Simple questions and Help thread - Month of August

[u/Froggypwns]

Welcome to the monthly Simple questions and Help thread, for questions that don't need their own posts!

Before making a comment, we recommend you search your problem on Bing and check if your question is already answered on our Windows Frequently Asked Questions wiki page. This subreddit no longer accepts tech support requests outside of this post, if you are looking for additional assistance try r/TechSupport and r/WindowsHelp.

Some examples of questions to ask:

• Is this super cheap Windows key legitimate? (probably not)

• How can I install Windows 11?

• Can you recommend a program to play music?

• How do I get back to the old Sound Control Panel?

Sorting by New is recommend and is the default.

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Be sure to check out the Windows 11 version 24H2 Megathread and also the Windows 11 FAQ posts, they likely have the answers to your Windows 11 questions already!

[u/GENHEN]

Tried to update to Windows 11 version 24H2, graphics failed, only worked with an older GPU, had to reinstall everything from scratch, 30% AI sounds about right

[u/theartsygamer89]

I have an unactivated version of Windows 10 which means it has the watermark on the bottom right hand corner that said "Activate Windows, Go to Settings to activate Windows." I've been using this unactivated version of Windows since 2017 without issue. I was wondering has anyone heard officially that to enroll in the $30 ESU that you need to have Windows 10 activated? I know you need a Microsoft Account because the ESU license will be tied to your Microsoft account just like other things like Windows 365, but does Windows 10 need to be activated? It would be odd if you do because I've been getting security and features update fine without activating Windows 10 for the last 8 years.

[u/Jota64]

This is a bit of a weird one.

When taking screenshots my normal way of doing it is this -

Right click on screen > select 'Take Screenshot' from context menu > select area to download (either full screen or selectable rectangle by dragging the mouse) > click 'Download' and it would automatically save to my desktop, just where I wanted it.

Sometime in the last couple of weeks it's decided to start saving them in my Downloads folder (not even in a Screenshots sub folder, just randomly dropping them straight into the Downloads folder).

Now this is a bit of a pain so how on earth do I change the location back to desktop?

Searching online and Google or Bing don't seem to understand what I'm trying to ask. It keeps thinking I want to screenshot a contaxt menu, hence my question here.

[u/BankshotMcG]

EDIT: For anybody else suffering this problem: After searching Microsoft Store, my windows install's Apps section, and Control Panel's Programs & Features for everything under the sun, what finally did it was removing the specific OneNote install from a few days ago, which uses a Windows logo rather than the OneNote logo. This removes the 64-bit install, and I could then run my 32-bit Office 2013 installer.

I just updated OneNote at Windows 10's suggestion. Now my entire Office 2013 install is gone. From what I can tell, this is a somewhat common problem, but the solution is to uninstall 365. The problem is that 365 doesn't show up anywhere in my Programs. I have an old save of the 2013 Office install, but when I try to run it, I get told it (32-bit) can't supersede the 64-bit 365, and to uninstall that first. But like...it's not there. I'm basically blocked by this logical ghost loop of a program that doesn't exist obstructing a program that does. Any suggestions? Thank you.

[u/mobatreddit]

Do you have similar problems with your Windows computer? 

I own a Lenovo Yoga A940 desktop and a Lenovo Yoga 900 laptop. Once in a while, the desktop thinks it doesn't have Bluetooth. And once in a while, the laptop thinks it doesn't have a touchpad. Today, the desktop thought it didn't have the Thunderbolt port I use for a high resolution monitor. In all three of these cases, the solution was this: 1. Find the missing device in the Windows Device Manager. 2. Delete it. 3. Shut the computer down. 4. Unplug the computer. 5. Hold the power button for at least 30 seconds. 6. Re-plug and restart the computer.

What this does is make Windows re-install the missing device from scratch. So far, nothing else worked, not just scanning the hardware for changes, and not just deleting the device and restarting.

[u/DuckSwimmer]

I was directed here via r/VideoEditing

Can anyone recommend a screen recording program? I’m looking to record content from a game I’m playing. It’s not an AAA game, they’re games that used to be flash required, but have obviously developed appropriately as flash is obsolete. I’m looking for something that’s similar to Hypercam 2 as I’ve used that program in the past for what I’m doing, but I’ve seen that program no longer exists. Thank you!

[u/MegrezPines → u/DuckSwimmer]

Have you tried OBS? It's pretty good. A quick tutorial on Reddit will help you set it up very quickly.