customizing Archives

Winsage

May 15, 2026

Improving Windows quality: Making Taskbar and Start more personal

Microsoft is enhancing the Windows experience by focusing on performance, reliability, and craftsmanship, with a commitment to transparency about updates. The Start menu and taskbar are receiving particular attention, with new customization options being introduced for users in the Experimental channel. Users can now reposition the taskbar to any edge of the screen, customize icon alignment, and view every window at a glance with ungrouped icons. A more compact taskbar option will also be available for smaller screens. The Start menu will feature section-level toggles for easier customization, separate controls for file recommendations, size settings, and the option to hide user names for privacy. The Recommended section will be renamed Recent to better reflect its purpose. These features will be gradually rolled out, with user feedback being encouraged through the Feedback Hub.

AppWizard

May 14, 2026

Bungie is turning Marathon’s loot dial to 11 ahead of its first wipe, opening up Cryo Archive 24/7

Marathon's upcoming "end of season" update will be released on May 19 and will include several key changes to improve gameplay. Locked room keys will now be guaranteed rewards from on-map events, allowing access to coveted loot rooms on Tau Ceti. Map events such as Intercept, Lockdown, Warden spawns, Convoy, and Anomaly will be guaranteed on each run. Warden bosses will appear in more locations, increasing the frequency of room keys. The Cryo Archive entrance restrictions will be removed, and a new Ranked Cryo Archive playlist will be introduced. Faction experience gains will increase, key templates will remain intact if players are downed, wall safes will have a chance to yield deluxe keys, and the Signal Mask ability will have an extended duration while sprinting. Season 2: Nightfall will launch on June 2, introducing a new Night Marsh zone, a fresh Runner shell, new weaponry, and a system for customizing Runner shell stats. Full details will be revealed during the week of May 25.

AppWizard

May 13, 2026

Minecraft Java finally gets a Friends List and Peer-to-Peer multiplayer

Minecraft Java has released Snapshot 26.2, specifically Snapshot 7, which introduces a Friends List feature to enhance the multiplayer experience. This feature allows players to connect with others more easily and includes functionalities such as sending and receiving friend requests, viewing friend statuses, and customizing privacy options. The Friends List can be accessed from the Title Screen and Pause Menu, with a default keybind set to "O". Additionally, Mojang has implemented Peer-to-Peer networking, enabling players to open singleplayer worlds for online multiplayer. The update also includes new musical additions and adjustments to Potent Sulfur.

Winsage

May 11, 2026

My Windows 11 PC now has the iconic Windows XP taskbar, and it’s weirdly perfect

An enthusiast with a gaming PC featuring an RTX 4070 Ti and 32GB of DDR5 RAM integrated a Windows XP taskbar into their Windows 11 setup using Windhawk, a customization tool. After installing Windhawk, they selected the "WinXP" theme from the "Windows 11 Taskbar Styler" mod, transforming the taskbar into a nostalgic XP version without compromising functionality. Core features like notifications and pinned applications remained intact, and the system tray adopted the XP theme. The user also explored various other mods, including real-time CPU and RAM usage display, a middle-click application close feature, and a volume control center on the taskbar, enhancing their personalized computing experience.

AppWizard

May 9, 2026

A review of ‘Obtainium,’ an Android app distributed solely on GitHub that allows you to install, manage, and automatically update apps similar to F-Droid.

Obtainium is a tool designed to streamline the update process for Android applications distributed through platforms like GitHub. It supports over 10 app distribution sites, offers compatibility with various release methods, and allows customizable filtering and settings. Users can extract APK files from HTML and share app settings through data import and export functionalities. To install Obtainium, users can download it from GitHub, IzzyOnDroid, or F-Droid, with a focus on installing via F-Droid. The installation process involves opening the official GitHub repository, tapping the F-Droid banner, and following prompts to install and launch the app. Upon first launch, users must allow notification permissions and adjust battery settings. To add apps, users enter the app source URL and select the appropriate source. Obtainium may request permissions to install unknown apps during installation. The app includes an Import/Export tab for managing app settings and a Settings tab for customizing update intervals, source-specific settings, themes, and app sorting preferences.

AppWizard

May 8, 2026

2025 PC Game Free in New Epic Games Store Giveaway

The Epic Games Store is offering two free PC games for download until May 14. One game, Trash Goblin, is a strategy-management game developed by Split Milk Studios and Gamersky Games, featuring a Metacritic score of 71 and an 88% approval rating on Steam from over 1,400 reviews. The second game, Arranger: A Role-Puzzling Adventure, developed by Furniture & Mattress LLC, has a Metacritic score of 82 and a 92% approval rating on Steam from around 320 reviews. Both games are free to keep indefinitely with an Epic Games Store account.

AppWizard

May 6, 2026

How I found the Android launcher that finally rivals the Google Pixel experience

The Pixel Launcher is built on three foundational features: visual consistency through Material You, simplicity with a minimalistic interface, and fluidity with smooth animations. However, it has limited customization options compared to other launchers. Lawnchair is an open-source project that enhances the Pixel experience by restoring customization options removed by Google, such as hiding widgets, supporting icon packs, and allowing user-defined grid layouts. Lawnchair maintains a clean interface while offering extensive control over app visibility and layout, effectively addressing the limitations of the Pixel Launcher. Lawnchair 15 provides a refined version of the Pixel experience, making it accessible to users of non-Pixel devices.

Winsage

May 4, 2026

NTLite Update Lets Users Strip Copilot and AI Features From Windows 11 25H2 Installation Images

NTLite has released version 2026.04.10936, which allows users to remove AI features like Copilot and Windows Recall from Windows 11 25H2 installation images. The update includes faster, multi-threaded extraction capabilities that reduce processing time for Windows images and results in a smaller installation size. NTLite modifies the installation image directly, enabling a streamlined installation without the need for post-installation uninstallation of these features. The tool is available for free download, with a paid license option for advanced features. The demand for such tools has increased due to Microsoft's integration of AI features in Windows 11.

AppWizard

May 3, 2026

There’s an extreme lack of good quality, easy-to-find video game figures, and after seeing people make their own I’m tempted to try it myself

The author is new to figure collecting and enjoys searching for figures, particularly Hatsune Miku, at shops like Surugaya and Book Off. They highlight the creativity in customizing figures, mentioning a transformation of a Mizuhara Chizuru figure into Mari from Omori by yumenikkis, which involved detailed alterations. Another creator, Fallen Petal Studios, makes clay figures from scratch, including characters from various video games and shows, showcasing intricate details and craftsmanship. The author considers the possibility of customizing some of their own figures, particularly those that are less visible in their collection.

Winsage

May 2, 2026

Windows finally fixed File Explorer’s most annoying quirk, and it only took 20 years

Windows 11's latest builds (26100.8313 and 26200.8313) have improved folder view consistency in File Explorer, ensuring that user-configured settings persist regardless of how a folder is accessed. This update eliminates the need for registry tweaks. Additionally, the updates enhance File Explorer's speed and performance, resolve a white flash issue in dark mode, introduce a "preview anyway" button for the preview pane, and add support for four new archive formats. These changes are currently available in the Release Preview channel and will soon be rolled out to regular users.