Drive Health Test

Drive health can be determined by investigating the following SMART Attributes, looking at the RAW_VALUE columns.

If it is a traditional mechanical hard drive (HDD):

  5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct
 10 Spin_Retry_Count 
 11 Calibration_Retry_Count 
196 Reallocated_Event_Count 
197 Current_Pending_Sector 
198 Offline_Uncorrectable 
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count

223 Load_Retry_Count 

If it is a Solid-State Drive (SSD):

  5 Reallocated_Sector_Ct 
177 Wear_Leveling_Count 
179 Used_Rsvd_Blk_Cnt_Tot 
181 Program_Fail_Cnt_Total 
182 Erase_Fail_Count_Total 
183 Runtime_Bad_Block 
187 Uncorrectable_Error_Cnt 
190 Airflow_Temperature_Cel 
195 ECC_Error_Rate 
199 UDMA_CRC_Error_Count 
235 POR_Recovery_Count 
241 Total_LBAs_Written 

If the drive shows perfect health (i.e. zero for all of the above values, except for the total number of blocks written (241 Total_LBAs_Written)) then it is likely to be a drive in good working order. If the drive has problems, run the manufacturer's diagnostic test to see if it has reached the manufacturer's failure threshold, which could be lower than the drives overall "SMART failure" threshold.   

Threshold Example

The table below illustrates the possible differences between a drive that could pass SMART but fail the manufacturer's test (50 reallocated sectors in the example) or it may pass the manufacturer's test but have definite problems and will likely fail (20 reallocated sectors in the example).

Number of Reallocated Sectors	Drive Health
0	Perfect.
1	The drive has experienced a problem, but the user is unlikely to be impacted.
20	Drive is failing. It is likely to be slow and the user may be impacted.
50 (for example)	Drive may now fail the manufacturer's test.
100 (for example)	Drive now fails its own SMART failure threshold and the BIOS will display a SMART warning, if supported.

 

Enable TPM

Certainly! To enable TPM 2.0 on your PC, follow these steps:

1.        Using the Windows Security app:

○      Press Windows Key + I to open Settings.

○      Go to Update & Security > Windows Security > Device Security.

○      If you don't see a "Security processor" section, your PC may have a disabled TPM. Refer to your PC manufacturer's support information or check how to enable TPM.

○      If you can enable TPM, verify that it's TPM 2.0 by checking the "Security processor details" under Security processor.

2.        Using the Microsoft Management Console (tpm.msc):

○      Press Windows Key + R or select Start > Run.

○      Type tpm.msc and press OK.

○      If you see a message saying a "Compatible TPM cannot be found," your PC may have a disabled TPM. Refer to your PC manufacturer's support information or check how to enable TPM.

○      If you can enable TPM, verify that it's TPM 2.0 by checking the "Specification Version" under TPM Manufacturer Information.

3.        Accessing UEFI BIOS (PC firmware):

○      Restart your PC.

○      During boot, press the key (usually displayed on the splash screen) to enter firmware settings (UEFI).

○      Look for settings related to TPM. It might be labeled as "TPM Device," "TPM Security," or "PTT."

○      Enable TPM and save your settings.

Remember, these settings vary based on your device, so consult your PC documentation or motherboard manual for specific instructions. Once enabled, TPM enhances security features like Windows Hello and BitLocker.

Source:

1.        Enable TPM 2.0 on your PC - Microsoft Support

2.        How to Check If Your Computer Has a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Chip

3.        How to Enable TPM 2.0 Windows 11: A Step-by-Step Guide for Users

4.        [Notebook/AIO] How can I determine if my computer supports TPM, the TPM ...

5.        How to enable the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) on your PC if it's ...

6.        How to Enable the TPM (Trusted Platform Module) | Dell US

How the old FAT16 file system used in early MS-DOS and Windows PCs became increasingly inefficient as hard drives grew larger.

Key points

·         FAT16 had a limit on the number of disk clusters it could track because it used 16-bit entries in its file allocation table. As hard drive sizes increased, FAT16 had to use progressively larger cluster sizes to manage them.

·         A cluster is the smallest amount of disk space a file can occupy. Even a tiny file uses an entire cluster.

·         On larger FAT16 volumes:

o    A 512 MB partition could use 16 KB clusters.

o    A 1 GB or 2 GB partition could use 32 KB clusters.

o    Later versions could support 4 GB volumes using 64 KB clusters.

·         This created substantial waste space ("cluster slack"). For example, thousands of very small text files could consume hundreds of megabytes because each file occupied a full 32 KB cluster regardless of its actual size.

·         The irony was that buying a larger hard drive could make storage efficiency worse, meaning users lost more of the capacity they had paid for. The article notes that a 1 GB drive in the mid-1990s was extremely expensive, making this particularly frustrating.

The workaround

Users often partitioned their drives into several smaller volumes. Since FAT16's cluster-size limitation applied per partition, smaller partitions could use smaller clusters and waste less space. A 1 GB drive split into four 256 MB partitions could use 8 KB clusters instead of 32 KB clusters.

How it was fixed

·         Microsoft introduced FAT32 with Windows 95 OSR2 in 1996, greatly improving efficiency and allowing much smaller clusters for larger volumes.

·         FAT32 became mainstream with Windows 98.

·         Eventually, NTFS became the standard Windows file system. NTFS still has some cluster slack, but it is far more efficient and can even store some small files directly in the Master File Table (MFT) without allocating separate clusters.

Bottom line: FAT16's design forced cluster sizes to grow as disk sizes increased, causing significant storage waste. Users often had to partition drives to avoid losing capacity until FAT32 and later NTFS solved most of the problems.

MICROSOFT SHARES OFFICIAL WINDOWS 11 GAMING HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS GUIDE

Microsoft shares official Windows 11 gaming hardware requirements and recommendations guide

Introduction

Microsoft has shared a detailed guide about its hardware recommendations and requirements for a gaming PC on Windows 11 in 2026.

In this guide, we have listed minimum and recommended CPU and GPU specs for Gaming Pc’s

First up, we start with the processor and graphics cards. The company explains in brief how these components help, like for example, the CPU is responsible for handling game physics, logic, draw calls, among others, while the GPU is primarily there for processing all the graphics. It can also immensely help with GPU-based physics like PhysX as we showed recently.

Here are the official CPU and GPU minimum and recommended specs for gaming on Windows 11 in 2026:

Entry-level gaming (1080p, medium settings)

·         CPU: At least a modern quad-core like AMD Ryzen 5 5600 or Intel Core i5-12400

·         GPU: NVIDIA GTX 1660 Super or AMD Radeon RX 6600

Mid-range gaming (1440p, high settings)

·         CPU: 6-core or better, such as AMD Ryzen 5 7600 or Intel Core i5-13600K

·         GPU: NVIDIA RTX 3060 Ti / 4060 Ti or AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT

High-end/4K gaming

·         CPU: 8-core or better, like AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D or Intel Core i7-13700K

·         GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4080 or AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX

Monitor Recommendations

Speaking of monitors, here is Microsoft's guidance on how to purchase the ideal monitor for your gaming needs depending on factors like refresh rate, response times, and panel type. It explains:

Refresh rate (Hz): How many times the screen updates per second.

·         144 Hz is a solid baseline for smooth play.

·         165 Hz–240 Hz benefits competitive shooters or fast-action games.

Response time (ms): The time a pixel takes to change color.

·         1 ms–3 ms is ideal for gaming, reducing ghosting and motion blur during fast action.

Panel types:

·         IPS: Excellent color accuracy and wide viewing angles—great all-round choice.

·         VA: Deeper contrast and richer blacks, though slightly slower response than IPS.

·         OLED: Superb contrast and near-instant response,

Conclusion

Microsoft's guide contains more helpful recommendations and tips. You can check it out here on the company's official site.

To see whether your PC has the updated certificates

To see whether your PC has the updated certificates

 

To see whether your PC has the updated certificates, open a PowerShell window using administrator credentials and then run the following command:"

 

([System.Text.Encoding]::ASCII.GetString((Get-SecureBootUEFI db).bytes) -match 'Windows UEFI CA 2023')

 

If the response is True, you're up to date. If the response is False, you need a firmware update. 

 

"Another crucial Windows expiration date is right around the corner for more than a billion PCs. Here's what you need to do now. Last year's end-of-support deadline for Windows 10 was a big test for consumers and IT pros alike. The good news is everyone passed! The bad news is there's another crucial expiration date right around the corner. Every Windows PC designed and built since 2011 supports a feature called Secure Boot. This feature, which is on by default on new PCs sold with Windows 10 and Windows 11, acts as a gatekeeper that allows only trusted software to run at startup. If someone tries to tamper with the operating system or boot from an alternate device, Secure Boot blocks that attempt. All currently supported versions of Windows support Secure Boot, as do an increasing number of Linux distributions, including Ubuntu, Fedora, Linux Mint, OpenSUSE, and a host of others.

 

If you bought a PC in the last 15 years, it almost certainly contains Microsoft-issued KEK and UEFI CA certificates from 2011, which are slated to expire in June 2026. To update those certificates, you need access to the root of trust -- the Platform Key, which is managed by the hardware OEM.

 

If your PC was designed and built by a major OEM (Lenovo, HP, Dell, ASUS, Surface), and you are running a supported Windows version, you should receive the necessary update automatically.

 

According to Microsoft, "For most individuals and businesses that allow Microsoft to manage PC updates, the new certificates will be installed automatically through the regular monthly Windows update process, with no additional action required."

 

Those updates will arrive on almost all PCs running Windows 11 and on PCs running Windows 10 with an Extended Security Updates subscription. You might need a separate firmware update from the PC maker to allow the updated certificates to install.

 

Microsoft says it will be delivering messages about the certificate update status in the Windows Security app.

 

For specialized computers, such as servers and IoT devices, you might need to download and install an update from the device maker.

 

What happens if I don't update those certificates?

According to Microsoft, "When the 2011 CAs expire, Windows devices that do not have new 2023 certificates can no longer receive security fixes for pre-boot components, compromising Windows boot security.... Without updates, the Secure Boot-enabled Windows devices risk not receiving security updates or trusting new boot loaders, which will compromise both serviceability and security."

 

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/windows-secure-boot-certificate-expiration-and-ca-updates-7ff40d33-95dc-4c3c-8725-a9b95457578e