Re-partitioning a C: Drive to add a Data Drive

Re-partitioning, deleting and extending a partition.
One video and a few articles.

Why do you want to do this? It makes it easier to backup the Windows OS frequently and backup the data occasionally.

video: re-partitioning C: drive into a Data drive; deleting and extending partition
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pJQ-bm3SY7s

A few articles related to re-partitioning a system drive into data drive
https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-partition-a-hard-drive
https://www.thewindowsclub.com/re-partition-a-hard-drive-in-windows-10-without-erasing-data
https://www.diskpart.com/tutorials/repartition-hard-drive.html
https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-partition-a-hard-drive-2626081

Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)

Apple is getting ready when Quantum Computing breaks today’s encryption techniques. It is starting to implement PQ3.
https://security.apple.com/blog/imessage-pq3/
The article tells you the methodology of how it intends to prevent the breaking of encryption keys.

source: https://www.askwoody.com/newsletter/ms-defcon-4-a-sort-of-quiet-february/ under “Apple update announcements”

Reset Your PC

It will uninstall all your programs and reset the registry settings but hopefully fix your Windows problem. The next step is a repair install.
https://www.howtogeek.com/132428/reset-this-pc-windows/

How to invoke Reset Your PC On Windows 10 & Windows 11

They are in slightly different places for Windows 10 and Windows 11
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/give-your-pc-a-fresh-start-0ef73740-b927-549b-b7c9-e6f2b48d275e#ID0EBD=Windows_10

EaseUS Todo Free

It needs a rescue disk to boot (Emergency/System Recovery Disk).

Backing up With EaseUS Todo Free
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwKSt0U1G6g

Restoring an Image Using EaseUS Todo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0d23dcTBac

Creating an EaseUS Todo Emergency Disk (Rescue Disk, Recovery Disk)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fpzGxeYu-Y

Macrium Reflect Free – Retired

The restore starts around 3:30 of the video. The video shows PE running.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YT_g9BcOc5A

Askwoody
Backup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjpBdzC8fug
Restore: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-Z-1mJPU_A

Before Windows Update (Patch Tuesday), backup image of partitions required to backup and restore Windows. It is easier to backup just Windows using Macrium Reflect.

To restore, Macrium Reflect needs to be installed on the PC’s Boot Menu or used with System Recovery Disk with Macrium Reflect on it.

Macrium Reflect Free can be downloaded from oldergeeks.com, however the free version has been retired as of January 2024. The cautionary note is that it seems to work pass its retirement date for Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Links to other posts here:
https://wordpress.com/post/kpon.wordpress.com/1312
https://wordpress.com/post/kpon.wordpress.com/1562
restore: https://wordpress.com/post/kpon.wordpress.com/1857

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Addendum: Something good about Macrium Reflect Free, when running the Rescue Disk Creation it will show Win RE (recovery Environment) to be able able to run the Win PE (Pre-installation Environment).

BitLocker Drive Encryption

Check to see if your drive is encrypted. It could be setup, to be in staged mode.

It needs Windows PowerShell with administrative rights to run this command:
manage-bde -protectors C: -get

If “No protector keys found”, there is no encryption yet.

subscription: https://www.askwoody.com/newsletter/edge-workspaces-for-work-and-play/#on-security

related: How to Open PowerShell
https://winaero.com/how-to-open-powershell-in-windows-11/

Stop Edge from trying to log you into a Microsoft Account

It is going to take a registry key edit.

paid subscription: https://www.askwoody.com/newsletter/replacing-wordpad-and-more-with-office-online/#windows-11-pc

AI

G2 Track rates AI software for developers and software similar to Microsoft CoPilot:

https://www.g2.com/products/github-copilot/competitors/alternatives

https://www.g2.com/products/microsoft-copilot/competitors/alternatives

4 Local Group Policies for Windows 10

1) All – by Computer or all Users: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/79976-open-local-group-policy-editor-windows-10-a.html
2) Administrator : https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/80082-apply-local-group-policy-administrators-windows-10-a.html
3) Non-Administrator: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/80061-apply-local-group-policy-non-administrators-windows-10-a.html
4) User Specific Local Group Policy: https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/80043-apply-local-group-policy-specific-user-windows-10-a.html

2024 New Year – A Few Windows Utilities

(Articles need subscription login)
https://www.askwoody.com/newsletter/let-your-pc-start-the-new-year-right-2024/

New 2024 author to continue Fred Langa’s yearly, New Year’s Cleanup.
Some of this refers to material from past years, so double check before using. These are utilities I am looking to try out.

1) “Clonezilla, free disk- and partition-copying software”: https://clonezilla.org/
2) Disk Cleanup and chkdsk – available in Windows
2 b) https://www.askwoody.com/newsletter/roll-back-windows-11-after-more-than-60-days/#hardware
Referencing OlderGeeks.com software downloads
Clear Disk Info: ” information available about both hard drives and SSDs”
CrystalDiskInfo: “refreshing SMART data”
3) Storage Management – “Take out all the trash”
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/free-up-drive-space-in-windows-a18fae02-a0fa-8df9-9838-8970f9939de4
4) Temperature: Core Temp (https://www.alcpu.com/CoreTemp/)
5) Battery: Nir Sofer’s BatteryInfoView (https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/battery_information_view.html)