Gear Up: IFROGZ latest wireless earbuds are great summer workout accessories

If you’re in the market for a new set of wireless earphones, you may want to consider checking out the new releases from IFROGZ. Announced just last month, both the InTone Wireless earbuds and the Impulse Duo Wireless earbuds offer great value for the money.

The pair share a number of traits together, including the general design and functionality. They both offer up 10 hours of battery life on a full charge; the included microUSB cord juices them back up in next to no time. We found that each can be fully charged in around an hour or less. Battery life varies depending on how loud you like your music, but 10 hours seems to be a reasonable claim.

Intone

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Impulse Duo

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Although they are wireless, the earbuds do connect to the middle component. It’s here where you’ll find the mic and remote buttons. Each button serves two purposes, one of which is enabled by a quick press and the other which comes by long pressing. Listeners can pause, play, advance and back up tracks, and control volume. The magnetic storage clip ensures that the unit doesn’t slip from your shirt collar or sleeve.

Both models are sweat resistant and come with an IPX-2 rating; this means it will withstand dripping water or sweat from a vigorous run/workout.

There are a couple of reasons, however, you may want to make the jump from the InTone to the Impulse Duo. For about fifteen more bucks you end up with a more premium sound and personalized fit. The latter comes with three sizes of ear tips, giving you a more comfortable overall fit. What’s more, the Impulse Duo is also backed by the Earbud Tips for Life warranty. Should your earbuds get worn down or damaged, IFROGZ will replace them at no cost.

We’ve been a fan of IFROGZ and its parent company ZAGG for some time now and always look forward to testing out new models. If you’re looking for an affordable pair of wireless headphones to help train for a half marathon or just need something to listen to music while playing Pokemon Go, either of these will do the trick.

Nuking the moon, and 5 more insane space missions that never happened

Over the last 50 years, we’ve set foot on the moon, “roved” the Red Planet, and have even hurled a probe into interstellar space — but those are just the missions that succeeded. Through the decades, there have been plenty of strange projects proposed by spacefaring nations, and the vast majority of them never even reach the launch pad. To give you a taste of just how crazy some of these projects are, we’ve gathered up some of the most ridiculous of the bunch. So without further ado, here are six of the weirdest space missions ever considered.

A blimp on Titan

The Cassini probe gave mankind its fist look at the Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. It is the only moon in our solar system known to have an atmosphere and researchers believe it may even host life . To prepare for future missions to Titan, NASA proposed a series of conceptual designs including a a small, helium-filled dirigible, known as the Aerover Blimp.

The zeppelin would utilize three propellers to circumnavigate Titan every one or two weeks. Aerover would be about 33-feet in length and 8-feet in diameter, or — as JPL rather oddly specified — “roughly the length and height of a stretch limousine.” The design calls for a small inflatable wheel along the bottom to cushion the blimp when landing on an array of rocky terrains and allow the unit to float on oceans of liquid methane. According to JPL, the concept is still under consideration, so the notion of piloting a remote-controlled blimp somewhere in the cosmos is still in play. At least for now.

Nuking the moon

Some of most bizarre space missions were a result of the hysteria and seemingly bottomless military bankrolling during the Cold War. In 1957, the successful launch of Sputnik sent the top US military brass into panic mode. Seeing as communist world domination was the next logical step after the achievement, the US Air Force decided it needed to flex its own muscles to save face — and the best way to do this was obviously to nuke the moon. As the saying goes: If you can’t beat ’em, irrationally nuke something … anything.

This program, known as Project A119, remained a secret for more than 40 years until Leonard Reiffel, a physicist who worked on the project, made these mission details public, stating that at the time, the “Air Force wanted a mushroom cloud so large it would be visible on Earth.” Eventually, cooler heads prevailed and the Air Force put its nuclear toys away, thankfully setting its sights on more pragmatic ambitions — like putting humans on the moon.

An orbiting battle station

As noted previously, the world’s two superpowers were rather trigger-happy during the peak of the Cold War. Both sides were developing a myriad of clever ways to effectively vaporize us as a species. Needless to say, these tricked-out death machines weren’t limited to an all-out war here on earth. The Soviets were designing a space station with an on-board “cannon” just in case. And unlike many of these other concepts, this orbiting battle station actually made it to outer space.

The Solyut-3, an early Soviet space station, orbited the earth locked and loaded with a 37-pound rapid-fire cannon capable of shooting more than 5,000 shots per minute and hitting targets nearly two miles away. The overall design did have one rather awkward design flaw, though. To aim the gun, the astronaut had to maneuver the entire 20-ton space station.

Fortunately, the Cold War ended without any full-scale galactic gunslinging, but the Soviets did fire the cannon on at least one occasion. In 1975, just before the space station was set to de-orbit, the the Soviets remotely fired 20 shells — all of which were said to have burned up in the atmosphere.

Triple-planetary flybys

In the 1960s and ’70s, both the U.S. and the Soviet Union were interested in manned flyby missions of Mars and Venus. For the U.S., such flybys were possible using upgraded Apollo mission hardware. In 1966, a the NASA Joint Action Group (JAG) proposed a four-man Mars flyby that would leave Earth in September 1975, arrive at Mars in 1976, and then return to Earth in 1977.

The team also noted a “triple-fly” opportunity involving both Mars and Venus. This theoretical mission would leave Earth in May 1981, fly past Venus on December 28, 1981, boomerang around Mars on October 5, 1982, and again past Venus in the spring of 1983 before returning to Earth on July 25, 1983. Unfortunately, nearly four decades have passed since these rather lofty ambitions without manned flybys of either planet. Perhaps that will change in the near future. In Musk we Trust.

Massive “moon buggies”

To better maneuver the lunar landscape, NASA commissioned General Motors with the task of designing a series of manned lunar vehicles, and the Mobile Laboratory (MOLAB) was a 1965 prototype. At 20 feet in length and weighing more than four tons, the closed-cabin MOLAB was a beast of rover. The pressurized vehicle was designed to function as a geological laboratory, capable of sustaining two astronauts for up to two weeks. The rover had a top speed of 21 miles per hour and a a range of more than 60 miles.

The unit packed a modified Corvair engine under the hood and was so massive it would’ve taken a Saturn rocket to launch it to the moon. Ultimately, NASA eventually shelved plans for its lunar monster truck and instead went with the slightly slimmer, more practical moon buggy design. Nonetheless, at least a few individuals had the opportunity to test drive the bigger, badder version in the New Mexico desert before it was decomissioned. And we did recently get a peek at this badass Mars Rover concept.

Probes to distant stars

Alpha Centauri is about 4.37 light-years (or about 26 trillion miles) from Earth. Nonetheless, a mission known as Project Longshot involved sending a probe to our celestial neighbor. The vehicle itself was to be assembled at the space station and launched on site. The probe would use a fission reactor to then traverse the galaxy for more than a century before reaching its destination. As one could imagine, Project Longshot was a prospective longshot to begin with and never received funding. At the moment, Voyager 1 remains our best shot at reaching another star system. In roughly 40,000 years, the spacecraft will be closer to the star AC +79 3888 than our sun. Mark your calendars.

Best new songs to stream: Chance The Rapper, Twin Peaks, and more

Every week, there are thousands of new songs hitting the airwaves — and it’s just too much for your two ears to handle. With all those options, you can’t be wasting your time on tracks that deserve a thumbs-down click — you want the best new songs to stream now.

But don’t worry, we’re going to save you the hassle. We listen to some of the most-hyped and interesting songs each week, and tell you which are worthy of your precious listening time.

Here are our top five songs to stream this week. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to our Spotify page for a playlist of our weekly picks, which can also be found at the bottom of this post.

Chance The Rapper — Juke Jam (And More, Live at Tiny Desk)

Chicago-born musician Chance The Rapper recently performed a special surprise set at NPR’s offices in Washington D.C. The performance featured a toned-down, vocal-heavy version of his song Juke Jam, as well as a cover of Stevie Wonder’s They Won’t Go When I Go. If you haven’t already been taken by his humble, honest performances, this latest one offers a deeply intimate look at his heavy-hitting musicianship — the kind of ability that has helped him convert hip-hop haters for a few years now.

Twin Peaks — Under The Pines

Indie rock band Twin Peaks have been turning out classic rock-influenced songs of summer for a few years now, and its their latest single, Under The Pines, that we are most taken with this sunny season. A rollicking tune with passionate and upbeat vocals and a unison guitar and saxophone interlude, this one offers a glimpse at the band’s Rolling Stones side.

The Wild Reeds — Capable (Live at KEXP)

Los Angeles-based band The Wild Reeds first crossed our radar with an amazing Tiny Desk performance a couple years ago, and we’ve been happy to hear the band continue to work on excellent, lyric-driven music since. On this recently recorded KEXP performance of Capable, the band showcases its ability to layer beautiful tones. Featuring background vocals, keyboards, two guitars, punchy bass lines, and a simple and sparse drum part, it’s an elegant tapestry of sound that draws you in with various dynamic and rhythmic shifts throughout.

Broncho — Get In My Car

This week’s slice of perfectly executed pop comes from Oklahoma pop-rockers roncho, whose latest single, Get In My Car, sounds as though it is destined for an upbeat movie montage. From the clean krautrock drumbeat to the syncopated vocal lines, everything fits together like a jigsaw puzzle, with a hint of washed-out distortion and high-end shimmer in the layered guitar lines that evokes comparisons to early-2000s Strokes.

Jay Som — Strawberry Fields Forever

Bay Area songwriter Melina Duterte didn’t do much reinventing on her version of this classic Beatles song, instead letting her distinct musical style flow through a near note-for-note cover. Somehow, though, the whole thing feels like her own, with a beautiful wall of sound that mimics the original but manages to come off as an homage, rather than a cut-and-paste job.

That’s it for now, but tune in next week for more songs to stream, and check out the playlist loaded with our recent selections below:

Get lifetime access to 1TB of cloud storage for only $30!

Our current, tech-obsessed world demands a storage solution for your multimedia data, the most convenient being cloud-based storage which you can access from anywhere. Most cloud-based storage services charge a monthly fee, which, over time, adds up to quite a fee. Those of you sick of subscription fees need a storage solution that requires a single payment for a lifetime of access. More importantly, you need cloud storage that is encrypted and can be accessed from all your devices.

Don’t miss your chance to save big! Learn More

Right now, Android Central Digital Offers has a deal on 1TB of cloud storage from Zoolz — a single payment of $29.99 gives you lifetime access. Does this seem cheap? It is! This is 99% off the regular price of $3600.

You will never be charged any extra fees, and you can access your cloud storage from multiple devices. Your data is protected with 256-AES encryption to better safeguard your stuff, and you can schedule backups and throttle bandwidth during uploads. Place files you know you won’t soon need in cold storage — takes three to five hours to access — or place files you frequently need in standard storage that can be accessed instantly.

Grab a lifetime of storage for $29.99! Learn More

Considering 1TB of storage from other popular services costs about $10 per month, this deal will pay for itself in four months, and you can keep using it forever. Even if you don’t think you need it now, you probably will need it in the future. Don’t miss this great opportunity to snag 1TB of cloud storage for only $30!

Stay cool and chat in this week’s comments thread!

Are you ready for Summer?

Now that we’re done with our various North American independence holidays, it’s time for the heat. Summertime heat, that is.

While we all love warm weather and spending some time out in the sun, sometimes you need to duck into somewhere cool and take a break. While you’re chilling at the coffee shop or on your couch, you can grab your phone and talk about stuff right here. We all share a lot of the same interests, and when we keep politics and religion to a minimum it’s always a good time.

Not much to talk about from the world of Android this week. The EU wants to teach Google a lesson, and OnePlus thinks you’re holding it wrong, but this time of year new products are few and far between. Motorola will probably end the “busy” season with the #hellomotoworld thingy in New York at the end of the month, then we relax until the fall when Galaxy Notes and Googlephones become a thing. We take this time to have a second look at the mountain of stuff that happened between CES and the summer lull and really dig into how things work and what you can do with them. It’s all good.

I’m recovering from a great vacation this week. It kicked off in a less than awesome way, where stupid Jerry swam right into a school of jellyfish with his eyes open. That’s a picture you don’t want to see, so I won’t post it here. I made the rest of the AC editorial staff look at it, and they’ll agree. (Ed: Yep, it’s super gross.) Surprisingly, it didn’t hurt as much as you would think and two days later everything was back to normal. I didn’t even get any jellyfish super powers. I know, because I’ve been trying stuff.

So I’m kicked back, playing with my HTC Vive and checking out how it all works this weekend. Inside, where it’s cool and refreshing. What are y’all up to?

Web gets built-in copy protection hooks with a few key flaws

Like it or not, the web is getting some built-in padlocks. The World Wide Web Consortium has decided to publish Encrypted Media Extensions, a standard for hooking copy protection into web-based streaming video, without making significant changes to a version agreed to in March. While it’s not perfect, the W3C argues (you still need to deal with a vendor’s content decryption module), it’s purportedly better than the make-it-yourself approach media providers have to deal with right now. There do appear to be some improvements to the status quo for digital rights management. However, there are more than a few detractors — there are concerns that the W3C simply ignored concerns in the name of expediency.

The format sets consistent expectations for privacy and security (a company can’t send unnecessary network traffic and must give you the option to clear long-lasting data). It’s theoretically better for competition, too, since streaming newcomers won’t need to make you install a plugin to start watching. EME may also help accessibility for the hearing- or vision-impaired by working at a level where it doesn’t interfere with playback or accessibility info, and it isn’t supposed to prevent use in open source software.

However, it’s evident that the Consortium is punting on some topics. For one thing, there’s no common interface between approaches to decrypting video — the organization would like to have one, but it didn’t want to hold back the initial spec. Likewise, the group didn’t think it was worthwhile to pursue a “covenant” promising that companies wouldn’t abuse the law to crack down on people bypassing EME for legitimate reasons, such as improving accessibility. And what if you want to archive material for posterity? The W3C sees this as a problem with both copyright law and the DRM itself, not the hooks used to integrate that DRM.

And it’s decisions like those that are leaving openness advocates fuming. Cory Doctorow, a digital rights activist who has long opposed virtual copy protection, has pointed out some key problems. Without that covenant, it could be difficult to verify whether or not a company is living up to those privacy and security practices. A company could take legal action against security researchers simply because they showed that you could bypass a given DRM scheme. On top of this, the need for a licensed decryption module may favor incumbents like Netflix or Amazon. Even if money isn’t an issue, the mess of patent licenses could be. They’ll also have to promise to prevent activities that are technically legal, such as watching a movie from one EU country while you’re living in another.

And while the technology doesn’t strictly hinder accessibility efforts, it doesn’t streamline them either. You can’t automatically flag sections of a show that might trigger epileptic seizures, for instance, since the DRM would prevent it.

There are hints that the W3C will improve the extensions in an eventual revision, and organizations like the Electronic Frontier Foundation hope to appeal the decision. Both of those processes could take a long time, however, so you could see streaming services implementing this first take on EME for a long while before there are any tweaks. While the format is unlikely to do much damage to the openness of the internet (it’s not as if most providers were streaming unprotected video before), it’s far from ideal.

Via: EFF

Source: W3C (1), (2)

Recommended Reading: Rebooting a hero in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’

‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’
Is One of the Best Superhero
Movies in Years
Christopher Orr,
The Atlantic

Well folks, the time has come. The team-up between Sony and Marvel for the third different take on Spider-Man debuted this week. So far, the reviews are mostly positive, noting that the duo created a compelling story line for Peter Parker with Tom Holland that establishes the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Don’t take my word for it, The Atlantic has a full review (yep, spoilers) with all the details.

Game on with the best Android game controllers for smartphones and tablets

Long gone are the days when Tetris clones, Farmville knock-offs, and Pac-Man lookalikes populated much of Android’s burgeoning Google Play Store. Now, Google’s operating system boasts a diverse games library that rivals that of some home consoles. Geometry Wars 3, Minecraft, Hearthstone, and remastered titles from the Grand Theft Auto collections are the cream of the current mix’s crop — a list that seems to grow longer every day. But if you game on your phone, you may need one of the best Android game controllers.

Not all titles work equally well with touchscreens. Few AAA Android games actually require third-party peripherals, but remastered titles like Tomb Raider and Geometry Wars 3 — which were designed with a controller in mind — respond much better to physical buttons. As anyone who’s roamed the streets of Vice City or the hallways of Croft Manor can tell you, analog joysticks, D-pads, buttons, and triggers deliver infinitely more precision than big, meaty fingers on greasy smartphone glass.

Luckily, there’s no shortage of third-party Android gaming peripherals to choose from. Depending on your price range and preferences, you can pick up a model that will serve you well for years to come, or one that you’ll feel perfectly fine stuffing into a backpack or shoulder bag. Here’s our list of the best Android game controllers for tablets and smartphones.

A note about controller compatibility

Before you choose a controller to use with your Android smartphone or tablet, it’s important to know about the compatibility issues you might encounter.

Android devices running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (or Android 3.2 Honeycomb) or newer support game controllers natively. You aren’t necessarily out of luck if you’re stuck on older software — most controllers will pair to older Android devices — but you can expect them to work unpredictably, unreliably, and sometimes not at all.

Even if your device runs a newer version of Android, it’s not always smooth sailing — some games don’t take advantage of Android’s controller API, and so don’t respond properly to gamepads. But luckily, there’s a workaround in the form of Tincore Keymapper, a third-party app that lets you remap the functions of keys, buttons, and more. Note that you’ll need a rooted device to take full advantage.

Moga Hero Power Controller ($25)

The Moga Hero Power might not be the cheapest of Android game controllers, but it cuts few corners. The full-sized controller boasts a curved, ergonomic design that’s dimpled and textured — giving you a solid grip that doesn’t feel as flimsy as some of the competition.

The button layout is a typical dual analog configuration: On the front is a start button, a select button, and two sticks, one of which is positioned higher than the other to make room for a four-way directional pad. On the right are four action buttons in a diamond layout, and on the back are two shoulder buttons and two triggers.

Perhaps the Moga Hero Power’s greatest asset is an integrated 2,200mAh battery, which connects to your phone via Micro USB cable and charges it while you play. It’s not unique in this regard, but it has the largest battery of any Android game controller we’ve seen — and that’s good news for your phone’s battery life.

Other value adds include the Moga Hero Power’s fold-out hinge stand, which secures your phone in place while you’re gaming, and a convenient four-light LED light that indicates when the controller’s battery is getting low.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Pyrus Telescopic Controller ($27)

The Pyrus Telescopic controller isn’t your average Android game controller. Unlike the all-in-one, console-style solutions that try desperately to stuff every button, trigger, and joystick onto a single peripheral, the Pyrus Telescopic ships in two pieces: One that affixes to the left-hand side of your phone, and one that attaches to the right-hand side — both in landscape orientation. The result looks something like an oversized Nintendo Switch.

The Pyrus Telescopic might have a comparatively small surface area, but doesn’t skimp when it comes to inputs. The two-piece controller packs a start and select button, two joysticks (one on either side), a four-direction D-Pad, and four action buttons. Flat bumper and trigger buttons sit around back adjacent to a Micro USB charging port.

The Pyrus Telescopic’s slider mechanism fits snugly around phones up to 6.1 inches in size, and its 350mAh battery lasts up to eight hours on a charge when paired to a device via Bluetooth. But one of the Pyrus Telescopic’s nicest features is its built-in mode switching: With a single button toggle, you can swap button configurations between a gamepad mode, a keyboard mode, and an arcade mode.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

8Bitdo Zero ($17)

If the 8Bitdo Zero looks familiar, that’s because it’s a not-so-subtle homage to controllers of the Super Nintendo era. But that’s not a knock against it. The 8Bitdo Zero absolutely nails the retro aesthetic with a matte grey finish and stylish protective case, and packs all the programmable buttons you could possibly want in retro arcade Android titles.

It’s not for everyone, though. The 8Bitdo Zero is a little on the small (it fits on a keychain) and light (just 18 grams) side, and packs just a handful of buttons, including a four-way directional pad, a start and select button, four action buttons, and two trigger buttons.

But there’s more to it than meets the eye. The 8Bitdo ships with a snap-on bracket that attaches easily to most Android and iOS devices, and a 180mAh built-in battery that lasts a whopping 18 hours on a single charge.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

iPega PG-9017S ($17)

To say the iPega PG-9017S has an unconventional design is putting it mildly, but that works to its advantage. The wider-than-average base and narrow bezels let it accommodate Android tablets up to 10 inches in size, and its 380mAh battery charges plugged-in devices between gaming sessions. It pairs via Bluetooth up to 26 feet away. A special battery-saving mode, which flips on when the controller’s not in use, delivers up to 100 hours of standby time (or 2 hours of active playtime).

The iPega’s button layout isn’t for everyone. Its two parallel joysticks are short and nub-shaped. The four-way directional pad is flush with the controller’s casing. And the iPega also lacks shoulder buttons — short of the controller’s two trigger buttons, there’s nothing on the back.

But the iPega has another thing going for it: Price. If you can put up with its compromises, it’s hard to go wrong for $16.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

SteelSeries Stratus XL ($50)

The SteelSeries Stratus XL, the larger variant of the firm’s Stratus series, boasts a plethora of buttons and features. Here, you’ll find twin joysticks with textured surfaces, a four-way directional pad, four action buttons, a four-LED array, triggers and shoulder buttons, and three front-facing buttons that can be mapped to Android’s home and back buttons.

But it’s not perfect. The Stratus XL doesn’t have a built-in stand — you’ll have to find a wall to prop your phone against. And it lacks a rechargeable battery. But it does support Bluetooth pairing, and it makes up for the battery gaffe with power efficiency — two AA batteries deliver up to 40 hours of gaming, according to Stratus.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Matricom G-Pad XYBA ($22)

The Matricom G-Pad XYBA may not be as stylish as its competitors, but it checks most other boxes. It’s highly configurable, widely compatible, and lasts hours on a single charge.

The Matricom’s buttons include two joysticks in parallel (a la Sony’s DualShock layout), and a four-way directional bad in the left-hand corner. Filling out the controller’s right and center are four action buttons, including a start button, select button, power button, and an LED power button. Two bumper buttons and two triggers round things out.

Somewhat uniquely, the Matricom features feedback motors that pulse in response to what’s happening on screen. If there’s a major downside, it’s the lack of smartphone stand — there’s no easy way to prop up your smartphone while you’re using the Matricom controller. But considering the price to performance ratio here, that’s a relatively minor setback.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Razer Serval ($37)

It’s not too surprising that Razer, the pedigreed brand behind high-end RGB keyboards and gaming laptops, makes a pretty decent Android controller. It’s called the Serval, and it boasts a uniquely textured grip designed to keep it from flying out of your hands during intense gaming sessions.

The Serval’s button layout is conventional, in a word. Situated on the left is a joystick and a directional pad, and on the right-hand side is a secondary joystick and four action buttons. Two shoulder buttons and two trigger buttons occupy the back, along with two programmable front-facing buttons and physical back and home buttons that correspond to Android’s software navigation buttons.

The Serval doesn’t have a rechargeable battery — it takes double AAs. But it does have an adjustable smartphone clip and both a wireless (via Bluetooth) and wired (via Micro USB) mode. And unlike most other Android controllers on our list, it remembers up to four unique device configurations, making pairing it to multiple smartphones a breeze.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Satechi Bluetooth Wireless Gamepad ($30)

Satechi’s Android game controller may not win points for its utilitarian, nondescript design. But it’s one of the cheaper Android controllers out there.

The Satechi’s button configuration consists of 14 buttons total, laid out like an Xbox controller. The joysticks are offset — the one on the left is positioned higher than the one on the right — and the controller’s four right-hand action buttons feature fonts and colors pretty much identical to the Xbox 360’s. But thoughtful touches like dedicated mode buttons and a spring-loaded phone grip elevate the Satechi above the level of mere copycat.

One shortcoming is the internal battery, which at 220mAh is a little on the small side. But Satechi claims that with the controller’s battery-saving mode enabled, it can last more than ten hours on standby.

Buy one now from:

Amazon

Here’s how to uninstall Windows 10 and revert to an older version

Windows 10 has been a critical success since its release, but if you need, or want, to install an older version of Windows, it’s easy to uninstall Windows 10 and roll it back to whichever version you prefer. Unfortunately, there’s no automatic system for older versions — you’ll have to back up your files, track down some installation media, and find your software key to get back to your “old” computer.

Though the guide below is written with rolling back to Windows 8.1 in mind, the basic steps work for any Windows operating system going as far back as Windows XP, though we don’t recommend going that far back, as Microsoft ended support for it. However, be aware that new computers, particularly tablets, may contain components that weren’t manufactured when older Windows versions like Windows 7 and Windows Vista were being sold. That being the case, the manufacturer of your computer and/or the OEM supplier that created the parts may not have working drivers available for the older version of Windows.

There are two distinct methods for those looking to uninstall Windows 10. If you upgraded from Windows 7 or 8.1 within the last 30 days, there’s a simpler method of rolling back that takes very little effort, and doesn’t delete your files, which you can read about on the second page of this post. Most users will need to actually install an older version of Windows, or switch to Linux, in order to uninstall Windows 10 without leaving behind a blank hard drive.

What you will need

Before beginning anything else, back up your important computer files to a separate location. An external drive or a cloud storage service is fine, so long as it’s physically disconnected from the Windows computer you’ll be working on. Unfortunately, Windows can’t preserve programs or settings when flashing to an older version (only a newer one), so you’ll also want to get installation media for any crucial programs, especially those that require serial numbers. It’s also worth noting that Microsoft doesn’t support Windows 8 anymore, only Windows 8.1, as it was part of an automatic update cycle.

It’s also a good idea to download drivers for your computer’s various components before you begin the installation process. This will make it easier to get everything up and running if Windows doesn’t automatically select the appropriate drivers. Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and graphics drivers in particular can make the setup process much easier. Store these drivers on a USB thumb drive for easy access once Windows is finished installing.

THANAWAT TEAWPIYAKUL/Shutterstock

Next, get installation media for Windows itself. For Windows 8.1, Microsoft provides a download service that allows you to send the installation files to a new DVD, or even use a flash drive. If you’re installing an older version of Windows, you’ll need the original disc (and possibly an external CD or DVD burner, if your newer laptop doesn’t have a disc drive). Alternatively, you can create a bootable USB drive with a Windows ISO.

You’ll also need the Windows product key for whichever version you chose — this is the 25-digit code that came with your Windows retail box or purchase receipt from Microsoft, or is located somewhere on your computer’s case.

A note on Windows 7

While it may be starting to show its age, Windows 7 is still of occasional utility among power users looking to replicate or fix old software, or people who are just stuck in their ways. Windows 7 can’t upgrade, install, or keep files when installed on a system already running Windows 10, so a fresh install is the only way to achieve such a goal. Our guide to installing Windows 7 has all the links, detailed instructions, and a few caveats about using older operating systems that may help you troubleshoot esoteric issues. The Windows 8 process is much easier.

Setting Up Windows 8.1

Once you’ve finished backing up your files and programs, remove all other external storage drives, cards, or discs, and insert the Windows installation disc or drive. Restart your computer and boot it from that drive. This usually requires either entering a keyboard command to open the boot menu, or entering the BIOS (or UEFI on newer laptops and tablets) and manually selecting the drive. For discs, select your CD or DVD drive. For thumb drives, select “USB” or “USB-HDD.”

Michael Crider/Digital Trends

The Windows setup process will begin. For Windows 8.1, the first screen lets you select your language, location, and keyboard localization. Click “Next,” then “Install now.” Wait for the setup process to initiate.

Installation

Click “I accept the license terms,” then “Next” on the license screen. The next screen has two options, “Upgrade” and “Custom.” Click on “Custom” — the Windows 8.1 installation system cannot upgrade from a newer version of Windows to an older one.

On this screen you’ll have to select the installation drive or partition. If your computer has only one hard drive or SSD, then this is the largest partition available. You have two options here: Click the drive and then click “next” to preserve old Windows files in a folder in the new installation. This is useful as a secondary backup method, but it will not preserve installed programs, and there may be compatibility or permission issues with accessing the old files. Generally it’s better to start fresh by formatting the install drive: Do this by clicking “Format,” then “OK.” Wait for the primary drive to be formatted, then click “Next.”

On the next screen, the setup program will copy the Windows files from your installation media to your computer and begin installing the operating system itself. This may take quite some time, so if you’ve got something else to do for thirty minutes to an hour, it’s fine to leave your computer alone, so long as it’s plugged in or has plenty of battery power left. Keep an eye on the screen and return when the process is finished. Your computer may restart on its own.

After a few minutes you should see Windows 8.1 begin its first bootup process. Here you’ll select a few settings and personal touches. Just follow the on-screen instructions, entering your username and password where prompted. Click “Finish.”

Running Windows

Now you should be running Windows 8.1, fresh and clean. If any of your computer’s components aren’t working, use the drivers that you downloaded during the setup section of this guide. Install the Ethernet or Wi-Fi driver, and you can use an Internet connection to get everything else you’ll need. Move any backup files back onto your computer and reinstall any necessary software from the Internet or the original media.

Once you’ve got your files and programs set up, use Windows update to download any necessary updates to Windows or your device drivers.

If you’ve installed Windows 10 within the last 30 days, it’s even easier to go back to the way things were.

Take a weekend flight over GTA V’s Los Santos with these 4K screenshots

Rockstar’s latest addition to its car-stealing open-world franchise, GTA V, may have been on the market for a few years, but it’s still a gold standard for optimization and graphical fidelity. As these 4K GTA V screenshots demonstrate, there’s still a good reason for that. Though some spots may be starting to show their age, there’s plenty to appreciate, especially with the resolution cranked up to a full 3,840 x 2,160. Click the photos in the gallery above to see them in full detail.

A big part of that immersion is Rockstar’s attention to detail. Despite a massive world with lots to see, the game’s designers and artists somehow found the time to flesh out every building, park, and intersection with the sort of oddities and under-the-radar additions that make the city of Los Santos feel as real as Los Angeles.

As our PC performance guide also pointed out, that level of detail doesn’t stop when you leave the city. The foliage and grass detail is the single largest contributor to poor performance, and turning it up to Ultra can render even the most powerful PC into a smoldering pile of parts.

So of course, we downloaded this perennial favorite to our test rig and cranked the settings up at full 4K. Our test rig is powered by an Intel Core i7-6950X with 16GB of RAM, and a Zotac GTX 1080 Ti AMP! edition with 11GB of video memory. Even our system wasn’t capable of producing consistently high frame rates at these settings, but it did give us chance to nab some beautiful screenshots of our 4K flyover.

Ok, we admit, we used a cheat code to score these sweet screenshots. The code BARNSTORM, which you can input by pressing the ~ key on PC, will spawn in a fixed wing stunt plane that makes these flyovers easy, even if you aren’t a particularly skilled pilot who keeps crashing into buildings.

We also made use of Rockstar’s built-in cinematic camera by pressing “R” while flying. While this wasn’t particularly conducive to our flying skills, it does rotate through a nice selection of more dramatic camera angles than you could achieve simply by rotating or zooming out the standard camera orientation.