note to readers: this is a reboot/rewrite of the Windows 10 S Mode post from last year Windows 11 comes in various editions: Home, Pro, Education, Enterprise and S mode. And that last one gives many people pause. Just what is S mode? What does the S stand for? Simple, Secure, Strict, Stunted? Microsoft is … Read more
Microsoft Defender Antivirus is part of every Windows 10 and Windows 11 computer. Whether you use Microsoft Defender or another antivirus, please know that you can use the Microsoft software to run a deep scan on your computer. This will not conflict with your current security software, and can be useful if you feel you … Read more
Many PC users are content to use the free antivirus that’s built-in to Microsoft Windows: Microsoft Defender Antivirus. Some still call it Windows Defender, but in any case, you can get to it by clicking on the white or blue shield that lives near your system clock. But some users are finding that they cannot … Read more
There are right ways and wrong ways to get your free Windows 11 upgrade. Of course, the cybercriminals are waiting to guide you into the wrong ways. Lately, fake upgrade websites are showing up in web searches when people go looking for a way to install Windows 11. And these frauds look very similar to … Read more
As more and more folks upgrade to new PCs, I hear the same comment over and over: “Where’s the Start button‽ How do I get to all my… Oh. Huh, there it is.” Indenting the Start button by a few inches is rather alien to long-time Windows users. But we can move it back to … Read more
People complain to me all the time about having to sign on to their computers. As people buy new Windows 11 computers, Microsoft makes it almost impossible to avoid creating login credentials. Win11 forces you to give your email, create a Microsoft account, choose a password and then a PIN. But let me give you … Read more
There are many ways to remove a piece of software from your computer. Basic Methods Windows Many Windows apps can be uninstalled straight from the Start menu! Simply click Start, look through the Apps or Programs menu for the item you want to get rid of, and right-click on it. If you see Uninstall listed, … Read more
Speak to your computer and have it type what you’re saying! Windows and MacOS have voice-to-text typing tools built-in and you just have to launch them for your speech to flow into whatever document you’re creating. Windows Users would press Win + H to open the dictation tool. Apple users can press the Fn button … Read more
On a Windows computer, there are certain things you can’t do when naming a file. Microsoft is pretty helpful in telling you that you can’t use any of the following characters, as you type a new file name: < > : ” / | \ ? * But Microsoft doesn’t tell you that there are … Read more
In Windows 10, it was very easy to change your default browser: Start -> Settings -> Apps. Click Default Apps, then click under Web Browser. But now, under Windows 11, things are rather different. If you want to declare something other than Edge as your default browser, you’ll want to do that through your browser … Read more