Tutorials

Brink · Nov 18, 2022

This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off showing seconds in the taskbar system tray clock for your account in Windows 11. Starting with Windows 11 build 22621.1928, you can now choose to display seconds in the system tray clock. This also includes showing seconds on any added additional clocks. Option One: Turn On or Off Show Seconds in System Tray Clock in Settings Option Two: Turn On or Off Show Seconds in System Tray Clock using REG file Option Three: Turn On or Off Show Seconds in System Tray Clock in Registry Editor EXAMPLE: Show seconds in system tray clock on and off Turn On or Off Show Seconds in System Tray Clock in Settings 1 Open Settings (WIn+I). 2 Click/tap on Personalization on the left side, and...

Brink · Jun 21, 2024

This tutorial will show you how to add or remove the notification bell icon on the taskbar corner for your account in Windows 11. Notifications will now show as a bell in the system tray and when new notifications come through, the bell will colorize based on your system accent color. When there are no notifications and the clock is visible, the bell will be empty. You can turn on (add) or off (remove) showing the notification bell icon on the taskbar system tray (corner) on demand. Option One: Add or Remove Notification Bell icon on Taskbar in Settings Option Two: Add or Remove Notification Bell icon on Taskbar using REG file Option Three: Add or Remove Notification Bell icon on Taskbar in Registry Editor EXAMPLE: Add or...

Brink · Jul 21, 2021

This tutorial will show you how to restart the explorer.exe process as needed in Windows 11. The explorer.exe process is the user shell for Windows, and is used by such items as the desktop, File Explorer, Start menu, notification area, and taskbar. Restarting the explorer.exe process is to stop and start it to effectively refresh explorer.exe. When the explorer.exe process has been stopped (aka: "end task"), you will see a blank black desktop with your mouse pointer showing until explorer.exe has been started again. If you are having issues with the explorer.exe process (ex: hang), restarting the explorer.exe process may sort it without having to restart the computer. If you are applying a registry tweak, sometimes you can just...

Brink · Sep 6, 2021

This tutorial will show you how to add Take Ownership to the context menu of all files, folders, and drives for all users in Windows 10 and Windows 11. This will allow you to be able to instantly take ownership of a file, folder (and all contents), or drive (and all contents) by changing the owner to the current user and grant the Owner_Rights SID (for current owner) full access permission. When you right click or press and hold on a file, folder, or drive, click/tap on Show more options, and click/tap on Take Ownership, you will be prompted by UAC for approval first. If a user is signed in as an administrator, then the user would just click/tap on Yes to approve and take ownership. The owner of the file, folder, or drive would be...

Brink · Nov 4, 2021

This tutorial will show you how to clear the Windows Update history on your Windows 11 PC. Windows Update keeps Windows 11 updated by automatically downloading and installing the latest updates, drivers, and hotfixes released by Microsoft. Reference: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/windows-11-update-history-a19cd327-b57f-44b9-84e0-26ced7109ba9 You can view Windows Update history to see which Feature Updates, Quality Updates, Driver Updates, Definition Updates, and Other Updates have been installed and when on your Windows 11 computer. Sometimes you may need or want to clear your Windows Update history on demand. You must be signed in as an administrator to clear the Windows Update history. EXAMPLE: Windows Update history...

Brink · Feb 28, 2022

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable Intel ("Intel VT" or "VT-x") or AMD ("AMD-V") CPU virtualization in UEFI/BIOS on Windows 10 and Windows 11 PC. CPU virtualization is a hardware feature found in all current AMD and Intel CPUs that allows a single processor to act as if it was multiple individual CPUs. This allows Windows to more effectively and efficiently utilize the CPU power in the computer so that it runs faster. This feature is also a requirement for many virtual machine software (ex: "Hyper-V") and is required to be enabled in order for them to run properly or even at all. CPU virtualization lets your PC emulate a different operating system, like Android or Linux. Enabling virtualization gives you access to a...

Brink · Oct 22, 2021

This tutorial will show you how to reset the "Open with" context menu for a file type back to default for your account in Windows 10 and Windows 11. The Open with context menu allows you to choose an app to open a file with by default. When you use Open with to select to open a file with an app, that app is added to the "Open with" context menu for that file type for only your account. If wanted, you can reset the "Open with" context menu back to default for a file type to clear all the apps you added from the "Open with" context menu. Starting with Windows 11 build 22567, Microsoft has updated the “Open with” dialog box to align with Windows 11 design principles. The updated dialog box honors light/dark theme. We have also...

Brink · Jul 27, 2021

This tutorial will show you how to create a bootable USB flash drive used to install Windows 11 with UEFI support. You can use a Windows 11 installation USB flash drive to clean install, upgrade, reset, or repair Windows 11. The installation USB can also be used as a recovery drive to boot to WinRE (aka: advanced startup). You must be signed in as an administrator to create a bootable Windows 11 installation USB. The USB flash drive needs to be at least 8 GB or larger in size. Option One: Create Windows 11 Bootable USB Installation Media with Media Creation Tool Option Two: Create Windows 11 Bootable USB Installation Media with Rufus [Good on unsupported hardware] Option Three: Create Windows 11 Bootable USB Installation Media...

Brink · Jun 25, 2021

This tutorial will show you step by step on how to use an ISO or USB to manually upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows 11 (older build/version), Windows 10, Windows 8.1, or Windows 7. Windows 11 has all the power and security of Windows 10 with a redesigned and refreshed look. It also comes with new tools, sounds, and apps. Every detail has been considered. All of it comes together to bring you a refreshing experience on your PC. Most devices available for purchase now will be upgradeable to Windows 11. You will have the option to upgrade, clean install, or reimage Windows 10 devices to move to Windows 11. For Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 devices that meet hardware requirements, you will need to clean install or reimage to go...

Brink · Mar 16, 2022

This tutorial will show you different ways on how to put your Windows 11 computer to sleep. Sleep uses very little power, your PC starts up faster, and you’re instantly back to where you left off. You don’t have to worry that you'll lose your work because of your battery draining because Windows automatically saves all your work and turns off the PC if the battery is too low. Use Sleep when you’re going to be away from your PC for just a little while. On most PCs, you can resume from sleep by pressing your PC's power button. However, not all PCs are the same. You might be able to wake it by pressing any key on the keyboard, clicking a mouse button, or opening the lid on a laptop. Check the documentation that came with your computer or...

Brink · Nov 3, 2022

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable networking in Windows Sandbox for all users in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Windows Sandbox provides a lightweight desktop environment to safely run applications in isolation. Software installed inside the Windows Sandbox environment remains "sandboxed" and runs separately from the host machine. A sandbox is temporary. When it's closed, all the software and files and the state are deleted. You get a brand-new instance of the sandbox every time you open the app. Networking in Windows Sandbox is done by creating a virtual switch on the host (Windows 10/11), and connects the Windows Sandbox to it via a virtual NIC. Disabling network access can decrease the attack surface exposed by the...

Brink · Sep 15, 2024

This tutorial will show you how to export and import registry keys in Registry Editor using a REG file in Windows 10 and Windows 11. System configuration information is stored centrally in a hierarchical database called the registry. You can use Registry Editor to add and edit registry keys and values, restore the registry from a backup or to default values, and to import or export keys for reference or backup. You can export registry keys from Registry Editor to back up the selected key and its subkeys values and data to a REG file. You can import a REG file to restore its keys, values, and data settings back to Registry Editor. The HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU) branch only affects the current user, and does not require being an...

Disable Automatic Windows Updates in Windows 11

Use ViVeTool to Enable or Disable Hidden Features in Windows 11

Restore Classic File Explorer with Ribbon in Windows 11

Create Windows 11 Bootable USB Installation Media

Uninstall or Reinstall Copilot app

Add or Remove "Learn about this picture" Desktop icon

Use SFC to Repair System Files in Windows 11

Download Official Windows 11 ISO file from Microsoft

Repair Install Windows 11 with an In-place Upgrade

Clean Install Windows 11

Tutorials

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Time and Language Turn On or Off Show Seconds in System Tray Clock in Windows 11

Personalization Add or Remove Notification Bell icon on Taskbar in Windows 11

General Restart Windows Explorer.exe Process in Windows 11

Accounts Add Take Ownership to Context Menu in Windows 11

Windows Update Clear Windows Update History in Windows 11

Virtualization Enable or Disable CPU Virtualization in UEFI BIOS Firmware Settings on Windows PC

Apps Reset and Clear Open with Context Menu for File Types in Windows 11

Installation and Upgrade Create Windows 11 Bootable USB Installation Media

Installation and Upgrade Upgrade to Windows 11

General Sleep Computer in Windows 11

Virtualization Enable or Disable Networking in Windows Sandbox in Windows 11

Backup and Restore Export and Import Keys in Registry Editor in Windows 11

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