In 1995, Microsoft released Windows 95, and navigating Windows was changed forever. Along with introducing the Start menu, Microsoft also added a new control key to PC keyboards, the Windows logo key.

Like the Command key on Apple keyboards, it allows the user to run shortcuts to open programs or execute repetitive commands, like showing the Desktop. Windows 95 had only twelve Windows logo key shortcuts, while Windows 11 has over seventy. So here is the complete list of Windows logo key shortcuts inside Windows 11.

Windows logo key shortcuts for Windows 11

Press	To
	Open Start menu
+ A	Open Quick Settings (part of the Action Center)
+ B	Highlights Show Hidden Icons on Taskbar
+ C	Open Windows Copilot
+ Shift + C	Open Charms menu
+ Ctrl + C	Turn on Color Filters (must enable in Color Filter settings first)
+ Alt + D	Show / hide date and time on the Desktop
+ D	Show Desktop
+ E	Open File Explorer
+ F	Open Feedback Hub
The following seven (7) Windows logo key shortcuts are for the Game Bar
+ G	Open the Game Bar
+ Alt +B	Turn HDR on or off (applies to the Xbox Game Bar app version 5.721.7292.0 or newer)
+ Alt + G	Record the last few moments of game play. (you can change the amount of time recorded in Game Bar > Settings)
+ Alt + R	Start / stop recording
+ Alt + Print Screen	Take a screenshot of your game
+ Alt + T	Show / hide the recording timer
+ Alt + M	Start / stop microphone recording
+ H	Open Speech Services (voice dictation)
+ I	Open Settings
+ J	Set focus to an available Windows tip
+ K	Open Cast (connect to wireless display and audio devices)
+ Alt + K	Toggle microphone mute in apps that support Call Mute
+ L	Switch users (lock computer if on a domain)
+ M	Minimize all open windows (show Desktop)
+ Shift + M	Restore open minimized windows
+ N	Opens Notification Center (part of the Action Center)
+ O	Lock device orientation
+ P	Open Project (project video to another screen)
+ Q	Opens Search dialog box
+ Ctrl + Q	Opens Quick Assist
+ R	Opens Run dialog box
+ Shift + R	Select a region of the screen to record video from
+ S	Opens Search dialog box
+ Shift + S	Select a region of the screen to capture a screenshot to the clipboard
+ T	Set focus on Taskbar and cycle through pinned / running desktop apps
+ U	Opens Accessibility section in Settings
+ V	Displays Clipboard history
+ W	Opens Widgets
+ X	Opens Power User menu
+ Y	Switch between Desktop and Windows Mixed Reality
+ Z	Opens Snap layouts menu
+ 1-9	Go to the app at the given position on the Taskbar
+ + (plus)	Zoom in (Magnifier)
+ - (minus)	Zoom out (Magnifier)
+ , (comma)	Peek at the Desktop
+ / (forward slash)	Start reconversion of the Input Method Editor (IME)
+ Spacebar	Switch input language and keyboard layout
+ Shift + Spacebar	Switch backward through input languages and keyboard layouts
+ Tab	Show all open apps and view additional desktops
+ Esc	Close Magnifier
+ Print Screen	Take a full screen screenshot and save it to the Screenshots folder inside of your Pictures folder
+ Home	Minimize non-active desktop windows
+ Pause/Break	Open System in Settings
+ Left Arrow	Snap desktop window to the left (+Shift to move window to left monitor)
+ Right Arrow	Snap desktop window to the right (+Shift to move window to right monitor)
+ Up Arrow	Maximize desktop window (+Shift to keep width)
+ Alt + Up Arrow	Snap active window to the top half of the screen
+ Down Arrow	Restore/minimize desktop window (+Shift to keep width)
+ Alt + Down Arrow	Snap active window to the bottom half of the screen
+ F1	Opens How to get help in Windows 11 search in a browser
+ Ctrl + Enter	Turn Narrator on or off
+ Ctrl + C	Enable / disable color filters if turned on in Settings
+ Ctrl + F	Search for network devices
+ Ctrl + D	Add a Desktop
+ Ctrl + V	Open the quick settings sound output page
+ Ctrl + Spacebar	Change to a previous input selection
+ Ctrl + Right arrow	Switch between desktops you’ve created on the right
+ Ctrl + Left arrow	Switch between desktops you’ve created on the left
+ Ctrl + F4	Close the Desktop you’re using
+ Ctrl + Shift + B	Wake up the device when screen is black / blank
+ Shift + Right arrow	Move an app to a monitor on the right
+ Shift + Left arrow	Move an app to a monitor on the left
+ Shift + Up arrow	Stretch the Desktop window to the top and bottom of the screen
+ Shift + Down arrow	Restores a snapped or maximized window
+ Shift + Enter	Move an app to a monitor on the left
+ Period (.) or Semicolon (;)	Makes a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) full screen

For more Windows keyboard shortcuts, see the links below:

Windows logo key keyboard shortcuts

General keyboard shortcuts

Natural keyboard shortcuts

Dialog box keyboard shortcuts

Accessibility keyboard shortcuts

Windows Explorer keyboard shortcuts

Microsoft recently announced that they are releasing a successor to Windows 10, aptly named Windows 11. So join me as I take a look at Windows 11.

When Microsoft announced the next version of Windows, I went looking for a beta or technical preview of Windows 11. I soon found out that the only way to get a version of Windows 11 is through their Insider Program.

Well, it just so happens that I had created a Virtual Machine (VM) a couple of years ago for the Windows 10 Insider Program. I started it, and sure enough, Windows informed me that I need to download a new build of Windows.

I went through the upgrade process, and when all was said and done, I had Windows 11 Insider Preview running inside a VM. So let's take a look at Windows 11.

Note: This build of Windows 11 that I am using for this article is just a beta, so the look and the way it operates may and probably will change before the final release of Windows 11.

Login Screen

Not much different here from Windows 10. The default font has changed, but other than that, it looks and feels like Windows 10.

Taskbar

The first thing you will notice when the Desktop appears is that the Start button and pinned programs are centered in the Taskbar. Is this by default, and can it be easily changed back to left-justified.

Start Menu

The Start Menu has gotten a makeover, with a new cleaner looking layout. All the same features are available, but they are arranged completely different.

Power User menu

It is still there, The only component of Windows 8.1 to still be inside of Windows. Don't remember Windows 8.1? That is one version of Windows I would love to forget.

Settings

As with the Start Menu, the Settings app has also received a makeover, getting broken into two (2) columns. The categories are now listed in the left-side column, and sub-categories are listed in the right-hand column.

Control Panel

Microsoft has been trying to eliminate the Control Panel for a while now, but it still exists in the preview build I am running. Who knows if it will make it to the final build of Windows 11.

File Explorer

File Explorer has gotten a small makeover too. The Ribbon appears to be gone, and a simple toolbar with the most commons functions has taken its place. We will have to wait until the final build to see if the Ribbon is truly gone.

The overall look and feel of Windows 11 is smoother than Windows 10. With rounded corners on dialog boxes and newer icons, Windows 11 looks like an excellent successor to Windows 10.

But of course, we will have to wait and see how the final build of Windows 11 looks and feels. For a more in-depth look at this version of Windows 11, check out the video below.

So you upgraded the drive in your computer and now have an extra SATA drive that you do not know what to do with. There are a couple of things you can do with it. So here is what you can do with your old SATA drive.

I have written several articles on how to clone the drive in your Windows-based computer. But I have never written an article on what to do with the drive that you replaced.

Regarding the old SATA drive, there are two options: reuse or recycle it. Either way, you will need some additional hardware to utilize the old drive.

To reuse it inside of your computer, you will need a spare drive carriage, mounting screws, a 7-pin SATA data cable, and a spare 15-pin SATA power connection. If you want to connect it externally, you need a drive enclosure (2.5" or 3.5").

To recycle it, you will need to erase all of the data on the drive. I like to encrypt the drive with BitLocker first, then perform a seven-pass DoD (Department of Defense) disk wipe. So even if someone were able to recover any data, it would still be encrypted.

Now, was the old drive bootable (contained the operating system)? If so, then there will be a boot record that needs to be deleted before you can reuse it.

If you plan on reusing the drive, simply erasing all of the data on the drive should work. If you plan on recycling it, you will need to securely erase all of the data so no one can successfully recover anything from it.

If the drive was used only for storage, then erasing all of the data will work. If it was the boot drive in your computer, we have to erase all of the data and delete the boot record so that any computer that it is connected to does not accidentally boot up onto it.

Time to erase the drive

The first thing you have to do is attach the drive to your computer, either by turning the computer off and installing the drive inside of your computer. Or by connecting it externally using a drive case, docking station, or a USB adapter.

Remember that if the drive was originally a boot drive and you installed it inside of your computer, your system may try to boot on that drive. It is recommended that you wipe the drive of any boot record and boot partition before installing it inside your computer.

Several drive manufacturers have software that can erase the data from one of their drives. Western Digital, Seagate, and Samsung are a few that have that type of software. In fact, Seagate's Seatools for Windows will work on any manufacturer's drive.

There is also third-party software that can perform DoD (Department of Defense) disk erasing. The UBCD (Ultimate Boot CD) has several programs that can perform a DoD disk wipe (I like using Darik's Boot and Nuke). If you are planning on recycling the drive, a DoD wipe is recommended.

There have been times when I have seen a manufacturer's software fail when it comes to erasing data from a drive. It usually happens when the drive in question was originally a boot drive.

As you can see from the following screen capture,

the original boot/recovery partition can not be deleted in Disk Management application.

In cases like that, using the Diskpart application works great. It is a command-line program, but you can use it to delete any partition if you are very careful.

Using Diskpart to erase a drive

Note: Misusing Diskpart can erase a disk that you may not want to be wiped, so be extra careful and double-check the disk number before proceeding.

To ensure that you erase the correct drive, let's open Windows Disk Management and verify the disk number.

1. Open Disk Management by right-clicking on the Start button and selecting Disk Management from the Power User menu.
2. Locate the disk in question.
   
   It will be labeled Disk #. Please make a note of the disk number, as it will be required for the next step.

To erase your SATA drive, you will need to run command-line syntax(s) and parameter(s) in an administrative Command Prompt or PowerShell. In Windows 11, you can access both of these through the Terminal app.

Open Terminal with Administrator privileges in Windows

1. Right-click on the Start button to bring up the Power User menu.
2. Left-click on Terminal (Admin). If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Open a Command Prompt or PowerShell with Administrator privileges in Windows

1. Left-click on the magnifying glass to the right of the Start button or use the Windows logo key + S to bring up the Search dialog box.
2. In the Search dialog box, type Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell.
3. The Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell should be highlighted in the results list.
4. An options menu is in the right-hand column under Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell. Left-click on Run as administrator. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

Now that you have an Administrative Command Prompt, PowerShell, or Terminal open.

1. Type diskpart and then press enter.
2. Type list disk and press enter.
   
3. Type select disk #, replacing the # with the disk number found in Disk Management.
   
4. Type clean and press enter.
   
   
5. Type exit to close Disk Management.
6. Type exit again to close the Command Prompt.

Time to format the drive

All partitions will now be gone, and the drive is ready to be reformatted. Let's go back into Disk Management and reformat the drive. When you open Disk Management, you should be prompted to initialize the disk.

If the drive is smaller than 2 Terabytes, use the MBR (Master Boot Record) partition style. Any drive larger than 2 Terabytes must use the GPT (GUID Partition Table) partition style.

Once you initialize the disk, right-click on the unallocated space and select New Simple Volume.

You will be prompted for the volume size, assigning a drive letter or path, and specifying the format you want the partition in. Using the selected defaults is recommended.

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.

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.

However, 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 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 is that they are all free to use.

CPU-Z

This convenient utility 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 its installed components.

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 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 the ZIP archive, and you are ready to go.

For more information on CPU-Z, 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

Microsoft's Safety Scanner is a powerful utility when it comes to scanning for viruses and malware. Even though the user interface is 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

Have you ever started Windows, and the only thing that appeared was a black screen with a white cursor? Here is how to get the Windows GUI (Graphic User Interface) to appear.

Usually, when you log in to Windows, the Start menu, Taskbar, and Desktop will appear with all of your favorite icons. But there may be a time when all that appears is a black screen with a white mouse cursor.

What has happened is the GUI has failed to load. And believe it or not, it is the File Explorer. But getting a GUI to appear is easy.

How to get the GUI to appear in Windows

1. Press CTRL + ALT + DEL at the same time. This will bring up the Windows Security screen.
   
2. On the Windows Security screen, left-click on Task Manager.
   
3. If when Task Manager appears, there is nothing showing but a message that says There are no running apps, left-click on the arrow next to More Details in the lower left-hand corner. The Task Manager will now show all the details.
   
4. In the upper left-hand corner of Task Manager, left-click on File, then Run new task.
   
5. In the Create new task form that appears, type in Explorer and left-click on OK.
6. The Desktop, Start menu and Taskbar will now appear.