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How to download any Windows ISO for free

Publié: février 21, 2016, 10:10pm CET par Mark Wilson
Whatever version of Windows you're running, the time will probably come when you want to reinstall. You might be lucky and can have recovery media on hand, or your recovery partition may be intact. If not, what can you do? You can download ISOs for Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 10 direct from Microsoft.

It's always best to be prepared, so rather than waiting until you find yourself in desperate need, why not spend a few minutes grabbing the ISO (or ISOs) you need in readiness. There's no need to head off to a torrent site to download an illicit copy of Windows along with a crack, everything is available from Microsoft. Here's what you need to do.

As noted by Martin Brinkman on gHacks, getting hold of Windows 10 is incredibly easy. You could use Microsoft's Media Creation Tool, but many will see this as adding an extra, unnecessary step. Head instead to the Tech Bench website where, after signing into your Microsoft account you can download ISO for the Home and Pro versions of Windows 10, Windows 10 KN, Windows 10 N, and Windows 10 Single Language. Just select the version you want, pick a language and choose between 32- and 64-bit. Job done.

Things are slightly trickier when it comes to Windows 7 and Windows 8, and you'll have to resort to a little hackery to get your hands on the goods.
- Visit Tech Bench using either Chrome or Firefox and open Developer Tools by pressing either Ctrl + Shift + J, or Ctrl + Shift + K.
- Head over to Pastebin where the code you need is ready for you to highlight and copy.
- Return to your browser, make sure you're in the Console, and paste the code you have just copied.
- Hit Enter and you'll notice that the Select Edition drop down menu turns blue.
Take a browse through the drop down menu and you'll find that you can download just about every version of Windows 7 and Windows 8 imaginable -- there are also a few extra versions of Windows 10 for good measure.

Grab all of the ISOs you want, and save them for posterity.

Photo credit: charnsitr / Shutterstock
Samsung unveils Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge -- here is everything you need to know

Publié: février 21, 2016, 8:20pm CET par Mihăiță Bamburic

MWC 2016 does not officially start until tomorrow, but Samsung has already taken the wraps off its latest flagship smartphones. Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge make their debut today, arriving with new features, more powerful hardware, more refined software and a nicer design.

Compared to their predecessors, Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are not separated just by the curve of their screen. This year, Samsung has went with two different sizes, giving Galaxy S7 a 5.1-inch panel and Galaxy S7 edge a much larger 5.5-inch display.

It is an interesting choice, but one that makes lots of sense. A curved display is not a pretty convincing feature on its own, to justify a higher price tag as it was the case with last year's Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, but having it on a bigger screen makes for a more interesting device that clearly stands apart from Galaxy S7.

Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge share the same resolution -- 1,440 by 2,560 -- so they have slightly different pixel densities as a result. The former touts 577 pixels per inch, while for the latter the ppi comes in at 534. A small different, but a difference nonetheless.

The internals are virtually identical, with one exception: Galaxy S7 gets a 3,000 mAh battery, while Galaxy S7 edge fits a 3,600 mAh battery. Both support fast charging, both wired and wireless (WPC and PMA compatibility is offered). Obviously, the latter is bigger and heavier, coming in at 150.9 x 72.6 x 7.7 mm and 157 g compared to Galaxy S7's 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9 mm and 152 g.

Samsung wants its new flagships to appeal to a wider range of consumers. Galaxy S7 is a better fit for those looking for a top of the line smartphone that is easier to handle, while Galaxy S7 edge is clearly aimed at phablet fans who value screen size and battery life more.

But, what about the specs? Well, the big news here is that Samsung has opted for two different processors, namely its Exynos 8890 Octa and Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820. Both are manufactured by Samsung, by the way.

Which one you get depends on where you will be buying your Galaxy S7 (pictured to the left) or Galaxy S7 edge from. In the past, Samsung has typically offered Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S flagships in Europe and North America, and Exynos-toting models in Asia. We can only assume that this will once again be the case. Mobile operators also get a say in this, so you will have to check with your carrier to see exactly what model it will sell you.

No matter which processor you get in your Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge, it will be paired with 4GB of RAM, which is good news for heavy multitaskers. Both processors support 4G LTE Cat. 9, which basically means download speeds of up to 450 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 50 Mbps. Obviously, such speeds are only attainable, even theoretically speaking, if your mobile operator network fully supports Cat. 9.

The other highlight is, as expected, the camera. Well, cameras actually. On the back, the new Galaxy flagships feature a "Dual Pixel" 12 MP shooter with an F/1.7 lens and optical image stabilization. What that basically means it that they are capable of very good photos in low light.

The same aperture has been used for the front-facing camera, which retain the sensor size from last year's models. It is a 5 MP shooter, so it should offer a decent level of detail, which should keep the selfie crowd happy.

To store all your photos, videos and apps, Samsung has given Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge (pictured to the right) 32 GB of internal storage. This year the microSD card slot is making a comeback, making it possible to extend the capacity by a further 200 GB. There is also a 64 GB version, but if last year's models are of any indication, it will probably get ignored. And, with a microSD card slot, there's really not much of an incentive to buy it.

It is interesting to point out that the microSD card slot is on the same tray as the SIM card slot. In some markets it will be possible to use two SIMs, though you will have to give up on the microSD card to do this.

Another change over last year's models that is worth mentioning is the IP68 certification, which makes Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge waterproof at up to 1.5 m in depth for up to 30 minutes. Drop it in the pool or the toilet, and it will work fine after assuming it's not damaged by the impact. In case it is not clear enough from the image above, we are looking at a glass build which makes Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge as fragile as their predecessors.

What we are not getting this year, and this is something that makes sense considering Samsung's push with its Gear VR headset, is USB Type-C. Both smartphones get the same old microUSB slot, which is a bit of a shame because every other competitor has or will have a reversible connector.

Samsung has opted to stick with a microUSB connector to maintain compatibility with Gear VR, which has been on sale for a while now. Speaking of it, the headset will be offered for free to those who pre-order Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge.

Before we talk about the software, here are the other specs you should know about: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; NFC, MST (that is for paying with magnetic cards), Bluetooth 4.2 low energy, ANT+, and USB 2.0. The fingerprint sensor is clearly present too.

Now, on to the software. While Samsung has just started its Android 6.0 Marshmallow roll out, Google's latest operating system is preloaded on Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. Obviously, Samsung has slapped its own customizations in there, so it still looks quite different to what you can find running on a newer Nexus device. Still, it is nice to know that at least for half a year Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 users will be using the latest and greatest Android release.

There is Samsung Pay on board, KNOX, different camera modes like Motion Panorama, a new API -- called Vulkan -- and add-on -- called Game Launcher -- aimed at game developers, and of course a suite of Samsung-branded apps and services.

Both Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge go on sale on March 11. Pre-orders kick off tomorrow. There is no word on pricing, but you can expect to shell out $200/$300 on a two-year contract in US, or around $650/$750 unlocked; if you are living in Europe, be prepared to spend roughly €700/€800 for the base models.
Continuum-enabled HP Elite x3 tries to breathe life into the Windows 10 Mobile enterprise market

Publié: février 21, 2016, 7:26pm CET par Mark Wilson

HP is aiming to ignite the enterprise market for Windows 10 Mobile phones with the newly announced HP Elite x3. The 5.96-inch phone is verging on phablet territory and includes support for Windows 10's Continuum, allowing for conversion into -- essentially -- a fully-fledged computer.

A nippy Snapdragon 820 lies under the hood, and the 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM is joined by 64GB of storage, expandable through the use of a microSD card. Other stand-out features include not only a fingerprint scanner, but an iris scanner, as well as wireless charging and a USB Type-C port. Windows 10 Mobile may yet begin to gain traction, but HP is hoping that by catering to the business and enterprise markets, it will be able to carve itself a niche.

HP has been out of the smartphone game for a while now, so it is perhaps little surprise that its comeback device is something of a feature-packed powerhouse. There are dual, front-mounted stereo speakers, and the quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 runs at 2.15GHz.

The rear of the handset features a 16MP camera, complementing the 8MP front-facer, while the so-close-to-6-inches-it-hurts screen offers a resolution of 2560 × 1440 and is of the AMOLED Gorilla Glass 4 variety. The HP Elite x3 supports dual SIM, and other IP 67 water resistance. The 4150mAh battery supports both Qi and PMA wireless charging.

Catering to the security needs of businesses, the handset supports FIPS 140-2 cryptography and 256-bit key full disk encryption. But for the mobile worker, it is Continuum support that is likely to be the key selling point here. Plug the HP Elite x3 into the optional Desk Dock and you have a desktop computer. Alternatively, connect to the Mobile Extender and you have a 12.5-inch laptop complete with extra battery and full keyboard.

The handset is set to launch this summer, but there are no pricing details available just yet.
Huawei MateBook is ready to take on Surface Book, Surface Pro 4 and iPad Pro

Publié: février 21, 2016, 5:06pm CET par Mark Wilson

MWC 2016 may be barely under way, but the announcements are already pouring out thick and fast. As well as smartphones and smart car dongles, you can expect to see plenty of laptops and tablets, and one of the first to vie for your attention is the impressive-looking Huawei MateBook.

Clearly aimed as a rival to Microsoft's Surface Book and Surface Pro 4, the MateBook is a 12-inch hybrid tablet running Windows 10. Weighing in at just 640 grams, and measuring a mere 6.9mm thick, the tablet has an optional keyboard cover and stylus. Powered by an Intel Core M3, M5, or M7 processor Huawei claims 10 hours of battery life for the MateBook.

It's not just the processor that you can choose. Huawei is offering the MateBook with either Windows 10 Home or Pro, kitted out with 4GB or 8GB of RAM, and storage ranging from 128GB to 512GB SSD. The volume rocker features a fingerprint reader as with some Huawei smartphones, so logging into Windows 10 is little more than a finger press away. But it's the screen that Huawei is particularly proud of. The Chinese company says it occupies 84 percent of the device, and it has a resolution of 2160 x 1440.

The optional stylus, the MatePen, has 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity, offers shortcuts via two customizable button, and can last for up to 100 hours between charges. The keyboard case is a cut above average, as it includes a glass trackpad and features what Huawei is referring to as "near-notebook" key travel.

The MateBook is set for launch later in the year priced from $699 to $1599. The MatePan will cost $59, the keyboard cover $129, and a dock will also be available for $89.
Samsung Connect Auto turns your dumb car into a smart car

Publié: février 21, 2016, 4:16pm CET par Mark Wilson

It's not just brand new vehicles that can be considered smart cars. Today Samsung launches Samsung Connect Auto, a plug-in module that can transform any car with an OBD II port in a smart car, connected into the Internet of Things.

Powered by Tizen, Samsung Connect Auto is a small dongle that features a GPS receiver, LTE modem, and a Wi-Fi hotspot. It has been designed to provide drivers with real-time feedback so they can adjust their driving style and improve fuel efficiency. More than this, the dongle also gives the car and its occupants with a Wi-Fi connection, and could provide information to insurers about driving style and frequency to help drive down insurance costs.

In the US, Samsung Connect Auto will work with AT&T, and in a bid to calm any concerns about privacy and security, Samsung KNOX is on hand to keep things under virtual lock and key. There is also involvement from Orange and AXA, and Samsung says that it has listened to customer feedback in creating its connected car ecosystem.

As well as helping to save money with fuel-boosting driving tips, Samsung Connect Auto could also reduce the cost of insurance. Serge Morelli, Deputy CEO of AXA Partners and CEO of AXA Assistance says:

AXA is delighted to partner with Samsung in the development of a secured Connected Car ecosystem that will bring peace of mind for our customers, provide them with additional insurance and assistance services and contribute to enhance drivers' behaviors.

Samsung is keen to push the security features of the ecosystem:

The backbone of Samsung Connect Auto is KNOX security and Tizen OS for interoperability. Samsung KNOX provides security from the hardware through the software levels, including applications. Prioritizing security differentiates Samsung Connect Auto from competitor offerings. Developers can leverage Tizen and Samsung's Software Development Kit (SDK) to further evolve additional services. Samsung also encourages safe driving behavior by using geo-fencing and driver rating algorithms. In the event of an accident, emergency alerts notify the driver's contacts and accident concierge services are provided. A 'Find My Car' app also helps in locating your car in real-time using LTE and GPS.

Samsung Connect Auto is certainly not a new idea, but with the power of Samsung behind it -- and an impressive team of partners including Cisco, Ericsson, Europcar, HERE and IBM -- it stands a better chance of success than rival systems.

There are no pricing details available at the moment, but Samsung Connect Auto is set for Q2 launch in the US, while Europe and other parts of the world will have to wait until Q3.
MWC 2016: LG G5 is a beautiful, transforming, modular smartphone

Publié: février 21, 2016, 3:41pm CET par Mark Wilson
Mobile World Congress 2016 kicks off today in Barcelona and one of the first announcements from the show is the LG G5. This is a modular smartphone that features a number of swappable modules that can be used to tailor it to different needs.

Powered, naturally, by Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the LG G5 features a removable battery, but it is the add-on 'friends' modules that are of particular interest. At the moment there are just two modules available -- the LG Hi-Fi Plus with B&O PLAY, Hi-Fi DAC audio player, and LG CAM Plus, which transforms the smartphone into something more akin to a traditional camera. But the LG G5 does not rely on gimmicks; it also has some impressive specs.

Taking style notes from HTC and Huawei, the G5 has a metal, unibody design. There's an always-on display -- a 5.3 inch, curved 3D Arc Glass affair -- that provides at-a-glance access to notifications and the time, and there are also two rear-facing cameras. There's a 78-degree standard lens, as well as 135-degree wide angle lens allows for more adventurous photography. If you intend to use the LG G5 for taking lots of photos, you might be concerned about how this will impact upon battery life. LG aims to assuage these fears by including an extra 1,200mAh battery in the LG CAM Plus module.

The company also makes much of the display, and says that the always-on feature "requires only 0.8 percent of the battery’s full capacity per hour to operate". The screen adjusts to lighting conditions to ensure maximum visibility at all times -- brightness is automatically increased or decreased up to 850 nits. For those keeping an eye on their batteries, there's more good news. The LG G5 features Quick Charge 3.0 which LG says is "27 percent faster and 45 percent more efficient than the previous generation".
- The LG G5 boasts the following specs:
- Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 Processor
- Display: 5.3-inch Quad HD IPS Quantum Display (2560 x 1440 / 554ppi)
- Memory: 4GB LPDDR4 RAM / 32GB UFS ROM / microSD (up to 2TB)
- Camera: Rear: Standard 16MP, Wide 8MP / Front: 8MP
- Battery: 2,800mAh (removable)
- OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
- Size: 149.4 x 73.9 x 7.7mm
- Weight: 159g
- Network: LTE / 3G / 2G
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a, b, g, n, ac / USB Type-C / NFC / Bluetooth 4.2
- Colors: Silver / Titan / Gold / Pink
When it comes to modules, LG says that there are more planned. The camera and DAC add-ons may not be to everyone's taste, but it will be interesting to see what else LG comes up with in the coming months. With LG using MWC 2016 to announce a new VR headset, there could be a lot to look forward to.

At the moment, there is no word on availability and pricing.
How to: Installing the Nest thermostat

Publié: février 21, 2016, 1:41pm CET par Alan Buckingham

Nest debuted and became a darling of the home automation crowd, seemingly overnight. There's good reasons for that, as the company offered a unique and well-built system that is fairly simple for a homeowner to install. It also learns user habits and can adjust the temperature accordingly. The screen has a motion sensor and comes to life when you walk up to it, while remain dark the rest of the time.

The installation may seem confusing at first, but really it's fairly basic once you get past all of the technical talk and just pay attention to the parts that matter. We're going to install in on a fairly basic two wire system, as it is only going to be controlling heat. My home, for some unknown reason, has a separate air conditioning system, but given that I never use it, it really doesn't matter.

Step 0: Don't let the manual scare you, it isn't as painful as it looks.

Step 1: While the wiring for the vast majority of thermostats is low voltage it is still best to turn it off first. No, it won't knock you across the room if something happens, but you could short the system. There should be a switch either inside your basement door or near the system -- it looks like a light switch and normally has a red faceplate. If not, then use the breaker panel to kill power.

Step 2: Remove the old thermostat. The faceplate should pop right off, exposing screws which hold the base to the wall and wires which need to be disconnected. After unhooking the wires remove the screw and the base.

Step 3: (optional) If your old thermostat was rectangular then you likely will need to paint a bit as the Nest is round and will not cover the same footprint.

Step 4: Take the base ring and get it as close to level as possible (there's a built-in level you can use) and mark the screw holes for drilling.

Step 5: Once the holes are drilled and the ring is secured you will likely need to loosen the screws a bit and make some adjustments to get that bubble as perfectly centered as possible -- the holes are oval so there's room for movement. Note the image below was taken before this step and that the wires are already connected, which doesn't make a difference. In this case, it had to be removed to pound anchors into the plaster as the bottom screw missed the lathe and wasn't biting.

Step 6: Now let's connect the wires. With a two wire system this is fairly simple, but yours may have more. For the most part, the ring guides you by color. The white wire here is the heat wire and it's connected to W1. The red wire is power and it can be connected to either RC or RH. In fact, in a two wire system you can even reverse this as polarity doesn't matter.

The wires simply clamp in, no screws needed. Press the button on the edge of each area and slide the wire into the hole as far as it will go. The button will stay depressed and the wire will be secure. To remove it simply press the button a bit further and pull the wire back out.

Step 7: Insure that your Nest is fully charged. A micro USB slot on the back allows it to be plugged in -- the company recommends hooking to a computer and not a wall outlet. Once it is installed, the power wire will maintain the charge.

Step 8: Install Nest. It simply pops onto the ring, just be sure to line up the ports located on the ring and thermostat, then turn the power back on.

Step 9: You may want to install the app on your phone, if you haven't already. It's not necessary to the setup, but it's part of the reason you likely purchased the device.

Step 10: The thermostat will now begin walking you through the process. You'll choose the usual things -- language, location (by zip code) and several other options. If your home network has a password (and we hope it does) you can enter it here as well. Options are chosen by turning the ring of the thermostat left or right to go up and down and pressing on the front to click your selection. Once you're finished it will make a test run of your system.

Step 11: You're done. Turn the thermostat to set the temperature -- right is up, left is down. Click the front to go to the home screen where you can set a schedule, access settings and much more.

Congratulations, everything is out of the way now and you're all set up and running. It may take a while for the system to learn what you want, but it will.
Warning! Linux Mint hacked -- operating system compromised

Publié: février 21, 2016, 9:32am CET par Wayne Williams

Linux Mint is one of the best distos around, but if you’ve installed it recently you might have done so using a compromised ISO image.

The Linux Mint team today reveals that hackers made a modified Linux Mint ISO with a backdoor in it, and managed to hack the Mint website so it pointed to this bad version.

There is some good news however, and that’s the Linux Mint team managed to discover the intrusion and take action quickly. The site is currently down.

It also only (as far as the team knows) affects the one edition -- Linux Mint 17.3 Cinnamon. If you downloaded a different release or version, or downloaded the OS via torrent or different direct HTTP link, you should be fine.

Also, the compromised version was only up on the site on the 20 February -- so if you downloaded Mint before or after then, you don't need to worry.

Mint says the hacked ISOs are hosted on 5.104.175.212 and the backdoor connects to absentvodka.com. Both are in Sofia, Bulgaria. The team is investigating the hack, but the reason for it remains a mystery for now.

"What we don’t know is the motivation behind this attack," Mint admits. "If more efforts are made to attack our project and if the goal is to hurt us, we’ll get in touch with authorities and security firms to confront the people behind this".

If you’re worried you might have downloaded and installed a compromised version Mint advises you check by following these instructions:

If you still have the ISO file, check its MD5 signature with the command "md5sum yourfile.iso" (where yourfile.iso is the name of the ISO).

The valid signatures are below:

6e7f7e03500747c6c3bfece2c9c8394f linuxmint-17.3-cinnamon-32bit.iso

e71a2aad8b58605e906dbea444dc4983 linuxmint-17.3-cinnamon-64bit.iso

30fef1aa1134c5f3778c77c4417f7238 linuxmint-17.3-cinnamon-nocodecs-32bit.iso

3406350a87c201cdca0927b1bc7c2ccd linuxmint-17.3-cinnamon-nocodecs-64bit.iso

df38af96e99726bb0a1ef3e5cd47563d linuxmint-17.3-cinnamon-oem-64bit.iso

If you still have the burnt DVD or USB stick, boot a computer or a virtual machine offline (turn off your router if in doubt) with it and let it load the live session.

Once in the live session, if there is a file in /var/lib/man.cy, then this is an infected ISO.

You can read more about the hack here.

Photo credit: v.gi / Shutterstock
Google helps lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people discover 'Places of Pride'

Publié: février 21, 2016, 1:50am CET par Brian Fagioli

While sex and gender discrimination will always exist in some form, I am very proud that many people in the USA have opened their minds -- and hearts -- to people that may be different from them. It warms my heart that people can marry regardless of sex or gender. Sadly, there is still much work to do in the USA and other parts of Earth regarding equality.

Quite frankly, it is heartbreaking to think of all the people throughout history that had to live closeted lives. It is not shameful to be a person that is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning or intersex; be proud, my fellow humans! If you aren't sure where to go to publicly show your pride, don't worry; today, Google announces that it is helping LGBTQI folks discover 'Places of Pride'.

"Everyday people around the world fall in love, share a kiss, or come out of the closet, and the places where these significant moments occur become cherished for the memories that they hold. That’s why at Fair Day this Mardi Gras we're launching Places of Pride. Places of Pride is a custom map that gives the LGBTQI community and supporters, a place to celebrate and remember their pride stories, memories, and moments, by marking their significant locations on the map with a Pride Pin", says Patrick Hofmann, Google Maps Sydney team.

Hofmann further says, "a Place of Pride can be anywhere you've experienced or felt pride. Whether it's where you came out to your friends or colleagues, met your partner, or supported provide and diversity in your community, we invite you to mark the places that represent your cherished memories of love, pride, or triumph on the Places of Pride".

What makes this particularly cool, is that users can add places, including comments as seen above. While a mark on the map alone is useful for discovery, the comments share the overall sentiment. Even if you are straight, it can be quite fun and romantic to read these sweet stories. Check the feature out here.

Before you decide to visit one of these locations, please remember that just because a person publicly expressed pride in their sex or gender at a certain location, doesn't necessarily make it a safe place to do so. Be proud, but also be safe, y'all!