Robert Irvine recommends new programs that won’t cost you a thing
SYSTEM TOOLWinaero Tweaker 1.60
www.snipca.com/49308
What you need: Windows 7, 8.1, 10 or 11
Winaero Tweaker does a great job of fixing minor problems in Windows that may not threaten the security of your PC but make it more annoying to use. Most of these are unwelcome changes Microsoft has made in its various updates.
Winaero Tweaker 1.60 is the first major release since June 2023 and offers full support for Windows 11 23H2. Perhaps not surprisingly, it introduces an option to disable Copilot, for those who aren’t keen on Microsoft’s ubiquitous AI assistant. On a Windows 10 PC, scroll down Winaero’s list of tweaks to the ‘Desktop and Taskbar’ section, select Disable Copilot and tick the ‘Disable Copilot’ box. In Windows 11, the setting is located in the dedicated Windows 11 section.
If you like Copilot but don’t want it cluttering your taskbar, choose ‘Disable the Copilot taskbar button’ instead. You can then add the assistant to your right-click menu by selecting Copilot in the Context Menu section and ticking ‘Add Copilot to Desktop context menu’.
Another new option lets you change the ‘Edit with’ entry in Windows 11’s right-click menu to use the image editor of your choice. In the Context Menu section, choose ‘App for ‘Edit’ Image Context Menu’ and click Browse to select your preferred program. To use the ‘classic’ version of Paint, which Microsoft has ditched from Windows 11, click Get Paint to install the old Windows 10 app.
Winaero has also added a tweak for the Blue screen of death (BSoD) in Windows 10 and 11, to provide more information when your PC crashes, rather than just an emoticon and an error code. Select ‘Show BSoD, Disable Smiley’ in the Behavior section and tick ‘Show BSoD details’ – you can also disable the annoying ‘sad smiley’ here.
Note that Winaero Tweaker triggers a security warning from Microsoft Defender SmartScreen, but it’s completely safe to use, so just click ‘More info’ then ‘Run anyway’.
1Winaero Tweaker lets you choose which folder opens by default in File Explorer. Select ‘File Explorer Starting Folder’ and switch from Home/Quick Access to This PC, Downloads or Custom. Click ‘Browse’ if you want to choose a different folder.
2Another new File Explorer option lets you decide which items appear in the navigation pane on the left-hand side. Click ‘Navigation Pane – Default Items’ and tick or untick
