powershell

  1. WinAppSDK 1.6.2 Break Fix: KB5046714 Patch Restores Store App Installs (Win10 22H2)

    Microsoft pushed a fix after a WinAppSDK release accidentally broke Microsoft Store installs and updates, but until you apply the patch or follow the advised workarounds many users on Windows 10 version 22H2 will see app installs fail with the cryptic “Something happened on our end” or error...
  2. MSRC Advisory Deep Dive: Mitigation, Detection, and Hunting Windows Exploits

    Thanks — I can write the 2,000+ word, in-depth feature article in rich Markdown for WindowsForum.com. Before I start, two quick clarifying questions so I match your needs exactly: 1) Do you want the article to be strictly based on Microsoft’s advisory at the MSRC link you provided, or do you...
  3. WinGet Hacks: Automate Windows provisioning, upgrades, and maintenance

    WinGet has quietly become one of the most practical productivity tools in a Windows 11 power user's toolbox — not just for installing apps, but for managing whole system states, enforcing upgrade policies, and automating maintenance. A recent MakeUseOf piece showed four simple WinGet workflows —...
  4. Open Windows Server Firewall Ports Safely: GUI and PowerShell Guide

    If you manage servers, opening a port in the Windows Server firewall is one of those routine tasks that’s trivial to execute but easy to get wrong — and a single misconfiguration can expose services to the public internet. This feature explains the exact, supported ways to open ports in Windows...
  5. Windows Server DNS Setup: Install, Configure, Secure, Troubleshoot

    Setting up DNS on a Windows Server is one of the most consequential tasks an administrator can perform: it turns raw IP addresses into human-friendly names, anchors Active Directory functionality, and forms the backbone of service discovery across the network. Proper DNS configuration reduces...
  6. Windows 11 25H2 Arrives as a Lightweight Enablement Package (eKB) in Release Preview

    Microsoft has quietly pushed Windows 11, version 25H2 (Build 26200.5074) into the Release Preview channel — and unlike many headline OS releases, this one arrives as a lightweight enablement package (eKB) that flips features already staged on devices rather than replacing the whole...
  7. Why Windows Defender Flags Linux ISOs: False Positives & Verification

    DistroWatch’s note that Windows anti‑virus tools regularly mark downloaded Linux ISO images as malicious has resurfaced a familiar — and often confusing — problem for newcomers: legitimate distribution images trigger threat alerts on Windows machines. The warnings are usually false positives...
  8. Windows Security Not Opening? Step-by-Step Defender Repair Guide

    Windows Security failing to open is a deceptively common problem that can leave a PC exposed and users unnerved — yet in almost every case the root causes and remedies are resolvable without a full reinstall. Symptoms range from a completely unresponsive Windows Security app to a blank or...
  9. Windows 11 Debloat Guide: Safely Remove 10 Built-in Apps

    Windows 11 ships with a crowd of first‑party apps that many users never open — and in 2024–2025 Microsoft itself has begun pruning that list, retiring or de‑prioritizing several built‑ins while leaving others as optional annoyances you can safely remove to reclaim space and clarity. Background...
  10. KB5064097 Safe OS Dynamic Update refreshes WinRE for Windows 11 24H2 and Server 2025

    Microsoft published KB5064097 on August 29, 2025 — a Safe OS Dynamic Update that refreshes the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) for Windows 11, version 24H2 and Windows Server 2025, delivering a new WinRE image (WinRE version 10.0.26100.5059), updated Safe‑OS binaries and drivers, and...
  11. Automate Disk Cleanup with Storage Sense and Task Scheduler in Windows 10/11

    Automate Disk Cleanup with Storage Sense and Task Scheduler in Windows 10/11 Difficulty: Intermediate | Time Required: 20 minutes Introduction Keeping temporary files, old update files, and clutter out of your drives improves performance and frees space without manual intervention. Windows 10...
  12. Windows DNS Cache Poisoning Mitigation: Set MaximumUdpPacketSize to 1221 (ADV200013)

    Microsoft has updated guidance in its Security Update Guide advisory ADV200013 — the advisory that covers DNS resolver spoofing and cache‑poisoning attacks — and is explicitly telling administrators that in addition to older server builds the mitigation applies to newer releases such as Windows...
  13. ART Off We Go

    :)
  14. Trim Windows 11 Background Services for Privacy and Performance

    Windows 11 ships with a maze of background services: some are essential, some are convenience features, and a surprising number quietly collect data or spin CPU and disk cycles while you work. A recent practical guide singled out a small set of these services as safe targets for trimming —...
  15. Automate Windows Maintenance with Task Scheduler: Clean, Update, Scan, Backup

    Much of keeping a Windows PC feeling fast and reliable comes down to discipline—regular cleanups, timely scans, and dependable backups—and automating those chores with the built‑in Windows Task Scheduler is one of the most effective ways to remove the human factor from maintenance and make a...
  16. Track Windows 10 Update History: 3 Quick Methods plus Logs for Troubleshooting

    Keeping track of what Windows 10 has installed on your PC is a small habit that pays huge dividends when troubleshooting, validating security patches, or confirming whether a feature update actually applied — and it’s easier than most users think. This guide takes the short how‑to you may have...
  17. ART Lady On A Skateboard

    :)
  18. Reclaim Disk Space by Safely Disabling Reserved Storage in Windows 11

    Windows 11’s built‑in Reserved Storage quietly ties up several gigabytes on the system drive to make updates and system maintenance more reliable — and if you’re on a cramped 128GB (or smaller) SSD, temporarily turning it off is a legitimate, supported way to reclaim space fast, provided you...
  19. Copilot for Microsoft 365: Policy, Audit Gaps & Enterprise Hardening

    Microsoft’s Copilot for Microsoft 365 was supposed to make AI agents safer to run at enterprise scale; instead, recent reports show a control-plane failure that left some agents discoverable and installable despite tenant-level policy locks—forcing administrators into time-consuming, per-agent...
  20. God Mode in Windows 11: Quick All Tasks Access & Settings

    Windows 11 hides a surprisingly practical productivity trick behind a single folder name: the so‑called God Mode folder — a Master Control Panel view that gathers hundreds of system settings and administrative tools into one browsable container and can dramatically speed up troubleshooting and...