When you use the Windows 10 operating system, there will be times you may need to manage the devices that are connected to the computer. You can do that from the appropriately named Device Manager app, available from the search field in the taskbar. For example, if you are experiencing Bluetooth issues, you can open […]
Windows 10 Hardware & Drivers
Four Ways to Format a Disk or Drive in Windows 10
Formatting a drive, whether it be a hard disk drive, solid state drive, or a flash drive et cetera, is the process of preparing the partition on the drive to be used by the operating system. If the drive is already in use, it will need to delete all the files and data before setting […]
Three Ways to Enable/Disable Disk Quotas in Windows
System administrators can set disk quotas to limit certain aspects of the file system usage of the Windows operating system. There are two types of quotas that can be used. The first, known as usage quota or block quota, limits the disk space that can be used. The second, known as a file quota or […]
How to Add Maximum Processor Frequency to Power Options Menu in Windows 10
The microprocessor frequency of a CPU specifies the frequency that the CPU’s core will be. The higher the frequency the faster the processing speed. The frequency that the CPU operates at is not the only thing that affects the performance that the CPU offers. For that you still have to look at the CPU efficiency, […]
Six Ways to Remove Drive Letters in Windows 10
Windows always assigns a drive letter to any internal or external connected storage devices. This is so the devices can be identified and interacted with automatically and without the need for you to create an identifier manually. Windows reserves drives A and B for floppy disks and will start assigning drives letters beginning with the […]
How to Reset/Clear a Print Spooler in Windows 10
The print spooler is the component of the printer that stores the information on what the printer is going to print. The print spooler is the software that makes it possible for you to queue printing jobs and the printer still knows what to print. Without the spooler there would be no memory of what […]
How to Turn On/Off AutoPlay in Windows 10
AutoPlay handles what Windows 10 does with your media types (pictures, music, video) when a hot-plug device is connected to the computer based on what actions the user has chosen. This includes displaying/playing media automatically or taking no action. It may also result in displaying a standard folder view of the contents. Users don’t have […]
How to Turn On/Off Notification of USB Issues in Windows 10
As of Windows 10 Insider Preview build 10547, you can now choose to have notifications regarding problems with USB devices. The following tutorial demonstrates how to turn on or off the receiving of notifications regarding any issues you might be having with connecting to USB devices. How to Turn On/Off Notify On USB Errors in Settings […]
How to Change Screen Refresh Rate of Display in Windows 10
When looking for a new monitor, one of the things you’ll want to consider is the screen refresh rate. Generally speaking, the higher the refresh rate the better for your viewing. The refresh rate is the number of times the monitor refreshes its image per second. The refresh rate is measured with Hertz frequency. A […]
How to Enable/Disable Microphone in Windows 10
Having a microphone on the computer allows you to make Skype video calls et cetera where the person you’re connecting with on the other end can hear you speak. The mic is also useful if you’re recording video and want it to have sound. Some of the newer Windows features such as Cortana, the Windows […]
How to Enable/Disable TRIM Support for Solid State Drives in Windows 10
From Windows 7 and up, the TRIM command is already enabled to help optimize your SSDs by default, so there shouldn’t be any reason for you to need to enable it yourself. However, if you want to double check that it is working, or disable it for a short period before enabling it again, you […]
How to Check Battery Level of Bluetooth Devices in Windows 10
Many types of Bluetooth devices can be used with Windows 10—mice, keyboards, wireless headphones, speakers, so forth. Before you can use them, though, you will need a Bluetooth enabled computer. Most modern computers, including all different types of laptops and two-in-one devices, come with Bluetooth already built-in. If you’re still using a computer that doesn’t […]
How to Verify if System Files and Drivers are Digitally Signed in Windows
As part of the updated security that you get with newer versions of Windows, critical files are now digitally signed. Only Microsoft can sign these files, and when they do, it is a sign that Microsoft trusts them. Only digitally signed files can run before the Windows operating system, which is also one of the […]
How to Set Default Printer in Windows 10
To help simplify the woes of getting a printer to work, Windows 10 has an option turned on by default called “Let Windows manage my default printer.” This means you should find Windows automatically remember the last printer that you used to print a document and then assign that same printer the nest time you […]
How to Add/Remove Microsoft XPS Document Writer Printer in Windows 10
The Microsoft XPS Document Writer (MXDW) is a print-to-file driver that allows a Windows application to create XML Paper Specification (XPS) document files on versions of the Windows operating system. The Microsoft XPS Document Writer has been around since Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2) and is still available in the latest version of Windows 10. By […]
How to Turn On/Off ‘Ignore Touch Input when Using Pen’ in Windows 10
The computers that come with or are compatible with the stylus pen, such as the Windows Surface Book, have to always come with touch-screen also. A touch-screen means you can touch the computer’s display with your fingers, which can sometimes come in handy if you want to scroll or zoom in on pictures that appear […]
How to Add/Remove ‘Minimum processor state’ from Power Options in Windows
Some computers have a “Minimum processor state” feature available from the Power Options menu. By adjusting the processor state, you can tweak your computer to give better battery life or better computer performance. A lower processor state percentage can create considerably longer lasting battery life while a higher processor state can increase the computer’s performance […]
How to Enable/Disable Disk Write Protection in Windows
Write protection (also known as “read-only”) prevents the contents on disk from being changed. This means you can read the data from a disk but not change it from its current contents. You can change write protection from the software and the hardware, meaning from operating system settings and devices such as SD storage cards. […]
How to Backup and Restore Device Drivers in Windows 10
If you’re planning on starting afresh with a clean copy of Windows 10, your computer will no longer have the applications that you installed or that were preinstalled on the computer. You have the option of keeping the files that you’ve installed, but you might have opted for the option that wiped the files, too. […]
How to Erase Disk Using Diskpart Clean Command in Windows 10
The Windows operating system comes with “clean” and “clean all” Diskpart commands which will wipe a disk, so it is not allocated or initialized. There are some differences between the “clean” and “clean all” commands that you may wish to note before getting started. The “clean” command removes all partition and volume formatting from the […]
How to Collect System Specifications in Windows
The Windows operating system can run on a deluge of different computers and hardware configurations. This is necessary since Windows isn’t just software for Microsoft but rather oodles of different manufacturers that each want Windows running on a whole range of various devices. Naturally, that’s going to mean that Windows being perfect for every device […]
How to Change Default Sound Input Device in Windows 10
Windows automatically assigns a default input device so the computer can record and hear sounds. You can also change what that default sound input device is if you don’t like Windows’ default choice. When you have multiple recording devices set up on the computer Windows will continue using the original default option unless you tell […]
How to Turn On/Off Allow Pen to Act as Mouse in Windows 10
Some computers that run Windows 10 comes with a stylus pen (it started with the Surface Book and has since expanded to be included with some of the higher end computers from leading manufacturers such as Dell and HP). The stylus pen became popular once Windows computers started to arrive with touchscreens—a feature that is […]
How to Set Preferred GPU for Apps in Windows 10
As of Windows 10 build 17093, Microsoft has created a new graphics settings page where you can see details for multi GPU systems. One of the upsides of having multiple GPUs is you get to choose which programs will utilize which GPUs and tweak things, so they’re just right for your setup. The new graphics settings […]
How to Turn On/Off Mouse ClickLock in Windows
Clicklock is the feature in Windows that allows you to use single-clicks to act as though it is giving you double click functionality with some features around the operating system. For example, you would usually have to double-click on a window to drag that window around the screen. But with ClickLock turned on, you can […]
How to Enable/Disable Automount of New Disks and Drives in Windows
In Windows, the automount feature is enabled by default. This means Windows will automatically mount the new disks or drives that you create and thus make it possible for you to use them effective immediately once they’ve been created. Should you choose, it’s also possible to have the automount disabled which will stop Windows from […]
How to Find Bluetooth Version in Windows
Bluetooth is a standard for wireless connection of computers and other electronic devices that are within close proximity of each other. Modern versions of the Windows operating system come with Bluetooth support, but before you can use it, you’ll also need to have a device that supports Bluetooth as well. Bluetooth comes with different versions, […]