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This week, Microsoft made it very clear that it wants to block the popular BYPASSNRO workaround, used to skip the internet and Microsoft Account requirement checks during the Windows 11 installation OOBE (initial setup), although thankfully, the script can still be created using Registry edits. Microsoft has its reasons why it wants people to use a Microsoft Account instead of local accounts. The company explained in detail all about it back in 2024. Naturally, when things like this happen, enthusiasts go digging for ways to work around such issues. Interestingly, as it turns out, another bypass method had already existed for a while now and it is finally becoming popular. This new method was discovered by a user ThePineapple and they have also published a detailed step-by-step guide on how to implement it. They explain: The bypass uses a CXH (cloud experience host) URI (Uniform Resource Identifier) string during the OOBE to invoke the hidden local account setup screen. The detailed guide is given below: After typing WinJS.A, press Tab to auto-complete Application. After typing res, press Tab to auto-complete restart. 5. Exit the Developer Console After entering the command, press Enter to execute it. Press Escape to exit the Developer Console and return to the OOBE interface. Note: If the Escape key doesn't close the Console, click anywhere on the screen to ensure the console is focused and then press the key again. 6. Local Account Setup The Secondary Keyboard Layout screen will refresh, and a Windows 10-style local account setup screen will appear. Enter your desired username, password, and security questions and click Next. 7. Complete the Setup The Setup will go black and will then log you in to your newly created account. Allow Windows 11 a few moments to configure the user. Continue with the remaining privacy setting prompts. Once finished, you will have successfully created a local account in Windows 11. A video guide has also been shared although you may want to turn down the volume first: You can view the project here on its GitHub repo. Thanks to d5aqoëp for the tip!!!! Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of February): 874 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Last week, Microsoft made a major announcement as it blocked the popular BYPASSNRO workaround on Insider builds, used to skip the internet and Microsoft Account requirement checks during the Windows 11 installation OOBE (initial setup). Microsoft has its reasons why it wants people to use a Microsoft Account instead of local accounts. The company explained in detail all about it back in 2024, and on the announcement blog post itself, it noted that the change was being made to "enhance security and user experience of Windows 11." Microsoft wrote: Following this announcement, enthusiasts and smart Windows users started looking for ways in which they could work around and circumvent this. That is when we picked up on this newish method proposed by the user ThePineapple. We say newish since it already existed for the last six months or so, but no one had noticed it as the BYPASSNRO script has been so popular. The trick involves using a CXH URI string to trigger a hidden local account during the OOBE. We covered it in its dedicated article here. There is also a PowerShell script that can help in this regard. Meanwhile, another user has discovered yet another way to bypass this. This is similar to the BYPASSNRO one but involves going to the Registry and tweaking it. Upon finding this, Neowin looked around and found that Microsoft's own official documentation explains how this works. The company notes that by default, the HideOnlineAccountScreens value is set to "false" such that the sign-in page appears during the OOBE. So for the bypass to work, one has to change it to "true". Microsoft notes that this is "primarily for enterprises" for running unattended installs, but it should work for all users. Neowin also noticed that there is also an option to hide the wireless network setup option too using HideWirelessSetupInOOBE. Again, the default value is "false" so that this page appears, but users can flip it to "true". Source: Microsoft (link1, link2) Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of March): 1,357 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

The most recent Windows 11 builds pack quite a lot of new stuff, with one particular thing being not so great, especially for Windows enthusiasts. Microsoft's operating system is infamous for enforcing an active internet connection and a Microsoft Account during its setup. Still, for the last three years, it has been possible to bypass that by executing the oobe\bypassnro in Command Prompt during the initial setup. Now, Microsoft is cracking down on that. Windows 11 builds 26200.5516 and 26120.3653 remove the bypassnro.cmd script from the operating system. Microsoft says the change is to ensure that "all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account." Yes, Microsoft does not want you to use its operating system without an account. In the most recent Windows 11 builds, attempts to execute the bypassnro command return the following error: Fortunately, not all hope is lost. Enthusiasts quickly discovered that it is still possible to restore the script. Here is how: On the Windows 11 setup screen, press Shift + F10 and type regedit and press Enter. Go to Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE. Click Edit > New > DWORD (32-bit) and rename the new value to BypassNRO. Open the value and change its value data to 1. Restart your system. You can now setup your computer without an active internet connection or a Microsoft Account. Of course, OOBE\bypassnro is not the only way to skip some of Windows 11's requirements. Still, it is one of the easiest and most popular ones, so quite a lot of users will be upset about its demise. Luckily, for now, it is possible to bring it back. There is just no info on whether this method will last. Source: @phantomofearth X Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of February): 874 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Zorin OS 17.3 has been announced today, promising new features centered around privacy and an enhanced user experience. Zorin Group kicked off its announcement by pointing out that Windows 10 is reaching its end of life this October. Zorin Group is positioning its Ubuntu-based distro as the "ideal replacement," especially for devices that can’t handle Windows 11’s system requirements. If you’re in that boat, though, Paul also suggests giving Linux Mint a shot. With 17.3, there is now an expanded database containing over 150 alternatives to Windows applications. Zorin OS allows you to run Windows applications thanks to the Wine compatibility layer, but there's nothing better than native applications on native platforms. Now, when you launch a Windows installer for an app, Zorin OS 17.3 will suggest native alternatives. For example, Obsidian, the popular "file over app" note-taking application, ships with variants for Linux, macOS, and Windows. If you try to run the Windows .exe file on Zorin OS 17.3, the system will recommend the Linux version. You've probably heard about the recent controversial policy changes Mozilla made. If you somehow haven't, here's a brief recap: Last month, Mozilla modified its Terms of Use for Firefox, stating that by using Firefox, you granted it a "nonexclusive, royalty-free license" to utilize information input through the browser. That's not all. In the Mozilla Bedrock project, the following code block was also removed: This did not sit well with many, and Zorin Group is one of them. That's why, in 17.3, Zorin OS is ditching Firefox as its default browser in favor of a lightly modified Brave. Zorin Group says the following requirements were set when considering a replacement for Firefox: Moving on, the Zorin Connect app has received a redesigned interface that adapts to your Android device's theme, alongside other improvements. For example, the "Remote Input" functionality now includes new features like middle-click, compose and send text, and a gyroscope mouse option. Other improvements to the Zorin Connect app include the following: If you're a touchscreen user, you'll notice that in 17.3, you can now open the on-screen keyboard from the panel once you enable the "Screen Keyboard Button in Panel" option under "Interface" in Zorin Appearance. Other changes Zorin OS brings include updates to pre-installed apps. The latest NVIDIA 570 drivers are now included in the .iso files, bringing support for the newest NVIDIA RTX 5000 series graphics cards. Zorin Group promises software updates and patches until June 2027 for users of the Zorin OS 17 version series. For existing Zorin OS users, there are two recommended ways to get Zorin OS 17.3. If you're on Zorin OS 17, you can upgrade to 17.3 using the Software Updater. If you're on version 16, you'll need to follow this guide on how to upgrade. As with other Zorin OS versions, 17.3 comes in three editions: Pro (which costs $47.99), Core, and Education. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of February): 874 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

I used (almost) every edition of Microsoft's operating system and fondly remember some of its iconic first-party programs. My intrigue for computing started when my parents brought home our first Windows 3.1 family PC and transitioned to an offline-only Windows 95 build with its iconic Start menu, obsessed with drawing shapes in Paint and writing homework in Wordpad. However, it significantly picked up when we graduated to Windows 98 SE with a dial-up Internet connection and a heavy investment into yearly hardware upgrades. Having access to the World Wide Web from age 10 was formative to an incredible degree, influencing me throughout my life. Now, as Microsoft turns 50 years old, I'm looking back at three programs that played a powerful role in shaping who I am today — do you remember them all, or were you occupied with others? Let me know in the comments while I overcome my pre-millennium nostalgia. MSN Messenger MSN Messenger 6.2 running with escargot.chat. (Image credit: Windows Central | Ben Wilson) I can draw a clear picture from where I am now to the dawn of MSN Messenger, which shows how I met some of my closest friends and developed my career; it was that important. It eventually became the most popular instant messenger in my environment, replacing ICQ and, particularly, AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) once I convinced my friends to sign up for a ".NET Passport" from Microsoft. Having a small pool of peers didn't stop me from using it in the early days, and some of my strongest memories involve the basic (and ugly) layout of MSN Messenger 1.0+ before Windows XP repackaged it with a Luna-style UI. However, some stubborn holdouts forced me to keep a copy of the multi-networked Trillian app installed on my PC. Without that, I'd have lost contact with the contrarians who refused to ditch Yahoo! Messenger or whatever already-doomed platform it might have been back then. In the end, everyone migrated to what became Windows Live Messenger, and it was a mandatory mainstay on my daily desktop until everyone broke off to Skype and elsewhere. Still, I fondly recall memories circa 2003 when Microsoft's instant messenger had connected me to lifelong friends and introduced me to mutual connections that would shape my entire career. Where is it now? Discord runs on PC, mobile, and even Xbox. (Image credit: Getty Images | SOPA Images) Officially, Windows Live Messenger is dead; a part of Microsoft's ever-growing graveyard. Its intended replacement was Skype, but it never felt quite the same to me, while TeamSpeak and Ventrilo better served VOIP services for my friends. Unofficially, the instant messenger lives on within a fan-made MSN Messenger project called escargot.chat — a replacement for the login service that unfortunately remains insecure (so don't use your usual passwords.) It's a fun toy to play with, but it doesn't have much staying power beyond that. Modern replacements like Discord, Telegram, and WhatsApp are supported on multiple devices with easier access, so MSN Messenger doesn't have much reason to stick around outside nostalgic fancy. Microsoft FrontPage Official art for Microsoft FrontPage 2000. (Image credit: Microsoft | Internet Archive) Before the modern age of smartphones and cellular data, "going on the computer" felt more like an active journey to the Internet — a place you left once you shut off your Windows PC or your 56k dial-up modem dropped its time-limited connection. In that era, personal websites were booming. They often resembled blogs or diaries, but there were corners of the web that hosted ultra-niche hobbyist pages or dedicated fan zones for particular video games, sharing tips, tricks, and cheat codes that I would send to the family printer to waste some ink. I was lucky to attend a school that took personal computing seriously, and basic HTML was a brief segment of that class. As a pre-teen, building tables with bracketed code was mildly entertaining, but slow to satisfy. Thankfully, Microsoft FrontPage was a gateway to expressing my earliest designs of garish font choices and clashing background colors. Everything I made in Frontpage was awful, but it was mine, and that was the appeal — sharing knowledge of hidden clothing colors in Habbo Hotel, surrounded by animated .gif images of dancing hamsters. Bliss. Where is it now? Squarespace is a modern website builder. (Image credit: Getty Images | Justin Sullivan) Web development has become easier as these WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) apps, including successors like Adobe Dreamweaver, are now mainstays alongside browser-based page builders and editable templates. While blogs are still popular on the modern Internet, social media has pulled most of their appeal to casual users on platforms like Facebook and professionally-driven LinkedIn. FrontPage doesn't make sense for Microsoft to maintain now that demand is lower, and it would take a significant effort for it to evolve beyond the usefulness of existing competitors like Squarespace and Wix. Windows Movie Maker Windows Movie Maker running on Windows XP. (Image credit: Microsoft | Reddit) I developed an obsession with Windows Movie Maker years before the launch of streaming platforms like Google Video and its predecessor, YouTube. It was still exciting to throw together homemade videos with images and clips from my hard drive alongside cliché animated titles set to awful bit-crushed .mp3 music ripped from a CD. Those old enough to remember the days of Microsoft's .wmv (Windows Media Video) format might share similar memories of their "My Received Files" folder filling up with cheesy compilations shared across MSN Messenger in an aggressively compressed codec that resembled the garbled mess of RealPlayer's thankfully retired .rv format. Nevertheless, it felt like a breakthrough in creativity at the time. I spent many weeks creating stop-motion animations with LEGO figures and a basic Logitech QuickCam, all set to movie soundtracks recorded with an awful 3.5mm microphone pointed at my television. I might have apologized to my friends and family members who suffered through my 240p flicks, but truthfully, I regret nothing. Windows (Live) Movie Maker had such a significant influence on me that it led to me spending almost all of my savings on a MiniDV camcorder and a PCIe FireWire adapter to rip all the footage. Where is it now? DaVinci Resolve 19 running on Windows 11. (Image credit: Windows Central) Windows Live Movie Maker still sort of exists as a spiritual successor within Clipchamp, but only because Microsoft acquired the web-based video editor in 2021. Clipchamp has an incredible number of competitors, as freemium options in CapCut and DaVinci Resolve offer powerful toolsets with paid memberships expanding even further, so there's little reason for Microsoft to keep Windows Movie Maker around separately. Even the .wmv format has become deprecated, as .webm and modern codecs for .mp4 like AV1 and H.265 take over as standardized replacements across the Internet. A glimse of Microsoft's booth during my trip to MWC Barcelona 2025. (Image credit: Windows Central | Ben Wilson) Clearly, my affinity for Windows and Microsoft in general hasn't faded, as evidenced by where I am today. While I might cling to rose-tinted nostalgia for bygone mascots like Clippy, I still love following the company and its continued efforts in the PC space, for better or worse. Stick with us for more celebrations and criticisms of Microsoft's 50-year history as we continue to speculate, report, and analyze practically everything the company does in its various categories. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of March): 1,357 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

VMware Workstation users report that the software's automatic update functionality is broken after Broadcom redirected the download URL to its generic support page, triggering certificate errors. The software contains a feature that checks for new updates on startup (if configured) and can be manually triggered by clicking Help > Software Updates. This will cause the program to connect to the software update server at https://softwareupdate.broadcom.com/cds to check for and download software updates. However, this URL now redirects to Broadcom's generic support page, https://support.broadcom.com/, causing the application to issue certificate validation errors and rendering its built-in update mechanism unusable. "A certificate error occurred while connecting to the update server. Check your Internet settings or contact your system administrator," reads the VMware Workstation error. Error when attempting to check for updates Source: BleepingComputer Users are now forced to log in and manually check Broadcom's website for updates, download the correct version, and install it themselves, making it frustrating for customers who expect a seamless experience. "To update your VMware Workstation Pro, you'll need to manually download the latest installer from the Broadcom support portal. It's worth noting that this change has caused frustration among users, as it was implemented without prior notice," reads a post to the Broadcom community forums. While VMware Workstation continues to function, this broken update system may cause users to miss important bug fixes or security patches, especially when it is not apparent that the automatic update feature is broken until you try to use it. Broadcom has not yet issued a public statement or workaround for the issue, and BleepingComputer has confirmed it is still broken in VMware Workstation 17.6.3, the latest software version. BleepingComputer contacted Broadcom with questions about the change but has not received a response. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of March): 1,357 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

The popular "bypassnro" command, which let users to skip connecting to the Internet and signing into a Microsoft Account, is being removed. Microsoft has confirmed that it's removing a popular command line that allowed users to bypass connecting to the internet and signing into a Microsoft Account when setting up a new Windows 11 PC. When Windows 11 version 22H2 launched, Microsoft made it so that both Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro required an internet connection and Microsoft Account during setup, but users quickly discovered workarounds. The most popular workaround is the command "bypassnro", which when entered into a command prompt while in the Windows setup experience would enable the ability to skip connecting to the internet, therefore bypassing the Microsoft Account requirement. As noted in the latest Windows 11 preview build, the company is removing the command to "ensure that all users exit setup with internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account." This change will be controversial among Windows users who don't want to use a Microsoft Account on Windows 11. Going forward, there will be no easy way to bypass this requirement on a new Windows 11 PC. There are still ways to bypass these requirements, including setting up an unattend.xml installation, which bypasses the setup phase, but this requires a lot more work and includes creating a new Windows installation image from scratch. Currently, it's also possible to manually re-add the bypassnro command to your system by typing the following into a command prompt: "reg add HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE /v BypassNRO /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f shutdown /r /t 0" It's unclear how long this will work, as Microsoft may be planning to remove the registry value that enabled the command to work in a future build. Windows 11 PCs that have already been setup without a Microsoft Account will be unaffected. This change only affects the Windows 11 install and setup experience, which is where the OS requires an internet connection and Microsoft Account to progress. The removal of the bypassnro command is now in testing with the latest Windows 11 beta build, which means it will likely roll out to the production versions of Windows 11 in the coming weeks. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of February): 874 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend

Here are 10 interesting facts about the history of Windows from version 1.0 to 11. As Microsoft celebrates its 50th anniversary, let's take a trip down memory lane. Windows has evolved dramatically over the decades, but some intriguing facts remain unknown to many. Here are some insights into its history that might surprise you. 1. Windows' original name was Interface Manager Before it became known as "Windows," Microsoft's graphical user interface was initially called "Interface Manager." (Source and 2) Microsoft Interface Manager doesn't roll off the tongue as well as Windows, does it? (Image credit: BetaWiki) It was announced under that name in 1983, but it was later changed to "Windows" before its release in 1985. The company made the decision to ditch the "Interface Manager" name for the "Windows" name because it better reflected the core functionality of the operating system, which was based on the concept of graphical "windows" on the screen, a key feature of the user interface at the time. At the end of the day, "Windows" was considered a more user-friendly and descriptive name for the software's core feature (the use of windows to organize and display information). 2. Windows 95 was the first version to require a product key Although MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System) had a serial number, Windows 1.0, 2.0, and 3.x didn't require a product key. Windows 95 introduced the product key, something that's just a regular part of Windows life now. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) It wasn't until Windows 95 that Microsoft implemented the product key for activation. However, even Windows 98 had a basic product key system. Users were required to enter the product key during installation, but it wasn't strictly enforced. Often, you were able to use the same key on multiple computers. On Windows XP and higher releases, we started to see significant changes with "Product Activation." This system required users to not only enter the product key but also activate the operating system with Microsoft. The activation process involved generating a unique hardware-based ID that was linked to the product key. Here's an interesting fact: Did you know that 111–1111111 and 000–0000007 are valid product keys for Windows 95? I came across this information . 3. Windows once ran on top of MS-DOS Before Windows 95, the operating system wasn't a standalone system. If we look back, versions like Windows 1.0, 2.0, and 3.x were merely graphical interfaces running on top of MS-DOS. In the early days, when you turned on a computer, MS-DOS would load first. Also, one had to manually launch the graphical interface by typing "win" in the command line console. These early versions relied heavily on MS-DOS for file access, memory management, and hardware communication, and Windows only provided a visual layer for interacting with the computer. Windows 95 was the first version where Windows became a standalone operating system, although it still had some underlying dependencies on MS-DOS. It incorporated MS-DOS 7.0 but ultimately superseded the MS-DOS platform. However, the complete separation from MS-DOS truly happened with the Windows NT operating system line (including Windows NT 3.1, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and later versions). These were built on a completely different kernel and were designed to be independent of MS-DOS from the ground up. 4. The Briefcase folder: The original cloud sync feature No cloud, only Briefcase! (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) Before cloud storage, Briefcase was a built-in tool for . It was particularly handy for users working on both desktops and laptops. The Briefcase was a special folder to store copies of your files. If you wanted to synchronize the files, you would connect the two computers (either by network or by using a removable storage device) and then use this special folder to update the files. The Briefcase would compare the files on the two computers and then copy any changes from one computer to the other. However, because the Briefcase was designed for a time when removable media and offline work were more common, and with the rise of cloud storage solutions (like OneDrive and Google Drive), it became obsolete and was eventually removed. Briefcase lasted through XP and all the way up to Windows 7. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) The Briefcase was originally introduced with the release of Windows 95, and it was a feature on XP, Vista, and 7, but it became deprecated on Windows 8. Although it was disabled by default, the feature was part of the original release of Windows 10. However, it was removed and completed with the launch of version 1703. 5. No true user profile before Windows XP Configuring users on Windows 95. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) Before Windows XP, the operating system did not support true user profiles. Although Windows 95 introduced profiles as an optional feature, they only stored personalized settings like wallpaper and desktop preferences. Also, they didn't offer robust security or separate data storage for each user. Windows 98 was fundamentally designed as a single-user operating system. Fun fact. Windows 95 and 98 stored the "My Documents" folder in the root of "C." My Documents used to be housed in the root of your 😄 drive. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) While it had a login prompt, it didn't provide the kind of security and separation of users that operating systems like Windows NT or later versions offered. Microsoft implemented full user accounts with separate settings and permissions with the release of Windows NT, which laid the groundwork for modern multi-user management, as seen inside the operating system today. Windows 3.x and earlier versions, including MS-DOS, didn't have user profiles. 6. Apps from Windows 1.0 are still present on Windows 11 Paint has had a glow up since the old days. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) Some of the graphical apps introduced in Windows 1.0 still exist on Windows 11. Although they've been modernized, their core functions remain unchanged. Calculator – This is the default calculator, but over the years, it has become an advanced calculator with different modes to perform scientific, graphic, programming, and other calculations. Paint – Originally called "Paintbrush," it started as a monochrome editor and is now a full-color image editor with new AI-powered features. Notepad – A simple yet essential text editor that has remained a staple, but it's now also powered by AI. Clock – What began as a basic time display has evolved into an alarm, world clock, and focus tool. However, Windows 11 also includes the Clock app. Control Panel – Though many settings have migrated to the modern Settings app, the Control Panel is still there for advanced tweaks. 7. Format app has had the same code for over 30 years The format tool as it was on Windows XP. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) The "Format" dialog that is still available on File Explorer was originally written by Dave Plummer, a now-retired Microsoft engineer, and he has revealed that the code behind this interface remained pretty much unchanged for nearly 30 years. According to Dave, the tool's interface was supposed to be a temporary solution as the development team was busy porting countless lines of code from Windows 95 to Windows NT. However, it appears that was one of the things that no one cared to revise later on, and after three decades, the code for the interface still remains unchanged. However, while the interface still remains the same, Microsoft is working on updating the FAT32 support to lift the 32GB limit and increase the compatibility up to 2TB. This long-overdue change modernizes the formatting process for larger storage devices. It still looks basically the same, though Microsoft is trying to update it underneath. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) Also, if you're wondering why the FAT volumes were limited to 32GB, then you may have to blame Dave, too. According to him, he also had to decide the limit for the "cluster slack," and based on his decision, volumes using the FAT32 file system were limited to 32GB. 8. TrueType fonts were introduced on Windows 3.1 Before Windows 3.1, font rendering was clunky and inconsistent. The introduction of TrueType fonts in 1992 changed everything. This feature allowed for high-quality text rendering, making Windows a game-changer for desktop publishing and document creation. Today, TrueType is still widely used in Windows and other operating systems. Furthermore, Apple was the company that licensed TrueType to Microsoft for free to help ensure its widespread adoption. 9. Ctrl + Alt + Delete was a debugging tool created by IBM The "Ctrl + Alt + Del" shortcut was created by David Bradley, an IBM engineer, in the early 1980s. It was originally designed as a quick method to reboot IBM PCs immediately without warnings for debugging purposes during the development process. (He never expected to become widely known.) Microsoft then adopted the "Ctrl + Alt + Del" shortcut to trigger a secure attention sequence (SAS) on Windows NT. In the end, Bill Gates once admitted he wished it had been a single button instead, but it was too late to change it. This is how the shortcut changed over the years: Windows 3.x & 9x (1990s): Soft reboot command (could restart your computer immediately). Windows NT & XP (2000s): Opens Task Manager (or login screen in domains). Windows Vista, 7, 8, and 10: Opens the security screen with Lock, Log off, Change a password, and Start Task Manager options. Windows 11: Opens the security screen with Lock, Switch user, Sign out, and Task Manager options. The shortcut has been part of the operating system history for decades, evolving from a developer tool into a core system function. Although the software giant has introduced new ways to access Task Manager and security options, this shortcut remains a legacy feature that continues to define the Windows user experience. 10. Windows 1.0 required a minimum of 256KB of RAM You used to be able to run a whole operating system on this type of memory. Incredible. (Image credit: Mauro Huculak) Windows 1.0, released on November 20, 1985, the system required a minimum of 256KB of RAM for versions 1.01 and 1.02. However, on versions 1.03 and 1.04, the requirement was increased to 320KB. For context, 1GB is equivalent to 1,048,576KB, and nowadays, the minimum memory size for Windows 11 is 4GB, which means 4,194,304KB. However, 16GB (or 16,777,216KB) is usually the recommended size. In addition, the minimum storage space required was 720KB, and a hard drive was recommended but not required. Source Hope you enjoyed this news post. Thank you for appreciating my time and effort posting news every day for many years. News posts... 2023: 5,800+ | 2024: 5,700+ | 2025 (till end of February): 874 RIP Matrix | Farewell my friend