Windows 10 Archives - Page 4 of 54

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…]

Q&A: How can I find out how much RAM Windows is using?

Posted on January 3, 2026

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Question from Devon: Back in November I bought this HP gaming desktop PC with Windows 11 on it.

I recently started getting a “Your computer is low on memory” warning that pops up on a regular basis. This is my first Windows PC (I’ve always been a Mac guy) so I don’t know where to start to try to track down the problem.

Restarting the computer clears the warning but it always comes back after a couple of hours.

This machine has 16GB of RAM in it and I don’t run that many programs at a time so I shouldn’t be getting this warning. I only get this error if I have Firefox running, and I get it even if there are no other programs running.

How can I find out how much RAM Windows is actually using? [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…]

Windows Users: Lock down your privacy with Microsoft’s ‘Privacy Dashboard’

Posted on December 20, 2025

As you probably know by now, Microsoft designed Windows 10 and Windows 11 to be quite intrusive when it comes to your privacy.

By default, the operating system collects all sorts of sensitive user data and stores it on your PC’s hard drive and/or sends it back to Microsoft via the Internet.

Luckily, most of Windows’ “spying” can be either mitigated somewhat or disabled completely if you know where to look for the various settings. [Read more…]

Q&A: What exactly is Windows 11 S?

Posted on December 15, 2025

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Question from Sheila: I’m currently shopping for a Windows laptop and most of the cheaper ones say they come with Windows 11 S or Windows 11 in S mode.

The ads don’t really give any details about this version of Windows 11. What exactly does the “S”? I’ve never seen that before.

I really need to buy a new laptop because the one I have is getting pretty long in the tooth, but I’m confused about whether I should buy one with Windows 11 S on it or not.

What’s your opinion about this? I really like the low prices of the “S” machines but I want to know what I’ll be getting before I order one. [Read more…]