How to fix unresponsive Start and Taskbar on W11

If you have a device enrolled in the Windows 11 Dev or Beta Channels of the Windows Insider Program, you probably noticed that during the last update to build 22449 and build 22000.176, the Start menu and Taskbar were unresponsive, and Settings and other elements of the OS were not loading.

According to Microsoft, this issue occurred because of a server-side deployment (which it’s not detailing) and canceled that deployment. In the case that you came across this problem, the company has issued a workaround to get Windows 11 back to normal.

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How to change power mode on Windows 11

On Windows 11, a power mode (or plan) is a group of specific hardware and system settings (such as screen brightness, sleep, and others) that controls the use of energy on a computer.

By default, Windows 11 uses a “balanced” power mode that automatically balances performance with energy consumption on capable hardware. However, depending on your device or situation, you can change the power mode to save energy (and battery life) or increase performance at the cost of more energy consumption. In previous versions, you were able to set the preferred power plan from the Battery button in the taskbar. However, on Windows 11, you can only configure these settings from the Settings app or Control Panel.

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How to create bootable W11 USB install media

If you plan to install Windows 11 on a device that meets the minimum requirements using the clean process, you will need a bootable USB media, and in this guide, you will learn how.

Although you can start a clean install of Windows 11 directly from the Media Creation Tool or mounting an ISO file, booting the device with USB installation media is still the best approach to proceed with the installation. Also, it’s perhaps the only way to install Windows 11 on a new computer or a device with an empty hard drive.

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How to enable TPM and Secure Boot on VMware to install W 11

Although during the development process, Microsoft is not enforcing the security requirements to install Windows 11, eventually, you may not be able to install the OS on a VMware Workstation virtual machine due to the lack of the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) and Secure Boot.

A TPM is a piece of hardware that offers cryptographic functions, such as generating and storing encryption keys to enable features like Windows Hello, BitLocker, and others. Secure Boot is a firmware technology that protects the boot process so that malware (such as rootkits) cannot attack the trusted OS during startup.

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How to clear cache to fix problems on Microsoft Teams

If the Microsoft Teams app is causing problems on Windows 10, you can clear the cache files to fix the issue. Sometimes, when you use the communication and collaboration app, you may stumble into some problems, such as the new picture profile won’t reflect across the experience, you may not be able to sign in, or an add-on or specific feature won’t work. If this happens, you may be able to delete the app’s cached files with a simple command to resolve the problem without having to reinstall the application.

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How to install VirtualBox on W10

Oracle’s VirtualBox is a free virtualization application that you can install on Windows 10, Mac, and Linux to create and use virtual machines to run other versions of Windows or other platforms alongside the main operating system without the need to set up dual-boot or configure another computer.

Usually, you would use this virtualization technology to test pre-releases of Windows 10 available through the Windows Insider Program, run other operating systems like Ubuntu or Kali Linux, or create another virtual machine to test software without affecting the main installation.

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How to disable Sets on W10

Sets in a new feature that Microsoft is building into Windows 10, and it allows you to group apps, documents, and web pages into tabs similar to tabs on a browser.

While working on a project typically users keep multiple tabs in the same window and they switch between them as needed. The same idea is what Microsoft is envisioning with Sets, but with the difference that tabs will extend to all applications. For example, using this tab experience, you can start working on a Word document, while looking into additional content you bring to your project from OneNote or a web page using the same window.

Although Sets a useful feature, it might not be something for everyone. If you don’t to have tabs in apps, Windows 10 includes an option to disable it in the Settings app.

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How to always open Google Chrome in Incognito mode on W10

Google Chrome keeps track of every move you make on the web. If you want to stop this behavior, you can always start the browser in Incognito mode. In this guide, you will learn how. On Chrome, Incognito mode is a feature that loads the browser with a specific set of settings that do not track your activities, including browsing history, site data, and cookies, and it does not save any information you enter in forms.

However, it is worth noting that this feature does not prevent websites, your organization, internet provider, and other third-party entities from tracking your activities.

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