Hologram technology is difficult to develop and manufacture. We list the reasons below, but in the mean time, COOLIFY has a hologram PC fan people can take advantage in very short order (available soon). The Holo Fan by COOLIFY is the world’s first holographic PC case fan. By placing a small LED bar across the diameter of their cooling fan COOLIFY has created a customizable 3D visual display on their fans – a brilliant idea we should have thought of years ago!

Users can upload images and videos via the COOLIFY app to personalize their PC setups, creating personalized holograms on their PC rig. The fan offers two speed options: 2600 RPM for maximum cooling efficiency and 1500 RPM for quieter operation with sharper visuals. Its transparent blades and base ensure crystal-clear resolution, while the 4.1-inch display, equipped with 96 high-quality LEDs, delivers vibrant, dynamic holographic effects. Applications include video displays, custom slideshows, logos, GIFs, 3D visuals, and background effects, allowing for a unique and personalized gaming experience.

Hologram technology is difficult to develop and implement because it requires extremely precise control over light to create realistic 3D images. At the core of holography is the use of interference patterns between laser light waves, which must be recorded and reconstructed with great accuracy. Even the slightest vibration or environmental disturbance can disrupt this process. However, a less expensive and less sensitive solution is placing mini LED lights on a spinning object to create the affect of something floating.

Another challenge is the resolution requirement. To create a sharp and convincing hologram, displays need to have pixel densities far beyond what standard LCD or OLED screens can offer, which current technology struggles to support in a practical, affordable way. True holograms also require dynamic changes in perspective based on viewer movement, known as parallax, which is extremely difficult to achieve accurately.

Hardware limitations further complicate the process. Traditional display technologies aren’t suitable for real holography, so specialized optics, lasers, or spinning LED arrays are often required. These components tend to be expensive, bulky, and fragile. On top of that, integrating hologram tech into real-world consumer devices—like phones, monitors, or even PC fans—raises additional concerns around size, power consumption, heat, and cost. All of these factors make hologram technology complex and challenging to bring into everyday use.

The halo fan will be available for about $50 and should be shipping by end of Q2 2025. Reference: COOLIFY product page.

Freeware for Running a Server from a USB Stick

There are several free software options which allow people to set up a portable server on a USB stick. Probably the biggest sector looking for freeware to run a server on a USB stick would be students looking to learn more about server functionality or developers who need a quick and easy way to setup a sandbox for testing of web applications, websites, or for security testing.

We have four categories listed on this post:

1. Web Servers
2. FTP & File Servers
3. Windows-Based Local Server
4. Linux-Based Live Server on USB

Web Servers

XAMPP Portable is a lightweight, portable version of the XAMPP stack (Apache, MySQL, PHP, Perl) that runs directly from a USB drive. You can download it from Apache Friends.

XAMPP Portable is a lightweight and portable version of XAMPP, a widely used open-source software stack that provides an easy way to set up a local web server. The name XAMPP is derived from the core components it includes:

• X – Cross-platform (works on Windows, Linux, and macOS)
• A – Apache (the web server)
• M – MySQL/MariaDB (the database)
• P – PHP (server-side scripting language)
• P – Perl (another server-side scripting language)

Origins and Development

XAMPP was initially developed by Kai ‘Oswald’ Seidler and Kay Vogelgesang as an easy-to-install web development environment. The project was launched by Apache Friends, a non-profit organization, to provide developers with a simple way to test websites locally without configuring complex server settings manually.

The first versions of XAMPP appeared in the early 2000s, around 2002, and quickly gained popularity due to its ease of use. The stack bundled all essential components needed to run dynamic websites and applications, making it a popular choice for developers, students, and educators.

Introduction of XAMPP Portable

As XAMPP’s popularity grew, many users wanted a portable version that could run from a USB flash drive without requiring installation on a host computer. This led to the creation of XAMPP Portable, which offers the same functionality as the regular XAMPP package but is designed for mobility.

The portable version allows developers to carry a pre-configured web server environment on a USB stick and use it on different computers without modifying the system settings.

USBWebserver is a minimal and lightweight server that includes Apache, PHP, MySQL, and phpMyAdmin. It is available at USBWebserver.

USBWebserver was first developed in the early 2000s by Dutch developers to provide a portable web development solution. The primary goal was to create a small, efficient web server that could run without requiring installation on a local system. Unlike XAMPP Portable, which is a larger stack, USBWebserver was designed to be minimalist and lightweight.

The software includes:.

• Apache – The core web server component
• MySQL – The database management system
• PHP – A popular server-side scripting language
• phpMyAdmin – A web-based GUI for managing databases

Because of its portability and simplicity, USBWebserver quickly gained popularity among students, developers, and IT professionals who needed a quick way to test PHP applications and MySQL databases without setting up a full server environment.

Server2Go is a self-configuring, portable web server with Apache, PHP, MySQL, and Perl. Although it has been discontinued, it can still be found on archive sites. Visit Server2Go for more details.

While Server2Go is no longer updated, its concept of a truly portable, self-contained web server has influenced other software solutions. Today, developers looking for alternatives often turn to:

• XAMPP Portable – A more actively maintained portable web server.
• Uniform Server – Another lightweight WAMP solution.
• Laragon – A modern, portable development environment for Windows.

Server2Go remains a notable part of portable web server history, especially for its offline web application distribution capabilities.

Here are some other solutions for server type applications which can be installed and ran from a USB flash drive.

FTP & File Servers

HFS (Http File Server) is a portable HTTP file server that allows easy file sharing over a network. Get it at HFS.

BabyFTP Server is a simple, lightweight, and portable FTP server. Download it from BabyFTP.

Windows-Based Local Server

Uniform Server is a small and lightweight WAMP (Windows, Apache, MySQL, PHP) server that fits on a USB drive. You can download it at Uniform Server.

Linux-Based Live Server on USB

TurnKey Linux is a collection of lightweight, ready-to-run servers (LAMP, WordPress, etc.) that can be installed on a USB. Check it out at TurnKey Linux.

Puppy Linux with a Web Server is a lightweight Linux distro that can run a web server directly from a USB stick. Download it from Puppy Linux.

Trouble in paradise? Apple released a security update to fix an issue which may expose a security risk. The security risk stems from the USB protocol.

Apple isn’t sharing details about who is being targeted, no surprise there.

The vulnerability, known as CVE-2025-24200, could allow someone with physical access to an iPhone to turn off USB Restricted Mode, even if the device is locked.

USB Restricted Mode is the highest probability of having your device exposed to the security risk. The “restricted mode” is a security feature that stops unauthorized people from accessing an iPhone’s data through the lightning port. When this feature is on, the port only allows charging if the phone has been locked for more than an hour. This makes it harder for hackers to break into a locked phone without the correct login information.

The update is available for iPhone XS and newer models, as well as several iPad models, including iPad Pro 13-inch, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (third generation and later), iPad Pro 11-inch (first generation and later), iPad Air (third generation and later), iPad (seventh generation and later), and iPad mini (fifth generation and later).

If you have one of these devices, please update your software as soon as possible. You can check for updates in your device settings.

These types of security flaws are often used by spyware companies, like Pegasus, to spy on specific people. The average user isn’t at risk right now since the details of the attack haven’t been shared publicly. However, if they do get published, criminals could copy the method, making updates even more important.

A cyberattack on a mobile device happens when hackers try to gain access to a smartphone or tablet to steal information, take control, or cause harm. These attacks can occur in different ways, including malicious apps, phishing scams, security flaws, or even physical access to the device.

Malware is one of the most common threats, where harmful software is installed to steal data, track activity, or take over the device. Phishing attacks trick users into providing personal information or login credentials through fake emails, messages, or websites.

We focus so much on USB here at GetUSB.info that we often overlook other technologies such as portable browsers or new browsers. Today, and I’m sure we are much behind the 8Ball, we talked about What is ChromeOS Flex.

ChromeOS Flex is a lightweight, cloud-based operating system developed by Google, designed to be efficient and compatible with older Windows and Mac computers. ChromeOS Flex is free for everyone. It is different than a Chromebook operating system because the Chromebook OS is designed to work on Android. However; ChromeOS Flex is specifically designed to work with Windows and Mac computers only.

This free alternative is web based and provides a streamlined, secure, and manageable experience. Based on the cloud infrastructure of Google this makes it inviting for personal or corporate users to make the most of their older PCs without having to do hardware upgrades or updates. Web-based applications and cloud computing is very common these days, if not more common than standalone operating systems. ChromeOS Flex offers a modern solution tailored for users who primarily work within an internet-based environment.

One of the key advantages of ChromeOS Flex is its efficiency. Unlike traditional operating systems that can slow down over time due to software bloat, background processes, and frequent updates requiring manual intervention, ChromeOS Flex is designed to run smoothly on older hardware. It boots up quickly, typically within seconds, and operates with minimal system requirements, making it particularly useful for devices that have become sluggish over the years. Google is saying the computer OS can boot as quickly as six seconds. We like the sound of that. Because the OS is cloud-based, much of the processing is offloaded to the internet rather than being handled by the device itself and this is why ChromeOS Flex seems to be a great fit for older hardware.

Google is saying security is another big reason to use ChromeOS Flex. Google has built the operating system with a focus on protection against malware, ransomware, and other cyber threats. We still think Google is looking to glean information off your user habits and browsing habits, so although secure, we are sure there is some ancillary benefit Google is getting from offering up this free OS.

Unlike Windows and macOS, which often require third-party antivirus software to maintain security, ChromeOS Flex includes built-in security features such as sandboxing, verified boot, and automatic background updates that ensure the system is always running the latest, most secure version. Sandboxing isolates applications and processes so that even if a vulnerability is exploited, it does not affect the entire system. Verified boot further enhances security by checking for system integrity at startup, preventing any tampered or malicious software from loading. These features make ChromeOS Flex particularly appealing for businesses and educational institutions where data security is a top priority.

The USB Mass Storage Device Protocol defines how USB devices which are attached to a host computer should interact (such as flash drives, external hard drives, and memory cards) and this protocol is critical for allowing stuff to talk with each other in the computer world. Here’s a breakdown of its core components:

In order for a USB flash drives to work interchangeably with other devices a universal standard must be created, defined and implemented for both device manufactures (the flash drives) and the host manufacturers (what flash drives are plugged into). The “Mass Storage Device” is the more technical term for what a USB flash drive is ( or USB hard drive or other memory storage device ) classified as. The classification spells out how communication works between the host computer and USB device.

The following information is a general outline and meant for non-technical readers to better understand the USB Mass Storage Device is. A link at the bottom will direct readers to a more technical resource, say someone reading up from a computer science class.

Let us start with the “Device Class and Protocol”

As mentioned the Mass Storage Class (also known as MSC) is a set of specifications which define a standardized way the USB device will present itself and communicate with the host (what it is plugged into); for example a computer, smartphone a car stereo or even the USB socket you find on a passenger plane. All of these “hosts” must conform to a specific way to communicate with the device.

Although we mention the USB socket of a plane, that particular situation doesn’t require “data transfer” and it’s only meant for power; although a specification is still required even when only dealing with power and/or charging. With that said, the most common protocol used for MSC devices is the “Bulk Only Transport” or BOT. The BOT is a method defining how data is either read or written from one device to the other. The BOT is designed to be fast and optimize data transfer while at the same time providing a reliable and stable code base for transferring data.

As a side note, the BOT was improved with UASP. The newer UASP (USB Attached SCSI Protocol) was introduced for the USB 3.0+ speed of devices. The UASP improves the older BOT by allowing faster data transfer rates and better performance to the devices which support the newer UASP.

So whether the host and attached device, say a USB flash drive, use BOT or UASP the commands used come from the SCSI (Small Computer System Interface) protocol. This protocol was developed in the late 1970s and ultimately introduced to the public for use in 1986. So the SCSI protocol has been around for a very long time.

One pillar of the SCSI protocol is the “block device” appearance of a device connected to a computer. This block device approach helps organize data and allows the two to communicate in blocks. Remember the most basic, 1024? the block device approach allows data transfer to work more efficiently and organized than other approaches.

The Mass Storage Device specification will classify data transfer speeds. This type of classification will setup the host computer and device on the best method to communicate. This is important because you want to define a Mass Storage Device’s ability to transmit data, during either the read or write operation, to an optimal speed for best performance. So for example, you don’t want a USB 3.0 hard drive communicating with the host computer at USB 2.0 speeds. The classification for data transfer will sync up the proper protocol.

Review: USB-C cable tester by BLE caberQU

USB-C has firmly established itself as the universal connector standard, integrating data transfer, power delivery, and video output into a single interface. With so many cables on the market, knowing which ones truly deliver on their promises can be challenging. That’s where the BLE caberQU comes in, a great USB-C cable tester that provides the details most people never realize they’re missing.

We can break down the need to test USB-C cables into five categories. And it’s worth saying out loud: if you’re going to spend good money on a device, monitor, or peripheral, isn’t it worth a bit of effort to make sure the cable connecting everything actually performs at the level it claims?

The blockbuster category is USB-C data transfer speed. Different USB-C cables support very different throughput. Some are limited to USB 2.0 (480 Mbps), while others support USB 3.1 or USB 3.2 (up to 10 or 20 Gbps). Testing confirms you’re getting the performance you paid for, especially when moving large files or working with external storage.

The BLE caberQU excels at its core purpose. It provides a reliable way to test USB-C cables for data speed, charging capability, and overall health. The LED indicators offer a clear visual of pin connectivity, which simplifies troubleshooting. The LCD screen takes things further, providing detailed metrics about the cable being tested.

The second most important category is compatibility. Not all USB-C cables are created equal. Some won’t properly support higher-speed protocols like Thunderbolt 3 or 4, which can affect everything from monitor output to dock behavior. The BLE caberQU offers a systematic way to determine the true protocol capability of a cable. Because some marginal cables can produce inconsistent results, testing a cable multiple times is recommended to ensure the reported values are accurate.

ChatGPT had an image create tool update earlier today. The service called DALL-E is a playful blend of two influences which was the root for how the name came about.

Salvador Dalí is the famous surrealist artist known for his imaginative and dream like imagery and WALL·E is the robot from the Pixar movie and represents the artificial intelligence and the futuristic capabilities of non human AI sources.

With that said DALL·E doesn’t technically stand for anything, but more like an acronym. Like the ChatGPT which creates surreal, imaginative images, just like Dalí would; yet powered by technology like the little WALL·E robot. The idea behind the name is to capture the spirit of art and artificial intelligence which is what the ChatGPT service does, turns words into images.

So what was improved?

Inpainting (Image Editing / Generative Fill)

You can now click on parts of an image and edit or regenerate specific sections—like replacing an object or modifying just the background—without recreating the whole image. This gives you much more control.

More Accurate Prompt Interpretation

The tool is now better at understanding complex and detailed prompts, including spatial relationships, styles, and lighting. If you say “a USB drive plugged into the left side of a silver laptop,” it’s more likely to reflect that exactly.

Higher-Quality Images

There’s a noticeable boost in the sharpness, realism, and overall visual fidelity of the images generated. Textures, reflections, and lighting effects are now more natural-looking.

Faster Generation Time

Image creation is now quicker, allowing near real-time rendering of visuals—even for detailed prompts or specific camera angles.

Improved Consistency in Object Rendering

The model is better at producing recognizable and consistent objects, like realistic human anatomy, symmetrical faces, or technical devices such as laptops and USB drives.

Better Handling of Text in Images

While still not perfect, the system is better at rendering legible and relevant text within images—like signs, labels, or product branding.

Enhanced Style Control

You can more reliably request specific artistic styles (e.g., pencil sketch, watercolor, photorealism), and the system will stick to that aesthetic more closely.

Working in a low light room with proper monitor lighting can reduce stress, reduce headaches and make employees a bit more productive. The Quntis Computer Monitor Light Bar is a sweet workspace lighting addition and good solution for tech peeps who demand a good work light solution. Engineered to eliminate screen glare, the Quntis monitor lamp directs light precisely onto the desktop and keyboard area, ensuring a flicker-free experience that reduces eye strain. Great for long hour workers like coders or accountants. With its built-in auto-dimming sensor, the light automatically adjusts brightness levels based on ambient lighting conditions, maintaining optimal visibility throughout the day and night without user intervention.

Designed for seamless integration and contemporary look to fit in properly with any work environment. The space-saving light bar, because it fits on top of the monitor, easily clips onto monitors 22 inches and wider and freeing up valuable desk space. Powered via USB, the Quntis connects to any workstation setup and we can’t think of a reason why someone would be limited to using this. Connections can be made through a computer, docking station, or external power source. IT managers can appreciate the stepless dimming and adjustable color temperature range (3000K–6500K) , allowing users to fine-tune their workspace lighting from warm to cool tones, enhancing focus and productivity across various tasks.

Built with precision and durability in mind, the Quntis Monitor Light Bar features a high CRI95 LED rating , ensuring true-to-life color accuracy—critical for designers, developers, and content creators. With touch-sensitive controls the Quntis provides intuitive operation, while the power-off memory function retains previous settings, minimizing disruptions and maximizing user convenience. Tested through 10,000+ safety assessments and certified for anti-blue light and optical radiation safety , this monitor lamp is a long-term investment in workplace well-being.

For someone looking to improve office ergonomics, enhance employee efficiency, and reduce screen-related fatigue, the Quntis Monitor Light Bar is a great upgrade. Would also make for the perfect employee gift for a job well done. Its combination of smart functionality, premium build quality, and seamless adaptability makes it the perfect addition to any modern corporate workspace.

According to some online sales reports, the Quntis light bar is one of the most popular selling USB items for the past three months. Sources include Amazon and Google shopping.

About Quntis: A brand under SHENZHEN QIANHAI LIHERUISI KONGGU YOUXIANGONGSI, was established in 2016, focusing on the development and innovation of electronic accessories. The company’s product line includes earphones, audio speakers, and electric charging cables. Over the years, Quntis has expanded its offerings to include eye-care computer lamps and outdoor LED string lights, continually upgrading its products to provide better lighting solutions for consumers.

Is there a tariff on USB flash drives coming from China – Yes!

UPDATE as of April 9, 2025

The trump administration has no imposed a 120% tariff on USB flash drives. This move was after China did a retaliatory tariff on US goods going into China at 84%. This is a “who will blink first” type situation. Unfortunately, no one is the winner.

UPDATE as of April 7, 2025

As of April 7th during trumps second term, the administration placed an additional 34% tariff on USB flash drives. Although the president does not have unilateral control over tariffs, it is possible Congress will bring a resolution to the floor and reverse or reduce these tariffs. Currently there are efforts for Congress to overturn or amend the tariffs placed on Canada, although no firm bill or law has been passed.

Three tariffs have been assigned to the USB flash drive category when importing product from China since 2020.

The first tariff was assigned during Trump’s first term in office at a rate of 7.5% percent which started February 2020.

The second tariff was assigned during Trump’s second term in office at a rate of 10% percent which started January 2025.

Because of this new tariff announced on “liberation day” (whatever that means) the total amount of tariffs charged to import flash drives from China into the United States is 51.5% on the cost of the product.

Is this bad? Mostly YES and a little no.

A big yes because any tariff assigned to a product during important is affectively a “tax” on the product. This is true for whether the item is being important from China or any other country.

A little “no” because the United States has a trade deficient in relationship to China. By instituting a tariff on imported goods, in theory, is supposed to encourage US suppliers to manufacture product in the United States.

Many economists argue about tariffs. Mostly that tariffs are harmful to the US economy because they increase costs for consumers and businesses while disrupting global trade. Many U.S. manufacturers rely on imported raw materials and components (such as semiconductors, steel, and electronic parts) to produce finished goods. Higher input costs make American businesses less competitive, potentially leading to job losses and slower economic growth.

Tariffs can also provoke retaliatory measures from trading partners, harming US exporters by making their goods more expensive and less competitive in foreign markets. While tariffs are often intended to encourage domestic manufacturing, they may not be effective in reshoring production. Many industries have deeply integrated global supply chains, making it difficult and expensive to shift production back to the US.

For example, there are no major players, such as Kingston, Western Digital, Nexcopy or Micron who manufacture USB flash drive memory inside the United States. These manufacturers use contract factories in China to produce the goods.

Even if these companies had manufacturing capabilities in the United States the NAND memory required to make the product would need to be imported from China. Since the NAND memory makes up 90% of the USB flash drive product cost, the advantage to move manufacturing to the US is not profitable. It is less expensive to have end-users foot the tariff bill, than to have manufacturers change their supply chain manufacturing strategy.

Tariffs are an old strategy for international business negotiations. The president who implemented these tariffs does not hold the “art of a deal” but rather, simple and elementary visions for how to negotiate trade deals. Tariffs have been used for centuries as a tool to protect domestic industries, generate government revenue, and influence trade relationships. The theory is, imposing tariffs to shield local businesses from foreign competition and ensure domestic industries could develop without being undercut by cheaper imports is no longer a working theory.

While tariffs remain a common negotiation tool, many economists argue that free trade agreements and international cooperation (such as those under the World Trade Organization) are more effective at fostering long-term economic growth. Instead of imposing tariffs, modern trade deals often focus on reducing barriers, increasing market access, and enforcing fair competition rules, which can lead to more sustainable and mutually beneficial trade relationships.

The above paragraph is a major short coming of the current administration (Trump 2025) and the inability to think at these higher levels and negotiate more detailed agreements will ultimately cost the American consumer hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

What can you do?

There is not much which can be done to avoid or circumvent the tariff imposed. For example, there is no manufacturer inside the United States producing USB drives. The cost to ship product from China to say Taiwan or Mexico and then ship into the US is more expensive than paying the tariff. Looking forward, the “option” any American has is understanding what a tariff is and how that impacts the bottom line for a company or business. Most importantly, to elect officials who are more in-line with consumer protection rather than exercising retaliatory political moves at the expense of American people.

A couple notes:

• There is no tariff for purchases which remain under $800 dollars
• For major manufactures, the $800 single shipment amount is pointless (see below)
• The Harmonization Code for USB Flash Memory is 8523.51.00.00

USB Flash Drive sales are estimated to be 5.47 Billion dollars for 2024. Let’s say the United States purchased only 1% of that amount, the $800 limit on single orders would still not allow manufacturers to “work the system” and avoid paying tariffs by making hundreds of mini shipping orders – there is too much volume coming into the United States to justify making thousands of small orders under $800. Plus, US Customs would certainly catch on to a scheme like that.

It is common to hear Raspberry Pi owners want more USB ports. GetUSB.info just read about them introducing an official 4 port USB hub. Sweet. To note, most Raspberry Pi single-board computers, except for the Raspberry Pi Zero and A+ models, include a built-in USB hub that splits one USB connection into several USB Type-A ports. Just recently they launched the official Raspberry Pi USB 3 Hub, a high-quality USB 3.0 hub that offers four additional USB ports.

This hub includes a single upstream USB 3.0 Type-A connector with an 3 inches (8 cm) built-in cable. The “upstream” port is the socket used to communicate with the host device, which in this case is the Raspberry Pi. It also has four downstream USB 3.0 Type-A ports and can reach data transfer speeds up to 5 Gbps. There’s a USB-C socket for an optional external 3A power supply but that isn’t included with the $12 purchase. Quick note, the downstream port is are the sockets used to communicate with the devices, like a USB flash drive, hard drive, mouse, keyboard, printer, etc.

One driving force on why Raspberry Pi wanted to sponsor their own USB hub is the fact most ‘other’ hubs are just too expensive. One fundamental goal of Raspberry Pi is to provide an unparalleled offering for computer code development and the lowest possible price. Usually, you either pay a high price for a reliable, well-designed product, or you buy a cheaper option that’s unreliable, doesn’t work with various devices, or simply looks bad.

With this hub, there is no “race to the bottom,” where cheap, poor-quality products pushed out better options, and online marketplaces like Amazon became filled with low-quality hubs. To offer a better solution the Raspberry team got together with with Infineon to source a quality hub chip called the CYUSB3304.

Based on user beta testers and user comments here are the pros and cons of the Raspberry Pi USB 3 Hub:

A recent update to Windows 11 is causing some significant issues for users, leaving many users frustrated and entire sure what to do. How To: Fix Windows 11 Update Computer Issues is a brief summary of the problem below and link to the solution (a Microsoft Windows utility to fix it all) This update, released on 26th September and labelled KB5043145, has led to major problems like your PC freezing, displaying the dreaded “blue screen of death” or becoming caught in a reboot loop where the computer repeatedly tries to restart itself but fails and thus tries again and again.

In addition to the blue-screens, some users report their USB and/or Bluetooth devices suddenly stopped working after installing the update. This includes a wide variety of peripherals such as keyboards, mice, headphones, microphones, memory sticks, and printers. Essentially, anything connected through USB or Bluetooth seems to be vulnerable to these problems.

One member from our team installed the updated and clearly something was broken in the file system, so they ended up restoring the entire PC. Far cry from an update experience. Our guy wasn’t alone, seems plenty of Windows users are seeing the same or similar issues.

Others have also reported issues with network connections, like their Wi-Fi no longer working, as well as problems with certain software programs like VirtualBox which runs Linux type OS subsystems.

If you found yourself dealing with these problems Microsoft advises that its Automatic Repair tool will help if your PC is stuck in a reboot loop. This tool might automatically pop up, allowing you to resolve the issue. For some users, BitLocker recovery can also be used to fix problems caused by the update, according to Microsoft’s support page.

Microsoft implemented a fix through its Known Issue Rollback (KIR) service, which is designed to undo the effects of problematic updates without requiring a manual uninstall. This tweak might help in automatically resolving these issues for many users. However, if your computer is still not operating correctly, Microsoft suggests attempting a system restart, which could trigger the automatic repair process and potentially get your PC back on track.

We would recomment that until the issues are fully ironed out, it may be worth holding off on installing this particular update, especially if your PC and peripherals are running smoothly as they are. If you’ve already installed it and are experiencing these issues, follow the Microsoft’s troubleshooting steps metioned above about the Automatic Repair Tool might be the best course of action to get everything back to normal.

Godspeed those USB ports and peripherals!

It’s mind-blowing to think that storing a terabyte of data once cost tens of billions of dollars. Today, that same amount of storage fits on a consumer flash drive that can cost around $20 on sale (even though MSRP is often closer to $100).

In 1956, IBM introduced the first hard drive: the IBM 305 RAMAC. It offered about 5 megabytes (MB) of storage and carried a cost of roughly $10,000 per megabyte. That put the system cost around $50,000 for just 5 MB of storage.

To calculate the cost of 1 terabyte (TB) of storage in 1956 using this rate:

• 1 TB = 1,024 GB
• 1 GB = 1,024 MB
• 1 TB = 1,048,576 MB

At $10,000 per MB, the cost of 1 TB would have been:

1,048,576 MB × $10,000 per MB = $10,485,760,000 (over 10 billion dollars)

So yes, 1 TB of storage would have cost more than 10 billion dollars in 1956.

By 2020, storage pricing had fallen dramatically due to advances in semiconductor manufacturing, higher density NAND flash, improved controllers, and massive economies of scale across the tech industry.

In 2020, the average cost of storage was roughly $0.02 per gigabyte, which equals $0.00002 per megabyte. Using the same calculation:

• 1 TB = 1,024 GB
• 1 GB = 1,024 MB
• 1 TB = 1,048,576 MB

At $0.00002 per MB, the cost of 1 TB in 2020 would have been:

1,048,576 MB × $0.00002 per MB = $20.97

That means one terabyte of storage dropped from more than 10 billion dollars in 1956 to roughly twenty dollars in 2020. Put simply, storage has become one of the most extreme examples of technological cost collapse in modern history.