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

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Articles

4 Default Settings I Always Switch on Windows 11

2 weeks ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

Compared to earlier versions, Windows 11 is the tightest it has ever been. However, while doing a clean installation on one of my computers, I realized that there are default settings I always switch. I would like to be able to make my choices during the installation process. Some apps allow you to create a custom install. But if you don’t know about them or forget, there’s nothing else to do other than be annoyed.
4 Features I Use to Access My Busy Windows 11 Desktop Faster

3 weeks ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

If you have a busy workflow, it can be a challenge to get to the Windows Desktop when you need it. For instance, I often have several app windows open while writing and researching during the day. However, when I need to get to something on the Desktop, I have a massive number of windows open. Luckily, there are features I use to access items on my busy Windows 11 Desktop more quickly. The cool part is that these are built-in features throughout Windows.
I Backed Up My Microsoft Edge Bookmarks and Browsing History to Clean Install Windows. Here’s How it Went

1 month ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

I wanted to perform an in-place upgrade of Windows 10 to Windows 11, but I encountered an error during the process. The error was “We couldn’t update the system reserved partition.” I opened Disk Management and examined the reserved partition, which should be 100 to 500 MB for optimal results. Well, I will discuss that in another article. In the meantime, I decided to do a clean installation of Windows. However, losing my bookmarks and browsing history in Edge is my biggest issue.
I Used Copilot Vision and it Was Fine

1 month ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

Whether old schoolers like it or not, artificial intelligence (AI) is here to stay. Microsoft is cramming its version, Copilot, down our throats. I was so tired of it that I disabled Copilot in Windows apps. However, I need to be realistic, and I figured I would try some of its newer features again to see how things go. One of the newer features is called Copilot Vision. It is supposed to help you decipher web pages more easily by understanding the content.
4 Tips I Use to Speed Up My Windows 11 PC and You Should Too

1 month ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

I get tired of my PC’s slow performance running Windows 11. Your new PC or clean install of Windows 11 is responsive at first, but it starts to slow down after a while. It’s usually due to the number of apps you have installed. However, I use these tips to speed up my Windows PC without spending a cent. You can use these simple steps too. Once you employ them, you will see a noticeable difference in how fast your PC runs. Power SettingsThere are groups of settings for power performance on your PC.
I Use This App Control Feature on Windows 11 to Close Frozen Apps

1 month ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

Closing unresponsive or “frozen” apps on Windows takes a bit of work to get off your screen. It’s annoying when an app freezes up while using it or any time I want to close an app and get the dreaded spinning icon. I need to hit a keyboard shortcut to launch Task Manager, find the app, and sometimes the app processes, right-click, and select End Task. That’s too many steps, so I use this app control feature on Windows 11 because it rocks.
I Use These Tricks to Help Extend SSD Life on Windows

1 month ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

Just because you have a solid-state drive (SSD or NVMe M.2) doesn’t mean there aren’t steps to take to help extend SSD life on Windows. The trend in computing now is to use SSD drives for faster performance. In fact, I remember when the most significant hardware change you could make to improve performance on an old PC was adding more RAM. However, you’ll see a bigger performance bump by installing an SSD on an old computer to give it new life.
4 Tips I Use to Disable Location Tracking on Windows 11

1 month ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

I carry a PC and use these tips to disable location tracking on Windows 11. Being tracked is inevitable with our phones in our pockets and laptops while on the go. However, there are ways to prevent device tracking. For instance, you can remove location from photos on Android or boost privacy on your iPhone. While we often think of our phones as the gateway to privacy issues, you should also consider your laptop as a potential culprit.
I Turn Off Microphone Access to Apps on My Phone to Stop Them from Listening and You Can Too

2 months ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

Is your phone listening to you? Yes. Siri on iPhone and Google Assistant on Android listen for the wake word. On a side note, how annoying is it when Siri or Google Assistant start talking when conversing with someone? Also, what about all the apps you install on your phone? Do they really need access to your phone’s microphone? Are they listening? Perhaps. No one reads the terms of use for installed apps. Does a photo, calculator, or calendar need access to your microphone?
3 Ways I Tweak the Start Menu to Improve Productivity on Windows 11

2 months ago | groovypost.com | Brian Burgess

The Start menu on Windows 11 isn’t designed the greatest for productivity. However, there are ways I tweak the Start menu to improve my productivity. For instance, I move the Start menu, add shortcuts, and more. Some cool software like Start11 and StartAllBack will help customize the menu, but if you don’t have time to install and adjust it, you can get some results from the built-in settings. Here are the favorite ones I employ to get into the zone faster.