Neowin News Feed for: Bootloader

"Open Source Windows" ReactOS just got better GUI install setup, no GPT yet

Sayan Sen — Sat, 03 Feb 2024 22:46:01 +0000

ReactOS, which is referred to sometimes as the Open source Windows, has received another major update. Following wider UEFI bootability, the OS has now got an upgraded installation setup GUI. Read more...

"Open source Windows" ReactOS boots on Lumia, iPhones, requirements are less than Windows 11

Sayan Sen — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 22:12:01 +0000

Remember the open source Windows project called "ReactOS"? The dev team has published a new blog post outlining all the major developments that happened this year like improved UEFI boot support. Read more...

Rufus fixes Windows ISO crash, warns for vulnerable UEFI bootloaders, adds FFU, ZIP64

Sayan Sen — Tue, 11 Jul 2023 08:16:01 +0000

The latest version of Rufus brings multiple new and interesting features. These include the likes of FFU, ZIP64, and more. Alongside that, there are improvements to VHDX and ISO crash fixes too. Read more...

Microsoft bizarrely adds half-baked UEFI Secure boot to Windows 7 right before killing it

Sayan Sen — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 07:42:01 +0000

The extended support updates (ESU) on Windows 7 ends today. Interestingly and rather bizarrely, Microsoft enabled native UEFI and Secure Boot. However, the new feature support is not without flaws. Read more...

Linux boot times are about to get a whole lot faster on monster AMD EPYC and Intel Xeon rigs

Sayan Sen — Sat, 11 Dec 2021 08:30:01 +0000

Linux will soon be getting a performance-related patch that will improve the booting time of a large server or workstation system by a factor of 15 or more, by allowing multi-threaded booting. Read more...

New BootHole flaw in Secure Boot affects a huge number of Linux and Windows systems

Abhay V — Wed, 29 Jul 2020 19:44:01 +0000

A newly discovered flaw in Secure Boot affects almost all Linux distros and Windows devices that leverage the UEFI boot tech. If the flow is exploited, attackers can gain full control of the system. Read more...

Google Pixel 4a could use faster UFS 2.1 storage chip

Rajesh Pandey — Sat, 14 Mar 2020 05:18:02 +0000

A leak points to Google using faster UFS 2.1 storage chip on the Pixel 4a. The faster storage chip should lead to a noticeable performance improvement especially while installing and opening apps. Read more...

You can now unlock the bootloader on your Nokia phone

Muhammad Jarir Kanji — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 15:10:01 +0000

HMD Global today announced that the company will allow a select range of their phones' bootloader to be unlocked. This allows modders to customise their devices and install custom ROMs. Read more...

Google squashes bug stopping Pixel 2 bootloader unlocking

Timi Cantisano — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 04:48:01 +0000

After a few weeks of complaints, it looks like Google has fixed the bootloader issue that was found in its Pixel 2 smartphone. Luckily, the fix is pretty simple and requires little effort from users. Read more...

More users chime in about Google Pixel 2 devices with locked bootloaders

Hammad Saleem — Thu, 16 Nov 2017 11:58:01 +0000

According to a new report, some Google Pixel 2 owners who purchased their devices directly from Google are unable to unlock the bootloader. Apparently, Google is investigating the issue. Read more...

Pixel sells its soul; Verizon models will need carrier approval for software updates

Vlad Dudau — Fri, 07 Oct 2016 10:30:01 +0000

If you're in the market to buy a Pixel phone, you might want to steer clear of devices sold by Verizon. The carrier will preinstall its own apps and have control over the phones' software updates. Read more...

Official bootloader unlock for Xperia Z3 degrading camera performance

Shreyas Gandhe — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 21:32:01 +0000

Sony has officially enabled enthusiasts to unlock the bootloaders on Xperia smartphones, but doing so on a Z3 is reducing the camera image quality due to the removal of certain files. Read more...

Sony warns that unlocking the Z1 will render camera useless

Steven Parker — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 08:52:06 +0000

Rooting your shiny new Sony Xperia Z1 will have to wait, at least if you value the functionality of the 20.7 Mpx onboard camera. Sony warns that doing so renders it useless. Read more...

Verizon offers an unlocked Galaxy S3... For a price

Christopher White — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 06:39:20 +0000

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has an unlocked bootloader on all carriers except Verizon. Today the company announced that they will sell the "Developer Edition" of the GS3 that is unlocked. Read more...

Official HTC bootloader unlocking process launched

Byron Hinson — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:24:32 +0000

HTC has released its web-based bootloader unlocking tool today. HTC said that after listening to user feedback, they have decided to allow the bootloader to be unlocked for new 2011 devices Read more...