No matter how a lot expertise you’ve got with Microsoft’s Windows, it will probably nonetheless be improved by turning to software program and instruments that may make the working system that a lot better.

Take Windows 11, for instance: When Microsoft launched it with extraordinarily strict system necessities in autumn 2021, it was solely a matter of time earlier than these boundaries may very well be circumvented.

In order to put in the brand new working system on older PCs, the registry first needed to be modified manually. Later, this may very well be simplified with a batch file, and now even that’s superfluous because of Rufus, a small instrument for creating bootable USB sticks. Now, with just some further mouse clicks, you may run Windows 11 on virtually any pc.

Let’s begin this take a look at useful, useless easy Windows software program with that very program, earlier than diving deeper into a number of totally different classes.

If you’d choose to wade right into a deep, highly effective program, take a look at our guide to Microsoft Sysinternals, one of the best Windows troubleshooting instrument.

Download the installation file for Windows 11 from Microsoft by way of the choice “Download a Windows 11 disk image (ISO).”

Now insert a flash drive with at the least 8GB of cupboard space into the pc. Start Rufus, click on on “Select” on the interface, choose the Windows 11 ISO file, after which click on “Start”. The “Customize installation” dialogue then seems, providing you with an choice to keep away from Windows 11’s obligation to arrange a web based account. Follow the setup course of till Windows 11 is put in.

This Rufus-loaded flash drive is not going to solely reinstall Windows 11 on any PC, but in addition improve any Windows 10 set up by way of the setup.exe file!

If you wish to transfer an older Windows 10 system 1:1 to a brand new PC, we suggest Easeus Todo Backup. With it, you create a picture of your previous pc’s storage, from which you restore your system with all settings, packages, and information in your new PC. In addition, Windows 10 can then be upgraded to Windows 11 with none issues.

To set up an older Windows model – for instance Windows 8.1, 10, or 11 model 21H2 – put it aside to your storage with Windows ISO Downloader and create a setup flash drive from it with Rufus.

Depending on the Windows model, the {hardware} and the historical past of the PC, chances are you’ll want a product key to activate the working system for the brand new set up. You can learn this key in your present system with Showkeyplus.

Reset Windows Update Tool solves numerous replace issues: Almost 20 options can be found after beginning this system with administrator rights.

If you’ve got put in a number of variations of Windows, Linux, or different working methods in your pc, you need to use Easy BCD to regulate the boot entries and their prioritization.

Creating a flash drive as a multiboot system for booting totally different reside methods was a fancy matter for a very long time. Ventoy basically modifications that. With this instrument, all it’s a must to do is make the flash drive bootable by clicking on “Install” after which merely save the ISO recordsdata on the stick inside Windows. After booting from the flash drive, you choose the specified reside system by way of the Ventoy interface. The key profit right here is you don’t have to create a brand new bootable flash drive when a brand new system model seems, however merely change the older one with the brand new ISO file. Another plus: You can proceed to make use of free area on the USB stick to avoid wasting and transport your information.

2. PC start-up, optimisation, error evaluation, {hardware} & drivers

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The promise of “1-click maintenance” is hit and miss on the PC. The causes of doable errors are too diverse and the options too complicated. That stated, Ccleaner and Glary Utilities are all the time price a strive. You can begin the system evaluation and the next drawback elimination with only one mouse click on.

Bootracer requires just a few extra clicks. The program analyzes the start-up course of and breaks it down into particular person segments. This exhibits at a look which course of or autostart program has an issue. You can select to begin the boot evaluation as a traditional full Windows begin, or restricted to the system with out autostarting software program. The wizards make it simple to make use of Bootracer, together with the required restarts. You can see within the particulars the place and why your start-up could take an unusually very long time. These limitations assist to resolve the trigger or, if it is smart, to exclude the software program in query from autostarting when Windows masses.

The evaluation instruments Hwinfo and Speccy present whether or not one thing is mistaken along with your {hardware}. Both packages present a wealth of knowledge and sensor measurement information. Even extra data in your processor is offered by CPU-Z and Core Temp, whereas GPU-Z digs deep into graphics card particulars. Unknown Device Identifier is useful in figuring out unknown elements; the instrument exhibits many extra elements than the native Windows gadget supervisor.

Memtest86 checks the principle reminiscence for errors, whereas Crystaldiskinfo analyzes SSDs and magnetic onerous drives by studying out the SMART parameters. A take a look at the “overall status” exhibits whether or not the whole lot is OK. The instrument sounds an alarm within the occasion of irregular values, which is essential for drives full of private information.

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Snappy Driver Installer checks whether or not your put in {hardware} drivers are up-to-date. The instrument begins with out set up. Click on the choice “Download indices only” and wait till the system evaluation is full. Now, if desired, activate the “Restore point” subject. To change all out of date drivers, proceed by clicking on “Select all – Install” on the high left. Alternatively, verify the out of date entries individually. Due to the file sizes of some drivers, downloading and putting in could take a while.

3. Windows Explorer, Desktop Tools and Remote Maintenance

Windows Explorer and the desktop are all the time used on a pc — even when largely unconsciously. While Microsoft has outfitted the file supervisor with tabs in Windows 11, it’s a must to retrofit the file explorer tabs into Windows 10.

To do that, set up Qttabbar, restart the PC, open Explorer, and click on on the down arrow within the “View” tab beneath the “Options” image on the appropriate. There, you activate the listing entry “Qttabbar” to point out the brand new tab bar.

The free model of Tidy Tabs permits as much as three tabs in a window, throughout packages – for instance, an Excel sheet, a Word doc, and Outlook. It makes it simpler to view photos with a big preview that you simply begin and shut by urgent the area bar.

Treesize Free exhibits you at a look which recordsdata are consuming up area in your onerous drive. The already talked about Ccleaner additionally gives a fast search operate for duplicate recordsdata (“Extras -‘ Duplicate Finder”). Other instruments like Anti-Twin supply extra choices, however are extra difficult to make use of.

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Clipboard Master can do extra and is extra handy than the Windows clipboard. If you’re irritated by unintentional clicks of the caps lock key, Capslock Goodbye is the instrument for you. The software program deactivates the important thing or assigns another operate to it. Desktop OK restores the icon placement on the desktop if it has been combined up.

Three different packages present extra order (and extra space on the onerous disk): Should I Remove it exhibits which pre-installed software program you may safely delete on new computer systems. O&O Appbuster makes it simpler to take away Windows apps that hardly anybody wants. Unchecky prevents the key set up of undesirable packages and toolbars. It’s a godsend.

Remote assist, i.e. “taking over” a distant pc by way of the Internet, just isn’t solely environment friendly, but in addition quite simple with only one click on in TeamViewer Quicksupport. The one who wants assist begins the instrument and offers his or her displayed ID and password to the helper. The helper takes care of the remaining with the fully comprehensive Teamviewer software, which can be free for personal use.

Changes to onerous drives and partitions have a profound impact in your system and are sometimes not simple to reset. Smaller instruments could cause a lot much less injury: Superdiskformatter, for instance, lets you change the file system (FAT32, NTFS, and so on.) – aside from the Windows partition. Fat32formatter codecs virtually arbitrarily giant information media as a FAT32 system, and Drive Letter Changer is used to assign mounted drive letters to USB drives.

Raidrive assigns a drive letter to cloud storage units resembling Dropbox, Google Drive, and OneDrive for fast 1-click entry in Explorer. To do that, choose a storage service and a letter by way of “Add”, log in along with your login information and permit Raidrive to entry the cloud. Done!

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Cloudevo additionally simplifies the dealing with of on-line storage by combining various cloud storage swimming pools right into a single drive with theoretically limitless capability. This can be doable with a number of free accounts from the identical supplier. While you as a person solely see your Cloudevo drive, the service behind it robotically distributes the saved information to the assorted cloud storage suppliers.

Drive pooling with native drives, for instance with a number of USB drives, could be executed with Liquesce. Data that’s too giant to be despatched by e mail could be forwarded with O&O FileDirect. The software program creates an entry hyperlink to your PC, which the recipient can use to switch the shared information. Your pc have to be switched on and on-line in the course of the switch.

If Windows blocks entry to sure recordsdata, thus stopping deletion, renaming, or copying, Lock Hunter releases them once more. You can change different permissions of folders and recordsdata with Attribute Changer.

5. Security, information safety, and privateness

Have I been pwned? and HPI Identity Leak Checker should not packages to put in, however a easy mouse click on is sufficient right here too. Just kind in your e mail handle and also you’ll know whether or not your account has been affected by one of many numerous account and password hacks. If so, please remember to change the corresponding password!

Defender UI supplies a brand new, easier-to-use interface for all Microsoft safety features than the built-in Windows Defender gives. The software program incorporates 4 predefined safety profiles and clearly teams collectively many safety features and settings in any other case scattered all through the working system.

Virustotal Uploader simplifies the method of importing doubtlessly harmful recordsdata to the Virustotal scanning platform. Instead of manually calling up the web site, choosing the file. and importing it, this free app works a lot sooner by way of the Windows context menu. The browser plug-in I don’t care about cookies eliminates the effort of deselecting cookies on many web sites by blocking or hiding the same old pop-up dialogues. It is greatest to mix the add-on with the automated deletion of all cookies once you shut your browser.

Wipe is appropriate as a complement for eradicating on-line traces. The software program not solely deletes browser information, but in addition non permanent recordsdata and extra.

You can securely delete information out of your onerous drive with Eraser: The title says all of it.

Ungoogled Chromium is a particular fork of the free Chromium browser, on which Google Chrome can be based mostly. Unlike Chrome, Ungoogled Chromium does with none Google providers for extra privateness.

Simple Code Generator creates QR codes for personal data that you simply wouldn’t wish to entrust to a web based QR generator, resembling mail addresses, Wi-Fi entry data, Outlook or private contacts, and the like.

Last however not least is USB-Logon. It enables you to create a USB stick for quick and safe Windows logon with out a password. USB-Logon is an effective different for PCs with out a Windows Hello-enabled webcam or fingerprint sensor.

This article has been translated from German to English and initially appeared on pcwelt.de.