disk space

Tech Optimizer
October 15, 2026
Webroot is offering discounts of up to 50% on antivirus protection plans for up to five devices, covering threats like viruses, scams, and identity theft. The packages include Essentials, Premium, and Total Protection, with the Essentials plan available for .99 for the first year for a single device. The Essentials Five Devices plan is also available. Webroot's software is lightweight, using only a few megabytes of disk space and approximately 5MB of RAM when idle, and around 50MB of RAM during active scans, completing scans of 150GB of data in a few minutes. It includes over 100 adjustable settings and offers a 14-day free trial for potential customers.
Winsage
October 12, 2026
Windows 11 version 24H2 for Home and Pro systems will stop receiving security updates on October 13, 2026. After this date, these editions will not receive any updates or technical support, although they will still boot. Windows 11 Enterprise, Education, IoT Enterprise, and Enterprise multi-session editions will continue to receive support until October 12, 2027. Organizations are advised to verify their systems' versions and editions, especially for those without endpoint management systems. Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2 are available as upgrade options, with 25H2 supported until October 12, 2027, and 26H2 supported until October 10, 2028, for Home and Pro editions. The rollout of 26H2 will be phased, and safeguard holds may be implemented if compatibility issues are detected. Unmanaged Home and Pro devices on 24H2 will automatically receive 25H2, while managed devices may require IT intervention. Regular monitoring and proactive management of Windows versions are necessary to ensure compliance and avoid future deadlines.
Winsage
October 8, 2026
Task Manager has been a key tool for Windows users since its introduction in 1996 with Windows NT 4.0, replacing the "Task List" utility. It has evolved over time but still retains terminology from earlier computing days when memory was limited. Terms like "Committed" memory, "Paged pool," and "Non-paged pool" reflect past priorities in memory management that are less relevant today due to increased RAM availability. The term "Handles" indicates open references a process has to system resources, which may confuse casual users. Microsoft has not updated the terminology to avoid disrupting IT administrators and developers who rely on established terms. Despite its outdated language, Task Manager continues to be a useful tool for system performance monitoring and diagnostics.
Winsage
September 28, 2026
Microsoft PowerToys originated during the development of Windows 95 as small programs created by engineers to test concepts and ease workloads. The first collection of PowerToys included tools like FindX, Send To X, and Tweak UI. System Configuration (MSConfig) helps isolate configuration and startup issues by allowing selective loading of services and startup components, remaining useful despite modern management shifting to Task Manager. Disk Cleanup was launched with Windows 98 to help users reclaim disk space, featuring commands that allow saving cleanup profiles, a functionality that persists in Windows 11. Task Scheduler, introduced in 1995 as System Agent in the Microsoft Plus! pack for Windows 95, automates tasks based on specific triggers. System File Checker (SFC), dating back to Windows 98, scans and repairs protected Windows resources, evolving from a graphical utility to a command-line tool. Device Manager provides an expandable tree of hardware components and reflects advancements in Microsoft's Plug and Play system from Windows 95, continuing to assist users in hardware inspection and troubleshooting. The DirectX Diagnostic Tool (DxDiag) was created for gamers in the late '90s to examine hardware and software configurations related to DirectX and remains available in Windows 11.
Tech Optimizer
September 23, 2026
A new tool named BigDiskBuster has been released on GitHub, which disrupts Microsoft Defender Antivirus by preventing it from installing updates. It does this by consuming available disk space during the update process, causing Defender to remain on its current version and unable to receive new platform or signature updates. BigDiskBuster operates as a local denial-of-service technique and requires prior access to the target machine to execute. The tool was created by researcher Abdelhamid Naceri, known as Nightmare Eclipse, who has previously worked on similar projects. As of now, there is no CVE identifier, patch, or advisory from Microsoft regarding this issue.
Winsage
September 20, 2026
Microsoft introduced a feature called point-in-time restore in Windows 11, which creates snapshots of the system every 24 hours to enhance recovery options. This feature began rolling out in late June 2026 and is typically enabled by default for boot drives of 200GB or larger. It uses the Volume Shadow Copy Service to generate restore points that are available for 72 hours before being purged. The feature can consume significant storage space, initially occupying 3.9GB and potentially increasing to over 18GB within two months, reaching a maximum of 2% of the total disk space. Users can adjust the storage usage settings or disable the feature entirely to reclaim space. The default maximum usage can be modified to as low as 0.2%. There are concerns that this feature should have been opt-in rather than opt-out due to its storage implications.
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