NVMe vs SATA SSD: Discover the real-world performance differences between these two storage technologies. Learn about their interfaces, speeds, latency, and best use cases to make an informed decision for your next storage upgrade.
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12 May 2026 06:07
by Brian Lykke
The Optimize Drives tool in Windows performs different functions based on the type of storage device. For traditional hard drives, it defragments files to improve performance. For SSDs, it performs TRIM operations to maintain long-term performance by informing the drive which blocks of data are no longer in use. It's important to understand these differences to ensure you're optimizing your drives correctly.
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04 May 2026 10:54
by Brian Lykke
Storage Sense is a Windows 11 feature that automatically cleans up unnecessary files to free up disk space. It removes temporary files, old update files, and items in the recycle bin. Enabling Storage Sense can help maintain available disk space without manual cleanup, but it should not be relied on as a complete storage management tool.
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30 Apr 2026 10:24
by Brian Lykke
What's Actually Going On?
If you open Task Manager in Windows, you will likely see many processes called svchost.exe.
This often worries people because it looks repetitive or suspicious. In reality, svchost.exe is a normal and essential part of Windows.
The name stands for Service Host.
Windows use...
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27 Apr 2026 09:09
by Brian Lykke
Temporary files in Windows can be safely deleted to free up space, but some files may be in use and cannot be removed immediately.
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23 Apr 2026 08:55
by Brian Lykke
NTFS is the file system used by Windows for its reliability, security, and support for large files and drives. It replaced older systems like FAT and FAT32, which had limitations in file size and partition size. NTFS includes features like file permissions, journaling, compression, and encryption, making it suitable for modern operating systems.
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20 Apr 2026 14:52
by Brian Lykke
The 4GB file size limit is a common issue when using FAT32 formatted drives. This explains why this limit exists and how to work around it by using different file systems.
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18 Apr 2026 09:54
by Brian Lykke
Windows hides certain files and folders by default to prevent accidental modification. You can enable the option to show hidden files in File Explorer, but be cautious when interacting with them as they often contain important settings.
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17 Apr 2026 05:57
by Brian Lykke
This article is part of the "Windows, Explained" series on DesktopNerds
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13 Apr 2026 06:55
by Brian Lykke
This article is part of the "Windows, Explained" series on DesktopNerds
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09 Apr 2026 06:57
by Brian Lykke