Windows users, especially those who are enthusiasts or power users, like to tweak and tinker around the OS. There are several third-party applications that allow users to do so but Windows itself offers quite a few native, built-in apps and utilities that are quite rich in terms of functionalities.
While most users who are well-acquainted with the Windows OS are well aware of these, Microsoft understands that not everyone is as savvy as others. The company has thus published a new support page on its official website detailing all these applications giving users a brief idea of what they do and how they can be accessed.
The list starts with the Settings app which is the most common place where users can tweak how things are set up on their PC. Microsoft has also defined it as the "main application to customize and manage Windows settings," and that is certainly true given that most of the basic Windows management options can be found here.
To open Settings you can use one of the following methods:
Right-click on Start and select Settings
Use the keyboard shortcut +I
Use the following link:
Following Settings, we have Task Manager which helps users monitor the resource usage of their systems, ie, CPU, RAM, GPU usages, among others, although it can be inaccurate sometimes due to some underlying bugs. It also helps to deal with apps that run when Windows starts. Task Manager also has an "Open Resource Monitor" option which provides greater insight into system monitoring.
To open the Task Manager, you can use one of the following methods:
Right-click on Start and select Task Manager
Use the keyboard shortcut CTRL+SHIFT+ESC
Up next, we have Computer Management which comprises several other options like Device Manager, Disk Management, Event Viewer and more, making it perhaps the most comprehensive system component management application available on Windows.
To open the Computer Management console, you can use one of the following methods:
Search for it in the Start menu
Right-click on Start and select Computer Management
Use the keyboard shortcut +R, type compmgmt.msc and press Enter
Following that, Microsoft talks about Event Viewer, which provides detailed entries and logs of Windows services and processes, as well as other apps. The tech giant also mentions the Control Panel though it has also finally offered confirmation that it is heading for deprecation and will not be around for longer.
System Configuration follows next and is another major utility that helps set up Windows to our liking. Similar to Task Manager which allows us to tweak the startup apps, System Configuration has the option to tinker around with certain boot-related settings like choosing the kind of Startup we want or the boot drive.
To open System Configuration, you can use one of the following methods:
Search for it in the Start menu
Use the keyboard shortcut +R, type MSConfig and press Enter
System Information is up next and as the name suggests, it allows users to check details about the hardware and the other various component information that the PC has. Using "msinfo32" the System Information app can be launched.
Following System Information, Microsoft lists probably the two of the most powerful utilities on Windows, the Registry Editor and the Local Group Policy Editor. This is also why there is a big wall of text that cautions users against tinkering with these settings if they are not familiar.
The Registry is essentially a Windows database that stores the various configuration settings for the OS and apps. It was introduced with Windows NT and replaced most of the text-based INI and/or BAT files that were used in earlier versions of Windows like Windows 3.x and MS-DOS configuration files, such as the Autoexec.bat and Config.sys.
In a way, the Local Group Policy Editor is quite similar to the Registry Editor as the former is used to manage various local group policy object (GPO) settings.
To open the Registry Editor, you can use one of the following methods:
Search for it in the Start menu
Use the keyboard shortcut +R, type regedit and press Enter
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To open the Local Group Policy Editor, you can use one of the following methods:
Search for it in the Start menu
Use the keyboard shortcut +R, type gpedit.msc and press Enter
Microsoft has ended its list with Advanced System Settings which allows users to access additional settings that are not available under Control Panel or the Settings app. As the name suggests, it is mostly useful to advanced users or IT professionals.
To open Advanced System Settings, you can use one of the following methods:
Search for it in the Start menu
Use the keyboard shortcut +R, type SystemPropertiesAdvanced and press Enter
If you want to learn more, you can find more details about each of these apps and utilities on this page on Microsoft's official website.
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