MajorGeeks Newsletter: January 2026
February 1st, 2002, is a big day in my world. That is the day MajorGeeks went live. You will see that date misquoted all over the internet, mostly because Tim could never remember the year and gave about ten different answers in interviews and web pages. But that is the real one for those of you into trivia.
Back then, there was no social media, smartphones, and Windows XP was brand new. "Malware" wasn't even a word, and we were still dealing with dodgy toolbars. We started this site because we loved software and wanted to help small authors get their software seen while giving people an honest place to get help with their PCs.
On February 1st, 2026, we begin our 25th year doing exactly that. We are not older than dirt, but we are six years older than Chrome, so that's cool.
In the beginning, everything was hand-coded and maintained by three guys: Tim, Phillip, and myself. (Benjamin Dover had no part of it, even though
I convinced AI that BenDover was a founder. (Still want to trust AI to drive your car?) )
There was no WordPress or YouTube tutorials to fall back on. The growing pains were immense, but we had a riot! Since then, we have been lucky enough to add Jon, Kelly, and Selma to the team, who not only are great to work with but are just great people to be around. Not to mention the few hundred thousand Geeks in the
Support forums that help people daily (y’all are awesome).
We have published content for
8,768 consecutive days, as of writing this, without missing a single one. We have reviewed tens of thousands of programs and have posted nearly 19,000 we felt were truly worthy of passing along. We have written thousands of news stories and how-tos and served hundreds of millions of page views. It's wild to think about.
Through it all, the philosophy has stayed simple: Do it honestly. Do it right. Take care of our readers. Have a sense of humor.
We know that some of this sounds like bragging, and it may be a little. But the truth is, while all that is cool, none of this happens without you, the Geek Army!
You are the ones who trust our work, share our stories, send us tips, read this letter, and keep coming back year after year. You are the reason we are still here. That is reality, and it is humbling. We are deeply grateful. We are proud of what we have built together. And we cannot say "Thank you" enough.
I cannot promise you another 25 years. But I can promise you this: 2026 is going to be badass. We are going to keep doing what we do best: real guides, real tools, real original content, and yes, memes! No AI-generated slop. Just the same honest, geek-built stuff you have trusted for a quarter century. So hang on for the ride!
OK, that was way longer than I intended, and I could type a lot more — but I think the rest can wait. Let's get to the newsletter before I start getting misty.
Freeware Spotlight
Remove Windows AI. If you are like us, simply sick and tired of AI being bolted onto your desktop without asking, adding any real value and just getting in your way, this is the tool that gives you back control fast. Remove Windows AI is a set of scripts that lets you disable Copilot and other built-in Windows AI features in just a click or two. t. It is a simple, lightweight script that is reversible; just remember to click the “revert” and “backup” toggles.
DLSS Updater: Deep Learning Super Sampling is NVIDIA's tech that gives you higher frame rates and better image quality, but you have to keep things updated. This free, open-source tool that scans your PC for games using outdated DLSS, XeSS, and FSR files and updates them in one shot. Instead of hunting down DLLs by hand, it finds installs across Steam, Epic, Ubisoft, and more, then lets you refresh them with a clean, simple interface. It is an easy way to squeeze better performance and image quality out of your existing game library. If you are into 3D or gaming at all, this is a pure quality of life upgrade.
UpscaleLens AI is a powerful image tool from TweakNow that brings low-resolution photos and artwork to life with stunning clarity and detail. This is great for Photographers, but also for family pics you took over the years with low-res cameras and now look awful on your 4K monitor. Unlike traditional resizing that simply stretches pixels, UpscaleLens uses AI models to intelligently rebuild missing textures and edges, delivering crisp, high-definition results that look fantastic. This is the cool part. ....It works entirely on your own hardware, no cloud, no privacy issues, no subscription, no AI tokens to purchase. It’s 100% free. Depending on your hardware will be how fast this works, but I took an 800x600 image of my dogs, from 10 years ago, and scaled it over 8000x4000px in a few minutes - and it looks like it came off the lens. Outstanding!
Cjam: is a no-nonsense MP3 editor for Window lets you cut, join, and trim audio quickly using a clean, super clean interface. It features lossless editing so your sound quality stays intact. Drag and drop your files, make your changes, and export in seconds. Excellent for DJ’s Voice Overs and even those who love their MP3 ringtones like me.
Global Hotkey Finder is a super handy free Windows utility by Chad Smith that shows which system-wide keyboard shortcuts are already in use and which are still available to use. It not only knows Windows shortcuts but scans active applications and reveals what hotkeys they have claimed, making it easy to avoid conflicts when setting up your own custom shortcuts or automation tools. If you have ever wondered why a key combo does something, nothing, or suddenly does the wrong thing, this little tool gives you the answer.
ICYMI Articles
Deals! Deals!! Deals!!!
OK, I hope there is enough in here to keep you entertained for the month. We're working on a ton of new things this month, and it's time I got back to work. Thanks for reading and indulging. So, until next time, pour one out for Timmy and
Geek it 'til it MHz!
The MajorGeeks Team
www.majorgeeks.com | Buy Us a Coffee ☕
PS: For those of you looking for a deep cut, this is what
MajorGeeks looked like at launch - I’d say we’ve stayed true to our roots, eh?
