A few weeks ago, I had this same exact issue. Unfortunately, I didn't think of disabling the Secure Boot option in BIOS. I updated my BIOS to the latest version for my MB and it resolved the issue.

I have a partial answer, when I used a multi-port usb hub I had degraded speed performance with 3 large external hard drives connected. I managed to snag a nice (yet older) USB3 wavelink hub that had about x6 usb 3 ports and almost doubled the speed of the external hard drives transfer rate. This looks to be a slightly upgraded model -https://ebay.io/m/LZtjTy

Microsoft faces shareholder lawsuit over masking AI costs and slowing Azure growth by Karthik Mudaliar Microsoft is facing a class action lawsuit from shareholders who allege that the company intentionally overhyped its artificial intelligence initiatives to distract from slowing cloud revenue and an exploding infrastructure bill. The complaint was filed in a Seattle federal court by the Michigan-based City of St. Clair Shores Police and Fire Retirement System. The plaintiffs argue that Microsoft’s leadership painted an overly optimistic picture of its Copilot rollout and complex OpenAI partnership. They say that the company did this while downplaying the harsh reality that building the data centers required to power these next-generation tools requires a huge amount of capital. Back at the company's Q2 2026 earnings report from late January, Microsoft revealed that its flagship Azure cloud growth had slipped to 39% (down from 40% the prior quarter) and guided investors to expect a further deceleration to 37% or 38% for the first three months of 2026. Now, under normal circumstances, a slight percentage point drop in cloud growth is a minor operational hiccup. But the Redmond giant paired that guidance with $37.5 billion in quarterly capital expenditures. This figure, which is a 66% year-over-year surge, blew past any analyst estimates at that time. Much of this amount went into buying high-priced GPUs and custom silicon that were required to train and run large language models. This is why the market reacted violently and just a day after its earnings call on January 29, the company's stock plummeted 10%, and wiped out $357 billion of capital in just a trading session. Microsoft is doing better now, though. Its Q3 2026 results showed its run rate from its AI business was hitting $37 billion, proving that enterprise demand for its infrastructure is very real and continuing to scale. Microsoft isn't the only company pouring billions into infrastructure for the AI boom. We've seen most Big Tech companies, including Amazon and Google, also get the results of these **** with stronger-than-ever growth and increased income. via Reuters

Firefox 152.0 by Razvan Serea Firefox is a fast, full-featured Web browser. It offers great security, privacy, and protection against viruses, spyware, malware, and it can also easily block pop-up windows. The key features that have made Firefox so popular are the simple and effective UI, browser speed and strong security capabilities. Firefox has complete features for browsing the Internet. It is very reliable and flexible due to its implemented security features, along with customization options. Firefox includes pop-up blocking, tab-browsing, integrated Google search, simplified privacy controls, a streamlined browser window that shows you more of the page than any other browser and a number of additional features that work with you to help you get the most out of your time online. Firefox key features Enhanced Tracking Protection (ETP) – Blocks trackers, cookies, cryptominers, and fingerprinters by default. Private Browsing Mode – Deletes history, cookies, and temporary files when closed. Lightweight & Fast Performance – Optimized memory usage with efficient page loading. Cross-Platform Sync – Sync bookmarks, passwords, history, and open tabs across devices. Customizable Interface – Toolbars, themes, and extensions can be tailored to user needs. Strong Privacy Controls – Options to manage cookies, permissions, and site data easily. Reader Mode – Strips away clutter for distraction-free reading. Pocket Integration – Save and read articles offline with Pocket built into Firefox. Picture-in-Picture (PiP) – Watch videos in a floating window while multitasking. Extensions & Add-ons – Vast library for productivity, security, and personalization. Built-in PDF Viewer – No need for external software to view PDFs. Firefox Monitor – Alerts users if their email is part of a known data breach. Multi-Account Containers – Isolate browsing sessions (e.g., work, personal, shopping). Performance & Resource Efficiency – Uses fewer system resources than some competitors. Open Source & Community-Driven – Transparent development with global contributions. Download: Firefox 64-bit | Firefox 32-bit | ARM64 | ~70.0 MB (Freeware) Download: Firefox for MacOS | 145.0 MB View: Firefox Home Page | Release Notes Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware

Microsoft Visio 2024 Professional for Windows is still at 90% off by Steven Parker Created by ChatGPT Today's highlighted Neowin Deal comes from our Apps & Software section of the Neowin Deals store, where you can save 90% on Microsoft Visio 2024 Professional for Windows [Digital License]. Microsoft Visio: Turn Complex Ideas into Clear Visuals Microsoft Visio 2024 is a robust diagramming software designed to empower individuals and businesses to visually represent complex data, processes, and workflows. With a host of advanced features, it caters to professionals from various industries, including IT, engineering, business, and architecture. Visio 2024 makes it easy for individuals and teams to create and share clear, professional diagrams that simplify complex information. It offers updated shapes, templates, and styles, along with a new search bar to improve your experience. Visio 2024 also has a fresh design that matches other Office apps you use. 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Why we post these deals We post these because we earn commission on each sale so as not to rely solely on advertising, which many of our readers block. It all helps toward paying staff reporters, servers and hosting costs. So for those that keep moaning and complaining, be thankful we're still online for you to even do that. Other ways to support Neowin Whitelist Neowin by not blocking our ads Create a free member account to see fewer ads Make a donation to support our day to day running costs Subscribe to Neowin - for $14 a year, or $28 a year for an ad-free experience Disclosure: Neowin benefits from revenue of each sale made through our branded deals site powered by StackCommerce.