7 Hidden Windows Caches & How to Clear Them | Dramel Notes

On a Windows PC, if you have a disk drive with 100 GB capacity, not all of that space is available to you. In fact, if you were to take a peek behind the scenes, you’d be surprised by how much space is taken up by random cache files.

What is a cache? It’s not as technical as it sounds. In the context of computers, a cache is a non-permanent file (or files) that may be needed again in the future, and is therefore kept hidden away until that time comes. Simple, right?

Cache files are important because they boost your system performance, but the downside is that they take up valuable space — and that can be a problem if you have an SSD with limited capacity. The good news is that, in most cases, cache files can be safely erased to clear up disk space.

1. Windows 10 Update Cache

For your convenience, Windows keeps a cache of all Windows Updates files, which can come in handy when you need to re-apply an update. The annoying thing is that Windows Updates can take up a lot of space.

The worst offender is the recent November Update that Microsoft pushed. The update itself is great, but it uses up to 24 GB of cache space and doesn’t automatically clear itself after the update is applied. Imagine what you could do with all of that extra space!

How to clear the Windows Update cache: Before we can delete these files, we have to disable Windows Update to make sure no updates are currently downloading. To do this, open the Start Menu, launch the Command Prompt app, and type:

net stop wuauserv

Next, open File Explorer and navigate to C:WindowsSoftwareDistributionDownload. Inside the Download folder, you can safely delete everything. Afterwards, you should re-enable Windows Update by typing the following into Command Prompt:

net start wuauserv

2. Windows Store Cache

One of the biggest changes in the Windows user experience was the introduction of the Windows Store and Microsoft’s move to turn all of their software into apps. For many users, this move was a jarring one to say the least.

Unfortunately, there’s a lot to dislike about this, including the fake apps in the Windows Store, which is why many have turned to sideloading apps on Windows instead.

And as you might’ve guessed, Windows also caches downloads made through the Windows Store. Not only does this cache take up space, but it can cause problems when downloads are interrupted or improperly stopped. If this happens, clearing the cache may solve any issues you have.

How to clear the Windows Store cache: Microsoft provides a utility called WSReset.exe that clears the cache for you.

Open a Run prompt (using the Windows + R shortcut), type WSReset.exe into the text field, and click OK. A black window will open and it might seem like nothing is happening, but wait it out. It may take a few minutes on slower computers.

When it’s done, the Windows Store will launch. This means the cache has been cleared and you’re good to go.

3. Temp Files Cache

Windows has a system directory that’s dedicated to holding temporary files. Temporary files are usually created as an intermediary while another file is being created or modified, but they can also hold temporary data that’s only needed by a program for a little while.

Unfortunately, not all programs and processes are good about cleaning up after themselves, which means that the system directory for temporary files ends up being cluttered by a whole bunch of unnecessary junk.

It’s usually safe to delete temporary files that haven’t been used in over a week. Thankfully, the built-in tool provided by Windows can handle that for you.

How to clear the Temp Files cache: Open the Start Menu, search for the Disk Cleanup app, and launch it. When prompted, select the drive that Windows is on (usually the C: drive). Wait as it analyzes the file system.

Under the Disk Cleanup tab, uncheck all boxes except for the one labelled Temporary Files, then click OK.

4. Thumbnail Cache

Windows has a setting that allows for thumbnail previews of files. For example, when enabled, an .MP4 video file will be shown with a frame from the video itself while a .PNG image file will be a preview of what the image looks like.

Thumbnails are great from a usability standpoint, but where do you think those thumbnails come from? Windows has to generate them on demand. When you use File Explorer to browse folders, every time you encounter a file for the first time, Windows has to create a thumbnail for it.

Not only does this slow down your day-to-day Windows performance, but all of those newly-generated thumbnail images have to be stored somewhere — the Windows thumbnail cache. It’s a good idea to clear this cache every few months because it can get bloated quickly.

How to clear the Thumbnail cache: Head to the Start Menu, search for the Disk Cleanup app, and open it. When prompted, select your system drive (typically the C: drive) and wait as it analyzes the file system.

Under the Disk Cleanup tab, uncheck all boxes except for the one labelled Thumbnails, then click OK.

5. System Restore Cache

System Restore is one of the most useful features in Windows. It’s easy to think that you’ll never need it, but it’s amazing how quickly people will flip-flop on that stance when their system malfunctions.

You never hope to use System Restore, but when you need to, you hope it’s there. Better to be safe than sorry, right? And even with all of the new troubleshooting options in Windows 10, System Restore is still important, so don’t overlook it.

The downside is that System Restore uses a lot of space. Seriously, a lot of space. After all, it has to cache all of the settings and variables that are necessary for a system restoration.

You can free up this space by clearing saved restore points. You can also reduce the space allocated for System Restore or disable the feature altogether, but be aware that allocating too little space may cause System Restore to malfunction.

How to clear the System Restore cache: Open the Start Menu, search for the System app, and launch it. When it opens, look in the sidebar for the System Protection link and click it.

Under the System Protection tab, select the system drive and click on Configure. At the bottom, click on Delete to erase all restore points saved for your system. If you do, be sure to create another restore point right away!

6. Web Browser Cache

Whenever you visit a webpage, your browser adds that page — including the HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and image files — to the browser’s cache. The next time you visit that same page, your browser uses the cached files to load the page faster.

It’s actually more involved than that, but that’s the general gist of it. It’s nice because the cache reduces the amount of bandwidth you use and improves your web browsing experience, but sometimes the cache can cause problems.

For example, if a webpage changes, but your browser continues to load outdated cache data, the site might not work as intended. That’s why one common troubleshooting technique is to clear your browser cache — this takes you back to a blank slate. Plus, it frees up used disk space.

How to clear the Web Browser cache: Every browser has its own cache-clearing process, but none of them are too complicated.

In Firefox, open the Options menu, go to the Advanced section, select the Network tab, and click the Clear Now button where it says Cached Web Content.

In Chrome, open the Settings menu, scroll down and click on Show Advanced Settings, under Privacy click on Clear Browsing Data, select the Cached Images and Files option, and make sure to clear from “the beginning of time”.

In Opera, open the Settings menu, go to the Privacy & Security section, under Privacy click on Clear Browsing Data, select the Cached Images and Files option, and make sure to clear from “the beginning of time”.

7. DNS Cache

When you access a website, your computer is essentially requesting web data from another computer on the Internet — but how does your computer know to contact that specific computer? It uses something called the Domain Name System.

The Domain Name System is a network of computers that route Internet traffic between them. Think of it like a postal service: mail gets moved from sender to multiple post offices before finally arriving at the recipient, except we’re talking about Internet data instead of mail.

Whenever Windows learns of a certain route — e.g. from your computer to MakeUseOf’s servers — it temporarily remembers that route in its DNS cache. However, when the DNS route changes, your cached copy of the route becomes outdated, and this can cause problems (like not being able to load a website).

How to clear the DNS cache: Clearing the DNS cache is absolutely harmless. At best, it’ll fix whatever routing problems you were having. At worst, it won’t do anything. The clearing process is really simple, too.

Open the Start Menu, search for the Command Prompt app, and launch it. Then type the following:

ipconfig /flushdns

How Do You Free Up Disk Space?

For a more thorough cleaning of your system, we really recommend using a tool like CCleaner, which is optimized to scan your entire system and free up space by deleting anything that won’t have a long-term negative impact on your system.

However, even CCleaner isn’t sharp enough to do everything listed above. Some things, like wiping the DNS cache, will just have to be done manually.

What other Windows caches can be safely cleared without fear of system failure? What do you do when you need to free up disk space? Tell us about it in the comments!

Image Credit: Global Network by teerayut taf via Shutterstock

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Are RAM Drives Faster Than SSDs? 5 Things You Must Know | Dramel Notes

Looking for a way to speed up your PC? Of course you are. And while there are plenty of hardware upgrades that give you more power, a simple software tweak has the ability to get your computer reading and writing files tens of times faster.

This tweak is known as a RAM drive — also called a RAM disk — and it uses nothing more than your existing system resources. But what exactly does it do, and can it replace a solid state drive? You might be surprised.

What Is a RAM Drive?

A RAM drive is a drive that delivers considerably faster performance than either a traditional hard drive or even a solid state drive, but it’s not a device you can buy from the store and install in your computer — it’s a virtual drive that uses your system’s RAM like a disk drive.

The idea is that RAM has much faster read and write speeds than normal physical storage, so if you store certain files or applications on it, you could see a significant performance boost. It isn’t ideal for everything, though, and you’re limited to a relatively low capacity. But if you have spare RAM on your computer it can offer some benefits.

How to Set Up a RAM Drive

Setting up a RAM drive is essentially as simple as installing a piece of software — such as SoftPerfect RAMDisk on Windows or RAMDisk Manager on Mac — and then choosing how large you want the drive to be.

A RAM drive makes use of system RAM. When the drive is mounted — which it will be every time you boot your computer — any memory that is allocated to the drive will not be able to function as traditional RAM.

As such, you should only use excess RAM for the disk. So, if you have 8 GB of total RAM and create a 4 GB RAM drive, your system will be left with just 4 GB of usable RAM (which will impact general system performance). Conversely, if you have 12 GB of RAM and find that only 8 to 10 GB is routinely in use, you could spare a couple of those gigabytes for a RAM drive.

Once set up, you just need to decide what you will be using your new drive for.

The Benefits of a RAM Drive

There are several benefits to setting up and using a RAM drive, which should influence when you choose to use one.

Faster Read and Write Speeds

The main benefit to a RAM drive is its increased read and write speeds compared to an SSD or hard drive. It will be multiple times faster than even the fastest solid state drive.

Running our own quick benchmark test using XBench on a Macbook Air showed that write speeds for a RAM drive were an average of 4.5 times faster than the built-in SSD and read speeds were 6.3 times faster.

You get the best results, therefore, when working with very big files such as videos and layered Photoshop images, or even when uncompressing large zip or rar files. These can all be slow and unwieldy to work with, especially on a hard drive, so the added speed of a RAM drive will be instantly noticeable.

RAM also generates less heat and it isn’t susceptible to wear over time, nor does it have the finite limit on read/write cycles that physical drives have.

Improved Security

There are also potential security advantages because RAM is erased when a computer’s power supply is cut off.

This can be a significant negative when the shutdown is unexpected, but if you choose to save your app caches (such as a browser cache) or other sensitive data to a RAM drive, you can easily set the software to ensure it will be wiped when you power down your PC.

Which is not to say that using a RAM drive for caches is a good thing. Modern operating systems store cache data in RAM automatically so that it can be retrieved quickly. If the operating system needs that RAM for another function, then it discards the cached data. When using a RAM drive, the operating system cannot reclaim the RAM for anything else.

The Downsides of a RAM Drive

By now, RAM drives probably sound pretty compelling. But there are two big factors that hold it back.

Limited Total Capacity

As far as how big a RAM drive can be, we’re talking about relatively small capacities. Consumer PCs rarely have more than 16 GB of RAM, and most household computers have way less than that. Assuming you want to keep at least 4 GB to use as RAM, you’ll be looking at only a few gigabytes to assign to your RAM drive.

Don’t think of it as an alternative to an SSD, which is one of the best PC upgrades you can make if you really need the storage space. Rather, think of RAM drives as a companion to SSDs and hard drives.

RAM Is Volatile

Second, and more importantly, RAM is volatile. This means that it needs power to retain its memory contents. As such, a RAM drive isn’t a good choice for storing important files since it loses its data each time it is powered down.

RAM disk tools offer some protection against this by writing the drive’s contents to the main hard drive when you shut the PC down, and then reloading it into RAM when the PC boots. Inevitably, this does have the effect of significantly lengthening startup and shutdown times, as several gigabytes of data will have to be written to or retrieved from the hard drive each time.

Some RAM drive utilities, such as Primo Ramdisk or the Pro versions of RAMDisk, are more efficient and make continuous or incremental backups in order to reduce the shutdown time. But sudden power failure will always leave you vulnerable to a certain level of data loss.

RAM Drives vs. Solid State Drives

The above negatives cannot be overlooked. Seriously, the limited capacity and danger of data loss must not be underestimated — and neither should the fact that you can potentially undermine the efficiency of your system if you permanently allocate resources to a job that the operating system would normally manage dynamically.

So while a RAM disk beats an SSD for speed, it is not right for everyone.

If you’re stuck with a slow hard drive, a RAM drive can be an effective short-term solution in lieu of a proper upgrade to an SSD (or better still, a hybrid drive). Just remember that the hardware upgrade is the better option in the long run.

Or if you frequently work with very large files you may see a real improvement. You could even install slow-loading video games into a RAM drive, if you have enough memory to make one large enough.

Either way, they’re easy enough to set up (and remove), so if you’re looking for a little boost for free, there’s no harm in giving RAM drives a try and seeing how they work for you.

Have you used a RAM drive? Would you consider setting one up? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Image Credits: RAM via Eric Hamiter, RAMDisk Manager via macmagna.com, Hybrid drive via Yutaka Tsutano

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How to Troubleshoot Printer Problems on a Windows PC | Dramel Notes

The paperless office isn’t yet here for many of us, and printers are still a fact of life. If your printer isn’t working quite right on a Windows PC, here are some simple troubleshooting tips that can fix it.

Obviously, the first steps are the most obvious. Verify your printer is plugged in, powered on, and connected to your computer (or the Wi-Fi network, if it’s a Wi-Fi printer). These may seem obvious, but sometimes we forget to check the simple things before checking the more complex ones.

Check the Paper

First, ensure your printer is in proper working state. Verify that the printer has paper loaded if it isn’t printing. Even if you’ve loaded paper, you may need to properly align the paper so the printer can use it. Check the inside of the printer to ensure there isn’t a paper jam preventing the printer from working. If there is, you may need to manually remove the jammed paper and clear things up.

Check the Ink or Toner

Of course, you’ll need enough ink (if it’s an inkjet printer) or toner (if it’s a laser printer) before you can print. Even if you’re just printing in black-and-white, some inkjet printers may refuse to print at all until you refill their color ink.

To check your printer’s ink levels on Windows, open the Devices and Printers window in Windows. You can do so by opening the Control Panel and clicking “View devices and printers” under Hardware and Sound. You may be able to select a printer by clicking it and view this information at the bottom of the window, or right-click a printer, select “Properties”, and look for the ink or toner levels.

Many printers report that sort of information here, although not all do — it depends on the printer and its drivers. You may also be able to see this information on the printer itself, if it has a built-in status display.

Check the Print Queue Dialog

Problems with printing could also be caused by issues with Windows. To ensure nothing is going wrong, open the print queue dialog in Windows. You can open a printer’s queue by right-clicking that printer in the Devices & Printers window and selecting “See what’s printing”. If you see an older document that can’t print with an error, right-click the document here and remove it. If a printer job is paused, you can resume it from here.

You should also click the “Printer” menu here and verify that “Use printer offline” isn’t enabled. If this option is checked, remove the checkmark to disable it.

Install, Update, or Reinstall Your Printer Drivers

You may need to install, update, or reinstall the printer drivers if it isn’t working properly. Printers should ideally “just work” and have their drivers automatically installed by Windows, but this doesn’t always work. To do this, visit your printer manufacturer’s website, download their driver package, and run the driver installer. It’ll walk you through installing the printer drivers and detecting your printer.

Use the Printer’s Diagnostics

You might need to use a diagnostic function that will clean the printer’s heads or nozzles, or realign them. This option will be in a slightly different place in each printer, depending on the printer’s software. On Windows, open the Devices and Printers window, right-click a printer, select “Properties”, and examine the options here to see what options are available for your particular printer. These options are provided by your printer drivers, and you may find them somewhere else — for example, in a printer configuration utility located in your Start menu.

This can help fix problems with poor print quality, too.

Set Your Default Printer

Windows 10’s “November update” changed the way default printers work on Windows. By default, every time you print to a printer, Windows will automatically make it your default printer. This would be inconvenient if you wanted to leave one particular printer as your default one and occasionally print to another one.

To disable this, open the Settings app from the Start menu or Start screen, select “Devices”, select “Printers & scanners”, and disable the “Let Windows manage my default printer” option.

You can then select a default printer by clicking or tapping it in this window and clicking “Set as default”. You can also right-click a printer in the Devices and Printers window and select “Set as Default Printer”.

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If your printer has a physical control panel with buttons on it, you may need to press the “OK” button one or more times if it’s displaying a status message. Some printers may just not print until you press “OK” and verify you’ve seen a displayed status message. This control panel may also display more detailed error message that will point you in the right direction and give you something to search for if it isn’t working properly.

Lots of things can go wrong with a printer, and some printers — especially older ones — may display confusing error messages. If your printer shows a particular error message and you’re not sure what it means, you should try searching the web for that particular error message.

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The Ultimate List of Gift Ideas Under $100 for PC Gamers | Dramel Notes

So you have a friend or family member who loves PC gaming and it’s up to you to find a gift they’ll think is awesome? Not only that, but you’re limited to a $100 budget? No problem! There are so many potential gifts that fit the bill.

For each gift category below, we’ll do our best to present options ranging from cheap to expensive, so you can be sure that you’ll see something worth getting no matter your budget.

Gaming Mice

A good mouse is essential for a PC gamer because the mouse is something that’s used 24/7. It has to be comfortable in the hand and it has to be robust because it’s going to endure a lot of punishment over the years.

Which is why something like the Logitech G502 Proteus Core is so nice. Not only can the optical sensor be tuned, but the weight and balance can be adjusted by removing internal weights, plus it has 11 programmable buttons and 5 DPI settings.

For something a little cheaper, you could get the Logitech G600, which is designed more for MMO games. It has 20 programmable buttons plus a shift trigger that allows each button to also have an alternate function. Read our full review of the Logitech G600 for more details.

But at the end of the day, PC gamers don’t need fancy mice, so you could save even more money with something like the Logitech M500 (wired) or the Logitech M510 (wireless). Both are very good for the price and will last a long time without issue.

And what good is a great mouse without an equally great mouse pad? While most mouse pads get the job done, nothing beats the quality and flexibility of a SteelSeries QcK Gaming Mouse Pad. The combination of cloth surface and rubber base makes it perfectly comfortable.

Plus, it can be thrown in the washer for easy cleaning. The QcK should be big enough for most gamers, but if it isn’t, you can alternatively get the SteelSeries QcK+ Gaming Mouse Pad for just a little bit more.

Gaming Keyboards

As far as gaming keyboards are concerned, nothing beats a mechanical keyboard: they’re durable, tactile, and often provide functionality that’s unavailable on a normal membrane-based keyboard. Needless to say, buying a mechanical keyboard isn’t easy.

But don’t worry! We’ll help you find a good one. There’s no need to go out and dump all your money on heavy duty gaming mechanical keyboards that cost hundreds of dollars when you can get something like the Logitech G710 Cherry MX Blue for half the price of a more trendy brand.

If the size of a traditional “gaming keyboard” is too big, you can opt for a compact model instead, such as the CM Storm QuickFire TK Cherry MX Blue. It has all of the goodness of a mechanical keyboard without wasting precious desktop space.

To save even more money, you’ll have to get a non-mechanical keyboard — which is fine for gaming, but won’t provide as luxurious an experience. In that case, you would do well with a Razer DeathStalker Gaming Keyboard.

And if you seriously need a budget gift, the Redragon Karura K502 Gaming Keyboard is about as cheap as you should go. It’s great for the price, but don’t expect it to be awesome or durable.

Gaming Controllers

Even on a PC, some games are simply better when played with a controller (also known as a gamepad). That’s why every serious gamer should have at least one controller in their arsenal.

Both the Xbox 360 Wired Controller and the Xbox 360 Wireless Controller work flawlessly on Windows XP, 7, 8.1, and 10. Just be aware that these controllers will only work with games that use XInput as opposed to DirectInput.

However, you may actually like the Steam Controller by Valve better than all other options. It’s a bit pricey, but it works well on Windows, Mac, Linux, and SteamOS, plus it has an ergonomic design and looks very cool.

For the more budget-conscious buyers, the Logitech F310 Gamepad is pretty darn good for its absurdly low price point. It works out of the box on Windows XP, 7, 8.1, and 10, plus there’s a switch on the back to toggle between XInput and DirectInput.

Gaming Headsets

Headsets are critical for a top-notch gaming experience. Even though you can get better audio quality from dedicated headphones, the headset combination of headphones and microphone in one device is super convenient when worn and for transport.

In the $100 price range, there are few choices as strong as the HyperX Cloud II Gaming Headset, which is recommended by many gamers and for good reason: it’s noise-cancelling, echo-cancelling, and capable of virtual 7.1 surround sound. The detachable microphone is a bonus.

A more budget-friendly option is its predecessor, the HyperX Cloud Gaming Headset, which you can get for about two-thirds the price. It lacks the noise-cancelling, the echo-cancelling, and the virtual 7.1 surround sound, but it’s very comfortable and has the detachable microphone.

If you go much cheaper than that, you risk buying a headset that will break within a year However, there are some great budget gaming headsets out there, and if you really can’t afford to go higher, then we recommend the Creative Fatal1ty Gaming Headset. It’s unbeatable for the price.

Webcams

For PC gamers who want to stream their play sessions, a quality webcam is a must-have. The good thing is that a webcam can be used for so many things, so this is one of the most practical purchases you can make.

Under $100, there’s nothing that has more bang-for-the-buck than the Logitech HD Pro C920. This webcam has been first in its class year after year with its 1080p video, integrated H.264 compression, dual microphones, and light correction even in low-light situations.

We highly recommend the C920, and if you can’t afford it, we recommend saving up until you can. It’s that good. But if you absolutely need something right now, you could settle for the Logitech HD C310 instead.

This webcam is only capable of 720p video, only has one microphone, and can’t handle low-light situations as well. We’re only listing it here because it’s the best available at its price, but seriously, if you can, just get the C920 instead. You won’t regret it.

Microphones

We covered headsets above, but some PC gamers prefer to use a standalone microphone to a headset microphone — mainly because the quality of the former is way better.

A professional condenser microphone can cost a few hundred dollars, which is far outside the limits of this article, but there’s one product that can deliver similar results for much less: the Yeti USB Microphone by Blue Microphones, which works out of the box on Windows and Mac.

By going cheaper, you sacrifice a bit of quality — both audio quality and build quality — but if you think it’s worth it, there’s nothing wrong with buying something like the Samson Meteor USB Studio Mic or Samson Meteorite USB Condenser Mic.

But more recently there’s been a trend towards clip-on microphones as alternatives to standalone microphones. The Korg Clip-On Microphone, for example, can be attached to a headphone cable or shirt lapel. Quite handy and flexible.

The Korg is so cheap that it really isn’t worth going even cheaper, but just for completion’s sake, you could also consider the Zalman ZM-Mic1 Clip-On Microphone, which arguably started the clip-on microphone trend among gamers.

Cable Management

As you might imagine, a gamer who’s fully decked out in peripherals and gear will have to contend with a lot of loose cords. You’d be surprised how far a little cable management can go towards organization and cleanliness.

For example, headphones and headsets can take up a lot of space when laid astrewn, which is when something like the Turtle Beach Universal Headset Stand comes in handy. It looks great and fits any kind of headphone from any brand, whether wired or wireless.

Mouse cords are another big bother for many PC gamers, which makes the Razer Mouse Bungee an awesome buy. It completely eliminates the issue of the mouse cord getting caught on random things.

In general, though, cable management is made easier with the Quirky Cordies Cable Manager and the OmniMount Neoprene Cable Manager — two products that anyone who frets over disorganized cables should have.

What Are Your PC Gift Ideas?

All in all, there are plenty of options if you need a gift for a PC gamer. Some are expensive while others could pass as stocking stuffers, but there’s no denying the fact that all of the above products are extremely practical.

Are there any gift ideas we missed? What would you give to some who loves PC games? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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How to Create an ISO Image of Your Windows System | Dramel Notes

Need a quick and easy way to backup and restore Windows without relying on backup tools or the cloud for your personal data? While plenty of third party Windows backup and restore tools are available, it’s time to learn how to make an ISO image of your Windows PC.

Images vs. Backups

We all know that backing up our data is important, especially when upgrading to a new version of Windows. But rather than fiddle around with partitions purely for personal data, or cloud storage, which might be slow to restore your vital files and folders, wouldn’t it be great to be able to simply take a backup of your entire Windows installation?

Such a backup might be configured to include your personal folders, but omit apps and games, or you could opt to create an image of your entire system drive. Naturally, you would need a suitable volume of storage for such a backup.

Thanks to the ISO image format, it is possible to back up your data – essentially create an exact copy of your entire drive or selected directories – and restore it relatively quickly should disaster strike. ISO files can also be used to back up existing CDs and DVDs, a useful means of reducing reliance on physical media.

Images and Disk Upgrade or Replacement

One popular use for disk images is creating a clone of your hard storage (hard disk drive or solid state drive), which might be on its last legs.

DataNumen Disk Image is one such solution, runs on all versions of Windows and is available as freeware. Known as DDKI, this solution is straightforward. After downloading and installing the utility, use the Clone tab to select the drive you wish to make an image of; to clone multiple drives, use the Batch Clone tab.

Select the destination location and assign a filename in the Output image file as box, where you should select the target disk drive – the device purchased to replace the old HDD.

Begin by clicking Start Cloning. When complete, your disc will be copied to its destination device, ready to use. Our look at HDD cloning covers the topic in greater depth.

Create an ISO Before Upgrading to Windows 10

Creating an ISO image of your Windows installation is a great solution to any concerns you might have about upgrading to Windows 10.

Worried your PC may not boot after the upgrade? Heard horror stories from your friends at work? While issues with a Windows 10 upgrade are unusual, they can be utterly frustrating, and often when upgrading from Windows 7 and 8, it isn’t possible to automatically roll back the installation.

This is where an ISO image comes in.

You might alternatively have already upgraded to Windows 10, and want to create an ISO image before you downgrade to Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.

Creating an ISO Disk Image in Windows 7

While Microsoft may recommend you backup your files rather than rely on complete system images, there’s no reason not to have an ISO disk image ready for a disaster recovery scenario. This might be an image of the system in its current state, or of a freshly installed Windows 7, complete with all of the apps you regularly need (such as Microsoft Office, perhaps). Backing up to an ISO disk image is part of the Windows 7 backup and restore feature.

To create a system image in Windows 7, open Start > Getting Started and then Back up your files. On the left-hand pane, click Create a system image, and select the destination.

This might be an external hard disk drive or some other large volume. Multiple DVDs can be written to, if necessary, or if you have a Blu-ray writer, this should also be an option.

Do you have a home server, or some large storage on your network, perhaps in the shape of a purchased NAS (or a DIY device, perhaps using a Raspberry Pi)? If so, you can use the On a network location option. If you want to use a USB flash device, connect this to your computer in advance and select it as the destination – or use one of these bootable USB tools.

With your selection made, it is time to select the drives to include in the backup. It is unusual for multiple drives to be required, but in most cases you will need to ensure that the System drive (by default the C: drive) is selected. The device you selected for the backup will not be listed here.

The confirmation screen will detail how much space will be taken up by the backup. Check this to ensure the figure matches the remaining space on the target device. Proceed with the backup, and wait while it completes; the duration will differ, based on the size of the backup and the speed of the drive.

Restoring the Windows 7 Disk Image

Once complete, Windows will suggest you create a system restore disc. This is a good idea, so find a blank disc and follow the instructions. You can then use this to boot your PC and select the System Image Recovery option to restore the ISO Disk Image of your Windows installation following a disaster scenario.

Note that other system restore discs are available, although conversely these may not have the disk image restore functionality.

Natively Create ISO Disk Images in Windows 8.1 and Windows 10

The same tool for creating a disk image is available in later versions of Windows. You ideally need to have upgraded Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 before proceeding here.

To find the system image creation tool, press Start and type “file history“. The automatic search will display the File History entry first, so click this to open the File History tool, then System Image Backup in the lower left corner.

You can then proceed as detailed above. With the ISO backup created, use the steps for Windows 8.1, below, to restore the image in Windows 10. In a disaster recovery scenario, you will need to boot into the Windows 10 equivalent of Safe Mode to restore the image.

Restoring Your Windows 8.1 Disk Image

If a Windows 10 upgrade doesn’t work out for you (perhaps you’ll experience a reboot loop), having an ISO image to fall back on is a massive advantage. You can restore the Windows 8.1 disk image in Window’s Advanced options screen, which you will find by pressing F8 repeatedly when your PC boots up (or holding SHIFT as you click Restart).

In Advanced Startup Options, select Repair your Computer > System Image Recovery and follow the instructions, ensuring that Windows can find the ISO file.

Note that even if you have the Windows 8.1 installation media you can still restore the disk image. At the Install now screen, use the Repair your computer link and then Repair.

From here you’ll be redirected to the Advanced Startup menu, so select Troubleshoot > Advanced options > System Image Recovery, following instructions to restore your Windows ISO system image.

ISO Like this Solution!

As you can see, creating an ISO image backup of your entire Windows system is perfect for backing up in advance of a major system upgrade. Additionally, the speed with which the ISO can be created and subsequently restored should make it a far more attractive option than just backing up your data and hoping for the best.

Have you used ISO system images to backup and restore Windows? Did it help you avert a Windows 10 upgrade disaster scenario? Tell us all about it in the comments.

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5 Reasons Why You Should Upgrade Your PC Motherboard | Dramel Notes

When you want to make quick upgrades to PC performance, the first choices should always be increasing RAM or switching hard disk drives to solid state drives. But when you’ve exhausted your upgrade options, it’s probably time to roll up your sleeves and start looking at more intense upgrades.

One important upgrade is the motherboard. A newer motherboard opens up a range of options for your PC that we’ll cover in a moment, but it also leads to additional compatibility upgrades that can be quite expensive.

When you’re sure you want to make the leap, though, the motherboard gives you the biggest bang for your buck in terms of refreshing that tired old PC that’s still tired and sluggish after cheaper upgrades.

1. For Faster CPUs

If your CPU is rather new, the performance gains that come from upgrading to a newer one are going to be fairly minimal. If you have a first generation Core i5 or Core i7, however, you’re going to notice massive gains jumping to a newer Skylake processor.

But to do that, you’ll have to have a motherboard that supports the upgrade.

On another note, if you’re upgrading for the sake of gaming, save your money and upgrade your graphics card instead. Most modern games lean more heavily on your GPU than your CPU.

2. For Faster RAM

Making the upgrade to newer iterations of RAM requires a motherboard that will support those new RAM modules. If you’re currently using DDR3, for example, you can’t make the jump to DDR4 or, eventually, DDR5 without swapping out the motherboard and the CPU first.

The performance increase between DDR3 and DDR4, however, isn’t all that mind-blowing. If speed is the sole reason for the upgrade, rethink where you’re spending your money.

3. For Better Graphics Cards

All of the above reasons are good, but in my opinion, this is the single greatest reason to upgrade your motherboard.

If you’re a gamer or video editor, a new CPU/motherboard combination and a higher-performance GPU will make your PC feel like an entirely different machine. Games will run faster and with less lag, all while letting you increase the in-game settings to run at more graphically-intense levels than your previous card. (Depending on when you last upgraded, that is.)

If you’re not a gamer, and you’re more of a casual Internet user, the best bang for your buck is going to be a RAM or SSD upgrade, and you can skip GPU upgrades altogether.

4. For Faster Data Transfers

Making the upgrade to SATA III or USB 3.0 increases the transfer speed of data from one piece of hardware to another. For example, SATA III has a maximum rated speed of 6 Gbps and USB 3.0 tops out at 5 Gbps. Both are plenty fast enough for simple file and data transfers, but the highest-end SSDs top out around 2 Gbps in terms of transfer speed. Most don’t even hit that mark.

There are other considerations at play, such as SATA III being faster than USB 3.0 due to drive options like native queueing, and USB 3.0’s disadvantage of being a shared bus, but the reality of the matter is that both are fast enough for what you’ll need them to do, neither will hit their max speeds, and you’ll probably have to upgrade your motherboard on an older system in order to use them.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows in upgrade land, however. For those of you that don’t have a lot of experience in building your own PCs and don’t typically catch on to written tutorials all that quickly, you may be spending additional cash to fix novice mistakes.

5. You Have Damaged Parts

Damaged motherboards are an infrequent but huge problem. Snapped pins, disconnected plugs, static electricity discharge, and other issues will all lead you back to the repair shop to buy new plugs, or, hopefully, to get a professional installation.

Same thing goes for fire damage, smoke damage, water damage, and even physical trauma from impact.

Remember, the CPU/motherboard upgrade is one of the most expensive upgrades you can make to your existing PC. If you aren’t confident in your ability to match up parts or to correctly piece everything together once you’re in the midst of your build, it’s always going to be best to opt for a professional installation rather than the cost of replacing damaged hardware.

Beware of Issues With Compatibility

To facilitate an upgrade, you’ll need to match up your new hardware to your existing hardware — or you can go buy a set of all new equipment.

The most crucial bit is that the motherboard and CPU must match. More specifically, the motherboard CPU socket needs to match that of the CPU’s socket. For example, if the motherboard supports LGA 1150, your CPU must support that as well.

There are other considerations too, such as BIOS compatibility, TDP support, and the number of SATA ports. It’s best to find a recommendation for a good pairing before tackling this yourself as a novice.

DDR3, DDR4 and the emergence of DDR5 means that you’ll have to take extra caution to ensure that your motherboard/CPU combo is capable of handling the specified memory you select. If it’s not, you’ll need to upgrade. Unfortunately, there isn’t a workaround for this one, but you can write it off as a learning experience.

The RAM’s frequencies and voltage must also match up to the motherboard’s desired range. 1,333, 1,600, 1,866, 2,133 and 2,400 MHz with voltages of 1.65v should match up equally to the stated range of the motherboard.

Meaning, if you have 2,400 MHz RAM and use it with a 2,133 MHz CPU at 1.65v, you could run into compatibility issues that could be detrimental to performance or lead to machine failure.

Remember, the motherboard connects to the CPU, RAM, HDD, GPU, and other hardware, so it’s not only important to ensure compatibility, but also that you aren’t experiencing a bottleneck in the system somewhere.

No matter how fast your CPU/motherboard combination is, it’s still reliant on existing adapter cards that control sound, video, storage, and processing speed (as it relates to RAM). If any of these items are on their last leg, incompatible, or lagging behind in performance, your entire machine can slow to a crawl with or without the new CPU/motherboard combo.

How often do you replace your motherboard? What are you currently using? Let us know in the comments below.

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How to Enable Full-Disk Encryption on Windows 10 | Dramel Notes

Windows 10 sometimes uses encryption by default, and sometimes it doesn’t — it’s complicated. Here’s how to check if your Windows 10 PC’s storage is encrypted and how to encrypt it if it isn’t. Encryption isn’t just about stopping the NSA — it’s about protecting your sensitive data in case you ever lose your PC.

Unlike all other modern consumer operating systems — Mac OS X, Chrome OS, iOS, and Android, –Windows 10 still doesn’t offer integrated encryption tools to everyone. You may have to pay for the Professional edition of Windows 10 or use a third-party encryption solution.

Device Encryption

Many new PCs that ship with Windows 10 will automatically have “Device Encryption” enabled. This feature was first introduced in Windows 8.1, and there are specific hardware requirements for this.

There’s another limitation, too — it only actually encrypts your drive if you sign into Windows with a Microsoft account. Your recovery key is then uploaded to MIcrosoft’s servers. This will help you recover your files if you ever can’t log into your PC. (This is also why the FBI likely isn’t too worried about this feature, but we’re just recommending encryption as a means to protect your data from laptop thieves here. If you’re worried about the NSA, you may want to use a different encryption solution.)

To check if Device Encryption is enabled, open the Settings app, navigate to System > About, and look for a “Device encryption” setting at the bottom of the About pane. If you don’t see anything about Device Encryption here, your PC doesn’t support Device Encryption and it’s not enabled.

BitLocker

If Device Encryption isn’t enabled — or if you want a more powerful encryption solution that can also encrypt removable USB drives, for example — you’ll want to use BitLocker. Microsoft’s BitLocker encryption tool has been part of Windows for several versions now, and it’s generally well regarded. However, Microsoft still restricts BitLocker to Professional editions of Windows 10.

If you already have a Professional edition of Windows 10 installed on your PC, you can search for “BitLocker” in the Start menu and use the BitLocker control panel to enable it. If you upgraded for free from Windows 7 Professional or Windows 8.1 Professional, you should have Windows 10 Professional.

If you don’t have a Professional edition of Windows 10, you can pay $99 to upgrade your Windows 10 Home to Windows 10 Professional. Just open the Settings app, navigate to Update & security > Activation, and click the “Go to Store” button. You’ll gain access to BitLocker and the other features that Windows 10 Professional includes.

TrueCrypt and Its Derivatives

Spending another $99 just to encrypt your hard drive for some additional security can be a tough sell when modern Windows PCs often only cost a few hundred bucks in the first place. You don’t have to pay the extra money for encryption because BitLocker isn’t the only option. BitLocker is the most integrated, well-supported option — but there are other encryption tools you can use.

TrueCrypt — an open-source full-disk encryption tool — still works with Windows 10 and is still an option. There are also other full-disk encryption tools based on TrueCrypt. These are free, open-source encryption tools you can install on Windows 10 Home or previous versions of Windows to encrypt your hard drive if you don’t have access to BitLocker. Unfortunately, TrueCrypt might require some fiddling if you have a modern PC. But, if you have a Windows 7-era PC you’ve upgraded to Windows 10, it may just work.

Yes, TrueCrypt’s developers did famously shut down development and declare TrueCrypt vulnerable and unsafe to use, but the jury is still out in the security community on whether it actually is vulnerable or not. More importantly, much of the discussion around this centers on whether the NSA and other security agencies have a way to crack TrueCrypt encryption. If you’re just encrypting your hard drive so thieves can’t access your personal files if they steal your laptop, you don’t have to worry about this. TrueCrypt should be more than secure enough.

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We’d like to see Microsoft give more Windows 10 users access to BitLocker — or at least extend Device Encryption so it can be enabled on more PCs. Modern Windows computers should have built-in encryption tools, just like all other modern consumer operating systems do. Windows 10 users shouldn’t have to pay extra or hunt down third-party software to protect their important data if their laptops are ever misplaced or stolen..

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