The Old New Thing

Why doesn’t the Programs and Features control panel show Last Used On information?

July 30, 2019 Jul 30, 2019 07/30/19

Raymond Chen

The system doesn't try to figure it out any more, because it was always a guess, and often a really bad one.

How can I log users off after a period of inactivity, rather than merely locking the workstation? Is there a “logoff” screen saver?

July 23, 2019 Jul 23, 2019 07/23/19

Raymond Chen

Putting together some building blocks.

Why does Windows list my SSD system drive as removable?

June 26, 2019 Jun 26, 2019 06/26/19

Raymond Chen

Because the driver said it was removable.

What is WofCompressedData? Does WOF mean that Windows is a dog?

June 18, 2019 Jun 18, 2019 06/18/19

Raymond Chen

It stands for Windows Overlay Filter, but that name doesn't really tell you much.

What order do the items in the “New” menu appear? It looks kind of random.

June 11, 2019 Jun 11, 2019 06/11/19

Raymond Chen

It's alphabetical order, but not in the obvious way.

In the file copy conflict dialog, what happened to the option to copy the new file with a numeric suffix?

June 4, 2019 Jun 4, 2019 06/4/19

Raymond Chen

It's still there, but you have to dig a little deeper for it.

Why does Explorer’s New menu take so long to appear the first time I open it?

May 28, 2019 May 28, 2019 05/28/19

Raymond Chen

It's trying to figure out what new things it can do.

When I select multiple files in the File Open dialog, why does the last item come first?

April 9, 2019 Apr 9, 2019 04/9/19

Raymond Chen

Because it's the focus.

Asking for clear written documentation that “Require trusted path for credential entry” is no longer recommended

March 12, 2019 Mar 12, 2019 03/12/19

Raymond Chen

It was never recommended in the first place.

How to draw a nifty text box in your email message

February 26, 2019 Feb 26, 2019 02/26/19

Raymond Chen

This one weird trick.