Move your user profile to a new Windows 11 PC

Move your user profile to a new Windows 11 PC

If you built or rebuilt a Windows 11 PC, moving your user profile to the new PC can be a pain. Here’s how to make it easier.
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Change your computer name in Windows 11

Change your computer name in Windows 11

If you thought changing your computer name in Windows 11 was just a matter of right clicking on an icon on the desktop, I have bad news for you. It’s not. That option hides from you now, though you can find it again behind a completely different right click. Here’s where Microsoft hid it.

The quickest way to rename a Windows 11 PC is to right-click the Start menu and click System. Right-clicking the start menu is a good trick to remember when you can’t find something in Windows.

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Mouse moves with arrow keys? The fix

Mouse moves with arrow keys? The fix

My Windows mouse cursor was moving on its own on my work laptop and driving me up the wall. Here’s how I traced the problem and how I fixed it. It turned out the mouse cursor was moving when I pushed the arrow keys. I’ve seen this happen in both Windows 10 and Windows 11. The obscure problem where keyboard arrows move the mouse is easy enough to fix, fortunately.

Two things can cause the Windows mouse cursor moving with arrow keys. Those are an obscure feature called Mouse Keys, or the venerable Microsoft Paint app.

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Install Windows 11 on an unsupported CPU

Install Windows 11 on an unsupported CPU

Ever since Microsoft announced Windows 11 would have much stricter hardware requirements than it’s predecessors, people who don’t want to go and replace all of their computers have been looking for work arounds. Here is the easiest way to install Windows 11 on an unsupported CPU, including virtual environments like VMware or Virtualbox. No need to edit files, mess with an ISO file or disk image or Rufus or the registry editor.

The easiest way to install Windows 11 on an unsupported CPU is to delete one file, appraiserres.dll, from your installation media. This trick will hopefully keep some usable computers out of landfills a little while longer.

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Local account in Windows 11

Local account in Windows 11

I prefer to use local accounts on my home network. If you’re reading this, chances are you do too, so I don’t need to sell you on the idea. You already know Microsoft doesn’t want you to use local accounts and makes it hard to create them now. But it’s not impossible. Here’s how to create a local account in Windows 11, even when you’re doing a new install.

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Add a TCP/IP printer in Windows 11

Add a TCP/IP printer in Windows 11

Adding a TCP/IP printer to Windows 11 is a little different from earlier versions of Windows, though not terribly different from adding one to Windows 10. But here’s how to add one in Windows 11, step by step, complete with screenshots. It’s been more than a few years since I was a professional printer administrator, but I guess I still have a little of that in me.

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Cheap Windows 11 PC options

Cheap Windows 11 PC options

Microsoft caused a major hubbub when they announced that Windows 11 will not be supported on systems that are more than about 3 and 1/2 years old. That means a lot of still usable systems have to stay on Windows 10 until Windows 10 goes end of life. Here are some cheap Windows 11 PC options. I’ll mostly cover desktops here, as the market for laptops is rather different.

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Windows 11 on unsupported hardware

Windows 11 on unsupported hardware

When Microsoft announced Windows 11, they also announced some pretty severe hardware requirements. Windows 11 would only be supported on the three most recent CPU generations, and would require a TPM chip. At the end of August 2021, Microsoft announced a way to work around it. Then they did their best to try to talk you out of doing it. Let’s talk about running Windows 11 on unsupported hardware.
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Led vs lead past tense

Homonyms are terrible things in the English language. One example is led vs lead. Which one is past tense?

If I say “Past Tense Zeppelin” and it means something to you, I just answered your question. If that doesn’t help, I have a story for you to help you remember, and it involves a hard rock band.

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Windows Zip folders slow? The fix.

Windows Zip folders slow? The fix.

The other day my son was working with a Zip file and getting frustrated. He was trying to delete a large number of files from it, and the CPU went to 100% usage and never finished. Here’s how I got him around the problem of high CPU usage with Zip files, or Windows Zip folders being slow.
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