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How I use Windows 11’s Snap Layouts to Streamline Multitasking

Snap Layouts, also known as Snap Windows, is a helpful feature that lets you divide your screen into different sections and place each open application in its designated area. This makes multitasking more efficient, as you can view and interact with multiple apps simultaneously without constantly minimizing and resizing windows.

My favorite layout divides the screen into two halves, each displaying a different application. If you have more than two apps open, you can choose a layout with four sections, each occupying a quarter of the screen.

How to Enable and Customize Snap Layouts

Snap Layouts is enabled by default, so unless you’ve previously disabled it, it should already be active. However, it’s a good idea to double-check. To do this, right-click the Start button and open the Settings app. Select the “System” tab from the left sidebar, then click “Multi-Tasking” on the right. Make sure the toggle next to Snap Windows is turned on.

Next, expand the “Snap Windows” menu to see various options for customizing your Snap Layouts experience. Here, you can turn off any specific functions that you don’t find helpful.

How to use Snap Layouts on Windows

First, open the apps you want to use simultaneously. Then, press Win+Z to bring up the Snap Layouts box. Alternatively, you can access the layout box by hovering over the maximize/restore button in the upper-right corner of any open window or by dragging a window to the top center of your screen.

When the Snap Layouts box appears, choose the configuration that best suits the number of windows you have open. If you’re working with two apps, select the option to split the screen into two halves. For more than two apps, you can choose from layouts that divide the screen into three or four sections.

Once you select a position, Windows will automatically resize the active window and position it in the chosen section of the screen. Then, select the remaining open windows to position them in the available sections. If you attempt to place a window where one is already positioned, Windows will prompt you to select a new spot for the previously placed window.

If a window gets moved off-screen while adjusting Snap Layouts, you can easily bring it back to your desktop .

How to remove an App from the Snap Group

The windows in a Snap layout form a Snap group, and closing one app within the group doesn’t affect the others. To remove an app from the snapped layout, click the close or maximize/restore buttons. If you minimize an app, it will return to the snapped view the next time you open it.

After maximizing a window, if you click the restore button, it won’t return to its snapped position. You’ll need to place it back in the Snap Layout by following the same process.

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How to install Windows on a Steam Deck OLED

The easiest way to install and run Windows on your Steam Deck OLED is by way of a bootable microSD card. You could wipe the drive and install Windows directly on your Steam Deck’s internal SSD but going for the “fresh start” approach effectively forces you to start from scratch. This complicates the ability to reinstall SteamOS at a later date.

Using an SD card for Windows gives you the freedom to change your mind and switch back to SteamOS to overcome performance issues that are impeding your game of choice. As with any major changes to an operating system, make sure to back up your files and games before proceeding.

To kick off the installation, enable the SteamOS Beta and update your BIOS to version 3.6.9 or later. To do this, press the “Steam” button then navigate to Settings > System > Beta Participation and select “Beta” from the System Update Channel list. You’ll be invited to restart your device, after which a new update will be ready for you. Install it and you’re good to go.

Prepare Your SD Card

The first step to creating a bootable microSD card is acquiring the Windows 11 ISO. On your PC, download the Windows 11 or Windows 10 installation media and ISO straight from Microsoft’s website. Both versions of Windows are supported on the Steam Deck, and the installation process is essentially identical.

Download and Open Rufus

Now that you have the ISO, you’ll use the free, open-source wonder Rufus to actually prepare your card. Visit the official Rufus website on your PC and download the latest version of the executable file. Once downloaded, open the executable to run Rufus.

Insert your microSD Card

Insert your microSD card into your PC’s card reader. It should be recognized by your computer, but make sure to format it if prompted.

Launch Rufus, and you should see the application’s main window open. Rufus automatically detects connected USB devices or memory cards. In the “Device” drop-down, ensure your microSD card is selected as the target device. Be careful to select the correct device, as the process will format the selected card.

Boot Selection

In the “Boot Selection” section, click on the dropdown and select “Disk or ISO image (Please select)”. After this, click the “Select” button next to the menu and locate your downloaded Windows ISO file from your system. Once found, click “Open” to load the ISO file into Rufus.

Now select “Windows To Go” from the “Image Option” menu.

Rufus Creating Boot Disc Windows 11 Iso
Rufus Creating Boot Disc Windows 11 Iso

Partition Scheme and File System

Rufus will automatically set the “Partition Scheme” to GPT and “Target System” to UEFI (non-CSM), which is necessary for compatibility with modern systems like the Steam Deck. The “File System” should be left as NTFS (default for Windows installations).

Now is also the time to rename your microSD card by using the “Volume Label” field if you wish.

Windows user experience Settings

Once you click the Start button, Rufus will prompt you with Windows User Experience settings. If you prefer to manually configure regional settings or use an online Microsoft account, you can leave the relevant options unchecked. However, for privacy and convenience, enabling these options is recommended.

Finalize Install

After confirming your settings, you will be met with a final warning message that all data on your microSD card will be deleted. You’ve already gone this far, click “OK” to proceed. Rufus will now install Windows on your microSD card.

Copy Windows Drivers to your SD Card

With your new operating system resting calmly on your SD card, you’re ready to acquire the drivers needed to make software run smoothly on your Steam Deck. Valve’s Steam Deck: Windows Resources page has all the required files. Download the required drivers to your Windows 11 desktop and unzip the files.

Open up the root folder on your microSD and create a new folder. Now you can just select the folders containing the drivers and drag them into the folder you just generated for later use. Your freshly prepared boot disc is ready to bring the Windows 11 PC experience to your Steam Deck.

Showing Steam Deck's Boot Selection Menu and available boot options. Pick the option that includes your MicroSD card with Windows To Go

First, power off your Steam Deck completely. Now Insert the SD card into the Steam Deck’s microSD card slot. Hold the “Volume Down” button and press the “Power” button, then release both buttons once you hear a sound.

You’ll be taken to the boot selection menu. Select your SD card and press “A” to set up Windows.

Once inside Windows, you can return your screen to its rightful horizontal position. Right-click and head to Desktop > Display Settings > Scale & Layout > Display Orientation > Switch to Landscape to fix the screen layout.

With Windows installed and booting on your OLED Steam Deck, it’s time to set up those essential drivers we left snug in the root directory of your SD card. Navigate to the folder and proceed to install each driver.

Install the APU Driver

Find the “setup.exe” file in the folder for the APU driver and run it to install.

Install the SD Card Reader Driver

Go to the “BayHub_SD_STOR_install” folder and run the “setup.exe” executable.

Install the Wi-Fi Driver

Navigate to the Wi-Fi driver folder, right-click the “qcwlan64.inf “file, and choose “Install.”

Bluetooth Driver

For Bluetooth, right-click “qcbtuart.inf” in the Bluetooth driver folder and select “Install”. Keep in mind, if this doesn’t work, you may not have remembered to update the BIOS for your OLED Steam Deck.

Audio Drivers

You will need to install three different drivers for full audio functionality: “cs35l41.inf”, “NAU88L21.inf”, “amdi2scodec.inf”. For each driver, right-click, then select “Install.”

Once all drivers are installed, Windows will function on your OLED Steam like the desktop you dragged to your buddy’s basement to get in some matches of Counter Strike in 2001.

Reverting to SteamOS

Since you made the wise decision to install Windows 11 on a bootable SD, it’s a breeze to return to SteamOS if you so choose.

First, power off your Steam Deck completely. Hold the “Volume Down button and press the “Power” button. Release both buttons once you hear a sound. You’ll be taken to the boot selection menu.

Select your Steam Deck’s SSD and press “A” to boot back into the intended OS.

If you are still hellbent on nuking the Steam Deck’s SSD in order to go “full Windows” on your handheld, it’s a similar process with just a few tweaks. Grab a USB drive that can hold at least 32GB of data and connect it to your Windows PC. Download the ISO from Microsoft’s website in the same fashion as previously mentioned, run Rufus, and choose your memory stick of choice in the “Device” window.

You will still choose “Disk or ISO Image (Please select)” from the “Boot Selection” menu, click the “Select” button next to it, and open the Windows ISO file. Since you are installing the operating system directly onto the hard drive, select “Standard Windows Installation” from the “Image Option” drop-down.

Windows 11 Full Install via Rufus
Windows 11 Full Install via Rufus

When greeted by the “Windows User Experience” window, make sure the box next to “Remove requirement for “4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot, and TPM 2.0” is checked and proceed to finalize the installation.

Optimal Rufus Settings for Windows 11 Install
Optimal Rufus Settings for Windows 11 Install

Once you have finished setting up your USB, create a folder in the root and download the drivers, and you are ready for installation.

Power off your Steam Deck completely and insert your flash drive into the Steam Deck’s USB port. Hold the “Volume Down” button and press the “Power” button. Release both buttons once you hear a sound. You’ll be taken to the boot selection menu.

Select your USB drive and press “A” to start the Windows 11 installation process. Go through the setup and select “Custom: Install Windows Only” when prompted. When asked where to install Windows 11, delete all partitions and create a new one.

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How to enable Apple Intelligence if you’re Outside the US

Apple is introducing a set of AI features in iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1 under the banner “Apple Intelligence.” These features are officially only currently available in beta to developers in the US, but it’s actually pretty easy to get it up and running on iPhones and iPads in most other locations with the exception of the European Union and China.

The main reason Apple has limited access to Apple Intelligence is that it only supports US English at this time, but if you can work with that – and you have a compatible device – then there’s no technical reason why you can’t start exploring the new AI features.
Supported Devices
Apple Intelligence encompasses a range of capabilities, including composing text and emails, automating actions across various apps, generating images, summarizing documents and texts, and more. However, these features require a lot of on-device computing power, so before you do anything, it’s worth checking if your device is compatible. iPhone users need either an iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max to run Apple Intelligence, while only iPads powered by M1 or later Apple silicon processors are compatible.
Install Beta Software
If your device is supported, the first thing you need to do is install the latest developer beta for your device. Once you’ve followed the instructions provided in the linked article and your device is up and running with the latest beta (the third beta as of writing), follow these steps on your iPhone or iPad.

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Cum faceți copii de rezervă și restaurați secțiuni ale registrului Windows

Registrul Windows este o bază de date care stochează toate configurațiile și setările utilizate de componente, servicii, aplicații și aproape tot ce este în Windows.

Registrul are două concepte cheie pe care ar trebui să le cunoașteți: chei și valori. Cheile de registry sunt obiecte care funcționează ca foldere și chiar apar ca atare în interfață. Valorile sunt similare cu fișierele din acele foldere și conțin setările reale.

Nu puteți cu adevărat să faceți copii de rezervă și să restaurați registry ca un fișier obișnuit – o mare parte din el nu pot fi modificate manual și fișierele în sine nu pot fi înlocuite sau copiate, cel puțin nu în timp ce Windows rulează. De asemenea, nu puteți restaura o copie de rezervă completă a registrului dintr-un fișier de export.

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How to configure Virtual desktops in Windows 10

Windows 10 allow you to add multiple desktops while using the OS. With the help of multiple virtual desktop windows, it becomes easier for you to work on more than one application simultaneously. Since many applications require that you use then in full screen mode (otherwise many of their options remain hidden or inaccessible), by adding a couple of virtual desktops on your Windows 10 computer, you can work on many applications simultaneously without minimizing or closing a single one.

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