Boot your PC from a virtual drive with Simple VHD Manager

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Freeware developer Sordum has released Simple VHD Manager, a tiny portable tool which makes it easier to access and use virtual drives (VHD, VHDX, ISO) in Windows 7 and later.

Drag and drop your files onto the program and they can be attached in a couple of clicks, making them freely accessible in Explorer.

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Why IT staff are unhappy at work

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If you work in IT it's generally the case that you're quite well paid and enjoy good career prospects. Yet according to a new survey you're probably also unhappy.

Workforce engagement specialist TinyPulse surveyed over 5,000 tech and IT workers and found that they are very, very unhappy. The top drivers of unhappiness were poor coworker relationships, little room for growth with their employer, and not enough praise for their work.

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Best video sharing websites

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When you are bored, or when you want to find clear instructions on how to do something or to get to know the latest news, the best way to do it is to watch corresponding videos. Indeed, all the information is consumed much better if it’s a video.

The best resource of videos is of course the Internet, but which websites are the best resources to enjoy various video materials? Today we have listed and reviewed the best video sharing websites for various purposes.

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Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine

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Alex Gibney’s Steve Jobs documentary is available now in some theaters, on Amazon Instant Video and, ironically, on iTunes. It’s a film that purports to figure out what made Steve Jobs tick. And it does a lot, just not that.

I’m not a dispassionate reviewer here. More than a year before Jobs died I tried to hire Alex Gibney to make a Steve Jobs film with me. At that point he suggested I be the director, that he’d coach me ("It’s not that hard", the Oscar-winner claimed.) We talked and met but didn’t come to a deal. Later Gibney decided to do a Jobs film on his own -- this film -- and he came to me for help. We talked and met but again didn’t come to a deal. Nothing is unusual about any of this, but it made me eager to see what kind of movie he would make and how it would compare to the one I originally had in mind.

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Microsoft refuses to answer questions about forced Windows 10 downloads

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Just last week Microsoft managed to piss off a lot of people by secretly downloading the Windows 10 installation files to their computers without permission. The comments from BetaNews readers were plentiful, but divided. Some didn't see the problem, while others thought it to be invasive and presumptive.

But there was one question that popped up again and again -- just what the hell was Microsoft thinking? I decided to try to find out but found that the company was somewhat cagey with what it wanted to say on the matter. This is not on. People are more than a little annoyed, and they are demanding answers. They deserve them.

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iRobot announces Roomba 980 Internet-connected vacuum cleaning robot

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Having a clean home can be a great feeling. Sadly, many people are working long hours nowadays and have far less time for cleaning. In other words, you can't fault someone for being too tired to clean.

If you fall into the camp of being too tired or busy to stay on top of cleaning, robots may be able to help. When you think of cleaning and robotics, the name "Roomba" probably comes to mind. iRobot's vacuum robot is wildly popular and is cemented into popular culture. Today, however, the company brings the vacuum to the Internet of Things, Yes, the all-new consumer-focused Roomba 980 is internet-connected and app-controlled.

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Apple's first Android app makes it easy to move to iOS 9

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Apple has released its first ever Android app. No, there's not an Android version of Safari or anything like that, but a tool designed to simplify the process of switching to iOS. The predictably named Move to iOS will appeal to anyone who was persuaded to switch allegiances by the release of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, or indeed iOS 9.

The app can be used to move contacts, messages, photos and more to a new iPhone or iPad, and is compatible with phones and tablets running Android 4.0 and newer. It works slightly differently to what you may have expected. Rather than uploading data to the cloud, it instead creates a private Wi-Fi network between an Android and iOS device and securely transfers it.

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Mercedes plans to launch self-driving car service

Interior of Mercedes-Benz SL500 roadster

German car manufacturer Mercedes-Benz has revealed that it is planning to develop its own on-demand, self-driving car service, specifically using limousines as the vehicle of choice.

It goes without saying that this move will be putting them head to head with the search engine giant Google and app-based taxi service Uber.

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Bypass the Android Lollipop lockscreen by entering a really long password

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A lengthy password is a good thing, right? For some Android users running Lollipop, however, it may be possible to bypass the lockscreen simply by entering a password that is incredibly long. Copy and paste a lengthy string into the password field, and it is possible to crash the lockscreen and gain access to the phone or tablet.

While the vulnerability is worrying, it is not something that can be exploited remotely -- it is necessary to have physical access to the phone. The bug was discovered by security researchers at Texas University and while a patch has been issued for Nexus devices, other handsets remain vulnerable.

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Russia opens antitrust investigation against Google

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Google has been hit by anti-monopoly lawsuits all over the world. The Americas, Europe, India, China, have all had (or currently have) some sort of lawsuit against the search giant, claiming the American company abuses its dominant position in the search engine market.

Now, Russia is jumping on the bandwagon, with its anti-monopoly agency saying Google is using Android to promote its other services.

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Bad news for Apple Watch owners, watchOS 2 won't be released today after all

Apple Watch

As an Apple Watch owner I’ve been excitedly awaiting the arrival of the next generation of watchOS for my device. I really like Watch, but it’s currently fairly limited. The updated OS gains support for native apps (you’ll be able to run apps on the Watch not just mirroring them from your iPhone) and there are new communication features, improved Siri functionality and additional faces to look forward to as well.

Unfortunately, while watchOS 2 was set to be made available later today, the discovery of a major bug has scuppered those plans.

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AirDrop exploit can be used to push malicious apps to iOS and OS X

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A vulnerability has been discovered in iOS and OS X that could be used to install apps without permission, using AirDrop. The feature exists to provide a way for people to quickly send files from one device to another, but security researcher Mark Dowd has been able to exploit the vulnerability to push apps to iOS even if the user does not accept the file that is AirDropped.

Dowd has reported the vulnerability to Apple, but the company has failed to patch the problem so it still exists in iOS 9. Using a combination of techniques, it is possible to bypass the security screen that asks if an app is to be trusted or not, meaning that a malicious app can be installed without permission or notification.

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Microsoft to announce new Windows 10 devices at October event

Microsoft October 6 Event

We knew that Microsoft won’t be making any announcements related to its newly released operating system during the IFA 2015 fair, but now we have more details.

Microsoft has taken to Twitter to announce it is holding a separate event on October 6 at 10 am EDT (3 pm London time) in New York.

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Microsoft has huge discounts on Surface Pro 3, Windows PCs and tablets

Holiday Sales

If you are interested in buying a Windows PC or tablet or accessories for one, now is the time to take a look at what Microsoft Store has to offer. Part of its One Day Only Sale, the software giant offers major discounts on top-notch devices, slashing up to hundreds of dollars off the price of premium devices, like its own Surface Pro 3.

Surface Pro 3 has already seen some pretty big discounts this year, but as it is most likely to be replaced soon Microsoft is taking the axe to the price tags once again. You can save up to $200, and also get a free sleeve included in the box.

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Mobile messaging helps businesses connect with customers

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A new infographic from enterprise mobile specialist OpenMarket looks at how companies are using mobile messaging to improve marketing and awareness, and make a positive impact on customer experience.

Findings include that mobile messaging is the most frequently used communication channel on the planet and that 90 percent of texts are read within the first three minutes of opening. The millennial age group is 40 times more likely to react and respond to a business via text.

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