As laptop users, we must monitor our battery health to ensure optimal performance and longevity. Windows provides built-in tools to help monitor and check the health of your laptop battery. In this article, we'll explore the various methods available to check your laptop battery health in Windows.

There are two different ways of finding the laptop battery information inside Windows. You can get the essential information from inside the Settings app, but creating a battery report is the way to go for more detail.

Using the Settings app for the laptop battery information

Windows offers a simple way to check your laptop battery health directly from the Settings app. Here's how to do it:

Windows 11

1. Open the Settings app by left-clicking on the Start button and selecting the Settings app (gear icon), or press the Windows logo key + I on your keyboard.
2. In the left-hand column of the Settings app, left-click on System.
3. In the right-hand column, select Battery.
4. Inside the Battery section, you will find information about your battery's health, including the current status and estimated battery life. You can also adjust power settings and battery usage preferences from this section.

Windows 10

1. Open the Settings app by left-clicking on the Start button and selecting Settings (gear icon), or press the Windows logo key + I on your keyboard.
2. In the Settings app, left-click on System.
3. In the right-hand column, select Battery.
4. Inside the Battery section, you will find information about your battery's health, including the current status and estimated battery life. You can also adjust power settings and battery usage preferences from this section.

Creating a laptop battery report using an Admin Command Prompt / PowerShell

Windows has a built-in feature allowing you to generate a battery report, providing detailed information about your laptop's battery health and usage. Here's how to create a battery report using an Administrative Command Prompt / Administrative PowerShell.

Windows 11

1. Left-click on the Start button to bring up the Start menu.
2. In the upper right-hand corner of the Start menu, left-click on All apps.
3. Scroll down the list of programs and left-click on Windows Tools.
4. Left-click on Command Prompt.
5. At the prompt, type the following command and press Enter:
   powercfg /batteryreport /output "C:\battery_report.html"
6. Once you run the command, navigate to the C:\ directory on your computer, and you should find a file named battery_report.html. Open this file in your web browser to view the battery report.

or

1. Right-click on the Start button to bring up the Power User menu.
2. Left-click on Terminal.
3. At the prompt, type the following command and press Enter:
   powercfg /batteryreport /output "C:\battery_report.html"
4. Once you run the command, navigate to the C:\ directory on your computer, and you should find a file named battery_report.html. Open this file in your web browser to view the battery report.

Windows 10

1. Left-click on the Start button.
2. Scroll down the program list and then left-click on the Windows System folder to expand.
3. Left-click on Command Prompt.
4. At the prompt, type the following command and press Enter:
   powercfg /batteryreport /output "C:\battery_report.html"
5. Once you run the command, navigate to the C:\ directory on your computer, and you should find a file named battery_report.html. Open this file in your web browser to view the battery report.

or

1. Right-click on the Start button to bring up the Power User menu.
2. Left-click on Windows PowerShell.
3. At the prompt, type the following command and press Enter:
   powercfg /batteryreport /output "C:\battery_report.html"
4. Once you run the command, navigate to the C:\ directory on your computer, and you should find a file named battery_report.html. Open this file in your web browser to view the battery report.

The battery report provides the battery usage history, capacity history, and life estimate. Analyzing this report lets you gain insights into your laptop battery's overall health and performance.

Monitor your laptop battery with third-party apps

In addition to the built-in tools provided by Windows, several third-party applications offer advanced battery monitoring features. These applications can provide real-time information about your battery health, charging cycles, and power usage. Some popular third-party battery monitoring software includes BatteryCare, HWMonitor, and BatteryInfoView.

Before using third-party software, it's important to research and choose a reputable application from a trusted source to ensure the safety and security of your system.

Tips for maintaining a healthy laptop battery

While checking your laptop battery health is essential, following best practices for maintaining a healthy battery is necessary. Here are a few tips to help prolong the life of your laptop battery:

• Avoid deep discharges: Try to avoid letting your battery drain completely before recharging it. Frequent deep discharges can reduce the overall lifespan of the battery.
• Keep your laptop cool: Excess heat can harm battery health. Ensure proper ventilation and avoid using your laptop in extremely hot environments.
• Unplug when fully charged: Once your laptop reaches full charge, unplug the power adapter to prevent overcharging, which can degrade the battery over time.
• Use power-saving settings: Adjust your power settings to optimize battery usage by lowering screen brightness and setting shorter idle times for sleep mode.

By following these tips and regularly monitoring your laptop battery health, you can ensure that your battery remains in good condition, allowing you to get the most out of your laptop's performance.

In conclusion, checking your laptop battery health in Windows is crucial for maintaining peak performance and prolonging the lifespan of your battery. Whether you use the built-in tools provided by Windows or opt for third-party software, staying informed about your battery health can help you make informed decisions about battery usage and maintenance. Taking proactive steps to monitor and maintain your laptop battery will ultimately contribute to a better overall computing experience.

Are you looking to update the drivers inside your Windows PC for optimal performance? Keeping your drivers updated is essential for a smooth and efficient computing experience. In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through updating your Windows drivers while ensuring that your system runs smoothly and efficiently.

Updating drivers in Windows is a crucial maintenance task that can help resolve hardware compatibility issues, improve system stability, and enhance overall system performance. With the ever-evolving hardware landscape, staying on top of driver updates is essential to ensure that your PC components function at their best. Follow these steps to update your Windows drivers and keep your system running smoothly.

Device Manager

The first thing you should do is check Device Manager for any hardware components that are having driver issues. Right-click on the Start menu and select Device Manager from the Power User menu. If any devices are having problems, you will find them here.

Look down the list of hardware components and see if there are any with yellow triangles with exclamation marks.

These devices are currently malfunctioning and might need a driver to run correctly. Double left-click on the component to bring up its properties.

On the General tab, you will find the Device status box, which shows you what is wrong with that component. If it is missing a driver, you can go to the Driver tab and select Update driver. Odds are Windows has already tried to update the driver using Windows Update and did not find a compatible driver.

If Windows cannot find a driver, there are a couple of options. Either use a third-party program to detect and find a driver or play detective and research the mystery component. A quick Google search will usually bring up the device manufacturer and device type.

To find out the component information, bring up the component's properties and go to the Details tab. In the Property pull-down menu, select Hardware Ids, right-click on the top Value, and select Copy. Then, use your favorite browser and go to Google. Right-click inside the search box, select Paste from the menu that appears and then hit Enter.

Nine times out of ten, the type of component and its manufacturer will be at the top of the search results. From here, you can to go to the manufacturer's website and look for drivers for that component or use a third-party driver utiltiy (see below). Once all the components are running correctly, you can update the drivers.

Updating Drivers

When it comes to updating drivers, I prefer using the manufacturer's drivers whenever possible. Most laptop, desktop, and motherboard manufacturers have software to assist you in getting the latest drivers for your device. For example, Dell has Dell Update, HP has its Support Assistant, and MSI has the MSI Center.

A quick check for utilities or software in your device's download section should yield either an app for updating drivers or the actual driver itself. You may have to search through the downloads, but an app that will check for and download updates is the preferred way to go.

If you do not find any apps for updating the drivers and you did not find a driver for your mystery component, then using a third-party driver updating program may be your only alternative. There are plenty of them out there. But I have only found one that really works.

A few years back, I had a laptop for which I was reinstalling Windows and had to find drivers. It was an obscure laptop made in China, and the manufacturer had gone out of business. I took the opportunity to test out several of the top-rated driver utilities. The only one that found drivers for all components was the IObit Driver Booster.

In conclusion, updating drivers on Windows is a crucial maintenance task that can help optimize your PC's performance and ensure compatibility with the latest hardware and software. Following the steps outlined above, you can keep your system running smoothly and efficiently while enjoying the best possible computing experience. Remember that regular driver updates can help prevent compatibility issues and ensure that your PC's hardware operates at its full potential.

Did you recently purchase a Windows computer only to discover that you could not install desktop programs? If so, it could be that your Windows computer came with S mode enabled. In this article, I will show you how to switch your Windows computer running in S mode to the Windows Home version.

Most people have never heard of Windows running in S mode. That is probably because S mode was meant to compete with Chromebooks in the education industry. Basically, it's a Home version of Windows that has been restricted to only installing apps from the Microsoft Store.

Now, if you're a parent of a young child, S mode is a perfect match. Using Microsoft accounts, you can utilize the Family Safety feature to configure what software can be installed, where they can and cannot go on the Internet, and when they can use their device.

How to setup Family Safety for Windows using Microsoft accounts

The nice thing is that Microsoft allows you to switch Windows out of S mode and into the Home version. And it is free. But it is a one-way conversion. Once your system switches out of S mode, it will never be able to go back into S mode. It's important to note that switching out of S mode does require an Internet connection. If you are using a laptop, make sure that your device is plugged in or has sufficient battery charge to complete the process.

How to switch out of S mode

Before switching out of S mode, it's important to note again that this process is irreversible. Once you switch out of S mode, you cannot go back. With that in mind, here's a step-by-step guide to switching out of S mode:

1. Begin by opening the Microsoft Store on your Windows computer.
2. In the Microsoft Store, search for Switch out of S mode in the search bar.
3. Select the Switch out of S mode option from the search results.
4. Click the Get button to initiate the process. You may be asked to sign in with your Microsoft account if you haven't already done so.
5. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the switch out of S mode. This process may take a few minutes, and your computer will need to restart to apply the changes.

After switching out of S mode, your computer will be running the Home version of Windows. You will now be able to install and run desktop apps from sources other than the Microsoft Store, giving you greater flexibility and control over your computing experience.

Have you ever encountered a situation where you are trying to install Windows on your computer, but the installation process does not find any available drives to install the operating system? This can be a frustrating experience, but there are several steps you can take to find a driver and complete the installation process. In this article, we will show you how to locate and install missing storage drivers when performing a clean install of Windows.

If you're installing Windows for the first time (clean), and there are no drives listed to install Windows on, don't worry. This issue is common and can be resolved with a few simple steps. The problem is that Windows does not have a generic driver in its installation media for your storage controller.

This was common in the '90s when you had to load the storage controller driver(s) from a floppy disk by pressing F6 when prompted for a drive to install. That is why they are called F6 drivers. In fact, some of the hardware manufacturers still use the F6 folder name in their storage driver packaging.

Now, when it comes to requiring third-party storage controller drivers to install Windows, it usually occurs with RAID (Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disks) storage controllers. But recently, I have also had to use manufacturer drivers for the SATA (Serial AT Attachment) storage controllers used with 11th-generation Intel processors.

Identify the missing storage drivers: This will require having the manufacturer name and model number of your motherboard or controller card. Please make a note of this information, as it will help you locate the missing drivers in the next step.

Download the missing storage drivers: Once you have identified the missing storage drivers, the next step is to download them. You can download the drivers from the manufacturer's website. Some driver downloads are self-extracting install programs, so just download the driver package.

When you download the drivers, make sure you download the correct drivers for your operating system and system architecture (32-bit or 64-bit). Once you have the driver package downloaded, use an archive program like 7-Zip to extract the storage driver package to a separate folder manually.

Copy the drivers to a USB drive: Next, you must copy the downloaded drivers to a USB drive. Make sure the USB drive is formatted in FAT32 or NTFS format and has enough free space to accommodate the drivers. Create a new folder on the USB drive and name it something like Windows Drivers. Then, copy the downloaded drivers to this folder.

Install the missing storage drivers: Now that you have the missing storage drivers on a USB drive, you can install them during the Windows installation process. Here's how:

1. Boot your computer from your Windows installation media and proceed through the installation process.
2. When you reach the Where do you want to install Windows screen, and no drives are shown, insert the USB drive with the storage drivers and click Browse to locate the drivers.
3. Navigate to the folder on the USB drive where you saved the drivers and select the appropriate driver file.
4. Click OK to install the driver.

Once the driver is installed, you can proceed with the Windows installation without any further issues.

In conclusion, locating and installing missing storage drivers during a Windows installation from a USB drive is a relatively simple process. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can resolve the issue and proceed with the installation smoothly.

Some of my favorite programs for performing computer diagnostics are the kind that you just download and run. These applications are simple to use and can be deleted when I am finished with them. So here are some of my favorite portable programs for Windows 10.

Since I repair computers for a living, I use many different programs during my typical workday. Most of them I can store on USB drives for quick access.

But there are some programs that I like to download before I use them, as they are portable applications and do not require installation. Since they do not get installed, the only way to get the latest updated version is by downloading them.

Some of these programs have time stamps on them and will expire after a certain amount of time. So downloading them when I need them makes the most sense. The hardest thing about downloading them is remembering where you saved them.

All of the applications mentioned in this are article can run on any version of Windows currently supported by Microsoft. And the best thing of all is that they all are free to use.

CPU-Z

This is a convenient utility that displays the details of the installed processor, motherboard, memory, and graphics card in any given computer. This way, you do not have to disassemble a computer to determine what components it has installed.

CPU-Z comes in handy when you are looking to add or upgrade your computer's memory modules. I use it when a customer wants to upgrade the installed memory, as it displays the exact part number of all of the installed memory modules.

There are portable (ZIP) and installable (EXE) versions of CPU-Z and versions customized for particular motherboard vendors. If you are going to use CPU-Z to measure system performance between different BIOS settings, the installed version may be the best bet.

But if you are only going to run it a couple of times, then the stand-alone version will work quite well. All you have to do is extract the files inside of the ZIP archive, and you are ready to go.

For more information on CPU-Z, just follow the link below.

CPU-Z

Advanced IP Scanner

Have you ever added a new device to your network and then could not find it? That is where Advanced IP Scanner comes in handy. It can scan your network and find network devices, shared folders, and shared printers. You can even use it to access other network computers remotely.

Advanced IP Scanner can be installed or run as a stand-alone program. When you download the program, it comes as an EXE file. When executing it, you have the option of installing it or just running it.

If you are only going to use it a couple of times, then the stand-alone version will work. If you are going to use it regularly, you may want to perform a complete installation.

For more information on the Advanced IP Scanner, follow the link below.

Advanced IP Scanner

Adwcleaner

This is by far my favorite tool for cleaning up Internet browsers. Just download and run Adwcleaner to remove adware and PUPs (Probably Unwanted Program) from your favorite browser.

Unlike the rest of the programs in this article, when Adwcleaner downloads its latest database, it also checks for a new version of itself. It will download an updated version but does not remove the previous version. It has to be removed manually.

Besides cleaning up browsers, it will also clean up and reset the TCP/IP network stack back to the default settings. And if you only need to run it a couple of times, it can delete itself and all of its quarantine files.

For more information on Adwcleaner, follow the link below.

Adwcleaner

Microsoft Safety Scanner

When it comes to scanning for viruses and malware, Microsoft's Safety Scanner is a powerful utility. Even though the user interface is kind of sparse, the true power is built into it.

Since this program is updated on a pretty regular basis, you will defiantly want to download it when you are ready to perform a scan. Keep in mind that this program is date stamped and will run only for ten (10) days after it was downloaded.

There are only a couple of choices regarding the types of scans it will perform; Quick, Full, or Customized. Be warned that if you choose a full scan, it can take hours or even days to complete, depending on how much data your drive(s) contains.

Remember that the Microsoft Safety Scanner is for manually scanning for malware and viruses and does not replace the need for a full-time anti-virus program.

For more information on Microsoft's Safety Scanner, follow the link below.

Microsoft Safety Scanner

Sysinternals Suite

With over seventy utilities, Microsoft's Sysinternals Suite has the most extensive set of diagnostics tools. Sysinternals have been around for more than two decades and have become a staple in computer technicians' toolbox.

Every single program in the suite is a stand-alone program and does not require installation. You can download the complete suite of utilities in a single ZIP file or a single utility separately; it is your choice.

Now you have to remember that the Sysinternals Suite does not automatically update any of its programs. But there are script files out there that can download updated files.

There is also the Sysinternals Live service that allows you to run the tools directly from the web. That way, you will always have the latest and greatest version of any of the utilities.

For more information on Microsoft's Sysinternals Suite, follow the link below.

Sysinternals Suite