Windows Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

Try this first if a newly-installed program/app doesn’t work as expected

Posted on February 14, 2026

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The Internet has forever changed the way we acquire new software to run on our computers and mobile devices.

Gone are the days when we had to visit a retail store and buy a disk.

Now all we have to do is perform a quick Google search to find what we’re looking for and then click “Download” and install it.

But even though it’s easier than ever to find and download useful new software, things still go wrong during the installation process on occasion.

[Read more…]

Q&A: Can I create a Desktop icon for putting my PC to sleep?

Posted on January 8, 2026

Question from Alan: I know there are several ways to put a Windows PC to sleep but what I’d really like to have is a desktop icon I can click on to put it to sleep with just a double-click. Is there any way to created one?

Rick’s answer: The answer to your question is yes, Alan. And it’s very easy to do. [Read more…]

Q&A: Why does Windows 11 use so much RAM on a new PC?

Posted on January 3, 2026

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Question from Bill: I have an Acer desktop PC with 4 GB of RAM that I updated to Windows 11 a while back.

When I have all the programs and browser tabs that I normally use open at the same time the Task Manager says there is approximately 1.2 GB of RAM not being used.

I recently bought a brand new Dell desktop with 8 GB of RAM and Windows 11.

When I have the same exact configuration of programs and browser tabs open on the new machine it says there is still less than 2 GB of RAM that’s not being used.

How can this be? [Read more…]

Stop your PC from logging your computing activity and sending it to Microsoft

Posted on December 22, 2025

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Did you know your Windows 11 PC is logging every action you take, storing it in a database and sending it back to Microsoft?

Yep, every website you visit, every app you use, every game you play, every file you open…all of that data is collected, stored and sent to Microsoft for them to use for various purposes.

If this collection, transmission and usage of your detailed computing activities makes you a bit squeamish, you’re certainly not alone. I’m right there with you. [Read more…]

Q&A: How is my PC booting from an empty hard drive?

Posted on December 1, 2025

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Question from Marvin: I read your article about upgrading a computer by switching to an SSD to make it run faster.

The following weekend I went to Best Buy and bought a 1TB SSD and cloned the contents of the existing 1TB hard disk onto it.

I then wiped the hard drive and formatted it. Then I installed the SSD in the computer, leaving the now-blank hard drive in place to store my data files on.

Everything works perfectly but something has me baffled. When I look in the BIOS it says the hard drive is set as the boot drive.

How is this machine booting into Windows when the boot drive is blank?

[Read more…]