All posts tagged: Windows

I turned off one Windows 11 feature and freed up gigabytes of SSD space instantly

I turned off one Windows 11 feature and freed up gigabytes of SSD space instantly

Published by skeptic

One of the trickiest problems I have faced with Windows is running out of storage without any clear culprits. When this happened to me, downloads were fine, and I didn’t have any large apps consuming space. When I found the cause, it was an unexpected system file using up space, and I don’t remember enabling it. Removing it was as simple as using one command, and instantly, I regained a lot of gigabytes. But before you hurry to disable it as I did, you’ll want to consider the trade-offs because this file affects how the OS handles startups and shutdowns. Still, it’s an easy way to reclaim space when you don’t want to uninstall anything. How much space hibernation uses on your PC It scales with RAM, and high-memory systems lose the most space Afam Onyimadu / MUO The file that you have to delete is called hiberfil.sys, but it’s not obvious. This file is protected by Windows and also made invisible by default. So, to locate it, you must first take the following steps: …

Microsoft Is Scrubbing the Copilot Name From Some Windows 11 Apps

Microsoft Is Scrubbing the Copilot Name From Some Windows 11 Apps

Published by skeptic

Tired of seeing the Copilot AI logo appear everywhere in Windows 11? It may be getting at least a little less ubiquitous. Reports this week found the latest Insider version of Windows 11, version 11.2512.28.0, has removed Copilot language from key places such as the computer’s Notepad app.  Previously, Notepad used Copilot to offer generative writing help, with a button featuring the AI tool’s swirly logo on the top right of the toolbar. Options included writing from scratch with prompts, rewriting, changing tone and more. In the latest update, the Copilot language has disappeared from Notepad, and the feature has been renamed “Writing tools.” “Writing tools” appears to offer all the same AI features Copilot did, just without the name. The Copilot branding has also vanished from Notepad settings, with AI tools now relegated to the Advanced Features section. This change follows reports from March that Microsoft is quietly backing away from pushing Copilot into so many parts of Windows 11.  That’s not entirely surprising. AI is one of the least popular things in the US in 2026. Copilot has drawn …

France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech

France to ditch Windows for Linux to reduce reliance on US tech

Published by skeptic

France is trying to move on from Microsoft Windows. The country said it plans to move some of its government computers currently running Windows to the open source operating system Linux to further reduce its reliance on U.S. technology. Linux is an open source operating system that is free to download and use, with various customized distributions that are tailored and designed for specific use cases or operations. In a statement, French minister David Amiel said (translated) that the effort was to “regain control of our digital destiny” by relying less on U.S. tech companies. Amiel said that the French government can no longer accept that it doesn’t have control over its data and digital infrastructure. The French government did not provide a specific timeline for the switchover, or which distributions it was considering. The switchover will begin with computers at the French government’s digital agency, DINUM. When reached by TechCrunch, a spokesperson for Microsoft did not comment on the news. This is the latest effort by France to reduce its dependence on U.S. tech …

I used Windows for 15 years before I discovered it had this cool feature built in

I used Windows for 15 years before I discovered it had this cool feature built in

Published by skeptic

I’ve been using Windows for as long as I can remember. All the way back to that chunky beige tower in our living room when dial-up wasn’t just internet, it was a whole personality. Over time, I’ve picked up my fair share of Windows shortcuts that save hours every week, little tweaks, and the usual bag of tricks. Enough to feel like, yeah, I know my way around this thing. But Windows has been around forever, and it shows. Features pile up over the years, the way rooms do in an old house, and every now and then, you stumble on a door you somehow never noticed. This proves that even if you’ve used Windows for years, there are still features you don’t know. That’s more or less how it happened. Just a random Tuesday afternoon, my screen was cluttered with too many browser tabs, a spreadsheet, a couple of File Explorer windows, music playing somewhere in the background, everything competing for attention. At some point, almost absentmindedly, I grabbed a window and shook it. …

I ignored this Windows productivity feature for years and it turned out to be one of the best ones

I ignored this Windows productivity feature for years and it turned out to be one of the best ones

Published by skeptic

Windows is full of useful productivity features, but like most people, I don’t use every one of them. But if there’s one feature I regret ignoring for too long, it’s virtual desktops. I always assumed it was not worth the effort, but once I tried it, it turned out to be the complete opposite. Virtual desktops solve a problem most of us face, which is having too many apps and windows open at the same time. It makes your desktop look cluttered, and switching between tasks feels more frustrating than productive. With virtual desktops, you can separate apps and windows into different spaces, so everything feels organized and easier to manage. What virtual desktop actually does Multiple desktops in one Screenshot by Digvijay Kumar – No attribution is required Virtual desktops on Windows are like having multiple PCs on the same hardware. Instead of getting lost between dozens of apps open on a single screen, you can spread them across different desktops. One desktop can be for all work-related things, another for personal stuff, and …

Why I stopped using ‘Modern Standby’ on my Windows laptop to save battery overnight

Why I stopped using ‘Modern Standby’ on my Windows laptop to save battery overnight

Published by skeptic

Kyle Kucharski/ZDNET Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. ZDNET’s key takeaways Sleep, hibernate, and shut down all behave differently.  Newer PCs support “Modern Standby”, a state that’s different from traditional sleep. Shutting down your computer may actually be faster than restarting it.  Have you ever put your laptop in your bag, only to pull it out and find it’s hot and the battery is drained, even though you put it to sleep? Turns out Windows may have gotten in its own way, preventing it from fully going to sleep. Also: If Microsoft wants Windows 12 to succeed, it can’t let history repeat itself – let me explain Modern standby is the sleep state most newer PCs go into when you tell them to sleep. It cuts power to the display and CPU, but allows for minimal background processes to continue, so you can have that instantaneous wake time. This mode might not be the most efficient way to save your battery, however. Here’s the breakdown.  What’s the difference between Modern Standby and Sleep? Your …

This simple registry tweak gave me the best productivity boost on Windows

This simple registry tweak gave me the best productivity boost on Windows

Published by skeptic

If you’re a long-time Windows user, you may have noticed that Windows 11 broke something fairly useful. If you right click a file and try to open it in Notepad++, you may have wondered where the option has gone. It’s actually buried two clicks deep under “Show more options.” It used to be right there, easily accessible and ready to go whenever we needed it. Now it’s gone and Windows doesn’t give you an easy built-in way to fix it. The answer is a single registry entry under HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\*\shell and takes about two minutes to add. The option is permanent until you remove it, though if Notepad++ runs a major update that reinstalls its shell extension, it could possibly overwrite or conflict with your manual entry. The likelihood of this happening, though, is pretty low. You can add any app to your right-click contextual menu, too, not just Notepad++, so buckle in and let’s give it a go. On macOS, right-clicking a file and seeing your preferred app in the menu usually just works. The …

I found Windows’ built-in crash history tool — it goes back years and I had no idea it existed

I found Windows’ built-in crash history tool — it goes back years and I had no idea it existed

Published by skeptic

Last week, my Windows laptop started acting up. During an intense gaming session, out of nowhere, my entire PC restarted. When I started looking into this matter, I found that some apps were quietly closing in the background, without any reason. I went through the event logs on Windows Event Viewer, but the cryptic codes made me feel like I was trying to read an ancient language. Thanks to my habit of researching stuff on the internet, I came across a secret tool that Windows was hiding. There is a hidden tool that tracks every crash, failed update, and all software hiccups your laptop has experienced. It has weeks, months, and even years’ worth of records, and it is called Windows Reliability Monitor. Here’s how to use it. Related I finally disabled these Windows services and my PC is happier for it Your PC might be secretly working harder than you are, and not always in ways that benefit you. You don’t need to install anything This effective troubleshooting tool is just a command away …

This hidden Windows menu has all the tricks you need to fix battery drain

This hidden Windows menu has all the tricks you need to fix battery drain

Published by skeptic

A few extra hours of battery can make all the difference when you’re away from a charger. And there’s a lot you can do to get there, from changing the power mode and lowering the screen refresh rate to disabling the screen saver and turning off USB ports when the screen is off. The problem is, these options are scattered across different parts of Windows, so changing them takes time and effort. Thankfully, Windows has a dedicated menu called Energy Recommendations. It brings all the impactful settings into one place, so you don’t have to hunt them down. It’s been there all along Screenshot by Pankil Shah — No attribution required It’s not just about what you’re doing on your PC that impacts power consumption. Streaming, gaming, and browsing with a dozen tabs open obviously chews through the battery. But what most people don’t realize is that how your PC is set up also makes a huge difference. Windows’ Energy Recommendations is a dedicated section inside the Settings app that highlights all the options that …