How to get Windows Update Size via PowerShell in Windows 10

Microsoft releases Windows updates almost every week. Each update will be hundreds of megabytes. If you’re on the limited data connection, you might like to be aware of Windows update size before downloading and setting it up. However, the settings app, though lists all of the available updates, will not show the particular update size.

Utilizing a handful of tricks, you can find out the actual Windows update size. Let me show you how.

PowerShell Command to Check Windows Update Size

The simplest way to find Windows update size is to utilize a simple one-line PowerShell command. However, PowerShell has no built-in command. So, we will use a script produced by one of the Microsoft MVP (Best Professional). All we have to do download the script from the Microsoft Technet site and import the script and execute the command.

1. First, go to the Microsoft Technet page and then click the download button to download the PSWindowsUpdate script.

2. After downloading, open the zip file and you’ll begin to see the PSWindowsUpdate folder in it.

3. Open the file explorer, go into the following location within the address bar and press Enter. This action will give you towards the Modules folder. This is when you set PowerShell modules.

%WINDIR%\System32\WindowsPowerShell\v1.0\Modules

4. Drag and drop or copy and paste the PSWindowsUpdate folder in the Modules folder. You will notice an access denied prompt. Click the “Continue” button.

5. When click on the button, the folder is going to be copied to the Modules folder.

6. Now, we need to import the added module to PowerShell. Open the start menu, right-click on it and select the “Run as administrator” option.

7. By default, PowerShell prevents you from importing or executing the downloaded scripts. So, before you import the module, you have to alter the execution policy. So, execute the below command to change the execution policy from Limited to RemoteSigned.

For curious, Recently i published articles detailing what are PowerShell execution policies and how to change them, check it to learn more.

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned

8. Next, type A and press Enter to confirm the execution policy change.

9. After changing the execution policy, make use of the below command to import the PSWindowsUpdate module.

Import-Module PSWindowsUpdate

10. Finally, execute the below command and PowerShell will list all the available updates for your system. The command can take a couple of seconds to come back the results. So, wait a bit. You can see how big each update under the Size section.

Get-WUList

That is all. Once you know the size, you can close the PowerShell. If you’re adventurous, check out the state PSWindowsUpdate module download page and test out other commands. The module may also do other activities like showing update history, download, install, uninstall, etc.

Use Windows Update Minitool to locate Windows Update Size

If you do not like using PowerShell or not comfortable while using command line, use a free and portable third-party tool called Windows Update Minitool. This simple tool will instantly tell you the Windows updates size.

1. To get going, download Windows Update Minitool, open the zip file and extract the executable for your desktop.

2. After extracting, double-click on the executable. In the application, click on the “Refresh” icon.

3. Once you click the icon, the tool can place all the available updates for the system. You can see how big each update underneath the Size section.

Note: The applying may show cumulative update size in GBs. That’s inaccurate as Windows 10 only downloads the updates that are not installed on the body. Usually, the update size won’t be lots of hundred megabytes.

4. If you don’t wish to download a particular update, you can hide it. To do that, select the checkbox near the update and click on the “Hide” icon.

That is all. It’s that easy to obtain the Windows update size in Windows 10.

Microsoft Could Soon Get rid of the Classic Control Panel in Windows 10

We’ve known for some time that Microsoft was planning to kill off the classic User interface in Windows 10 and change it with the Settings app, but now it looks like the whole thing is extremely near to happening.

Microsoft essentially really wants to get rid of the traditional Control Panel simply because it’s one of the last bits of the classic Windows experience.

With Windows 10, the company has migrated to a modern concept which it wants to be provided from one end to another. In order for this to become possible, Microsoft is migrating options previously offered in the classic User interface to the Settings app, and the latest Windows 10 feature updates allowed this new idea to advance even further.

However, it’s also not a secret that Microsoft transitioning from the classic Control Panel to the Settings app is taking place at a super-slow pace, with the company itself not even offering an ETA as to once the legacy feature would go away for good.

Windows 10 version 2004

But based on a recent discovery shared by Rafael Rivera on Twitter, we’re actually closer than we can imagine towards the moment the Control Panel should really obtain the ax. Microsoft has moved much more of User interface towards the Settings app, and some of the pages previously offered included in the traditional experience are now embedded in the modern UI.

“As observed in build 19587 — New velocity, HideSystemControlPanel (vso/tfs 25175482). Appears like Microsoft is trying to kill BB06C0E4-D293-4f75-8A90-CB05B6477EEE,” Rivera tweeted.

The following feature update for Windows 10 is due in the spring as version 2004. However, it’s not clear if this one is said to be the version retiring the User interface, as the current preview builds make no change in this regard.

Microsoft Suspends Optional Windows 10 Cumulative Updates

Microsoft has announced that starting with May 2020, it might no more release optional updates for Windows 10 in an attempt to avoid impacting devices that install it.

This is a decision made because of the coronavirus outbreak, Microsoft explains, as it wants to make sure that everything is running as smoothly as you possibly can across the world.

The organization will thus focus on security updates exclusively, meaning the only rollout taking place would be the typical Patch Tuesday cycle.

Full concentrate on Windows 10 security updates

Microsoft says this is just a brief decision, which means that optional cumulative updates for Windows 10 would return at some stage in the near future, most likely following the COVID-19 outbreak is over and individuals can return to work normally.

“We have been evaluating the public health situation, and we appreciate this is impacting our customers. In response to those challenges we’re prioritizing our concentrate on security updates. Starting in May 2020, we are pausing all optional non-security releases (C and D updates) for all supported versions of Windows client and server products (Windows 10, version 1909 down through Windows Server 2008 SP2),” Microsoft says.

“There isn’t any switch to the monthly security updates (B release – Update Tuesday); these will continue as planned to ensure business continuity and also to keep our customers protected and productive.”

These optional cumulative updates for Windows 10 are usually released in order to give customers the opportunity to try out certain improvements in advance. As their name suggests, cumulative updates include all the previously-released fixes, so installing the most recent version brings a system fully up-to-date.

The next Patch Tuesday will require put on April 14, during May, the patching rollout is projected to occur on the 12th.

Microsoft Says Hackers Exploit Windows Bug to fight Users, Fix Coming in April

Microsoft has officially acknowledged an online code execution flaw affecting all Windows versions, confirming that it’s aware of limited attacks against its users.

Microsoft, however, suggested it wouldn’t release an out-of-band patch to resolve the vulnerability, regardless of the attacks happening in the wild, and instead would certainly wait for the next Patch Tuesday due in April to fix it.

The safety flaw resides in Adobe Type Manager Library, which Windows uses for fonts. Windows 10, Windows 8.1, as well as the unsupported Windows 7 are all susceptible to attacks.

“Two remote code execution vulnerabilities appear in Microsoft Windows once the Windows Adobe Type Manager Library improperly handles a specially-crafted multi-master font – Adobe Type 1 PostScript format. There are multiple ways an attacker could exploit the vulnerability, for example convincing a user to spread out an exclusively crafted document or viewing it in the Windows Preview pane,” Microsoft explains.

Next Patch Tuesday – April 14

So when is a patch coming? Not too soon, it appears, as Microsoft just wants to stick with its Patch Tuesday cycle to resolve the vulnerability.

“Microsoft is aware of this vulnerability and dealing on the fix. Updates that address security vulnerabilities in Microsoft software are typically released on Update Tuesday, the second Tuesday of each month. This predictable schedule allows for partner quality assurance also it planning, which helps keep up with the Windows ecosystem as a reliable, secure choice for our customers,” the company says.

Meanwhile, there are many workarounds that users can turn to to avoid their devices from being attacked, and you can find these detailed by Microsoft around the advisory page linked above.

The next Patch Tuesday happens on April 14, when Microsoft will release security updates for all Windows version still receiving support – given Windows 7 is no longer supported, it wouldn’t receive a fix for this vulnerability.

Windows 10 Antivirus Bug Causes Certain Files to become Ignored During Scans

Recent antivirus tests show that Windows Defender, which will come pre-loaded on Windows 10, is now offering performance that’s on par with the one of third-party software from the world’s leading security vendors.

But a recently discovered bug in Windows Defender ruins this nearly flawless experience with the Windows 10 antivirus, because it causes the application to ignore some files during scans.

Reported by BornCity, the issue apparently showed up after the March 2020 Patch Tuesday when Microsoft released security updates for Windows and other products. Users declare that Windows Defender skips certain files during fast and full scans, as if they configured exclusions on their devices. Needless to say, these users didn’t set up any file exclusions and Windows Defender just skips scanning the files without being told to.

By the looks of products, users who encounter this behavior will also be provided with a mistake message in the Action Center that reads:

“Items skipped during scan. The Windows Defender Antivirus scan skipped a product due to an exclusion or network scanning settings.”

Quick and full scans experiencing the issue

Initially, the problem might indicate an issue with the AntiMalware client version, that has previously been divided as well following updates released by Microsoft. However in this example, it looks like the files are skipped during scans whatever the Antimalware Client version, which could indicate the bug doesn’t necessarily appear in Windows Defender.

I had been also able to reproduce this behavior on my device running Windows 10 version 1909 with up-to-date virus definitions and the latest Antimalware Client version. No exclusions where configured on my small computer and also the message turned up in the Action Center after a Quick Scan.

Microsoft hasn’t acknowledged the problem, so at the time of penning this article, it’s still unclear if it’s an isolated problem or a substantial quantity of products are impacted. The next Patch Tuesday will take place on April 14 when Microsoft will ship a new batch of security updates to all Windows devices.

Microsoft Extends Security Updates for Windows 10 Version 1709

Microsoft will quickly extend the support for Windows 10 version 1709 due to the coronavirus outbreak so that they can give system admins additional time to prepare for the change.

Version 1709 was originally supposed to be pulled on April 14, 2020 for Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions, but Microsoft is pushing back the date to October.

An imminent end of support for any Windows 10 version would require system admins to stay at work to upgrade their fleets to newer releases at a time when social distancing and home isolation are the recommended ways to avoid contracting the brand new coronavirus.

“Right now, there exists a lot of concerns. For the families and colleagues. For the businesses and our customers. We’re all now working remotely, and every one of us have had our day-to-day lives impacted in unique ways. At Microsoft, our top priority may be the safety and health in our employees, customers, partners, and communities,” Microsoft explains.

Security updates through the normal channels

Going forward, devices still running Windows 10 version 1709 will continue to get updates normally via Windows Update, the Microsoft Update Catalog (for manual installers) and also the Windows Server Update Services.

“We have been evaluating the public health situation, and that we comprehend the impact this really is wearing you, our valued customers. To help ease one of the many burdens you are currently facing, and according to customer comments, we’ve chose to delay the scheduled end and services information date for the Enterprise, Education, and IoT Enterprise editions of Windows 10, version 1709. This means devices will get monthly security updates only from May to October. The ultimate security update for these editions of Windows 10, version 1709 will be released on October 13, 2020 instead of April 14, 2020,” Microsoft says.

A brand new Windows 10 version, currently referred to as version 2004, is anticipated this spring, using the RTM build apt to be signed

How to Disable Automatic Maintenance Mode in Windows 10

Windows 10 includes a built-in maintenance mode that runs automatically on a schedule. Generally, this schedule is maintained by Windows 10 itself. If needed, you are able to set a custom automatic maintenance schedule. Obviously, like other areas of Windows 10, you can easily disable automatic maintenance. Let me demonstrate how.

In case you don’t know, automatic maintenance does a bunch of things in the background. Those include although not restricted to installing updates, scheduled security scanning, system diagnostics, etc. Simply put, automatic maintenance is pretty important. However, on older systems and laptops, the automated maintenance mode can overeat of system resources. This will make the system overheat, slower, and unresponsive. In those situations, you can disable automatic maintenance mode in Windows 10.

Caution:

Only disable automatic maintenance mode if it’s your last measure and it is essential.
Before making any switch to the registry, create registry backup. This can help you restore it when needed.

Download Reg Secrets of Disable Automatic Maintenance

Though disabling automatic maintenance mode is certainly not hard, you need to use the registry editor to do it. So, to make things easier, I’ve created the registry keys for you. All you have to do is download and execute the files and you’re simply done. If you don’t want to do that, stick to the second method which shows the manual method.

Before disabling the automatic maintenance mode, you need to uncheck a choice within the Maintenance settings page.

1. Search for User interface in the start menu and open it up. Within the User interface, go to Security & Maintenance > Maintenance. Here, click on the Change maintenance settings link.

2. Now, uncheck the “Allow scheduled maintenance to wake up my computer at the scheduled time” option. Click the Ok button to save changes.

3. Download this file and extract the .reg files within the zip file onto your desktop. Since we want to disable automatic maintenance mode, double-click on the DisableMaintenanceMode.reg file.

4. You will notice a merge notification. Click the Yes button to continue.

5. Reboot Windows and also the automatic maintenance mode will be disabled automatically.

If you wish to enable automatic maintenance mode, simply execute the EnableMaintenanceMode.reg file. Also, be sure to let the option we unchecked in the second step.

Alternative Manual Method

If you want to, you can manually edit the registry to disable maintenance mode. All we must do is create a single key. Follow the steps as is and you’ll be good.

1. Search for Control Panel in the start menu and open it up. In the User interface, go to Security & Maintenance > Maintenance. Here, click the Change maintenance settings link.

2. Now, uncheck the “Allow scheduled maintenance to wake up my computer in the scheduled time” option. Click the Ok button in order to save changes.

3. Open the run dialog box, type regedit, and press Enter to spread out the Registry editor.

4. In the registry editor, visit the following location. You can copy the below path within the address bar and press Enter.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Schedule\Maintenance

5. Ideas need to create a new Dword value. So, right-click on the right panel and choose New -> DWORD (32-bit) Value.

6. Name the new value as MaintenanceDisabled.

7. Next, double-click on the new value. Enter 1 within the value data field and then click the Ok button to save changes.

8. To apply the alterations, reboot Windows.

That is it. After rebooting, the automatic maintenance will be disabled.

Should you ever wish to re-enable the scheduled maintenance mode, delete the important thing we simply created earlier.

That’s it.

5 Best File Tagging Software for Windows

When dealing with lots of files and folders, especially with nested folders, you can use tags to higher manage those file and folders. Tagging files could make the file management and locating the content you need easy. Here are some of the best file tagging software for Windows to help you get started.

Best File Tagging Software for Windows

1. Windows File Explorer

Did you know that Windows file explorer includes a built-in file tagging feature? Now, there are limitations which files you are able to tag on Windows. You can only tag media files and documents. Also, file tagging works only in NTFS file system. So, as long as your file tagging need is simple, you can use the built-in file tagging feature in file explorer.

To tag files in File Explorer, right-click around the file and select Properties. Now, go to the Details tab. Add the tags of your liking within the Tags field. Click on the Ok button to save changes. As you can tell in the below image, I’ve added Windows Hero Wallpaper as the tag. You can add multiple file tags by separating all of them with ;.

To find a file with a tag, use tag:YourTag in the file explorer search bar. Don’t forget to replace YourTag with the actual tag name.

2. Tabbles

Tabbles is a feature rich and something of the best file tagging software for Windows 10. With Tabbles, you are able to tag any file type in Windows. Developers designed Tabbles to be simple to use all the while providing you with proper tools to better tag and manage files and folders. When you tag the files, Tabbles makes it easy to obtain the file you’re looking. Tabbles also has an auto-tagging feature which automatically tags files based on file types and folder structure. If needed, you can create powerful rules using regular expressions for auto-tagging.

Additional features include although not restricted to the opportunity to combine and take away tags, tag priorities for workflow, tag hierarchies, etc.

Of all the features, the main one I like is that Tabbles preserves the tags even if you move to file explorer. The consumer interface is neat and simple to use too.

If you are searching for a full-fledged file tagging software which has a ton of useful features then Tabbles is perfect for you.

3. RecentX

RecentX is yet another simple yet useful file tagging software for Windows. With RecentX, you are able to tag folders and files with only several clicks. In fact, all you have to do is select the file or folder, click the Tags option and go into the tags of your choice. After tagging the files and folders, searching them whenever needed.

The best thing about RecentX is that it is a lot more than a file tagging software. RecentX can look for files faster than windows all the while making it easy to navigate between files and folders.

If you constantly deal with scattered files and folders or have deeply nested folders, RecentX can make your lifetime a lot easier using its management and check functionality. Additional features of RecentX include but not limited to clipboard manager, capability to search for browser background and bookmarks, etc.

4. Tag Explorer

Tag Explorer is really a dedicated file tagging software available through the Microsoft store. Using Tag Explorer, you can tag a variety of folders and files. Once tagged, it is simple to discover the tagged files using the built-in search functionality or by selecting checkboxes. Depending on file types and usage, Tag Explorer has some pre-defined to tags. For example, to handle movies, it has genre tags.

First and foremost, as this is a Microsoft store app, cellular phone is neat and you don’t have to worry about updates.

5. FileTag

FileTag is definitely an awesome-looking Microsoft store app to tag files in Windows. Using FileTag, you may create custom tags with their own color after which assign these to the files and folders whenever you’ll need. Now, when compared with other software within this list, using FileTag is not that intuitive. i.e. adding files and folders could be a drag. However, if you like an easy application that allows you to color code tags, then FileTag is a superb application. Add to that, the consumer interface is neat and modern too.

FileTag features range from the ability to set reminders, dark theme support, Windows Hello support to protect the application, semantic zoom, etc.

How to Tag Files in Windows

If media and documents are the priority, then your built-in tagging feature in File Explorer is mostly good enough. On the other hand, if you want a full-fledged file tagging software which has all the features then Tabbles or RecentX may be the way to go. Searching for Microsoft store app and don’t mind lack of advanced features? Try Tag Explorer or FileTag.

That is all.

How to Show CPU and GPU Temperature on Taskbar in Windows 10

Have to monitor CPU and GPU temperatures? Follow these steps to include CPU temperature and GPU temperature numbers to the taskbar in Windows.

If you’re somebody that likes to keep tabs on how hot things like CPU and GPU are running, you should use any of the thousand free software to monitor the temperature. The only bad thing is that many of those applications run in big to small windows and want to be surface of other applications for constant monitoring. If you have a big ultrawide monitor with many different screen real estate this might not be a problem. Even then, that window is simply a distraction if you want to work or play alongside monitoring temperatures.

For the greatest of both worlds, you are able to pin CPU temperature and GPU temperature to the taskbar. Once pinned, those temperatures will be updated constantly to provide you with the live reading.

So, without further ado, let me show you the way to display or show CPU and GPU temperature on the taskbar in Windows 10.

Steps to Show CPU and GPU Temperature on Taskbar

Since Windows doesn’t have built-in option, we will use a free third-party tool called HWiNFO. This free tool gives you a lot of information about all of the attached hardware in Windows.

1. First, go ahead and download HWiNFO from the official website. After downloading, do the installation much like your regular Windows software.

2. After installing HWiNFO, launch it from the start menu or by double-clicking around the desktop shortcut. Around the main window, click the “Run” button.

3. As soon as you press the button, HWiNFO will scan your system shows all the relevant information. If you want to, undergo that information. Once you are done, click the “Sensors” button in the primary window.

4. This action can have a list of sensor status.

5. Here, discover the “CPU Package” sensor, right-click onto it and choose the “Add to tray” option.

6. In the same manner, discover the “GPU Temperature” sensor, right-click on it and select and the same “Add to tray” option.

7. You can now begin to see the CPU and GPU temperatures around the taskbar.

So long as the HWiNFO application is running, you will see live temperature readings on the taskbar. So, do not close the sensor list or even the HWiNFO application. Just minimize the applying and it will be automatically minimized towards the taskbar.

(Optional) Customize HWiNFO Tray Icon Colors

If the default tray icon colors should not your taste, you are able to customize the feel and look. In fact, if needed, you can use two different palettes for sensor readings.

To do that, right-click on any sensor and select the “Tray icon settings” option.

Now, be certain that you’re in the “System Tray” tab. Here, discover the target temperature sensors, in this case, “CPU Package” or “GPU Temperature”, and customize the color scheme under the “Color” section.

In my case, I used Nvidia’s green and Intel’s blue because the background color for his or her respective temps. This managed to get simple to differentiate forwards and backwards temperatures. Once done, click on the “Ok” button to save changes.

(Optional) Start HWiNFO with Windows

If you would like the temp reading to exhibit all the time and survive system restarts, you have to add HWiNFO towards the Windows startup. That way, the application will begin with Windows and you’ll have the reading on the taskbar all the time.

First, open the HWiNFO application. Here, click on the “Program ?¨² Settings” option.

In the Settings window, under the “General/User Interface” tab, choose the below checkboxes. Once done, click on the “Ok” button in order to save changes.

Show sensors on Startup
Minimize the main window on Startup
Minimize sensors on Startup
Auto Start

That’s it. From now on, HWiNFO will begin with Windows. Since we’ve already configured it to exhibit the temperature readings in the taskbar, you will have instant access to them.

That’s it. I hope that helps. Following the same steps, you may also add other temperature readings for hardware like HDD, SSD, etc.

Microsoft Will Update the Linux Kernel in Windows 10 Using Windows Update

Windows 10 version 2004 is just nearby and one from the highlights within this release is the debut of Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2).

The feature that allows users to run Linux on top of Windows 10 is thus reaching the second generation, and something major change concerns the way the Linux kernel is updated in Microsoft’s operating system.

Beginning with this release, the Linux kernel is not part of the Windows OS image, so it’ll be updated just like Microsoft updates drivers on the Windows 10 machine: using Windows Update.

The Linux kernel will be updated automatically, but users can also check for new versions manually in Windows Update.

“Inside of the initial discharge of Windows 10, version 2004, and in the latest Windows Insiders slow ring preview build you will temporarily have to manually install the Linux kernel, and will get an update in a few months that will add automatic install and servicing capabilities. We made this change now along with a patch later to make sure that all users in the initial general discharge of WSL2 will be serviced via this dynamic model, and no you will be left inside a middle state while using prior system,” Microsoft explains.

Testing out WSL2

Windows 10 version 2004 is projected to go live for production devices in April or May, with the RTM build to become signed off sometime next month.

Microsoft explains that users signed up for the Windows Insider program can already try out WSL2 in Windows 10 build 19041.153 with the following commands:

wsl
wsl –set-version <Distro> 2, – wsl –set-default-version 2
wsl –import and wsl –export

Once Microsoft enables the automated install and update from the Linux kernel, your device should be able to look for new versions without user input.