On older machines, and even sometimes on not-so-old machines, Windows Explorer can get sluggish, and painful to use. It may happen suddenly and it may be happening all the time. In either case, here’s how to fix it when Windows Explorer gets slow.
Windows
Windows 10 audio not working? Try this.
My power flickered and my computer restarted. Everything seemed OK, but then I noticed my audio wasn’t working. If your experience Windows 10 audio not working suddenly, especially when you haven’t changed anything, here are some things to try.
Sure, the problem could be a driver, or your volume knob, or a cable problem. But if your audio stopped working suddenly, it’s more likely that Windows just decided to change outputs on you, and that takes about 10 seconds to fix.
ETL file: What it is and how to open it
The C:\Windows\Logs directory has tons of useful information in it, but it’s all in the obscure ETL file format. What’s an ETL file, why did Microsoft switch to this format, and how do you open the file to read it?
ETL stands for Event Trace Log, and they contain information from kernel events generated by Tracelog. Windows uses them because they are more efficient than logging in plaintext.
Windows 10 Start Menu not working: A 30-second fix
I had an issue with my Windows 10 Start Menu not working when I click on the Windows button on the screen or my keyboard, on two separate machines within two days of each other. The fix is easy enough but most people way overcomplicate it. Here’s the no-bull guide to fixing the Windows 10 Start Menu.
To fix the Windows 10 Start Menu, all you need to do is restart Windows Explorer from Task Manager. You can fix it in 30 seconds or less and get on with your day.
Is Windows 7 safe to use?
Is Windows 7 safe to use? No. Next question? Alright, I guess I need to explain why, without being so dismissive.
Support for Windows 7 ended in January 2020, which means there have been no new security updates for Windows since. That means Windows 7 isn’t safe to use, even with a firewall and antivirus.
Why no Windows 9? The surprising reason
After the hugely popular Windows 7, Microsoft followed up with the terrible Windows 8, and the only slightly less terrible Windows 8.1. And then they came out with Windows 10, which, while not as beloved as Windows 7, certainly was better than 8. But they skipped 9. Why no Windows 9?
Believe it or not, the reason Microsoft skipped Windows 9 has nothing to do with Windows 7 or Windows 8. The reason is a decades-old shortcut that was beyond Microsoft’s control.
Windows 10 mouse cursor disappears? Try this.
If your Windows 10 mouse cursor disappears, you’re not alone. It happens to me too. It’s a bit maddening but not super hard to fix.
Start menu keeps scrolling down? A simple fix
One morning I went to use my Windows 10 PC and brought up the start menu only to get an unpleasant surprise. The contents of the menu scrolled to the end uncontrollably, rendering it unusable. If your start menu keeps scrolling down, here’s how to fix it.
Generally speaking, a scrolling start menu or other menu is due to a fault on some USB-attached peripheral. Unplugging USB devices should allow you to isolate the problem.
Why Microsoft is the best – in some minds
Microsoft is a classic American story. If you want to know why Microsoft is the best in some people’s minds, it helps to start with that. But two people can look at the same set of facts about Microsoft and come to very different conclusions. That makes Microsoft interesting to follow, but at times confounding.
Microsoft’s story is basically the story of a string of successes, in sequence. The details matter, but in a nutshell, people’s opinion about Microsoft is generally shaped by their opinion about that success.
Stream from Windows Media Player to Roku
I wanted to be able to stream from Windows Media Player to Roku. I have lots of media stored on my Windows computers, but what’s the point of connecting a computer to my TV if I already have a Roku on it? Fortunately it’s not hard to get Roku and Windows talking.
People of a certain age probably have a lot of media loaded on their PCs, whether it’s MP3s ripped from CDs or vinyl, home movies, or digital video obtained from other sources. Needless to say, a lot of that stuff isn’t on streaming services and never will be. But that doesn’t mean you don’t want to watch it.
Windows Media Player can stream between multiple PCs, but it can also stream to devices like Roku, which, in many cases, is even more convenient.