drive

This tutorial will show you how to check the current status of TRIM support for SSD drives, and to enable or disable TRIM support on SSD drives with NTFS and ReFS file systems for all users in Windows 10 and Windows 11. When you delete a file on a SSD or NVMe drive, Windows sends a TRIM command...

This tutorial will show you different options that can be used to free up drive space in Windows 11. If your PC is running low on free space, you might not be able to install important Windows updates, and your PC’s performance may be affected. You can pick and choose from within the options...

This tutorial will show you how to delete temporary files on your drives in Windows 11. Windows creates temporary files while installing apps, loading web pages, or running updates. Left unchecked, they can use and hold up storage space. Temporary files serve a purpose in the moment—they help...

This tutorial will show you different ways to check if a drive is considered removable in Windows 11. A removable drive is a type of data storage media (ex: USB) that is easily inserted (connected) and removed from the computer. They can be used as portable devices. Option One: Check if...

This tutorial will show you how to see how much storage space on the Windows "C" drive is currently being used by Recall snapshots for you account in Windows 11. Recall is an experience exclusive to Copilot+ PCs that will help you easily find and remember things you've seen using natural...

This tutorial will show you how to overwrite (secure erase) deleted data on a drive so it can't be recovered or accessed in Windows 10 and Windows 11. When you delete files or folders, the data isn't initially removed from the hard disk. Instead, the space on the disk that was occupied by the...

This tutorial will show you different ways to convert a disk to the MBR or GPT Partition Style in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Disks can be divided into multiple chunks called partitions. Each partition - even if there's only one - has to have a partition style - GPT or MBR. Windows uses the...

This tutorial will show you how to clean (wipe) a disk drive to remove all partition (volume) formatting information on it to un-initialize and erase all data on the disk in Windows 10 and Windows 11. When you clean a disk, the disk will show as "Unknown" and "Not Initialized" with...

This tutorial will show you how to Initialize a new "unknown" RAW disk in Windows 10 and Windows 11. If you add a new disk to your PC, and it doesn't show up in File Explorer, you might need to initialize the disk before you can use it. You can only initialize a drive that's not yet formatted...

This tutorial will show you different ways to create a new partition (volume) using the "unallocated" space on a disk in Windows 10 and Windows 11. When a connected internal or external hard disk has unallocated space on it, you will need to create a New Simple Volume from the unallocated space...

This tutorial will show you different ways to format a connected internal or external drive with an existing partition or volume already assigned a drive letter in Windows 10 and Windows 11. When you format a drive, it erases all existing data on the drive and applies a file system to allow the...

This tutorial will show you how to create a drive shortcut using its unique volume ID to access the drive in Windows 10 and Windows 11. If you removed the drive letter of a volume to hide it so the drive doesn't show under File Explorer > This PC, this shortcut makes it possible to still open...

This tutorial will show you how to check the current temperature of NVMe SSD drives in Windows 11. The normal temperature range for NVMe SSDs typically falls between 35°C and 70°C. When idle, they usually stay around 40°C to 50°C. Under heavy load, temperatures can rise, but it’s best to keep...

This tutorial will show you how to change an internal disk drive status to offline or online as needed in Windows 10 and Windows 11. By default, all newly discovered disks are brought online with read and write access. When you take a disk offline, it is removed from "This PC" in File...

This tutorial will show you how to quickly check if a disk drive is a HDD, SSD, or NVMe type in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Hard disk drive (HDD) = This is the older mechanical magnetic spinner disk. While HDDs are slower than SSD or NVMe, a HDD does offer much larger storage capacity at a...

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable disk write caching for internal storage devices in Windows 10 and Windows 11. Disk Write Caching for internal storage devices is enabled by default. Write caching improves system performance by allowing Windows to cache disk write operations...

This tutorial will show you how to change the removal policy of external storage devices such as USB flash drives or external drives in Windows 11. Windows defines two main policies, Quick removal (default) and Better performance, that control how the system interacts with removable drives...

This tutorial will show you how to add a "USB connections" desktop context menu that allows you to quickly enable or disable new USB storage device connections on demand in Windows 10 and Windows 11. When disabled, any new USB storage device (ex: USB flash drive or external USB drive) connected...

This tutorial will show you how to allow or deny write access to fixed data drives not protected by BitLocker for all users in Windows 10 and Windows 11. BitLocker Drive Encryption is a data protection feature that integrates with the operating system and addresses the threats of data theft or...

This tutorial will show you how to allow or deny write access to removable drives not protected by BitLocker for all users in Windows 10 and Windows 11. BitLocker Drive Encryption is a data protection feature that integrates with the operating system and addresses the threats of data theft or...