Windows 2000, XP, Vista, 7, Windows 8 and more How Tos
The page file (aka. swap file) is the place Windows stores active data that it cannot fit into RAM. In days of yore, the simple rule was to put the page file on a disk separate from the operating system and to make that file 1.5 times the size of the Read more…
Windows Server 2016 and Windows 10 have a new debugging feature named ACTIVE MEMORY DUMP which tracks only important memory information and ignores the rest. Most notably, if your computer is a HyperV host, it’s memory will contain the memory of your Virtual Machines, which is of little to no use in diagnosing Read more…
A typical Windows cursor is a single pixel wide but it is possible to have a cursor that is much wider. In my case, I found a cursor that looked like it was two characters wide: This wide cursor does not cause any technical issues, but does make it difficult Read more…
If you find your Windows 10 Start Menu is functional but typing text in the search bar is very slow or sluggish, there is a very easy fix. NOTES: If icons are missing or clicking on START menu items does nothing, the fix for that is HERE You will still be Read more…
If you have a spinning disk and want to make it run much faster you can add in a small Solid State Disk and combine them using Intel Rapid Storage Technology (RST). RST will then add the SSD to the spinning disk and copy whatever you frequently use to Read more…
Last week we provided a very quick explanation of the Meltdown & Spectre CPU flaws which you can read HERE. However, much more is now known and so here are the current answers to Meltdown & Spectre Frequently Asked Questions: What are Spectre & Meltdown? Spectre and Meltdown are related Read more…
In the simplest terms, Credential Guard is a new Windows 10 optional feature that controls access credentials stored in memory. Windows Credential Guard requires Virtual Secure Mode (VSM) which turns on core HyperV components to allow Windows to isolate each application’s memory. The graphic to the right mentions Device Guard Read more…
In the simplest terms, Device Guard is a new Windows 10 optional feature that controls access to boot processes and memory while also blocking any software that is not specifically approved (like a whitelist). Windows Device Guard is actually a set of three features: Platform and Secure Boot locks down Read more…
If you have a Lenovo laptop with a flashing LED on the power switch but will not power up, we have the fix. This short video shows a quick disassembly of a Lenovo Flex 3 1430. You can then unplug the battery and solve the issue. In theory, holding the Read more…
Below is a list of NTFS “Attributes”. An NTFS attribute is an OPTIONAL setting that software MIGHT use to make smart decisions as to how to handle a particular file. For instance, if file is marked as “O” that means is its OFFLINE. An offline file might be available on Read more…
UPDATE OCT 1 2019 – Everything is still completely accurate but if you want to know how to remove all stuck partitions and recreate a volume through command line CLICK HERE. __________________ If you install a hard disk from an old PC into your current PC, you might find a Read more…
If you need to add more space to your computer, one way to do this is to add a second disk. The problem then becomes what should you move to that disk. In home theaters and other PC’s with lots of shared storage it is common practice to move the Read more…
If you are an administrator, you will have seen an application that has locked up a computer. These ‘run away’ programs sometimes cause users to give up in frustration and just power down their PC’s which may result in them loosing unsaved work. The question is how to END TASK Read more…
If you are working for an old application you may be presented with the error: Component ‘MSCOMCTL.OCX’ or one if its dependencies not correctly registered: a file is missing or invalid: In this case you have two tasks to complete and neither of them are obvious: DOWNLOAD MSCOMCTL.OCX MSCOMCTL.OCX is Read more…
Windows Media Player was removed from Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (November 2017). Microsoft would rather you use their new FILMS & TV app but if you would like to use it there is an easy way to get it back. To Install Windows Media Player In Windows 10 Fall Read more…
Intel AVX-512 is the latest version of Advanced Vector Extensions. Since x86 instruction set was designed in the 1970’s there has been a drive to extend that instruction set so that the CPU can handle more and more tasks. This means that fewer and few special purpose add-on cards are Read more…