So, there are two really good apps for getting around Windows 11's system requirements and installing it on anything you want: Rufus and Flyoobe. The former is best for creating a USB stick with Windows 11 on it and installing it on multiple devices, and it even got a dark mode setting recently. Meanwhile, Flyoobe (previously Flyby11) is better for getting Windows 11 on one device, and then customizing your install afterward. It's why the app adopted the name "Flyoobe" because it's more focused on the "out-of-box experience" (OOBE).

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 97, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, hope you're having a good iPhone / back to school / it's-finally-not-hot-anymore week, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) It's so good to be back! Huge, huge thanks to Jay Peters for doing such a fabulous job here over the last couple of months, and huge thanks to all of you as always for having such good contributions and ideas. Jay will still be around these parts from time to time, too, so don't worry, your esoteric gaming recommendations aren't going anywhere.I was going …Read the full story at The Verge.

Experimenting with self-hosted services has been one of the most rewarding ways for me to learn about running a server, working in Docker, and networking to tie it all together. While I'm still early in my self-hosting journey, I've tried my fair share of services. Some look great on paper, only to become more trouble than they’re worth. These five are the ones I gave a fair shot before finally pulling the plug.

MX Linux is one of the more distinct-looking Linux distributions that tries to make the overall operating system experience less cumbersome for the average user. If you've tinkered with Linux-based distros in the past or use one now, you probably leverage the terminal for even basic setting changes and tweaks. But it's not 2010 anymore, and simple GUI options for routine and necessary operating system actions should be more mainstream. After switching to MX Linux, I discovered many useful tools that make the OS settings and customization remarkably easy.

I would not call the time I'm having with Hollow Knight: Silksong "fun," and yet I'm still playing.In the depths of The Marrow, the second major area of Silksong, there's a particularly nasty midboss. I eventually beat him, but my reward wasn't a new ability, item, or a bench where I could rest and save my progress. All I got was pain, suffering, and death. In Silksong, the only way out is through, but the "through" is a tunnel lined with spikes that occasionally spew gouts of flame. I should have given up right then and there, but I have not abandoned Silksong the same way I do other unfun games. For the life of me, I couldn't figure ou …Read the full story at The Verge.

I was ecstatic when we were finally able to make the move from Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) to Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) or "full fibre". It completely changed how we were able to use the internet and provided much-needed bandwidth for all my home labbing. Glorious 1 Gbps speeds from our selected ISP enabled us to enjoy around 80-90 MB/s worth of download speeds with a hampered 10 MB/s upload limit. Availability has been rock solid, but this wasn't the best upgrade for my home network.

SATA SSDs aren't the flashiest solid state drives out there anymore. We've got M.2 flash storage that fits easily into PCIe slots on your motherboard, and that sleek SSD format is quickly taking over most of the SSD market. Most of the new SSDs you see these days are M.2 NVMe, and for good reason. NVMe storage is faster, has less latency, and has no need for messy cables.

Linux distributions have always had a reputation for offering choice, sometimes to the point of overwhelming new users. Fedora itself is known for being cutting-edge, but it often requires extra setup before it feels fully ready. Ultramarine Linux builds upon that same base and smooths out the rough edges, aiming to be a system that “just works” without sacrificing Fedora’s strengths. It is a distribution that stays out of your way so you can focus on your work rather than constant tinkering.

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on phones and other tech outside the US, follow Dominic Preston. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here.How it startedSmartphone batteries are bigger than ever, while the phones themselves are shrinking. But whether you're seeing the benefit - thin phones with big batteries - depends on where you live.The key is the introduction of silicon-carbon batteries, which make it possible to fit more battery capacity into the same size cell, as in phones like the Honor Power, whose 8,000mAh …Read the full story at The Verge.

"Yesterday was an interesting day for the Helldivers community." That's the very obvious understatement that announced the reopening of the Helldivers gaming subreddit in the small hours of Saturday morning. On Friday it was discovered that Tyler Robinson, arrested for the alleged killing of Charlie Kirk, had inscribed messages on the casings of several bullets found at the crime scene. One of those read "Hey fascist! Catch!" accompanied by an up arrow symbol, a right arrow, and three down arrows, a reference to the code to call down the 500KG Bomb stratagem in the cooperative shooter Helldivers 2.Unsurprisingly, within minutes the officia …Read the full story at The Verge.

Scarlet. Well, I was wrong, and I did manage to make it to one last day at the Toronto International Film Festival. One of the movies I wanted to see the most this year was Scarlet, the latest from Mamoru Hosoda, whose most recent film was the metaverse fairy tale Belle. Whereas that film was a reimagining of Beauty and the Beast, Scarlet is a twist on Hamlet that's full of bold, creative ideas. I mostly enjoyed it, but unfortunately it's saddled with an ending that doesn't really fit.I also managed to squeeze in two other films: a Korean revenge / heist thriller, and a Norwegian film about connecting through art. You can read my thoughts on all th …Read the full story at The Verge.

I really like working from home and having the ability to be in my own space, while also avoiding the necessity to commute on public transport. With that said, it can often be hard to communicate to family members, partners, or just the people that you're living with that you're inescapably busy at a given point in time, such as when you're on a meeting. That's why I built an "On Air" display using an ESP32-powered display.