Soluții

How to perform a clean boot on Win 11

  1. Sign in to the computer as an administrator. See Manage user accounts in Windows to learn more about configuring a user account as an administrator.
  2. Select Search, type msconfig, and then select System Configuration from the list of results.The search box in Windows 11.

    Important: If the computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might prevent you from following these steps. Only use the System Configuration utility to change the advanced boot options on the computer with guidance from a Microsoft support engineer.  Using the System Configuration utility might make the computer unusable.

  3. On the Services tab of System Configuration, select Hide all Microsoft services, and then select Disable all. Select Apply.The Services tab in System Configuration in Windows 11.
  4. On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select Open Task Manager.The Startup tab in System Configuration in Windows 11.
  5. On the Startup apps tab in Task Manager, for each Enabled startup item, select the item and then select Disable. (Keep track of which items have been Disabled. You will need to know this later.)
  6. Close Task Manager.
  7. On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select OK. When you restart the computer, it will be in a clean boot environment. You can now try to troubleshoot your problem by trying the troubleshooting steps in the section,install, uninstall, or run on application

    Warning: Your computer might temporarily lose some functionality while in a clean boot environment.

  8. Once you are done troubleshooting your problem and want to return your computer to a normal startup, follow the steps in the section, Reset the computer after the clean boot.
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Azure AD vs Entra ID: what’s changed in 2025 for Small Businesses?

Microsoft Entra is now an umbrella identity platform that includes:

  • Entra ID (formerly Azure AD)

  • Entra Permissions Management

  • Entra Verified ID

  • Entra ID Governance (enterprise-level)

For most SMBs, Entra ID is the primary concern — the backbone of user authentication for Microsoft 365, Teams, Intune, and even third-party apps.

 Free vs Paid Plans: 2025 Breakdown

Feature Free Entra ID P1 Entra ID P2
Single Sign-On (SSO) ✅ ✅ ✅
User/Group Management ✅ ✅ ✅
Security Defaults (MFA on all users) ✅ ✅ ✅
Conditional Access Policies ❌ ✅ ✅
Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR) ✅ (for cloud-only) ✅ ✅
Hybrid Join (on-prem AD) ❌ ✅ ✅
Identity Protection (risk-based MFA) ❌ ❌ ✅
Privileged Identity Management (PIM) ❌ ❌ ✅
Access Reviews ❌ ❌ ✅
Pricing (2025 est.) Free ~6 USD/user/month ~9 USD/user/month

The Free plan is still surprisingly useful for small teams using Microsoft 365:

  • Cloud-based user accounts

  • Basic MFA via Security Defaults

  • Integration with up to 10 third-party SSO apps

  • Admin portal with user logs

However, it lacks Conditional Access, so you can’t enforce more granular policies like:

“Block access unless user is in Romania and on a compliant device.”

Entra ID P1 is often the sweet spot for SMBs in 2025. It unlocks:

  • Conditional Access policies (location, device, risk)

  • Hybrid AD Join (sync on-prem Active Directory)

  • Self-service group management

  • Intune + Entra integration for device compliance

 Example use case: An SMB wants to allow Teams logins only from managed mobile devices — P1 is required.

This tier is usually overkill for SMBs, unless:

  • You manage multiple administrators and need PIM (just-in-time access)

  • You require Identity Protection to detect risky sign-ins and automate blocking

  • You need Access Reviews for compliance (ISO 27001, HIPAA)

It’s most useful for MSPs or SMBs working in finance, healthcare, or government sectors.

Licensing Notes (April 2025)

  • Microsoft 365 Business Premium now includes Entra ID P1

  • Microsoft is testing per-group conditional access licensing, expected late 2025

  • A new SMB-specific bundle (with Defender for Endpoint and Intune) is in preview.

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Windows 11 24H1: what IT Admins need to know

24H1 is the first half-yearly feature update of 2025, building on the previous 23H2 release with enhancements focused on:

  • AI-powered workflows

  • Security hardening

  • User experience refinements

  • Integration with Microsoft 365 and Entra ID (formerly Azure AD)

This update is available to both Home and Pro editions, but enterprise environments using Windows 11 Enterprise and Education should expect additional features via their servicing channels.

1. New Group Policies

Microsoft has introduced and deprecated several GPO settings:

New:

  • EnableCopilotChat – Allows or blocks AI assistant Copilot per user/device

  • ForceWindowsUpdatesAIRecommendations – Enable AI-powered update suggestions

  • HideMicrosoftAccountRequirement – (for Pro) optional control over OOBE flow

 Deprecated:

  • DoNotShowWelcomeExperience is now replaced with a new onboarding flow

  • Older Edge GPOs for legacy InPrivate restrictions

 Tip: Use the latest Administrative Templates (ADMX) to reflect these changes in your GPMC.

2. Changes to Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE)

Microsoft continues its push toward cloud-based accounts and AI onboarding.
The default OOBE flow now requires an internet connection and pushes for Microsoft accounts — even on Windows 11 Pro.

Workaround: Use tools like Rufus to pre-modify the ISO or use unattend XML scripts with local account presets for enterprise imaging.

3. File Explorer & Taskbar Behavior

  • New File Explorer with tab grouping and context-aware previews

  • Taskbar now integrates Copilot by default, unless disabled via GPO

  • Recent bug reports indicate slow navigation on systems with mapped network drives — a known issue being patched in KB5037543

4. New Security Defaults

  • Smart App Control is now enabled by default on clean installs

  • Support for Pluton Security Processor (on new laptops)

  • Improved credential isolation via LSA Protection auto-enabled

Be prepared to adjust hardening policies in organizations using legacy apps or unsigned drivers.

Compatibility Notes

Many legacy tools and monitoring agents might not behave well with new AI APIs and Copilot overlays. Common issues have been reported with:

  • Older endpoint security tools

  • Custom automation scripts that rely on deprecated Shell hooks

  • RDP clients using TLS 1.0 (which is now blocked)

Recommendation: Run a pilot deployment on non-critical endpoints before full rollout.

Deployment & Update Best Practices

  • WSUS/SCCM: 24H1 is available as Feature Update via WSUS

  • Intune: Compatible with Intune version 2403+. Enables AI settings at deployment

  • Media Creation Tool: Use only for non-domain endpoints or manual testing.

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How to Install Windows 11 without a Microsoft Account using Rufus

With the latest versions of Windows 11, Microsoft is pushing harder than ever to require a Microsoft account during installation—especially on Home and Pro editions. For users who prefer a local account, this can be frustrating.

Rufus is a free and lightweight utility for creating bootable USB drives. As of recent updates, Rufus allows you to modify Windows installation media to skip several annoying setup requirements, including:

  • The need to sign in with a Microsoft account

  • TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot checks

  • The 4GB RAM minimum

1. Download the Latest Version of Rufus

Go to the official Rufus website: https://rufus.ie
Download either the portable version or the installer

2. Download the Official Windows 11 ISO

You can get the official ISO directly from Microsoft:

Save the file locally.

3. Plug in a USB Drive

Insert a USB stick with at least 8GB of storage. Make sure to back up any data on it, as it will be erased.

4. Open Rufus and Select the ISO

  1. Launch Rufus

  2. Under Device, select your USB drive

  3. Click SELECT and choose the Windows 11 ISO file

  4. Rufus will analyze the ISO and detect that it’s a Windows image.

5. Customize the Installation (The Magic Step)

Once you select the ISO, Rufus will prompt you with a new window titled:

“Windows User Experience”

Here, you can check the following boxes:

✅ Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account
✅ Remove requirement for TPM 2.0
✅ Remove requirement for Secure Boot
✅ Remove requirement for 4GB+ RAM and 64GB+ disk

You can choose all or just the account-related ones, depending on your needs.

Click OK to continue.

6. Start the Installation Process

Once you’ve configured the options, click START in Rufus.
It will:

  • Format your USB drive

  • Copy the modified Windows files

  • Make the USB bootable.

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How to install and optimize Obsidian on Linux

When it comes to note-taking apps, there are several options to choose from, such as Notion, Evernote, and OneNote. While I’ve found each of these apps has its strengths, I eventually settled on Obsidian for myself, and I’ve been using for over a year now to store all my writing and journals. There are clear reasons for this.

Whether you’re a student, a researcher, or a writer, Obsidian can help with organizing information, capturing insights, and coming up with new ideas. The best feature for me is the ability to interconnect notes so that any note taken in the past can be reused and linked with newer topics, helping with remembering and retaining information. For example, if you were taking notes on Machine Learning, you could link previously learned math topics to maybe numerical computing or linear algebra.

“No subscription necessary” is my favorite part.

I absolutely love Obsidian for both its functionality and visual interface. The app is built around the idea that notes should evolve over time—you start by jotting down thoughts, then gradually expand and refine them. This is made possible by a powerful set of features, such as bidirectional note linking, graph view, tagging, and note search.

These features are all designed with one primary goal: to help you take notes and easily expand upon them. For instance, with bidirectional linking, I can connect new notes to previously created ones, and then visualize these connections in the graph view. Tagging allows me to categorize my notes flexibly, without needing to organize them into specific folders. Finally, whenever I need to find notes on a particular topic, Obsidian’s search quickly locates them.

Furthermore, the app has a clean, distraction-free interface, making sure there is a simple onboarding experience for newcomers. Once you are accustomed to the app, you can explore a vast library of themes and plugins that further supercharge Obsidian.

Installing Obsidian

The three most popular ways to run Linux apps are Flatpak, Snap, and AppImage. While all three packaging formats achieve the same goal—making an app available to use—they differ in how the app runs at the OS level.

AppImage is a portable packaging format that lets users run applications without installing them on the system. It bundles all required dependencies, making it a self-contained and hassle-free way to run apps. It is quite simple to use AppImage, just download the file, run it, and delete it when no longer needed—much like Windows executables. Since AppImage doesn’t sandbox the app by default, it’s very important to download files from trusted sources.

To run Obsidian as an AppImage file, first go to obsidian.md, which is the official website for Obsidian. Download the AppImage file. Then right-click on the downloaded file and select Properties > Run as executable. Open the AppImage file and Obsidian will get loaded.

I am using Ubuntu, with GNOME desktop environment and Nautilus file browser. You might find the above settings located in a different place.

Another way to install apps on Linux is with Snap, a packaging format developed by Canonical, the company that maintains Ubuntu. Unlike AppImage, Snap installs apps on the system, so you also get seamless updates. Additionally, Snap apps run in a sandbox using AppArmor, restricting unauthorized access and offering better security.

To install Obsidian as a Snap, make sure you have Snap package manager installed. Then, type.

sudo snap install obsidian

Note that Snap might give you a warning about the obsidian package using “classic confinement.” In that case, you’ll need to add a –classic flag to the end of your command.

Then, the installation will start. Once completed, you will find Obsidian alongside other apps installed on your system.

Using Flatpak

To install Obsidian using Flatpak, first make sure you have Flatpak package manager installed. Type the following command to check. If Flatpak is already installed, you will see a version number displayed.

flatpak --version

Next, make sure you have added Flathub repository, which is the official app store for Flatpak.

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Then search for Obsidian and install it using its Application ID.

flatpak install md.obsidian.Obsidian

Optimizing Obsidian

My experience with Obsidian has been positive so far. I have tested the app extensively on multiple devices and operating systems, including Ubuntu, Windows 11, macOS, and Android. Overall, it has been reliable and fast. But that doesn’t mean the Obsidian app doesn’t have any issues. I have read a few users complaining about the Obsidian app being sluggish on Linux.

The Issue with Electron Apps

Obsidian runs on Electron, a framework that lets developers create apps for multiple operating systems using web technologies, making developing apps easier. However, if you have several Electron-based apps (like Obsidian, Discord, VS Code) running at the same time, then each app will run its own instance of Chromium, which leads to higher memory and CPU usage compared to native apps. So, you might see Obsidian slowing down under heavy use or even when used normally, depending on your PC’s resources.

Performance issues in Obsidian can arise for various reasons, such as conflicts with community plugins or the installation of certain themes. While this isn’t very common, it is still possible. I have personally encountered instances where a theme made the app feel sluggish.

If you’re experiencing slowdowns in Obsidian, the first step is to disable community plugins, especially if you have live plugins installed (e.g., Dataview, Calendar, Canvas) that consume more resources than others.

  • To disable them, go to Settings > Community Plugins > toggle Restricted Mode.

Themes or CSS customizations introduce animations, and some of these can also slow down the app. To get the best performance, I suggest using a lightweight theme or switching to the default theme.

  • You can do this by navigating to Settings > Appearance > Themes
  • In some cases, GPU-related issues can affect performance
  • Try disabling hardware acceleration by going to Settings > Appearance > toggle Hardware Acceleration.

Finally, make sure there are no large files stored in your vault. If you do have large videos or even PDFs, that can slow down indexing and make the app sluggish. To prevent this, make sure to store large files outside the Obsidian vault.

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