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When Microsoft first released Windows 10, the company made a big deal about the fact that the operating system was available as a free upgrade for a limited time.

The free upgrade period -- supposedly -- came to an end some time ago, but actually it is still possible to jump from Windows 7 or Windows 8 to Windows 10 for free in 2021. Here's what you need to know about getting a free upgrade to Windows 10.

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We've already looked at the possible cybercrime landscape for 2021, but what about the other side of the coin? How are businesses going to set about ensuring they are properly protected next year?

Josh Bregman, COO of CyGlass thinks security needs to put people first, "2020 has been incredibly stressful. Organizations should therefore look to put people first in 2021. Cybersecurity teams are especially stressed. They've been tasked with securing a changing environment where more people than ever before are working remotely. They've also faced new threats as cyber criminals have looked to take advantage of the pandemic: whether through phishing attacks or exploiting weaknesses in corporate infrastructure. Being proactive, encouraging good cyber hygiene and executing a well thought out cyber program will go a long way towards promoting a peaceful and productive 2021, not least because it will build resiliency."

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In the realms of understatement, "2020 has been a hard year" rules supreme. No one needs a recap as to why, but as many of us continue to be subject to restrictions preventing us from getting out to the shops, coupled with well-publicized delays and disruption to mail services, getting Christmas sorted for our loved ones has been particularly challenging this year.

And that’s where we come in: if you’re stuck within a "stay at home" area, worried about missing the last post or looking for a last-minute gift, the Downloadcrew Software Store has you covered. You can order directly from our digital store and have the gift sent either to yourself or directly to your friend or family member -- it’ll arrive within minutes, even on Christmas Day!

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Microsoft took a big gamble with Windows 8. Back in 2012 the tech giant believed that touchscreens were the way we’d all be interacting with our devices, and so overhauled Windows to give it a touch-first design and a Start screen in place of the traditional Start menu -- which didn’t go down at all well with the Windows faithful.

Although the company relented and eventually added a Start menu and made various other user-requested tweaks, Windows 8 is viewed by many as one of the worst versions of Windows, which is a little unfair as it had much to recommend it.

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Are you rich? Me neither. While I am not poor, I work hard for my money, and I am not about to waste it on frivolous things. So when I saw the price of Apple's new AirPods Max wireless headphones, I nearly fainted. Are you ready for this, folks? The company is asking $550! Seriously. Oh, Apple...

Don't get me wrong, they actually look like nice over-ear headphones. I really like the design; they look well-made and comfortable. And of course, Apple has all kinds of fancy technology to try and justify the asking price. But let's cut out the marketing for a moment and be honest -- you'd be a fool to spend so much money. Hell, these beautiful Audio-Techinca Bluetooth headphones can be had for less than a third of the price!

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A new report from Guardicore and the Ponemon Institute reveals that more than 60 percent of organizations believe that legacy firewalls are ineffective in preventing damaging cyberattacks against applications, data centers, and data in the cloud.

We spoke to Dave Burton, VP marketing at Guardicore to find out more.

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Microsoft Office 365 offers the same productivity power as past versions of Microsoft Office along with tools designed to boost collaboration in the workplace and instant access to the latest Office updates without buying a whole new software package. It’s an ideal solution for both the office and home use.

The author of the bestselling Microsoft Office All-in-One For Dummies shares his advice on how to navigate the nuts and bolts of getting things done with Office 365. Look inside for step-by-step instructions on Excel, Outlook, Word, PowerPoint, Access, and OneNote, along with a dive into the cloud services that come with Office 365.

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Living in a developing nation, what used to be referred to as a third world country, has its charms. Many of the most beautiful places on Earth are found in such countries -- think Phuket in Thailand, or the myriad members of the Greater and Lesser Antilles. As a resident of one of the more remote and desirable of these destinations -- Mauritius -- I’ve been spoiled by access pristine beaches, lush jungles, and tropical fruits growing (literally) outside my window. But what I haven’t appreciated is the high cost of wireless internet access.

Until just recently, getting a pre-paid wireless plan for your iPhone or Android handset was far from economical. A typical monthly plan, though relatively inexpensive at MUR 299 (roughly $7.50 USD), came with a paltry 2-5GB of data. And as a Twitter and YouTube addict, I found myself refilling said plan almost weekly, depending on how much time I spent lazing on the beach or traipsing through the island’s majestic mountain forests.

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Should you sign up for a paid VPN service? Only you can make that decision, but I do recommend them highly. Not only can they hide your activity from your ISP, but they can make you safer when using non-secure public Wi-Fi. Of course, you should avoid such public Wi-Fi networks when you can, but if you need to utilize them, a VPN is a must.

With all of that said, all VPN providers are not created equally. Free ones should be avoided at all costs, as their business models cannot be trusted. In other words, privacy and free services generally don't mix. Sadly, picking a good VPN provider can be hard, as there are so many from which to choose these days. Thankfully, VPNRatings.com has done some research on the subject, and it has shared its list of the Top 20 VPNs. And yes, privacy and security were huge factors.

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Windows 10 is a good operating system, for the most part, but it’s not without its problems -- I covered just some of these here on the eve of its 5th birthday at the end of July. It seems every new update Microsoft rolls out these days introduces fresh annoyances. No wonder millions of people are still sticking with Windows 7, even though that OS is no longer supported.

For many people, Windows 10 is the operating system they have to use, but not the one they want to. With that in mind, it's not hard to see the appeal of this remastered Windows 7 2020 Edition.

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If you're an Edge user who frequently has a large number of tabs open, Microsoft's decision to add the browser tabs to Alt-Tab switching creates something of a navigation nightmare.

When you have not only multiple browser tabs open, but also numerous applications, Alt-Tabbing your way through them can take an age. Thankfully it is possible to hide Edge tabs in Alt-Tab, or limit the number of tabs that are displayed so things don't get too overwhelming.

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Microsoft is a wildly successful company, and when it comes to desktop computing, no one comes close to competing. Whether a computer is for home, education, or business, Windows is probably powering the experience. And yet, when it comes to mobile, Microsoft is a huge failure. The company got a head-start with Windows Mobile pre-dating the iPhone, but it squandered that lead with terrible products such as Kin, Windows Phone, and Windows 10 Mobile.

Microsoft finally admitted defeat by killing Windows 10 Mobile. Ultimately, the company embraced Android by bringing its own launcher to Google's Linux-based operating system. Today, Microsoft launches its first-ever Android device. Called Surface Duo, it copies the dual-screen concept pioneered by LG. Sadly, the smartphone appears to be a train wreck. Here are just five reasons why you should not buy it.

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Windows 10 Home offers you a number of personalization, customization and tweaking options, but Windows 10 Professional takes things even further. Thanks to the inclusion of Group Policy Editor, not only can you tweak the hell out of the operating system, but also lock it down for ultimate security.

Group Policy Editor is unique to the Professional edition of Windows 10, and it gives you access to hundreds of settings that are either simply not available in the Home edition, or have to be implemented through awkward registry edits.

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Windows 10 has a number of things that users find annoying about it, not least that it forces you to use other Microsoft products. Type a web query into the Windows search box, or ask Cortana something, and the results you receive will come from Bing.

Microsoft has recently replaced its old Edge browser with a Chromium version, and while this is a big improvement, the software giant has forced it onto users and made it hard (but thankfully not impossible) to remove.

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Microsoft has been quite aggressive in pushing out the Chromium-based version of Edge, and not everyone is happy about it.

There is understandable anger at having a browser that isn't necessarily wanted being forcibly installed -- and to add insult to injury, Microsoft has also made it impossible to uninstall Edge. But there is actually a way to get rid of the browser. Here's what you need to know.

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