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 ...

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 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 ...

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 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 ...

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 ...

To say Windows 8 is a knockout crowd-pleaser would be a downright — and dastardly — lie. As sleek, swift and imaginative as the touchscreen operating system may be have seemed upon its initial release ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...