Windows, Microsoft, and third-party software makers supply numerous useful tools for the command line — but these are not always easy to use. Graphical user interfaces (GUI), on the other hand, usually offer a more intuitive experience. Instead of developing a program from scratch, programmers sometimes use command line tools (CLI, Command Line Interface) or program libraries of the system in the background. The set options are transferred to the GUI tool, the return values are read out, and displayed in the window. Further reading: 50 programs that fix Windows problems with just a few clicks Such graphical interfaces make it easier to get started with many command line tools because they provide a good overview of the available options and often also explanations in help text. Here are some of the most useful ones. 1. Faster software installations and updates One of the major disadvantages of Windows is the proliferation of software installations and updates. Autostart apps that run permanently in the background prompt for updates. Sometimes a program reports available updates at startup. In some cases, you have to carry out the update check yourself. get windows 11 pro for cheap Windows 11 Pro The command line tool Winget, which Microsoft offers for Windows 10 and 11, promises a significant improvement. It can be used to install numerous programs very easily without a cumbersome setup wizard. Winget can also update many programs, even if they were not installed via Winget. Winget should already be installed on Windows 10 and 11. Look in the Microsoft Store under Library to see if App Installer is in the list. If not, install the app. Check the Store for updates if you have not already done so. Winget versions that are too old may no longer work. Central updater: Winget UI shows which software updates are available on the PC. The update can take place automatically – or you can manually select specific programs for the update. Central updater: Winget UI shows which software updates are available on the PC. The update can take place automatically – or you can manually select specific programs for the update. IDG Central updater: Winget UI shows which software updates are available on the PC. The update can take place automatically – or you can manually select specific programs for the update. IDG IDG Winget UI is a graphical user interface for Winget and other package managers. To configure it, click Settings on the left-hand side. For automatic updates, tick Update packages automatically under General settings. Under Start options, click on the Open button and then activate the autostart for Winget UI. Winget UI can search for packages, install them, and display the installed packages. After clicking on Software updates on the left-hand side, Winget UI displays programs for which updates are available. Click on the Update selected packages button on the far left of the toolbar to update all programs marked with a tick at once. Click on Discover packages and use the input field to search for programs. Place a tick in front of the desired program and click on Install selected packages. 2. System maintenance with just a few clicks Dism (Deployment Image Servicing and Management) is a central Microsoft tool for managing Windows components and installation images. Dism can be used to check and repair system files, which can be controlled on the command line with various options. GUI for Dism provides a simple interface for using Dism. Use the tool if you suspect that damaged files are the cause of system problems. Move the mouse over the buttons to get information about the function. The Clean up buttons clean up the Winsxs component memory. Click on the first and second button in succession. Clean up 3 cleans up residues from service packs, which is currently not necessary because there are none for Windows 10 or 11. Windows repair: With GUI for Dism you use the Microsoft command line tool Dism to clean up the usually very large Winsxs folder and repair defective system files. Windows repair: With GUI for Dism you use the Microsoft command line tool Dism to clean up the usually very large Winsxs folder and repair defective system files. IDG Windows repair: With GUI for Dism you use the Microsoft command line tool Dism to clean up the usually very large Winsxs folder and repair defective system files. IDG IDG You can also click on the buttons under Repair one after the other. Dism is used to examine and repair damaged system files. Clicking on Sfc repair starts the System File Checker (SFC), which also finds and repairs faulty system files. DISM++ offers similar functions, but a somewhat more appealing and German-language interface. Tick Tools > Hard disk cleanup > Reduce WinSxS directory and then click Scan. The tool will show you which files can be removed, which you can initiate by clicking on Clean up. The other clean-up functions work accordingly. In addition, Dism++ offers a number of options under Control Panel that give you quick access to Windows settings. 3. Using Dism for image management In addition to system repair, the main task of Dism is to handle files in Windows Imaging Format (WIM). This is not something that a Windows user needs every day, but professionals can use it to customize the Windows installation image for a new installation, for example. Dism offers numerous options for handling WIM files. As a rule, you first mount an image in the file system, make changes, transfer the changes to the image, and unmount it again. Handling WIM files: Dism-GUI shows which images are contained in a WIM file. The file can be mounted in the file system via the graphical user interface. Handling WIM files: Dism-GUI shows which images are contained in a WIM file. The file can be mounted in the file system via the graphical user interface. IDG Handling WIM files: Dism-GUI shows which images are contained in a WIM file. The file can be mounted in the file system via the graphical user interface. IDG IDG Dism GUI provides a simple graphical interface for these tasks. Start the tool by right-clicking with Run as administrator. On the Mount Control tab, specify the WIM file and the folder in which the image is to be mounted, for example C:\mount. Click on Display WIM Info to display what is in the file. The Install.wim file for Windows 11, for example, contains ten editions. Select the number of the desired edition under Index and then click on Mount WIM. On the other tabs, Dism GUI offers further functions, such as the integration of drivers and packages in a WIM file. Dism-Tools is a somewhat more comprehensive program for customizing WIM files. After starting the program, first click on New Project, give the project a name, and specify the storage location. Continue by clicking on Mount Image. Select the WIM file and a mount folder. Click on Use default to set the mount folder within the project directory. Enter the index number of the desired edition behind Index. Dism-Tools now displays several buttons that you can use to add packages or drivers, deactivate features, or remove Appx packages. Edit WIM files: DISM-Tools offers a convenient interface that allows you to customize the Windows installation image in a variety of ways. You can remove and add components. Edit WIM files: DISM-Tools offers a convenient interface that allows you to customize the Windows installation image in a variety of ways. You can remove and add components. IDG Edit WIM files: DISM-Tools offers a convenient interface that allows you to customize the Windows installation image in a variety of ways. You can remove and add components. IDG IDG 4. Use a better alternative to Dism There is no getting around Dism, for example if you want to add functions to a WIM file, as described in point three. Unpacking, repacking, or converting WIM files is also possible with the open source tool Wimlib-Imagex, which sometimes works faster than Microsoft’s original. Wimlib-CLC is a graphical front end for Wimlib-Imagex. Start the program in Windows Explorer via the context menu item Run as administrator. It displays the available options on several tabs. If you move the mouse over one of the settings, a short help text appears. However, it is advisable to call up the detailed descriptions via Help > wimlib documentation (PDF). Wimlib instead of Dism: Wimlib-CLC uses Wimlib in the background, which is also suitable for backup tasks. In many cases, it works faster than Microsoft’s Dism. Wimlib instead of Dism: Wimlib-CLC uses Wimlib in the background, which is also suitable for backup tasks. In many cases, it works faster than Microsoft’s Dism. IDG Wimlib instead of Dism: Wimlib-CLC uses Wimlib in the background, which is also suitable for backup tasks. In many cases, it works faster than Microsoft’s Dism. IDG IDG Wimlib-CLC can also be used as a backup tool, which Dism does not offer when Windows is running. Enter the path to a new WIM file under File and the folder you want to back up under Source on the Capture tab. Tick the snapshot box, select the compress option, and set maximum=LZX as the compression format. Click on Execute to start the backup. If you need files from the backup file, you can mount them in the file system using Dism GUI (see point three). Or you can extract the contents to a new folder using Wimlib-CLC via the Extract/Check tab. Windows quick installation: Win NT Setup extracts the Windows installation image for Windows-To-Go onto a USB stick or into a VHD file. Windows quick installation: Win NT Setup extracts the Windows installation image for Windows-To-Go onto a USB stick or into a VHD file. IDG Windows quick installation: Win NT Setup extracts the Windows installation image for Windows-To-Go onto a USB stick or into a VHD file. IDG IDG Win NT Setup uses Wimlib for the portable Windows installation to a VHD file or to a USB drive (Windows-To-Go). It unpacks the image file Install.wim from the Windows installation medium, a task that is otherwise performed by the setup tool during a new installation. The advantage of this is that with Windows 11 there is no need to check the hardware requirements, additional options can be set for the configuration of the system and you can specify a response file for the fully automatic installation with a local user account. ESD File Converter uses Wimlib to convert an ESD file on the Windows installation media into a WIM file for further processing if required. The tool can also unpack the ISO file of the installation media and apply a registry patch or add a response file that allows a Windows 11 installation without hardware testing. Manage Windows subsystem for Linux The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) enables the start of Linux programs under Windows. It is managed with the command line tool Wsl. Manage Linux subsystem: WSL2-Distro-Manager gives you access to the WSL configuration and allows you to quickly set up additional Linux distributions. Manage Linux subsystem: WSL2-Distro-Manager gives you access to the WSL configuration and allows you to quickly set up additional Linux distributions. IDG Manage Linux subsystem: WSL2-Distro-Manager gives you access to the WSL configuration and allows you to quickly set up additional Linux distributions. IDG IDG WSL2-Distro-Manager offers a graphical user interface for WSL. When starting for the first time, click on wsl –install if Wsl has not yet been set up, and then restart Windows. After logging in, WSL is initialized and the Ubuntu installation is completed in a terminal window. You will be asked to enter a user name and a new password for Linux. Back in WSL2-Distro-Manager, you will see the installed Linux distributions under Home, which you can start by clicking on the Play button. Use + Add an instance to set up additional Linux systems. Enter the first letter of a distribution in the Distro name or path to rootfs input field. Select the desired version from the list and click on Create to install it. 5. Partitioning and formatting drives Disk Management is usually sufficient for partitioning and formatting hard disks and SSDs. However, there are situations in which you need to use the Diskpart command line tool. For example, Disk Management cannot reformat USB sticks to which the image of a Linux installation medium has been written. GUI for Diskpart makes Diskpart accessible via a graphical user interface. After starting, the tool displays the recognized drives in the first line. After clicking on them, the partitions they contain are displayed below. Select the USB stick, click on the … button and select Diskpart – Clean. Tick the Clean all box and click on Confirm. Make sure that you have actually specified the desired drive. To confirm, you must type in the text displayed in the window before the action can be carried out after clicking on Confirm. Partition drives: GUI for Diskpart enables convenient use of the command line tool. It can also delete partitions for which Disk Management refuses to work. Partition drives: GUI for Diskpart enables convenient use of the command line tool. It can also delete partitions for which Disk Management refuses to work. IDG Partition drives: GUI for Diskpart enables convenient use of the command line tool. It can also delete partitions for which Disk Management refuses to work. IDG IDG Bootice can partition drives and is used to manage the boot environment. This tool can also be used to delete partitions that cannot be deleted by Disk Management. On the Physical Disk tab, select the desired drive, click on Parts Manage, and then on Re-Partitioning. For a standard USB stick, select the option USB-HDD-mode (Single Partition) and NTFS or ExFAT as the file system. If required, you can also use FAT32. Bootice can also format USB sticks with more than 32 GB with FAT32, which neither Disk Management nor Diskpart support. Use the USB-HDD-mode (Multi-Partitions) option if you want to boot Windows from the USB stick, for example. Set GUID partition table (GPT) and tick the two options below. Remove all entries after Size and set the fourth partition to NTFS. After clicking on OK and confirming, Bootice will create all the partitions required for a Uefi system. A USB stick prepared in this way can then be filled with the Windows installation by Win NT Setup (see point four). Re-partitioning: Bootice automatically creates a Uefi partition structure on USB sticks. The tool can also format sticks with more than 32 GB with FAT32. Re-partitioning: Bootice automatically creates a Uefi partition structure on USB sticks. The tool can also format sticks with more than 32 GB with FAT32. IDG Re-partitioning: Bootice automatically creates a Uefi partition structure on USB sticks. The tool can also format sticks with more than 32 GB with FAT32. IDG IDG 6. Measure speeds in the network Use the command line tool Iperf to determine the performance of your local network. It works according to the client-server principle and expects a remote station to be available on which Iperf is running in server mode. Jperf simplifies the operation of Iperf. The tool displays the measurement results in a diagram and thus gives a better impression of the transfer rate. Jperf requires a Java runtime environment. Start the tool via Jperf.bat. Select the Server option and click on Run Iperf!. Make sure you set up Jperf on another PC in the network. Select the Client option and enter the IP address of the server. Set MBytes behind Output Format. Click on Run Iperf!. The tool shows you the text output from Iperf and displays the data graphically. How fast is the network? Jperf reliably determines the transfer rate between two PCs in the network. It can also be used to find out whether the WLAN is delivering the expected performance, for example. How fast is the network? Jperf reliably determines the transfer rate between two PCs in the network. It can also be used to find out whether the WLAN is delivering the expected performance, for example. IDG How fast is the network? Jperf reliably determines the transfer rate between two PCs in the network. It can also be used to find out whether the WLAN is delivering the expected performance, for example. IDG IDG 7. Additional front ends for other tools Some programs do not directly use additional tools for a specific function, but offer an alternative way of accessing Windows options. Others serve as frontends for launching command line tools. Wintoys displays important system data and the utilization of CPU, graphics card and RAM in an attractive interface. Under Apps you can quickly access the list of installed programs, which can also be uninstalled here. Under Performance, the tool offers several options, such as for managing autostart apps. The Health and Tweaks menu items offer additional options that you would otherwise have to laboriously search for in the depths of the Windows settings. Defender UI can help you configure the Windows security settings. When starting for the first time, select the Recommended security profile unless you want something else. Individual options can then be deactivated or activated. Windows 10 Firewall Control Portable allows you to precisely analyze network activities. It shows every Internet request made by a program on the computer. You can then decide whether you want to allow access or not. The tool is useful if you suspect that a program is carrying out unwanted Internet activities. Windows System Control Center (WSCC) is a downloader, updater, and start center for numerous tools from Microsoft (Sysinternals) and Nirsoft. Some of the tools offer a graphical user interface. Most of them are command line tools. WSCC shows a short description for each tool. Clicking on the corresponding button opens a window for command line tools where you can pass additional parameters. Convert, split and merge PDFs PDF files allow you to share documents without losing formatting. The documents always look the same on the screen or in the printout regardless of the software used to open them. Sometimes there is a desire to convert PDFs into HTML or text files to make it easier to copy or process the text. Often only individual pages are required from a PDF or you want to create a single file from several PDFs. Tool for PDF files: With PDF2HTML you can convert PDFs to HTML or extract the text. PDFs can also be merged or split. Tool for PDF files: With PDF2HTML you can convert PDFs to HTML or extract the text. PDFs can also be merged or split. IDG Tool for PDF files: With PDF2HTML you can convert PDFs to HTML or extract the text. PDFs can also be merged or split. IDG IDG PDF2HTML can perform these tasks. It uses several tools for the command line in the background, some of which produce different results. Configure an empty folder behind Output directory in which you want to save the files. Caution: Files with the same name in this folder are always overwritten without prompting. Do not store any original files here. Use Add to specify the PDF you want to convert. If Convert and pdftohtml are selected, several options are available. Select Complex documents if you want the HTML file to look as true to layout as possible. pdf2htmlEx usually provides more accurate results whereas pdftotext only extracts the text content. If you want to compile a PDF from several files, specify the Merge option under Select mode. Select multiple files via Add. In Separate mode, enter the desired pages behind Pages from … to …. The function affects all PDFs in the list unless you tick Selected document only. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating ProsImmersive contrastVery wide, vivid color gamutAppealing motion clarity at 175HzConsGeneric look and feelColor accuracy is a tad behind competitorsDoesn’t stand out from QD-OLED alternativesOur VerdictThe Gigabyte MO34WQC is a generically great QD-OLED display. Unfortunately, opting for its dull design doesn’t save you any cash. Best Prices Today: Gigabyte MO34WQC Retailer Price $849.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Shoppers looking to buy a 34-inch ultrawide OLED monitor have no shortage of options this summer, and that means the details matter. Gigabyte’s MO34WQC has an OLED panel with image quality and motion clarity typical of the competition, but tries to stand out with additional USB-C and USB connectivity. While this does improve its appeal, your decision is likely to be based on its price. Gigabyte MO34WQC specs and features The Gigabyte MO34WQC has a Samsung QD-OLED panel with a resolution of 3440×1440 and a refresh rate of up to 175Hz. This is similar to most QD-OLED monitors on the market, but behind the latest panels, which can hit 240Hz or higher. Gigabyte offers an alternative model, the MO34WQC2, which has a QD-OLED panel with a higher maximum refresh rate of 240Hz. It’s also more expensive with a typical retail price of $1,000. The two monitors are similar enough that Gigabyte issued the same user manual for both, but we haven’t tested the MO34WQC2 yet. Display size: 34-inch ultrawide 21:9 aspect ratio Native resolution: 3440×1440 Panel type: Anti-reflection QD-OLED Refresh rate: Up to 175Hz Adaptive sync: Adaptive Sync, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB-C with DisplayPort Alternate Mode and 18 watts USB Power Delivery, 2x USB-A 3.2 downstream, 1x USB-B 3.2 upstream, 1x 3.5mm headphone jack, 1x 3.5mm microphone jack VESA mount: 100x100mm Speakers: Yes, 2x 3-watt speaker system Price: $949.99 MSRP, $849.99 typical retail Panel aside, the MO34WQC’s specifications have a few highlights. The monitor features two HDMI 2.1 ports, in addition to DisplayPort and a USB-C port with DisplayPort support, for a total of four video inputs. The USB-C port also provides power, though not enough to charge a PC laptop quickly. Built-in speakers are included as well, which isn’t true of all competitors. Further reading: See our roundup of the best monitors to learn about competing products. Gigabyte MO34WQC design The Gigabyte MO34WQC is sold as a gaming monitor but it’s not part of Gigabyte’s Aorus gaming sub-brand, so it delivers a more basic, workmanlike design. The front of the panel boasts slim black bezels on three sides and a small plastic chin at the bottom, while the rear of the panel is coated in black plastic that feels sturdy but looks unremarkable. The MO34WQC strikes a much more generic profile than design leaders like the Alienware AW3423DWF or Samsung Odyssey G85SB. Gigabyte ships the monitor with an ergonomic stand that adjusts for height, tilt, and swivel. The stand has a wide base that takes up a fair bit of room on a desk, but the base is flat and not too thick, so it’s possible to place items on the space it occupies. The stand also feels sturdy and proves easy to adjust with modest effort. A 100x100mm VESA mount is available for use with a third-party monitor arm, stand, or wall mount. The monitor is curved with a radius of 1800R, meaning the display panel would need to continue for 1,800 millimeters (about 6 feet) to form a full circle. The curve is noticeable but doesn’t draw too much attention, and most 34-inch QD-OLED monitors have settled on 1800R as the preferred curve radius for this size of monitor. Matthew Smith / Foundry Matthew Smith / Foundry Matthew Smith / Foundry Gigabyte MO34WQC design connectivity and menus Gigabyte provides a total of four video inputs for the MO34WQC: two HDMI 2.1 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4 port, and a USB-C port, which also supports DisplayPort mode. While four video inputs are not unusual for a monitor in this price range, they do cover most use cases, and all available ports support the display’s maximum refresh rate. The monitor also has two USB-A downstream ports, which can be driven either by the USB-C port or, if your PC lacks USB-C, through a USB-A to USB-B connection. Gigabyte includes a KVM switch function, allowing you to use the monitor as a KVM switch if you connect your wired keyboard and mouse to the monitor. The USB-C port has Power Delivery, but only up to 18 watts, which means it’s not a good choice for powering and charging a laptop with USB-C. Gigabyte provides an intuitive and responsive joystick to control the on-screen menus. The menus themselves are large and well-organized but, despite their size, the font is still thin and a bit difficult to read. Gigabyte offers a good range of image quality options, including multiple color temperature, gamma presets, and six-axis color calibration — but that’s typical at this price point. Matthew Smith / Foundry Matthew Smith / Foundry Matthew Smith / Foundry Also typical is the monitor’s gaming features: It has a black equalizer to elevate the brightness of dark areas in games and some optional on-screen elements like a crosshair. There’s multiple aspect ratio modes, too, which emulate the size of a 24-inch or 22-inch display, as well as a 1:1 aspect ratio mode. Picture-by-picture and picture-in-picture modes are also available. While the MO34WQC includes built-in speakers, they’re unremarkable. The maximum volume is adequate, and sound quality is clear in basic situations such as listening to podcasts. But games, movies, and other entertainment will quickly overwhelm them, resulting in muddy and unpleasant sound. External speakers or headphones are still recommended for most people. Gigabyte MO34WQC SDR image quality At this point, you might be sensing a theme: The Gigabyte MO34WQC is a good QD-OLED monitor, but not one that stands out from the crowd. This continues to be true when it comes to image quality. It’s a fantastic monitor for SDR content, but no more so than its QD-OLED peers. Matthew Smith / Foundry Matthew Smith / Foundry Matthew Smith / Foundry The MO34WQC’s brightness is typical for an OLED monitor, with a maximum measured sustained SDR brightness of 245 nits. This is in line with other OLED monitors and is bright enough for use in a room with moderate light control. However, the monitor might appear dim or suffer from glare if used in a room with bright, sunlit windows. In that case, no OLED monitor is a great choice, and a brighter IPS-LED or Mini-LED display would be a better fit for your environment. Matthew Smith / Foundry Matthew Smith / Foundry Matthew Smith / Foundry Unsurprisingly, contrast is excellent, with an effectively infinite contrast ratio thanks to the monitor’s ability to achieve a perfect minimum luminance of zero nits. This is a defining characteristic of modern OLED display panels, so Gigabyte has no advantage here. Still, it contributes to the monitor’s overall image quality. An OLED display panel like the one on the MO34WQC achieves a level of depth and immersion LCD monitors can’t match. Matthew Smith / Foundry Matthew Smith / Foundry Matthew Smith / Foundry Color gamut is among the MO34WQC’s best traits but, once again, it’s similar to other monitors with a Samsung QD-OLED panel. The Gigabyte achieves 100 percent of the sRGB gamut, 98 percent of DCI-P3, and 94 percent of Adobe RGB. That’s excellent coverage of each color gamut and close to the best available from any modern monitor. Photographers, videographers, digital artists, and other content will find the MO34WQC capable of displaying a dazzling range of color. Matthew Smith / Foundry Matthew Smith / Foundry Matthew Smith / Foundry The Gigabyte MO34WQC’s color accuracy is good but technically a bit less accurate out of the box than some competitors, which might sway some shoppers towards alternatives. Related to that, we noticed the monitor had a gamma result of 2.4, which is off the target of 2.2, and a default color temperature of 6100K, which is warmer than the target of 6500K. In general, content on the monitor looked darker and slightly warmer than it should have with the monitor at its default settings. However, calibration can help resolve the issue. Resolution comes in at 3440×1440, which is standard for a 34-inch QD-OLED ultrawide monitor. Sharpness is good thanks to the monitor’s pixel density of about 110 pixels per inch (PPI), but QD-OLED has subpixel issues which can cause pixelation or off-color effects around high-contrast edges and small fonts. It’s rarely a problem in gaming, but the monitor’s sharpness might prove inadequate if you spend a lot of time staring at Excel spreadsheets with a 10-point font. On balance, the Gigabyte MO34WQC’s SDR image quality is what we’ve come to expect from Samsung QD-OLED display panels in this size and resolution. The monitor benefits from an outstanding contrast ratio and an extremely wide color gamut, though its brightness is low for brighter rooms. HDR performance is okay for most games but might not be sufficient if you plan to watch a lot of HDR movies and have a critical eye for image quality. Gigabyte MO34WQC HDR image quality The Gigabyte MO34WQC supports HDR and is VESA DisplayHDR True Black 400 certified. Most QD-OLED monitors have this level of certification, and while the QD-OLED panel provides some benefit in HDR content, it’s not the best available. I measured a maximum HDR brightness of 402 nits in a 10 percent window, meaning 10 percent of the display’s total area was lit while the rest remained entirely black. This result is not particularly impressive, though it’s fairly typical for a Samsung QD-OLED panel. In contrast, LG’s newest WOLED panels, which are available in monitors like the Asus ROG Swift PG32UCDP, can achieve a much higher maximum HDR brightness; for instance, the Asus hit 731 nits in a 10 percent window. In practice, the Gigabyte’s HDR performance is passable. HDR Highlights, like a flash of lightning or a star in the night sky, will appear reasonably bright and deliver decent luminance detail. However, there’s a noticeable reduction in luminance detail compared to an LG WOLED panel or a good Mini-LED monitor. When viewing the “Gargantua” scene from Interstellar, for example, I noticed less gradient and details to the swirling, super-heated gas surrounding the black hole. This level of HDR performance is okay for most games but might not be sufficient if you plan to watch a lot of HDR movies and have a critical eye for image quality. Gigabyte MO34WQC motion performance Motion clarity is a strength for the Gigabyte MO34WQC, as is true for other QD-OLED monitors. The Gigabyte offers a maximum refresh rate of 175Hz and a quoted pixel response time of 0.03 milliseconds. It also supports adaptive sync through AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, which helps improve motion fluidity. Testing motion clarity with fast-paced games like League of Legends and DOTA 2 showed that most of the game elements were easy to view during motion. Details like character sprites and health bars remained reasonably visible, even when scrolling quickly. Yet some small details, like character names, were at times difficult to make out, especially when the text’s color didn’t contrast well with the background. This is similar to other QD-OLED monitors with refresh rates in the 160Hz to 180Hz range and close to what you can expect to find on a 240Hz IPS or VA panel monitor. The monitor’s enhanced refresh rate is most relevant to gamers but also improves responsiveness in everyday tasks on the Windows desktop by reducing input lag and improving clarity. Viewers who are sensitive to motion clarity will notice that actions like opening and closing windows, or moving them across the desktop, look smoother and feel more fluid compared to monitors with a lower refresh rate. Should you buy the Gigabyte MO34WQC? The proliferation of Samsung’s excellent QD-OLED panel technology has made it difficult for monitors that use it to stand out from the crowd. It’s a bit of a catch-22 for monitor makers: They want to use QD-OLED because it’s excellent, but when everyone uses it, it’s hard for any monitor to stand out. That’s certainly the case for the Gigabyte MO34WQC. It’s a great display for SDR content and benefits from excellent motion clarity. However, like other QD-OLED displays, it could be brighter, and sharpness can be an issue when viewing smaller fonts or other fine details. Ultimately, your decision to buy or skip the MO34WQC should come down to the price. At the moment, it retails for $850 at most online retailers. That’s not bad but hard to recommend when competitors like the Alienware AW3423DWF are now down to $700, and even Samsung’s Odyssey G85SB is available for $800. The MO34WQC becomes a strong pick if you find it for $750 or less — a price I wouldn’t be surprised to see it hit over the holiday shopping season. Read...

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Editor’s Note: Microsoft began shipping its unified Teams experience beginning on August 20, 2024. While Teams will eventually update itself to deliver the unified experience, you can also download the new Teams app directly. The original story, published on March 13, continues. Have you been confused by Microsoft Teams, which offers one app for consumers and another for business users? If so, those days may be ending. Microsoft is testing builds in the Windows 11 Canary and Dev Channels to streamline Teams into something that makes a little more sense: a single app. Build 26080 brings with it a unified Teams experience, allowing you to simply switch between accounts and environment rather than load separate apps for business users and consumers. You’ll simply switch between them by clicking your icon in the upper right-hand corner of the app. “We received consistent feedback from personal and work users: You prefer a single Teams app that allows you to easily access and switch between personal and work accounts,” Microsoft wrote in a blog post. “This update lets you use one app for all kinds of Teams accounts.” Microsoft’s terrible Teams, for consumers That’s true, and if you look back at Teams over the last few years you’ll understand why: Microsoft Teams for Home launched in 2020, with shared grocery lists and other features for consumers on iOS and Android. Then there was Personal Features in Teams, in 2021. If you haven’t heard of either of these, you’re not alone — that’s probably why Microsoft made its decision. Microsoft’s new, unified Microsoft Teams app. Microsoft’s new, unified Microsoft Teams app.Microsoft Microsoft’s new, unified Microsoft Teams app.Microsoft Microsoft Then, of course, there was Teams Chat within Windows 11, embodying the hope that friends would use Teams to talk to one another after hours… after talking to colleagues on Teams during the workday. Neither Teams Chat nor Microsoft’s People app for Windows 10 gained traction. By 2023 Teams Chat was spun off into the Teams Free app… which now is being assimilated into a single Teams app. Yes, consumers may choose to use Teams. But it appears that Microsoft’s efforts to push consumers to use Teams may be finally, thankfully, ending. New Copilot commands Microsoft is also adding a number of commands to the integrated Windows version of Copilot, as well as testing a version of Copilot that could be undocked and run as a window. The new commands include: The ability to: Ask for available wireless networks. Ask for system or device information. Ask for battery information. Ask to clean storage. Ask to empty recycle bin. Ask to toggle battery saver. Ask to show startup apps. Ask for your IP address. Ask for system, device, or storage information. Microsoft is testing an undocked Microsoft Copilot app. Microsoft is testing an undocked Microsoft Copilot app.Microsoft Microsoft is testing an undocked Microsoft Copilot app.Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft is also adding additional accessibility features, including the ability to: Ask to turn on narrator. Ask to open voice access. Ask to turn on magnifier. Ask to change text size. Ask to start live captions. Ask to turn on high-contrast. Ask to start voice typing. For reference, these commands already work: Ask to toggle dark/light theme. Ask to toggle Bluetooth. Ask to toggle do not disturb. Ask to add a device. Ask to take a screenshot. Ask to cast your screen to another monitor. Ask to change your background image. Ask to set volume, change volume, or mute/unmute volume. Ask to launch an application. State that certain parts of your PC aren’t working: Audio, Windows Update, Camera, Bluetooth, Printer, Network, others. Ask to snap a window. Ask to start a focus session. Power Automate via Copilot Microsoft is also testing one potentially very interesting capability: a Power Automate plugin for Copilot. Power Automate is essentially IFTTT for Windows — the ability to create “macros” of automated tasks. But the app is still a little complex, and requires fiddling with an unfamiliar interface. Copilot could automate the process, and we’re interested to see what it can do. Examples include: Write an email to my team wishing everyone a happy weekend. List the top 5 highest mountains in the world in an Excel file. Rename all PDF files in a folder to add the word final at the end. Move all word documents to another folder. I need to split a PDF by the first page. Can you help? You’ll need to download a plugin from the Microsoft Store. Read...

When a laptop has finally outlived its usefulness, it can be tempting to discard it, both mentally and literally, and move on to your next laptop that’s better, faster, lighter. It’s an exciting time! But before you do, hold on. Don’t just throw your old laptop in the trash. For starters, you’ll want to wipe it clean of all your personal data. After that, you might be able to recoup something from it. And even if you can’t—or simply don’t want to—reclaim value from your old laptop, you still shouldn’t just throw it away. The U.S. produces almost 7 million tons of e-waste each year and you’d only be contributing to this growing problem. Fortunately, there are plenty of organizations out there that will be more than happy to help you get rid of it in a more greener way. Here are several ways to dispose of your old laptop in an eco-friendlier way and help the world in reducing unnecessary e-waste. First step: Wipe your data clean Before you discard your laptop at all, you should really back up your important data and then wipe the laptop completely. That means securely erasing the SSD and/or hard drive to make sure your data doesn’t fall into anyone else’s hands. Performing a factory reset might feel like adequate protection, but it isn’t enough. Someone who knows what they’re doing could potentially recover your seemingly deleted data, and that can leave you vulnerable to identity theft or hacking attempts. And if you do end up trashing the laptop altogether, you can physically destroy all of the drives if you want to be absolutely sure. (Or you can save those drives and repurpose them in other ways.) With that out of the way, here’s what you can do with the actual laptop that you no longer need or want. Option #1: Trade it in Bram Van Oost / Unsplash Bram Van Oost / Unsplash Bram Van Oost / Unsplash If your plan is to simply replace your laptop with a new one, it’s worth seeing if you can trade it in to get a discount on your purchase. Manufacturers like Dell, Apple, Lenovo, Microsoft, Acer and retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, Staples have various trade-in programs. Giving them your old laptop could save you hundreds of dollars off your next laptop. You don’t even need to trade in the same brand, although you will probably get a better deal if you do. Regardless, be sure to shop around. Some places will give you just a few bucks for an especially old laptop, while others will offer a flat fee no matter what you’re trading in. The best laptop trade-in program for you will depend on your laptop model and intended replacement. New laptops can be expensive, so this is a great way to kill two birds with one stone: get rid of your old laptop while saving on the next. Option #2: Sell it Karolina Kaboompics / Pexels Karolina Kaboompics / Pexels Karolina Kaboompics / Pexels If you have no plans to replace your old laptop and a trade-in program is off the table, then consider selling it outright. The easiest option would be to conduct a private local sale over Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. If you’re comfortable with staging, photographing, and shipping, you could also list your laptop on eBay, Mercari, OfferUp, and other used marketplaces that allow electronics. Or you can look into buy-your-gadget sites like Swappa, Decluttr, and ItsWorthMore, which all have programs for buying hardware and conveniently setting you up with a shipping label. They may not offer as much as you could get in a private sale, but the convenience factor and quick turnaround might be worth the lesser profit. Either way, it’s a great way to make a little extra money from an unused laptop while making sure it doesn’t just end up in landfill somewhere. More on this: How to sell your old electronics Option #3: Donate it Computer Aid Computer Aid Computer Aid If your old laptop still has a lot of life left in it but you want it to go towards a more noble cause than simply selling it for cash, you could always take the altruistic path and donate it. Organizations like Computers With Causes, DigitUnity, and Computer Aid are always looking to receive gently used electronics. These donations go on to help students, teachers, foster homes, shelters, military veterans, the elderly, plus other outreach groups and organizations. If you want to make the biggest impact with your old laptop, this is the way. It doesn’t have to be an entirely selfless move, either. By donating your old laptops and other electronics, you can deduct the current market values of each donated device from your taxes. If you’d rather focus your donation efforts locally, speak to your local school board, library, or local government organizations, as they may be interested in receiving donations of specific hardware types. Option #4: Recycle it Patrickewastenz / Wikimedia Commons Patrickewastenz / Wikimedia Commons Patrickewastenz / Wikimedia Commons If you have no other use for your laptop, you can’t be hassled to sell it, and you don’t think anyone will want it even as a gift or donation, please don’t just throw it in a dumpster where it’ll end up at a landfill. Like many modern electronics, laptops are composed of both precious materials that can still be reused and toxic materials that can be hazardous to the environment. Recycling is important because it helps reclaim the good stuff while properly disposing of the bad stuff. By recycling, you reduce the burden on landfills, you reduce the amount of hazardous waste in the environment, and you reduce the need to extract precious more metals and materials from the earth to produce new devices (much of which comes from global conflict zones). Many laptop manufacturers have their own recycling programs that make it easy to send in your laptops. Alternatively, retailers like Best Buy and Staples have in-house recycling and e-waste programs that let you drop off old hardware, no questions asked. Furthermore, many states and local municipalities have state-wide or city-wide e-waste recycling programs you can take advantage of. Further reading: Clever ways to repurpose an old laptop Read...