computer system Archives

Tech Optimizer

March 11, 2026

CAFC Reverses District Court’s Finding of Eligibility for Columbia Antivirus Software Claims

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) reversed a district court's judgment that had deemed Columbia University's patent claims eligible for protection in the case of The Trustees of Columbia University of the City of New York v. Gen Digital Inc. The CAFC concluded that Columbia's claims, related to virus protection, were directed toward an abstract idea and did not introduce a novel method or enhance existing methodologies. The court vacated a contempt order against the defendant’s legal team, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, determining that the district court's Disclosure Order regarding potential conflicts of interest was invalid. The CAFC also indicated that one argument from Columbia regarding the "model of function calls" should be examined upon remand, as it may constitute an inventive concept. The court upheld the district court's interpretation of the "emulator" and denied judgment as a matter of law for Norton regarding willful infringement, while reversing the enhanced damages award and instructing a reassessment of attorneys’ fees.

Winsage

March 6, 2026

Windows Server 2025 Native NVMe: Storage Stack Overhaul and Benchmark Results

On December 15, 2025, Microsoft announced native NVMe support in Windows Server 2025, marking a significant evolution in data management and access. The new architecture replaces Disk.sys with NVMeDisk.sys, allowing direct communication from the filesystem to hardware via StorMQ, eliminating latency and enhancing performance. Testing revealed increased read speeds, particularly in random 4K and 64K benchmarks, with significant reductions in average read latency and lower CPU usage during sequential operations. Write operations showed modest improvements. A registry modification is required to enable this feature, and caution is advised due to potential complications with NVMe drives when deduplication is enabled.

Tech Optimizer

February 24, 2026

Hackers Are Using Fake Invitations to Take Over Your PC

Cybercriminals are sending counterfeit email invitations that, when clicked, install a backdoor on the victim's computer, allowing hackers full control. The scam often involves downloading a file named “invites.msi,” which is a Windows Installer package. This file can install ScreenConnect, a legitimate remote support tool that can be exploited by attackers to monitor screens, access files, and deploy additional malware. Many security engines fail to flag this software as malicious, making it difficult to detect. If someone suspects they have fallen victim to this scam, they should disconnect from the internet, check for and uninstall any remote management software, run a comprehensive antivirus scan, change passwords for critical accounts, enable two-factor authentication, inform their IT department if applicable, and consider performing a full Windows reset. The scam originated from a compromised email account, which was used to send the malicious link to contacts. Implementing two-factor authentication and using a password manager can help prevent such incidents. Users should be cautious of any email invitations that require downloading and running installer files.

Winsage

December 24, 2025

This neat Windows 11 registry trick offers higher NVMe SSD performance—but it’s not for everyone

Recent discoveries have revealed a registry tweak that can enhance the performance of NVMe SSDs on Windows 11, particularly improving random 4K speeds. Traditionally, Windows has treated most drives as SCSI, limiting the potential of NVMe drives. Microsoft is introducing native NVMe support in Windows Server 2025, which bypasses the SCSI conversion process for improved speed and efficiency. Users can achieve similar enhancements on Windows 11 through specific registry modifications, which must be done at their own risk. The necessary driver is included in recent updates for both Windows Server 2025 and Windows 11. Users need to adjust three registry values to enable this functionality. Once modified, NVMe drives will appear under 'Storage Media' in Device Manager. Reports indicate significant performance gains, with one user noting increases of 45% in random 4K read and 49% in write performance. Microsoft suggests enterprise users could see up to 80% higher IOPS and a 45% reduction in CPU cycles. The WD Black SN8100 SSD is noted for its high random 4K speeds, loading games faster than competitors. Many users have pointed out that Linux has had native NVMe support for some time.