

The word that is spelled out in an acrostic is called the acrostich.


Then follow the installer’s instructions. If you have an Intel processor, turn on your Mac and continue to hold Cmd+R to launch the Utilities program ( more here).

For the few new models with silicon, turn on your device and continue to hold the power button until the startup options window appears. On Windows, you can head to Update & Security from Settings, then choose Recovery, and select Get started under Reset this PC ( more here), whereas on macOS your process will vary depending on whether your computer uses Apple silicon or an Intel processor. What makes this worth trying is that Microsoft and Apple have made reinstalling their operating systems so straightforward. You’ll want to make sure that you have all your data backed up before starting the reinstallation process. It wipes out troublesome programs, erases many viruses and types of malware, resets your internet connection settings and generally gives you a blank slate. Reinstalling Windows or macOS and starting from scratch is a more extreme version of the “cut down on the bloat” solution we mentioned above.
