Command Prompt Archives

Winsage

August 25, 2025

I tried a “kinder” Windows 11 experience with AtlasOS, and this is how it should be

Windows 11 has faced criticism for its telemetry features, mandatory Microsoft Edge inclusion, and resource-consuming background processes that can hinder performance. AtlasOS offers a structured setup process requiring a clean installation of Windows 11 with a local account. Users download the AME Wizard and Atlas Playbook from the AtlasOS website to apply modifications, including disabling Windows Security features and replacing Microsoft Edge with alternative browsers like Brave or Firefox. After installation, AtlasOS modifies the desktop experience, aligning the taskbar to the left and introducing a new wallpaper. It disables animations for faster application opening times and optimizes power plans for performance. Bing search is removed from the search bar, enhancing search efficiency. Privacy is prioritized by disabling telemetry services and location permissions. Performance tests show that AtlasOS stabilizes CPU usage and slightly reduces memory consumption compared to standard Windows. Benchmark results indicate minor performance improvements, with AtlasOS scoring slightly higher in Geekbench 6 but comparable in Cinebench 2024. Users should manage expectations regarding performance gains, as the primary advantage lies in an improved user experience rather than significant speed increases.

Winsage

August 23, 2025

Troubleshooting File System Errors on Windows 10/11 Drives

File system errors on Windows 10 and 11 can occur due to corrupted system files, faulty updates, bad sectors on the drive, malware infections, hardware issues, or application conflicts. Common error messages often include numeric codes indicating the type of problem. To fix these errors, users can follow several methods, starting with simpler solutions: 1. Restart the Computer: A simple restart can resolve temporary glitches. 2. Uninstall Problematic Windows Updates: If an error follows a recent update, uninstalling it may help. 3. Run DISM and SFC Commands: These commands repair the Windows system image and verify system files. 4. Run CHKDSK Command: This scans for bad sectors and repairs the file system structure. 5. Reset the Microsoft Store Cache: This clears the cache for Store-based apps without affecting installed apps. 6. Reinstall the Problematic Application: Uninstalling and reinstalling specific applications can resolve app-related errors. 7. Reset this PC: As a last resort, this option reinstalls Windows while allowing users to keep personal files or remove everything. Each method is arranged from least to most disruptive, allowing users to stop once the error is resolved.

Winsage

August 19, 2025

Windows 11 insider builds have new File Explorer dark mode

Users of Windows 11 have experienced inconsistencies with dark mode, as some dialog boxes remain white despite the overall dark theme. A new beta feature in Windows 11 Insider Beta and Dev builds allows File Explorer dialog boxes to adopt a dark mode appearance, which was previously unavailable. This feature can be accessed by users on specific Insider builds (26120.5751 for Beta or 26200.5751 for Dev) released on August 15, 2025. To enable the dark mode dialog boxes, users must use ViveTool, a utility that unlocks hidden features, and execute specific commands after installing the Insider build. Although the dark mode dialog boxes are now available, some buttons within them may still appear in gray, indicating that Microsoft is still refining this aspect of the user interface. Other windows, such as the Run dialog box and Control Panel, still show inconsistencies in color schemes.

Winsage

August 14, 2025

Ditch Windows Explorer! These programs are better for fast file transfers!

Windows Explorer struggles with file transfer speeds, capping around 3GBps, while SSD technology can reach up to 15GBps. Alternatives like XCOPY and FastCopy are recommended for better performance. XCOPY is a command-line utility that can significantly streamline file operations, offering various command switches such as /E (copies directories and subdirectories), /J (utilizes unbuffered I/O), /Q (suppresses file name display), and /I (assumes destination is a directory). FastCopy is a user-friendly tool that integrates into Explorer's context menus and often exceeds XCOPY's speeds, achieving nearly 9GBps in testing. XCOPY outperforms Windows Explorer by two to three times, while FastCopy achieves speeds up to 3.5 times that of Explorer.

Winsage

August 14, 2025

8 Registry Tweaks that will Make File Explorer Faster and Easier to Use on Windows 11

Windows 11's File Explorer can be customized through various Registry tweaks to improve user experience. 1. To hide the "Ask Copilot" option: - Navigate to HKEYCURRENTUSERSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionShell Extensions. - Create a new key named "Blocked." - Add a string value named {CB3B0003-8088-4EDE-8769-8B354AB2FF8C}. - Restart the computer. 2. To remove the "Edit with Clipchamp" option: - Follow the same steps as above, using the string value {8BCF599D-B158-450F-B4C2-430932F2AF2F}. 3. To remove the "Edit with Paint" option: - Use the string value {2430F218-B743-4FD6-97BF-5C76541B4AE9}. 4. To remove the "Edit with Notepad" option: - Use the string value {CA6CC9F1-867A-481E-951E-A28C5E4F01EA}. 5. To remove multiple options at once, execute the following command in Command Prompt (admin): -

reg add "HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionShell ExtensionsBlocked" /v "{CB3B0003-8088-4EDE-8769-8B354AB2FF8C}" /t REGSZ /d "" /f & reg add "HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionShell ExtensionsBlocked" /v "{8BCF599D-B158-450F-B4C2-430932F2AF2F}" /t REGSZ /d "" /f & reg add "HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionShell ExtensionsBlocked" /v "{2430F218-B743-4FD6-97BF-5C76541B4AE9}" /t REGSZ /d "" /f & reg add "HKCUSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionShell ExtensionsBlocked" /v "{CA6CC9F1-867A-481E-951E-A28C5E4F01EA}" /t REGSZ /d "" /f

. 6. To hide the Gallery page: - Navigate to HKEYCURRENTUSERSoftwareClassesCLSID. - Create a new key named {e88865ea-0e1c-4e20-9aa6-edcd0212c87c}. - Add a DWORD (32-bit) value named System.IsPinnedToNamespaceTree and set it to 0. - Restart the computer. 7. To remove the OneDrive page: - Navigate to HKEYCLASSESROOTCLSID. - Create a new key named {018D5C66-4533-4307-9B53-224DE2ED1FE6}. - Add a DWORD (32-bit) value named System.IsPinnedToNameSpaceTree and set it to 0. - Restart the computer. 8. To revert to the classic context menu: - Navigate to HKEYCURRENTUSERSOFTWARECLASSESCLSID. - Create a new key named {86ca1aa0-34aa-4e8b-a509-50c905bae2a2}. - Create a new key named InprocServer32. - Set the (Default) value to blank. 9. To enhance folder browsing speed: - Navigate to HKEYCURRENTUSERSoftwareClassesLocal SettingsSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsShellBagsAllFoldersShell. - Create a new string value named FolderType and set it to NotSpecified. - Restart the computer. These adjustments allow users to customize their File Explorer experience, improving functionality and efficiency.

Winsage

August 7, 2025

Secure Boot is required to play Battlefield 6 on PC — here’s how to enable it on Windows 10 and Windows 11

Secure Boot is a feature in Windows 10 and Windows 11 that prevents unsafe applications from launching during startup, helping maintain a malware-free environment and serving as a prerequisite for anti-cheat systems like EA's Javelin. It is mandatory for upgrading to Windows 11 but not required for Windows 10. To check if Secure Boot is enabled, users can type "msinfo" in the Windows search bar and verify the Secure Boot State and BIOS Mode in the System Summary. If Secure Boot is off or unsupported, users may need to change their BIOS Mode to UEFI and enable Secure Boot. To enable Secure Boot, TPM 2.0 must be enabled, and the Windows boot drive must be GPT. If the drive is MBR, it can be converted to GPT using the command "mbr2gpt /validate /disk:0 /allowFullOS" followed by "mbr2gpt /convert /disk:0 /allowfullOS." After ensuring UEFI mode is set by disabling Compatibility Support Module (CSM) in the BIOS, users can enable Secure Boot by navigating to the Boot or Secure Boot menu in BIOS and setting it to enabled.

Winsage

August 6, 2025

How to set up Windows 11 with a local account

Redmond prefers users to log into Windows 11 using a Microsoft account, particularly during installation. This can be problematic for those valuing privacy. A local account, which is stored solely on the device, offers benefits such as keeping preferences off the cloud and avoiding OneDrive. There are methods to set up Windows 11 with a local account: 1. Method 1: During installation, boot from a USB drive with the Windows 11 installer. After reaching the country selection screen, press Shift + F10 to open a command prompt and type PLACEHOLDER5199f62cf80342e3. After rebooting, disconnect from the internet using PLACEHOLDERf8cfa33cc93b6e53 in the command prompt. You can then create a local username and password. 2. Method 2: Use Rufus to prepare a USB installation drive. Select the option to "Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account" during setup. After booting from the USB, repeat the process of disconnecting from the internet and creating a local account. To add a local account to an existing Windows 11 setup, go to Settings > Accounts > Other Users, then select "Add account" and choose "Add a user without a Microsoft account." Enter the required information to create the local account.

Winsage

August 3, 2025

Fix: Microsoft Office Error Codes 0-2048(0) and 0-2054(0) During Installation

Office installation can encounter error codes 0-2048(0) and 0-2054(0) due to issues accessing a valid configuration file or source path. Error 0-2048(0) indicates a missing or incorrectly referenced XML configuration file, while Error 0-2054(0) signifies a general installation failure. Common causes include corrupted configuration files, remnants of previous Office versions, or insufficient administrative permissions. To resolve these errors, one should uninstall all previous Office components, clear temporary and app data folders, generate a new XML configuration file using the Office Customization Tool, and install Office with the Deployment Tool. If problems persist, additional steps include using Microsoft's Office Uninstall Support Tool, installing from an offline installer, and checking for disk errors and sufficient free space.

Winsage

August 3, 2025

5 Windows PowerShell commands every power user should know

Microsoft has transitioned from the traditional command prompt to Windows PowerShell, a command-line interface tool designed for scripting and task automation. Key commands in PowerShell include: 1. Get-Process: Retrieves information about processes running on a local computer or a remote server, including process names, IDs, CPU usage, and memory consumption. Example usage includes filtering processes by memory usage or specific applications. 2. Get-Command: Lists all available commands within PowerShell, including cmdlets, functions, aliases, and scripts. It helps users discover commands for specific tasks. 3. Set-ExecutionPolicy: Configures the PowerShell script execution policy, determining whether scripts can run and under what conditions. It allows power users to adjust policies for executing custom scripts. 4. Get-EventLog: Accesses detailed system logs for troubleshooting errors or auditing system activity, including warnings and security breaches. It can filter logs based on criteria like log name and entry type. 5. Where-Object: Filters objects in a pipeline based on specified conditions, allowing users to narrow down results for analysis, reporting, and automation. It can be combined with other commands for enhanced functionality.

Winsage

August 1, 2025

Your Windows 11 PC has a secret emergency shutdown feature – here’s how to use it

Microsoft has a feature called Emergency Restart for Windows 11, which was discovered by a Reddit user in 2022. To use this feature, users press CTRL + ALT + DEL and hold the CTRL key while clicking the power button. This initiates a message warning that any unsaved data will be lost. The Emergency Restart is intended as a last resort for unresponsive computers and mimics the action of holding down the power button. It is particularly useful for laptops without a physical power button. There are no significant drawbacks to this method, and it can be used more frequently if desired. Additionally, users can restart their machines using the Command Prompt with the command shutdown /r.