On Windows 10, Storage Spaces is a feature designed to protect files against hardware failure using different protection levels (including simple, two-way, and three-way mirror, parity, and dual parity). Using this feature, you can combine two or more drives into a logical group known as “pool,” which you can then use to create a volume (refers as “space”) to store data. If you have previously created a pool and storage space , and you specified the wrong name or want to specify a new one, Windows 10 includes at least two ways to rename a pool without recreating the storage....

Windows 10 20H2, October 2020 Update, is the second semi-annual feature update rolling out begin October 20 , but because these upgrades are incremental and they’re simply known as “Windows 10,” it’s confusing to know which version your computer is running. Although you won’t find the official name anywhere, each release of Windows 10 receives a specific version number. In this case, the second major update for 2020 is known as version “20H2,” since the company is no longer using just numbers like “2004” for the May 2020 Update , and moving forward each version number will reflect the year and part of the year (haft one or half two) to indicate when the feature update will be general available....

UPDATED 11/13: Windows 10 version 1809 (October 2018 Update) is rolling out to compatible devices starting October 2, and if you want to avoid problems the best way to upgrade is to perform a clean installation. Although doing an in-place upgrade using Windows Update is usually the recommended method to install a new version, it’s likely that you’ll come across issues and errors as a result of custom configurations, possible software and device driver incompatibility, and other problems....

To create Environment Variables on Windows 11 (and 10), open System Properties > Advanced > Environment Variables , and under “User variables for,” click “New,” configure the new variable, and click “OK.” To create variables from PowerToys, open the “Environment Variables” editor, under “User,” click “Add variable,” configure the new variable, and click “Save.” UPDATED 10/31/2023: On Windows 11 (and 10), you can create Environment Variables in two ways from the System Properties and PowerToys, and in this guide, I’ll outline the steps to complete this configuration using both tools....

Windows 11 22H2 adds even more installation requirements, including an internet connection and a Microsoft account to complete the initial setup. However, you can now use the Rufus application to create a USB bootable media to bypass these and other restrictions. In the original release, Windows 11 (version 21H2) introduced higher installation requirements , including modern processors, Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage, and on the Windows 11 2022 Update, the company has increased the restrictions even further, requiring an internet connection and the use of a Microsoft account to set up the installation....

VirtualBox provides a free and easy way to create a virtual machine to run Windows 10 (or another OS) alongside the main installation without the need for extra hardware, and here’s how to set it up. A virtual machine is a virtualization technology that allows you to run multiple operating systems in containers isolated from the main installation as a separate device but without the extra hardware. Usually, the ability to create a virtual machine can come in handy in many scenarios....

Updates and upgrades have changed significantly in Windows 10. With the new operating system long gone are those days where you can fully control the way updates are installed in your computer. In Windows 10 , Microsoft has taken a different approach by removing user controls and making Windows Update an automated process. In the new operating system installing updates is a mandatory task that doesn’t require user interaction. However, depending on the edition you’re running in your computer, you still have some control over updates....

On Windows 11 , you can change the Dynamic Lighting effects to match your RGB peripherals with the Windows 11 accent color, and in this guide, you will learn how. Dynamic Lighting is a feature that Microsoft is still working on that is meant to end the fragmentation of third-party apps and integrations of RGB lighting accessories for Windows 11 devices. The feature will allow users to effortlessly set up and customize their peripherals with RGB lights directly from the Settings app using standardized RGB controls....

It’d appear that Microsoft hasn’t yet completely ruled out the idea of the immersive search experience, as you can still enable the feature in the latest version of Windows 10. When the software giant was developing the April 2018 Update, in addition to all the features and improvements, Microsoft was also testing a new immersive search experience that wasn’t attached to the taskbar. Instead, it was a new search box floating on the desktop, similar to the macOS Spotlight feature, but it never made it to the final version....

The new interface should be available for most Insiders, but if you don’t see the new experience after installing build 23452 in the Canary Channel or build 23430 in the Dev Channel, you can use a third-party tool called “ViveTool,” created by Rafael Rivera and Lucas on GitHub , to enable the option on your computer. This guide will teach you the steps to turn on this new feature on Windows 11....

To enable the Copilot menu on Windows 11, open Settings > Personalization > Copilot in Windows and turn on the “Show Copilot suggestions menu on copy” toggle switch. To enable the Copilot suggestions menu, open Settings > Personalization > Copilot in Windows and turn off the Show Copilot menu option. This feature requires build 22635.3430 or higher release from the Beta Channel. You may also need to enable the feature using the ViveTool....

On Windows 11 , spatial sound is an audio format that provides a more immersive experience. As you turn on the spatial sound using the “Windows Sonic for Headphones” feature, you will feel like the sound is playing around you instead of directly coming from the speakers. Spatial sound is what Microsoft refers to as 3D sound, and you can use it on virtually any headphones, but on supported hardware works best....

On Windows 11 (or 10), you can enable BitLocker (or Device Encryption) to protect your files using data encryption to prevent unauthorized access. If you must erase a drive using encryption with BitLocker, you can use GParted, a Linux-based tool to manage partitions that allows you to delete and format any drive regardless of whether it’s using encryption. In this guide , I will teach you the steps to wipe a drive when you can’t turn off encryption that has a Windows 10 or Windows 11 installation....

In the past you’re able to find the sticker on the back of your computer (usually close to the power supply) or at the bottom of your laptop to find the Windows product key, if you ever needed to reinstall the operating system. Nowadays you can no longer find your Windows 7, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10 product key as easily. In part because most desktops, laptops, and tablets no longer include the product key sticker, as the recovery partition already contains an activated version of Windows....

On Windows 10 , “Hibernate” is a power mode that works similarly to the sleep mode, but it saves the state of your device into the hard drive instead of keeping apps running on memory. Using hibernation, you can completely power off your computer and resume exactly where you left off. The problem with Hibernate is that it does not always work as expected. For example, several users (including myself) have reported that when using the Hibernate option on Windows 10, the screen goes off, fans keep working, and the LED lights stay on for a long time until the device turns off....

To fix Nearby Sharing on Windows 10, confirm that both devices have Nearby Sharing enabled, and check that Bluetooth is enabled and has support for Low Energy (LE). You can also set the network profile to “Private” and make sure that both devices are in range. On Windows 10 , Nearby Sharing is a feature that allows you to transfer files and links wirelessly using Bluetooth and a network connection, and in this guide, you will learn how to troubleshoot and fix it....

On Windows 10, it’s recommended to format a hard drive to erase its current data and make sure to set up a supported file system that the operating system can understand to read and write data. Also, using the “Format” feature can help to delete all your personal data when you’re planning to get rid of the drive, so someone else doesn’t have easy access to your files. In the past, you needed to use the Disk Management tool, Command Prompt, or PowerShell to format hard drive, but since build 20197 , Windows 10 has a new experience built into the Storage settings to manage drives and partitions more easily....

Cortana gets smarter and now it can remind you to complete tasks automatically. On a new update, Microsoft is enabling “suggested reminders”, a new feature that lets Cortana keep on track by reminding you something you said you would do in an email. Microsoft is using machine learning to scan and detect commitments you made in your emails to other people, information which the Cortana uses to create automatic reminders....

After a while, I came to like the new Facebook Timeline, but this is not the case for many of you. In the past, there were different ways to get around it, and many people put their hopes into Facebook, adding a way to revert or disable Timeline. This never happened, and the giant of social networks made it clear that the future is going to be the Timeline design, leaving tons of users in the dark....

On Windows 10, when you choose to download the ISO file to upgrade or reinstall the operating system , you usually end up using third-party tools, such as the Media Creation Tool or Rufus to create a USB media to proceed with the installation setup. However, if you only have access to the Windows 10 ISO file, you don’t need a USB flash drive or disk to continue with the installation....