Brian Burgess

Minnesota

Lead Editor and Technology Writer at groovyPost

Freelance Tech writer/editor @groovyPost, Previously worked for @Byte, @InformationWeek, @gizmag, and @howtogeek. I dig Guitar, Metal, and all things Geek #ITM

Featured in: Favicon

groovypost.com Favicon

howtogeek.com Favicon

newatlas.com Favicon

jdsupra.com Favicon

mondaq.com Favicon

xda-developers.com

Articles

I Use This Power Trick to Open the Old Task Manager on Windows 11 and You Can Too

6 days ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

Windows 11 has a newly redesigned Task Manager with many helpful features. However, you might miss the utility’s simpler days. I use this power trick to open the old Task Manager on Windows 11, and you can, too. It’s the version that you used on Windows 7 and 10. There are many ways to customize it, such as changing the Task Manager startup page to something that works better for you. But this tip is retro.
2 Ways I Check App Battery Usage on Your Windows 11 Laptop to Find Battery Hogs

1 week ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

When you are in the middle of your laptop workflow, nothing is more annoying than seeing your battery draining. This can cause problems and require you to worry about the possibility of your battery completely dying. Typically, certain apps suck in more battery power than others. Luckily, you can see which ones are causing the problem so that you can kill the process. That allows your laptop to last longer. Sometimes, the app you would least expect causes the most battery usage.
Replace WordPad on Windows 11 with AbiWord

3 weeks ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

Microsoft abandoned WordPad with the Windows 11 24H2 update. The company deemed that WordPad was underused and not worth upgrading. However, if you used it for light word processing and creating notes, you might not be happy with its removal from Windows. Luckily, there is a free alternative. You can replace WordPad on Windows with AbiWord. Of course, there is a way to bring back WordPad with some trickery. You can grab it from an older version of Windows and install it in its old directory.
How Old is My PC's Hard Drive? Here’s How to Find Out

3 weeks ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

If you have a desktop computer, it might be running fine, but you’re considering upgrading your hard drive to something faster or with more storage. Even if you have a laptop, you might ask yourself, “How old is my PC’s hard drive?” Even if you are just curious, we’ll show you some helpful ways to find the age of your drive. These steps apply to traditional HDDs and modern SSDs—even the fancy modern NVMe M.2 drives.
Enable the Press to Talk Feature for Copilot on Windows 11

1 month ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

Whether we like it or not, Microsoft is going all in with its Copilot AI chatbot. The company is integrating it into virtually everything. For example, there’s a Copilot Rewrite feature in Notepad — yup, the most basic note-taking app even has AI integration. It has also been added to Office 365 apps, although you can remove Copilot from Word for now. You could previously type to chat with Copilot or press the microphone icon to speak to it.
4 Ways to Optimize Windows 11 on Old PCs

1 month ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

Windows 11 has been out for a few years and is going strong. However, Windows 10 will reach the end of support on October 14, 2025. You will need to upgrade to 11 to continue getting software updates and security fixes. While Microsoft has some strict minimum system requirements to run the new OS, it has relaxed them, allowing you to upgrade from Windows 10 to 11. However, the caveat is that the company can’t guarantee security and future updates.
Enable Smart App Control for Extra Security

1 month ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

Microsoft introduced a new Smart App Control feature to help prevent malware and unwanted apps from infecting your computer. The security feature isn’t enabled by default, but you can easily allow Smart App Control (SAC) through the Windows Security app on Windows 11 and higher. So, let’s look at what the feature does to protect your PC and how to ensure it is on for additional security. What is Smart App Control?
5+ PC Security Essentials to Not Get Hacked

1 month ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

Keeping your Windows PC secure from hackers and malware is essential. You don’t want to be hacked or have malware on your system that could potentially steal your personal data. Luckily, there are some security essentials that you can employ to avoid getting hacked. These may seem mundane, but they are equally important. If you aren’t implementing these essentials, you may regret it if your system gets hacked. But this goes beyond your local drive and into your cloud data. 5.
5 Ways to Manage and Tweak the Windows 11 Taskbar

1 month ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

The Windows taskbar has always included some helpful features and some that aren’t so helpful. Luckily, there are ways to manage and tweak the Windows 11 taskbar so it works better for you. You can customize it, remove items, add things you need, and manage what appears on it overall. 5. Pin Folders, Files, or Drives to the TaskbarSometimes, you need quick access to certain items on Windows, like folders, files, apps, and drives. Luckily, you can pin most items to the Windows 11 taskbar.
5 Security Settings to Change in Microsoft Edge Right Now

1 month ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

Microsoft Edge is the built-in web browser on Windows 11. So, unless you change the default browser, you will use Microsoft’s Chromium-based browser to navigate the web. It’s actually a fine browser, it’s fast and responsive and includes many features. However, there are some security settings to change in Microsoft Edge right now, so your data is private and secure. 5. Enable Microsoft Defender SmartScreenThis feature prevents malware and phishing attacks in Edge while browsing.