What is the best PC backup software for Windows 11/10?
Hi everyone, hope to tap into the collective wisdom here. I've put off a proper backup solution for my Windows 11 machine, and I know I play with fire. Every "top 10" list feels like an ad, and I just want real-user opinions. I’m not a pro, so something reliable and user-friendly is key. I look for something that can handle both a solid system image (for a full disaster recovery) and regular file backups. Free is great, but I’m willing to pay a reasonable one-time fee for a "set it and forget it" tool that just works. What is the best PC backup software for Windows in 2026? Any horror stories to avoid? Major thanks for any help you can offer.
Why do some app icons have black squares on them?
Why have some app icons on my Windows 11 Dell laptop been showing black square spots for the past two weeks? It's only happening to certain apps, not all of them, and I haven't installed anything unusual or changed any settings recently. The laptop is about five years old, running 8GB RAM, an Intel Silver CPU, and UHD 620 graphics. Is this an icon cache problem, a graphics driver issue, or something that got corrupted after an update? And is there a safe way to fix it without resetting the laptop or reinstalling Windows?
How to bypass or fix the processor isn't currently supported for Windows 11
Hi all, I have a modern PC with a high profile CPU Intel i7-7700HQ. When I was trying to upgrade this computer from Windows 10 to Windows 11 24H2, it says This PC doesn't currently Windows 11 system requirements. I was told to run the PC Health Check app to see what kind of hardware requirements are missing. The following error is returned by the app: The processor isn't currently supported for Windows 11 This is ridiculous as the CPU is pretty new and works fine when running Windows 10. Why Microsoft asks me to upgrade to Windows 11 but it does not allow me to do that. Is there any way to bypass or fix "The processor isn't currently supported for Windows 11" error? Looking forward to your suggestion!
Family Safety: child PC registered but not connected (Event ID 454, 0x86000002)
Hello, I am reporting a persistent Microsoft Family Safety device-association issue on a newly configured Windows 11 Home PC. Microsoft Support case reference: 7109577064 Microsoft Support has confirmed that the standard consumer-support troubleshooting path has been exhausted and specifically advised me to post the full technical scenario in Microsoft Tech Community. Environment Windows 11 Home 25H2 OS Build: 26200.9550 Update: KB5124010 Newly configured PC Child uses a Microsoft consumer account based on an external email domain: OP.pl No email addresses or personal account identifiers are included in this public post. Problem The PC is correctly registered under the child’s Microsoft account and is continuously visible at: account.microsoft.com/devices However, Microsoft Family Safety still shows: No connected Windows device So the Microsoft Account device registration works, but the Family Safety device association does not. Configuration already verified Child account is a Standard User, not Administrator. Child is correctly added to the Microsoft Family group. Parent account is the Family Organizer. Parental consent is correctly granted. Windows activity reporting is enabled. Windows Settings → Accounts → Family shows that the child can sign in. FamilySafetyRefreshTask exists and completes successfully with result 0x0. Manual execution of: schtasks /run /tn "\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\FamilySafetyRefreshTask" returns SUCCESS. WpcMonSvc is running. wlidsvc is running. AppIDSvc is running. dsregcmd /status reports: WamDefaultSet : YES WamDefaultAuthority : consumers and the Microsoft consumer account is correctly detected. Troubleshooting already completed Child Windows profile was switched temporarily to a local account and then reconnected to the same Microsoft account. Child Windows profile was later completely removed from the PC and recreated from scratch. Microsoft Family Safety for Windows was installed. Microsoft.Windows.CloudExperienceHost was reset with PowerShell. DNS cache was flushed. PC was tested using a different Internet connection / mobile hotspot. Windows was fully updated to 25H2 build 26200.9550. Child was completely removed from the Microsoft Family group. Parental consent was revoked. Child was invited again to the Family group. Parental consent was granted again. The recreated family relationship synchronized immediately between the Family Safety web interface and the mobile app. FamilySafetyRefreshTask was run again after recreating the family relationship. The issue persists. Additional symptom Under: Settings → Accounts → Connected devices the child profile behaves inconsistently. The PC appeared there once after recreating the Windows profile, but after restarting Windows the local Connected devices list became empty again. However, the PC remains continuously visible under the child account at account.microsoft.com/devices, which indicates that the cloud device registration itself is persistent. Event Viewer findings In: Microsoft-Windows-DeviceManagement-Enterprise-Diagnostics-Provider/Admin historical events from 27 September 2026 show: Event ID: 454 Enrollment Type: FamilySafety CSP: AppLocker Path: ./Vendor/MSFT/AppLocker/FamilySafety/FamilySafetyGroup Error: 0x86000002 After recreating the Microsoft Family relationship, granting parental consent again, and manually running FamilySafetyRefreshTask, no new FamilySafety-related events are generated in this log. What is confirmed to work Microsoft account authentication Windows user profile Microsoft Family group membership Parental consent Windows device registration under the child’s Microsoft account Family Safety activity reporting configuration Synchronization between Family Safety on the web and the mobile app The remaining failure appears to be specifically: child Microsoft account → Microsoft Family group → registered Windows device → Family Safety device association Microsoft Support could not escalate the case further through the consumer-support channel and instructed me to post the issue here. Microsoft Support case reference: 7109577064 I would appreciate input from Microsoft engineers, moderators, or anyone who has encountered this exact issue, especially in relation to: Event ID 454 error 0x86000002 AppLocker/FamilySafety/FamilySafetyGroup device visible in account.microsoft.com/devices but missing from Microsoft Family Safety I can provide additional Event Viewer logs, screenshots, dsregcmd /status output, or other diagnostic information if required.Windows 11 installeren zonder microsoft account: hoe doe je dat in 2026?
Ik wil Windows 11 installeren en alleen een lokaal account gebruiken. Ik houd mijn pc liever los van een Microsoft-account en heb geen behoefte aan automatische synchronisatie of extra gekoppelde diensten. Kan ik in 2026 nog Windows 11 installeren zonder microsoft account? Online staan verschillende handleidingen, maar ik weet niet welke nog werkt. Heeft iemand onlangs een Windows 11 installatie zonder microsoft account uitgevoerd? Een eenvoudige uitleg zou fijn zijn. Heb ik tijdens de installatie internet nodig, of kan het ook volledig offline?How do I free up storage space on my Windows 11 PC?
Hi everyone, I have an legacy PC that was recently upgraded to Windows 11, and now I am running low on storage space. The computer has a 256GB SSD, and there is only about 20GB of free space left. I am worried that this may affect performance or cause problems with updates. I am not very tech-savvy, so I would really appreciate simple and safe advice. What are the best ways to free up storage space on Windows 11 PC without deleting anything important? I would like to know what I should check first, which files are usually safe to remove, and whether Windows 11 has any built-in tools that can help. Thanks in advance for any help.Why did File Explorer tabs stop working on Windows 11?
Why did the tabbed interface in File Explorer suddenly stop working on my Windows 11 PC, so that every folder I open launches in a separate window instead of a new tab? The tabs were working fine before, and now the option to open folders in a new tab is missing from the right-click menu and the top bar. Could this be a known bug in the current build, a corrupted registry setting, or something that got changed by a recent update? And is there a way to restore tabbed browsing in File Explorer without reinstalling Windows or resetting my profile?
