Mark Kaelin
TechRepublic
Louisville, KY, United States
Contact Mark
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Mark:
How to add legacy Advanced Boot Options to Windows 10 or Windows 11
Microsoft decided the Advanced Boot Options menu was no longer needed, but with the help of a command line prompt and BCDEdit, we can overrule that decision and add it back. → Read More
How to permanently map OneDrive to a drive letter using a batch file
Using a little-known feature of Windows 10 and 11, we can automatically designate a specific drive letter to Microsoft OneDrive at startup every time we boot up our PC. → Read More
How to map OneDrive to a drive letter in Windows 11
With an update to Microsoft Windows 11, you can no longer easily map OneDrive to a drive letter. Instead, you must resort to the ancient command line system known as DOS. → Read More
How to add Safe Mode to the boot menu in Windows 11
Troubleshooting a Windows 11 PC that won't boot can be frustrating. Taking advantage of Safe Mode could be the key to solving your problem, so add it to your boot options. → Read More
How to display seconds in the Windows 11 system clock despite Microsoft's wishes
Microsoft decided to block a Registry File hack that allows users to display seconds in the Windows 11 system clock. Now to get seconds to display, Windows 11 users have to install a third-party app. → Read More
How to display version information on the Windows 11 desktop
A simple hack of the Windows 11 Registry File allows you to display OS version information directly on the desktop, which can come in handy when you're troubleshooting. → Read More
Windows PowerToys: A cheat sheet
Users are always searching for ways to make their computing lives better – the Windows PowerToys are made specifically for this purpose. → Read More
How to change the default search engine in Microsoft Edge
It is possible to change the default search engine in Microsoft Edge, but predictably the setting is buried deep inside the menu system. We help you navigate the labyrinth. → Read More
How to disable (again) the blur effect on the Windows 11 login screen
We used a Registry File hack in Windows 10 to disable the blur effect on the login screen, but the Windows 11 update restored the default. We'll show you how to fix it again. → Read More
How to personalize the lock screen background image in Windows 11
While similar to Windows 10, personalizing Windows 11 requires you to navigate through several layers of configuration setting menus laid out in new and different ways. → Read More
How to restore the full context menu to File Explorer in Windows 11
The full right-click context menu in File Explorer can be restored in Windows 11 with a specific code and an unusual and slightly tricky hack of the Windows Registry File. → Read More
How to download a Windows 10 ISO file without using the Media Creation Tool
It is possible to download a Windows 10 ISO file directly from Microsoft without using their tool first, but they don't make it easy. This how-to shows you the elaborate procedure. → Read More
Windows 10 PowerToys: How to activate and use the Mouse utilities app
With the release of version 49, developers of Windows 10 PowerToys added a Mouse utilities app to the toolkit. We show you how it works and when to use it. → Read More
How to roll back Windows 11 and return to Windows 10
It is possible to roll back to Windows 10 after Microsoft has updated your PC to Windows 11, but you only have 10 days to do it. After that it gets more complicated. → Read More
Windows 10 PowerToys: A cheat sheet
Users are always searching for ways to make their computing lives better--the Windows 10 PowerToys are made specifically for this purpose. → Read More
How to reclaim hard drive space after upgrading to Windows 11
If you are happy with Windows 11, you can safely remove old Windows 10 reversion files and reclaim a substantial amount of lost hard drive storage space on your PC. → Read More
How to install Windows 11 on older, unsupported PCs
Microsoft will not automatically update unsupported PCs, so users must take it upon themselves to perform the procedure manually. But success requires a simple hack of the process. → Read More
How to disable VBS to increase Windows 11 performance, and why you shouldn't
Windows 11 security measures can decrease PC performance. Under certain circumstances these security protocols can be disabled to get that performance back. → Read More
11 things to do when you get Windows 11
Windows 11 is now available as an update for users who can meet the prerequisites. To make the best of this pending transition you should have a plan of action ready to go. → Read More
How to increase PC performance and get the most out of your GPU
Default configuration settings in Microsoft Windows 10 sacrifice GPU performance for power savings. You can change that with a simple tweak of the Graphics settings. → Read More