How-To Geek

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We explain technology. Learn more with our articles, reviews, tips, and the best answers to your most pressing tech questions.
Updated: 3 hours 29 min ago

I have a silly goal for my PC in 2026, and it has nothing to do with performance

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 21:00

When I built my current PC in early 2024, I dedicated all my budget (and then some) to better performance. Fancy-looking components always cost more, and I figured I'd rather have a powerful system than a pretty one.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Plex is getting more artwork customization options

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 20:11

Plex Media Server owners can finally customize the Logo and Square Artwork for titles in their personal libraries, bringing a professional polish to homegrown collections. This functionality is similar to how we’ve been able to customize Posters and Backgrounds for years.

Categories: IT General, Technology

The best Black Friday deals of 2025

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 20:00

Black Friday, as always, is starting early this year. Beat the rush of the actual day and take advantage of these early offers!

Categories: IT General, Technology

Vivaldi has finally added this long-requested feature

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 19:32

Vivaldi is probably one of the third-party browsers I like the most—though I've stuck with Chrome on both my phone and computer, if I were to choose something to switch, I'd switch to Vivaldi. And it just got a lot better with the addition of a new feature on Android.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This Quake-inspired terminal is my new favorite on Linux

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 19:01

Do you open the terminal a lot on your Linux desktop? There's a terminal you can open faster than a standard emulator window, and it might feel familiar to you if you've ever played the game Quake.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Stop obsessing over horsepower when buying a new car

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 18:30

Horsepower is a key specification most people will at least consider when looking at buying a new vehicle. After all, there's nothing worse than buying a car only to realize that it doesn't have enough power to overtake someone on the highway, or get you going from the lights at a reasonable pace.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Remove your personal data from the internet with Incogni this Black Friday

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 18:29

It’s not paranoia. Your personal information really is out there. Your name, phone number, home address, email, and even your family connections are likely stored on hundreds of websites you’ve never heard of.

Categories: IT General, Technology

2026 Toyota RAV4 pricing announced: Full breakdown by trim

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 18:22

Toyota is making the RAV4 hybrid-only, and honestly, that’s a pretty big deal. The RAV4 is Toyota’s top-selling model, so any major shift here is going to get noticed.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Firefox is fixing a 21-year old problem on Linux

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 18:06

As part of the upcoming release of Firefox 147, Mozilla has resolved a bug report about missing support for Freedesktop's XDG Base Directory standard. The report had been open for a whopping 21 years, and the fix will make Firefox installation files cleaner and more organized.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Android Auto is getting Gemini today

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 18:00

As promised earlier this year, Google's AI assistant is officially starting to roll out to Android Auto. However, whether or not you’ll get it depends on the choices you’ve made on your phone.

Categories: IT General, Technology

My favorite smart home scene is the one I use last of all

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 18:00

To many, creating a smart home means getting bogged down in the nitty-gritty of designing complex smart home automations. While I’m not afraid to nerd out once in a while, the greatest benefit I've received from my smart home has been the simplification of everyday tasks.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Windows 11 has a massive kernel vulnerability

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 17:59

It's always bad when a new security issue pops up, and it's even worse when it affects multiple builds across multiple versions of an operating system. A lot of Windows users are being affected by a brand new security flaw, and this one looks pretty bad.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Linux's 3 biggest strengths are also it's biggest weaknesses

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 17:30

Have you ever wondered why some people swear Linux is the best thing ever while others think it’s over-hyped and useless? It’s primarily because the biggest strengths of Linux also happen to be its biggest weaknesses—and for some people, the pros outshine the cons, and vice versa!

Categories: IT General, Technology

Looking for a new podcast? These 7 demand a listen

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 16:30

I'm a voracious podcast listener. But like a lot of us, sometimes I can get stuck listening to my tried-and-true favorites—the hosts start to feel like friends after a while, which is one of the things that makes podcasts so addictive.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Polestar to add AI technology to upcoming vehicle models

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 16:23

The AI revolution isn’t just happening on your phone or laptop—our cars are getting in on the action too.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Toyota vs Honda: most reliable hybrid SUV 2025

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 13:00

The hybrid car market has never been more crowded—or more exciting. Automakers worldwide are betting big on electrification, and gasoline-electric hybrids are leading the charge in popularity.

Categories: IT General, Technology

7 virtual machine mistakes to avoid

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 12:30

I’ve been running virtual machines for nearly 20 years at this point, and I’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way. From incorrect RAM allocation to forgetting to unmount the installation ISO, I've broken stuff on my journey. Here are seven mistakes I made that you should definitely avoid.

Categories: IT General, Technology

This open-source program saved me from buying an Xbox or PlayStation

Thu, 11/20/2025 - 00:00

Gaming isn't a cheap hobby, and it only gets more expensive if you want to branch out and use multiple consoles. A gaming PC and a console can easily cost more than $1200 together.

Categories: IT General, Technology

5 reasons the Steam Machine will never match the Steam Deck

Wed, 11/19/2025 - 23:30

The Steam Deck didn't break any sales records, but it did leave a major mark on the world of PC hardware. It's by far the most popular hardware product from Valve, it made PC handhelds mainstream, and is the best-selling PC handheld ever. Could the new Steam Machine repeat its success? Likely not.

Categories: IT General, Technology

Home Assistant's new ZBT-2 adapter supports Zigbee, Thread, and Matter

Wed, 11/19/2025 - 22:59

Nabu Casa and the Open Home Foundation just revealed the Home Assistant Connect ZBT-2. It's a USB adapter for adding Zigbee, Thread, or Matter devices to your Home Assistant setup, and you can order one starting today.

Categories: IT General, Technology

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