Windows 11
Hate Windows 11? Let Me Make It Better!
The amount of stuff (that you probably don’t want) that comes with Windows 11 is truly offensive, never mind how they’ve changed things compared to Windows 10, and for no other reason than because they could.
I’m going to recommend two ways to debloat Windows 10 or 11.
Read MoreQuick Tip: How to Disable The “Let’s Finish Setting up Your Device” Screens on Windows 11
In this Quick Tip, I’ll show you how to disable the annoying upsell screen that occasionally appears when you turn on your computer. It’s the one that says, “Let’s finish setting up your device.”
Read MoreHow To Switch To A Local Account in Windows 11 [Premium]
In this blog post exclusive to paid subscribers, I’m going to walk you through how to switch from a Microsoft Account to a Local User Account. There are many benefits with a Microsoft Account, but choice is important and if you’d prefer not to have your account tied to Microsoft, then a Local Account is an option.
Read MoreQuick Tip: Hide Clutter in Windows 11 Desktop Search
The search box on the taskbar and the pop-up search both have “highlights” that recommend all kinds of distractions, including shopping content, games, and more. Here’s how to turn that off.
Read MoreQuick Tip: Get Rid of Notification Ads and Full-Screen Upsells in Windows 11
Windows will occasionally send you notification pop-ups with “tips and suggestions.” These tips can include messages pushing the Microsoft Rewards program and other things.
Read MoreTech News: Microsoft Confirms It Can’t Fix The KB5034441 0x80070643 Error On Windows 10
Back in January, Microsoft released an update for Windows 10 that could not be installed due to specific conditions that exist on certain computers (many of them). The issue has persisted, but the suggested solutions are NOT worth the risk. Please hide or ignore the update.
Read MoreWindows 11 Settings to Change Immediately [Premium]
In this blog post exclusive to paid subscribers, I’m going to show you settings you should change immediately in Windows 11 to improve security, including showing file extensions, advanced options in Windows Update, improving malware protection, and ensuring the built-in antivirus working the way it should be.
Read MoreQuick Tip: Turn Off Suggested Notifications (ads) in Windows 11
Suggested (Microsoft ads) notifications appear by default in Windows 11, even on the Lock (login) screen. These may not appear if you’re not signed in with a Microsoft account. Here’s how to turn them off.
Read MoreQuick Tip: How to Use A Password Instead of a PIN in Windows 11
In this Quick Tip, I’m going to describe how to change your Windows PIN to a much more secure password. By default, Windows 11 asks for a PIN to login to your account, but this is a convenience at the sacrifice of good security. Better than nothing, but barely.
Read MoreQuick Tip: Turn Off Data Collection and Content Suggestions in Windows 11
Microsoft collects certain data right out of the box that you likely want to disable. Even if you disabled all the data collection options when setting up Windows 11, I suggest disabling these four items as well.
Read MoreTips On How To Make Windows 11 Less Annoying and Intrusive By Disabling Upsell Notifications and Other Messages
You can do several things to change more Windows settings to minimize the number of annoying upsell notifications and “it’s time to finish setting up your PC” messages you see. What you leave on or off is up to you, but generally, these changes should make Windows feel less annoying and intrusive.
Read MoreKevin’s Picks: Windows Toolbox
Windows 11 comes bundled with several Microsoft apps that you may not have any need for, and it’s a real pain to get rid of them.
The best program I’ve found to do this so far is called the Windows Toolbox from Chris Titus Tech. It’s $10US, but I consider that a very fair bargain for what it does.
Read MoreHow To Install Windows 11 Without A Microsoft Account
Here’s how to setup a Local Account, based on your computer and NOT in the cloud, during Windows 11 setup.
Read MoreHow To Switch To A Local Account in Windows 11
In this blog post, I’m going to walk you through how to switch from a Microsoft Account to a Local User Account. There are many benefits with a Microsoft Account, but choice is important and if you’d prefer not to have your account tied to Microsoft, then a Local Account is an option.
Read MoreSystem Cleanup Series: Uninstall (Remove) Apps and Programs in Windows 11 [Premium]
This more detailed blog post exclusive to paid subscribers is part of my System Cleanup series. One of the best ways to free up some space in Windows 11 is to remove programs and apps you’re not using or no longer want, some of which may have come pre-installed when you purchased your computer and you might not even know are there.
Read MoreSystem Cleanup Series: Uninstall (Remove) Apps and Programs in Windows 11
This blog post is part of my System Cleanup series. One of the best ways to free up some space in Windows 11 is to remove programs and apps you’re not using or no longer want, some of which may have come pre-installed when you purchased your computer and you might not even know are there.
Read MoreHow To Change Sleep and Hibernation Settings in Windows 11 [Premium]
In this more detailed blog post exclusive to paid subscribers, I’m going to talk about what it means for your computer to be “going to sleep”, and why it’s different then “hibernation”. I will also talk about whether or not it’s actually beneficial to turn these settings on, even though Microsoft turned them on by default.
Read MoreHow To Use System Restore in Windows 11 [Premium]
In this more detailed blog post exclusive to paid subscribers, I’m going to cover how to navigate to System Restore settings in Windows 11, and the process of creating a Restore Point to allow you to tell Windows to revert settings to a previous point in time, which may be necessary if a newly installed program is causing you grief, but uninstalling it isn’t resolving the issue.
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