The Windows Features dialog box (optionalfeatures.exe) lets you add or remove additional or optional Windows features. For instance, you can remove Media Features → Windows Media Player using the Windows Features (“Turn Windows Features On Or Off”) dialog box if you no longer plan to use WMP.
Sometimes, the “Turn Windows Features On Or Off” box may be completely empty.Read more
If the system files in your Windows 10/11 computer become corrupt and the System File Checker (SFC /scannow) is unable to reinstate the critical system files, it’s due to corruption of the Component Store located in the C:\Windows\WinSxS directory. This directory contains the files needed for the SFC utility to restore missing or damaged system files. The Component store stores all the Windows system files grouped by components and as hard links.
OneDrive cloud storage feature is integrated into Windows 10 and 11. When the OneDrive app is running it automatically syncs files and folders in the background. If you encounter syncing issues with OneDrive, you may want to reset it completely using the hidden OneDrive.exe /reset command-line switch.Read more
The “Show most used apps” toggle switch may be grayed out on the Personalization → Start page in Windows 10 or 11. This is due to a Privacy setting that turns off the ability to track recent programs.Read more
System Restore is an excellent tool that can rescue the system from catastrophe. But, when you cannot revert the system configuration from normal mode, you can perform System Restore rollback offline via Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE), or from Safe Mode.Read more
In the aftermath of a malware attack, the Windows Defender Security settings page may show the message Some settings are managed by your organization or This setting is managed by your administrator. The real-time protection and cloud-based protection options may remain disabled or grayed out.
Here is what the Windows Defender Settings page might look like. The controls for real-time protection, cloud-based protection, and Automatic sample submission options may be disabled and locked down or grayed out.Read more
Windows 10 (Creators Update and higher) and Windows 11 includes the capability to capture a screen region using Win + Shift + S shortcut key, as mentioned in the article Screenshot a Portion of the Screen [Winkey+Shift+S].Read more
Starting with the Windows 10 v1703 (also known as Creators Update), OneNote’s popular screenshot feature has been made an Operating System feature — you can capture a specific region of your screen to the clipboard using the Win + Shift + S shortcut key.Read more
The lock screen which exists in Windows 8 and higher is an additional screen with a background image. The lock screen, which conceals the login screen, shows the time and date, quick status of running apps and the current Windows Spotlight image details.
After 60 seconds of no user activity, the lock screen display turns off to conserve power. This timeout applies when you lock the device or workstation, as well as during startup.Read more
Windows 10 and 11 come with many built-in Store apps that may not be useful to you. As you may have known, PowerShell allows you to uninstall individual apps or all apps using a single command.Read more