Repair Windows Without Losing Apps, Settings, or Data
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Differing Monitor Sleep Timeout by Time of Day
Running as Admin
Windows provides various ways for you to run a program with increased privileges. Some are easier to discover than others but knowing the alternative shortcuts can come in handy.
Taking a Screenshot
You probably know how to take a screenshot on your PC, you might even know what adding in the Alt key provides. But did you know about these new capabilities added later?
Add Your Own Shortcut to the Start Menu
How to Really Reset your PC
The built-in reset and refresh options in Windows are not always ideal. Here’s how to get a proper and true clean start with a real fresh install on your PC.
Blocking Non-Virus Nuisance Programs
Windows Defender and Smart Screen can help block viruses and harmful malware, but there’s a whole other class of nuisance programs you might want to block as well.
Creating New Profiles to Troubleshoot and More
While I’m never shy about just table-flipping and formatting my hard drive, some are decidedly more hesitant to reinstall their operating system. But creating a new user profile can be almost as good and only takes a minute.
Refresh Many Excel Reports Automatically
Today I’d like to share a little homemade tool I whipped up to save me the tedious yet trivial recurring chore of opening several Excel workbooks and clicking the Refresh button inside each one.
Composite and Clean Up Screenshots
Instead of just capturing your entire screen for guides or demos, composite your screenshots in PowerPoint to make them really shine. Here’s how I do it.
On Taskbar Text Labels
Having identical text of “Mi…” repeated next to every Microsoft program doesn’t help the you find your application. It provides no value and slows you down. Just look at this, this mess isn’t improving usability:
Remote Desktop or Network Shares with Microsoft Account Sign-In
If you sign-in to your PC using a Microsoft Account, you may be unable to connect to that with Remote Desktop or with network file sharing, or locally schedule tasks using that account. Here’s how to fix it.
Windows Volume Gestures
When you’re driving down the freeway and your favorite song comes on the radio, I bet you can reach out and adjust the volume knob without ever taking your eyes off the road: your muscle memory kicks in, and you instinctively know where to reach without even looking. This is a practical demonstration of Fitts’ Law.
Change a Folder’s Name Without Renaming It
Folder names in File Explorer don’t necessarily reflect the actual name of the directory. But why?
Add Recycle Bin to Windows File Explorer
Why would you keep your garbage can on your desk anyway? Here’s how to add Recycle Bin to your Explorer navigation pane so it’s readily available anytime you’re working with files.
On Windows Remote Desktop Clients
If you use Windows remote desktop and especially if you have a high-resolution display, there’s some different DPI and scaling behavior between versions that might interest you.
Schedule Light and Dark Mode
Today’s cheap trick is a little script you can use to schedule your Windows dark/light themes by the time of day.
Help Protect Your Files from Ransomware in Windows
With waves of ransomware and hacks hitting users more and more each passing day, I thought I’d share a few simple steps you can take to help protect your files and avoid falling victim to these extortion scams, including Windows’s built-in ransomware protection function.
Disable or Reassign Keys with PowerToys Keyboard Manager
Are you tired of spawning a web search for “how to get help” when you accidentally brush the F1 key? Or are you like me and get annoyed if Scroll-Lock or Overtype (insert mode) get turned on? Here’s how to nullify these keys easily with Microsoft’s PowerToys’s Keyboard Manager utility.