This shortcut will let you boot into the BIOS directly from Windows
The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) is like your computer's backstage manager, making sure the hardware and operating system can talk to each other smoothly and keeping everything running behind the scenes.
To access the BIOS, most people restart their computer and hit a specific key -- this can vary depending on the manufacturer and model. Common keys are F1, F2, F10, F12, Delete, or Esc, and a prompt will usually appear on the screen during startup to tell you which one to press. While this method is fairly simple, there's an even easier way to boot directly into the BIOS from Windows.
How to keep using Windows 10 safely after Microsoft ends support
As of October 14, 2025, Microsoft will officially stop supporting Windows 10, marking the end of the road for regular security updates and technical support.
This doesn’t mean your Windows 10 machine will suddenly stop working of course, but it does mean that keeping it safe and secure will require more proactive measures. Here’s how you can protect your Windows 10 system after official support ends.
How to use Windows Sandbox to open files in a secure environment
Windows Sandbox is a built-in feature of Windows 10 and Windows 11. Its main purpose is to provide a safe environment for running applications. Anything that is executed in the sandbox, e.g., a software that is installed, remains trapped inside. It can’t break out and affect the "real" operating system.
As a consequence, malware, spyware and other unwanted and undesirable code, can’t infect the system or pull data from it.
Get 'Windows 11 For Dummies' for FREE!
Windows 11 promises to be the fastest, most secure, and most flexible version of the Microsoft operating system yet. With a promise like that, of course you want to start using it, as quickly as possible!
Windows 11 For Dummies gives you that speed, security, and flexibility by getting you up to date with the latest in Windows. Windows expert and bestselling author Andy Rathbone gives you a helping hand by showing you how to get around the newly updated Windows 11 interface, how to use the new Windows tools like Teams and widgets, and how to use Android apps.
Running Kodi 20 'Nexus' on Android? You need to make this important change to access your content
Kodi 20 'Nexus' is the highly anticipated next version of the hugely popular cross-platform home theater software. The team behind it has just released a new update, and warns of a problem for anyone running the software on Android 11+.
The issue will be of concern to anyone using USB storage for their media.
Six of the best alternatives to Twitter
Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter has polarized opinion, there are those who think he's a champion of free speech, and those who think it marks the beginning of the end for the blue bird.
But while Twitter was a unique concept when it launched back in 2006 there is now no shortage of other microblogging platforms that operate in a similar way, allowing you to post messages, pick up followers, get into virtual fights, etc.
You need much longer to test the new Windows 11 2022 Update (22H2) -- this secret trick will let you massively extend the rollback time
Microsoft recently released the Windows 11 2022 Update (22H2) followed by a 'moment' update which introduced new features to the OS, including tabs in File Explorer.
If you’ve been reading our coverage of the problems that users have found with the Windows 11 2022 Update you might be concerned about installing it, but don’t worry you can roll back the operating system to your previous build. There’s just one problem -- Microsoft only gives you 10 days to do this, which is hardly any time at all. We think you need longer, much longer, so we’ll show you how to extend this allowance to 60 days.
How to add Windows 10 version information to your desktop
If you run an Insider version of Windows 10, you’ll see a watermark on the bottom right-hand side of the desktop showing the version of Windows you’re running and the current build number.
This makes it easy to see which build you’re on, so you’ll know whether or not you’re up to date.
GitHub now has a cool dark mode -- here's how to apply it
As part of GitHub Universe week, the Microsoft-owned software code hosting platform has announced a number of changes, improvements and new features. These include GitHub Sponsors for companies, auto-merge pull requests, discussions for all public repositories, and dependency review.
For a lot of people though, the big news is GitHub now has a stylish dark mode and you can enable it today.
How to unlock hidden Windows 10 features -- including the brand new Start menu
Two weeks ago, Microsoft began rolling out a refreshed Start menu and personalized taskbar for Windows 10 Insiders on the Dev Channel. The new menu, which removes the solid color backplates behind the logos and adds a translucent background to tiles, comes as part of Build 20161 but isn’t available to everyone. We’ve already shown you one way to force Windows 10 to display this menu, but if you're feeling adventurous we have a second, more powerful method for you to follow.
Microsoft uses a system called Feature Control to hide new and unfinished features from users -- including the new Start menu -- but it’s possible to find and enable these, giving you the chance to test them out before anyone else.
Force Windows 10 to always use YOUR choice of browser and search engine
Windows 10 has a number of things that users find annoying about it, not least that it forces you to use other Microsoft products. Type a web query into the Windows search box, or ask Cortana something, and the results you receive will come from Bing.
Microsoft has recently replaced its old Edge browser with a Chromium version, and while this is a big improvement, the software giant has forced it onto users and made it hard (but thankfully not impossible) to remove.
How to encrypt your entire system -- or just removable media -- with BitLocker in Windows 10 Professional
Your computer almost certainly contains a large amount of sensitive data, whether it is data related to work, or personal information. Computer security is often thought of in terms of keeping hackers and viruses at bay, but you also need to think about the fact that other people could gain physical access to your machine.
It could be that your computer is stolen; it might be that someone finds your computer unattended and decides to access your data; or you might sell your computer and forget to wipe the hard drive. None of these scenarios present a security risk if you use the BitLocker feature of Windows 10 Professional to encrypt your entire system -- there's also BitLocker To Go which can be used to encrypt removable media such as USB drives.
Enable lazy loading in the new Edge to speed up your browsing
The new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge web browser shares many features with other Chromium-based browsers such as Google Chrome, Vivaldi and Opera.
Google started to integrate native lazy loading support in Google Chrome recently (in Chrome 76 to be precise), and it appears that Microsoft added these capabilities to Microsoft Edge as well.
How to enable Google Chrome's secret Reader Mode
Google has released an update for its browser and while Chrome 75 isn’t, at first glance, the most exciting of releases (with the main focus being on fixing bugs), it does contain a nifty hidden feature.
Tucked away inside the browser is a secret Reader Mode. This is disabled by default, but can be enabled easily enough if you know how. Here’s what you need to do.
How to download the Windows 10 May 2019 Update and create your own installation USB flash drive or DVD
Windows 10 May 2019 Update is now rolling out to users with compatible systems.
If you can’t wait to try the new features, the good news is Microsoft has updated its Media Creation tool to include the update and you can use this to download Windows 10 now and create your own installation media on either a USB flash drive or DVD. This is particularly handy if you want to perform a clean install, or update multiple computers in quick succession.
Recent Headlines
Most Commented Stories
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.