Articles in Category: Windows
What’s the Best Registry Cleaner? What to Use and Not
The best registry cleaner is none at all. There may be cases where you want to use one, though, and I’ll review which I’d use and how to use them safely.
How Do I Gain Administrative Access to a Second-hand Computer?
It’s important to understand the risk of buying a used computer.
Five Steps to Repair Windows 10 Without Losing Programs
Before you give up and reinstall Windows, try to repair Windows 10 without losing programs.
How Do I Run a Program “As Administrator”?
We’ll look at why Windows asks you for administrator privileges even when you are the administrator, and what to do when it does.
How Important Is It to Seek Out and Take Updates?
We need updates, yet they can cause problems. How aggressively should you update your Windows 10 machine?
Why Didn’t Windows Fix My Pet Peeve?
Windows can’t fix all the bugs on each release. I’ll look at some of the reasons Windows might not fix something you consider important.
How Do I Tell If My Computer Meets Windows 10 Minimum Requirements?
It would be good to know if your computer meets Windows 10 minimum requirements before installation. I have a recommendation on how to proceed.
How Often Is Windows 10 Updated?
Windows 10 is updated fairly frequently, but not all of those updates are the same. I’ll review what happens when.
How Can a PIN Be as Secure as a Password?
On the surface, signing into Windows using a PIN feels less secure than a traditional password. It’s possible it’s more secure.
How Do I Completely Uninstall a Program?
Uninstalling a program is pretty easy. Uninstalling it completely, on the other hand, can be a challenge.
Do All These Software Updates Take Up More and More Disk Space?
Staying up to date is an important part of staying safe. Sometimes that means disk space is slowly used for more and more updates — and sometimes not.
Focus Better with Multiple Desktops
Using multiple desktops can be a great way to organize your work, and keep you focused on the task at hand.
How Windows 10 Changed Setting Default Programs
Windows 10 changed how to modify default programs, forcing you to make the choice explicitly.
Why Is the Same File in Two or More Places on My Machine?
What appears to be multiple copies of the same file may be something else: one file simply appearing in more than one place.
Are Updates Free?
It’s important to develop a sense of what to expect so you recognize legitimate update messages.
Can I Install Windows 7 on a Machine that Comes with Windows 10?
If you can find a license for Windows 7, and if you can find old drivers for new hardware, it’s possible that it may work okay.
Does Installing Many Programs Destabilize My Computer?
Install the software you need to fully use your computer. Just be sure to back up along the way.
How To Keep Using Windows 7 Safely After Support Ends
Yes, it’ll be possible to keep using Windows 7 after it’s no longer supported. However, doing so safely will depend on you.
How Do I Know What Updates to Install?
Unless you have a specific reason not to, the best approach to taking updates is to take them all. I’ll review why, and how to protect yourself in case something goes wrong.
My Downloaded Files are Missing. How Do I Get Them Back?
The Downloads folder isn’t meant for long-term storage. Here’s how to avoid losing files you downloaded and want to keep.
Is Windows 10 Still Free in 2022? Where to Get It and How To Install It
Officially Windows 10 is no longer free, but there remains at least one unofficial scenario that may allow you to upgrade for free.
What is “Print To File” Used For?
Print to file is an option on many older print dialogs that sends printer output to a file rather than the printer. It’s of extremely limited use these days, if it’s even available at all.
How Do I Fix the Master Boot Record (MBR)?
The MBR is one facet of a successful boot. Windows Startup Repair is a tool that addresses all of them.
Is There a Limit to What a Single Folder or Directory Can Hold?
Hard disks continue to increase in size, as does what we’re storing on them. There are size limits, but not limits most people need to worry about.
How to Determine What’s Installed on Your Machine
Programs can be installed in many ways and many places. There’s no single authoritative list of what’s installed, but we can get close.
How Do I Reformat and Reinstall Windows?
To reformat and reinstall is considered the “nuclear option” when it comes to dealing with Windows problems (or just cleaning up).
How To Reduce System Restore Disk Space Usage
System Restore is allocated a certain amount of space on your hard disk. If that’s excessive, you can use less space, but at the cost of fewer restore points.
Why is Windows Complaining About Unsupported Hardware?
Unsupported hardware because the CPU is too new? It’s a scenario some users of older Windows versions can experience. There are a couple of solutions.
Why is the Same File a Different Size in Different Places?
Because of the way file systems organize and track your data on disk, size may be displayed differently in one place than in another.
Is There a Real Alternative to Windows?
Only Windows is Windows. There are alternatives, but whether they’re right for you depends on you.
What’s the Difference Between a Sandbox and a Virtual Machine?
Sandboxes and virtual machines share some characteristics, but they are fundamentally different technologies. I’ll look at both from a high level.
Why is Windows 10 Using More and More RAM?
Software programs, like people, tend to get larger over time. I’ll look at how that happens and a few things you can do to compensate.
How to Repair a Computer that Only Blue Screens
Blue screens on startup can be difficult to diagnose and recover from. If your machine only blue screens on start up, there are a number of things to try.
Why Is My Machine Slowing Down?
A PC running Windows can slow down for many reasons. Viruses, spyware, updated software, disk fragmentation, and more can lead to performance drops.
Open-Shell: Regain Your Start Menu in Windows and Much More
The single biggest complaint about Windows 8 and 10 is the tiled Start menu. Don’t like it? There’s an app for that.
Disabling Remote Access Doesn’t Disable All Remote Access
You can disable Remote Access in Windows, but don’t be fooled: that doesn’t disable all types of remote access.
What’s the Difference Between Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance?
Remote Desktop and Remote Assistance are related yet different technologies included in Windows to allow remote access. I’ll review the differences.
Where’s My Disk Space Going?
It’s not uncommon to run out of disk space. A free utility can show where your disk space is going so you can determine what steps to take.
Should I Install the Latest Windows 10 Update?
My take on the latest Windows update and your options therein.
Should I Upgrade to Windows 8.1 Instead of Windows 10?
As Windows 8.1 is “between” Windows 7 and Windows 10, it’s tempting to think it’s a less jarring change. It’s not.
How Do I Reset Windows 10?
“Reset your PC” is an option within Windows to return Windows itself to its initial state. I’ll walk through the steps.
Why Haven’t I Received the Latest Windows 10 Update?
The latest major update to Windows 10 has an issue that’s preventing wider rollout. I’ll review what it is, and what to do.
Will Windows 7 Keep Working After Support Ends?
The end of support for Windows 7 means Microsoft will no longer issue security updates. Here’s how to continue using it safely.
CHKDSK: What Is It and How Do I Run It?
CHKDSK, short for Check Disk, is a utility that checks the integrity of the files and file structure of your hard disk. I’ll walk you through it.
How Do I Change My Default Web Browser in Windows 10?
Changing the default browser used to be simple — and then along came malware. It’s still easy to change the default browser; it’s just different.
How Can I Boost My Laptop’s Performance?
There are a host of items that contribute to your computer’s (lack of) performance. I’ll review some of my top issues.
How Long Does Windows 7 Have Before It’s Phased Out?
The end is coming for Windows 7. But what does that really mean?
How Do I Clean Up After Windows Update Breaks Other Applications?
Software rot can result in odd behavior, including a Windows update causing other software to fail. Here’s one approach to try to get things working again.
