You have a hard drive, which is untamed land. You create a plot on that land in order to farm. You plant your seeds and wait for your number to be chosen in order to reap the rewards.

The biggest issue with farming Chia is that blocks come to you on a random lottery system. So, you could be waiting for a very long time before one of your plots matures, or you could hit two in a row. There is absolutely no telling or predicting how or when you might receive anything for your time. In other systems, there is a bit of the unknown involved, in that you are never guaranteed a block to mine. But, blocks are readily available, and the amount of work for one is enough to distribute between multiple systems. Plus, most crypto systems start to assign blocks to known entities - essentially individuals or pools that are guaranteed to complete a block. Chia is working to add pooling in order to offer wider distribution of rewards, but unlike with Bitcoin, it's not quite the same compromise being made to join a pool.

Scott is a developer who has worked on projects of varying sizes, including all of the PLUGHITZ Corporation properties. He is also known in the gaming world for his time supporting the rhythm game community, through DDRLover and hosting tournaments throughout the Tampa Bay Area. Currently, when he is not working on software projects or hosting F5 Live: Refreshing Technology, Scott can often be found returning to his high school days working with the Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST), mentoring teams and helping with ROBOTICON Tampa Bay. He has also helped found a student software learning group, the ASCII Warriors, currently housed at AMRoC Fab Lab.

Avram's been in love with PCs since he played original Castle Wolfenstein on an Apple II+. Before joining Tom's Hardware, for 10 years, he served as Online Editorial Director for sister sites Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag, where he programmed the CMS and many of the benchmarks. When he's not editing, writing or stumbling around trade show halls, you'll find him building Arduino robots with his son and watching every single superhero show on the CW.