Welcome to the Microsoft Windows category of Ghacks.net. This section of the website lists all Windows-related articles that we have published. The main focus of our site are software reviews, but we also feature operating system related news, tips and tricks or tutorials that help you get the most out of your PC.
You may especially be interested in some of our overview articles and guides that help you understand and use core Windows features and concepts such as Windows Update, software to backup Windows or our latest Windows software reviews
Windows XP was the state of the art operating system when we launched our website and we have followed development of the operating system closely thereafter. This means that you will find articles covering Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 here on the site as well as coverage of server versions of the Windows operating system.
We make sure that our software reviews always highlight compatibility with versions of Windows so that you know if applications are compatible with your version of the OS or not.
I suggest you check out our Windows tips section, our software reviews or the list of portable programs that we have reviewed in the past.
Microsoft ended extended support for Windows Vista back in April 2017 which means that the company won't release security updates anymore for the operating system. While Microsoft itself loosened that up a little bit by releasing security patches on the June 2017 Patch Day for the unsupported operating systems Windows Vista and Windows XP, it […]
Microsoft published Windows 10 Insider Build 16226 a couple of hours ago to the Fast Ring Insider channel. This new build includes a truckload of improvements and features, and also some fixes. Insiders who have been plagued by the dreaded "inaccessible boot device" error, or updates that hung at around 33% can run the new […]
Microsoft revealed yesterday that the OneDrive's Files On-Demand feature is rolling out to Windows Insiders on the Fast Ring on Windows 10. Files On-Demand is a new placeholder system that Microsoft plans to integrate in OneDrive, and make available to all customers on Windows 10 when the Fall Creators Update is released. Basically, what the […]
Windows users who upgrade their systems to a new version of Windows, mostly on Windows 10, may run into into Inaccessible Boot Device error when they do so. Windows 10 machines are upgraded more often than machines running previous versions of Windows. The main reason for that is that Microsoft is pumping out two new […]
Software programs that require the Microsoft .Net Framework 2.0, 3.0 or 3.5 may not run by default on Microsoft's Windows 10 operating system. The same is true for Windows 8 machines, but not for Windows 7 or Windows Vista. We talked about fixing the issue on Windows 8 PCs back in 2012, and would like […]
Windows users who don't want the Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7 at this point in time may block the Windows Update deployment of it. Microsoft released the new .Net Framework 4.7 back in April 2017, and announced back then that it would distribute the new version "in a couple of months" through Windows Update. Anyone interested […]
The following list provides you with detailed information on tools that you can run on Windows PCs using nothing but a short name that is associated with them. This is the third part of the administrative tools series here on Ghacks. The first two parts looked at Control Panel shortcuts, and Microsoft Management Console snap-ins […]
MSC files are snap-in control files that are associated with the Microsoft Management Console on Windows machines to run administrative tasks. You may run some msc files like services.msc or gpedit.msc regularly, but there are plenty more that you can run or create on Windows client and server machines to speed up administrative processes. Microsoft […]
Microsoft released the new Windows 10 Insider Preview build 16215 yesterday, and it ships with a massive list of usability improvements. Windows Insiders who are on the Fast Ring can check for the update right away using Windows Update. The PC should pick it up automatically, and install it on the device. Make sure you […]
The following master list lets you launch control panel applets from the command line, run box, or Start Menu search on Windows PCs. The Windows Control Panel is an administrative interface that is part of all recent versions of Windows. It enables you to customize and manage different parts of the operating system, for instance […]
Windows may install drivers for select devices, say the graphics card, under certain circumstances. This happens by default for instance when the device is setup, but may also happen when Microsoft pushes driver updates through Windows Updates. We published a tutorial -- How to disable driver updates from Windows Update -- previously that highlights three […]
If you run Windows 10, you may have noticed a popup window being launched on the screen once a day, or even regularly. It is spawned, and immediately closed again. This makes it difficult to understand what spawns it, why it is launched, and whether it is something that you need to be concerned about. […]
Windows Defender Antivirus is the default security solution that ships with all versions of the Windows 10 operating system. It offers basic protection when compared to third-party solutions, but the overall protection that it offers has improved and the product does not test at the very bottom of every AV Comparatives or AV Test runs […]
Microsoft released a new cumulative update for Windows 10 version 1703 -- the Creators Update -- yesterday evening through Windows Update. The update raises the build version of Windows 10 to 15063.332 once it is installed. It fixes errors and issues in previous versions of the Windows 10 Creators Update operating system. The update has […]
You can use the keyboard shortcut Alt-Tab on modern Windows devices to display and switch between all open program windows. While you have other options to switch to other programs, Alt-Tab may be faster than those. One reason for that is that it displays previews of those open windows on the desktop so that identification […]
The following guide provides you with information on the Net User -- or Net Users -- command of the Windows operating system. Net User is a command line tool that allows system administrators to manage user accounts on Windows PCs. You can use the command to display account information, or make changes to user accounts. […]
