It is a good time to give your PC a little maintenance. I also got a new SSD drive just for games, and while I was installing that I was amazed at the amount of dust that has accumulated in the case. I had to disassemble the CPU cooler to get all the years of dust that got trapped in the heat sink.

Files UWP is a new app that's currently in beta in the Microsoft Store. It's a nice modern app you can use as an alternative to Windows Explorer. 

Thanks to Yarlen for the tip!

You can download it here.

I have a 15" Dell XPS 4K touchscreen laptop that I primarily use for work purposes. Any productivity software I need is bought and used mostly for this machine. Over the years, I've tried out more types of apps than I could probably ever remember or count. Most of them I never stuck with because they ended up not being not very useful for what I needed.

Now, of course everyone's view on what is productive for them will vary from person to person, but I wanted to talk about the software I have used that has been absolutely essential in keeping my daily work productive and efficient. 

Fences 
If you've read any of my blogs over the years you'll know Fences is one of the first apps I install on a new PC. The biggest thing necessary for my productivity is organization. I have various project I work on throughout the week, most of which involve various type of files like images, video clips, text documents, etc. These can easily turn into a mess, and I use Fences to keep them organized so I know exactly where my files are.

SnagIt
If you need to capture images or video of your screen, then there is nothing better than SnagIt. I have used it for longer than I can remember, and it is one of the main apps I use when creating tutorials, screenshots, blogs, and much more. Aside from taking the screenshots/video, it has a powerful editor where you can edit and mark-up for use in your media.

1Password
There are many password managers out there, and I've tried a fair share of them. 1Password ended up being my favorite, as I have found it's the easiest to use and works well with most web browsers. Another huge benefit is that it works across all my devices. I have all my passwords synced across my PCs, iPad, and iPhone, so I always have access to my passwords.

Groupy
Groupy is probably the newest addition to my PC out of the software I've listed here, but it has certainly earned its place. Groupy basically lets you group multiple apps into tabs so you can quickly create a workflow for whatever task you might have. Lets say I'm working on getting some content up on WinCustomize for DeskScapes - I might have my video editor, video encoder, DreamMaker, and notepad grouped so I can easily switch between them. That's just one simple example of the many ways you can use Groupy to up your desktop productivity. 

Let me know in the comments if you use any of these apps, or any different ones that you recommend!

Saw this article on MakeUseOf (linked above) offering five powerful alternatives to MS's improved Task Manager.

Right now I'm trying SysInternals Mark Russinovich's Process Explorer which looks best to me for my needs. If you like Process Explorer, it's landing page is here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer . If not, there are four other good ones in the MakeUseOf article. 

Thought you'd be interested in this tool which has good explanatory notes in the zipped download and on its page.

Have a great weekend!

For the power tool users among us, How To Geek put out a nice update to their prior article about MS's power toys, and a nice explanation about the new ones at the url linked above.

The Coronavirus pandemic has forced a lot of events to cancel or adapt to an online format. Cancellations from GDC, E3, GenCon, and many more have been rolling in since March, and there doesn't seem to be much of a sign of it stopping anytime soon. Microsoft's annual conference, Build, was cancelled and moved to a free online format, which began yesterday.

Aimed mostly at software engineers and web developers using Windows, Microsoft Azure, and other Microsoft technologies, Build was first held in 2011 and tends to sell out very quickly. Microsoft typically uses the event to discuss new features for Windows and Office line of apps. 

Microsoft's registration website for Build says that users can "Choose from 48 hours of continuous content to create your own digital event experience. Registration is free and is required to get full, interactive access to the digital event." Users can curate their schedule however they like by picking from one of the many available sessions during a time slot and adding it to their agenda. Sessions include topics such as "Azure: Invent with Purpose," "Power Platform for developers," "The Future of Tech," and more.

There is a live chat stream in each session where users can pose their questions for the presenters, who do their best to interact with and engage their viewership. If you're interested in joining some Build sessions, you can register here. Although the digital conference started yesterday, sessions will still continue through tomorrow, so there's plenty of time to join in.

Image credit: EverythingApplePro

If you're looking to get a new phone soon - or if you're just one of those people who like to stay current with the newest tech - new information recently leaked about the iPhone 12 may help inform your next purchase.

A couple of prominent leakers have shared new information regarding Apple's newest phones. Although this information could be proven wrong once the phones are released, their track record for correct leaks for other devices in the past suggest that their speculation is mostly accurate. 

YouTuber Jon Prosser of Front Page Tech published a video on May 11th, saying Apple will offer four models of the iPhone 12— a base model, a larger Max model, and a “Pro” and “Pro Max” version. The Pro models will get stainless steel chassis, a 512GB storage option and 6GB RAM Vs an aluminum chassis, 256GB top end storage and 4GB RAM for the standard models.

128GB will be the new entry level storage, which is double the previous 64GB starting point. Prosser also says, however, that 120Hz displays will not come to the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Max, and probably not for the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max. So far, leaks suggest the iPhone 12 is set to get a very different design but it's likely going to take some cues from previous iPhone models.

Currently, it seems there will be four sizes to choose from:

• iPhone 12 with a 5.4-inch display
• iPhone 12 Max with a 6.1-inch display
• iPhone 12 Pro with a 6.1-inch display
• iPhone 12 Pro Max with a 6.7-inch display

There have been varying reports on whether or not the phone's release is being delayed, but it looks like it will be in the hands of users by fall of 2020. If you want to get deep into the nitty gritty, there has been a lot of coverage and additional information shared about the upcoming iPhone 12 on sites including Forbes, Apple Insider, TechRadar, and more.

Are you an iPhone user and are you excited to upgrade to the new model? Let us know in the comments!

The first 3 rows are ones I set. 

The second 3 rows are just ones MS’s “frequently used” populated. 

edit: columns!!!

This early, I haven’t used much.

These are the apps I first install onto a new PC.  What are the first apps you install?

As thousands of people adjust to working from home amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, video chatting has surged to the forefront of necessary tools. This unexpected new development has driven many to try Zoom, an enterprise video conferencing platform with real-time messaging and content sharing.

Unfortunately, Zoom's infrastructure wasn't prepared for the surge of users that have joined since the pandemic started, and the convenience of the platform comes with a security cost. "Zoombombing" is the latest trend for online hackers, who will find their way into an active meeting and disrupt it by displaying pornographic images, writing racial slurs, or any number of other disruptive activities.

Zoom has become a popular choice for many teachers who have had to suddenly convert their learning structure to online learning. With Zoom, they can see and interact with their entire class while they instruct. As the reports of security issues continue to mount and accounts of hackers disrupting meetings become more disturbing, New York City has taken the measure of banning the app from school virtual classrooms. Mayor Bill de Blasio said that the city was "not going to put our students' privacy and our students' data at risk. It's just as simple as that." 

The city's Department of Education partnered with the NYC Cyber Command to make the decision and are encouraging schools to defer to Microsoft Teams and Google for remote learning instead. The Department of Education says that they have been training teachers on the use of Teams for several weeks.

Eric Yuan, Zoom's founder, has said that he would freeze all new product development until the privacy issue is corrected. The company enacted a "waiting room" feature and additional password protocols for all basic and free accounts, including those used by classrooms. Only time will tell whether these additional features will be able to put Zoom back in users' good graces.