Windows 10 Archives - Rick's Daily Tips

Q&A: Can I create a Restore Point for a time that’s already passed?

Posted on July 21, 2026

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Question from Barry: Rick, I desperately need to create a System Restore Point for last Monday.

What happened was I downloaded a couple of torrent files last Tuesday and now my Windows 11 PC is all messed up.

I tried doing a System Restore back to the previous Monday, but the oldest Restore Point I see is from over 2 weeks ago and I have some really important files that were created since then. Is there a way to create one for last Monday? [Read more…]

Prevent hackers from spying on you via your PC’s microphone

Posted on July 6, 2026

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A while back I wrote a post explaining how hackers are using rogue apps and other forms of malware to spy on folks via their computers’ webcams.

That post also explains how to prevent it from happening.

As it turns out, some miscreants have been spying on us via our machines’ microphones as well. And in some ways that’s just as bad as having them spy on us via webcam. [Read more…]

How to quickly lock down ALL of Windows’ privacy settings

Posted on June 26, 2026

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Like Windows 10 before it, Windows 11’s default privacy settings are extremely invasive.

You can change a number of privacy settings to make both Windows 11 and Windows 10 just as stingy with your personal info as their predecessors were, but Microsoft has scattered those many settings all around the various nooks and crannies of the Windows user interface.

[Read more…]

Q&A: Does Windows 11 really need an antivirus app?

Posted on June 24, 2026

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Question from Marge: I just bought a refurbished laptop with Windows 11 on it and I want to make sure it’ll be safe from viruses.

It seems like I remember reading somewhere that you don’t need to buy an antivirus program for Windows 11 because it comes with one built-in.

The problem is other things I’ve read said you do need to install and antivirus program.

Which one is true? [Read more…]

How to force a Windows Desktop shortcut to always ‘Run as Administrator’ by default

Posted on June 12, 2026

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One of the things I like most about Microsoft Windows is the ability to create shortcuts on the Windows Desktop that simplify the execution of common tasks.

For example, I find myself creating a lot of System Restore Points on my PC so I created a handy desktop shortcut that creates a new Restore Point every time I click on it.

This particular shortcut makes it easy for me to quickly create a Restore Point at any time without having to wade through a series of menus. [Read more…]