Jim Hillier – Daves Computer Tips

How To Prevent Windows Updating Drivers

Jim Hillier — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 05:01:43 +0000

Device drivers are programs that allow the operating system to communicate with hardware devices. When it comes to driver updates, the old saying “if it isn’t broken, it doesn’t need fixing” well and truly applies. The one possible exception is graphics card drivers, which often include support for newer games/technology, but even then, the preferred option is to download updated drivers…

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Beware This Phishing Email From ‘Microsoft’

Jim Hillier — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 06:09:45 +0000

I recently received an email supposedly coming from Microsoft. However, it is clearly a phishing email purely designed to entice users into giving up their Microsoft Account login details. It’s also a prime example of common phishing traits: BOTTOM LINE: I cannot remember ever receiving such an obvious phishing email. As I said earlier, this one includes pretty much all of the common…

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Easily Debloat Windows With ‘Winhance’

Jim Hillier — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 11:17:41 +0000

Looking for an easy solution to slim down Windows? Look no further! Based on a suggestion from one of our regular readers, I checked out “Winhance,” a free and open-source Windows debloat/enhancement utility to see what it offered, and I must say I am very impressed. Many thanks to Reg for the suggestion. There are quite a few Windows debloat/slimming tools around at the moment…

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How To Disable Browser AI, Telemetry, & More

Jim Hillier — Tue, 27 Jan 2026 05:43:00 +0000

NOTE: Applies to Chrome, Edge, and Firefox only. Corbin Davenport, a tech writer, software developer, and podcaster, has released a tool to help users remove AI features, telemetry data reporting, sponsored content, product integrations, and other annoyances from the Chrome, Edge, and Firefox browsers. Corbin’s project, appropriately named “Just the Browser“, consists of various scripts to…

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2 Little Known Windows Tricks

Jim Hillier — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 05:10:19 +0000

Here are a couple of Windows tricks that I pretty much guarantee you don’t know about. This trick creates a one-click option to quickly shut down the PC, and it’s achieved via an obscure file that’s been tucked away in the System32 folder for many years: Now, when you double-click the new shortcut, a “shade” will drop halfway down the screen. Slide the shade down with the mouse to…

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How To Quickly & Easily Convert Any File

Jim Hillier — Tue, 20 Jan 2026 05:05:21 +0000

How would you like to have an option in the right-click menu to quickly and easily convert any file, right there in File Explorer? That’s what you get with this terrific freeware with the rather exotic name, File Converter. Thanks to fellow author and friend Marc Thomas, who recommended File Explorer in the first place. I’m not one who needs to frequently convert files, and in the past…

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Windows 11’s New LARGE Start Menu

Jim Hillier — Mon, 19 Jan 2026 05:04:28 +0000

For months, I’ve been reading about a new Start menu in Windows 11 but hadn’t seen it in either of my Windows 11 systems… until now. The new Start menu was installed on one of my Windows 11 machines yesterday, and now I’m not sure if it might have been better for it to remain unseen. It’s large, very large. By my calculations, around 50% larger than the old Start menu: (on a 27″ monitor)…

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Rant: TV Shows & Movies Jumping Timelines

Jim Hillier — Thu, 15 Jan 2026 05:52:42 +0000

Why do modern screenwriters insist on showing the end of a TV show or movie first and then tell the story of how we got to that point after? It drives me nuts! It seems that jumping around with the timeline in movies and TV shows has become very fashionable. My wife and I recently watched a TV series that kept switching between three different timelines every 10 minutes or so…

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Windows Heading To Full-Blown AI?

Jim Hillier — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 05:37:10 +0000

In all my years of witnessing the introduction of new tech, I’ve never seen anything to match the rapid uptake of AI. The fact that AI is as yet far from perfected doesn’t seem to bother the tech giants as they continue to battle it out for dominance – and the question of whether consumers want AI or not seems to have gotten lost in the heat of battle. Not the least of those AI-mad advocates is…

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Google Is Developing A Rival To Windows 11

Jim Hillier — Mon, 12 Jan 2026 05:01:58 +0000

Reports are circulating that Google is in the process of developing a new PC operating system as direct competition to Microsoft’s Windows 11, with a launch date expected to be sometime within the next 12 months. Microsoft has clearly upset a lot of traditional Windows users with its “like it or lump it” decision-making, and it’s common knowledge that the time is ripe for an alternative PC…

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How To Check Your PC’s Reliability Score

Jim Hillier — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 06:26:48 +0000

Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 include a “Reliability Monitor” feature that will present a system stability rating from 1 to 10, and also help diagnose problematic apps/processes. However, the Reliability Monitor is tucked away and not easy to locate… unless you know how. Here is a screenshot of my Reliability Monitor in Windows 10 (click the image to enlarge): As you can see from the…

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2015- 2025: Microsoft’s Dismal Decade

Jim Hillier — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 06:45:07 +0000

I am not a Microsoft basher by nature, but in all my years of working with Windows, I cannot recall a more infamous period. Microsoft’s introduction of the Insider program not only reinforced the company’s lack of regard for the average home user but also signified the beginning of the rot. It’s no coincidence that when Microsoft sacked the team of professional coders, who were tasked with…

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What Is The Most Private Browser?

Jim Hillier — Mon, 05 Jan 2026 05:01:50 +0000

The latest story doing the rounds on tech sites is based on the results of a “study” by a company called Digitain to ascertain levels of browser privacy. According to the Digitain report, Google Chrome is by far the least private browser… well, no sh*t Sherlock. In the study, rankings for browsers were evaluated on how they handled privacy, anti-fingerprinting, tracker and data blocking…

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How To Change Your Gmail Address

Jim Hillier — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 06:25:35 +0000

Up until now, in order to change their email address, Gmail users have needed to create a whole new account. However, Google has now introduced a new feature whereby a Gmail address can be changed without needing to create a new account and without any data loss. The feature is being rolled out gradually, so not all users will have immediate access. Note: The feature is included in your Google…

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