How to determine if your PC's CPU will support Windows 11

How to determine if your PC's CPU will support Windows 11

Windows 11 won't officially support all CPUs. Here's how you can check if yours will be supported.

Although Microsoft will be offering Windows 11 as a free upgrade for devices already running Windows 10, this does not mean that your computer hardware configuration will be compatible. In addition to Requiring a trusted platform module (TPM) chip, the device will also need to have one of the supported processors.

As part of the new minimum system requirements, Windows 11 will be supported only on 64-bit (x64) processors and only in specific chips from Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm, leaving a lot of older computers without the possibility to upgrade. For example, from Intel, the new version will officially support only the 8th Gen and newer processors and some of the Celeron, Atom, Pentium, and Xeon chips. And from AMD, Windows 11 will support third-generation Ryzen and newer processors, including some second-generation Ryzen 7 CPUs and some Athlon and EPYC processors.

If you plan to switch to Windows 11, but you're unsure whether the processor is supported, there are several quick ways on Windows 10 to confirm if it's on the list of supported hardware using the Settings app, Command Prompt, or the new PC Health Check app.

In this Window 10 guide, we will walk you through the easy steps to confirm whether the processor on your computer will be supported to run Windows 11.

1. How to check CPU compatibility using Settings
2. How to check CPU compatibility using commands
3. How to check CPU compatibility using PC Health Check  

How to check CPU compatibility using Settings

To check whether the processor installed on your device will support Windows 11, use these steps:

1. 1. Open Settings.
2. 2. Click on System.
3. 3. Click on About.

4. 4. Under the Device specifications section, check the processor make and model.

1. 5. Confirm the System type reads "64-bit operating system, x64-based processor."
2. 6. If you have an Intel processor, check this Microsoft Support page to determine if the chip is on the compatibility list to run Windows 11.
3. 7. If you have an AMD processor, check this Microsoft Support page to determine if the chip is on the compatibility list to run Windows 11.

Once you complete the steps, you will find out whether the processor is compatible with Windows 11. You can also use these steps to check the full technical specification of your device.

How to check CPU compatibility using commands

1. 1. Open Start.
2. 2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

3. 3. Type the following command to find out the processor make and model and press Enter:

   wmic cpu get name

1. 4. Type the following command to determine if the system is 64-bit and press Enter:

   wmic computersystem get systemtype

2. 5. If you have an Intel processor, check this Microsoft Support page to determine if the chip is on the compatibility list.
3. 6. If you have an AMD processor, check this Microsoft Support page to determine if the chip is on the compatibility list.

After you complete the steps, you will confirm if the processor may prevent you from upgrading to the next version of Windows.

How to check CPU compatibility using PC Health Check

Alternatively, you can also use Windows PC Health Check to determine if your processor is compatible with Windows 11. The only caveat using this app is that it will only tell you if your hardware configuration will support the new OS, but it will not show any details about the processor available on your device.

1. 
   
2. First >> Open the Microsoft support page
3. 1. Click the Download app link.
4. 2. Save the app on your device.
5. 3. Double-click the setup file to install the PC Health Check app.
6. 4. Check the option to accept the license agreement option.
7. 5. Click the Install button.
8. 6. Check the option to open the app.

9. 7. Click the Finish button.

8. Click the Check now button.

Once you complete the steps, the app will determine whether the processor and other components, such as RAM and storage, are compatible with Windows 11.

Thanks for Reading...

Masud Rana

Free up space disabling Reserved Storage on Windows 10

 Free up space disabling Reserved Storage on Windows 10

Windows 10 includes a feature known as "Reserved Storage," which sets apart several gigabytes of space for updates, system cache, and temporary files. When new updates are available, the system will automatically clean up the storage to prevent problems during other updates.

Although this is a useful feature to minimize problems during updates and upgrades, it takes away several gigabytes of space that you could use to store more important files. If you understand the feature and prefer not to use it, you can disable the Reserved Storage to free up some additional space.

However, there's a caveat. Once you disable the feature, you won't see the additional space until after installing the next release of Windows 10.

Important: Only use these instructions if you understand the feature. Otherwise, it is not recommended to disable Reserved Storage because the chances of coming across issues during an update will be higher.

To disable Reserved Storage on Windows 10, use these steps:

1. Open Start.
2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

3. Type the following command to confirm if the feature is enabled and press Enter:

   Get-WindowsReservedStorageState

4. Type the following command to disable the feature and press Enter:

   Set-WindowsReservedStorageState -State disabled

After you complete the steps, Reserved Storage will disable on Windows 10, allowing you to reclaim around 7GB of space after the next feature update of Windows 10.

In addition to all these different ways to free up drive space, sometimes malware can also be why your device runs out of space. If you notice strange behaviors and the hard drive is running low in storage, a virus may be causing the problem. If this is the case, you can use these instructions to scan, detect, and remove any malware causing storage issues.

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Masud Rana

Use voice recognition in Windows 10

 Use voice recognition in Windows 10

Set up a microphone

Before you set up voice recognition, make sure you have a microphone set up.

1. Select the Start  button, then select Settings  > Time & Language > Speech.

2. Under Microphone, select the Get started button.

Help your PC recognize your voice

You can teach Windows 10 to recognize your voice. Here's how to set it up:

1. In the search box on the taskbar, type Windows Speech Recognition, and then select Windows Speech Recognition in the list of results.

2. If you don't see a dialog box that says "Welcome to Speech Recognition Voice Training," then in the search box on the taskbar, type Control Panel, and select Control Panel in the list of results. Then select Ease of Access > Speech Recognition > Train your computer to understand you better.

3. Follow the instructions to set up speech recognition.

Thanks for Reading...

Masud Rana

How to move user folders to different location on Windows 10

 How to move user folders to a different location on Windows 10

Yes, you can move the default user folders to a new location, and in this guide, we'll show you how on Windows 10.

On Windows 10, each account has a set of default folders that allow users to save and organize their files, including documents, pictures, downloads, and other data on the device.

However, over time, depending on your usage, the folders can grow in size significantly, and if you have a computer with limited storage using a different location (for example external hard drive or partition) can help to avoid running out of space on the system drive, which can be an issue when it comes the time to install new releases of Windows 10 or a new application. Also, you never want to use a device with a drive at capacity as it can affect system performance.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to move the default user account folders to a different drive or partition.

How to change default user folders on Windows 10

To move the default user account folders to a new storage location, use these steps:

1. 1. Open File Explorer.
2. 2. Click on This PC from the left pane.
3. 3. Under the "Devices and drivers" section, open the new drive location.
4. 4. Navigate to the location you want to move the folders.
5. 5. Click the New folder button from the "Home" tab.

6. 6. Name the folder Documents.

1. 7. Repeat steps No. 5 and 6 to create remaining folders. For example, Desktop, Downloads, Pictures, Videos, and Music.

   Quick tip: You can also use the Ctrl + Shift + N keyboard shortcut to create new folders more quickly.

2. 8. Open Start.
3. 9. Search for Run and click the top result to open the Run command.

4. 10 Type the following path to open the location with the account default folders and click the OK button:

   %HOMEPATH%

11. Right-click the folder you want to move and select the Properties options.

1. 12. Click the Location tab.

2. 13. Click the Move button.

1. 14. Select the equivalent folder in the new location.

2. 15. Click the Select Folder button.

1. 16. Click the Apply button.

2. 17. Click the Yes button.

1. 18. Click the OK button.
2. 19. Repeat steps No. 11 through 18 to move the remaining folders.

Once you complete the steps, the default account folders will move to the new location, and future files will save in this location by default.

Although moving folders one at a time introduces additional steps, you'll avoid potential problems, which may be something that could happen while moving the main account folder.

Restoring default folder location

If you change your mind, you can revert the changes for the folder location using these steps:

1. 1. Open File Explorer.
2. 2. Navigate to the current user folders location.

3. 3. Right-click one of the folder you want to restore its location and select the Properties option.

1. 4. Click the Location tab.

2. 5. Click the Restore Default button.

6. Click the Yes button.

7. Click the Yes button to move the files to the orginal default location.

After you complete the steps, the account folder will relocate to its original location. You may need to repeat the steps to restore the remaining folders to their previous location.

Changing default save location on apps

The only caveat about this process is that it'll not change the default save locations for some apps. For example, if you use the Edge, Chrome, or Firefox, these browsers will continue to use the original path to try and save files.

If you want to avoid problems, it's recommended to change the default save location for these and other apps (if applicable). Here's an example changing the settings on Microsoft Edge:

1. 1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. 2. Click the three-dotted (menu) button from the top-right.

3. 3. Select the Settings option.

1. 4. Click on Downloads.

2. 5. Click the Change button.

6.

1.  Select the new location for downloads.
2. 7. Click the Select Folder button.

Once you complete the steps, future files will download to the new location by default in the new storage.

Thanks for Reading...

Masud Rana

How to Change the Location of User Folders in Windows 10

 How to Change Location of User Folders in Windows 10

Windows stores all your user files and folders in C:Users, followed by your username. There, you see folders such as Desktop, Downloads, Documents, Music, and Pictures. In Windows 10, these folders also appear in File Explorer under This PC and Quick Access.

If you have a solid-state storage device (SSD) with little space available, moving your user folders to another drive makes even more sense. This way, you can use the valuable space on the SSD for apps and games that benefit from the speed and performance of an SSD. Here’s how to move a user folder, such as Downloads, to another location:

Windows 10

1. Click the [Windows] button > choose "File Explorer."
2. From the left side panel, right-click "Documents" > choose "Properties."
3. Under the "Location" tab > type "H:\Docs"
4. Click [Apply] > Click [No] when prompted to automatically move all files to the new location > Click [OK].
5. If you believe you have documents saved in C:\Docs, you can go to that location and manually copy the files to your H:\ drive.

Windows 7

1. Go to Windows Start > Open "Computer."
2. Click the triangle next to "Documents."
3. Right-click the "My Documents" folder.
4. Click "Properties" > Select the "Location" tab.
5. Type "H:\docs" in the bar > Click [Apply].
6. A message box may ask you if you want to move the contents of the folder to the new folder. Click [No]. If you have files saved on your C: drive, you can move those manually.
7. All files will now default save to your H: drive.

Thanks for Reading...

Masud Rana

How to Free Up Hard Disk Space on Windows 10

 How to Free Up Hard Disk Space on Windows 10

menu to make the process easier. From here, you can see how much space has been used on your device, and by what type of content. The Storage Sense feature will automatically remove temporary files, Recycle Bin items, and other items you may not need. Here’s how to view your internal storage and clear space quickly.

Go to Settings > System > Storage to view the total space you have available, what space has been used across different categories, and how much free space remains on your hard drive.  Turn on Storage Sense to automatically remove temporary files and other items you no longer need. Click the links on the right side of the Storage settings screen to learn more about disk management and low disk space.

Configure and Run Storage Sense 

If you want to better configure the Storage Sense feature, click the Configure Storage Sense or run it now link. You can then determine how often the tool will run and when temporary files and downloads will automatically be deleted.

Open the Run Storage Sense drop-down menu to determine how frequently the feature should run—Every day, Every week, Every month, or During low free disk space. Unless you're constantly running low on space, running it monthly should be a good place to start.

Under the Temporary Files header, check the box next to Delete temporary files that my apps aren't using to automatically remove unneeded temporary files on a regular basis. You can also tell Storage Sense to automatically purge files in the Recycle Bin and Downloads folder daily—every 14, 30, or 60 days, or never.

Storage Sense must be switched on in order for your scheduled maintenance to take place. However, if you're running low on space, you can take action right away. Click Clean now to make Windows scan for unnecessary files that can be deleted. After the work is done, Windows tells you how much space has been freed.

Review your cloud space, OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc on your local storage.

Uninstall Apps 

You can do the same with the programs downloaded to your computer. Go to Settings > Apps > Apps & features to view a list of installed apps you can review and uninstall if you no longer want them. Here, you can sort the list by name, date, or size. To remove an app, click it and select the Uninstall button.

Manage Photos 

If you store photos and other images on your PC, click the entry for Pictures on the Storage settings screen. Select View Pictures to go to the default Pictures location, where you can look for images to delete.

Remove Temporary Files 

Another category you'll want to check is Temporary files. Windows has a bad habit of hoarding temporary installation files, temporary internet files, and other items that you typically don't need. To view these, click Temporary Files on the Storage settings screen.

Windows suggests different types of files you can remove, including Recycle Bin files, Windows Update Cleanup files, upgrade log files, device driver packages, temporary internet files, and temporary files. Windows automatically adds a checkmark to any content types it believes you can safely remove without hindering your system.

Some content types are unchecked by default. The Recycle Bin may be unchecked so you can restore any deleted files you still need, while your Downloads folder is also unchecked based on the assumption you might still use files stored there. Review checked and unchecked categories to make any changes, then click Remove files to remove all the checked content.

Check External Storage

Windows 10 also allows you to check the available space on any USB-connected storage device. With your external drive plugged in, scroll down to More storage settings and click the View storage usage on other drives link. Windows shows you both your main drive and the external drive. Click the external drive to view data usage by category and remove files from it.

Change File Destination

If your PC houses more than one disk drive, click Change where new content is saved at the bottom of the Storage settings screen. Then, change the location from one drive to another for apps, documents, music, photos and videos, movies and TV shows, and offline maps.

Click the drop-down menu for an item, change the entry to a different drive, and click Apply. You can choose another fixed hard drive or an external drive. A second fixed hard drive is the smoothest option, since it's always available on your computer. If you choose a removable drive, you’ll have to remember to connect it when you want to access any files stored on it.

Thanks for Reading...

Masud Rana